Cambridge IELTS 16 · Academic · Test 3 · Passage 2
Climate Change Reveals Ancient Artefacts In Norway’s Glaciers — IELTS Reading Answers
All 11 answers for Climate Change Reveals Ancient Artefacts In Norway’s Glaciers, Cambridge IELTS 16 Academic Reading Test 3 Passage 2, with the passage evidence and an explanation for each.
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Climate Change Reveals Ancient Artefacts In Norway’s Glaciers answer key at a glance
Questions 14–25. Tap an answer to see the evidence.
What this passage tests
This passage is tested with Matching Information (Q14–19), Summary Completion (Q20–22), Two Choices (Q23–24), Two Choices (Q25–26). Each section below gives the strategy for that question type, the answers, and the sentence that proves them.
Questions 14–19: 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.
an explanation for weapons being left behind in the mountains
“Hunters would have easily misplaced arrows and they often discarded broken bows rather than take them all the way home.”
Paragraph D explains that hunters 'easily misplaced arrows' and 'often discarded broken bows rather than take them all the way home'.
a reference to the physical difficulties involved in an archaeological expedition
“Fieldwork is hard work — hiking with all our equipment, often camping on permafrost — but very rewarding”
Paragraph C describes fieldwork as 'hard work - hiking with all our equipment, often camping on permafrost', the physical difficulty.
an explanation of why less food may have been available
“A colder turn in the Scandinavian climate would likely have meant widespread crop failures, so more people would have depended on hunting to make up for those losses.”
Paragraph F says a colder Scandinavian climate 'would likely have meant widespread crop failures', reducing food and forcing reliance on hunting.
a reference to the possibility of future archaeological discoveries
“That means archaeologists could be extracting some of those artefacts from retreating ice in years to come.”
Paragraph H says archaeologists 'could be extracting some of those artefacts from retreating ice in years to come', future discoveries.
examples of items that would have been traded
“And growing Norwegian towns, along with export markets, would have created a booming demand for hides to fight off the cold, as well as antlers to make useful things like combs.”
Paragraph G mentions demand for 'hides to fight off the cold' and 'antlers to make useful things like combs', goods that would be traded.
a reference to the pressure archaeologists are under to work quickly
“With climate change shrinking ice cover around the world, glacial archaeologists need to race the clock to find newly revealed artefacts, preserve them, and study them.”
Paragraph B says glacial archaeologists 'need to race the clock' to find, preserve and study newly revealed artefacts.
Questions 20–22: Summary Completion
Strategy: Read the summary as a paragraph first to establish the logic, then locate the missing idea in the passage. With a lettered list, confirm the grammar fits.
“This is because unless they’re protected from the microorganisms that cause decay, they tend not to last long.”
The gap needs what artefacts must be protected from; 'the microorganisms that cause decay' supplies 'microorganisms'.
“Reindeer once congregated on these icy patches in the later summer months”
The gap needs the animal that gathered on the ice patches; 'Reindeer once congregated on these icy patches' gives 'reindeer'.
“to escape biting insects”
The gap needs what the animals were escaping; 'to escape biting insects' supplies 'insects'.
Questions 23–24: Two Choices
Strategy: Both answers must be supported by the passage. Check each option independently; order does not usually matter.
“But it turned out that hunters kept regularly venturing into the mountains even when the climate turned cold, based on the amount of stuff they had apparently dropped there. But there were few or no signs of activity during other periods.”
Hunters 'kept regularly venturing into the mountains even when the climate turned cold' (B), and there were 'few or no signs of activity during other periods' (C).
Questions 25–26: Two Choices
Strategy: Both answers must be supported by the passage. Check each option independently; order does not usually matter.
“Business must have been good for hunters. these recent discoveries show that plenty of goods travelled on overland routes, like the mountain passes of Oppland”
Discoveries show 'plenty of goods travelled on overland routes' (A) and, with hunting so productive, 'business must have been good for hunters' (C).
Learn the question types in this passage
Frequently asked questions
Where does the Climate Change Reveals Ancient Artefacts In Norway’s Glaciers passage come from?
It is Passage 2 of Cambridge IELTS 16 Academic Reading Test 3, and it covers Questions 14–25.
What question types appear in Climate Change Reveals Ancient Artefacts In Norway’s Glaciers?
The passage is tested with Matching Information, Summary Completion, Two Choices, Two Choices. 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.