Bears - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From IELTS Practice Test Plus 1 Academic Listening Test 5 · Part 3 · Questions 21–30
Audio
Questions
Questions 21–23 Sentence Completion
Complete the sentences below.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS and/or A NUMBER for each answer.
According to Alison Sharp
- Bear ancestors date back 21 years.
- Scientists think bears were originally in the same family as 22 .
- The Cave Bear was not dangerous because it 23 .
Questions 24–28 Matching
Answers questions, using the list of words below.
Sloth Bear
Giant Panda
Polar Bear
Black Bear
Brown Bear
Sun Bear
Questions 29–30 Multiple Choice (Two Answers)
Circle TWO letters A-F.
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q21 | 40 million / forty million | Well, the bears we know today actually have as their ancestors bears which have been evolving for some 40 million years | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the family history of today's bears goes back 40 million years to when their older relatives first began to change. Answer Explanation: The answer 40 million is the number of years that the relatives of bears have been growing and changing over time. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 40 million because the expert, Alison Sharp, says that modern bears come from ancestors (family members from long ago) that have been evolving for that many years. 'Evolving' means that a type of animal slowly changes over a very long period of time. |
| Q22 | dogs | Interviewer: So the general belief is that dogs and bears were of the same family?Alison: Yes, that's the theory | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows the interviewer asking if it is a common belief that dogs and bears come from the same family. Alison replies that this is indeed the scientific theory. Answer Explanation: The answer is dogs. This means that people who study animals believe that bears and dogs were part of the same group many years ago. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is dogs because Alison confirms that scientists have a theory that bears and dogs belong to the same family. Earlier in the conversation, she also explains that fossils of the very first bears show a mix of both dog and bear characteristics, which supports this idea. |
| Q23 | only ate plants / ate plants | Yes, but they need not have worried because the Cave Bear only ate plants | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that humans did not need to be scared of the bear. The specific reason given is that the bear's food was only plants, meaning it was not a dangerous hunter. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the Cave Bear was not a meat-eater; its diet consisted only of things like grass, leaves, and other vegetation. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is based on the part of the conversation where Alison explains that early humans were afraid of the Cave Bear. However, she clarifies that this fear was unnecessary because the bear was a herbivore. Since it didn't hunt other creatures, it was not a threat to humans. |
| Q24 | Polar Bear | There are eight species of bear in all; among them the American Black Bear and the Brown Bear – from which evolved the newest species of bear – the Polar Bear | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript clearly states that out of the eight kinds of bears, the Polar Bear is the newest one. Answer Explanation: The answer identifies the Polar Bear as the newest type of bear that has come to exist. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is the Polar Bear because the expert specifically describes it as the 'newest species'. She further notes that it is a 'relative newcomer' at only 20,000 years old, which is very short compared to the millions of years other bear ancestors have existed. Beginner learners should look for synonyms for 'most recent' such as 'newest' or 'newcomer' to find this information. |
| Q25 | Brown Bear | The Polar Bear is the heaviest; the male weighs up to 1,500 pounds but his narrow body actually makes him look smaller than the much more robust Brown Bear | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the Polar Bear is the heaviest, but its thin body makes it look smaller than the Brown Bear, which looks very big and strong. Answer Explanation: The answer says that the Brown Bear looks like the biggest bear when a person sees it. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is the Brown Bear because the expert explains that it has a very strong and wide shape. Even though the Polar Bear weighs more than the Brown Bear, the Polar Bear has a thin body. Because the Brown Bear is more thick or 'robust,' it seems larger and more powerful to the eyes. |
| Q26 | Sun Bear | Well, the Sun Bear is the smallest of the eight species. They only weigh between 60 and 145 pounds | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript identifies the Sun Bear as the smallest species and provides its weight to show how small it is. Answer Explanation: The answer explains that the Sun Bear is the littlest type of bear among all eight kinds. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is based on Alison's description of the different types of bears. She clearly states that the Sun Bear is the smallest of the eight species. She also mentions that they weigh very little (between 60 and 145 pounds) compared to other bears like the Polar Bear, which can weigh up to 1,500 pounds. |
| Q27 | Giant Panda | In fact the Giant Panda is almost entirely herbivorous living on a diet of 30 types of bamboo | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that the Giant Panda is almost completely herbivorous (a plant-eater) because it lives by eating 30 various kinds of bamboo stalks and leaves. Answer Explanation: The answer is the Giant Panda because it is the specific type of bear mentioned in the list that survives by eating plants. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is identified through the speaker's description of what different bears eat. While some bears eat meat or insects, the Giant Panda is described as 'herbivorous,' which is a scientific word for an animal that eats plants. The speaker specifically mentions that the Giant Panda eats many kinds of bamboo, which is a type of plant. |
| Q28 | Sloth Bear | And another interesting bear is the Sloth Bear which eats insects, particularly termites. He can turn his mouth into a tube and suck the insects out of their nests | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the Sloth Bear has a special way of eating bugs. It says this bear eats insects and uses its mouth to suck them up from where they live. Answer Explanation: The answer is the Sloth Bear, which is a specific type of bear mentioned in the talk. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is the Sloth Bear because Alison Sharp specifically mentions its unique diet during the interview. While most people think bears eat meat or plants, she points out that the Sloth Bear eats insects like termites. She even describes how it uses its mouth like a straw to pull them out of their nests. This distinguishes it from other bears like the Giant Panda, which eats bamboo, or the Cave Bear, which ate only plants. |
| Q29 | — | — | |
| Q30 | B / E | I think that by raising people's awareness generally we can reduce conflict between humans and animals to stop the slaughter in parts of the world where bears are still hunted – supposedly in self-defense or to protect livestock, but often quite unnecessarily And in addition to these global efforts, all profits from the sale of my book will go towards the United Nations Bear Protection program |
Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that making people more aware helps to end the unnecessary killing of bears. It also says that all the money earned from selling Alison's book is donated to help save bears through a United Nations program. Answer Explanation: The answer means that two ways to help bears survive are to teach people to be more kind and caring toward them and to buy the book written by Alison Sharp. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B and E because they represent solutions provided by Alison Sharp. Choice B, 'encouraging a more humane attitude,' is correct because she suggests 'raising people's awareness' to 'stop the slaughter' (the killing) of bears that happens unnecessarily. Choice E, 'buying the speaker's book,' is correct because she explains that all the money made ('profits') from the 'sale' of her book is given to a program that protects bears. |
Transcript
Interviewer: Alison Sharp has spent much of her life researching bears and in particular bears in danger of extinction. She is the author of a recent book on bears and we welcome her to the studio today.
Alison: Thank you. Delighted to be here.
Interviewer: First of all, can you give us a quick overview of the history of the bear family?
Alison: Well, the bears we know today actually have as their ancestors bears which have been evolving for some 40 million years. We have fossils of the earliest 'true bear' – and it's important to emphasise this because some creatures are called bears but are not ...
Interviewer: ... such as koalas for instance.
Alison: Yes exactly ... fossils of the true bear show a small dog-size animal with characteristics that show a blending of dog and bear traits.
Interviewer: So the general belief is that dogs and bears were of the same family?
Alison: Yes, that's the theory. And then we see the arrival of the early Cave Bear. We know from cave drawings that Neanderthal man used to worship this bear and at the same time fear it.
Interviewer: Understandable perhaps ...
Alison: Yes, but they need not have worried because the Cave Bear only ate plants. In fact the Cave Bear survived two Ice Ages but then became extinct.
Interviewer: So how many bears can we find today and are any of them in danger of extinction?
Alison: Well I'll answer your first question first. There are eight species of bear in all; among them the American Black Bear and the Brown Bear – from which evolved the newest species of bear – the Polar Bear.
Interviewer: So how old is the Polar Bear?
Alison: Oh, he's a relative newcomer – just 20,000 years old.
Interviewer: And could you tell us a little about them? Which is the largest bear, for instance?
Alison: Well, the largest bear existing today is either the Polar Bear or the Brown Bear.
Interviewer: Right ... Don't we know?
Alison: Well, it depends which criteria you use. The Polar Bear is the heaviest; the male weighs up to 1,500 pounds but his narrow body actually makes him look smaller than the much more robust Brown Bear.
Interviewer: So the Brown Bear appears the biggest.
Alison: Yes.
Interviewer: And the smallest?
Alison: Well, the Sun Bear is the smallest of the eight species. They only weigh between 60 and 145 pounds.
Interviewer: That makes him a comparative junior!
Alison: Yes. And then next we have the so-called Giant Panda ... but that's a small bear too, comparatively speaking.
Interviewer: And are all bears meat eaters?
Alison: No, not at all. In fact the Giant Panda is almost entirely herbivorous living on a diet of 30 types of bamboo.
Interviewer: Oh, yes of course. Panda's are famous for that.
Alison: And another interesting bear is the Sloth Bear which eats insects, particularly termites. He can turn his mouth into a tube and suck the insects out of their nests.
Interviewer: So going back to my second question ... Are bears really in danger of extinction?
Alison: Yes indeed ... they are ... the Sun Bear in particular as they've been hunted almost out of existence. And the habitat of the Panda is also being reduced on a daily basis.
Interviewer: Can anything be done to reduce the threat to these endangered species? I know for instance that it's very hard to breed bears in captivity.
Alison: Yes, well ... I think that by raising people's awareness generally we can reduce conflict between humans and animals ... to stop the slaughter in parts of the world where bears are still hunted – supposedly in self-defense or to protect livestock, but ... often quite unnecessarily. And we can also encourage governments to preserve the natural environment of the bear rather than allow the areas where they live to be systematically destroyed in the name of progress.
Interviewer: Yes, of course.
Alison: And in addition to these global efforts, all profits from the sale of my book will go towards the United Nations Bear Protection program.
Interviewer: That's wonderful ... and with the news coming up, thank you for your time, Alison, and best of luck with the book...
Alison: Thank you very much.