Understanding Bee Behaviour - IELTS Reading Answers & Explanations
From Cambridge IELTS 04 General Training Reading Test 2 · Part 3 · Questions 28–40
Reading Passage
The passage on the following pages has seven sections A-G.
Understanding Bee Behaviour
A
A bee's brain is the size of a grass seed, yet in this tiny brain are encoded some of the most complex and amazing behavioural patterns witnessed outside humankind. For bees are arguably the only animals apart from humans which have their own language. Earlier this century Karl von Frisch, a professor of Zoology at Munich University, spent decades of 'the purest joy of discovery' unravelling the mysteries of bee behaviour. For his astonishing achievements he was awarded the Nobel Prize and it is from his work that most of today's knowledge of what bees say to each other derives.
B
It started simply enough. Von Frisch knew from experiments by an earlier researcher that if he put out a bowl of sweet sugar syrup, bees might at first take some time to find it but, once they had done so, within the hour, hundreds of other bees would be eagerly taking the syrup. Von Frisch realised that, in some way, messages were being passed on back at the hive, messages which said, 'Out there, at this spot, you're going to find food.'
C
But how was it happening? To watch the bees, von Frisch constructed a glass-sided hive. He found that, once the scout bees arrived back at the hive, they would perform one of three dance types. In the first type, a returning scout scampered in circles, alternating to right and left, stopping occasionally to regurgitate food samples to the excited bees chasing after her. In the second dance, clearly an extended version of this round dance, she performed a sickle-shaped figure-of-eight pattern instead. In the third, distinctly different dance, she started by running a short distance in a straight line, waggling her body from side to side, and returning in a semi-circle to the starting point before repeating the process. She also stopped from time to time to give little bits of food to begging bees. Soon the others would excitedly leave the hive in search of food. Minutes later, many of them, marked by von Frisch, could be seen eating at the bowls of sugar syrup.
D
Experimenting further, von Frisch unravelled the mystery of the first two related types, the round and the sickle dances. These dances, he concluded, told the bees simply that, within quite short distances of the hive there was a food source worth chasing. The longer and more excitedly the scout danced, the richer the promise of the food source. The scent she carried in her samples and on her body was a message to the other bees that this particular food was the one they were looking for. The others would then troop out of the hive and fly in spiralling circles 'sniffing' in the wind for the promised food.
E
At first, von Frisch thought the bees were responding only to the scent of the food. But what did the third dance mean? And if bees were responding only to the scent, how could they also 'sniff down' food hundreds of metres away from the hive, food which was sometimes downwind? On a hunch, he started gradually moving the feeding dish further and further away and noticed as he did so, that the dances of the returning scout bees also started changing. If he placed the feeding dish over nine metres away, the second type of dance, the sickle version, came into play. But once he moved it past 36 metres, the scouts would then start dancing the third, quite different, waggle dance.
The measurement of the actual distance too, he concluded, was precise. For example, a feeding dish 300 metres away was indicated by 15 complete runs through the pattern in 30 seconds. When the dish was moved to 60 metres away, the number dropped to 11.
F
Von Frisch noted something further. When the scout bees came home to tell their sisters about the food source, sometimes they would dance outside on the horizontal entrance platform of the hive, and sometimes on the vertical wall inside. And, depending on where they danced, the straight portion of the waggle dance would point in different directions. The outside dance was fairly easy to decode: the straight portion of the dance pointed directly to the food source, so the bees would merely have to decode the distance message and fly off in that direction to find their food.
G
But by studying the dance on the inner wall of the hive, von Frisch discovered a remarkable method which the dancer used to tell her sisters the direction of the food in relation to the sun. When inside the hive, the dancer cannot use the sun, so she uses gravity instead. The direction of the sun is represented by the top of the hive wall. If she runs straight up, this means that the feeding place is in the same direction as the sun. However, if, for example, the feeding place is 40° to the left of the sun, then the dancer would run 40° to the left of the vertical line. This was to be the first of von Frisch's remarkable discoveries. Soon he would also discover a number of other remarkable facts about how bees communicate and, in doing so, revolutionise the study of animal behaviour generally.
Questions
Questions 28–34 Matching Headings
Choose the correct heading for each section from the list of headings below.
i. Bee behaviour is a mystery
ii. Communicating direction when outside a hive
iii. How bees carry food on their bodies
iv. Von Frisch discovers that bees communicate
v. How bees communicate direction when inside a hive
vi. The special position of bee language
vii. Expressing distance by means of dance
viii. The purpose of the two simple dances
ix. The discovery that bees have a special scent
x. Von Frisch discovers three types of dance
Questions 35–37 Note Completion
The writer mentions THREE kinds of bee dance identified by von Frisch.
List the name the writer gives to each dance.
Use ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
35
36
37
Questions 38–40 Sentence Completion
Look at the passage about bee behaviour on the previous pages.
Complete the sentences below with words taken from the passage.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
- Von Frisch discovered the difference between dance types by changing the position of 38.
- The dance outside the hive points in the direction of 39.
- The angle of the dance from the vertical shows the angle of the food from 40.
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q28 | vi | For bees are arguably the only animals apart from humans which have their own language | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that bees are probably the only animals, other than people, that use their own language to communicate. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the way bees talk to each other is very special and important compared to other animals. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is vi because Section A highlights that bees have a very complex way of communicating. It explains that, besides humans, they are likely the only animals with their own language. This gives bee language a 'special position' or a unique status in the animal world. The section introduces Karl von Frisch, who won a big prize for discovering these amazing 'mysteries' of how bees talk. |
| Q29 | iv | Von Frisch realised that, in some way, messages were being passed on back at the hive, messages which said, 'Out there, at this spot, you're going to find food.' | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage shows that von Frisch recognized that bees were giving information to each other about the location of a food source. Answer Explanation: The answer iv means that Section B describes the moment when Karl von Frisch first understood that bees share information with each other. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is iv because Section B details the early observations made by von Frisch. He saw that after one bee found a bowl of sugar, many more bees arrived at the same spot very quickly. This led him to the conclusion that the first bee was passing 'messages' to the others in the hive. These messages told the other bees exactly where to find the food. Words like 'messages' and 'passed on' clearly show that he discovered they were communicating. |
| Q30 | x | He found that, once the scout bees arrived back at the hive, they would perform one of three dance types | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage confirms that Von Frisch saw the bees doing three specific styles of dancing upon their return to the hive. Answer Explanation: The answer 'x' indicates that Section C is primarily about Von Frisch finding out that bees use three different kinds of dances to communicate. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is x because Section C describes the three specific dance patterns Von Frisch observed scout bees performing after returning to the hive. The text identifies them as the 'first type' (shuffling in circles), the 'second dance' (a figure-of-eight), and the 'third, distinctly different dance' (the waggle dance). Each type of movement corresponds to the discovery of these three unique methods of communication. |
| Q31 | viii | Experimenting further, von Frisch unravelled the mystery of the first two related types, the round and the sickle dances. These dances, he concluded, told the bees simply that, within quite short distances of the hive there was a food source worth chasing | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that von Frisch figured out what the first two kinds of dancing meant. He found that these dances were used to tell the other bees that there was food near the hive. Answer Explanation: The answer viii (The purpose of the two simple dances) means that this part of the text explains what the first two types of bee movements (the round and sickle dances) tell the other bees. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is viii because Section D focuses on explaining the meaning behind the 'round' and the 'sickle' dances, which are described as the first two 'related types' of bee communication. The author explains that these dances serve the purpose of informing the colony that food is located close to the hive. The text uses words like 'unravelled the mystery' and 'concluded' to show that von Frisch was finding out the reason or goal (the purpose) of these specific movements. |
| Q32 | vii | On a hunch, he started gradually moving the feeding dish further and further away and noticed as he did so, that the dances of the returning scout bees also started changing The measurement of the actual distance too, he concluded, was precise. For example, a feeding dish 300 metres away was indicated by 15 complete runs through the pattern in 30 seconds |
Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that when the food was moved further away, the bees' dance changed. It also says that the bees provide an exact measurement for the distance—for example, showing that food 300 metres away requires a specific number of dance movements. Answer Explanation: The answer 'vii' means that Section E describes how bees use their dances to show how far away they found their food. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'vii' because it focuses on the topic of distance. In Section E, Karl von Frisch discovered that as he moved the food further away, the scout bees changed their dance style. The section explains that the bees provide a precise measurement of distance based on how many times they complete their dance pattern in a specific amount of time. |
| Q33 | ii | The outside dance was fairly easy to decode: the straight portion of the dance pointed directly to the food source, so the bees would merely have to decode the distance message and fly off in that direction to find their food | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that when a bee dances outside its house, the straight part of its dance points exactly in the direction of the food. Other bees can see this and know which way they need to fly. Answer Explanation: The answer means that this section of the text explains how bees tell each other which way to fly when they are dancing outside their home (the hive). Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'ii' because Section F describes what happens when bees dance on the 'outside' part of the hive, specifically the 'horizontal entrance platform'. It explains that the straight part of the waggle dance points 'directly to the food source', which is a way of communicating direction. This matches the heading 'Communicating direction when outside a hive'. |
| Q34 | v | But by studying the dance on the inner wall of the hive, von Frisch discovered a remarkable method which the dancer used to tell her sisters the direction of the food in relation to the sun | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that von Frisch looked at how bees dance on the walls inside their home to show other bees which way to fly to find food. Answer Explanation: The answer 'v' means the best title for Section G is 'How bees communicate direction when inside a hive'. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'v' because Section G focuses exclusively on how bees share information about the location of food while they are on the vertical walls inside the hive. It explains that since they cannot see the sun inside, they use gravity and the top of the hive wall as a reference point to show the direction or angle of the food source. This distinguishes it from Section F, which talked about communication outside the hive. |
| Q35 | round | These dances, he concluded, told the bees simply that, within quite short distances of the hive there was a food source worth chasing. The longer and more excitedly the scout danced, the richer the promise of the food source | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that these dances are used by 'scout' bees (the bees that look for food) to tell the other bees that they found something good to eat nearby. Answer Explanation: The answer identifies the 'round' dance as one of the three specific ways bees move to talk to each other. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'round' because the text explains that von Frisch found three different dances. In the fourth section (Section D), the writer clearly names the first type of dance as the 'round' dance. The other two dances mentioned in the text are the 'sickle' dance and the 'waggle' dance. |
| Q36 | sickle | Experimenting further, von Frisch unravelled the mystery of the first two related types, the round and the sickle dances | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage mentions that the researcher discovered what the different dances meant and specifically identifies the first two types as the 'round' and 'sickle' dances. Answer Explanation: The answer 'sickle' is the name of one of the three specific patterns of movement that bees use to communicate the location of food. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is identified in the text where the researcher, Karl von Frisch, gives names to the different movements he observed. The passage explains that bees use three main dances: the 'round' dance, the 'sickle' dance, and the 'waggle' dance. The word 'sickle' is used specifically to name the second type of dance because it follows a curved, 'sickle-shaped' path. Because the instructions require only one word for each name, 'sickle' is the correct identifying term from the text. |
| Q37 | waggle | But once he moved it past 36 metres, the scouts would then start dancing the third, quite different, waggle dance | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that when food is more than 36 meters away from the hive, the bees start a third type of dance called the waggle dance. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to the name of the third type of dance bees use to tell other bees about food that is far away. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is extracted from the passage where the author identifies three specific dances discovered by von Frisch. In Section D, the first two are called 'round' and 'sickle' dances. In Section E, the author explicitly names the third type of dance as the 'waggle' dance. Because the instructions ask for only one word, 'waggle' is the correct name to provide for this third dance. |
| Q38 | the feeding dish | On a hunch, he started gradually moving the feeding dish further and further away and noticed as he did so, that the dances of the returning scout bees also started changing | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that when the researcher moved the food bowl to new locations, the bees began to use different dances to communicate. Answer Explanation: The answer is the container used to hold the food (syrup) for the bees. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'the feeding dish' because section E describes how von Frisch tested why bees perform different dances. He changed the physical location of the food by moving the 'feeding dish' farther and farther away. This movement caused the bees to change their movements from one type of dance to another, allowing the scientist to see the connection between distance and the specific dance type used. |
| Q39 | the food source / the food | the straight portion of the dance pointed directly to the food source, so the bees would merely have to decode the distance message and fly off in that direction to find their food | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that when bees dance outside, the straight part of their movement points right at the place where the food is. This tells the other bees which way to fly. Answer Explanation: The answer means the place where the bees find their food. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'the food (source)' because the text describes how bees show directions to each other. When a bee performs its dance on the outside area of the hive, it moves in a straight line that points exactly toward where the food is located. Information in section F explains that the 'straight portion' of this 'outside dance' gives the other bees the direction they need to fly. The words 'pointed directly to' are synonyms for 'points in the direction of' used in the question. |
| Q40 | the sun | However, if, for example, the feeding place is 40° to the left of the sun, then the dancer would run 40° to the left of the vertical line | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that if food is 40 degrees to the left of the sun, the bee will show this by dancing at a 40-degree angle to the left of a straight up-and-down line. Answer Explanation: The answer means discovered food is located at a specific angle away from the sun, and the bee shows this by dancing at that same angle relative to a straight vertical line. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "the sun" because the passage explains how bees communicate the location of food when they are inside a dark hive and cannot see the sky. Instead of the actual sun, they use the top of the vertical hive wall to represent it. If the food is found at a certain angle (like 40°) away from the sun, the scout bee will dance at that exact same angle away from the vertical line on the wall. This allows the other bees to understand the food's direction relative to the sun. |