What Lucy Taught Us Reading Answers

Jan 7, 2025

What Lucy Taught Us Reading Answers is an academic reading answers topic for the IELTS Exam. What Lucy Taught Us Reading Answers, in total, consists of 13 IELTS questions. From Questions 1-5, you have to give the answers in TRUE/ FALSE/ NOT GIVEN, and from Questions 6-13, you have to provide the answers in One Word only.

The IELTS Reading Answers section assesses a candidate's ability to understand and interpret academic and general texts. IELTS Reading Practice Papers help you familiarize yourself with question formats, enhance vocabulary, and develop critical reading skills. Understanding all the question instructions and managing time effectively are some important measures to achieving high band scores in the IELTS Exam.

Section 1

What Lucy Taught Us Reading Answers

A scientific finding in East Africa has changed our understanding of human development.

On a Sunday morning in late November 1974, a team of scientists was digging in an isolated spot in the Afar region of Ethiopia. Surveying the area, palaeoanthropologist Donald Johanson spotted a small piece of bone. Straight away, he recognized it as coming from the elbow of a human ancestor. And there were plenty more, “As I looked up the slopes to my left, I saw bits of the skull, a chunk of jaw, a couple of vertebrae,' says Johanson.

It was immediately obvious that the skeleton was a significant find because the sediments at the site were known to be 3.5 million years old. 'I realized this was part of a skeleton that was older than three million years,' says Johanson. It was the most ancient early human ever found. Later it became apparent that it was also the most complete, 40% of the skeleton had been preserved. At the group's campsite that night, Johanson played a Beatles song called 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds', and, as the feeling was that the skeleton was female due to its size, someone suggested calling it Lucy.

The name stuck and Johanson says, 'All of a sudden, she became a person. But the morning after the discovery, the discussion was dominated by questions. How old was Lucy when she died? Did she have children? And might she be our direct ancestor? Nowadays, we're starting to get the answers to some of these questions. According to Johanson, Lucy had an incredible combination of primitive and derived features, which had not been seen before. Her skull and jaws were more ape-like than those of other groups of early humans. Her braincase was also very small, no bigger than that of a chimp. She had a hefty jaw, a low forehead, and long dangly arms.

For Johanson, it was immediately apparent that Lucy walked upright. That's because the shape and positioning of her pelvis reflected a fully upright gait. Lucy's knee and ankle were also preserved and seemed to reflect bipedal walking. Later studies of feet offer even more evidence. As an upright walker, Lucy strengthened the idea that walking was one of the selective pressures driving human evolution forward. Early humans did not need bigger brains to take defining steps away from apes. Extra brainpower only came over a million years later with the arrival of the species Homo erectus, meaning upright man. Though big brains would be important later, walking remains one of the traits that makes us uniquely human. She may have walked like a human, but Lucy spent at least some of her time up in the trees, as chimpanzees and orangutans still do today. It may be that upright walking evolved in the trees, as a way to walk along branches that would otherwise be too flexible. It's not clear why Lucy left the safety of the trees. It is thought that savannahs were gradually opening up, so trees were spaced further apart. But hunting for food may have been the real reason for heading to the ground, says Chris Stringer of the Natural History Museum in London. In line with this idea, recent evidence suggests that the diet of early. Humans were changing at that time. Studies of the remains of food trapped on preserved human teeth indicate that several species, including Lucy's, were expanding their diet around 3.5 million years ago. Instead of mostly eating fruit from trees, they began to include grasses and possibly meat. This change in diet may have allowed them to range more widely, and to travel around more efficiently in a changing environment. Fossilized crocodile and turtle eggs were found near her skeleton, suggesting that Lucy died while foraging for them in a nearby lake.

How did early humans process all these new foods? Later species, like Homo erectus, are known to have used simple stone tools, but no tools have ever been found from this far back. However, in 2010 archaeologists uncovered animal bones with scratches that seem to have been made by stone tools. This suggests that Lucy and her relatives used stone tools to eat meat. There have since been heated debates over whether the marks were made by tools. But if they were, it is not surprising, says Fred Spoor of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig. Germany. It also seems that Lucy's childhood was much briefer than ours and that she had to fend for herself from a young age. We know that Lucy was a full-grown adult because she had wisdom teeth and her bones had fused. But unlike modern humans, she seems to have grown to full size very quickly, and the time of death was when she was around 12 years old. In line with that, a recent study of a 3-year-old early human suggested that their brains matured much earlier than ours do.

Questions 1–5

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1? In boxes 1–5 on your answer sheet, 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

1.Donald Johanson was uncertain about the nature of the elbow bone he found in Afar.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: “.......Surveying the area, palaeoanthropologist Donald Johanson spotted a small piece of bone. Straight away, he recognized it as coming from the elbow of a human ancestor. And there were plenty more........”

Keywords: bone, elbow, human, spotted

Keyword Location: para 1, Line 2-4

Explanation: The text clearly states that Donald Johanson “immediately recognized it as having come from the elbow of a human ancestor.” This shows that he was certain about the nature of the bone and had no doubts as to its identity.

2.Several bones were found by Donald Johanson at the same site in Afar.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: “....... And there were plenty more, “As I looked up the slopes to my left, I saw bits of the skull, a chunk of the jaw, a couple of vertebrae,' says Johanson.........”

Keywords: plenty, bones, Johanson, skull

Keyword Location: para 1, Line 3-6

Explanation: The passage indicates that Donald Johanson found multiple bones at the same site, as he described seeing “bits of the skull, a chunk of the jaw, and a couple of vertebrae” after recognizing an elbow bone.

3.The experts realized the importance of the discovery at Afar.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: “.......It was immediately obvious that the skeleton was a significant find because the sediments at the site were known to be 3.5 million years old.........”

Keywords: skeleton, find, site, discovery

Keyword Location: para 2, Line 1-3

Explanation: The passage indicates that it was “immediately clear that the skeleton was an important find, as the sediments at the site were thought to be 3.5 million years old.” This suggests that experts recognized the significance of the discovery as soon as they disclosed the skeleton.

4.It was the upper part of the skeleton that had suffered the least damage.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: This paragraph does not provide any specific information about which part of Lucy's skeleton was least damaged. Although it mentions the pelvis, knees, and ankles being well-preserved enough to indicate walking on two legs, this does not compare to the damage done to the upper part of its skeleton.

5.The skeleton's measurements helped Johanson's team decide if it was male or female.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: “.......At the group's campsite that night, Johanson played a Beatles song called 'Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds', and, as the feeling was that the skeleton was female due to its size, someone suggested calling it Lucy..........”

Keywords: skeleton, Johanson, female, Lucy

Keyword Location: para 2, Line 5-8

Explanation: The passage states that the skeleton was believed to be female because of its size, which indicates that its measurements influenced the team's conclusions about its gender.

Questions 6-13

Choose ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.

PHYSICAL FEATURES

jaws and skull like those of an ape
braincase similar in size to that of a chimp
long arms

MOVEMENT

the positioning and shape of her pelvis made it clear that she walked like a human
upright movement possibly started among the ____6____ of trees
probably moved to the ____7____ in search of food

DIET AND EATING HABITS

analysis of food in the ____8____ of the skeletons of early humans shows changes in their diet
it is likely that meat and grasses were substituted for ___9_____
_____10____that were located close to Lucy suggest these were also part of their diet
_____11_____that were found had marks on them, possibly made by tools used for eating

COMPARISONS WITH MODERN-DAY

modern-day humans have a longer ____12_____ than Lucy did
the ____13_____ of modern-day humans appear to develop later than Lucy's did

6.upright movement possibly started among the ____6____ of trees

Answer: Branches

Supporting statement: “.......She may have walked like a human, but Lucy spent at least some of her time up in the trees, as chimpanzees and orangutans still do today. It may be that upright walking evolved in the trees, as a way to walk along branches that would otherwise be too flexible........”

Keywords: Upright, Trees, Branches, Lucy

Keyword Location: para 4, Line 10-13.

Explanation: The passage informs that upright walking may have evolved in trees, especially on branches. This adaptation could have helped early primitives move more effectively and safely on flexible branches.

7.probably moved to the ____7____ in search of food

Answer: ground

Supporting statement: “....... It is thought that savannahs were gradually opening up, so trees were spaced further apart. But hunting for food may have been the real reason for heading to the ground, says Chris Stringer of the Natural History Museum in London........”

Keywords: Ground, Food, Hunting

Keyword Location: para 4, Line 13-16.

Explanation: The passage shows that early humans probably moved on land for food. Chris Stringer's statement emphasizes the search for food as a possible reason for this adaptation.

8.Analysis of food in the ____8____ of the skeletons of early humans shows changes in their diet.

Answer: Teeth

Supporting statement: “...... In line with this idea, recent evidence suggests that the diet of early. Humans were changing at that time. Studies of the remains of food trapped on preserved human teeth indicate that several species, including Lucy's, were expanding their diet around 3.5 million years ago......”

Keywords: Food, Humans, Diet, Teeth

Keyword Location: para 4, Line 17-20

Explanation: The passage mentions the study of food stuck on preserved human teeth, indicating dietary changes. Therefore, the correct term for the spaces is "teeth", as they provide evidence of diet.

9.It is likely that meat and grasses were substituted for ___9___

Answer: Fruit

Supporting statement: “......Instead of mostly eating fruit from trees, they began to include grasses and possibly meat.......”

Keywords: Meat, Grasses, Fruit, Trees

Keyword Location: para 4, Line 21-22

Explanation: The passage mentions that early humans shifted from eating mostly fruits to eating grasses and possibly millet. This means that fruits were replaced in their diet by these new food sources.

10._____10____that were located close to Lucy suggest these were also part of their diet

Answer: fossils

Supporting statement: “.....Fossilized crocodile and turtle eggs were found near her skeleton, suggesting that Lucy died while foraging for them in a nearby lake........”

Keywords: Lucy, Fossilized, Eggs,

Keyword Location: para 4, Line 23-25

Explanation: The context of this passage implies that Lucy had other fossil remains indicating extra dietary components. “Fossil” logically completes the sentence, aligning with the mention of crocodile and turtle eggs as dietary evidence.

11._____11_____that were found had marks on them, possibly made by tools used for eating

Answer: bones

Supporting statement: “.....However, in 2010 archaeologists uncovered animal bones with scratches that seem to have been made by stone tools. This suggests that Lucy and her relatives used stone tools to eat meat. ........”

Keywords: Bones, Tools, Meat, Stone

Keyword Location: para 5, Line 3-5

Explanation: The blank in the passage refers to “bones” because the passage specifies that animal bones were discovered with marks, likely from stone tools, suggesting Lucy and her relatives used tools to process and eat meat.

12.modern-day humans have a longer ____12_____ than Lucy did

Answer: Childhood

Supporting statement: “.....We know that Lucy was a full-grown adult because she had wisdom teeth and her bones had fused. But unlike modern humans, she seems to have grown to full size very quickly, and the time of death was when she was around 12 years old.........”

Keywords: Modern, Humans, Lucy, Grown

Keyword Location: para 5, Line 11-13

Explanation: Modern humans have a longer period of childhood and adolescence, allowing extended brain development and learning before reaching full physical and sexual maturity.

13.The ____13_____ of modern-day humans appear to develop later than Lucy's did

Answer: Brains

Supporting statement: “......But unlike modern humans, she seems to have grown to full size very quickly, and the time of death was when she was around 12 years old. In line with that, a recent study of a 3-year-old early human suggested that their brains matured much earlier than ours do........”

Keywords: Humans, Modern, Brains, Matured

Keyword Location: para 5, Line 11-14

Explanation: This sentence suggests a comparison between the timeline of evolution of early humans and modern humans. The modern human brain develops later, adjusting to an extended childhood for learning and social development.

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