The Sahara Reading Answers

May 7, 2025

The Sahara Reading Answers is an academic reading answers topic. The Sahara Reading Answers has a total of 13 IELTS questions in total. In the question set, you have to choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings (I-X). In the next question set given you have to state whether the statement is true, false or not given with the information given in the text

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 several IELTS reading practice problems in this section that resemble actual test situations. These questions are designed to help you improve your ability to recognize 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 THE SAHARA

The Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world, and the third largest desert behind Antarctica and the Arctic, which are both cold deserts. The Sahara is one of the harshest environments on Earth, covering 3.6 million square miles (9.4 million square kilometres), nearly a third of the continent, about the size of the United States (including Alaska and Hawaii). The Sahara is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean on the west, the Red Sea on the east, the Mediterranean Sea on the north and the Sahel Savannah on the south. The enormous desert spans II countries: Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Morocco, Niger, Western Sahara, Sudan and

Tunisia.

The Sahara desert has a variety of terrains but is most famous for the sand dune fields that are often depicted in movies. The dunes can reach almost 600 feet (183 meters) high but they cover only about 15 percent of the entire desert. Other topographical features include mountains. plateaus, sand- and gravel-covered plains, salt flats, basins and depressions. Mount Koussi, an extinct volcano in Chad. is the highest point in the Sahara at 11,204 feet (3,415 m), and the Qattara Depression in Egypt is the Saraha's deepest point, at 436 feet (133 m) below sea level.

Water is scarce across the entire region, yet the Sahara contains two permanent rivers (the Nile and the Niger), at least 20 seasonal lakes and huge aquifers, which are the primary sources of water in the more than 90 major desert oases. Water management authorities once feared the aquifers in the Sahara would soon dry up due to overuse, but a study published in the journal Geophysical Research Letters in 2013, discovered that the "fossil" (nonrenewable) aquifers were still being fed via rain and run off.

Despite the harsh, arid conditions of the desert, several plants and animals call the region home. There are approximately 500 species of plants, 70 known mammalian species, 90 avian species and 100 reptilian species that live in the Sahara, plus several species of spiders, scorpions and other small arthropods, according to World Wildlife Fund. Camels are one of the most iconic animals of the Sahara. The large mammals are native to North America and eventually made their way across the Bering Isthmus between 3 and 5 million years ago, according to a study in the Research Journal of Agriculture and Environmental Management in 2015. Camels were domesticated about 3,000 years ago on the Southeast Arabian Peninsula, to be used for various purposes, one of which is transportation in the desert, according to the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna. Plant species in the Sahara have adapted to the arid conditions, With roots that reach deep underground to find buried water sources and leaves that are shaped into spines that minimize moisture loss. The most arid parts of the desert are completely void of plant life, but oasis areas, such as the Nile Valley, support a large variety

of plants.

For the past 2,000 years or so, the climate of the Sahara has been fairly stable. The northeastern winds dry out the air over the desert and drive hot winds toward the equator. These winds can reach exceptional speeds and cause severe dust storms that can drop local

visibility to zero. Dust from the Sahara travels on trade winds all the way to the opposite side of the globe. Precipitation in the Sahara Ranges from zero to about 3 inches of rain per year, with some locations not seeing rain for several years at a time. Occasionally, snow falls at higher elevations. Daytime summer temperatures are often over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) and can drop to near-freezing temperatures at nighttime.

The Sahara alternates from being a dry, inhospitable desert to a lush, green oasis about every 20,000 years, according to a study published in the journal Science Advances in 2019. The study's authors examined marine sediments containing dust deposits from the Sahara from the past 240,000 years. The team found that the cycle between a dry and a green Sahara corresponded to the slight changes in the tilt of Earth's axis, which also drives monsoon activity. When the Earth's axis tilted the Northern Hemisphere just a single degree closer to the sun (about 24.5 degrees instead of today's 23.5 degrees), it received more sunlight, which increased the monsoon rains and therefore, supported a lush green landscape in the Sahara.

The area of the Sahara desert has grown nearly 10 percent since 1920, according to a 2018 study published in the Journal of Climate. While all deserts, including the Sahara, increase in area during the dry season and decrease during the wet season, human-caused climate change in conjunction with natural climate cycles, are causing the Sahara desert to grow more and shrink less. The Study's authors estimated that approximately a third of the desert's expansion was due to human-made climate change.

Questions 1-7

Reading passage 1 has seven paragraphs, A-G.

Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from

list of headings below. Write the correct number, I-X.

i. Impacts of the increase in deserts' size

ii. Extreme weather affecting local residents many times a year

iii. How to deal With the lack of water

iv. How human beings interfere with a natural process

v. No worries about the insufficiency of water

vi. Fauna and flora

vii. Size and geographical position

viii. A variety of weather patterns in the Sahara

ix. Effects of changes in the position of the planet

x. A range of geographical features in the Sahara

I. Paragraph A

Answer: VII

Supporting statement: The Sahara is one of the harshest environments on Earth, covering 3.6 million square miles (9.4 million square kilometres), nearly a third of the continent,

Keywords: Sahara, million square

Keyword Location: Para A, Lines 2-3

Explanation: According to the text, the Sahara—which makes up over a third of the continent and is roughly the size of the United States (including Alaska and Hawaii)—is one of the harshest places on Earth, spanning 3.6 million square miles (9.4 million square kilometers). The Atlantic Ocean borders the Sahara on the west, the Mediterranean Sea borders it on the north, the Red Sea borders it on the east, and the Sahel Savannah borders it on the south.

2. Paragraph B

Answer: X

Supporting statement: The Sahara desert has a variety of terrains,

Keywords: desert, terrains

Keyword Location: Para B, Line 1

Explanation: According to the text, the Sahara Desert includes a range of terrains, but it is best known for its sand dune fields, which are frequently featured in films. Although the dunes can grow to a height of nearly 600 feet (183 meters), they only make up about 15% of the desert. Mountains, plateaus, plains covered in sand and gravel, salt flats, basins, and depressions are some of more topographical features. The highest point in the Sahara is Mount Koussi, an extinct volcano in Chad, whereas the deepest point in the Sahara is the Qattara Depression in Egypt.

3. Paragraph C

Answer: V

Supporting statement: Water is scarce across the entire region, yet the Sahara contains two permanent rivers

Keywords: Water, permanent rivers

Keyword Location: Para C, Line 1

Explanation: According to the text water is sparse throughout the Sahara, but there is no need to worry about the insufficiency of water as the desert has two permanent rivers the Nile and Niger rivers, and at least 20 seasonal lakes, also enormous aquifers that supply water to more than 90 significant desert oases.

4. Paragraph D

Answer: VI

Supporting statement: Several plants and animals call the region home.

Keywords: plants and animals, home

Keyword Location: Para D, Lines 1-2

Explanation: According to the text, the desert houses a variety of flora and fauna such as the 500 plant species, 70 recognised animal species, 90 bird species, 100 reptilian species, and numerous spider, scorpion, and other small arthropod species. One of the most recognisable creatures in the Sahara is the camel.

5. Paragraph E

Answer: VIII

Supporting statement: For the past 2,000 years or so, the climate of the Sahara has been fairly stable.

Keywords: 2,000 years, climate

Keyword Location: Para E, Line 1

Explanation: According to the text, the desert mostly has a stable climate, but the weather pattern has a wide range of changes that occur in the desert. As the hot winds move toward the equator, the northern winds dry out the air over the desert, resulting in dust storms. In the Sahara, the yearly rainfall varies from zero to roughly three inches, with some areas experiencing years without rainfall at all. Summer temperatures can drop to almost freezing at night, and are frequently above 100 degrees Fahrenheit (38 degrees Celsius) during the day.

6. Paragraph F

Answer: IX

Supporting statement: The team found that the cycle between a dry and a green Sahara corresponded to the slight changes in the tilt of Earth's axis,

Keywords: dry and a green, Earth's axis

Keyword Location: Para F, Lines 4-5

Explanation: The text states that about every 20,000 years, the Sahara transitions from a parched, hostile desert to a lush oasis due to tiny shifts in the Earth's axis tilt, which also influences rainfall frequency. A lush, green environment in the Sahara was supported when the Earth's axis tilted the Northern Hemisphere just one degree closer to the sun, causing the region to receive more sunshine, which in turn enhanced monsoon rains.

7. Paragraph G

Answer: IV

Supporting statement:human-caused climate change in conjunction with natural climate cycles, are causing the Sahara desert to grow more

Keywords: human-caused, natural climate

Keyword Location: Para G, Line 4

Explanation: According to the text, human interference with the environment causes one-third of the desert's expansion. Human and natural conjunctions cause the Sahara desert to grow more and shrink less.

Questions 8-13

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage 1?

In boxes 8-13 in your answer sheet, write

TRUE - If the statement agrees with the information

FALSE - If the statement contradicts with the information

NOT GIVEN - If there is no information on this

8. The Sahara is larger than any other hot deserts across the globe

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: The Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world,

Keywords: largest, hot desert

Keyword Location: Para A, Line 1

Explanation: According to the text, the Sahara is the largest hot desert in the world and the third largest desert after Antarctica and the Arctic, which are both cold deserts. It has the harshest environment on the globe.

9. Despite the scarcity of water in the Sahara, there are rivers and lakes that are filled with water all year round.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: Sahara contains two permanent rivers (the Nile and the Niger), at least 20 seasonal lakes and huge aquifers,

Keywords: two, (the Nile and the Niger)

Keyword Location: Para C, Lines 1-2

Explanation: The text mentions that the Sahara desert faces water scarcity but has two permanent rivers the Nile and the Niger and 20 seasonal lakes and huge aquifers.

10. Spiders, scorpions and some arthropods in the Sahara are smaller than those in other places.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: The text contains no information about the Spiders, scorpions and some arthropods in the Sahara being smaller than those in other places.

11. Ancient Arabian people are believed to have recently used camels for transportation.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: Camels were domesticated about 3,000 years ago on the Southeast Arabian Peninsula, to be used for various purposes, one of which is transportation in the desert,

Keywords: Camels, Arabian Peninsula

Keyword Location: Para D, Line 8

Explanation: According to a study in the Research Journal of Agriculture and Environmental Management in 2015, it was found that the Arabian people have been using the camel for the purpose of transportation for 3,000 years after domesticating them.

12. Dust storms in the Sahara are so severe that people nearby can hardly see anything.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: dust storms can drop local visibility to zero.

Keywords: dust storms, visibility

Keyword Location: Para D, Lines 3-4

Explanation: According to the text, the dust storms caused by the northeastern winds near the equator make visibility zero.

13. The earth is unlikely to tilt closer to the Sun in many thousand years to come.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: The text contains no information about the Earth tilting closer to the sun in the coming thousand years.

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