# The return of the huarango: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 15, Test 4, Reading Passage 1

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 15, Test 4, Reading Passage 1. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Used for educational practice. Explanations and evidence notes are written by Testmigo.

## Answer key

| Q | Answer | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | water | and the only year-round source of water is located tens of metres below the surface. ... as well as sucking up water for the tree |
| 2 | diet | He believes the huarango was key to the ancient people's diet and |
| 3 | drought | it allowed local people to withstand years of drought when their other crops failed. |
| 4 | erosion | Cutting down native woodland leads to erosion, as there is nothing to keep the soil in place. |
| 5 | desert | So when the huarangos go, the land turns into a desert. |
| 6 | branches | while its branches were used for charcoal for cooking and heating |
| 7 | leaves and bark | Its leaves and bark were used for herbal remedies |
| 8 | trunk | and its trunk was used to build houses. |
| 9 | NOT GIVEN | he has been working with local families to attempt to create a sustainable income from the huarangos |
| 10 | FALSE | doesn't yet provide him with enough to live on |
| 11 | TRUE | he's persuading farmers to let him plant forest corridors on their land |
| 12 | FALSE | It's not like a rainforest that needs to have this huge expanse. ... If you just have a few trees left, the population can grow up quickly |
| 13 | NOT GIVEN | including Africa, where there is drought and they just can't afford to wait for rain. |

## Why these answers are right

**1. water.** Paragraph A explains that in this desert the only year-round source of water lies far below the surface, and the huarango's record-breaking roots reach down and suck it up. So the thing the roots can access deep underground is water.

**2. diet.** In paragraph B, Beresford-Jones says the huarango was key to the ancient people's diet. The note rewords key as a crucial part and ancient people as local inhabitants a long time ago, so the noun that completes the possessive phrase is diet.

**3. drought.** The note's survive periods of matches withstand years of drought in paragraph B. Because the tree could tap deep water, people still had food when other crops failed, which is why drought is the single word that fills this gap.

The why and the trap for questions 4 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/the-return-of-the-huarango/answers).

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