Cambridge IELTS 17 reading test 2 answers with explanation
Reading Passage 1
The Dead Sea Scrolls
Complete the note below.
The Dead Sea Scrolls
Discovery
Qumran 1946/7
- heard a noise of breaking when one teenager threw a……………………
rock – first paragraph’s third and fourth line. One of these young shepherds tossed (threw) a rock into an opening on the side of a cliff and was surprised to hear a shattering sound.
- teenagers went into the……………… and
cave – first paragraph’s fifth line. He and his companions later entered the cave.
- found a number of container made of ……………………….
clay – first paragraph’s fifth to sixth line. stumbled (found) across a collection of large clay jars, seven of which contained scrolls with writing on them.
- thought to have been written by group of people known as the…………..
Essenes – second paragraph’s second last line. and the people are thought to have belonged to a group called the Essenes.
- written mainly in the……………language
Hebrew – third paragraph’s first line. The majority of the texts on the Dead Sea Scrolls are in Hebrew.
TRUE/ FALSE / NOT GIVEN
- The Bedouin teenagers who found the scrolls were disappointed by how little money they received for them.
Not given – first paragraph’s sixth to eighth line. The teenagers took the seven scrolls to a nearby town where they were sold for a small sum to a local antiquities dealer.
Explanation:- There is no information about whether they became happy or disappointed.
- There is agreement among academics about the origin of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
False – second paragraph’s first two lines. The origin of the Dead Sea Scrolls, which were written around 2,000 years ago between150 BCE and 70 CE, is still the subject of scholarly debate even today.
Explanation:- ‘Still a subject of scholarly debate’ Scholars = Academics. If it is still a subject of debate, it means scholars (academics) do not agree about the origin of the Dead Sea Scrolls.
- Most of the books of the Bible written on the scrolls are incomplete.
True – fourth paragraph’s first to three line. The Dead Sea Scrolls include fragments from every book of the Old Testament of the Bible except for the Book of Esther. The only entire book of the Hebrew Bible preserved among the manuscripts from Qumran is Isaiah.
Explanation:- Fragments = small parts (not whole). Only one book was complete that is Isaiah. So, the statement is true.
- The information on the Copper Scroll is written in an unusual way.
True – fifth paragraph’s eighth to ninth line. Using an unconventional vocabulary and odd spelling, it describes 64 underground hiding places that supposedly contain riches buried for safekeeping.
Explanation:- In the fifth paragraph, from the third line, information about the Copper Scroll is given. In the eighth and ninth lines, it is written that this scroll describes 64 hiding places that might have treasure (riches) buried. This information is written in unconventional (unusual) vocabulary and odd (strange) spelling.
- Mar Samuel was given some of the scrolls as a gift.
False – sixth paragraph’s second to fourth line. Mar Samuel acquired four of the original seven scrolls from a Jerusalem shoemaker and part-time antiquity dealer, paying less than $100 for them.
Explanation:- Mar Samuel purchased them for around $100. So, they (scrolls) were not a gift.
- In the early 1950s, a number of educational establishments in the US were keen to buy scrolls from Mar Samuel.
False – sixth paragraph’s fourth and fifth line. He then travelled to the United States and unsuccessfully offered them to a number of universities, including Yale.
Explanation:- He was unsuccessful in selling scrolls to any university in the USA.
- The scroll that was pieced together in 2017 contains information about annual occasions in the Qumran area 2,000 years ago.
True – last paragraph’s last three lines. The scroll names celebrations that indicate shifts in seasons and details two yearly religious events known from another Dead Sea Scroll.
Explanation:- The information about this scroll starts from the start of the last paragraph. But the last three lines of this paragraph describe that the scroll has the name of two yearly (annual) religious events (occasions).
- Academics at the University of Haifa are currently researching how to decipher the final scroll.
Not given – last paragraph last line. Only one more known scroll remains untranslated.
Explanation:- There is no information on whether academics are currently researching how to translate the final scroll or not. It is just said that only a few scrolls are untranslated.
Reading Passage 2
A second attempt at domesticating the tomato
Which section contains the following information?
14. a reference to a type of tomato that can resist a dangerous infection
C- C paragraph’s last part’s first three lines. The team in China re-domesticated several strains of wild tomatoes with desirable traits lost in domesticated tomatoes. In this way they managed to create a strain resistant to a common disease called bacterial spot race, which can devastate yields.
Explanation:- Strain = a particular breed or variety.
15. an explanation of how problems can arise from focusing only on a certain type of tomato plant.
B – B paragraph’s the whole second part. But every time a single plant with a mutation is taken from a larger population for breeding, much genetic diversity is lost. And sometimes the desirable mutations come with less desirable traits. For instance, the tomato strains grown for supermarkets have lost much of their flavour.
Explanation:- Problems that can arise from selecting a single type of plant are the loss of genetic diversity, less desirable results and loss of flavour.
16. a number of examples of plants that are not cultivated at present but could be useful as food sources
E – E paragraph’s the whole second part. The three teams already have their eye on other plants that could be ‘catapulted into the mainstream’, including foxtail, oat-grass and cowpea. By choosing wild plants that are drought or heat tolerant, says Gao, we could create crops that will thrive even as the planet warms.
Explanation:- Examples of plants are foxtail, oat-grass and cowpea. They are not cultivated now, but when the earth is warm, these plants can be grown for obtaining food.
17. a comparison between the early domestication of the tomato and more recent research
A – A paragraph’s first part’s first three lines and second part’s first three lines. It took at least 3,000 years for humans to learn how to domesticate the wild tomato and cultivate it for food. Now two separate teams in Brazil and China have done it all over again in less than three years. This approach relies on the revolutionary CRISPR genome editing technique, in which changes are deliberately made to the DNA of a living cell, allowing genetic material to be added, removed or altered.
Explanation:- The first two lines talk about the early domestication of tomatoes, which started 3000 years ago. But now, such a domestication process took only three years. This recent process used the CRISPR technique that can change the DNA of living cells of plants.
18. a personal reaction to the flavour of a tomato that has been genetically edited
C – C paragraph’s third part. ‘They are quite tasty,’ says Kudla. ‘A little bit strong. And very aromatic.
Explanation:- This line expresses the reaction of Jorg Kudla to the flavor of a genetically edited tomato. Aromatic = having a pleasant and distinctive smell.
Match each statement with the correct researcher, A–D.
19. Domestication of certain plants could allow them to adapt to future environmental challenges.
B – Caixia Gao, E paragraph’s second full paragraph. The three teams already have their eye on other plants that could be ‘catapulted into the mainstream’, including foxtail, oat-grass and cowpea. By choosing wild plants that are drought or heat tolerant, says Gao, we could create crops that will thrive even as the planet warms.
Explanation:- The environmental challenge about which Caixia Gao is talking is the warm earth. Foxtail, oat-grass and cowpea are drought and heat-tolerant plants that can be domesticated and adapt to the hot environment.
20. The idea of growing and eating unusual plants may not be accepted on a large scale.
D – Jonathan Jones, E paragraph’s first full paragraph. This approach could boost the use of many obscure plants, says Jonathan Jones of the Sainsbury Lab in the UK. But it will be hard for new foods to grow so popular with farmers and consumers that they become new staple crops, he thinks.
Explanation:- Obscure = Not known. Jonathan Jones says that it is difficult for new food to become popular among farmers and consumers, which makes a new crop main or important for consumption (staple).
21. It is not advisable for the future direction of certain research to be made public.
A – Jorg Kudla, E paragraph’s whole third part. But Kudla didn’t want to reveal which species were in his team’s sights, because CRISPR has made the process so easy. ‘Any one with the right skills could go to their lab and do this.’
Explanation:- Jorg Kudla did not want to reveal (made public) his research because people with some knowledge about CRISPR can do the same as he did.
22. Present efforts to domesticate one wild fruit are limited by the costs involved.
C – Joyce Van Eck, D paragraph’s second paragraph, third line to last line. Van Eck’s team has edited the plants to increase fruit size, make their growth more compact and to stop fruits dropping. ‘There’s potential for this to be a commercial crop,’ says Van Eck. But she adds that taking the work further would be expensive because of the need to pay for a license for the CRISPR technology and get regulatory approval.
Explanation:- Due to the expensive (costly) license fee for CRISPR technology and getting regulatory approval, Joyce Van Eck cannot further his efforts to domesticate groundcherry.
- Humans only make use of a small proportion of the plant food available on Earth.
A – Jorg Kudla, A paragraph’s fourth full paragraph. ‘This could transform what we eat,’ says Jorg Kudla at the University of Munster in Germany, a member of the Brazilian team. ‘There are 50,000 edible plants in the world, but 90 percent of our energy comes from just 15 crops.’
Explanation:- Out of 50,000 eatable (edible) plants on the earth, only 15(a small proportion compared to 50,000) crops are used for food.
Complete the sentences below.
- An undesirable trait such as loss of………………….. may be caused by a mutation in a tomato gene.
Flavour – B paragraph’s second full paragraph. But every time a single plant with a mutation is taken from a larger population for breeding, much genetic diversity is lost. And sometimes the desirable mutations come with less desirable traits. For instance, the tomato strains grown for supermarkets have lost much of their flavour.
25.By modifying one gene in a tomato plant, researchers made the tomato three times its original………………………. .
size – c paragraph first two lines. For instance, they tripled the size of fruit by editing a gene called FRUIT WEIGHT,
26.A type of tomato which was not badly affected by……………… , and was rich in vitamin C, was produced by a team of researchers in China.
salt – c paragraph’s fourth paragraph last line. They also created another strain that is more salt tolerant – and has higher levels of vitamin C.
Reading Passage 3
Insight or evolution
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- The purpose of the first paragraph is to
D – Outline a common assumption. First paragraph’s first two lines. Scientific discovery is popularly believed to result from the sheer genius of such intellectual stars as naturalist Charles Darwin and theoretical physicist Albert Einstein.
Explanation:- Popularly believed means commonly assumed. People commonly believed that discoveries were made by only genius people like Charles Darwin.
- What are the writers doing in the second paragraph?
A – criticising an opinion. Second full paragraph. There may be some limited truth to this view. However, we believe that it largely misrepresents the real nature of scientific discovery, as well as that of creativity and innovation in many other realms of human endeavor.
Explanation:– The writer is criticizing the viewpoint (breakthrough scientific achievements in which idea pop into someone’s head) by saying it has limited truth and it misrepresents the real nature of scientific discovery.
- In the third paragraph, what do the writers suggest about Darwin and Einstein?
A – They represent an exception to a general rule. Third paragraph’s first to third line. Setting aside such greats as Darwin and Einstein – whose monumental contributions are duly celebrated we suggest that innovation is more a process of trial and error, where two steps forward may sometimes come with one step back, as well as one or more steps to the right or left.
Explanation:- Here, the general rule is that innovation involves trial and error, steps backwards and forward, but the writer sets Darwin and Einstein aside from this general rule because their research followed proper procedure and arrangement (duly).
- John Nicholson is an example of a person whose idea
C – laid the foundations for someone else’s breakthrough. Fourth paragraph last three line. Yet, amid his often fanciful theories and wild speculations, Nicholson also proposed a novel theory about the structure of atoms. Niels Bohr, the Nobel prize-winning father of modern atomic theory, jumped off from this interesting idea to conceive his now-famous model of the atom.
Explanation:- The theory about the Structure of Atoms was proposed by John Nicholson first. But Neil Bohr got the idea from Nicholson and wrote modern atomic theory. It means the foundation was laid by Nicholson.
- What is the key point of interest about the ‘acey-deucy’ stirrup placement?
A – the simple reason why it was invented. Sixth paragraph’s seventh to ninth line. Had he foreseen the speed advantage that would be conferred by riding acey-deucy? No. He suffered a leg injury, which left him unable to fully bend his left knee. His modification just happened to coincide with enhanced left-hand turning performance.
Explanation:- Jackie Westrope placed the left stirrup lower than the right stirrup to support his injury. But it gave an advantage in improving performance in left-hand turning, which was unknown to anyone before. The reason for this invention was a coincidence, which was the injury of Jackie Westrope.
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 3?
Yes/ No/ Not Given
- Acknowledging people such as Plato or da Vinci as geniuses will help us understand the process by which great minds create new ideas.
No – eighth full paragraph. The notions of insight, creativity and genius are often invoked, but they remain vague and of doubtful scientific utility, especially when one considers the diverse and enduring contributions of individuals such as Plato, Leonardo da Vinci, Shakespeare, Beethoven, Galileo, Newton, Kepler, Curie, Pasteur and Edison. These notions merely label rather than explain the evolution of human innovations. We need another approach, and there is a promising candidate.
Explanation:- The last two lines of this paragraph clearly explain that the notions of insight, creativity and genius just label the evolution of human innovation but do not explain how they (individuals) did such innovations. So, another method is needed to explain how great minds create new ideas.
- The Law of Effect was discovered at a time when psychologists were seeking a scientific reason why creativity occurs.
Not given – ninth paragraph first two lines. The Law of Effect was advanced by psychologist Edward Thorndike in 1898, some 40 years after Charles Darwin published his groundbreaking work on biological evolution, On the Origin of Species.
Explanation:- No relation between the Law of effect and finding reason for why creativity occurs is given.
- The Law of Effect states that no planning is involved in the behaviour of organisms.
Yes – ninth paragraph, third to last line. This simple law (The law of effect) holds that organisms tend to repeat successful behaviors and to refrain from performing unsuccessful ones. Just like Darwin’s Law of Natural Selection, the Law of Effect involves an entirely mechanical process of variation and selection, without any end objective in sight.
Explanation:- As per the law of effect, organisms repeat successful behavior and avoid unsuccessful ones because they have no objectives (goals). In general, goals need planning and change of behaviour. No goal, no planning.
- The Law of Effect sets out clear explanations about the sources of new ideas and behaviours.
No – tenth paragraph’s first three lines. Of course, the origin of human innovation demands much further study. In particular, the provenance of the raw material on which the Law of Effect operates is not as clearly known as that of the genetic mutations on which the Law of Natural Selection operates.
Explanation:- Provenance – the place of origin or earliest history of something.
To understand the roots of human innovation, it is necessary to conduct more research. Even the origin of the raw material on which the Law of Effect operates is unknown. So, it means this law does not explain the sources of new ideas and behaviours.
- Many scientists are now turning away from the notion of intelligent design and genius.
Not given
Complete the summary using the list of words, A–G, below
- The traditional view of scientific discovery is that breakthroughs happen when a single great mind has sudden ………………… .
F – inspiration, first paragraph’s last three lines. Conventional wisdom also places great weight on insight in promoting breakthrough scientific achievements, as if ideas spontaneously pop into someone’s head – fully formed and functional.
Explanation:- spontaneous – performed or occurring as a result of a sudden inner impulse or inclination and without premeditation or external stimulus. You can compare its meaning to inner inspiration.
- Advances are more likely to be the result of a longer process. In some cases, this process involves ………………… , such as
D – mistakes, third paragraph’s first three lines. Setting aside such greats as Darwin and Einstein– whose monumental contributions are duly celebrated – we suggest that innovation is more a process of trial and error, where two steps forward may sometimes come with one step back, as well as one or more steps to the right or left.
Error– Mistake
- There is also often an element of ……………….. , for example
E – luck, seventh paragraph first line. Plenty of other stories show that fresh advances can arise from error, misadventure, and also pure serendipity – a happy accident.
Serendipity:- the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way = LUCK
- With both the Law of Natural Selection and the Law of Effect, there may be no clear ……………. involved
B – goals, ninth paragraph’s last three lines. Just like Darwin’s Law of Natural Selection, the Law of Effect involves an entirely mechanical process of variation and selection, without any end objective in sight.
Objective : a goal
