Cambridge IELTS 14 · Academic · Test 4 · Passage 1
The Secret Of Staying Young — IELTS Reading Answers
All 13 answers for The Secret Of Staying Young, Cambridge IELTS 14 Academic Reading Test 4 Passage 1, with the passage evidence and an explanation for each.
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The Secret Of Staying Young answer key at a glance
Questions 1–13. Tap an answer to see the evidence.
What this passage tests
This passage is tested with Note Completion (Q1–8), True / False / Not Given (Q9–13). Each section below gives the strategy for that question type, the answers, and the sentence that proves them.
Questions 1–8: Note Completion
Strategy: Predict the word class from the note, find the paraphrase of the note's keyword in the passage, then copy the answer exactly within the word limit.
“Giraldo focused on ants at four age ranges”
Giraldo studied ants 'at four age ranges', so the number of age groups examined is four.
“Giraldo watched how well the ants took care of the young of the colony”
She watched how well the ants 'took care of the young of the colony', the group requiring care.
“followed the telltale scent that the insects usually leave to mark a trail to food”
The ants left a scent 'to mark a trail to food', the destination the note requires.
“She tested how ants responded to light”
She tested 'how ants responded to light', so light is the stimulus used in that experiment.
“the older ants attacked the poor fruit fly just as aggressively as the young ones did”
Older ants 'attacked the poor fruit fly just as aggressively as the young ones', so the adverb is aggressively.
“She saw no major differences with age, nor was there any difference in the location of the dying cells”
There was no difference in 'the location of the dying cells', so location is the variable examined.
“She also wanted to see if aging affects the density of synaptic complexes within these structures – regions where neurons come together”
Synaptic complexes are 'regions where neurons come together', the cells the note mentions.
“the old ants didn’t experience any drop in the levels of either serotonin or dopamine – brain chemicals whose decline often coincides with aging.”
Serotonin and dopamine are described as 'brain chemicals whose decline often coincides with aging'.
Questions 9–13: 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.
Pheidole dentata ants are the only known animals which remain active for almost their whole lives.
“Naked mole rats can live for almost 30 years and stay fit for nearly their entire lives”
FALSE: naked mole rats also 'stay fit for nearly their entire lives', so Pheidole dentata ants are not the only such animals.
Ysabel Giraldo was the first person to study Pheidole dentata ants using precise data about the insects’ ages.
“Unlike all previous studies, which only estimated how old the ants were, her work tracked the ants from the time the pupae became adults, so she knew their exact ages”
TRUE: unlike previous studies that 'only estimated' ages, her work tracked ants from pupae to adulthood, so she 'knew their exact ages'.
The ants in Giraldo’s experiments behaved as she had predicted that they would.
“Giraldo expected the older ants to perform poorly in all these tasks. But the elderly insects were all good caretakers and trail-followers”
FALSE: Giraldo 'expected the older ants to perform poorly', but they were 'all good caretakers and trail-followers', contradicting her prediction.
The recent studies of bees used different methods of measuring age-related decline.
“the results of recent bee studies were mixed – some studies showed age-related declines, which biologists call senescence, and others didn’t.”
NOT GIVEN: bee studies produced mixed results, but the passage never compares their methods of measuring age-related decline.
Pheidole dentata ants kept in laboratory conditions tend to live longer lives.
“Out in the wild, the ants probably don’t live for a full 140 days thanks to predators, disease and just being in an environment that’s much harsher than the comforts of the lab”
TRUE: wild ants 'probably don't live for a full 140 days' because of predators and disease, unlike those in 'the comforts of the lab'.
Learn the question types in this passage
Frequently asked questions
Where does the The Secret Of Staying Young passage come from?
It is Passage 1 of Cambridge IELTS 14 Academic Reading Test 4, and it covers Questions 1–13.
What question types appear in The Secret Of Staying Young?
The passage is tested with Note Completion, True / False / Not Given. 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.