# I contain multitudes: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 16, Test 2, Reading Passage 2

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 16, Test 2, Reading Passage 2. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Used for educational practice. Explanations and evidence notes are written by Testmigo.

## Answer key

| Q | Answer | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 14 | D | have populated this planet since long before animal life developed and they will outlive us |
| 15 | C | What is amazing is that while the number of human cells in the average person is about 30 trillion |
| 16 | A | Using microscopes of his own design that could magnify up to 270 times |
| 17 | G | while fewer than one hundred species of bacteria bring disease |
| 18 | B | we should realise we have a symbiotic relationship |
| 19 | H | our unhealthy, low-fibre diets |
| 20 | E | Our obsession with hygiene |
| 21 | YES | actually destroys the microbes that normally keep the more dangerous germs at bay |
| 22 | NO | gives children early exposure to a diverse range of bacteria |
| 23 | NOT GIVEN | Among the less appealing case studies is one about a fungus |
| 24 | YES | Another is about squid that carry luminescent bacteria |
| 25 | NOT GIVEN | mosquitoes are being loaded with a bacterium to block the disease |
| 26 | NO | In the future, our ability to manipulate microbes means we could construct buildings |

## Why these answers are right

**14. D.** The first paragraph says microbes were here long before animal life and they will outlive us. To outlive someone is to go on existing after they are gone, so option D, they will exist longer than the human race, is correct.

**15. C.** The writer signals her reaction with What is amazing, then says the average person has about 30 trillion human cells but about 39 trillion microbial ones. More microbial than human cells is option C, and amazing matches impressed.

**16. A.** The fifth paragraph tells how van Leeuwenhoek first saw microbes: he built microscopes that could magnify 270 times, examined lake water and found it full of tiny creatures. Describing the tools and steps behind that first sighting is explaining how a discovery was made, option A.

The why and the trap for questions 17 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/i-contain-multitudes/answers).

[Practice I contain multitudes](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/i-contain-multitudes)