Flying Tortoises Reading Answers: IELTS Reading Practice Test

This passage tells the story of how giant Galápagos tortoises, once nearly extinct on the island of Española, were bred in captivity at the Charles Darwin Research Station and then airlifted back to their home island. The key figures include Fausto Llerena, a tortoise keeper who spent over 40 years caring for the programme. The passage is from Cambridge IELTS 9, Academic Test 4, Passage 1.

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1–13, which are based on the passage below.

This passage contains two question types:

• True/False/Not Given — Questions 1–7
• Sentence Completion — Questions 8–13

Paragraph A 

Forests of spiny cactus and scrub on the Galápagos island of Española, where blue-footed boobies nest and marine iguanas warm themselves on lava rocks, are now experiencing a stunning recovery. The return of giant tortoises has set in motion a cascade of environmental change that has given new life to a previously barren landscape.

Paragraph B 

The turnaround began in 1963, when American biologist Harry Hognose documented the alarming decline in the tortoise population on Española. The island once supported a thriving population of tortoises that kept cactus and other vegetation in check by eating and trampling it. By the time scientists took notice, only 14 tortoises — 12 females and 2 males — could be found. A 15th tortoise, a male called Diego, was later discovered in the San Diego Zoo and brought back to the Galápagos. These 15 animals became the foundation of a captive breeding programme run at the Charles Darwin Research Station on Santa Cruz island.

Paragraph C 

Before the reintroduction programme could succeed, however, the root cause of the tortoises' disappearance had to be addressed. Española's tortoises had been decimated first by whalers and other passing ships, who took the animals on board as a convenient source of fresh meat. Then the introduction of goats to the island caused further damage. The goats devoured the sparse vegetation, leaving nothing for the tortoises to eat. To make matters worse, rats preyed on young tortoises, eating their eggs and hatchlings before the young could establish themselves.

Paragraph D 

After years of captive breeding, the first group of tortoises was returned to Española in 1975. Reintroductions continued at intervals over the following decades. By the time Fausto Llerena retired in 2000, after more than 40 years as a tortoise keeper at the Darwin Station, the programme had raised and released over 1,200 tortoises. Of those, more than 1,000 are believed to have survived on the island. The key to the programme's success was ensuring that mating pairs were biologically diverse, so that the gene pool remained healthy.

Paragraph E 

The reintroduced tortoises have transformed Española's landscape. Their grazing keeps woody shrubs from becoming too dense and allows cactus, a key food source, to regenerate. Tortoises also disperse seeds in their droppings, and their heavy bodies create clearings and open soil where new plants can take root. Contrary to what some critics had expected, the tortoises did not struggle to adapt. They found their own food quickly and spread across the island within a few years of release.

Paragraph F

Conservation scientists regard Española as one of the great success stories of island restoration. Where the landscape was once dominated by bare rock and scrub, it is now covered in cactus forest and thriving plant communities. Fausto Llerena became something of a legend among conservationists for his dedicated work with the tortoises. He was known to spend nights in the breeding pens to observe animal behaviour.

Paragraph G

The tortoise population on Española is now considered self-sustaining, meaning the animals breed on the island without human intervention. Researchers have identified over 1,000 tortoises living on the island today. They can be seen congregating at traditional nesting sites, where females lay their eggs each season. The dense vegetation that has grown back across the island provides shelter and food that supports the growing population. The recovery of Española demonstrates what is possible when a dedicated conservation effort is maintained over many decades.

True/False/Not Given — Questions 1–7

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage? 

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 in the passage

1. The island of Española suffered serious environmental damage before the conservation programme began.

2. The captive breeding programme was set up on the island of Española itself.

3. Diego the tortoise had lived at the San Diego Zoo for more than ten years before being sent to the Galápagos.

4. Fausto Llerena worked at the Charles Darwin Research Station for over four decades.

5. The reintroduced tortoises needed assistance from researchers to find food on the island.

6. Fausto Llerena received an official award for his work with the tortoise programme.

7. The tortoise population on Española no longer depends on human intervention to maintain its numbers.

Sentence Completion — Questions 8–13

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

8. The tortoises on Española were first seriously reduced in number when they were collected by __________________ for food.

9. One of the threats to young tortoises on the island was __________________, which ate their eggs and hatchlings.

10. The captive breeding programme at the Darwin Station used __________________ tortoises as its founding population.

11. More than __________________ of the reintroduced tortoises are thought to be living on Española today.

12. Tortoises can now be seen gathering at traditional __________________ where females lay their eggs.

13. The recovery of __________________ across the island provides food and shelter for the growing tortoise population.