Children's ideas about rainforests: reading answers and analysis
A survey of secondary school pupils looks at what they believe about rainforests: where they are, why they matter, what is destroying them and why they should be saved. Many ideas come from the media rather than lessons, and some are wrong, such as blaming acid rain. The writers want teachers to use the findings to plan environmental teaching.
The TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN block (1-8) runs mostly in order from paragraph 1 to paragraph 6, but the last statement goes back to paragraph 4. The response matching (9-13) follows the survey's five questions in order through paragraphs 4 to 9. Question 14 needs the whole passage.
Answer key and self-check
Type what you wrote and hit mark. Hide the key first if you haven't done the passage yet. Every question number jumps to its explanation.
How to attack this block: The first five statements sit in the opening paragraphs and turn on single words: 'ignored', 'only', 'yes/no'. The two NOT GIVENs both borrow real details (girls versus boys, secondary pupils) and attach them to claims the passage never makes, so check what the comparison or the age group is actually about.
Question 1
Answer: FALSEParagraph 1, third sentence
Have the media mostly ignored the problems of the rainforests?
In the face of the frequent and often vivid media coverage
Question says → Passage says
largely been ignored by the mediathe frequent and often vivid media coverage
the plight of the rainforeststhe alarming rate of loss of tropical rainforests
Why: The writer says the opposite: media coverage is 'frequent and often vivid'. Paragraph 3 repeats the point with 'extensive coverage in the popular media'. Ignored and frequently covered can't both be true, so it's FALSE.
The trap: Paragraph 3 says little formal information exists about children's ideas. That's a gap in research, not in media coverage, so don't let it push you towards TRUE.
Question 2
Answer: FALSEParagraph 1, third sentence
Do children only take on views about rainforests that they meet in lessons?
it is likely that children will have formed ideas about rainforests - what and where they are, why they are important, what endangers them - independent of any formal tuition
Question says → Passage says
only… in their classroomsindependent of any formal tuition
opinions on rainforestsideas about rainforests
Why: The passage says children form their ideas 'independent of any formal tuition', mainly from the media. Paragraph 2 adds that ideas come from 'the popular media'. So the classroom is not their only source, and the statement is FALSE.
The trap: 'Only' is the word that makes this FALSE. If you skim past it, the statement sounds like a reasonable guess about children and you might choose NOT GIVEN.
Question 3
Answer: TRUEParagraph 2, first sentence
Has anyone suggested that children misunderstand the 'pure' science they learn at school?
Many studies have shown that children harbour misconceptions about 'pure', curriculum science.
Question says → Passage says
hold mistaken viewsharbour misconceptions
the 'pure' science that they study at school'pure', curriculum science
Why: This is a straight paraphrase. 'Harbour misconceptions' means hold mistaken views, and 'curriculum science' is the science studied at school. TRUE.
The trap: 'Many studies have shown' is stronger than 'it has been suggested', but stronger evidence still supports the statement. It doesn't make it FALSE.
Question 4
Answer: TRUEParagraph 2, second sentence
Does being part of a bigger framework make children's science ideas easier to change?
become incorporated into a multifaceted, but organised, conceptual framework, making it and the component ideas, some of which are erroneous, more robust but also accessible to modification
Question says → Passage says
form part of a larger frameworkincorporated into a multifaceted, but organised, conceptual framework
easier to change themaccessible to modification
Why: The sentence says the framework makes the ideas 'accessible to modification', which means open to being changed. The key treats that as matching 'easier to change', so the answer is TRUE.
The trap: The same phrase also says 'more robust', which sounds like harder to change, and many students pick FALSE for that reason. The writer gives both effects, and the statement only picks up the 'accessible to modification' half.
Question 5
Answer: FALSEParagraph 4, second sentence
Was the survey made up of yes/no questions?
Secondary school children were asked to complete a questionnaire containing five open-form questions.
Question says → Passage says
a number of yes/no questionsfive open-form questions
Why: Open-form questions let children answer in their own words, which is the opposite of yes/no. That's a direct contradiction, so FALSE.
The trap: Africa really was the most common answer about location, so the example question in the statement feels familiar. The topic matches, but the question format doesn't.
Question 6
Answer: NOT GIVENParagraphs 5 and 6
Are girls more likely than boys to have wrong ideas about why rainforests are being destroyed?
More girls (70%) than boys (60%) raised the idea of rainforest as animal habitats.
Question says → Passage says
girls… boysMore girls (70%) than boys (60%) / more girls (13%) than boys (5%)
Why: The passage compares girls and boys only on the habitats question: animal habitats and human habitats. The misconceptions about destruction (acid rain, pollution, oxygen) in paragraph 8 are given as overall percentages with no gender split. Nothing tells you which sex holds more mistaken views, so NOT GIVEN.
The trap: Because girls and boys are compared twice, it's easy to assume the passage compares them on everything. Check which question the comparison belongs to before choosing TRUE or FALSE.
Question 7
Answer: TRUEParagraph 6, second sentence
Does this study build on earlier studies of children's understanding of rainforests?
These observations are generally consistent with our previous studies of pupils' views about the use and conservation of rainforests
Question says → Passage says
follows on from a series of studiesour previous studies
children's understanding of rainforestspupils' views about the use and conservation of rainforests
Why: The researchers mention 'our previous studies' of pupils' views on rainforests, so this study comes after earlier work on the same subject. TRUE.
The trap: Paragraph 3 says 'little formal information is available', which can make you think this is the first study ever. Little is not none, and the writers' own earlier studies are mentioned later.
Question 8
Answer: NOT GIVENParagraph 4, second sentence
Is a second study planned, this time with primary school children?
Secondary school children were asked to complete a questionnaire
Question says → Passage says
primary school childrenSecondary school children
Why: The study used secondary school children, and the passage never mentions any future study, with primary children or anyone else. Since nothing confirms or contradicts a planned study, the answer is NOT GIVEN.
The trap: Seeing 'secondary' where the statement says 'primary' tempts people to write FALSE. But the statement is about a planned second study, and the passage says nothing about plans.
Matching information (responses A-P)
Questions 9-13
How to attack this block: There are sixteen responses and only five questions, and most wrong options are things a minority of children said. Each question asks for the most common answer, so look for the biggest percentage or 'the majority', and ignore answers given by 'some' or 'fewer' pupils.
Question 9
Answer: MParagraph 4, last two sentences
Where did most children say the rainforests were?
The commonest responses were continents or countries: Africa (given by 43% of children), South America (30%), Brazil (25%).
Question says → Passage says
most frequent responseThe commonest responses
where the rainforests werethe geographical location of rainforests
Why: Africa has the highest figure, 43%, so the answer is M, the response that says rainforests are found in Africa.
The trap: D (Brazil) and C (near the Equator) are both real answers the children gave, but Brazil scored only 25% and the Equator is described as a 'more general' answer from 'some children'.
Question 10
Answer: EParagraph 5, first two sentences
What was the top answer about why rainforests matter?
The dominant idea, raised by 64% of the pupils, was that rainforests provide animals with habitats.
Question says → Passage says
the most common responseThe dominant idea
some animals would have nowhere to liverainforests provide animals with habitats
Why: 64% said rainforests are animal habitats. Response E says the same thing the other way round: without rainforests, animals would have no home.
The trap: F (plants) and L (people) are the next ideas in the same paragraph, but 'fewer' and 'even fewer' pupils mentioned them.
Question 11
Answer: GParagraph 7, second sentence
What did most children blame for the loss of the rainforests?
more than half of the pupils (59%) identified that it is human activities which are destroying rainforests
Question says → Passage says
most childrenmore than half of the pupils (59%)
People are responsiblehuman activities which are destroying rainforests
Why: 59% named human activities, the biggest figure for that question. Response G, 'people are responsible', is the paraphrase.
The trap: O (logging) is the trap. Only 18% mentioned logging specifically, and the passage never says it is the direct cause of all the loss. B (same causes as in Western Europe) is a misconception held by about 10%.
Question 12
Answer: PParagraph 9, first sentence
Why did most children think rainforests should be protected?
In answer to the final question about the importance of rainforest conservation, the majority of children simply said that we need rainforests to survive.
Question says → Passage says
important for the rainforests to be protectedthe importance of rainforest conservation
Humans depend on the rainforests for their continuing existencewe need rainforests to survive
Why: 'The majority' answers 'most children', and 'we need rainforests to survive' becomes 'humans depend on the rainforests for their continuing existence'. That's P.
The trap: K (not enough oxygen without rainforests) is close in meaning, but in paragraph 8 that idea is flagged as a misconception and isn't the majority answer to the conservation question.
Question 13
Answer: JParagraph 9, second and third sentences
Which answer was surprisingly rare, considering how much the media covers it?
Only a few of the pupils (6%) mentioned that rainforest destruction may contribute to global warming. This is surprising considering the high level of media coverage on this issue.
Question says → Passage says
unexpectedly uncommonOnly a few of the pupils (6%)… This is surprising
the world gets warmercontribute to global warming
newspapers and televisionmedia coverage
Why: The writer calls the 6% figure 'surprising' because of the heavy media coverage. That matches the question exactly, and the response about global warming is J.
The trap: N (rainforests aren't important) is in the same paragraph and also came from only some children, but the writer doesn't link it to media coverage or call it surprising.
Multiple choice (best title)
Question 14
How to attack this block: A good title has to cover both what the study found and why it was done. Paragraph 3 gives the purpose, helping teachers plan their teaching, and only one option mentions both the children's ideas and that purpose.
Question 14
Answer: BWhole passage, especially Paragraph 3
Which title best sums up the whole passage?
to help teachers design their educational strategies to build upon correct ideas and to displace misconceptions and to plan programmes in environmental studies
Question says → Passage says
Children's ideas about the rainforestschildren's ideas in this area / The study surveys children's scientific knowledge and attitudes to rainforests
the implications for course designhelp teachers design their educational strategies… to plan programmes
Why: The passage reports what children think about rainforests and states that the point is to help teachers plan their teaching. B covers both halves: the children's ideas and what they mean for course design.
The trap: C is tempting because the media come up a lot, but the passage never measures how far children were misled by the media. E only describes part of the content (the children's answers), and A and D each cover a small detail.
TRUE. The sentence says the framework makes ideas both 'more robust' and 'accessible to modification', and many students fix on 'robust' and answer FALSE.
NOT GIVEN. Girls and boys are compared only on habitats, never on mistaken ideas about destruction.
Words from this passage worth keeping
harbour(Paragraph 2)
hold an idea or feeling, often a wrong one, for a long time
misconception(Paragraph 2)
a belief that is wrong because it is based on poor understanding
erroneous(Paragraph 2)
incorrect
robust(Paragraph 2)
strong and difficult to change or break
displace(Paragraph 3)
push out and take the place of something
indigenous(Paragraph 5)
originally living in a particular place
intrinsic(Paragraph 6)
belonging to something's basic nature, not depending on its usefulness
predominate(Paragraph 10)
be the most common or strongest
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The full Cambridge 4 Test 1 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 4, Test 1, 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.
