Cambridge IELTS 20 · Academic · Test 3 · Passage 2
Can the planet’s coral reefs be saved? — IELTS Reading Answers
All 11 answers for Can the planet’s coral reefs be saved?, Cambridge IELTS 20 Academic Reading Test 3 Passage 2, with the passage evidence and an explanation for each.
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Can the planet’s coral reefs be saved? 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 Headings (Q14–19), Two Choices (Q20–21), Two Choices (Q22–23), Sentence Completion (Q24–26). Each section below gives the strategy for that question type, the answers, and the sentence that proves them.
Questions 14–19: Matching Headings
Strategy: Read the paragraph first and summarise its main idea in five words. Choose the heading that matches the whole paragraph, not a repeated keyword.
Paragraph A
“'Coral reefs are the most diverse ecosystems on Earth and we want to show people how wonderful they are,' said Paul Pearce-Kelly, senior curator of invertebrates and fish at the Zoological Society of London.”
Paragraph A states the twin aims of showing how wonderful reefs are and highlighting 'the research and conservation efforts' to save them, which heading v captures.
Paragraph B
“These polyps are transparent but get their brilliant tones of pink, orange, blue, green, etc. from algae that live within them, which in turn get protection, while their photosynthesising of the sun's rays provides nutrients for the polyps”
Paragraph B explains the partnership between polyps and algae that supplies corals with colour and nutrients, the topic heading ii names.
Paragraph C
“'People say you cannot beat the rainforest,' Attenborough has stated. 'But that is simply not true.”
Paragraph C challenges the claim that reefs cannot rival rainforests, correcting a common assumption, which heading iv signals.
Paragraph D
“Unfortunately, these majestic sights are now under very serious threat, with the most immediate problem coming in the form of thermal stress. Rising ocean temperatures are triggering bleaching events that strip reefs of their colour and eventually kill them”
Paragraph D describes the 'most immediate problem' of thermal stress and bleaching, matching heading vii's focus on threat.
Paragraph E
“However, scientists are trying to pinpoint hardy types of coral that could survive our overheated oceans”
Paragraph E turns to scientists seeking 'hardy types of coral that could survive our overheated oceans', the idea heading iii carries.
Paragraph F
“The crucial point is that the progress we make in making coral better able to survive in a warming world can be shown to the public and encourage them to believe that we can do something to save the planet's reefs”
Paragraph F stresses that progress must be shown to the public to 'encourage them to believe that we can do something', heading vi.
Questions 20–21: Two Choices
Strategy: Both answers must be supported by the passage. Check each option independently; order does not usually matter.
“Other menaces include ocean acidification, sea level increase, pollution by humans, deoxygenation and ocean current changes”
C and E each name one of the extra menaces listed, such as ocean acidification, sea-level rise, pollution, deoxygenation or current changes, beyond thermal stress.
Questions 22–23: Two Choices
Strategy: Both answers must be supported by the passage. Check each option independently; order does not usually matter.
“One aim will be to carry out research on species to find those that can survive best in warm, acidic waters. Another will be to try to increase coral breeding rates.”
B and D match the two stated aims: finding species that survive best in warm, acidic water, and increasing coral breeding rates.
Questions 24–26: 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.
“Corals are composed of tiny animals, known as polyps, with tentacles for capturing small marine creatures in the sea water”
Polyps are 'tiny animals... with tentacles for capturing small marine creatures', so the gap needs 'tentacles'.
“These polyps are transparent but get their brilliant tones of pink, orange, blue, green, etc. from algae that live within them, which in turn get protection”
Algae living inside the polyps 'in turn get protection', which is the noun the sentence needs.
“Rising ocean temperatures are triggering bleaching events that strip reefs of their colour and eventually kill them”
Bleaching events 'strip reefs of their colour and eventually kill them', so the gap is 'colour'.
Learn the question types in this passage
Frequently asked questions
Where does the Can the planet’s coral reefs be saved? passage come from?
It is Passage 2 of Cambridge IELTS 20 Academic Reading Test 3, and it covers Questions 14–26.
What question types appear in Can the planet’s coral reefs be saved??
The passage is tested with Matching Headings, Two Choices, Two Choices, Sentence Completion. 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.