IELTS AC Reading Passage 4 - View Solutions

Here is the list of solutions for the Frogwatch reading passage.

1. No	5. Yes	9. A
2. Not given	6. Yes	10. B
3. No	7. B	11. B
4. No	8. A	12. C

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Frogwatch

A. Frogwatch, a remarkable success story started in Western Australia, is the brainchild of Dr. Ken Aplin. His work, as the curator of reptiles and frogs in the Western Australian Museum, invoked long field trips and he wondered if a community-based frog-rmonitoring network could help him keep track of frogs. Through such a network, ordinary untrained members of the community could learn about frog habitats, observe the numbers and kinds of frogs in their local area, and report this information to the museum.

B. 'Launched in 1995, Frogwatch recently gained its 3221st member, and many people say that this is the best thing the museum has ever done. Each participant receives a ‘Frogwatch Kit’ - a regular newsletter, an audio tape of frog calls and identification sheets. Recently, Frogwatch membership increased dramatically when a mysterious parasitic fungus disease began attacking frogs nationwide. Although research is yet incomplete, scientists suspect the fungus originated overseas, perhaps in South America, where frogs have died in catastrophic numbers from a fungus disease genetically similar to the Australian organism.

C. Researchers in Western Australia needed to know how widespread the infection was in the state’s frog populations. So Aplin sent an ‘F-file’ (frog fungus facts) alert to Frogwatch members, requesting their help. He asked them to deliver him dead or dying frogs. More than 2,000 frogs have now been examined, half from the museum’s existing collection. Aplin once thought the fungus had arrived in Western Australia in only the past year or two, but tests now suggest it has been there since the late 1980s.

D. Frogwatch has proved to be Abe perfect link to the public and Aplin has become a total convert to community participation. He’s now aiming for a network of 15,000 Frogwatch members as the museum can’t afford to use professional resources to monitor frog populations. Much of the frog habitat is on private land, and without community support, monitoring the frogs would be impossible.

E. Not everyone is convinced by the ‘feelgood' popularity of Frogwatch. While Aplin believes even tiny backyard ponds can help to significantly improve frog numbers, Dr. Dale Roberts isn’t so sure, A senior zoology lecturer at the University of WA, Roberts agrees the program has: tapped into the public’s enthusiasm for frogs, but he warns that strong public awareness does not amount to sound science.

F. He argues that getting the public to send in pages of observations is a good thing, but giving these reports credibility may not be valid scientifically. In addition, he’s not convinced that Frogwatch’s alarmist message about the danger of fungal infection is valid either. In Western Australia, for example, there was a long summer and very, late drenching rains, that year, following two equally dry years. So, he argues, there are other things that might have precipitated the deaths. He questions what could be done about it anyway. If it’s already widespread, it may not be worth the cost and effort of doing anything about it. Even if it’s causing high death rates, he says he can still find every frog species found over the past ten years in the south-west of Australia.

G. Roberts argues that Western Australia is different. Unlike most other states, species are still being discovered there; the disappearances of frog types in Queensland and New South Wales, are not occurring in Western Australia, although three south-west species are on the endangered list. Roberts believes that no amount of garden ponds in Perth will help those species, which live in isolated habitats targeted for development.

H. Aplin’s response is that increasing the number of frog-friendly habitats is important for the very reason that many Western Australian frog species are found in small, highly restricted locations. He argues that pesticide-free gardens and ponds can offer a greater chance of survival to animals battling habitat disturbance, environmental pollutants, climatic variations, and now fungal disease. Aplin’s opinion is that they should use the precautionary principle in cases where they don’t yet know enough about the situation. Usually diseases sort themselves out naturally and some frog fauna will co-evolve with the fungus. Given time some balance may be restored, but in the shorter term, they are seeing negative impacts.

I. The nationwide spread of the chytrid fungus is being mapped by Dr. Rick Speare, a specialist in amphibian disease at James Cook University. Speare also tests the accuracy of' Aplin’s fungus diagnoses and says Frogwatch is ‘an amazing and under-acknowledged system ... the best program in Australia for harnessing public interest in frog biology... There are a lot of eyes out there looking for dead or sick frogs, beyond the power of any biologist to collect.’

J. Aplin argues that they should never underestimate the importance of' having a community base, especially when governments want to cut research funds, ‘People can protest in ways that a handful of scientists hiding in a laboratory can’t do. For just about every environmental problem, community involvement is fundamental.’ Furthermore, Frogwatch is proving to be a social phenomenon as much as anything else. It seems ordinary people know that frogs are a measure of the environment’s health.

Questions 1-6

Match the informations using the list of letters, A-C, below:
Write the correct letter, and answer 1-6 on your answer sheet. 

A - for Dr. Roberts 
B - for Dr. Speare
C - for Dr. Aplin

1. Because of the unique geography of Western Australia, most frog species in this State are not in danger of extinction.
2. Although it is possible that frogs will adapt to fungal and other problems in the long term, we should take precautions in case this does not occur.
3. Frogwatch has greater potential for frog observation than is possible by the scientific community.
4. The development of frog-friendly backyards will help to conserve frog species.
5. Although the involvement of large numbers of people is encouraging, this does not guarantee scientifically valid data.
6. As there may be many other explanations for recent frog deaths, it is not worth spending a great deal of time and money studying this fungus.

Questions 7-10

Answer the question from Yes/ No or Not Given.

YES               if the statement agrees with the views of the writer
NO                 if the statement contradicts the views of the writer
NOT GIVEN  if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

7) Scientists in WA have examined about two thousand frogs collected by Frogwatch.
8) New species of frogs have been found in Western Australia recently.
9)Frogwatch has proved that frogs are disappearing because of a fungus.
10) All Frogwatch members live in Western Australia.

Questions 11-13

Complete the notes below.
Write NO MORE THAN ONE WORD AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.

11) When authority bodies want to cut research fundings, Aplin claims that they should never underestimate the ________ of having a society base.
12) _________ members are targeted by Aplin as the museum can’t afford to measure professional resources to monitor frog populations.
13) Roberts agrees that Frogwatch’s alarmist word about the ________ of fungal infection is reliable.

Answers with explanations

1.  A -  Dr. Roberts

Explanation: Paragraph 7 states that, According to Roberts, Western Australia is different. In contrast to most other states, species are still being discovered there; the disappearances of frog types in Queensland and New South Wales, are not occurring in Western Australia, although three south-west species are on the endangered list. 

From the given information, it was Dr. Roberts, who determined that Western Australia is different from other states as many species are still being discovered and disappearance is not taking place, which might be because of the unique geographical location of WA. 

2.  C -  Dr. Aplin

Explanation: Paragraph 8 states that Aplin gave a thought that they should apply the precautionary principle in cases where they don’t yet know enough about the situation. Usually infections sort themselves out naturally and certain frog fauna will co-evolve with the fungus. They experience negative effects, but for a limited time, some equilibrium may be restored. 

From the given information, it was Dr. Aplin, who determined that Although it’s feasible for the frogs to adapt themselves with the fungus in the long term, it’s better to take precautions in advance. 

3.  B -  Dr. Speare

Explanation: Paragraph 9  states that, Dr. Rick Speare mapped the worldwide diffusion of the chytrid fungus. Apart from this, he also examines the precision of Aplin's fungus diagnoses and says Frogwatch is ‘an extraordinary and under-acknowledged system, the best program in Australia for harnessing public interest in frog biology.

From the given information, it was Dr.Speare, who determined that Frogwatch is an amazing programme to control public interest in frog biology.

4.  C -  Dr. Aplin

Explanation: Paragraph 5  states that, The ‘feelgood' popularity of Frogwatch is not convincing to anyone. While Aplin believes even tiny backyard ponds can help to significantly improve frog numbers.

5.  A - Dr. Roberts

Explanation: Paragraph 5  states that, Dr. Dale Roberts, a senior zoology lecturer at the University of Washington, agrees that the programme has: tapped into the public’s enthusiasm for frogs, he cautions that strong public awareness does not amount to sound science. He contends that although getting the public to send in pages of observations is a good thing, giving these reports legitimacy may not be sound scientifically. 

From the given information, he was Dr. Roberts who states that, ample amount of people are participating is encouraging, but it is not guaranteed that the data is scientifically valid.

6.  A - Dr. Roberts

Explanation: Paragraph 5  states that, Dr. Roberts argues that there are other factors that might have precipitated the deaths. He questions what could be done about it anyway. If it’s already widespread, it may not be worth the money and effort of doing anything about it. Even if it’s leading to high death rates, he says he can still find every frog species found over the past ten years in the south-west of Australia.

Dr. Roberts demonstrated that to study fungus, it is not worth it to spend ample amounts of money and to invest time.

7.  NO

Explanation: Paragraph 3  states that, More than 2,000 frogs have now been examined, and half of which are from the museum’s existing collection. As a result, it is clear that Frogwatch members collected only 1000 frogs.

8.  YES

Explanation: Paragraph 7  states that, Western Australia is different. In contrast to most other states, species are still being discovered there.

From the information we can say that Western Australia is different from the other states and species are still being discovered there.

9.  NO

Explanation: Paragraph 2  states that, an unaccountable parasitic fungus ailment began attacking frogs worldwide; consequently, it caused a sharp rise in Frogwatch membership. Scientists suspect the fungus originated overseas, possibly in South America, where frogs have perished in horrific numbers due to a fungus disease that is genetically related to the Australian organism. However, research is still in its infancy.

From the information, it is quite clear that research is still going on and it is not clear that the reason behind the disappearing frogs is fungus.

10.  Not Given

Explanation: Paragraph 1  states that, The Frogwatch, a unique success story that began in western Australia by Dr. Ken Aplin. 

From the paragraph, it is mentioned that the story of Frogwatch began in WA, but there is no explanation about where they live.

11.  Significance

Explanation: Paragraph 10  states that, Aplin claims that they should never underemphasize the significance of having a community base as ‘People can protest in ways that a handful of scientists hiding in a laboratory can’t do’.

12.  15000

Explanation: Paragraph 4  states that,  he’s now aiming for a network of 15,000 Frogwatch participations. Monitoring the frogs would be impossible without community support, since  much of the frog habitat is on private land.

13.  Danger

Explanation: Paragraph 6  states that,  Aplin is convinced that Frogwatch’s alarmist warning on the danger of fungal infection is not valid either.

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