Cambridge IELTS Academic 21 Reading Test 3 Answers with Explanation / IELTS Academic Reading: Cambridge 21 Test 3 Answer / Cambridge IELTS 21 Reading Test 3 Answers /কেমব্রিজ ২১ টেস্ট ৩-এর উত্তর

Cambridge 21 Test 3 Reading Answers & Explanations

Reading Passage 1: Saving the Saiga

Q	Answer	Keywords	Location	Analytical Explanation
1	dust	swollen nostrils, keep out, bulbous nose	Reading Passage 1, Paragraph 2, lines 3–4	The passage explains that the swollen nostrils of the saiga’s nose filter out dust. Here: filter out = keep out. The substance prevented from entering is dust.
2	blood	lower temperature, summer, swollen nostrils	Reading Passage 1, Paragraph 2, lines 3–4	The passage says that the swollen nostrils cool the blood during hot and dry summers. Here: cool = lower the temperature. The part being cooled is the animal’s blood.
3	coat	thick, winter, loses, spring	Reading Passage 1, Paragraph 2, lines 5–6	The passage refers to a heavy winter coat that the saiga sheds when the weather becomes warmer. Here: heavy = thick; sheds = loses; when the weather warms up = in spring.
4	horns	poaching, male saiga, traditional medicine	Reading Passage 1, Paragraph 4, lines 1–2	The passage explains that male saiga are particular targets because their horns are highly valued by traditional medicine practitioners. Here: particular target = especially hunted. The body parts wanted by the poachers are the horns.
5	habitat	farms, settlements, reduction, size	Reading Passage 1, Paragraph 5, line 1	The passage says that agricultural expansion and human settlement result in a loss of habitat. Here: agricultural expansion = expansion of farms; human settlement = settlements; loss of habitat = reduction in the size of the habitat.
6	routes	physical barriers, access, migration	Reading Passage 1, Paragraph 5, lines 2–3	The passage says that railways, pipelines and fences can block the saiga’s seasonal migration routes. Here: block = prevent access; seasonal migration routes = routes used for migration.
7	streams	climate change, disappearance, relied on	Reading Passage 1, Paragraph 7, lines 4–5	The passage says the steppe region has become increasingly dry and many smaller streams have dried up and vanished. Here: dried up and vanished = disappeared; normally depended on = relied on.
8	FALSE	today, distributed evenly, four nations	Reading Passage 1, Paragraph 1, lines 3–5	The passage states that Kazakhstan contains well over 90% of the global saiga population. Russia, Mongolia and Uzbekistan account for the remainder. Here: well over 90% in Kazakhstan contradicts distributed evenly. The population is not divided equally among the four countries.
9	FALSE	most of the 20th century, population, falling	Reading Passage 1, Paragraph 3, lines 2–4	The passage says legal protection ensured the saiga’s survival and its numbers steadily recovered throughout most of the 20th century. Here: steadily recovered = increased. The statement claims the population was falling, contradicting the passage.
10	TRUE	protect rhinos, Africa, significant effect, saiga population	Reading Passage 1, Paragraph 4, lines 2–6	Conservationists encouraged people to use saiga horns as an alternative to rhino horns. This increased demand for saiga horns, causing poaching to reach epidemic levels. Male saiga were almost wiped out, which caused a serious population crash. The effect on the saiga population was substantial.
11	NOT GIVEN	climate fluctuations, Central Asian wildlife, more than other regions	Closest related location: Reading Passage 1, Paragraph 7, lines 1–3	The passage says the saiga struggles to cope with temperature extremes and unpredictable changes in climate. However, it does not compare Central Asia with other parts of the world, nor does it compare the level of danger faced by wildlife in different regions.
12	TRUE	Altyn Dala, formed, benefit, different animals	Reading Passage 1, Paragraph 8, lines 4–6	The initiative aims to protect and restore steppe, semi-desert and desert ecosystems and the many species supported by them, including the saiga. Here: many species they support = several different animals. The initiative does not benefit the saiga alone.
13	NOT GIVEN	recognition, World Restoration Flagship, international funding	Closest related location: Reading Passage 1, Paragraph 8, lines 6–7	The passage says that the United Nations recognised the initiative as one of the ten best examples of large-scale ecosystem restoration. However, it does not say that the project received additional funding, that any new funding was international, or that recognition resulted in financial support.

Reading Passage 2: The Problems of Getting Around the City of Dar es Salaam

Q	Answer	Keywords	Location	Analytical Explanation
14	NOT GIVEN	population, rising, more rapidly, previously predicted	Closest related location: Reading Passage 2, Paragraph 1, lines 1–5	The passage provides information about the city’s current population growth, annual population increases, and future population forecasts. However, it does not compare the present growth rate with an earlier prediction.
15	FALSE	most residents, high-rise blocks, edge of city	Reading Passage 2, Paragraph 2, lines 1–2	The passage says four out of five residents live in single-storey informal settlements on the spreading edges of the city. Here: four out of five = most residents; single-storey settlements contradicts high-rise blocks.
16	NOT GIVEN	residents, consulted, views, suburban rail line	Closest related location: Reading Passage 2, Paragraph 3, lines 2–4	The passage says that a small suburban rail line serves some residents in areas south of the city. However, it does not mention consultations with residents, surveys about the rail service, or the opinions of residents.
17	TRUE	majority, current development, unplanned	Reading Passage 2, Paragraph 4, lines 4–6	The passage says nearly all the city’s expansion is happening on its outskirts and almost all of it takes place informally without an agreed strategy. Here: nearly all = the majority; informally without an agreed strategy = unplanned.
18	FALSE	authorities, followed, many African cities, transport plan	Reading Passage 2, Paragraph 5, lines 1–4	The passage says that, unlike many African cities, Dar es Salaam is not trying to build a metro. Instead, it has chosen a cheaper bus-based system. Here: unlike many cities contradicts followed the plan used by many cities. Dar es Salaam selected a different transport solution.
19	lanes	buses, designated, reduce delays	Reading Passage 2, Paragraph 6, lines 1–2	The passage says the BRT buses travel in bus lanes separated from other traffic. These lanes are positioned to reduce stoppages. Here: separated from other traffic = designated; reduce stoppages = reduce delays.
20	boarding	passengers, pay fares, before	Reading Passage 2, Paragraph 6, lines 2–3	The passage states that ticket purchase and control take place at the stations prior to boarding. Here: prior to = before. The action that follows payment is boarding.
21	wheelchairs	passengers, every part, accessible, step-free	Reading Passage 2, Paragraph 6, lines 3–4	The passage says the buses are step-free, meaning the entire route is accessible to people using wheelchairs and those travelling with baby buggies. The plural noun wheelchairs fits both the grammar and meaning.
22	fuel	temperature control, not activated, reduce use	Reading Passage 2, Paragraph 7, lines 3–4	A passenger says drivers sometimes refuse to turn on the air conditioning because they want to save fuel. Here: temperature control = air conditioning; save fuel = reduce fuel use.
23	flood	insufficient vehicles, severe, main depot	Reading Passage 2, Paragraph 8, lines 1–2	The passage says there is a shortage of buses because of a serious flood at the main depot during the rainy season. Here: shortage of buses = too few vehicles; serious = severe.
24	smartcards	unable to use, equipment, not working	Reading Passage 2, Paragraph 8, lines 2–4	The passage explains that smartcards cannot be used because the mechanical readers are not working. Here: readers are not working = equipment is out of action. The unavailable payment method is smartcards.
25	gates	tickets, checked manually, station	Reading Passage 2, Paragraph 8, lines 4–6	The tickets contain QR codes, but there are no scanners. Staff therefore stand beside the gates and tear the tickets as passengers enter. Here: staff tear tickets = manual checking. This happens at the station gates.
26	queues	build up, rush hours, peak times	Reading Passage 2, Paragraph 8, lines 6–7	The passage says that considerable queues form at peak times because of the manual ticket-checking system. Here: peak times = rush hours; are considerable = build up.

Reading Passage 3: Rethinking the Past

Q	Answer	Keywords	Location	Analytical Explanation
27	A	writer doing, second paragraph, two things stand out	Reading Passage 3, Paragraph 2, lines 1–6	The writer identifies two important changes in our understanding of prehistory: supposedly advanced behaviours may have begun much earlier, and prehistoric gender roles have been misunderstood. It pinpointes some key changes in our understanding of prehistory (Option A).
28	A	mobile phones, sixth paragraph, evolution, technology	Reading Passage 3, Paragraph 6, lines 1–4	The writer says evolution usually works through incremental steps, and technology develops the same way. Early birds were not good at flying, while early mobile phones were not very effective. This example shows that most developments happen in a gradual way (Option A).
29	D	unpick this stuff, patriarchal views, earlier research	Reading Passage 3, Paragraph 7, lines 1–5	The passage explains archaeology was established by people with outdated patriarchal beliefs. Researchers today are trying to separate the evidence from those old assumptions. Here: unpick = examine and correct carefully; this stuff = research affected by outdated social beliefs (Option D).
30	A	final paragraph, past societies, choices, inequality	Reading Passage 3, Paragraph 10, lines 1–3	The writer says inequality, authoritarianism and patriarchy are not unavoidable. Evidence from prehistory shows societies can be organised differently. This suggests studying past societies could help us create a fairer society today (Option A).
31	E	Kalambo Falls, buried logs, 476,000 years, structure	Reading Passage 3, Paragraph 3, lines 1–4	Researchers discovered logs shaped with stone tools to interlock, approximately 476,000 years old (almost 200,000 years older than Homo sapiens). This indicates that Homo sapiens was probably not the only species capable of sophisticated workmanship (Option E).
32	F	high-altitude regions, Denisovans, harsh environments	Reading Passage 3, Paragraph 3, lines 4–7	Extinct hominins like Denisovans lived in frozen high-altitude regions around 200,000 years ago. This challenges the belief that these harsh environments were first settled by modern humans only 3,600 years ago (Option F).
33	D	June 2023, meta-analysis, women hunted, foraging societies	Reading Passage 3, Paragraph 8, lines 1–5	A publication analysed foraging societies and found women hunted in 80% of them, contradicting the traditional idea that men hunted while women remained at home. This means experts may have been mistaken about who looked for food (Option D).
34	B	Iberian leader, 4,000 years, female, assumed male	Reading Passage 3, Paragraph 9, lines 1–2	Protein analysis of the leader’s teeth showed the individual was female, although researchers previously assumed the leader was male. This indicates previous assumptions about who had power in the prehistoric world were inaccurate (Option B).
35	NO	Neanderthals, cave paintings, first artwork	Reading Passage 3, Paragraph 4, lines 1–3	The passage confirms Neanderthals painted on cave walls. However, it says even earlier species, such as Homo erectus, may also have made art by engraving patterns on shells. This contradicts the claim that Neanderthal cave paintings were the first.
36	NOT GIVEN	rare, prehistoric artwork, shells	Closest related location: Reading Passage 3, Paragraph 4, lines 2–3	The writer says Homo erectus may have created art by engraving patterns on shells. However, the passage does not state how often these shells are discovered, whether such finds are rare, or how many examples have been found.
37	NOT GIVEN	methods, examine, Rising Star cave, unconventional	Closest related location: Reading Passage 3, Paragraph 5, lines 1–4	The passage says the findings were released in a non-traditional journal that published the peer reviews publicly. This describes an unusual publication method, not an unusual method of physically examining the cave.
38	YES	unclear, age, etchings, Rising Star	Reading Passage 3, Paragraph 4, lines 7–9 and Paragraph 5, lines 4–5	The passage says the etchings have not yet been firmly dated (their age is unclear). The writer also says more evidence is required, particularly regarding their date, confirming the uncertainty.
39	YES	publicised, findings, controversy, released	Reading Passage 3, Paragraph 5, lines 1–4	The writer says the dispute became more intense because the findings were released in a non-traditional journal. Here: the way the results were released = the way the findings were publicised; the dispute was heightened = the controversy increased.
40	NO	brain size, key factor, H. naledi, art	Reading Passage 3, Paragraph 5, lines 5–10	The writer directly states that the species’ small brain is a distraction. Other features, including the brain’s internal wiring, may be equally or more important. This contradicts the idea that brain size is a key