Should We Try to Bring Extinct Species Back to Life Reading Answers

Feb 3, 2023

Should We Try to Bring Extinct Species Back to Life Reading Answers is an academic reading topic discussing in detail about bringing back the extinct species. The given IELTS topic has originated from the book named “Cambridge IELTS 10 Student's Book with Answers”. The topic named Should We Try to Bring Extinct Species Back to Life Reading Answers has a total of 13 wide range of questions. The topic consists of three sorts of questions, such as, choose the correct paragraph, and complete the following sentences, and choose the correct letter. 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 Should We Try to Bring Extinct Species Back to Life Reading Answers has been included.

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Section 1

Read the passage to answer the following questions

Should We Try to Bring Extinct Species Back to Life Reading Answers

The passenger pigeon was a legendary species. Flying in vast numbers across North America, with potentially many millions within a single flock, their migration was once one of nature's great spectacles. Sadly, the passenger pigeon's existence came to an end on 1 September 1914, when the last living specimen died at Cincinnati Zoo. Geneticist Ben Novak is a lead researcher on an ambitious project which now aims to bring the bird back to life through a process known as 'de-extinction'. The basic premise involves using cloning technology to turn the DNA of extinct animals into a fertilized embryo, which is carried by the nearest relative still in existence - in this case, the abundant band-tailed pigeon - before being born as a living, breathing animal. Passenger pigeons are one of the pioneering species in this field, but they are far from the only ones on which this cutting-edge technology is being trialed.

In Australia, the thylacine, more commonly known as the Tasmanian tiger, is another extinct creature that genetic scientists are striving to bring back to life. There is no carnivore now in Tasmania that fills the niche which thylacines once occupied,' explains Michael Archer of the University of New South Wales. He points out that in the decades since the thylacine went extinct, there has been a spread in a 'dangerously debilitating facial tumor syndrome which threatens the existence of the Tasmanian devils, the island's other notorious resident. Thylacines would have prevented this spread because they would have killed significant numbers of Tasmanian devils. 'If that contagious cancer had popped up previously, it would have burned out in whatever region it started. The return of thylacines to Tasmania could help to ensure that devils are never again subjected to risks of this kind.'

If extinct species can be brought back to life, can humanity begin to correct the damage it has caused to the natural world over the past few millennia? The idea of de-extinction is that we can reverse this process, bringing species that no longer exist back to life,' says Beth Shapiro of the University of California Santa Cruz's Genomics Institute. 'I don't think that we can do this. There is no way to bring back something that is 100 percent identical to a species that went extinct long time ago. A more practical approach for long-extinct species is to take the DNA of existing species as a template, ready for the insertion of strands of extinct animal DNA to create something new; a hybrid, based on the living species, but which looks and/or acts like the animal which died out.

This complicated process and questionable outcome beg the question: what is the actual point of this technology? 'For us, the goal has always been replacing the extinct species with a suitable replacement,' explains Novak. When it comes to breeding, band-tailed pigeons scatter and make maybe one or two nests per hectare, whereas passenger pigeons were very social and would make 10,000 or more nests in one hectare.' Since the disappearance of this key species, ecosystems in the eastern US have suffered, as the lack of disturbance caused by thousands of passenger pigeons wrecking trees and branches means there has been a minimal need for regrowth. This has left forests stagnant and therefore unwelcoming to the plants and animals which evolved to help regenerate the forest after a disturbance. According to Novak, a hybridized band-tailed pigeon, with the added nesting habits of a passenger pigeon, could, in theory, re-establish that forest disturbance, thereby creating a habitat necessary for a great many other native species to thrive.

Another popular candidate for this technology is the woolly mammoth. George Church, professor at Harvard Medical School and leader of the Woolly Mammoth Revival Project, has been focusing on cold resistance, the main way in which the extinct woolly mammoth and its nearest living relative, the Asian elephant, differ. By pinpointing which genetic traits made it possible for mammoths to survive the icy climate of the tundra, the project's goal is to return mammoths, or a mammoth-like species, to the area. 'My highest priority would be preserving the endangered Asian elephant,' says Church, 'expanding their range to the huge ecosystem of the tundra. Necessary adaptations would include smaller ears, thicker hair, and extra insulating fat, all for the purpose of reducing heat loss in the tundra, and all traits found in the now-extinct woolly mammoth.' This repopulation of the tundra and boreal forests of Eurasia and North America with large mammals could also be a useful factor in reducing carbon emissions - elephants punch holes through snow and knock down trees, which encourages grass growth. This grass growth would reduce temperature, and mitigate emissions from melting permafrost.

While the prospect of bringing extinct animals back to life might capture imaginations, it is, of course, far easier to try to save an existing species which is merely threatened with extinction. 'Many of the technologies that people have in mind when they think about de-extinction can be used as a form of "genetic rescue",' explains Shapiro. She prefers to focus the debate on how this emerging technology could be used to fully understand why various species went extinct in the first place, and therefore how we could use it to make genetic modifications that could prevent mass extinctions in the future. 'I would also say there's an incredible moral hazard to not do anything at all,' she continues. 'We know that what we are doing today is not enough, and we have to be willing to take some calculated and measured risks.'

Section 2

Solution and Explanation

Questions 14-17

Reading Passage 2 has six paragraphs, A-F.

Which paragraph contains the following information?

Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 14-17 on your answer sheet.

NB You may use any letter more than once.

Question 14 a reference to how to further disappearance of multiple species could be avoided.

Answer: F
Supporting sentence: While the prospect of bringing extinct animals back to life might capture imaginations
Keyword : prospect, extinct, animals, imaginations
Keyword location: paragraph F, line 1
Explanation: Line 1 of paragraph F implies that while the idea of resurrecting extinct animals may grab people's imaginations, it is obviously much simpler. It is then much simpler to try to restore an extant species that is just in danger of being extinct. In Shapiro's words, "many of the tools that people think of when they think about de-extinction can be deployed as a type of genetic rescue.

Question 15 explanation of a way of reproducing an extinct animal using the DNA of only that species

Answer: A
Supporting sentence: The basic premise involves using cloning technology to turn the DNA of extinct animals into a fertilized embryo
Keyword : basic, premise, DNA, embryo
Keyword location: paragraph A, lines 6-7
Explanation: The sixth to seventh lines of paragraph A implies that the fundamental idea is to use cloning technology. It is done to create a fertilised egg from the DNA of extinct animals, which is then carried by the closest living relative. In this case, a plentiful band-tailed pigeon, before being born as a living, breathing animal.

Question 16 reference to a habitat which has suffered following the extinction of a species

Answer: D
Supporting sentence: whereas passenger pigeons were very social and would make 10,000 or more nests in one hectare
Keyword : passenger, pigeons, social, hectare
Keyword location: paragraph D, lines 4-5
Explanation: Lines 4-5 of paragraph D explains that the reasons for reviving extinct species are listed, one of which is to restore environmental damage. The phrase ecosystems refers to habitat. Also, it says specifically that since the disappearance of this crucial species (passenger pigeons), ecosystems in the eastern US have suffered.

Question 17 mention of the exact point at which a particular species became extinct

Answer: A
Supporting sentence: Sadly, the passenger pigeon's existence came to an end on 1 September 1914
Keyword : Sadly, passenger, existence, 1914
Keyword location: paragraph A, lines 3-4
Explanation: The third to fourth lines of paragraph A explains that the exact point could be an exact time or date. So using the skimming and scanning technique, the specific date for the extinction of the passenger pigeon, came to an end on 1 September 1914. When the last living specimen died since "come to an end" is synonymous with "become extinct". It is therefore confirmed that answer A is correct.

Questions 18-22

Complete the summary below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 18-22 on your answer sheet.

The woolly mammoth revival project

Professor George Church and his team are trying to identify the 18..................... which enabled mammoths to live in the tundra. The findings could help preserve the mammoth's close relative, the endangered Asian elephant.

According to the Church, introducing Asian elephants to the tundra would involve certain physical adaptations to minimize 19.............................. To survive in the tundra, the species would need to have the mammoth-like features of thicker hair. 20......................of reduced size, and more 21....................

Repopulating the tundra with mammoths or Asian elephant/mammoth hybrids would also have an impact on the environment, which could help to reduce temperatures and decrease 22............................

Question 18:

Answer: genetic traits
Supporting sentence: By pinpointing which genetic traits made it possible for mammoths to survive the icy climate of the tundra
Keyword : George Church, pinpointing, genetic traits, mammoths
Keyword location: paragraph E, lines 4-5
Explanation: Lines 4-5 of paragraph E explains about the professor George Church. The project's objective is to bring back mammoths or a mammoth-like species. It is the objective to bring them back to the region by identifying the genetic features that allowed mammoths to endure the harsh tundra environment. The top concern of George Church is to protect the Asian elephant, which is in risk of extinction.

Question 19:

Answer: heat loss
Supporting sentence: Necessary adaptations would include smaller ears, thicker hair, and extra insulating fat, all for the purpose of reducing heat loss in the tundra
Keyword : Necessary, adaptations, heat loss, tundra
Keyword location: paragraph E, lines 8-9
Explanation: Lines 8-9 of paragraph E states about the heat loss. To reduce heat loss on the arctic, necessary adaptations would entail. It would entail smaller ears, thicker hair, and more insulating fat. These are all characteristics shared with the now-extinct woolly mammoth.

Question 20:

Answer: ears
Supporting sentence: necessary adaptations would include smaller ears
Keyword : necessary, adaptations, include, smaller ears
Keyword location: paragraph E, line 8
Explanation: Lines 8 of paragraph E implies about the small sized ears of the wooly mammoth in the region of tundra. Smaller ears, thicker hair, and more insulating fat would all be necessary adaptations. These characteristics can all be observed in the now-extinct woolly mammoth. Reintroducing large mammals to the tundra and boreal forests of Eurasia and North America might also help cut carbon emissions.

Question 21:

Answer: (insulating) fat
Supporting sentence: and extra insulating fat, all for the purpose of reducing heat loss in the tundra
Keyword : extra, insulating, fat, tundra
Keyword location: paragraph E, lines 8-9
Explanation: Lines 8-9 of paragraph E implies that smaller ears, thicker hair, and more insulating fat would all be necessary adaptations. These characteristic features can all be observed in the now-extinct woolly mammoth. Reintroducing large mammals to the tundra and boreal forests of Eurasia and North America might also help cut carbon emissions.

Question 22:

Answer: (carbon) emissions
Supporting sentence: America with large mammals could also be a useful factor in reducing carbon emissions - elephants punch holes through snow and knock down trees
Keyword : America, mammals, carbon emissions, trees
Keyword location: paragraph E, lines 11-12
Explanation: Lines 11-12 of paragraph E explains that elephants pound holes in snow and knock down trees. This promotes the growth of grass. This repopulation of the arctic and boreal forests of Eurasia and North America with large mammals. This could also be a useful component in reducing carbon emissions.

Questions 23-26

Look at the following statements (Questions 23-26) and the list of people below.

Match each statement with the correct person, A, B or C.

Write the correct letter, A, B or C, in boxes 23-26 on your answer sheet.

NB You may use any letter more than once.

List of People

Ben Novak

Michael Archer

Beth Shapiro

Question 23 Reintroducing an extinct species to its original habitat could improve the health of a particular species living there.

Answer: B
Supporting sentence: There is no carnivore now in Tasmania that fills the niche which thylacines once occupied,' explains Michael Archer
Keyword : carnivore, Tasmania, thylacines, Michael Archer
Keyword location: paragraph B, lines 2-3
Explanation: The second and third lines of paragraph B implies that another extinct animal being worked on by geneticists is the thylacine. It is sometimes known as the Tasmanian tiger, which was once prevalent in Australia. According to Michael Archer of the University of New South Wales, there is currently no carnivore in Tasmania. It fills the niche that thylacines originally filled.

Question 24 It is important to concentrate on the causes of an animal's extinction.

Answer: C
Supporting sentence: She prefers to focus the debate on how this emerging technology could be used to fully understand why various species went extinct in the first place
Keyword : focus, debate, emerging technology, species
Keyword location: paragraph F, lines 4-6
Explanation: Lines 4-6 of paragraph F suggests that Beth Shapiro likes to centre the discussion. The discussion on how this cutting-edge technology might be used to properly understand why certain species went extinct in the first place. It is also to understand, the consequently, how we might use it to create genetic changes that would stop mass extinctions in the future.

Question 25 A species brought back from extinction could have an important beneficial impact on the vegetation of its habitat.

Answer: A
Supporting sentence: According to Novak, a hybridized band-tailed pigeon, with the added nesting habits of a passenger pigeon, could, in theory
Keyword : Novak, hybridized, pigeon, theory
Keyword location: paragraph D, lines 9-12
Explanation: Lines 9-12 of paragraph D implies about a saying of Ben Novak. In principle, a hybrid band-tailed pigeon with the additional nesting habits of a passenger pigeon could restore that forest disturbance. It helps in establishing the habitat required for a large number of other native species to thrive.

Question 26 Our current efforts at preserving biodiversity are insufficient.

Answer: C
Supporting sentence: We know that what we are doing today is not enough, and we have to be willing to take some calculated and measured risks.
Keyword : efforts, preserving biodiversity, insufficient
Keyword location: paragraph F, lines 8-9
Explanation: Lines 8-9 of paragraph F implies that Beth Shapiro says that she would also say that doing nothing at all has a huge moral hazard. She also said that we are aware that our current efforts are insufficient, and we must be prepared to take some considered and calibrated risks.