Cambridge IELTS Academic 16 Reading Test 1 Answers with Explanation / IELTS Academic Reading: Why we need to protect polar bears , The Step Pyramid of Djoser, The future of work

READING PASSAGE 1

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage 1.

Why we need to protect polar bears

Q	Answer	Keywords	Location	Text
1	FALSE	build-up of fat, health problems	First paragraph, third line	"One reason for this is that they have up to 11 centimetres of fat underneath their skin. Humans with comparative levels of adipose tissue would be considered obese and would likely to suffer from diabetes and heart disease. Yet the polar bear experiences no such consequences."
2	FALSE	study, compared different groups	Second paragraph	"Liu and his colleagues compared the genes (genetic structure) of polar bears with brown bears (closest relative)."
3	NOT GIVEN	Liu and colleagues, first researchers	Not Given	Not Given
4	TRUE	control levels, 'bad' cholesterol, genetic means	Second paragraph, fourth line	"It is found by Liu and his colleagues that polar bears had a certain kind of gene (APoB) that reduced levels of bad cholesterol."
5	TRUE	survive, six months, without food	Third paragraph, sixth line	"Once autumn comes around, these females will dig maternity dens in the snow and will remain there throughout the winter, both before and after the birth of their cubs. This process results in about six months of fasting (without food), where the female bears have to keep themselves and their cubs alive, depleting (reducing) their own calcium and calorie reserves."
6	FALSE	weak bones, came out of dens	Third paragraph, last line; fourth paragraph, third line	"Despite the loss of calcium and calorie, the bones of female polar bears remain strong and dense." / "When they came out, there was no significant bone density loss."
7	TRUE	mechanism for increasing bone density, used by people	Fourth paragraph, last line	"Many bedridden (bedridden:- unable to walk or move/ confined to bed) humans can get benefit from polar bears' bone remodeling mechanism."
8	violent	bears, unintelligent	Fifth paragraph, fourth line	"Bears, on the other hand, seem to be perceived as stupid and in many cases violent."
9	tool	branch, Tennoji Zoo	Fifth paragraph, sixth line	"A male bear called GoGo in Tennoji Zoo, Osaka, has even been observed making use of a tool to manipulate his environment."
10	meat	knock down, meat	Fifth paragraph, seventh line	"The bear used a tree branch on multiple occasions to dislodge (dislodge:- knock down) a piece of meat hung out of his reach."
11	photographer	platform, wild polar bear	Fifth paragraph, last line	"A calculated move by a male bear involved running and jumping onto barrels in an attempt to get to a photographer standing on a platform four metres high."
12	game	conscious manipulation, objects, activity	Sixth paragraph, second line	"For example, Ames observed bears putting objects in piles and then knocking them over in what appeared to be a game."
13	frustration	movements, disappointed when hunting	Seventh paragraph, first line	"As for emotions, while the evidence is once again anecdotal, many bears have been seen to hit out at ice and snow - seemingly out of frustration - when they have just missed out on a kill."

READING PASSAGE 2

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14–26, which are based on Reading Passage 2 .

 The Step Pyramid of Djoser

Q	Answer	Keywords	Location	Text
14	iv - FALSE	evolution of pyramid form	'A' paragraph, fourth line	"The evolution of the pyramid form has been written and argued about for centuries. However, there is no question that, as far as Egypt is concerned, it began with one monument to one king designed by one brilliant architect: the Step Pyramid of Djoser at Saqqara."
15	vii - TRUE	changing design, burial structures	'B' paragraph, first line	"Prior to Djoser's reign, tombs were rectangular monuments made of dried clay brick." / "Djoser's main official, whose name was Imhotep, conceived of building a taller, more impressive tomb for his king by stacking stone slabs on top of one another, progressively making them smaller, to form the shape now known as the Step Pyramid."
16	ii - TRUE	difficult task, builders, weight of stones	'C' paragraph, sixth line	"The weight of the enormous mass was a challenge for the builders, who placed the stones at an inward incline in order to prevent the monument breaking up."
17	v - TRUE	overview, external buildings and areas	'D' paragraph, second line	"The complex in which it was built was the size of a city in ancient Egypt and included a temple, courtyards, shrines, and living quarters for the priests. It covered a region of 16 hectares and was surrounded by a wall 10.5 meters high."
18	i - TRUE	areas and artifacts within the pyramid	'E' paragraph, first line	"The burial chamber of the tomb, where the king's body was laid to rest, was dug beneath the base of the pyramid, surrounded by a vast maze of long tunnels that had rooms off them to discourage robbers."
19	viii - TRUE	incredible experience, few remains	'F' paragraph, second line	"Djoser's grave goods, and even his body, were stolen at some point in the past and all archaeologists found were a small number of his valuables overlooked by the thieves."
20	vi - TRUE	pyramid design copied by others	'G' paragraph, fifth line	"The Step Pyramid was a revolutionary advance in architecture and became the archetype (archetype:- an original which has been imitated) which all other great pyramid builders of Egypt would follow."
21	city	size of complex	'D' paragraph, second line	"The complex in which it was built was the size of a city in ancient Egypt …."
22	priests	accommodation	'D' paragraph, second line	"....and living quarters for the priests."
23	trench	encircled the wall	'D' paragraph, sixth line	"the entire wall was then ringed (encircled) by trench …."
24	location	finding the real entrance	'D' paragraph, eighth line	"If someone wished to enter, he or she would have needed to know in advance how to find the location of the true opening in the wall."
25	B - TRUE	disagreement about length of reign	'B' paragraph, last three lines	"Djoser is thought to have reigned for 19 years, but some historians and scholars attribute a much longer time for his rule, owing to the number and size of the monuments he built."
26	D - TRUE	few possessions found in tomb	'F' paragraph, third line from end	"all archaeologists found were a small number of his valuables overlooked by thieves."

READING PASSAGE 3

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27–40, which are based on Reading Passage 3 .

The future of work

Q	Answer	Keywords	Location	Text
27	B - 3-14%	first paragraph	First paragraph, first line	"3-14% of the global workforce will need to switch to a different occupation within the next 10-15 years, and all workers will need to adapt as their occupations evolve alongside increasingly capable machines."
28	D - changes in knowledge economy	second paragraph	Second paragraph, first line	"Dr Stella Pachidi from Cambridge Judge Business School believes that some of the most fundamental changes are happening as a result of the 'algorithmication' of jobs that are dependent on data rather than on production – the so-called knowledge economy."
29	C - incorrect data	seventh paragraph	Seventh paragraph	"It is said that workers feed algorithms with incorrect data to achieve their targets."
30	D - methods to handle changes in job market	twelfth paragraph	Twelfth paragraph, continue to 13th paragraph, until 3rd line	"In his recently published research, Ewan McGaughey discusses strategies for managing the impact of automation and artificial intelligence on work and leisure."
31	G - information	'algorithmication' of jobs	Second paragraph, first line	"Dr Stella Pachidi from Cambridge Judge Business School believes that some of the most fundamental changes are happening as a result of the 'algorithmication' of jobs that are dependent on data rather than on production – the so-called knowledge economy."
32	E - reliance, instructions	observation at telecommunications company	Sixth paragraph, second line	"In cases like this, Pachidi believes, a short-sighted view begins to creep into working practices whereby workers learn through the 'algorithm's eyes' and become dependent on its instructions."
33	C - intuition	prevention of experimentation	Sixth paragraph, fourth line	"Alternative explorations – where experimentation and human instinct lead to progress and new ideas – are effectively discouraged."
34	F - confidence	increasing understanding of AI decision-making	Eighth paragraph, first line	"It's scenarios like these that many researchers are working to avoid. Their objective is to make AI technologies more trustworthy and transparent, so that organisations and individuals understand how AI decisions are made."
35	B	greater automation, lower employment	Tenth paragraph	"Taking 50 out of 100 jobs by robots does not mean we are left with 50 jobs. The number of jobs will increase."
36	A	reasons for AI appeal to businesses	Third paragraph, first line	"In many cases, they can outperform humans, says Pachidi. Organisations are attracted to using algorithms because they want to make choices based on what they consider is 'perfect information,' as well as to reduce costs and enhance productivity."
37	C	AI's potential parallels with major cultural shifts	Twelfth paragraph	"From the perspective of the question, the meaning of this paragraph is that in the past, change could cause redundancy (unemployment because of no work). So AI, automation and robotics can cause unemployment corresponding (parallel) to the past (history)."
38	A	awareness of problems caused by AI	Eighth paragraph, third line	"We need to make sure we fully understand the dilemmas that this new world raises regarding expertise, occupational boundaries and control."
39	B	less conventional career paths	Ninth paragraph, second line	"'The traditional trajectory of full-time education followed by full-time work followed by a pensioned retirement is a thing of the past,' says Low. Instead, he envisages a multistage employment life; one where retraining happens across the life course, and where multiple jobs and no job happen by choice at different stages."
40	C	measures for adequately paid work for everyone	Second last paragraph, third line |	"McGaughey's findings are a call to arms to leaders of organizations, governments, and banks to pre-empt the coming changes with bold new policies that guarantee full employment, fair incomes (adequately paid work), and a thriving economic democracy."