Manatees IELTS Reading Answers and Explanation I Test 2 Cambridge 20

Manatees IELTS Reading  Answers & Explanation

In this post, you'll find the complete solution and explanation for the Reading passage Manatees from the IELTS Book Cambridge 20. Each answer is explained in the easiest possible way, along with the answer location from the passage. This is perfect for students who want to understand not just the correct answers, but why they are correct, helping you improve your IELTS Reading skills with every practice test.

Questions 1-6: Complete the notes below

 1. Answer: tail

Keywords: appearance, look similar, different shaped

Answer location: 1st Paragraph, Lines ( This group also contains dugongs. Dugongs and manatees look quite alike - they are similar in size, colour, and shape, and both have flexible flippers for forelimbs. However, the manatee has a broad, rounded tail, whereas the dugong's is fluked, like that of a whale.)

2. Answer: flippers

Keywords: movement, turn, bodies around, steering around

Answer location: 2nd paragraph, Lines (This short neck allows a manatee to move its head up and down, but not side to side. To see something on its left or its right, a manatee must turn its entire body, steering with its flippers.)

3. Answer: hair

Keywords: movement, sense vibration, means of

Answer location: 2nd Paragraph, Lines (They also have some hairs covering their bodies, which help them sense vibrations in the water around them.)

4. Answer: seagrasses

Keywords: feeding,aquatic vegetation = marine plants ,most of= mainly

Answer location: 3rd Paragraph, Line (Seagrasses and other marine plants make up most of a manatee's diet.)

5. Answer: lips

Keywords: feeding, grasp, pull up

Answer location: 4th Paragraph, Lines ( Instead of having incisors to grasp their food, manatees have lips which function like a pair of hands to help tear food away from the seafloor.)

6. Answer: buoyancy

Keywords: breathing, regulate, diaphragm, store air

Answer location: 5th Paragraph, Lines (It's thought that manatees use their muscular 

diaphragm and breathing to adjust their buoyancy. They may use diaphragm contractions 

to compress and store gas in folds in their large intestine to help them float.)

Questions 7-13:   True/False/Not given.

7. West Indian manatees can be found in a variety of different aquatic habitats. Answer: True

Keywords: west indian manatees, found, different, aquatic habitat

Answer location: 6th Paragraph, Lines ( There are two subspecies of West Indian manatee: the Antillean manatee is found in waters from the Bahamas to Brazil, whereas the Florida manatee is found in US waters, although some individuals have been recorded in the Bahamas.)

8. The Florida manatee lives in warmer waters than the Antillean manatee. 

Answer: Not given

Keywords: Florida manatee, warmer water,

Answer Location: 6th Paragraph, Lines ( in paragraph 6, it's mentioned that the Florida manatees and Antillean manatees can be found in water, but there is no comparison of which one lives in warmer water)

9 The African manatee’s range is limited to coastal waters between the West African countries of Mauritania and Angola. Answer: False

Keywords: African manatee, limited, coastal waters

Answer location: 7th paragraph, lines (The African manatee is also about 3.5 metres long and found in the sea along the west coast of Africa, from Mauritania down to Angola. The species also makes use of rivers, with the mammals seen in landlocked countries such as Mali and Niger.)

10 The extent of the loss of Amazonian manatees in the mid-twentieth century was only revealed many years later. Answer: Not given

Keywords: extent of loss, mid-twentieth century =  1935 to 1954

Answer location: 8th Paragraph, Lines ( there is no mention about the extent/rumour of loss of Amazon Manatees; however, the timeline mentioned)

11 It is predicted that West Indian manatee populations will fall in the coming decades. Answer: True

Keywords: predicted=expected to, West indian manatee, population fall=decline,

Answer location: 9th Paragraph, Line ( The two subspecies of West Indian manatee are listed as Endangered by the IUCN. Both are also expected to undergo a decline of 20% over the next 40 years.)

12 The risk to manatees from entanglement and plastic consumption increased significantly in the period 2009-2020. Answer: Not given

Keywords: entanglement, plastic consumption, increase

Answer location: 9th Paragraph, Lines  ( about 700 cases reported plastic consumption and entanglement between 2009 and 2020 ). However, it's not mentioned that the number of such cases has increased significantly.

13 There is some legislation in place which aims to reduce the likelihood of boat strikes on manatees in Florida. Answer: True

Keywords: law, aims, reduce, boat strike, Florida

Answer location: 9th paragraph, Lines ( The chief cause of death in Florida manatees is boat strikes. However, laws in certain parts of Florida now limit boat speeds during winter, allowing slow-moving manatees more time to respond.) 

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                                       Hard Vocabulary from the Passage Manatees

Word / Phrase	Meaning (Simple)	Example Sentence
Mammal	Warm-blooded animal that feeds milk to its young	Manatees are large aquatic mammals.
Aquatic	Living or growing in water	Manatees are aquatic creatures.
Endangered	At risk of disappearing (becoming extinct)	Manatees are classified as endangered.
Habitat	Natural home of an animal or plant	Pollution is destroying the manatees’ habitat.
Herbivore	An animal that eats only plants	Manatees are herbivores, feeding mainly on seagrass.
Buoyant	Able to float on water	Their bodies are naturally buoyant.
Migration	Regular movement of animals from one place to another	Manatees make seasonal migrations.
Predator	An animal that hunts and eats other animals	Manatees have no natural predators.
Conservation	Protecting and saving animals, plants, or the environment	Conservation efforts have helped manatee populations.
Propel	To push or move forward	Manatees use their tails to propel themselves through the water.
Vulnerable	Easily harmed or at risk	Manatees are vulnerable to boat strikes.
Algae	Simple plants that grow in water	Manatees sometimes feed on algae.
Submerged	Covered or hidden under water	Manatees often rest submerged near the surface.
Breathing interval	The time between breaths	A manatee can stay underwater for a long breathing interval.
Inhabit	To live in a place	Manatees inhabit warm coastal waters.
Collision	When two objects crash into each other	Many manatee deaths are caused by collisions with boats.
Rescue	To save from danger	Wildlife groups often rescue injured manatees.
Captivity	Being kept in a controlled environment (zoo, aquarium)	Some manatees are raised in captivity for research.
Docile	Gentle and not aggressive	Manatees are known for their docile nature.
Extinction	The complete disappearance of a species	Without protection, manatees could face extinction.

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