Fatal Attraction Reading Answers

Jan 4, 2023

Fatal Attraction Reading Answers comprises a total of 14 questions. This IELTS reading passage has been taken from the book Cambridge 2, Test 1. The IELTS reading topic: Fatal Attraction Reading Answers requires candidates to answer the mentioned number of questions within a time limit of 20 minutes. Each section of question has a set of instructions provided. This IELTS reading topic; Fatal Attraction Reading Answers requires candidates to answer two types of questions. They are: match the plants and no more than two words. To practice more such reading passage candidates can refer to the IELTS reading practice papers. The practice papers will help the candidates excel in the IELTS reading examination.

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Section 1

Read the passage to answer the Following Question

Fatal Attraction Reading Answers

During the mid-nineteenth century, Charles Darwin was the first to notice a flesh-eating plant. Biologists studying cells and DNA using 21st-century techniques are beginning to understand how these plants seek, eat, and digest, as well as how such strange adaptations evolved.

The venus flytrap plant’s leaves are covered in hairs. Their main function is to trigger a tiny electric charge, which travels down tunnels in the leaf and opens up pores in the leaf’s cell membranes. This process takes place when an insect brushes against them. The leaf rapidly flips in the shape from convex to concave, like a soft lens as water surges from the cells on the inside of the leaf to those on the outside. They snap together as the leaves flip, and trap the insect using its sharp-toothed jaws.
The setting of an underwater trap is a sophisticated method for bladderwort. It functions similarly to a tiny bag-like bladder, pumping water out while creating a vacuum within. When small creatures swim by, they bend their hairs on the bladder, causing a flap to open. The low pressure draws in water, dragging the animal along with it. The door swings shut again in one five-hundredth of a second. Meanwhile, the Drosera sundew has a thin, sweet liquid oozing from its leaves that attracts insects and then holds them fast before the leaves snap shut. Pitcher plants employ yet another strategy to entrap their prey, growing long tube-shaped leaves. Raffles pitcher plant, native to Borneo's jungles, produces nectar that both attracts insects and forms a slick surface on which they cannot get a grip. Insects that land on the pitcher's rim slide on the liquid and fall in.
The majority of carnivorous plants secrete enzymes in order to penetrate the hard exoskeleton of insects and absorb nutrients from within their prey. However, the purple pitcher plant, which lives in North American sides and infertile study soils, relies on other organisms to process its food. It supports an intricate food web of mosquito larvae, midges, and bacteria, many of which can only survive in this one-of-a-kind environment. The prey that falls into the pitcher is shredded by these animals, and the smaller organisms feed on the debris. Finally, the plant absorbs the nutrients that have been released.
Due to the fact that these plants thrive on being carnivorous, the benefits of consuming flesh are not what you might assume. Meat-eating animals, such as humans, utilise the carbon found in meat's protein and fat to create muscle and store energy. In order to manufacture light-harvesting enzymes, carnivorous plants obtain nitrogen, phosphorus, and other essential elements from their prey. In other words, eating animals enables carnivorous plants to carry out photosynthesis, i.e., develop by directly absorbing energy from the sun.
In fact, carnivorous plants are extremely inefficient at converting sunlight into tissue. This is due to the amount of energy used to create the equipment used to catch animals, enzymes, pumps, and so on. A pitcher or a flytrap cannot do much photosynthesis because, unlike plants with ordinary leaves, they lack flat solar panels that can absorb a lot of sunlight. However, there are some circumstances in which the advantages of being carnivorous outweigh the disadvantages. Bog soil, for example, contains little nitrogen and phosphorus, giving carnivorous plants an advantage over plants that obtain these nutrients through more traditional means. Bogs are also flooded with sunlight, allowing even the most inefficient carnivorous plant to photosynthesise enough light to survive.
Evolution has made this trade-off numerous times. Certain scientists claim that when the DNA of carnivorous plants and other species is compared, they evolved independently on at least three separate occasions. Certain carnivorous plants appear to be the same but are only distantly related. The tropical genus Nepenthes and the North American genus Sarracenia are two types of pitcher plants that surprisingly evolved from different ancestors, despite the fact that both have deep pitcher-shaped leaves and use the same strategy for prey capture.
Scientists can see the evolution of complex carnivorous plants from simpler ones in a variety of cases. Venus flytraps, for example, are related to Portuguese sundews, which catch prey passively through 'flypaper' glands on their stems. They are related to Drosera sundews, which can also curl their leaves over their prey. The Venus flytrap appears to have evolved a more complex version of this type of trap, complete with jaw-like leaves.
Unfortunately, the adaptations that allow carnivorous plants to thrive in arid environments also make them exceptionally sensitive. Agricultural runoff and pollution from power plants are increasing nitrogen levels in many North American bogs. Carnivorous plants are so finely tuned to low levels of nitrogen that the extra fertiliser overloads their systems, causing them to burn out and die.
Humans endanger carnivorous plants in other ways as well. Botanists are keeping the location of some rare species hidden because the black market trade in exotic carnivorous plants is so active. Even if poaching of carnivorous plants is stopped, they will continue to face other threats. The increased suppression of fires in North Carolina's savannah is allowing other plants to grow too quickly and outcompete the flytraps in their native environment. Perhaps this is good news for flies. But it's a loss for others who enjoy the sheer inventiveness of evolution, as Darwin did.

Section 2

Solution and Expolanation
Questions 14-17:
Look at the following statements (Questions 14-17) and the list of plants. Match each statement with the correct plant, A, B, C, D OR E. write the correct letter A, B, C, D, or E in boxes 14-17 on your answer sheet.

List of plants

Venus flytrap
bladderwort
Drosera sundew
Raffles pitcher plant
purple pitcher plant

It uses other creatures to help it digest insects.

Answer: E
Supporting Sentence: This is due to the amount of energy used to create the equipment used to catch animals, enzymes, pumps, and so on
Keyword: energy, catch animals
Keyword Location: Paragraph 5, 2nd sentence
Explanation: The pitcher plant cannot do much photosynthesis on their own. Hence, it uses other creatures to help digest insects. The supporting sentence suggests that purple pitcher plant is the correct answer.

It produces a slippery substance to make insects fall inside it.

Answer: D
Supporting Sentence: Raffles pitcher plant, native to Borneo's jungles, produces nectar that both attracts insects and forms a slick surface on which they cannot get a grip
Keyword: liquid, attracts insects
Keyword Location: Paragraph 2, 2nd last sentence
Explanation: The supporting sentence suggests that the liquid attracts the insects and they fall in the leaves due to slick or slippery surfaces. Then the leaves get shut. Hence, D is the correct answer.

It creates an empty space into which insects are stuck.

Answer: B
Supporting Sentence: The low pressure draws in water, dragging the animal along with it
Keyword: bladderwort, low pressure
Keyword Location: Paragraph 2, 4th sentence
Explanation: The supporting sentence clearly suggests that low pressure draws water in. This means it creates a vacuum or empty space. This draws the animal or insect with it.

It produces a sticky substance which traps insects on its surface.

Answer: C
Supporting Sentence: Meanwhile, the Drosera sundew has a thin, sweet liquid oozing from its leaves that attracts insects and then holds them fast before the leaves snap shut
Keyword: liquid, oozing,
Keyword Location: Paragraph 2, 6th sentence
Explanation: The passage talks about Drosera sundew which has a thin liquid. This liquid oozes out and is like sticky substance that attracts insects. Hence, C is the correct answer.

Questions 18-21:
Reading passage has nine paragraphs, A-I.
Which paragraph contains the following information?

A disadvantage of some carnivorous plants with leaf shapes is mentioned.

Answer: E
Supporting Sentence: A pitcher or a flytrap cannot do much photosynthesis because, unlike plants with ordinary leaves, they lack flat solar panels that can absorb a lot of sunlight
Keyword: ordinary leaves, lack
Keyword Location: Paragraph E, 3rd sentence
Explanation: The supporting sentence clearly suggests the disadvantage of the shape of leaves of carnivorous plants. It is that they cannot do much photosynthesis. Hence, paragraph E is the correct answer.

An example of a conservation effort for carnivorous plants.

Answer: I
Supporting Sentence: Botanists are keeping the location of some rare species hidden because the black market trade in exotic carnivorous plants is so active
Keyword: hideen, rare species, exotic
Keyword Location: Paragraph I, 2nd sentence
Explanation: The author states that botanists are keeping the rare carnivorous plants in a hidden place to protect from black market. This is an effort to save or conserve them. Hence, I is the correct answer.

The unexpected origin of some carnivorous plant information.

Answer: F
Supporting Sentence: Certain carnivorous plants appear to be the same but are only distantly related.
Keyword: appear to be the same, distantly related
Keyword Location: Paragraph F, 3rd sentence
Explanation: The author gives examples of plants that have unexpected origins. The tropical genus Nepenthes and the North American genus Sarracenia are two types of pitcher plants that evolved from different ancestors. They both have deep pitcher-shaped leaves and use the same strategy for prey capture.

In the form of an example, changes in the environment shorten the life cycles of carnivorous plants.

Answer: H
Supporting Sentence: Carnivorous plants are so finely tuned to low levels of nitrogen that the extra fertiliser overloads their systems, causing them to burn out and die
Keyword: burn out and die
Keyword Location: Paragraph H, last sentence
Explanation: The author in Paragraph H says that extra fertilizer overloads their system which forces them to die. This is an example that the author gives.

Questions 22-26:
Complete the notes below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
How a Venus flytrap traps an insect

A plant leaf is touched by an insect(22)___________.
small(23)_____________passes through leaf
(24)_____________ in the cell membrane open.
Outside leaf cells are filled with (25)___________.
The leaves change into a (26)________________ shape and snap nut.

Question 22:

Answer: Hairs
Supporting Sentence: When small creatures swim by, they bend their hairs on the bladder, causing a flap to open
Keyword: swim, bend their hairs, bladder
Keyword Location: Paragraph B, 3rd sentence
Explanation: The author in paragraph B states that when small creatures swim by, their hairs touch the leaf of the plants. Hence, hair is the correct answer.

Question 23:

Answer: charge
Supporting Sentence: Their main function is to trigger a tiny electric charge, which travels down tunnels in the leaf
Keyword: electric charge, travel down, leaf
Keyword Location: Paragraph A, 2nd sentence
Explanation: The main function of these small creatures travelling by is to generate tiny electric charge. This charge travels down the tunnel in the leaf and makes it functional. Hence, charge is the correct answer.

Question 24:

Answer: pores
Supporting Sentence: Their main function is to trigger a tiny electric charge, which travels down tunnels in the leaf and opens up pores in the leaf’s cell membranes.
Keyword: cell membranes
Keyword Location: Paragraph A, 2nd sentence
Explanation: The charge travels down the leaf and opens pores in the cell membranes. This makes pores the correct answer.

Question 25:

Answer: water
Supporting Sentence: The leaf rapidly flips in the shape from convex to concave, like a soft lens as water surges from the cells on the inside of the leaf to those on the outside.
Keyword: water, surges, inside of the leaf
Keyword Location: Paragraph A, 4th sentence
Explanation: The supporting sentence clearly says that the leaves are filled with water. The cells of the leaves from inside and outside. This makes water the correct answer.

Question 26:

Answer: concave
Supporting Sentence: The leaf rapidly flips in the shape from convex to concave, like a soft lens as water surges from the cells on the inside of the leaf to those on the outside.
Keyword: concave, convex, flips
Keyword Location: Paragraph A, 4th sentence
Explanation: The author states that the leaves rapidly change their shape from convex to concave and then they snap nuts. This means that the shape is concave, which makes it the correct answer.

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