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Racing Pigeons Reading Answers

Bhaskar Das

Dec 17, 2025

]Racing Pigeons Reading Answers is an academic reading answers topic. Racing Pigeons Reading Answers has a total of 7 IELTS questions, such as Fill in the blanks in the following sentences, using words from the box below.

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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Racing Pigeons Reading Answers

Section 1

RACING PIGEONS

In many cities around the world, feral pigeons are a dime a dozen. They roost on roofs, they coo from wires, and they peck outside bakeries, waiting for day-old hand-outs. Pigeons that bred for racing are birds of a fancier feather-and one buyer recently shelled out $1.4 million to add a little guy named Armando to their roster of winged competitors.

A Belgian breeder put Armando up for sale on the pigeon auction site PIPA, where several bidders scrambled to nab him. When bidding closed, Armando's price had inched above —1.2 million (more than $1.4 million, in U.S. dollars). Seven of Armando's offspring were also up for sale, and they'll fan out across Belgium, Turkey, Germany, the Netherlands, and China. Armando will head to China, too, where the sport of pigeon racing has boomed in recent years. On the mainland, where most forms of gambling are prohibited, pigeon racing gets a pass, and there are at least 100,000 pigeon breeders in Beijing alone, CNN reported.

Many wildlife groups and rehabilitators are fundamentally opposed to pigeon racing, arguing that the birds face a barrage of challenges before, during, and after the events, which sometimes span hundreds of miles. "We think this is a flawed situation right from the beginning," says Elizabeth Young, founding director of Palomacy, a pigeon rescue organization in the San Francisco Bay Area. Young's group works with domestic pigeons who find themselves in the wild, including ones that were grounded during races, often because they were struck by hawks, outmatched by the wind, or ran out of energy.

From a purchaser's perspective, this bird had several things working in his favour, says Tim Heidrich, secretary of the National Pigeon Association, a bird fanciers' group. Armando has already soared past the competition in several long-distance races, and delivered sterling performances in Belgium, Heinrich says, where competition is stiff. Selecting a racing pigeon can be similar to selecting champion dogs or thoroughbred race horses, says Deone Roberts, sport development manager at the American Racing Pigeon Union.

"Pedigree can be important for the owner who may be hoping for genetic transmission of the most desired qualities," Roberts says. Armando is also young enough to be bred several times over the years, Heidrich says, thus maximizing the investment in him."

While other top birds have sold for hundreds of thousands of dollars in the past-and despite Armando's bona fides, "I think the price got very much out of hand," Heidrich writes in an email. "You probably had a couple of billionaires bidding with their egos instead of their brains." Still, Heidrich adds, "Like a great race horse, he's worth what someone is willing to pay.

Questions 7-13

Fill in the blanks in the following sentences, using words from the box below.

7. It is very common to see hordes of…………. pigeons in many cities around the world.

Answer: untamed

Supporting statement: In many cities around the world, feral pigeons are a dime a dozen.

Keywords: feral, many cities

Keyword Location: Para 1, Line 1

Explanation: The text uses the word "feral," which means "untamed" or existing in a wild state.

8. Some people………….. pigeons for racing as these birds fetch very high prices.

Answer: breed

Supporting statement: Pigeons that bred for racing are birds of a fancier feather...

Keywords: bred, racing

Keyword Location: Para 1, Lines 2-3

Explanation: The text discusses birds specifically "bred" for the purpose of racing.

9. Pigeon racing as a ……………..has greatly Increased over the last few years.

Answer: sport

Supporting statement: where the sport of pigeon racing has boomed in recent years.

Keywords: sport, boomed, recent years

Keyword Location: Para 2, Line 5

Explanation: The passage explicitly refers to pigeon racing as a "sport" and notes its recent growth (boomed).

10. In mainland China, many kinds of …………… are not permitted.

Answer: gambling

Supporting statement: On the mainland, where most forms of gambling are prohibited, pigeon racing gets a pass

Keywords: mainland, gambling, prohibited

Keyword Location: Para 2, Line 6

Explanation: "Prohibited" is a synonym for "not permitted," and the text identifies "gambling" as the restricted activity.

11. The…………of a bird is seen to be important when it comes to selecting one for purchase.

Answer: lineage

Supporting statement: Pedigree can be important for the owner who may be hoping for genetic transmission of the most desired qualities

Keywords: Pedigree, important, owner

Keyword Location: Para 5, Line 1

Explanation: In the context of animals, "pedigree" refers to its "lineage" or ancestral descent.

12. In bidding for Armando, people were swayed more by their ........... rather than logic.

Answer: pride

Supporting statement: You probably had a couple of billionaires bidding with their egos instead of their brains.

Keywords: billionaires, egos, brains

Keyword Location: Para 6, Line 3

Explanation: “Ego” is synonymous with "pride" in this context, suggesting they were motivated by status rather than logic ("brains")

13. There are several bodies that do not …………… pigeon racing as a sport

Answer: support

Supporting statement: Many wildlife groups and rehabilitators are fundamentally opposed to pigeon racing..

Keywords: wildlife groups, opposed

Keyword Location: Para 3, Line 1

Explanation: According to the text, to be "fundamentally opposed" to something means you do not "support" it.

like conceit sport track-record
racing untamed pride keep
speed lineage competitions gambling
support speculation domesticated breed

Read More IELTS Reading Related Samples

*The article might have information for the previous academic years, please refer the official website of the exam.

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