Sharks Face Extinction Reading Answers

Aug 18, 2023

Sharks Face Extinction Reading Answers is an academic reading topic discussing in detail study about the extinction of sharks. The given IELTS topic is taken from Cambridge IELTS Reading Test 61. The topic named Sharks Face Extinction Reading Answers has a total of 15 wide range of questions included. The IELTS topic consists of two different sorts of questions, like, complete the following sentences, and Yes/No/Not Given. The candidates should thoroughly read the IELTS reading passage to recognize the synonyms and identify the keywords and answer the questions below. IELTS reading practice papers can be taken into consideration by the candidates in order to score a good score in the reading section in which similar topics like Sharks Face Extinction Reading Answers has been included.

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Section 1

Read the passage to answer the following questions

Sharks Face Extinction Reading Answers

Professor Robert Law, bead of Marine Biological Ltd, which monitors the ocean environment, and a leading governmental advisor on marine pollution, is claiming today that sharks are in danger of extinction. Professor Law's main point is that worldwide the number of sharks of most species is dropping rapidly. Exact figures about these elusive creatures are hard to come by, but the general consensus is that certain kinds of shark population have decreased by up to 75% in the last 30 years.

The great white and tiger sharks have seen the greatest drop in numbers, down by as much as 90% from 20 years ago. Smaller sharks are also under threat – the populations of makos, hammerheads, even common dogfish are being decimated. Estimates suggest that British dogfish numbers have halved in the last decade alone.

And this decline is worldwide. The big sharks congregate mainly in the warmer waters of the Pacific and Caribbean, but cold water areas such as the Atlantic and the North Sea have their own species and these too are in danger. The reasons for the decline in numbers are not hard to see. One huge reason is the continued demand for shark fins in South-East Asia, where they are used to make soup and as ingredients in medicines. Most sharks that are killed commercially in the West are processed for the oil that comes from their livers. Sharks are also victims of fear, since they are routinely killed by fishermen when they are landed with other catches.

"Sharks have no protection." writes Professor Law. "They are not outside the law - most countries have laws protecting the species which are most under threat - but the problem is that people are so frightened of them that the laws are not enforced. There are perhaps five marine biologists in Europe actively involved in attempts to save shark species, although there is greater awareness in America and Australia. Sharks have an image problem. Nobody associates them with needing to be saved simply because they are such fearsome predators."

But the market demand for shark products has always been high. The real reason why shark stocks have plummeted is the same as the reason why other fish species are in decline. Modern fishing technology the use of sonar and deep-netting in particular - has made the shark's natural defenses useless.

Charles Starkling, author of Jaws: the Myth of the Sea, agrees. "The equipment the shark has to defend itself is perfect in the right environment. Against other sharks, humans, fish, all the normal dangers, the shark is virtually invincible." But Starkling adds that no animal, no matter how large and dangerous on its own, can fight against steel nets. "The nets that are put out to protect swimmers don't just keep sharks away. They kill them. A shark which is caught in a net dies, because sharks can't stop swimming. Without a swim bladder, the shark drowns as soon as it stops moving." Starkling says it is common practice for sharks to have their fins cut off by fishermen and then to be dropped back in the ocean alive. They die by drowning.

And the ecology of sharks makes them especially vulnerable. Sharks are top-of-the-chain predators, feeding on virtually anything else in the water, and consequently they are quite rare. For every million herring in the Atlantic, there will be one mako. Sharks are solitary and territorial, with unimaginably vast areas. The larger sharks also reproduce slowly, giving birth to live young one at a time.

Most people are afraid of sharks, but without good reason. You are many thousands of times more likely to be run over or die from smoking - even death by lightning or drowning in your bath are more likely than to be attacked by a shark, and even then most shark attack victims survive. Recent research suggests that most sharks kill by mistake after taking an exploratory bite - humans are not sharks' chosen food. But time is running out for these ancient predators of the deeps. When their populations have gone below a certain level, no amount of legislation will protect them. Professor Law points out that most sharks cannot be kept in zoos, like tigers, and that once they are gone they will be gone forever. He counsels that sharks urgently need protection by law if they are to continue to grace the seas.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation

Questions 1-8

Complete the summary below. Choose your answers from the box below the summary and write them in boxes 1 - 8 on the answer sheet. There are more words than spaces, so you will not use all the given words.

Sharks Face Extinction

All over the world, shark populations are in dramatic (1).…………………………. In warm and cold waters, many shark species have been reduced to a (2) ......................... of their former size. This has come about largely as a result of the demand for shark products in the medical and catering industries, but sharks are also left biologically (3).......... since they lack swim bladders and can drown if they are (4)............................. And the shark's reputation means it does not enjoy the (5)...............................of other endangered species; conservation laws are often (6).............. All these factors are compounded by recent (7) .............................................in the techniques of fishing. Sharks are comparatively rare, because of their status as (8)............................, and reproduce slowly. This makes them even more exposed to the dangers of overfishing. With stocks already very low, the time for full legal protection has come.

Improvements

Fish

Ignored

Movement

Predators

Protection

Vulnerable

Section

Trapped

Made

Decline

Change

Attackers

Open

Fraction

Followed

Technology

Laws

Part

Question 1:

Answer: decline
Supporting sentence: And this decline is worldwide.
Keyword : this, decline, worldwide
Keyword location: paragraph 3, lines 1-4
Explanation: Lines 1-4 of paragraph 3 states that hige sharks tend to concentrate in the Pacific and Caribbean because of their warmer temperatures. However, there are species of big sharks that live in colder regions like the Atlantic and the North Sea, and they are also in danger. It's not difficult to identify the causes of the population drop. This decline is ona global basis.

Question 2:

Answer: fraction
Supporting sentence: The reasons for the decline in numbers are not hard to see.
Keyword : reasons, decline, numbers, hard to see
Keyword location: paragraph 3, lines 3-4
Explanation: Lines 3-4 of paragraph 3 says that big Big sharks tend to concentrate in the warmer seas of the Pacific and Caribbean. Although, there are species found in colder waters like the Atlantic and the North Sea that are also under danger. It's not difficult to identify the causes of the population drop.

Question 3:

Answer: vulnerable
Supporting sentence: And the ecology of sharks makes them especially vulnerable
Keyword : ecology, sharks, especially, vulnerable
Keyword location: paragraph 7, line 1
Explanation: Line 1 of paragraph 7 explains that sharks are particularly susceptible because of their ecology. Sharks are the top predators in the food chain and consume almost anything in the ocean, which makes them quite scarce.

Question 4:

Answer: trapped
Supporting sentence: Without a swim bladder, the shark drowns as soon as it stops moving.
Keyword : caught, swim bladder, shark, drowns,
Keyword location: paragraph 6, lines 6-7
Explanation: Lines 6-7 of paragraph 6 states that sharks cannot stop swimming. Thus when one is captured in a net, it results in death. Sharks without swim bladders drown the moment they stop moving.

Question 5:

Answer: protection
Supporting sentence: Sharks have no protection
Keyword : Sharks, no, protection
Keyword location: paragraph 4, line 1
Explanation: Line 1 of paragraph 4 suggests that sharks are unprotected, according to Professor Law. Although most nations have laws protecting the species that are most in danger, the issue is that people are so afraid of them that the laws are not upheld. They are not in violation of the law.

Question 6:

Answer: ignored
Supporting sentence: but the problem is that people are so frightened of them that the laws are not enforced.
Keyword : problem, people, frightened, enforced
Keyword location: paragraph 4, lines 2-3
Explanation: Lines 2-3 of paragraph 4 states that the issue is that the laws are not upheld because people are so afraid of them. Though there is more awareness in America and Australia, there are just about five marine biologists working actively to rescue shark species in Europe. Sharks have a stigma issue.

Question 7:

Answer: improvements
Supporting sentence: although there is greater awareness in America and Australia.
Keyword : although, awareness, America, Australia
Keyword location: paragraph 4, lines 4-5
Explanation: Lines 4-5 of paragraph 4 explains that efforts to rescue shark species are being made in America and Australia with more awareness. Although, there are only about five marine biologists actively participating in Europe. Sharks have a stigma issue.

Question 8:

Answer: predators
Supporting sentence: Sharks are top-of-the-chain predators, feeding on virtually anything else in the water, and consequently they are quite rare.
Keyword : Sharks, predators, water, quite rare
Keyword location: paragraph 7, lines 2-3
Explanation: Lines 2-3 of paragraph 7 explains that additionally, sharks are particularly vulnerable due to their ecosystem. Sharks are top-of-the-food-chain predators that eat almost anything in the ocean, hence they are rather uncommon.

Questions 9-15

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1? In boxes 9-15 on your answer sheet write

YES if the statement agrees with the information
NO if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this in the passage.

Question 9. We know precisely how much shark populations have declined.

Answer: NO
Supporting sentence: Exact figures about these elusive creatures are hard to come by
Keyword : Exact, figures, elusive, creatures
Keyword location: paragraph 1, line 4
Explanation: Line 4 of paragraph 1 explains that although precise statistics on these elusive creatures are difficult to get. It is generally accepted that the population of some species of sharks has declined by up to 75% over the past 30 years. Therefore, the above statement can be regarded as an incorrect assumption.

Question 10. The biggest reason for the decline of sharks is the demand for shark fins.

Answer: NOT GIVEN
Explanation: There is not any justified information in the given passage to support the above statement. Therefore, we can clearly conclude this statement to be an invalid one.

Question 11. People are afraid to implement regulations safeguarding sharks.

Answer: YES
Supporting sentence: Most people are afraid of sharks, but without good reason.
Keyword : people, afraid, sharks, good reason
Keyword location: paragraph 8, line 1
Explanation: Line 1 of paragraph 8 implies that sharks are feared by the majority of humans, however this fear is unfounded. Even dying from lightning or drowning in your bathtub are far more likely than being attacked by a shark. And even then, the majority of victims of shark attacks survive. You are also thousands of times more likely to get run over or to die from smoking. Thus, it is a correct statement.

Question 12. The shark is able to protect itself in all circumstances.

Answer: NO
Supporting sentence: The nets that are put out to protect swimmers don't just keep sharks away.
Keyword : nets, protect, swimmers, sharks, away
Keyword location: paragraph 6, lines 5-6
Explanation: Lines 5-6 of paragraph 6 explains that sharks aren't the only thing that the nets that are thrown out to protect swimmers do. They kill them eventually. Sharks cannot stop swimming, thus when one is captured in a net, it results in death. Sharks without swim bladders drown the moment they stop moving. Thus, the above statement can be regardred as an incorrect one.

Question 13. Sharks live in groups.

Answer: NO
Supporting sentence: Professor Law points out that most sharks cannot be kept in zoos
Keyword : Professor Law, most, sharks, cannot be kept in zoos
Keyword location: paragraph 8, line 7
Explanation: Line 7 of paragraph 8 implies that the majority of sharks, unlike tigers, cannot be kept in zoos. Also, once they are gone, they are gone forever, according to Professor Law. He advises that if sharks are to continue gracing the seas, they urgently require legal protection. Therefore, the given statement can be regarded as an invalid one.

Question 14. Shark attacks are a statistically improbable cause of death for humans.

Answer: YES
Supporting sentence: even death by lightning or drowning in your bath are more likely than to be attacked by a shark
Keyword : death, drowning, attacked, shark
Keyword location: paragraph 8, lines 1-3
Explanation: Lines 1-3 of paragraph 8 explains that most people's fear of sharks is unfounded. People are thousands of times more likely to be struck by a car or die from smoking than they are to be attacked by a shark. Even then, the majority of shark attack victims survive. Thus, the above statement stands to be a correct one.

Question 15. Sharks will become extinct in the near future.

Answer: NOT GIVEN
Explanation: No pertinent information has been provided in the provided passage to support the above mentioned statement. Thus, the above statement can be regarded as an invalid one.

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