Population Movements and Genetics Reading Answers

Mar 2, 2026

Population Movements and Genetics Reading Answers is an academic reading answers topic. Population Movements and Genetics Reading Answers has a total of 13 IELTS questions such as

Choose the correct headings for sections A-F from the list of headings below.
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage? Write, True, False, or Not Given.
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D

The IELTS Reading section is an essential part of the test that evaluates a candidate's comprehension and analysis of various passage types. You will work through a number of IELTS reading practice problems in this section that resemble actual test situations. These questions are designed to help you improve your ability to recognise essential concepts, extract particular facts, and make inferences. Practising these IELTS reading problems can help you get comfortable with the structure and increase your confidence for the exam, regardless of whether you are studying for the Academic or General Training module.

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Section 1

Population movements and genetics

A. Study of the origins and distribution of human populations used to be based on archaeological and fossil evidence. A number of techniques developed since the 1950s, however, have placed the study of these subjects on a sounder and more objective footing. The best information on early population movements is now being obtained from the archaeology of the living body, the clues to be found in genetic material.

B. Recent work on the problem of when people first entered the Americas is an example of the value of these new techniques. Northeast Asia and Siberia have long been accepted as the launching ground for the first human colonizers of the New World. But was there one major wave of migration across the Bering Strait into the Americas, or several? And when did this

event, or events, take place? In recent years, new clues have come from research into genetics, including the distribution of genetic markers in modern Native Americans.

C. An important project, led by the biological anthropologist Robert Williams, focused on the variants (called Gm allotypes) of one particular protein—immunologic G—found in the fluid portion of human blood. All proteins 'drift', or produce variants, over the generations, and members of an interbreeding human population will share a set of such variants. Thus, by comparing the Gm allo types of two different populations (e.g., two Indian tribes), one can establish their genetic distance, which itself can be calibrated to give an indication of the length of time since these populations last interbred.

D. Williams and his colleagues sampled the blood of over 5,000 American Indians in western North America during a twenty- year period. They found that their Gm allotypes could be divided into two groups, one of which also corresponded to the genetic typing of Central and South American Indians. Other tests showed that the Inuit (or Eskimo) and Aleuts formed a third group. From this evidence, it was deduced that there had been three major waves of migration across the Bering Strait. The first Paleo-Indian wave, more than 15,000 years ago, was ancestral to all Central and South American Indians. The second wave, about 14,000-12,000 years ago, brought No-Dene hunters ancestors of the Navajo and Apache (who only migrated south from Canada about 600 or 700 years ago). The third wave, perhaps 10,000 or 9 000 years ago, saw the migration from Northeast Asia of groups ancestral to the modern Eskimo and Aleut.

E. How far does other research support these conclusions? Geneticist Douglas Wallace has studied mitochondrial DNA4 in blood samples from three widely separated Native American groups: Pima-Papago Indians in Arizona, Maya Indians on the Yucatán peninsula. Mexico, and the Ticuna Indians in the Upper Amazon region of Brazil. As would have been predicted by Robert Williams's work, all three groups appear to be descended from the same ancestral (Paleo-Indian) population.

F. There are two other kinds of research that have thrown some light on the origins of the Native American population; they involve the study of teeth and of languages. The biological anthropologist Christy Turner is an expert in the analysis of changing physical characteristics in human teeth. He argues that tooth crowns and roots have a high genetic component, minimally affected by environmental and other factors. Studies carried out by Turner of many thousands of New and Old World specimens, both ancient and modern, suggest that the majority of prehistoric Americans are linked to Northern Asian populations by crown and root traits such as incisor shoveling (a scooping out on one or both surfaces of the tooth), single -rooted upper first premolars, and triple-rooted lower first molars. According to Tumer, this ties in with the idea of a single Paleo-Indian migration out of North Asia, which he sets before 14,000 years ago by calibrating rates of dental micro-evolution. Tooth analyses also suggest that there were two later migrations of Na-Denes and Eskimo-Aleut.

G. The linguist Joseph Greenberg has, since the 1950s, argued that all Native American languages belong to a single Amerind family, except for No-Dene and Eskimo-Aleut—a view that gives credence to the idea of three main migrations. Greenberg is in a minority among fellow linguists, most of whom favor the notion of great money waves of migration to account for the more than 1,000 languages spoken at one time by American Indians. But there is no doubt that the new genetic and dental evidence provides strong backing for Greenberg's view. Dates given for the migrations should nevertheless be treated with caution, except where supported by hard archaeological evidence.

1. New World: the American continent, as opposed to the so-called Old World of Europe, Asia, and Africa

2. Modern Native America: an American descended from the groups that were native to America

3. Inuit and Aleut: two of the ethnic groups native to the northern region of North America (i.e., northern Canada and Greenland)

4. DNA: the substance in which genetic information is stored

5. Crown/root: Parts of the tooth

6. Incisor/premolar/molar: kinds of teeth

Questions 28-33

Choose the correct headings for sections A-F from the list of headings below.

List of Headings

i. The results of the research into blood variants

ii. Dental evidence

iii. Greenberg's analysis of the dental and linguistic evidence

iv. Developments in the methods used to study early population movements

v. Indian migration from Canada to the U.S.A.

vi. Further genetic evidence relating to the three-wave theory

vii. Long-standing questions about prehistoric migration to America

viii. Conflicting views of the three-wave theory, based on non-genetic Evidence

ix. Questions about the causes of prehistoric migration to America

x. How analysis of blood-variants measures the closeness of the relationship between different populations

28. Section A

Answer: iv

Supporting statement: A number of techniques developed since the 1950s, however, have placed the study of these subjects on a sounder and more objective footing.

Keywords: techniques, developed, sounder, objective.

Keyword Location: Para A, Lines 2-3

Explanation: Section A discusses the transition from using only fossils to using modern genetic techniques to study population movements.

29. Section

Answer: vii

Supporting statement: But was there one major wave of migration across the Bering Strait into the Americas, or several? And when did this event, or events, take place?

Keywords: wave, migration, event

Keyword Location: Para B, Lines 4-5

Explanation: This section outlines the persistent questions regarding the timing and frequency of early migrations to the Americas.

30. Section C

Answer: x

Supporting statement: Thus, by comparing the Gm allo types of two different populations (e.g., two Indian tribes), one can establish their genetic distance, which itself can be calibrated to give an indication of the length of time since these populations last interbred.

Keywords: comparing, populations, genetic distance, interbred

Keyword Location: Para C, Lines 5-7

Explanation: Section C explains the technical process of using blood protein variants to measure how closely related two groups are.

31. Section D

Answer: i

Supporting statement: From this evidence, it was deduced that there had been three major waves of migration across the Bering Strait.

Keywords: three major waves, evidence

Keyword Location: Para D, Line 5

Explanation: This section provides the specific findings (the three waves) resulting from the study of blood variants in over 5,000 American Indians.

32. Section E

Answer: vi

Supporting statement: As would have been predicted by Robert Williams's work, all three groups appear to be descended from the same ancestral (Paleo-Indian) population.

Keywords: Predicted, Robert Williams, descended, ancestral.

Keyword Location: Para E, Lines 4-5

Explanation: Section E discusses mitochondrial DNA research by Douglas Wallace that reinforces the findings of the three-wave theory.

33. Section F

Answer: ii

Supporting statement: The biological anthropologist Christy Turner is an expert in the analysis of changing physical characteristics in human teeth.

Keywords: analysis, physical characteristics, teeth

Keyword Location: Para F, Lines 3-4

Explanation: This section is dedicated to the evidence gathered from dental characteristics like tooth crowns and roots.

Questions 34—39

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage? write:

TRUE—if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE—if the statement contradicts the information

NOT GIVEN—if there is no information on this

34. Robert Williams' research suggests that all Native American groups belong to a single genetic population.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: They found that their Gm allotypes could be divided into two groups... Other tests showed that the Inuit (or Eskimo) and Aleuts formed a third group.

Keywords: Divided, two groups, third group

Keyword Location: Para D, Lines 2-4

Explanation: Williams identified three distinct groups corresponding to three different migration waves, not a single population.

35. The ancestors of the Navajo and Apache migrated south from Canada less than 1,000 years ago.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: ancestors of the Navajo and Apache (who only migrated south from Canada about 600 or 700 years ago).

Keywords: Migrated south, Canada, 600 or 700 years ago

Keyword Location: Para D, Lines 8-9

Explanation: As per the text, 600 or 700 years ago is explicitly "less than 1,000 years ago.

36. The Inuit and Aleut belong to the same migration wave as the Navajo and Apache.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: The second wave... brought No-Dene hunters ancestors of the Navajo and Apache... The third wave... saw the migration... ancestral to the modern Eskimo and Aleut.

Keywords: Second wave, Navajo and Apache, third wave, Eskimo and Aleut

Keyword Location: Para D, Lines 7-9

Explanation: According to the text, The Navajo/Apache ancestors arrived in the second wave, while the Inuit/Aleut ancestors arrived in the third wave.

37. Douglas Wallace's mitochondrial DNA research supported Williams's conclusions.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: As would have been predicted by Robert Williams's work, all three groups appear to be descended from the same ancestral (Paleo-Indian) population.

Keywords: Predicted, Robert Williams, descended

Keyword Location: Para E, Lines 4-5

Explanation: Wallace's findings regarding mitochondrial DNA were consistent with the predictions made by Williams's blood variant research.

38. Christy Turner believes that environmental factors strongly influence tooth structure.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: He argues that tooth crowns and roots have a high genetic component, minimally affected by environmental and other factors.

Keywords: high genetic component, minimally affected

Keyword Location: Para F, Lines 4-5

Explanation: According to the text, Turner believes tooth structure is primarily genetic and specifically not strongly influenced by the environment.

39. Most linguists agree with Joseph Greenberg's view about Native American languages.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: Greenberg is in a minority among fellow linguists, most of whom favor the notion of great money [many] waves of migration

Keywords: Minority, most, favor, many waves

Keyword Location: Para G, Lines 3-4

Explanation: The text states Greenberg is in the "minority" and that "most" linguists hold a different view.

Question 40

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D.

Christy Turner's research involved the examination of ……….

A. teeth from both prehistoric and modern Americans and Asians

B. thousands of people who live in either the New or the Old World

C. dental specimens from the majority of prehistoricAmericans

D. The eating habits of the American and Asian populations

Answer: A

Supporting statement: Studies carried out by Turner of many thousands of New and Old World specimens, both ancient and modern, suggest that the majority of prehistoric Americans are linked to Northern Asian populations

Keywords: New and Old World, ancient and modern, prehistoric Americans, Northern Asian

Keyword Location: Para F, Lines 6-7

Explanation: Turner looked at specimens from both the Americas (New World) and Asia (Old World), covering both prehistoric (ancient) and modern times.

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