The Antarctic Reading Answers

Jul 7, 2025

The Antarctic Reading Answers contain 14 questions and belong to the assessment system of the IELTS General Reading test. The Antarctic Reading Answers must be answered within 20 minutes. In this IELTS reading section, question types include: Do the following statements agree with the information, Choose the appropriate letters, and choose no more than one word.

The Antarctic Reading Answers offers a comprehensive overview of Antarctica's geography, climate, history, and significance, highlighting its harsh environment. To practice similar reading tests, candidates can refer to the IELTS Reading Practice Test section.

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Topic:

A deep dive into what remains to be the most mysterious continent.

Antarctica is a sight to behold. Frigid landscape of snow cliffs, alternating with planes of ice, a place so seemingly hostile that any form of life seems highly improbable. Home to diverse but fragile ecosystems, the continent plays a crucial role in regulating the global climate and ocean currents.

The Antarctic and Antarctica are terms that are easily confused. To clarify, the first one is the region that includes the continent itself, the Kerguelen Plateau, which is located some 2500 kilometers north, and a handful of much smaller islands of the region. Conversely, Antarctica is a massive sheet of ice and snow with the South Pole in its centre. The name itself comes from the Greek 'antarktikos' , which means 'the opposite of the Arctic'. However, the literal translation would be 'no bears'. This can be slightly confusing until you learn that the word Arctic is derived from 'arktos' with the meaning 'bear'. The bear in question is the constellation of Ursa Major, which has stars that are said to have helped sailors of the past navigate towards the Arctic. Incidentally, the Arctic has polar bears, and Antarctica does not.

Although the existence of the southern continent had been hypothesized by ancient scholars, it wasn't until the early 19th century that the first confirmed sighting of the Antarctic mainland occurred. In 1820, a Russian expedition led by Fabian Gottlieb von Bellingshausen and Mikhail Lazarev composed of two ships, Vostok (East) and Mirniy (Peaceful), were the first to see the continent in person, followed closely by one led by British naval officer, Edward Bransfield. These initial sightings led to increased interest to the region, culminating in the famed explorations of James Clark Ross and Sir Ernest Shackleton, who made significant contributions to our understanding of the continent.

Due to its extreme location off the equator, the Antarctic region has only two distinct seasons - summer and winter, both with striking seasonal variation. Located in the southern hemisphere, its seasons are the opposite of what you would think of them. During summer months its sees virtually no sunlight - the sun sets in late April. From then on, you get increasingly cold weather with temperature going as low as 85°C; Contrastingly, September to March is the warmer season with sun almost always in the sky and, owing to this, the local animals such as seals and penguins much more active. The mid-seasons grace the continent with a sunrise and a sunset respectively, both lasting for weeks.

Despite being a gigantic glacier, technically Antarctica falls into the climatic category of a desert. Even though in our minds desert is something hot and sultry, this is not exactly what makes a desert. One striking similarity between the sandy dunes of Sahara and the endless snow

-covered plains of Antarctica is the amount of annual precipitation. The region gets as little as 10 mm of rainfall a year. To put that figure into perspective, that is about 50 times less than world's average figure. Because the continent is exposed to such miniscule amounts of rain, nothing prevented ice and compacted snow from growing thicker over the course of millions of years. No rain and low temperatures, in turn, lead to very dry air with very low humidity levels. The place also has the strongest winds on the planet, with gusts reaching in excess of 300 kilometers an hour. This is mostly due to its stark seasonal change and the way these affect the movement of air masses.

The continent has no indigenous people - men and women that populate it fall into two general categories: scientists and tourists. The majority of them reside there on a semi-permanent basis, usually during the summer season. They concern themselves with various researches, from astronomy and biology to something more exotic, such as glaciology and oceanography. The second, much larger group of people are tourists that come from all across the world with their own aims in mind. Some - to marvel at the fields of glittering snow that span all the way to the horizon; others - to get first-hand experience of the last unconquered bastion of savage nature. There are individuals who have the Antarctic in their bucket list of places to visit - often after they have been almost everywhere else. However, the lion's share choose to limit their exposure to a view from the comfort of their cruise ship, admiring the greatness, while also keeping a safe distance from the harsh realities of the place.

All the scientific activity happening in the region has to abide by the Antarctic Treaty and the Madrid Protocol, both in an effort to keep it as a place for peaceful research that should have environmental concerns as top priority. The former, signed in 1959 by 12 countries, aims to preserve Antarctica for peaceful and scientific purposes. It sets aside territorial claims, promotes scientific cooperation, and prohibits military activities. The Madrid Protocol, an addition to the treaty in 1991, designates Antarctica as a natural reserve, keeping a close eye on its ecosystems. The reason why the researches focus on the environmental aspect is because of the region's pivotal role in the entire planet's wellbeing. Antarctica's vast ice sheets and glaciers reflect a significant portion of solar radiation back into space, helping to maintain the planet's overall temperature balance. The frigid waters surrounding Antarctica act as a massive heat sink, absorbing and storing a great deal of warmth from the atmosphere. That is just the tip of the iceberg though. The formation of dense, cold seawater near Antarctica drives the global thermohaline circulation, also known as the ocean conveyor belt, indispensable at distributing heat around the world. This circulation system influences regional climates and weather patterns, affecting everything from precipitation levels to the intensity of tropical storms. This is why safeguarding the Antarctic region and ensuring its longevity is vital for our planet's well-being.

Questions 15-20

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2? 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

15. Antarctica is larger in size than The Antarctic.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: "The Antarctic... includes the continent itself, the Kerguelen Plateau... and a handful of much smaller islands."

Keywords: [includes, continent, Kerguelen Plateau, islands]

Keyword Location: Paragraph 2, lines 1–3

Explanation: "The Antarctic" is the broader region that includes Antarctica and additional areas, making it larger than just Antarctica alone.

16. The name of the northernmost continent originates from a celestial body.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: "The word Arctic is derived from 'arktos' with the meaning 'bear'... the constellation of Ursa Major..."

Keywords: [Arctic, arktos, bear, constellation, Ursa Major]

Keyword Location: Paragraph 2, lines 7–10

Explanation: The Arctic is named after the Ursa Major constellation, which is a celestial body used for navigation.

17. No bears can be found in the Antarctic.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: "Incidentally, the Arctic has polar bears, and Antarctica does not."

Keywords: [Arctic, polar bears, Antarctica, does not]

Keyword Location: Paragraph 2, final line

Explanation: The passage clearly states that polar bears are only found in the Arctic, not in Antarctica.

18. The Antarctic gets colder during winter months.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: "...you get increasingly cold weather with temperature going as low as 85°C..."

Keywords: [cold weather, temperature, winter months]

Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, lines 4–5

Explanation: During winter (April onwards), the temperature drops significantly, confirming it gets colder.

19. An unusual weather condition has led to accumulation of landmass.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: "No rain and low temperatures... lead to very dry air... nothing prevented ice and compacted snow from growing thicker…"

Keywords: [no rain, low temperatures, snow growing thicker]

Keyword Location: Paragraph 5, lines 5–6

Explanation: The accumulation is due to low precipitation and cold, not an unusual weather condition increasing landmass.

20. No aboriginal population exists in the Antarctic

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: "The continent has no indigenous people..."

Keywords: [no indigenous people]

Keyword Location: Paragraph 6, line 1

Explanation: It is clearly stated that Antarctica has no native human population.

Questions 21-22

Choose the appropriate letters A-C.

21. What is said about the scientists of the Antarctic?

A. They leave the continent during winter months

B. The focus of their research constantly changes

C. Their work has limitations imposed by international agreements

Answer: C. Their work has limitations imposed by international agreements

Supporting statement: "All the scientific activity... has to abide by the Antarctic Treaty and the Madrid Protocol..."

Keywords: [scientific activity, abide, treaty, protocol]

Keyword Location: Paragraph 7, line 1

Explanation: International treaties and protocols limit scientific activities to peaceful, environmentally friendly research.

22. Most tourists coming to see the Antarctic

A. have already seen all other continents.

B. do not get off the ship.

C. enjoy the grand views of the place.

Answer: B. do not get off the ship.

Supporting statement: "the lion's share choose to limit their exposure to a view from the comfort of their cruise ship…"

Keywords: [limit exposure, cruise ship, view]

Keyword Location: Paragraph 6, final lines

Explanation: Most tourists admire the view from a ship without disembarking due to the harsh conditions.

Question 23

Choose the appropriate letters A-C.

23. Why is it important to save the Antarctic?

A. It creates fruitful scientific environment

B. It aids world ocean water circulation

C. It is a vital part of the global ecosystem

Answer: C. It is a vital part of the global ecosystem

Supporting statement: "...ensuring its longevity is vital for our planet's well-being."

Keywords: [vital, planet's well-being, ecosystem]

Keyword Location: Final paragraph, last line

Explanation: The passage emphasizes Antarctica's role in climate regulation and ocean circulation, which impact the whole planet.

Questions 24-28

Write NO MORE THAN ONE WORD for each.

The Arctic still mystifies humanity today. Many things about it can be quite puzzling at first glance. Judging by its 24............

Answer: precipitation

Supporting statement: "One striking similarity between the sandy dunes of Sahara and the endless snow-covered plains of Antarctica is the amount of annual precipitation."

Keywords: [precipitation, desert, annual]

Keyword Location: Paragraph 5, Line 2

Explanation: The passage clarifies that Antarctica qualifies as a desert due to receiving only about 10 mm of precipitation annually, which aligns with the global desert classification criteria.

levels it is a desert, although entirely covered by snow. The seasons are opposites of what we have, and its day and night cycle is one year long. Its 25.........

Answer: winds

Supporting statement: "The place also has the strongest winds on the planet, with gusts reaching in excess of 300 kilometers an hour."

Keywords: [winds, strongest, kilometers an hour]

Keyword Location: Paragraph 5, Line 7

Explanation: Antarctica’s winds are described as extremely powerful, making them the strongest on the planet. This confirms their ferocity and velocity mentioned in the question.

are ferocious and merciless, reaching highest velocities on the planet. The continent's 26..........

Answer: existence

Supporting statement: "Although the existence of the southern continent had been hypothesized by ancient scholars..."

Keywords: [existence, hypothesized, ancient scholars]

Keyword Location: Paragraph 3, Line 1

Explanation: The passage states that the existence of Antarctica was theorized long before it was visually confirmed in the 19th century.

had been predicted long before it was discovered in the beginning of the 19th century. Because of its unwelcoming climate and remote location, more serious scientific endeavour there took place almost a century later. The reason this region is of utmost importance to us is simple: its 27............

Answer: ice

Supporting statement: "Antarctica's vast ice sheets and glaciers reflect a significant portion of solar radiation back into space..."

Keywords: [ice sheets, glaciers, solar radiation]

Keyword Location: Final paragraph, Line 4

Explanation: The ice functions like a shield, reflecting sunlight and helping regulate global temperatures, thus protecting Earth’s environmental balance.

act as a shield against the harmful radiation Earth is exposed to. If these were to perish entirely, it would upset the intricate temperature balance and threaten our 28............

Answer: climate

Supporting statement: "...it would upset the intricate temperature balance and threaten our climate."

Keywords: [temperature balance, threaten, climate]

Keyword Location: Final paragraph, Lines 5–6

Explanation: The loss of Antarctic ice would destabilize Earth’s climate systems, highlighting the region's vital role in sustaining global climate stability.

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