Cambridge 17 Reading Test 3 - Answers With Explanation

1. "It was exclusively carnivorous."

2. "Thylacines were likely to have relied more on scent than any other sense" during long chases.

3. Newborns "crawled into the pouch on the belly of their mother."

4. "A carbon-dated fossil from Murray Cave in Western Australia."

5. "Loss of habitat along with the disappearance of prey species" contributed to the decline.

6. "The relentless efforts of sheep farmers and bounty hunters with shotguns" — humans killed significant numbers — TRUE.

7. "There was only one successful attempt to breed a thylacine in captivity" — not several — FALSE.

8. No mention of how biologists reacted to Gould's prediction — NOT GIVEN.

9. "There seems to have been little public pressure to preserve the thylacine, nor was much concern expressed by scientists" — the opposite of widespread worry — FALSE.

10. The passage says Flynn suggested relocating thylacines to an island, but never says whether the idea was impractical — NOT GIVEN.

11. The 1929 protection law came "with the species on the very edge of extinction" — not reasonable numbers left — FALSE.

12. Last wild thylacine killed in 1930; last captive one died 1936 — so from 1930–36, only captive ones existed — TRUE.

13. "Numerous expeditions and searches... over the years" is mentioned, but nothing about whether attempts are now rare — NOT GIVEN.

14. Section F: higher yield per hectare and carbon sequestration arguments — potential environmental advantages.

15. Section G describes the RSPO, the body regulating sustainability standards.

16. Section A: palm oil turns up in "soap... sandwich... biscuits" — everyday global use.

17. Section H: the bird's nest fern could help restore biodiversity to plantations.

18. Section B gives the growth figures: land area from 6 to 17 million hectares, output from 2 to 60 million tonnes.

19. Section E: palm oil "lifting many millions of people in the developing world out of poverty" — the economic case for not opposing it.

20. Section C: "the Sumatran orangutan, but also rhinos, elephants, tigers" — species harmed by plantations.

21–22. The RSPO "insists upon... transparency" (option B) and its standards took "over the past decade or so" to establish (option C).

23. Palm oil is attractive to manufacturers because of "remaining solid at room temperature."

24. "Most famously the Sumatran orangutan" is named as the best-known affected species.

25. RSPO criteria include "transparency and regular assessment of carbon stocks."

26. The fern "could potentially allow these areas to recover their biodiversity."

27. The book "combines geology, history, economics, and a lot of data" — a wide range of factors covered.

28. Shester writes: "At first glance, it is not obvious why slum clearance would be limiting, while more expensive foundations would not" — she's flagging an inconsistency in Barr's reasoning.

29. "It is probably more technical than would be preferred by a general audience" — too specialised for most readers.

30. The chapters "may serve as a distraction to readers primarily interested in New York. However, they would be well-suited for undergraduates" — appeal varies by reader.

31. "The data work that went into these estimations is particularly impressive" — the research itself is what impresses her.

32. The opening account is described as "a fascinating account" — the opposite of lacking interest — NO.

33. "Both chapters are informative and well researched and set the stage for the economic analysis that comes later" — YES.

34. The passage places immigrant enclaves relative to amenities but doesn't call lack of amenities "the biggest problem" — NOT GIVEN.

35. Enclaves sat "between the industries located on the waterfront and the wealthy neighbourhoods bordering Central Park" — between the harbour and Central Park, not concentrated around the harbour itself — NO.

36. Barr's chapter explains why skyscrapers are missing from particular areas — Downtown to Midtown specifically.

37. Higher foundation costs from deep bedrock "were neither prohibitively high" — not excessive expense.

38. The comparison is against the overall project cost — total expenditure — not just the foundation.

39. Caissons "enable workers to dig down for considerable distances" — deep excavations.

40. Barr "discusses not only how caissons work, but also the dangers involved" — associated risks.