A new role for livestock guard dogs: reading answers and analysis
As wolves, bears and cheetahs recover, livestock guard dogs are back at work, and they work well. They also have a new conservation role: farmers who lose fewer animals kill fewer predators. Researchers warn that farmers' claims may be exaggerated, that the dogs can push predators onto neighbours, and that they can spread disease and disturb other species, though they can also protect wildlife.
Questions 27-40 · 14 marks · 3 question blocks
Where the answers sit
The paragraph matching (27-31) uses B twice. The people matching (32-36) runs from B to E. The summary (37-40) is in F and G, in order.
Questions 27-31
B answers two items: what the dogs do to deter predators (stand between, bark, chase) and how they learn the job (raised with the herd from puppyhood). C is the paragraph where several researchers report success. The protected predator is Namibia's cheetah in D, and the hopeful note is at the end of G.
| Question | Answer | Also accepted |
|---|---|---|
| 27 | D | — |
| 28 | G | — |
| 29 | B | — |
| 30 | C | — |
| 31 | B | — |
Questions 32-36
Pair each person with their angle. Macon is the shepherd on training. Ribeiro worries about farms that don't have dogs. Van Bommel says the dogs are the most efficient method if managed properly. Young sees common ground between ranchers and conservation. Smith says self-reported results should be taken with a pinch of salt.
| Question | Answer | Also accepted |
|---|---|---|
| 32 | D | — |
| 33 | E | — |
| 34 | B | — |
| 35 | C | — |
| 36 | A | — |
Questions 37-40
F supplies the first three answers: the predator killed more often in Namibia, what dogs can pass to wild animals, and what they compete with other carnivores for. G gives the ground-nest raider for the last gap.
| Question | Answer | Also accepted |
|---|---|---|
| 37 | jackals | — |
| 38 | diseases | — |
| 39 | food | — |
| 40 | foxes | — |
The questions most people get wrong
E (Smith). 'A pinch of salt' about what farmers self-report is the claim that may not be totally accurate. Ribeiro's concern is a different one: predators moving to neighbouring farms.
D (Young). No dead cow, no permit to kill a wolf: saving livestock also saves wild animals.
B. The methods (positioning themselves in between, barking, chasing) are in B, while C only shows that the dogs work. B is also the answer to question 31.
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