Half the world's wetlands have gone since 1900. The passage covers why they matter (livelihoods, culture, climate defence), how draining peatland for palm oil and pulpwood releases carbon, raises fire risk and makes the land sink, and why experts say local people must profit from wetlands if they are to be protected.
Paragraph matching (14-17) is spread across A, B, G and H. The sentence completions (18-22) run in order through D and E. The expert matching (23-26) needs the quotes in C, F, G and H.
Matching information (paragraphs A-H)
Questions 14-17
How to attack this block: The 'proportion lost' item is the WWF's 'half' in A. 'Cultural significance' is B's religious, historical and archaeological value. Growing appreciation is McCartney's closing comment in H. Keeping local people benefiting from wetlands is G.
Question 14
Answer: GParagraph G
Which paragraph says people living near wetlands must keep getting something out of them?
we recognise there's a need to provide an income for local people… people in a developing country will only protect wetlands if they value and profit from them
Question says → Passage says
the need to ensurewe recognise there's a need to
inhabitants of wetland regionslocal people
continue to benefit from themprovide an income / value and profit from them
Why: G is about income: Silvius says local people need an income from wetlands, and McCartney adds that they'll only protect wetlands if they profit from them. 'Benefit' covers both income and profit.
The trap: Paragraph B says millions depend on wetlands for their livelihoods. That describes the current situation, but it doesn't talk about a need to make sure the benefit continues. The 'need' is in G.
Question 15
Answer: AParagraph A, third sentence
Which paragraph gives the share of wetlands already lost?
half of the world's wetlands have disappeared since 1900
Question says → Passage says
the proportionhalf
have already been losthave disappeared since 1900
Why: A proportion is a fraction or percentage, and 'half' is one. 'Disappeared' = 'lost'.
The trap: Paragraph D has 'six per cent', which looks like a proportion, but it's the share of global carbon emissions caused by drained peatlands, not wetlands lost.
Question 16
Answer: HParagraph H, end
Which paragraph says people are starting to see why wetlands matter?
'Awareness of the importance of wetlands is growing,' he says.
Question says → Passage says
people are beginning to appreciateAwareness… is growing / things are slowly changing
the value of wetlandsthe importance of wetlands
Why: McCartney says awareness of wetlands' importance is growing and things are slowly changing. Growing awareness = people beginning to appreciate their value.
The trap: Earlier in H, Silvius says some countries prioritise restoring wetlands. That's about government policy differing, not about appreciation increasing. The 'beginning to' idea is McCartney's 'growing'.
Question 17
Answer: BParagraph B, second sentence
Which paragraph mentions why wetlands matter to people's culture?
they are of considerable religious, historical and archaeological value to many communities around the world
Question says → Passage says
the cultural significanceconsiderable religious, historical and archaeological value
Why: Religion, history and archaeology are all parts of a community's culture, so their 'value' to communities is cultural significance.
The trap: Paragraph D talks about 'high biodiversity value', and C about environmental purpose. Both are about nature, not culture.
Sentence completion (ONE WORD ONLY)
Questions 18-22
How to attack this block: D and E describe peatland clearance step by step, and the sentences follow that order. Question 21 asks what the logging companies dig. Question 22 names the process where the peat sinks, which the passage calls one of the most alarming consequences.
Question 18
Answer: carbonParagraph D, second sentence
What do drained peatlands start releasing instead of storing?
they become net carbon emitters instead of active carbon stores
Question says → Passage says
begin to releasebecome net… emitters
instead of storing itinstead of active… stores
Why: An emitter releases and a store stores, so the passage and the sentence line up exactly. The thing being released is carbon.
The trap: 'CO2' and 'methane' appear in paragraph E, but the sentence follows D's wording, and 'carbon' is the word used with both 'emitters' and 'stores'.
Question 19
Answer: firesParagraph D, near the end
What becomes more likely once peatlands are cleared?
The clearance of peatlands for planting also increases the risk of forest fires
Question says → Passage says
Once peatland areas have been clearedThe clearance of peatlands
are more likely to occurincreases the risk of
Why: 'Increases the risk of' = 'more likely to occur'. The gap takes a plural noun ('are'), so write 'fires'.
The trap: 'Forest fires' is two words, which breaks the one-word limit. Use 'fires' alone.
Question 20
Answer: biodiversityParagraph D, last sentence
What does clearing peatland forests for oil palms destroy?
We're seeing huge peatland forests with extremely high biodiversity value being lost for a few decades of oil palm revenues
Question says → Passage says
destroysbeing lost
to make way for oil palm plantationsfor a few decades of oil palm revenues
Why: Silvius says forests with very high biodiversity value are being lost for oil palm money. What's destroyed is the biodiversity of the local environment.
The trap: 'Value' is also in the phrase, but 'destroys the value of the local environment' loses the key idea. 'Revenues' is what is gained, not lost.
Question 21
Answer: ditchesParagraph E, first half
What do logging companies create that is then used to drain peatlands?
They dig ditches to enter the peat swamps by boat and then float the logs out the same way. These are then used to drain water out of the peatlands
Question says → Passage says
created by logging companieslogging companies arrive… They dig
Water is drained out of peatlands throughThese are then used to drain water out of the peatlands
Why: 'These' points back to the ditches the companies dig for their boats. The same ditches then drain the water. The gap is a plural noun: 'ditches'.
The trap: 'Logs' and 'boat' sit in the same sentence, and 'these' could seem to point to the logs. Logs don't drain water, though; the ditches do.
Question 22
Answer: subsidenceParagraph E, second half
What process caused by draining peatlands leads eventually to flooding?
the remainder of the solid matter in the peat starts to move downwards, in a process known as subsidence
Question says → Passage says
a serious problemone of the most alarming consequences of peatland clearances
result in coastal flooding and land lossvery large landscapes on Sumatra and Borneo will become flooded
Why: The passage names the process: 'subsidence'. It's then called one of the most alarming results, and leads to large areas flooding as the peat sinks below water level.
The trap: 'Methane' and 'CO2' are also results of draining, but they're gases, not the process that causes flooding. Check the spelling of 'subsidence'.
Matching statements to experts
Questions 23-26
How to attack this block: Each expert is quoted in more than one place, so match ideas, not names. Tickner (F) says nobody sets out to damage wetlands. Van Eijk (C) says restoration can be as simple as planting a few trees. Silvius (H) contrasts different governments. McCartney (G) wants local people involved in decisions.
Question 23
Answer: AParagraph G, last sentence
Who says local communities must be part of decisions about wetlands' future?
it's essential that local people are involved in wetland planning and decision making
Question says → Passage says
Communities living in wetland regionslocal people
must be included in discussionsit's essential that… are involved in… decision making
the future of these areaswetland planning
Why: McCartney is quoted saying it's essential local people are involved in planning and decision making. 'Essential' = 'must', 'involved' = 'included'.
The trap: Silvius (C) speaks first in paragraph G and also mentions local people, but his point is income, not taking part in decisions.
Question 24
Answer: CParagraph H, first half
Who says governments' approaches to wetlands differ between countries?
'Different governments have different attitudes,' he says, and goes on to explain that some countries place a high priority on restoring wetlands, while others still deny the issue.
Question says → Passage says
Official policiesgovernments have… attitudes
vary from one nation to the nextDifferent governments have different / some countries… while others
Why: The 'he' is Silvius, named in the sentence before. He says different governments have different attitudes, with some prioritising restoration and others in denial.
The trap: McCartney (A) speaks in the same paragraph, but he talks about awareness growing in general, not differences between countries.
Question 25
Answer: DParagraph F, second half
Who says people damage wetlands without meaning to?
I've worked on wetland issues for 20 years and have never met anybody who wanted to damage a wetland
Question says → Passage says
without having any intention to do sonever met anybody who wanted to damage / It isn't something that people generally set out to do
People cause harmthe effects simply come from people trying to make a living
Why: Tickner says nobody he's met wanted to damage a wetland, and the harm comes from people trying to earn a living. Harm without intention is the statement exactly.
The trap: Silvius (C) also links damage to income, but he talks about providing income, not about people's intentions.
Question 26
Answer: BParagraph C, last sentences
Who says projects to repair environmental damage don't have to be complicated?
'It can be as simple as planting a few trees per hectare to create shade and substantially change a microclimate,' he says.
Question says → Passage says
Initiatives to reverse environmental damageorganisations are working to restore those forests
need not be complexIt can be as simple as
Why: Van Eijk talks about restoring lost coastal forests and says it can be as simple as planting a few trees per hectare. 'Simple' is the opposite of 'complex'.
The trap: His next line, 'isn't so much about money', is about cost rather than complexity. It supports the idea, but 'as simple as' is the direct match.
The answer is 'biodiversity', from Silvius's line about forests with very high biodiversity value being lost for oil palm revenue. 'Carbon' is already used in question 18.
B. Van Eijk's point that it can be as simple as planting a few trees is the 'need not be complex' idea, even though no word overlaps.
Words from this passage worth keeping
livelihoods(B)
ways of earning a living
mitigating(C)
making something less severe
buffers(C)
things that protect by absorbing an impact
commodities(D)
goods that are bought and sold
waterlogged(D)
completely soaked with water
subsidence(E)
land gradually sinking
over-extraction(F)
taking out too much of something
degradation(H)
the process of being damaged and getting worse
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The full Cambridge 19 Test 3 reading paper: all three passages, 60 minutes, marked the second you finish with a review of every answer. Already done it? Take it again and see if the same traps still get you.
Cambridge IELTS 19, Test 3, Reading Passage 2. The passage and questions belong to Cambridge University Press and are not reproduced here. We quote short extracts only as evidence for our own commentary, and the answers are published for self-marking. Get the book for the full text, or sit the test on Langujet.
