Cambridge IELTS 20 · Academic · Test 4 · Passage 2
Adapting To The Effects Of Climate Change — IELTS Reading Answers
All 13 answers for Adapting To The Effects Of Climate Change, Cambridge IELTS 20 Academic Reading Test 4 Passage 2, with the passage evidence and an explanation for each.
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Adapting To The Effects Of Climate Change answer key at a glance
Questions 14–26. Tap an answer to see the evidence.
What this passage tests
This passage is tested with Matching Information (Q14–17), Sentence Completion (Q18–22), Matching Features (Q23–26). Each section below gives the strategy for that question type, the answers, and the sentence that proves them.
Questions 14–17: Matching Information
Strategy: Scan for the idea, not the exact words. The answer is a paragraph letter, and one paragraph may be used more than once unless the instructions say otherwise.
how a type of plant functions as a natural protection for coastlines
“There have been many attempts to restore the island's coastal mangroves: ecosystems of trees and shrubs that help defend coastal areas by trapping sediment in their net-like root systems, elevating the sea bed and dampening the energy of waves and tidal currents”
Paragraph C explains that mangroves 'help defend coastal areas by trapping sediment... and dampening the energy of waves'.
a prediction about how long it could take to stop noticing the effects of climate change
“Even if we stopped all CO2 emissions tomorrow, we would continue to see the impact of the CO2 already released since industrial times, with scientists forecasting that global warming would continue for around 40 years”
Paragraph A says scientists forecast 'global warming would continue for around 40 years' even if emissions stopped.
a reference to the fact that a solution is particularly cost-effective
“It's much cheaper than permanently elevating houses, English explains - about a third of what it would cost to completely replace a building's foundations”
Paragraph D says the solution is 'much cheaper than permanently elevating houses', about a third of the replacement cost.
a mention of a technology used to locate areas most in need of intervention
“Using a Geographic Information System data mapping tool, the programme identified streets with low tree canopy cover in three of the city's neighbourhoods”
Paragraph F describes 'a Geographic Information System data mapping tool' used to identify streets with low tree canopy.
Questions 18–22: Sentence Completion
Strategy: Find the stem's keyword in the passage, then complete the sentence with the exact words the grammar requires, within the word limit.
“In addition to the road adaptations, the city has set up new pumps that can remove up to 75,000 litres of water per minute”
The city 'set up new pumps that can remove up to 75,000 litres of water per minute', so the gap is 'pumps'.
“So, Wetlands International started out with a different approach, building semi-permeable dams, made from bamboo poles and brushwood, to mimic the role of mangrove roots and create favourable conditions for mangroves to grow back naturally”
Wetlands International built 'semi-permeable dams, made from bamboo poles and brushwood', so the gap is 'dams'.
“As the floodwaters rose in the rice fields of the Mekong Delta in September 2018, four small houses rose with them. Homes in this part of Vietnam are traditionally built on stilts but these ones had been built to float.”
The houses 'had been built to float', so the gap needs the verb 'float'.
“'Almost 35 million people living on the coastal belt of Bangladesh are currently affected by soil and water salinity,' says Raisa Chowdhury of the international development organisation ICCO Cooperation. Rather than fighting against it, one project is helping communities adapt to salt-affected soils.”
Farmers in Bangladesh began 'cultivating naturally salt-tolerant crops' on salt-affected soils, so the plural noun 'crops' fills the gap.
“He leads the Cool Streets LA programme, a series of pilot projects, which include the planting of trees”
Cool Streets LA includes 'the planting of trees', so the gap is 'trees'.
Questions 23–26: Matching Features
Strategy: Match the statement to the named person or thing. Names can repeat, so check each option against what that person actually says.
Options for Questions 23–26
- AYanira Pineda
- BSusanna Tol
- CElizabeth English
- DRaisa Chowdhury
- EGreg Spotts
It is essential to adopt strategies which involve and help residents of the region.
“For long-term success, it's critical that we transition towards multifunctional approaches that embed natural processes and that engage and benefit communities and local decision-makers”
Susanna Tol (B) says approaches must 'engage and benefit communities and local decision-makers', matching resident involvement.
Interventions which reduce heat are absolutely vital for our survival in this location.
“'Urban cooling is literally a matter of life and death for our future in LA,' says Spotts”
Greg Spotts (E) calls urban cooling 'literally a matter of life and death for our future in LA'.
More work will need to be done in future decades to deal with the impact of rising water levels.
“'We know that in 20, 30, 40 years, we'll need to go back in there and adjust to the changing environment,' she says”
Yanira Pineda (A) says 'in 20, 30, 40 years, we'll need to go back in there and adjust to the changing environment'.
The number of locations requiring action to adapt to flooding has grown in recent years.
“but this technology is becoming necessary in places that didn’t previously need it”
Elizabeth English (C) notes the technology 'is becoming necessary in places that didn't previously need it'.
Learn the question types in this passage
Frequently asked questions
Where does the Adapting To The Effects Of Climate Change passage come from?
It is Passage 2 of Cambridge IELTS 20 Academic Reading Test 4, and it covers Questions 14–26.
What question types appear in Adapting To The Effects Of Climate Change?
The passage is tested with Matching Information, Sentence Completion, Matching Features. Each type is explained on this page, alongside the answers.
Are these reading answers reliable?
Every answer is paired with the sentence that proves it, so you can check each one against the passage yourself. Use the page after a timed attempt, not instead of one.
Cambridge IELTS is published by Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Band9Prep is not affiliated with Cambridge. This page is an independent study aid: it gives the answer key, the passage evidence and an explanation so you can review an attempt you have already made.