# What Do Whales Feel?: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 4, Test 1, Reading Passage 2

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 4, Test 1, Reading Passage 2. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Used for educational practice. Explanations and evidence notes are written by Testmigo.

## Answer key

| Q | Answer | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 15 | taste buds | although at least some cetaceans have taste buds, the nerves serving these have degenerated or are rudimentary. |
| 16 | baleen | the position of the eyes so restricts the field of vision in baleen whales that they probably do not have stereoscopic vision. |
| 17 | forward and downward | the position of the eyes in most dolphins and porpoises suggests that they have stereoscopic vision forward and downward. |
| 18 | freshwater dolphin | Eye position in freshwater dolphins ... suggests that what vision they have is stereoscopic forward and upward. |
| 19 | water | the bottlenose dolphin has extremely keen vision in water. |
| 20 | lower frequencies | Large baleen whales primarily use the lower frequencies and are often limited in their repertoire. |
| 21 | bowhead and humpback | the nearly song-like choruses of bowhead whales in summer and the complex, haunting utterances of the humpback whales |
| 22 | touch | stroking or touching are part of the courtship ritual in most species. |
| 23 | freshwater dolphin | which often swim on their side or upside down while feeding |
| 24 | airborne flying fish | Judging from the way it watches and tracks airborne flying fish |
| 25 | clear water | vision is obviously more useful to species inhabiting clear open waters |
| 26 | acoustic sense | such weaknesses are more than compensated for by cetaceans' well-developed acoustic sense. |

## Why these answers are right

**15. taste buds.** The comment says the nerves linked to something are underdeveloped. The writer says at least some cetaceans have taste buds, but the nerves serving these have degenerated or are rudimentary. Rudimentary means underdeveloped, so the nerves serve the taste buds.

**16. baleen.** The row needs the species that can see but probably lacks stereoscopic vision. Paragraph C says the position of the eyes restricts the field of vision in baleen whales so much that they probably do not have stereoscopic vision, giving baleen whales.

**17. forward and downward.** This asks in which directions dolphins and porpoises probably have stereoscopic vision. The writer says their eye position suggests stereoscopic vision forward and downward, so both directions go in the cell, joined by and.

The why and the trap for questions 18 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/what-do-whales-feel/answers).

[Practice What Do Whales Feel?](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/what-do-whales-feel)