Cambridge IELTS 12 · General Training · Test 4 · Section 3
Mass Appeal Of The Mantra Rays — IELTS Reading Answers
All 13 answers for Mass Appeal Of The Mantra Rays, Cambridge IELTS 12 General Training Reading Test 4 Section 3, with the passage evidence and an explanation for each.
← All Cambridge 12 GT Test 4 answers
Mass Appeal Of The Mantra Rays answer key at a glance
Questions 28–40. Tap an answer to see the evidence.
What this section tests
This section is tested with Matching Information (Q28–30), True / False / Not Given (Q31–36), Summary Completion (Q37–40). Each section below gives the strategy for that question type, the answers, and the sentence that proves them.
Questions 28–30: 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.
a record that is being kept of manta rays in the area
“Guy Stevens is my guide, a British marine biologist who has been studying the mantas for the past five years. Based at the nearby Four Seasons resort, he has identified more than 2,000 individual manta rays, photographing and cataloguing them according to their distinctive skin patterns”
Paragraph D describes the record: Guy Stevens 'has identified more than 2,000 individual manta rays, photographing and cataloguing them according to their distinctive skin patterns'.
something that the writer regrets
“I feel ashamed to have given it a fright”
Paragraph B expresses regret: after frightening a ray, the writer says 'I feel ashamed to have given it a fright'.
the reason for the writer’s visit
“I have come to Hanifaru, a small lagoon next to an uninhabited island in the Maldives, especially to see manta rays”
Paragraph C gives the purpose: 'I have come to Hanifaru ... especially to see manta rays'.
Questions 31–36: True / False / Not Given
Strategy: Judge the whole statement against the text. FALSE contradicts the passage; NOT GIVEN means the passage never addresses that specific claim.
It is difficult to distinguish one manta ray from another.
“he has identified more than 2,000 individual manta rays, photographing and cataloguing them according to their distinctive skin patterns”
Rays are told apart by their 'distinctive skin patterns', which let Stevens catalogue more than 2,000 individuals, so identification is not difficult.
For hotel guests, viewing manta rays feeding has to be arranged at short notice.
“If Guy and his research assistants spot significant manta activity, the guests will be brought by fast speedboat to the lagoon to snorkel”
Guests are fetched by speedboat when activity is spotted, but the passage never says how far ahead such viewing must be arranged.
The manta rays appear to object to the presence of people in the water while they are feeding.
“They seem not to mind the human competition in this quite small space, and indeed they are often joined by other rays and even giant whale sharks, which feed on the same plankton”
The rays 'seem not to mind the human competition in this quite small space', which contradicts the claim that they object to people.
Guy Stevens is concerned about the increasing interest in Hanifaru.
“'Word is out that Hanifaru is a top manta spot,' he explains, 'and although the government has declared the bay a "protected area", we still don't have any regulations in force to limit the number of people in the water at any one time.'”
Stevens notes the bay is protected yet 'we still don't have any regulations in force to limit the number of people', showing concern at growing interest.
Mohamed Nasheed succeeded in persuading certain other countries to take steps to protect the environment.
“In 2009 he held an underwater cabinet meeting, urging other world leaders to act decisively to combat climate change”
Nasheed held a cabinet meeting 'urging other world leaders to act', but the passage never says he succeeded in persuading them.
A procedure has now been established to control the number of visitors.
“'Word is out that Hanifaru is a top manta spot,' he explains, 'and although the government has declared the bay a "protected area", we still don't have any regulations in force to limit the number of people in the water at any one time.'”
'We still don't have any regulations in force to limit the number of people in the water', so no visitor-control procedure exists yet.
Questions 37–40: 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.
“to hunt for plankton, their main source of nutrition”
The gap is the rays' food: they come 'to hunt for plankton, their main source of nutrition'.
“Here, the mantas come in small numbers, or individually, to pause above a coral outcrop and wait while small fish pick at their skin, removing parasites”
The gap is what small fish remove from their skin: 'small fish pick at their skin, removing parasites'.
“Adapted for fast swimming with their flattened bodies, they can accelerate rapidly with a twitch of their wings”
The gap is what drives fast swimming: 'they can accelerate rapidly with a twitch of their wings'.
“The manta rays have the biggest brain of any fish”
The gap is the organ compared across fish: 'The manta rays have the biggest brain of any fish'.
Learn the question types in this section
Frequently asked questions
Where does the Mass Appeal Of The Mantra Rays passage come from?
It is Section 3 of Cambridge IELTS 12 General Training Reading Test 4, and it covers Questions 28–40.
What question types appear in Mass Appeal Of The Mantra Rays?
The section is tested with Matching Information, True / False / Not Given, Summary 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.