GLOBAL WARMING IN ANTARCTICA - IELTS Reading Answers & Explanations
From Expert on Cambridge IELTS 09 Academic Reading Test 2 · Part 1 · Questions 1–12
Reading Passage
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-12, which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.
GLOBAL WARMING IN ANTARCTICA
A If you are an aficionado of the global warming "debate", you have probably read at one time or another that current trends in the Antarctic show that there is no such thing as global warming. This is, of course, not true.
B Antarctica can be divided into three major geographic regions: East Antarctica, West Antarctica, and the Antarctic Peninsula. The Transantarctic Mountains divide the continent into eastern (on the Indian Ocean side) and western (on the Pacific Ocean side) regions. The large East Antarctic Ice Sheet flows slowly through most of its interior (10's of meters per year at most), until the ice approaches the coast and is channeled through fast-flowing (100's of meters per year) outlet glaciers. The ice sheet surface is high, dry, and very cold. The West Antarctic Ice Sheet is a faster flowing ice mass that may be vulnerable to rapid changes.
C The Antarctic ice sheets store 90% of the ice on Earth and close to 70% of the planet's fresh water. The West Antarctic ice sheet contains enough ice to raise sea level between 5 and 6 meters, were it all to melt. The East Antarctic Ice Sheet holds about 10 times more. (The total ice volume is larger than this but once the ice is melted, you have to fill in the hole it left behind.) The relatively warm Antarctic Peninsula supports a series of ice caps and outlet glaciers that together are estimated to contain less than half a meter of sea level equivalent. The continent is surrounded, seasonally, by sea ice that freezes at the ocean surface. Just as in the Arctic, sea ice formation in the Antarctic is important to many parts of the Earth system, including ocean circulation and climate.
D The climate of Antarctica does not allow extensive vegetation. A combination of freezing temperatures, poor soil quality, lack of moisture, and lack of sunlight inhibit the flourishing of plants. As a result, plant life is limited to mostly mosses and liverworts. The autotrophic community is made up of mostly protists. The flora of the continent largely consists of lichens, bryophytes, algae, and fungi. Growth generally occurs in the summer and only for a few weeks at most.
E A variety of marine animals exist and rely, directly or indirectly, on the phytoplankton. Antarctic sea life includes penguins, blue whales, orcas, colossal squids and fur seals. The Emperor penguin is the only penguin that breeds during the winter in Antarctica, while the Adelie Penguin breeds further south than any other penguin. The Rockhopper penguin has distinctive feathers around the eyes, giving the appearance of elaborate eyelashes. King penguins, Chinstrap penguins, and Gentoo Penguins also breed in the Antarctic. The Antarctic fur seal was very heavily hunted in the 18th and 19th centuries for its pelt by sealers from the United States and the United Kingdom. The Weddell Seal, a "true seal", is named after Sir James Weddell, commander of British sealing expeditions in the Weddell Sea. Antarctic krill, which congregates in large schools, is the keystone species of the ecosystem of the Southern Ocean, and is an important food organism for whales, seals, leopard seals, fur seals, squid, icefish, penguins, albatrosses and many other birds.
F The passing of the Antarctic Conservation Act in the U.S. brought several restrictions to U.S. activity on Antarctica. The introduction of alien plants or animals can bring a criminal penalty, as can the extraction of any indigenous species. The overfishing of krill led officials to enact regulations on fishing. The Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), a treaty that came into force in 1980, requires that regulations managing all Southern Ocean fisheries consider potential effects on the entire Antarctic ecosystem. Despite these new acts, unregulated and illegal fishing, particularly of Patagonian toothfish (marketed as Chilean Sea Bass in the U.S.), remains a serious problem. The illegal fishing of toothfish has been increasing, with estimates of 32,000 tonnes (35,300 short tons) in 2000.
G Most of the continent's icy mass has so far proven largely impervious to climate change, being situated on solid rock; its deep interior is actually growing in volume as a result of increased precipitation. The Antarctic contribution to sea-level rise has long been uncertain. A recent report by CPOM suggests that Antarctica has provided, at most, a negligible component of observed sea-level rise – indeed a survey of 72% of the Antarctic ice suggests an attributable short-term lowering of global sea levels by 0.08 mm per year. Conversely, a 10-year comparison of the balance between glacier decline and snowfall accumulation found that ice loss had increased 75%. In 2006, Antarctica lost a net 200 billion tonnes of ice.
Questions
Questions 1–4 Matching Information
Reading Passage 1 has seven paragraphs, A-G.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A-G.
NB You can use any letter more than once.
Questions 5–12 True / False / Not Given
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 1?
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | D | The climate of Antarctica does not allow extensive vegetation. A combination of freezing temperatures, poor soil quality, lack of moisture, and lack of sunlight inhibit the flourishing of plants | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage means that Antarctica's weather and environment do not let many plants grow because it is freezing cold, the soil is poor, and there is very little water and sunlight. Answer Explanation: The answer is paragraph D. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is D because this paragraph explains the environmental conditions that stop plants from growing well in Antarctica. It clearly lists several reasons: very cold temperatures, bad soil quality, not enough water (moisture), and not enough sunlight. Key terms like "cannot sustain many plants" correspond directly to "does not allow extensive vegetation" and "inhibit the flourishing of plants." |
| Q2 | F | The overfishing of krill led officials to enact regulations on fishing. The Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), a treaty that came into force in 1980, requires that regulations managing all Southern Ocean fisheries consider potential effects on the entire Antarctic ecosystem | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that catching too much krill caused leaders to create fishing rules and establish an international treaty to manage all fishing activities in the Southern Ocean. Answer Explanation: The answer 'F' means that paragraph F discusses the actions and rules made to stop unlawful or excessive fishing in Antarctica. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is F because this paragraph discusses official steps and laws created to manage and protect sea life from being overfished. Specifically, it mentions that catching too many krill caused officials to create fishing rules, and an international agreement called CCAMLR was set up to control fisheries. Key synonyms and matching phrases include 'measures taken' matching 'enact regulations' and 'treaty', and 'fishing' matching 'regulations on fishing' and 'fisheries'. |
| Q3 | E | Antarctic krill, which congregates in large schools, is the keystone species of the ecosystem of the Southern Ocean, and is an important food organism for whales, seals, leopard seals, fur seals, squid, icefish, penguins, albatrosses and many other birds | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that Antarctic krill gathers in large groups and is a vital, central species in the Southern Ocean, serving as a primary food source for many different animals such as whales, seals, fish, and birds. Answer Explanation: The answer means that paragraph E mentions an animal species that is essential and central to the living environment of the Southern Ocean. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is E because paragraph E discusses Antarctic krill and clearly describes it as the "keystone species of the ecosystem of the Southern Ocean". In ecology, a "keystone species" means an animal or plant that is key or essential to the whole environment. This matches the phrase "one species key to the ecosystem of the Southern Ocean". |
| Q4 | B | Antarctica can be divided into three major geographic regions: East Antarctica, West Antarctica, and the Antarctic Peninsula | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage clearly states the three main physical areas that make up Antarctica, which shows its geographic composition. Answer Explanation: The answer is paragraph B because this part of the text describes the different land areas that make up Antarctica. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because paragraph B explains the physical structure and regions of the continent. It explicitly notes that Antarctica is split into "three major geographic regions" (East Antarctica, West Antarctica, and the Antarctic Peninsula) and describes how mountains divide the land. The phrase "geographic composition" directly matches the text's description of these "geographic regions". |
| Q5 | FALSE | The West Antarctic ice sheet contains enough ice to raise sea level between 5 and 6 meters, were it all to melt. The East Antarctic Ice Sheet holds about 10 times more | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that if all the ice in West Antarctica melts, sea levels would rise by 5 to 6 meters. It also says that East Antarctica holds around ten times as much ice, meaning it would cause a much higher rise. Answer Explanation: The answer "FALSE" means that the statement is incorrect because it contradicts the facts given in the text. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is FALSE because the passage states that it is the West Antarctic Ice Sheet—not the East Antarctic Ice Sheet—that has enough ice to raise the sea level by 5 to 6 meters if it melts. In contrast, the East Antarctic Ice Sheet holds about 10 times more ice than that. Therefore, the statement mixes up the two ice sheets and gives an incorrect amount. |
| Q6 | FALSE | Just as in the Arctic, sea ice formation in the Antarctic is important to many parts of the Earth system, including ocean circulation and climate | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that sea ice forming in the Antarctic affects ocean circulation and climate in the same important way as it does in the Arctic, not to a greater degree. Answer Explanation: The answer "FALSE" means that the statement directly contradicts the information given in the text. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is FALSE because the passage states that sea ice formation in the Antarctic is important "Just as in the Arctic". The phrase "just as" means that it is equally important in both places. In contrast, the statement claims that Antarctic sea ice plays a "more vital" (more important) role than Arctic sea ice, which contradicts the author's comparison. |
| Q7 | TRUE | The climate of Antarctica does not allow extensive vegetation. A combination of freezing temperatures, poor soil quality, lack of moisture, and lack of sunlight inhibit the flourishing of plants. As a result, plant life is limited to mostly mosses and liverworts | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that Antarctica's climate is too tough for many plants to grow, because it is freezing cold, dry, dark, and has poor soil. Because of this, only a very small number of simple plant types can survive there. Answer Explanation: The answer "TRUE" means that the statement accurately reflects the facts mentioned in the reading passage. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is TRUE because Paragraph D explains that the weather conditions in Antarctica prevent plants from growing widely. Harsh conditions such as "freezing temperatures", "poor soil quality", "lack of moisture", and "lack of sunlight" stop plants from thriving, which directly causes plant life to be limited ("limited to mostly mosses and liverworts"). Therefore, the harsh climate indeed results in a very small variety of plants. |
| Q8 | NOT GIVEN | The Emperor penguin is the only penguin that breeds during the winter in Antarctica, while the Adelie Penguin breeds further south than any other penguin | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains special breeding facts about the Emperor penguin and the Adelie penguin, but it does not say which penguin species is dominant. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the text does not say whether the Emperor penguin is the main or most common type of penguin in Antarctica. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is NOT GIVEN because the passage tells us that the Emperor penguin is the only penguin that breeds during the winter, but it never mentions whether it is the "dominant" (largest in number or most important) penguin species. Because this specific information is missing from the text, the statement cannot be confirmed as true or false. |
| Q9 | TRUE | The passing of the Antarctic Conservation Act in the U.S. brought several restrictions to U.S. activity on Antarctica. The introduction of alien plants or animals can bring a criminal penalty, as can the extraction of any indigenous species | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage means that under an American law called the Antarctic Conservation Act, it is a crime to remove any native plants or animals from Antarctica. Answer Explanation: The answer "TRUE" means that it is correct that United States laws make it a crime to remove plants from Antarctica. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is TRUE because Paragraph F explains that the United States created a law called the Antarctic Conservation Act. This law states that taking native living things out of Antarctica can result in a criminal penalty. In this context, "taking out" matches "extraction", "plants" are covered under "indigenous species", and "illegal" matches "criminal penalty". Therefore, the statement completely agrees with the text. |
| Q10 | NOT GIVEN | The Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), a treaty that came into force in 1980, requires that regulations managing all Southern Ocean fisheries consider potential effects on the entire Antarctic ecosystem | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that CCAMLR is an agreement from 1980 that sets fishing rules to protect the environment, but it does not mention whether people or fisheries actually like or support the treaty. Answer Explanation: The answer "NOT GIVEN" means that the text does not say whether the treaty is popular or well-liked among fisheries in the Southern Ocean. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is NOT GIVEN because paragraph F explains what the CCAMLR agreement is, when it began (1980), and what rules it sets for fisheries. However, the author never mentions whether this treaty has "great popularity" or how fisheries feel about it. Because this detail is missing, we cannot know if the statement is true or false. |
| Q11 | FALSE | The Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR), a treaty that came into force in 1980, requires that regulations managing all Southern Ocean fisheries consider potential effects on the entire Antarctic ecosystem | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that an official agreement made in 1980 forces fishing rules to think about and protect the whole Antarctic environment. Answer Explanation: The answer "FALSE" means that the statement in the question is wrong because the new laws did care about and consider the effects of fishing on nature. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is FALSE because the statement claims that the new rules "disregarded" (ignored) the possible harm caused by overfishing. However, the text directly contradicts this. Paragraph F explains that fishing laws, specifically the CCAMLR treaty, actually require managers to "consider potential effects on the entire Antarctic ecosystem." Because the rules require people to consider the impacts rather than ignore them, the statement is false. |
| Q12 | TRUE | A recent report by CPOM suggests that Antarctica has provided, at most, a negligible component of observed sea-level rise – indeed a survey of 72% of the Antarctic ice suggests an attributable short-term lowering of global sea levels by 0.08 mm per year. Conversely, a 10-year comparison of the balance between glacier decline and snowfall accumulation found that ice loss had increased 75% | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that one report found Antarctica had very little effect or even lowered sea levels slightly, while another study showed that Antarctica lost a huge amount of ice, which means opposite and conflicting results exist. Answer Explanation: The answer "TRUE" means that scientific studies indeed disagree with each other about how Antarctica affects the rise of sea levels. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is TRUE because Paragraph G mentions that the impact of Antarctica on sea levels is uncertain due to opposite research results. One study by CPOM suggests that Antarctica might even slightly lower global sea levels, but "conversely" (on the other hand), another study shows that ice loss has grown by 75%, meaning more ice is melting into the sea. Because these findings contradict or oppose each other, the statement matches the passage. |