Cambridge 10 Reading Test 4 - Answers With Explanation

1. "The wildfires themselves, experts say, are generally hotter, faster, and spread more erratically than in the past."

2. Megafires "burn 500,000 acres or more — 10 times the size of the average forest fire of 20 years ago."

3. "The region... has had significantly below normal precipitation in many recent years."

4. Stopping wildfires quickly "halt[ed] the natural eradication of underbrush, now the primary fuel for megafires."

5. "Fire seasons that on average are 78 days longer than they were 20 years ago."

6. "Increased construction of homes in wooded areas."

7. "What once was open space is now residential homes" as California's population grows by over 600,000 a year — TRUE.

8. "Many experts give California high marks for making progress on preparedness in recent years" — the opposite of little progress — FALSE.

9. "Stung in the past by criticism of bungling that allowed fires to spread when they might have been contained" — TRUE.

10. "State promises to provide more up-to-date engines, planes, and helicopters to fight fires have been fulfilled" — TRUE.

11. The passage discusses better equipment and communication but never mentions hiring more firefighters — NOT GIVEN.

12. "There is a sense among both government officials and residents that... coordination of firefighters from several states... [is] resulting in greater efficiency" — approval, not disapproval — FALSE.

13. Randy Jacobs says "we will no longer suffer the loss of life endured in the past because of the fire prevention and firefighting measures" — he expects improvement, not the same levels — FALSE.

14. "Psychologists have long held that a person's character cannot undergo a transformation in any meaningful way."

15. "The key traits of personality are determined at a very young age."

16. "Some qualities are less challenging to develop than others, optimism being one of them."

17. "Developing qualities requires mastering a range of skills which are diverse and sometimes surprising."

18. "To bring more joy and passion into your life, you must be open to experiencing negative emotions."

19. Kashdan: "As a newcomer, you also have to tolerate and laugh at your own ignorance" — accepting not knowing much when starting something new.

20. Segerstrom: she "recommends you train yourself to pay attention to good fortune by writing down three positive things that come about each day" — actively noticing good things.

21. Pury: courage "is not motivated by fearlessness, but by moral obligation," and she "believes that people can acquire courage" — learning courage through understanding its source.

22. Peterson: "he realised early on that as an academic, his reticence would prove disastrous in the lecture hall. So he learned to be more outgoing" — overcoming shyness to speak publicly.

23. Streeter "learned to untangle her fears from her judgment of what her body and mind could do" — rational thinking enabling her freediving records.

24. Fajgenbaum's sports career ended in an accident and he found no support services, so "he launched a support group to help others in similar situations" — turning a sad experience into action.

25. Zappaterra "was miserable as his research wasn't compatible with his curiosity about healing" and after a break "switched labs to study" something new — rethinking his academic path.

26. In the same closing section, Kenneth Pedeleose documented a manager's bullying and took it to a director, "knowing his own job security would be threatened" — risking his career out of a sense of duty.

27. "Early 20th-century biologists came to a similar conclusion, though they qualified it in terms of probability" — Dollo's law was modified, not simply adopted or invented from decades of research.

28. "Explorer Roy Chapman Andrews argued at the time that the whale must be a throwback to a land-living ancestor" — the whale is mentioned for the explanation given for its leg-like appendages.

29. "If these silent genes are somehow switched back on... long-lost traits could reappear" — silent genes could lead characteristics to re-emerge.

30. "The salamander example fits with Raff's 10-million-year time frame" — supporting his theory about how long silent genes can survive.

31. "The toed species re-evolved toes from toeless ancestors and... digit loss and gain has occurred on more than one occasion" — Bachia lizards lost and regained features repeatedly.

32. "Most biologists have been reluctant to use those words, mindful of a principle of evolution that says 'evolution cannot run backwards'" — for a long time they rejected the idea it could be reversible.

33. Lombroso believed criminals were atavistic throwbacks, while Dollo argued evolution was irreversible — two opposing convictions placed side by side.

34. "This poses a puzzle: how can characteristics that disappeared millions of years ago suddenly reappear?" — the central question raised by these examples.

35. "Similar structures can independently arise in unrelated species, such as the dorsal fins of sharks and killer whales" — the same feature occurring separately.

36. "The genetic information needed to make toes somehow survived for tens or perhaps hundreds of millions of years" — an explanation resting on genetic information persisting.

37. The passage never says Wagner was the first researcher to study South American lizards — NOT GIVEN.

38. "Wagner begs to differ... the toed species re-evolved toes from toeless ancestors" — YES.

39. "Early embryos of many species develop ancestral features. Snake embryos, for example, sprout hind limb buds" — described as fairly widespread, not rare — NO.

40. "If for any reason this does not happen, the ancestral feature may not disappear, leading to an atavism" — a developmental hiccup in the womb can cause a throwback — YES.