The Forgotten Forests IELTS Reading Answers

Welcome to “The Forgotten Forests” IELTS reading passage answers guide. 

This blog is designed to assist you in improving your reading skills for the IELTS test by providing you with the complete passage, various question types, and answers for the reading passage. 

The passage is an essential part of the IELTS reading test, and mastering it can help you score higher in the exam. 

IELTS Reading Test Overview

Total Duration	18 – 20 minutes
Number of questions	13
Types of Questions	Multiple Choice Questions, Table Completion, Short Answer Questions and Sentence Completion
Band Score Range	0-9

By practising with the sample passage and its answers, you can improve your ability to manage your time, read fast, and choose the correct answers.

About the passage: The Forgotten Forests

Let’s discuss why it’s essential to understand and practise the reading passage on The Forgotten Forests.

• This passage is part of the IELTS reading test, aiming to check how well you can focus, manage your time, read fast, and understand what you read.
• They included this passage to see how you handle information and use what you know effectively.
• Practising with this passage is helpful because it makes you familiar with different question types and improves your skill in choosing the correct answers.
• Doing this exercise is valuable because it shows where you do well and where you can improve your band score.

You’re in the right place if you’re looking for answers about the reading passage from The Forgotten Forests.

Reading Passage

Below is the reading passage of The Forgotten Forests. Read it carefully and answer the questions. You can also find The Forgotten Forests Reading Answers below.

The Forgotten Forests

Found only in the Deep South of America, longleaf pine woodlands have dwindled to about 3 per cent of their former range, but new efforts are underway to restore them.

Paragraph A 

THE BEAUTY AND THE BIODIVERSITY of the longleaf pine forest are well-kept secrets, even in its native South. Yet it is among the richest ecosystems in North America, rivalling tallgrass prairies and the ancient forests of the Pacific Northwest in the number of species it shelters. And like those two other disappearing wildlife habitats, longleaf is also critically endangered.

Paragraph B 

In longleaf pine forests, trees grow widely scattered, creating an open, parklike environment, more like a savanna than a forest. The trees are not so dense as to block the sun. This openness creates a forest 1oor that is among the most diverse in the world, where plants such as many-1 powered grass pinks, trumpet pitcher plants, Venus flytraps, lavender ladies and pineland bog-buttons grow. As many as 50 different species of wildflowers, shrubs, grasses and ferns have been catalogued in just a single square meter.

Paragraph C

Once, nearly 92 million acres of longleaf forest nourished from Virginia to Texas, the only place in the world where it is found. By the turn of the 21st century, however, virtually all of it had been logged, paved or farmed into oblivion. Only about 3 per cent of the original range still supports longleaf forest, and only about 10,000 acres of that is uncut old-growth—the rest is forest that has regrown after cutting. An estimated 100,000 of those acres are still vanishing every year. However, a quiet movement to reverse this trend is rippling across the region. Governments, private organisations (including NWF), and individual conservationists are looking for ways to protect and preserve the remaining longleaf and plant new forests for future generations.

Paragraph D 

Figuring out how to bring back the piney woods also will allow biologists to help the plants and animals that depend on this habitat. Nearly two-thirds of the declining, threatened or endangered species in the southeastern United States are associated with longleaf. The outright destruction of longleaf is only part of their story, says Mark Danaher, the biologist for South Carolina’s Francis Marion National Forest. He says the demise of these animals and plants is also tied to a lack of fire, which once swept through the southern forests on a regular basis. “Fire is absolutely critical for this ecosystem and for the species that depend on it,” says Danaher.

Paragraph E 

Name just about any species that occurs in Longleaf, and you can find a connection to fire. Bachman’s sparrow is a secretive bird with a beautiful song that echoes across the longleaf flatwoods. It tucks its nest on the ground beneath clumps of wiregrass and little bluestem in the open under-story. But once the fire has been absent for several years and a tangle of shrubs starts to grow, the sparrows disappear. Gopher tortoises, the only native land tortoises east of the Mississippi, are also abundant in longleaf. A keystone species for these forests, its burrows provide homes and safety to more than 300 species of vertebrates and invertebrates ranging from eastern diamond-back rattlesnakes to gopher frogs. If fire is suppressed, however, the tortoises are choked out. “If we lose fire,” says Bob Mitchell, an ecologist at the Jones Center, “we lose wildlife.”

Paragraph F 

Without fire, we also lose longleaf. Fire knocks back the oaks and other hardwoods that can grow to overwhelm longleaf forests. “They are fire forests,” Mitchell says. “They evolved in the lightning capital of the eastern United States.” And it wasn’t only lightning strikes that set the forest aflame. “Native Americans also lit fires to keep the forest open,” Mitchell says. “So did the early pioneers. They helped create the longleaf pine forests that we know today.”

Paragraph G

Fire also changes how nutrients flow throughout longleaf ecosystems in ways we are just beginning to understand. For example, researchers have discovered that frequent fires provide extra calcium to endangered red-cockaded woodpeckers, which is critical for egg production. Frances James, a retired avian ecologist from Florida State University, has studied these small black-and-white birds in Florida’s sprawling Apalachicola National Forest for more than two decades. When she realised female woodpeckers laid larger clutches in the first breeding season after their territories were burned, she and her colleagues went searching for answers. “We learned calcium is stashed away in woody shrubs when the forest is not burned,” James says. “But when there is a fire, a pulse of calcium moves down into the soil and up into the longleaf.” Eventually, this calcium makes its way up the food chain to a tree-dwelling species of ant, which is the red-cockaded’s favourite food. The result is more calcium for the birds, which leads to more eggs, more young, and more woodpeckers.

Paragraph H  

Today, fire is used as a vital management tool for preserving both Longleaf and its wildlife. Most of these fires are prescribed burns, deliberately set with a drip torch. Although the public often opposes any type of fire—and the smoke that goes with it—these frequent, low-intensity burns reduce the risk of catastrophic concentrations. “Forests are going to burn,” says Amadou Diop, NWF’s southern forests restoration manager. “It’s just a question of when. With prescribed burns, we can pick the time and the place.”

Paragraph I 

Restoring Longleaf is not an easy task. The herbaceous layer—-the understory of wiregrasses and other plants, also needs to be re-created. In areas where the land has not been chewed up by farming but converted into loblolly or slash pine plantations, the seed bank of the longleaf forest usually remains viable beneath the soil. In time, this original vegetation can be coaxed back. Where agriculture has destroyed the seeds, however, wiregrass must be replanted. Right now, the expense is prohibitive, but researchers are searching for low-cost solutions. 

Paragraph J

Bringing back Long-leaf is not for the short-sighted, however. Few of us will be alive when the pines being planted today become mature forests in 70 to 80 years. But that is not stopping long-leaf enthusiasts. “Today, it’s getting hard to find long-leaf seedlings to buy,” one of the private landowners says. “Everyone wants them. Long-leaf is in a resurgence.”

The Forgotten Forest Reading Question & Answers

Let’s explore the sample questions below. The Forgotten Forests reading answers with explanations are given below.

Questions 1-5

Complete the notes below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.

Forest fire ensures that:

Birds can locate their 1 ________ in the ground.

The burrows of a species of 2 ________ provide homes to many other animals.

Hardwoods such as 3 ________ can grow and outnumber long-leaf trees.

Apart from fires lit by lightning:

Fires are created by 4 ________ and settlers.

Fires deliberately lit are called 5 ________

Answers with Explanation (1 – 5)

1. Nest

Reference

Paragraph E: It tucks its nest on the ground beneath clumps of wiregrass and little bluestem in the open under-story.

Explanation

The paragraph states that bird species found in the open and diverse longleaf pine woodlands tuck their nests on the ground beneath clumps of wiregrass and little bluestem in the open under-story, which is possible due to the parklike environment created by the widely scattered trees.

2. Tortoises

Reference

Paragraph E: A keystone species for these forests, tortoise burrows provide homes and safety to more than 300 species of vertebrates and invertebrates ranging from eastern diamond-back rattlesnakes to gopher frogs.

Explanation

The paragraph states that the gopher tortoise species found in the longleaf pine woodlands provide homes and safety to more than 300 species of vertebrates and invertebrates through their burrows.

3. Oaks

Reference

Paragraph F: Fire knocks back the oaks and other hardwoods that can grow to overwhelm longleaf forests.

Explanation

The paragraph states that oaks and other hardwoods can grow and surpass long-leaf trees in number.

4. Native Americans

Reference

Paragraph F: Native Americans also lit fires to keep the forest open,” Mitchell says. “So did the early pioneers.

Explanation

The paragraph states the significance of fires created by Native Americans and settlers for the longleaf pine woodlands. These fires played a crucial role in maintaining a diverse ecosystem. 

5. Prescribed burns

Reference

Paragraph H: Most of these fires are prescribed burns, deliberately set with a drip torch.

Explanation

The paragraph states that most of these fires are prescribed burns, a name given to fires lit deliberately with a drip torch. Prescribed burns are the name given to fires that are deliberately lit. These fires are crucial in maintaining the longleaf pine woodlands and the numerous species that depend on it.

Questions 6-9

Complete the flowchart below.

Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 6-9 on your answer sheet.

How to increase the number of cockaded woodpeckers

Calcium stored in 6 ________

↓

Shrubs are burned

↓

Calcium released into 7 ________

↓

Travel up to the leaves

↓

8 ________ are eaten

↓

Number of 9 ________ increases

↓

More cockaded woodpeckers

Answers with Explanation (6 – 9)

6. Shrubs

Reference

Paragraph G: We learned calcium is stashed away in woody shrubs when the forest is not burned.

Explanation

The paragraph explains that calcium is stored in woody shrubs when the forest is not burned. This states the importance of fire in maintaining the longleaf pine forest ecosystem, as the calcium stored in shrubs is released back into the soil during fires, providing nutrients for the growth of plants and the survival of various species.

7. Soil

Reference

Paragraph G: But when there is a fire, a pulse of calcium moves down into the soil and up into the longleaf.

Explanation

The paragraph mentions how a pulse of calcium moves down into the soil and up into the longleaf when a fire occurs in the forest. This shows the importance of fire in the ecosystem and its impact on the soil and plant life. 

8. Ant

Reference

Paragraph G: Eventually, this calcium makes its way up the food chain to a tree-dwelling species of ant, which is the red-cockaded’s favourite food.

Explanation

The paragraph states that calcium moves up the food chain to a tree-dwelling species of ant, the red-cockaded woodpecker’s favourite food. The passage also emphasises the importance of restoring the longleaf pine forest and protecting the species that depend on it.

9. Eggs

Reference

Paragraph G: The result: more calcium for the birds, which leads to more eggs, more young and more woodpeckers.

Explanation

The paragraph specifies how an increase in the calcium intake of birds leads to an increase in the production of eggs, young ones, and woodpeckers. It can be inferred that calcium plays a crucial role in the reproductive health of birds, which in turn affects the population of woodpeckers.

Questions 10-13

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?

In boxes 10-13 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE               if the statement agrees with the information

FALSE              if the statement contradicts the information

NOT GIVEN    if there is no information on this

10   The sparse distribution of long leaf pine trees leads to the most diversity of species.

11   It is easier to restore forests converted to farms than forests converted to plantations.

12   The cost of restoring forests has increased recently.

13   Few can live to see the replanted forest reach its maturity.

Answers with Explanation (10 – 13)

10. True

Reference

Paragraph J: Bringing back Longleaf is not for the short-sighted, however. Few of us will be alive when the pines being planted today become mature forests in 70 to 80 years.

Explanation

The paragraph states that bringing back Longleaf is not for the short-sighted. It also mentions that few of us will be alive when the pines planted today become mature forests in 70 to 80 years. Therefore, the answer is true.

11. False

Reference

Paragraph J: Interest among private landowners is growing throughout the South, but restoring longleaf is not an easy task.

Explanation

The paragraph states that interest among private landowners is growing throughout the South, but restoring longleaf is not easy. Therefore, the statement given is False.

12. Not given

Reference

Paragraph A to Paragraph J the passage talks about 

Explanation

The answer is Not Given, as no information in the passage will tell us whether the cost of restoring forests has increased.  

13. True

Reference

Paragraph J: Few of us will live when the pines planted today become mature forests in 70 to 80 years.

Explanation: The answer is true because the paragraph states that few of us will be alive when the pines planted today become mature forests in 70 to 80 years.

Tips for the IELTS Reading Test

Let’s delve into some tips and advice for the IELTS Reading Test. 

1. Read Instructions Carefully:

Make sure to read all instructions before starting each section. Understand the format of the questions and how to record your answers.

2. Skim and Scan:

Quickly skim through the passage to get an idea of the topic. Then, scan for specific information when answering questions. It helps save time.

3. Practice Regularly:

Practice reading various types of texts in English, like articles and essays. It improves your comprehension skills and reading speed.

4. Manage Your Time:

Keep an eye on the clock and allocate time wisely for each section. Don’t spend too much time on one question; move on and return if needed.

5. Underline Key Words:

While reading the passage, underline or circle keywords. It helps you focus on the main ideas and find answers more quickly.

6. Guess if Unsure:

If you don’t know an answer, take your best guess. There are no penalties for wrong answers, so it’s better to try than to leave it blank.

7. Improve Vocabulary:

Enhance your vocabulary by learning new words. It makes it easier to understand and answer questions related to unfamiliar terms.

8. Practice Skimming Headings:

Practice matching headings to paragraphs. Skim the headings and get a sense of the main idea of each section before reading in detail.

9. Check Spelling:

Pay attention to correct spelling when transferring answers to the answer sheet. Incorrect spelling can result in lost marks.

10. Stay Calm and Focused:

Keep calm during the test. If you find a question challenging, take a deep breath, move on, and return to it later. Stay focused on the task at hand.

Conclusion

The IELTS Reading Test is pivotal in assessing one’s proficiency in understanding written English. It consists of three sections, each presenting unique challenges that demand careful time management and focused attention. 

Remember, using the provided question paper to jot down notes is okay, but the final answers must be transferred onto the answer sheet. 

Ultimately, success in the IELTS Reading Test is not just about language proficiency but also strategic test-taking skills. For those seeking expert guidance, Leap Scholar Counselling offers valuable support in IELTS preparation.

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