A field guide to manatees: how they differ from dugongs, their six-bone neck, touch-sensitive hairs, grass-grinding teeth and hand-like lips, and how they control buoyancy. It then covers where the West Indian, African and Amazonian species live and why all three are at risk, from hunting and fishing nets to boat strikes in Florida.
The notes (1-6) cover the body and habits paragraphs, A to D, in order. The TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN statements (7-13) cover the species and threats paragraphs, E and F, also in order.
Note completion (ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER)
Questions 1-6
How to attack this block: Each note heading matches one paragraph: appearance A, movement B, feeding C, breathing D. The answers are concrete body parts or plants, except the last, which is the abstract noun for floating and sinking. The passage says 'some hairs', so 'hair' and 'hairs' both work.
Question 1
Answer: tailParagraph A, fourth sentence
Which body part has a different shape in manatees and dugongs?
However, the manatee has a broad, rounded tail, whereas the dugong's is fluked, like that of a whale.
Question says → Passage says
look similar to dugongsDugongs and manatees look quite alike
a differently shapedbroad, rounded… whereas the dugong's is fluked
Why: 'However' marks the switch from similarities to the difference. Broad and rounded versus fluked is a difference in shape, and the thing being described is the 'tail'.
The trap: 'Flippers' appear in the sentence before, but there they're a similarity: both animals have flexible flippers.
Question 2
Answer: flippersParagraph B, third sentence
What does a manatee use to help turn its body so it can look to the side?
To see something on its left or its right, a manatee must turn its entire body, steering with its flippers.
Question says → Passage says
in order to look sidewaysTo see something on its left or its right
turn their bodies aroundturn its entire body
use their… to helpsteering with its
Why: The six-bone neck can't turn sideways, so the whole body turns and the 'flippers' steer it. The note says 'their', so keep the plural.
The trap: 'Tail' is close by, but the passage says the tail is 'for propulsion', which means moving forward, not turning. It's also already the answer to question 1.
Question 3
Answer: hairParagraph B, last sentence
Also accepted: hairs
What on a manatee's skin lets it feel vibrations in the water?
They also have some hairs covering their bodies which help them sense vibrations in the water around them.
Question says → Passage says
sense vibrations in the watersense vibrations in the water around them
by means ofwhich help them
on their skincovering their bodies
Why: The thing that helps them 'sense vibrations' is the hairs. Both 'hair' and 'hairs' are accepted, but spell it correctly.
The trap: 'Skin' is in the sentence before ('thick, wrinkled skin'), and the note already uses the word. The gap is what's on the skin.
Question 4
Answer: seagrassesParagraph C, first sentence
Give an example of the water plants manatees mostly eat.
Seagrasses and other marine plants make up most of a manatee's diet.
Question says → Passage says
eat mainlymake up most of a manatee's diet
aquatic vegetationother marine plants
Why: 'Such as' needs a named example of aquatic vegetation. 'Seagrasses… and other marine plants' tells you seagrasses are one kind of marine plant. Copy the plural, one word.
The trap: 'Molluscs and fish' are also food, but only a small part of the African manatee's diet, and they aren't plants.
Question 5
Answer: lipsParagraph C, last sentence
What do manatees use to grip plants and pull them up?
manatees have lips which function like a pair of hands to help tear food away from the seafloor
Question says → Passage says
graspto grasp their food / function like a pair of hands
pull up plantstear food away from the seafloor / uprooting plants
Why: Other animals grasp food with incisors, but manatees don't have them. Their 'lips' work like hands to tear plants off the seafloor.
The trap: 'Teeth' or 'molars' are in the same paragraph, but they grind food after it's in the mouth. The passage says 'Instead of having incisors to grasp', so teeth are exactly what they don't grasp with.
Question 6
Answer: buoyancyParagraph D, last two sentences
What might manatees control using the muscles of the diaphragm?
It's thought that manatees use their muscular diaphragm and breathing to adjust their buoyancy.
Question says → Passage says
may regulateIt's thought… adjust
muscles of diaphragmmuscular diaphragm / diaphragm contractions
store air internallycompress and store gas in folds in their large intestine
Why: 'Regulate' is a synonym for 'adjust', and the noun after it is 'buoyancy', their ability to float or sink. Check the spelling: b-u-o-y-a-n-c-y.
The trap: 'Breath' and 'breathing' are all over the paragraph, but the note asks what is being regulated, not how. Breathing is part of the method.
TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN
Questions 7-13
How to attack this block: Three NOT GIVENs take a real fact and add something extra: a temperature comparison between two subspecies, when the Amazonian losses became known, and whether net and plastic cases rose over the period. The one FALSE says the African manatee stays on the coast, but the passage places it in rivers as far inland as Mali and Niger.
Question 7
Answer: TRUEParagraph E, second sentence
Do West Indian manatees live in many kinds of water habitat?
It moves between fresh water and salt water, taking advantage of coastal mangroves and coral reefs, rivers, lakes and inland lagoons.
Question says → Passage says
a variety of different aquatic habitatscoastal mangroves and coral reefs, rivers, lakes and inland lagoons
can be found intaking advantage of
Why: Fresh and salt water, mangroves, reefs, rivers, lakes and lagoons: that's a wide range of water habitats. TRUE.
The trap: The next sentence says the Florida manatee is 'restricted to Florida' in winter, which can look like a limit. That's one subspecies in one season, not the species as a whole.
Question 8
Answer: NOT GIVENParagraph E, middle
Does the Florida manatee live in warmer water than the Antillean one?
When the ambient water temperature drops below 20°C, it takes refuge in naturally and artificially warmed water
Question says → Passage says
The Florida manateethe Florida manatee is found in US waters
warmer watersnaturally and artificially warmed water
Why: You get a temperature detail for the Florida manatee only. For the Antillean you get a range (Bahamas to Brazil) but no temperature at all, so nothing compares the two. NOT GIVEN.
The trap: It's tempting to reason that Brazil is hotter than Florida and choose FALSE, or that the Florida manatee seeks warm water and choose TRUE. Both use your own knowledge, not the passage.
Question 9
Answer: FALSEParagraph E, last two sentences
Is the African manatee found only along the coast between Mauritania and Angola?
The species also makes use of rivers, with the mammals seen in landlocked countries such as Mali and Niger.
Question says → Passage says
limited to coastal watersalso makes use of rivers
between… Mauritania and Angolafrom Mauritania down to Angola
Why: The coastline is right, but 'limited to' is not. The species also lives in rivers and has been seen in landlocked countries, which have no coast. That contradicts 'limited', so FALSE.
The trap: The first half of the statement matches the passage word for word, so people choose TRUE. Always check the restricting word ('limited', 'only') against the next sentence.
Question 10
Answer: NOT GIVENParagraph F, middle
Did people only learn how many Amazonian manatees died mid-century much later?
It is estimated that 140,000 Amazonian manatees were killed between 1935 and 1954 for their meat, fat and skin
Question says → Passage says
the loss of Amazonian manatees140,000 Amazonian manatees were killed
in the mid-twentieth centurybetween 1935 and 1954
Why: You get the number, the dates and the reasons for the killing, but nothing about when the figure became known. NOT GIVEN.
The trap: 'It is estimated' makes some readers think the figure came out later. An estimate tells you the number isn't exact, not when it was revealed.
Question 11
Answer: TRUEParagraph F, near the end
Are West Indian manatee numbers expected to drop in the next few decades?
Both are also expected to undergo a decline of 20% over the next 40 years.
Question says → Passage says
It is predictedexpected
populations will fallundergo a decline of 20%
in the coming decadesover the next 40 years
Why: 'Both' refers to the two West Indian subspecies in the sentence before. Expected = predicted, decline = fall, 40 years = coming decades. TRUE.
The trap: 'Both' could seem to mean the African and Amazonian species mentioned earlier. Check the sentence just before it: it's about the two West Indian subspecies.
Question 12
Answer: NOT GIVENParagraph F, near the end
Did the danger from nets and plastic rise sharply between 2009 and 2020?
A review of almost 1,800 cases of entanglement in fishing nets and of plastic consumption among marine mammals in US waters from 2009 to 2020 found that at least 700 cases involved manatees.
Question says → Passage says
entanglement and plastic consumptionentanglement in fishing nets and of plastic consumption
in the period 2009-2020from 2009 to 2020
Why: The review gives one total for the whole period: 700 of about 1,800 cases involved manatees. There's no year-by-year trend, so you can't tell whether the risk increased. NOT GIVEN.
The trap: 700 sounds like a lot, so people choose TRUE. A big number is not an increase; you'd need figures from the start and end of the period.
Question 13
Answer: TRUEParagraph F, last sentence
Are there laws in Florida meant to cut boat strikes on manatees?
laws in certain parts of Florida now limit boat speeds during winter, allowing slow-moving manatees more time to respond
Question says → Passage says
some legislationlaws in certain parts of Florida
reduce the likelihood of boat strikeslimit boat speeds… allowing slow-moving manatees more time to respond
Why: Laws = legislation, and slower boats give manatees time to get out of the way, which lowers the chance of being hit. TRUE.
The trap: 'Certain parts' and 'during winter' may make the laws seem too limited to count. The statement only says 'some legislation', which matches.
FALSE. The coastline is Mauritania to Angola, but the passage adds that the species uses rivers and has been seen in landlocked countries, so its range isn't limited to the coast.
The manatee turns its whole body and steers with its flippers. 'Tail' is already the answer to question 1, and here it's for propulsion, not turning.
Words from this passage worth keeping
propulsion(B)
the force that pushes something forward
omnivorous(C)
eating both plants and animals
abrasive(C)
rough enough to wear something down
buoyancy(D)
the ability to float
take refuge(E)
go somewhere for safety or shelter
landlocked(E)
surrounded by land, with no coastline
incidental capture(F)
being caught by accident while other animals are targeted
entanglement(F)
getting caught and twisted up in something
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The full Cambridge 20 Test 2 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 20, Test 2, Reading Passage 1. 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.
