# Silbo Gomero - the whistle 'language' of the Canary Islands: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 15, Test 4, Reading Passage 2

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 15, Test 4, 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 | NOT GIVEN | This small volcanic island is mountainous, with steep rocky slopes and deep, wooded ravines |
| 15 | FALSE | but any Spanish sentence could be whistled. |
| 16 | TRUE | the left temporal lobe of the brain, which is usually associated with spoken language, was engaged during the processing of Silbo ... When the experiments were repeated with non-whistlers, however, activation was observed in all areas of the brain. |
| 17 | FALSE | already had a whistled language when Spain conquered the volcanic islands in the 15th century |
| 18 | FALSE | though only 12 have been described and studied scientifically |
| 19 | TRUE | Since 1999, Silbo Gomero has been taught in all of the island's elementary schools. |
| 20 | words | with individual words recoded into whistles which have high- and low-frequency tones. |
| 21 | finger | puts a finger in his or her mouth to increase the whistle's pitch |
| 22 | direction | while the other hand can be cupped to adjust the direction of the sound. |
| 23 | commands | "In daily life they use whistles to communicate short commands |
| 24 | fires | Silbo has proved particularly useful when fires have occurred on the island |
| 25 | technology | But with modern communication technology now widely available |
| 26 | award | The local authorities are trying to get an award from the organisation |

## Why these answers are right

**14. NOT GIVEN.** Paragraph A describes La Gomera as small, volcanic and mountainous, with a highest peak of 1,487 meters, but it never compares the island with the other Canary Islands. Without a comparison, we cannot tell whether it is the most mountainous, so the answer is NOT GIVEN.

**15. FALSE.** Carreiras says that in daily life silbadores whistle short commands, but any Spanish sentence could be whistled. The statement says Silbo is only suitable for short, simple messages, which the word any directly contradicts, so it is FALSE.

**16. TRUE.** Paragraph F reports that in silbadores Silbo engaged specific language areas, whereas in non-whistlers, however, activation appeared in all areas of the brain. Two groups, two different patterns of activity, so the statement is TRUE.

The why and the trap for questions 17 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/silbo-gomero-the-whistle-language-of-the-canary-islands/answers).

[Practice Silbo Gomero - the whistle 'language' of the Canary Islands](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/silbo-gomero-the-whistle-language-of-the-canary-islands)