Testing animal intelligence reading answers

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19-09-2025

Testing Animal Intelligence Reading answers

This article consists of testing animal intelligence reading answers, with explanations. There are 5 questions in the table completion questions form, 8 questions in yes, no, or not given questions form, and 1 question in multiple choice questions form.

Table of contents:

Solution for testing animal intelligence 

Below you can find the testing animal intelligence reading answers, in table format.

Answer Table

1. H 5. F 9. Yes 13. Not given
2. A 6. Yes 10. No 14. C
3. E 7. Yes 11. Not given  
4. C 8. Not given 12. No  

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Passage

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Testing animal intelligence 

  1. Applying human intelligence tests to animals has been largely discredited, as these are designed to measure human intelligence. Even time-honored tests like putting rats into mazes can be deceptive since such tests assume the animals will rely on the same senses as we do. A rat’s primary sense organ is its nose, not its eyes. Give a rat a maze of smells, not just visible walls, and it can solve it as fast as a human can.
  2. If intelligence is defined as the ability to cope with everything your environment throws at you, then all surviving species are intelligent. If members of any animal species are required to solve complex problems, many of them will eventually do it.
  3. This implies that animals can be “educated” like people. What seems to differentiate humans is not our mental skills so much as our flexibility and our capability for abstract thought: the ability to create new ideas and images as well as receive them.
  4. Animals can do things like navigating or remembering the locations of objects much better than we can. What they don’t do so well is apply reasoning to a whole range of problems, which is one of the things that has made human beings so successful as a species.
  5. Part of the problem in assessing animal intelligence is communication. For example, we can’t speak to dolphins, because they can’t hear human speech very well. And their own language is so different from ours that it will take years of research and enormous computing power to decipher it. So far, scientists have only identified the names, or ‘call-signs’, by which dolphins seem to refer to themselves and each other, including ‘talking about’ other dolphins who aren’t present.
  6. The best we can do is to develop a common language of signs. The Dolphin Institute in Hawaii uses more than 100 different hand-signals. Its dolphins can understand not only individual words but also the grammar which links them – the difference between ‘take the ball to the surfboard’ and ‘take the surfboard to the ball’, for example – as well as abstract concepts like left and right, yes and no, and questions. If you give them a meaningless command, such as ‘take the ball to the surfboard’ when there is no surfboard, they take it to a sign meaning ‘no’, as if to say ‘I can’t’.
  7. Dolphins seem able to learn independently. For example, they are the only species besides humans which can instantly understand television. They realize it’s only a representation of the real world and that they can take instructions from a picture of a trainer on- screen but they can’t expect the picture to give them a reward.
  8. The Dolphin Institute has even devised a signal meaning “be creative”, at which the dolphin will make up some previously unseen behavior. Combine the signals for “create” and “with another dolphin” and two dolphins can produce an instant synchronized routine. This suggests that they can communicate with one another and either design the routine together or agree that one will be the leader.
  9. In the wild, dolphins cooperate to catch fish by driving them onto a beach, and this behavior is not restricted to their own species. In Argentina, dolphins collaborate with fishermen to drive fish into the latter’s nets, in return for a share of the catch. Each dolphin will only work with a particular fisherman and, when they breed, their offspring work with the same man.
  10. As more research is done, we can increasingly appreciate the complexities of other species’ behavior. Monkeys and apes seldom resort to violence to get their own way, preferring social manipulation and deception. The most successful members of the group tend to be those who are best at soliciting support, or who have the largest families to back up their opinions – not the biggest or strongest as with, say, rutting stags. Research has shown that chimps can perform surprisingly complex sequences of actions to process food, such as collecting a bundle of leaves or cracking nuts with a rock. This implies the ability to plan things in their minds before starting the task, otherwise, they might get muddled forgetting to place all the leaves the same way round, or find a hard, level resting place for the nut, for instance.
  11. Even sheep, a byword for mindless behavior, perhaps deserve reappraisal. It has long been known that you can’t buy a hill farm without buying the sheep that go with it. The local flock develops an intimate knowledge of the terrain, enabling the sheep to find food in summer and shelter in winter, which is passed down from ewe to lamb for generations. It was discovered that sheep recognize each other’s faces, and appear to use the right side of the brain for this, just like people. They can easily distinguish between 50 different faces, which they can remember for at least two years, and can remember the faces of sheep they haven’t seen for a while. It is widely assumed that dogs are brighter than sheep. However, in the hills of Gujarat in western India, instead of using sheepdogs to round up their flocks, shepherds call directly to the sheep – and they obey.

Questions

Questions 1-5

  • Complete the table below using information from the text.

ANIMAL
rats
dolphins
monkeys and apes
sheep
all animals
SKILL
1………………
2………………
3………………
4………………
5………………

Questions 6-13

  • Do the following statements reflect the claims of the writer? Write
  • YES if the statement reflects the claims of the writer
  • NO, if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
  • NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

6. Human intelligence tests are inappropriate for animals.
7. In some cases, animal abilities can be considered superior to human abilities.
8. Animals learn to recognize images more slowly than humans.
9. Human intelligence is more versatile than animal intelligence.
10. Scientists have learned to communicate effectively with dolphins.
11. Dolphins can tell the difference between fact and fiction.
12. Only humans are ever dishonest with each other.
13. We will have a much greater understanding of animal intelligence in the future.

Question 14

  • From the list below, choose the sentence A-D which best summarizes the views of the writer.
  • Write the correct letter, A, B, C or D, in box 27 on your answer sheet.

1. Scientists are discovering that many animals are much more intelligent than they realized.
2. Some animals are not less intelligent than humans – their intelligence is just different.
3. We cannot accurately assess animal intelligence, because their intelligence is different to ours.
4. The only real difference between human and animal intelligence is that we can think creatively.

Answers for testing animal intelligence with explanation

We have given the testing animal intelligence reading answers with explanations,  check out it to identify your mistakes and correct it. 

(Note: The text in italics mentions the location and referring lines written in the reading passage)

1. Answer: H

Explanation: Give a rat a maze of smells, not just visible walls, and it can solve it as fast as a human can. The given answer is located in the last 2 lines of paragraph A.  

2. Answer:  A

Explanation: They can communicate with one another and either design the routine together or agree that one will be the leader.  The given answer is located in the last 2 lines of paragraph H.  

3. Answer: E

Explanation: Monkeys and apes seldom resort to violence to get their own way, preferring social manipulation and deception.  The given answer is located in the 2-3 lines of paragraph J.  

4. Answer: C

Explanation: The local flock develops an intimate knowledge of the terrain, enabling the sheep to find food in summer and shelter in winter, which is passed down from ewe to lamb for generations.  The given answer is located in the 3-5 lines of paragraph K.  

5. Answer: F

Explanation: If members of any animal species are required to solve complex problems, many of them will eventually do it.  The given answer is located in the last 2 lines of paragraph B.  

6. Answer: Yes

Explanation: Applying human intelligence tests to animals has been largely discredited, as these are designed to measure human intelligence.  The given answer is located in the 1-2 lines of paragraph A.  

7. Answer: Yes

Explanation: Animals can do things like navigating or remembering the locations of objects much better than we can.  The given answer is located in the 1-2 lines of paragraph D.  

8. Answer: not given

9. Answer: Yes

Explanation: what seems to differentiate humans is not our mental skills so much as flexibility and our capability for abstract thought: the ability to create new ideas and images as well as receive them. The given answer is located in the 1-4 lines of paragraph D.  

10. Answer: No

Explanation: So far, scientists have only identified the names, or ‘call-signs’, by which dolphins seem to refer to themselves and each other, including ‘talking about’ other dolphins who aren’t present.  The given answer is located in the last 3 lines of paragraph E.  

11. Answer: Not given

12. Answer: No

Explanation: Monkeys and apes seldom resort to violence to get their own way, preferring social manipulation and deception.  The given answer is located in the 2-3 lines of paragraph J.  

13.Answer: Not given

14. Answer: C

Explanation: Even time-honored tests like putting rats into mazes can be deceptive since such tests assume the animals will rely on the same sense as we do.  The given answer is located in the 2-3 lines of paragraph A.  

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About Author Dinesh Pandiyan

Dinesh is a highly experienced content writer who specializes in language proficiency tests like IELTS, GRE, PTE, TOEFL, and study abroad. He provides valuable insights and tips to students on various modules of these tests, including reading, writing, speaking, and listening. His articles are well-researched, informative, and engaging, offering practical guidance to students looking to succeed in their academic pursuits. Additionally, Dinesh has coordinated with IELTS trainers to prepare test preparation materials, guides, practice tests, and mock tests, and worked closely with counsellors for study abroad consultancy, providing guidance on choosing the right institution, preparing for interviews, and writing effective statements of purpose (SOP) and letters of recommendation (LOR). Students can benefit from Dinesh's comprehensive knowledge and experience by checking out his articles.

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