Light Pollution Reading Answers

You can find Light Pollution reading answers here, along with explanations. The reading passage from Light Pollution consists of ten paragraphs. Following are the 13 questions that compose Light Pollution Reading Answers: Matching Information, Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs), and Matching Features.

Table of Contents:

• Solution for Light Pollution
• Light Pollution IELTS Reading Practice Test
• Passage
• Questions
• Answers with Explanations

Solution for Light Pollution

For convenience, we have provided Light Pollution reading answers in the table below.

Answer Table

1. B	5. H	9. C	13. G
2. I	6. A	10. D
3. J	7. D	11. F
4. C	8. C	12. A

Light Pollution IELTS Reading Practice Test - Exam Review

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Passage

You should spend 20 minutes answering questions 1–13 for the Light Pollution reading passage. For your convenience, we have provided Light Pollution reading answers with locations.

Light Pollution 

1. If humans were truly at home under the light of the moon and stars, we would go into darkness happily, the midnight world as visible to us as it is to the vast number of nocturnal species on this planet. Instead, we are diurnal creatures, with eyes adapted to living in the sun’s light. This is a basic evolutionary fact, even though most of us don’t think of ourselves as diurnal beings any more than we think of ourselves as primates or mammals, or Earthlings. Yet it’s the only way to explain what we’ve done to the night: We’ve engineered it to receive us by filling it with light.
2. This kind of engineering is no different than damming a river. Its benefits come with consequences—called light pollution—whose effects scientists are only now beginning to study. Light pollution is largely the result of bad lighting design, which allows artificial light to shine outward and upward into the sky, where it’s not wanted, instead of focusing it downward, where it is. Ill-designed lighting washes out the darkness of night and radically alters the light levels and light rhythms—to which many forms of life, including ourselves, have adapted.
3. Now most of humanity lives under intersecting domes of reflected, refracted light, of scattering rays from overlit cities and suburbs, from light-flooded highways and factories. Nearly all of nighttime Europe is a nebula of light, as is most of the United States and all of Japan. In the south Atlantic the glow from a single fishing fleet squid fishermen during their prey with metal halide lamps—can be seen from space, burning brighter, in fact, than Buenos Aires or Rio de Janeiro.
4. We’ve lit up the night as if it were an unoccupied country when nothing could be further from the truth. Among mammals alone, the number of nocturnal species is astonishing. Light is a powerful biological force, and in many species, it acts as a magnet, a process being studied by researchers such as Travis Longcore and Catherine Rich, co-founders of the Los Angeles-based Urban Wildlands Group. The effect is so powerful that scientists speak of songbirds and seabirds being “captured” by searchlights on land or by the light from gas flares on marine oil platforms, circling and circling in the thousands until they drop. Migrating at night, birds are apt to collide with brightly lit tall buildings; immature birds on their first journey suffer disproportionately.
5. Insects, of course, cluster around streetlights, and feeding at those insect clusters is now ingrained in the lives of many bat species. In some Swiss valleys, the European lesser horseshoe bat began to vanish after street lights were installed, perhaps because those valleys were suddenly filled with light-feeding pipistrelle bats. Other nocturnal mammals—including desert rodents, fruit bats, opossums, and badgers-forage more cautiously under the permanent full moon of light pollution because they’ve become easier targets for predators.
6. Some birds—blackbirds and nightingales, among others—sing at unnatural hours in the presence of artificial light. Scientists have determined that long artificial days— and artificially short nights induce early breeding in a wide range of birds. And because a longer day allows for longer feeding, it can also affect migration schedules. One population of Bewick’s swans wintering in England put on fat more rapidly than usual, priming them to begin their Siberian migration early. The problem, of course, is that migration, like most other aspects of bird behaviour, is a precisely timed biological behaviour. Leaving early may mean arriving too soon for nesting conditions to be right.
7. Nesting sea turtles, which show a natural predisposition for dark beaches, find fewer and fewer of them to nest on. Their hatchlings, which gravitate toward the brighter, more reflective sea horizon, find themselves confused by artificial lighting behind the beach. In Florida alone, hatchling losses number in the hundreds of thousands every year. Frogs and toads living near brightly lit highways suffer nocturnal light levels that are as much as a million times brighter than normal, throwing nearly every aspect of their behaviour out of joint, including their nighttime breeding choruses.
8. Of all the pollution we face, light pollution is perhaps the most easily remedied. Simple changes in lighting design and installation yield immediate changes in the amount of light split into the atmosphere and, often, immediate energy savings.
9. It was once thought that light pollution only affected astronomers, who needed to see the night sky in all its glorious clarity. And, in fact, some of the earliest civic efforts to control light pollution—in Flagstaff, Arizona, half a century ago—were made to protect the view from Lowell Observatory, which sits high above that city. Flagstaff has tightened its regulations since then, and in 2001 it was declared the first International Dark Sky City. By now the effort to control light pollution has spread around the globe. More and more cities and even entire countries, such as the Czech Republic, have committed themselves to reducing unwanted glare.
10. Unlike astronomers, most of us may not need an undiminished view of the night sky for our work, but like most other creatures we do need darkness. Darkness is as essential to our biological welfare, to our internal clockwork, as light itself. The regular oscillation of waking and sleep in our lives, one of our circadian rhythms—is nothing less than a biological expression of the regular oscillation of light on Earth. So fundamental are these rhythms to our being that altering them is like altering gravity.

Questions

Questions 1-6

The reading Passage has ten paragraphs A-J. 
Which paragraph contains the following information? 
 Write the correct letter A-J, in boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet.

1. A reason that contributes to light pollution.
2. A city has lessened light pollution successfully.
3. The importance of darkness.
4. The popularity of light pollution in the world.
5. Methods to reduce light pollution.
6. The reason why we have changed the night.

Questions 7 and 8

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D. 
Write your answers in boxes 7 and 8 on your answer sheet.

7.  How does light pollution influence creatures?

1. by bad lighting design.
2. by changing the cities and suburbs creatures are used to.
3. by changing the directions of light.
4. by changing the light creatures are used to.

8.   Some aspects of animals’ lives are affected by unwanted light, EXCEPT:

1. Migration
2. Reproduction
3. Natural life span
4. Feeding

Questions 9-13

Light pollution has affected many forms of life. 
Use the information in the passage to match the animals with the relevant information below. Write the appropriate letters A-G in boxes 9-13 on your answer sheet.

     9. Songbirds

   10. Horseshoe bat

   11. Nightingales

  12. Bewick’s swans

  13. Sea turtles

Eat too much and migrate in advance. Would not like to sing songs at night. Is attracted by the light and then a crash happens. Suffers from food shortages because of competitors. Have become easier targets for predators. Be active at unusual times. Have trouble inbreeding

Answers for Light Pollution With Explanations

We have offered justifications and Light Pollution reading answers below. Rectifying the answers will be useful in your answering process.

(Note: The language highlighted in bold refers to the location and answer in the passage. The explanatory sentences from the reading passage are shown in italics.)

1. Answer: B

Explanation: It is pointed out in Paragraph B, line 3, that bad lighting design contributes to light pollution. Further, it is elaborated that it allows artificial light to shine outward and upward into the sky, where it’s not wanted, instead of focusing it downward, where it is. Ill-designed lighting washes out the darkness of night and radically alters the light levels and light rhythms. Therefore, in paragraph B, the reason is mentioned regarding the contribution to light pollution.

2. Answer: I

Explanation: It is clearly stated in Paragraph I, fourth line, that Flagstaff has tightened its regulations since then, and in 2001 it was declared the first International Dark Sky City. In order to control light pollution, Flagstaff tightened its regulations to protect the view from Lowell Observatory, which sits high above that city. Thus, Flagstaff is a city that has successfully reduced light pollution.

3. Answer: J

Explanation: According to Paragraph J, the importance of darkness is for our biological welfare and for our internal clockwork, which is the regular oscillation of waking and sleep, one of our circadian rhythms.

4. Answer: C

Explanation: It is narrated in Paragraph C, the last third line, about the popularity of light pollution in the world. It says that nearly all of nighttime Europe is a nebula of light, as is most of the United States and all of Japan. In the South Atlantic, the glow from a single fishing fleet—squid fishermen catching their prey with metal halide lamps—can be seen from space, burning brighter, in fact, than Buenos Aires or Rio de Janeiro. This implies that almost the entire continent of Europe is a nebula of light at night, as is much of America and all of Japan. The brightness of an individual fishing fleet of squid fishermen in the southern Atlantic may be seen from orbit; it is actually burning brighter than Buenos Aires or Rio de Janeiro.

5. Answer: H

Explanation: It is quoted in Paragraph D that, regarding the methods to reduce light pollution, simple changes in lighting design and installation yield immediate changes in the amount of light split into the atmosphere and, often, immediate energy savings.

6. Answer: A

Explanation: The reason why we have changed the night is presented in Paragraph A, third line. It says that we are diurnal creatures with eyes adapted to living in the sun’s light. This is a basic evolutionary fact, even though most of us don’t think of ourselves as diurnal beings any more than we think of ourselves as primates, mammals, or Earthlings. Yet it’s the only way to explain what we’ve done to the night: We’ve engineered it to receive us by filling it with light. It simply indicates that we are night beings with eyes suited to survive in sunlight. Even though the majority of us don't think of ourselves as daytime organisms, much less as primates, mammals, or Earthlings, this is a fundamental evolutionary fact. However, this is the only way to describe what we have done to the night: by illuminating it, we have designed it to receive us.

7. Answer: D

Explanation: Paragraph B narrates how light pollution influences creatures. It reveals that scientists have begun studying the effects of light pollution. Ill-designed lighting washes out the darkness of night and radically alters the light levels and light rhythms to which many forms of life, including ourselves, have adapted. It can be understood from this that light pollution influences creatures by changing the light they are used to.

8. Answer: C

Explanation: In Paragraph B, it is discussed that Light pollution is largely the result of bad lighting design. Where it’s not wanted, ill-designed lighting washes out the darkness of night and radically alters the light levels and light rhythms—to which many forms of life, including ourselves, have adapted. So, it is apparent from this sentence that some aspects of animals’ lives are affected by unwanted light, except for their natural life span.

9. Answer: C

Explanation: It is mentioned in Paragraph D, the sixth line about the Songbirds, that the effect is so powerful that scientists speak of songbirds and seabirds being "captured" by searchlights on land or by the light from gas flares on marine oil platforms, circling and circling in the thousands until they drop. Migrating at night, birds are apt to collide with brightly lit tall buildings; immature birds on their first journey suffer disproportionately. This suggests that Songbirds are attracted by the light, and then a crash happens.

10. Answer: D

Explanation: It is apparent from the initial part of Paragraph E that Insects, of course, cluster around streetlights, and feeding at those insect clusters is now ingrained in the lives of many bat species. In some Swiss valleys, the European lesser horseshoe bat began to vanish after street lights were installed, perhaps because those valleys were suddenly filled with light-feeding pipistrelle bats. In short, this signifies that Horseshoe Bat suffers from food shortages because of competitors.

11. Answer: F

Explanation: It is clearly stated in Paragraph F, the introductory line, that birds like blackbirds and nightingales sing at unnatural hours in the presence of artificial light. This infers that Nightingales are active at unusual times.

12. Answer: A

Explanation: It is pointed out at the end of Paragraph F, fifth line, that one population of Bewick’s swans wintering in England put on fat more rapidly than usual, priming them to begin their Siberian migration early. So, according to the passage, Bewick’s swans eat too much and migrate in advance.

13. Answer: G

Explanation: Paragraph G talks about how Sea turtles have trouble inbreeding. It depicts that Nesting sea turtles show a natural predisposition for dark beaches, finding fewer and fewer of them to nest on. Their hatchlings, which gravitate towards the brighter, more reflective sea horizon, find themselves confused by the artificial lighting behind the beach. In Florida alone, hatchling losses number in the hundreds of thousands every year. Frogs and toads living near brightly lit highways suffer nocturnal light levels that are as much as a million times brighter than normal, throwing nearly every aspect of their behaviour out of sync, including their nighttime breeding choruses. These sentences indicate that a natural preference for dark beaches is demonstrated by nesting sea turtles, who are finding fewer and fewer of them to nest on. Their newborns are perplexed by the artificial illumination behind the beach as they tend to move towards the brighter, more reflected sea horizon. Hatchling losses are in the hundreds of thousands per year, just in Florida. Therefore, Sea turtles have trouble inbreeding.

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