Walking with Dinosaurs Reading Answers: IELTS Reading Practice Test

The Walking with Dinosaurs reading passage is an academic text about computational palaeontology and the work of researchers at Manchester University, particularly Peter L. Falkingham, who uses computer simulations to model dinosaur locomotion and analyse prehistoric footprints. The passage source is listed as a practice passage. You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on the passage below. The three question types in this passage are True/False/Not Given, Diagram Completion, and Flow Chart Completion.

The tools that Peter L. Falkingham and his colleagues at Manchester University are making will likely change the way we think about how dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals behaved.

Paragraph A

The media occasionally portrays paleontologists or those who research prehistoric life as meticulously clearing stones from around a large dinosaur bone while they camp in the desert. Peter Falkingham hasn’t exactly been doing that lately, which is the problem. Instead, he stares at a screen nonstop throughout the day. Not because he’s busy but rather because he works in the relatively new field of computational paleontology. Few people may be aware that when a skeleton or new species is discovered, research truly begins. What we really want to understand is how extinct animals and plants behaved in their natural habitats. Drs. Bill Sellers and Phil Manning of the University of Manchester employ a “genetic algorithm” to analyse the movements and stalking patterns of prehistoric creatures like dinosaurs and our ancestors. A sort of computer code known as a genetic algorithm has the ability to “evolve” and update itself.

Paragraph B

The surviving bones of a complete dinosaur skeleton may teach scientists a great deal about the animal, but they do not offer the full image, which a computer can attempt to complete. A scanned skeleton and known muscle locations are provided to the computer model. The model then randomly activates the muscles. This, somewhat unexpectedly, ends in the animal falling on its face almost often. Therefore, the computer modifies the activation sequence and tries again… typically with the same outcome. The modelling dinosaurs rapidly “evolve.” If an improvement is detected, the computer discards the previous pattern and utilises the new one as the basis for future modifications.

Paragraph C

The muscle activation pattern finally develops into a stable mode of locomotion, the optimal solution is reached, and the dinosaur is able to walk, run, chase, and graze. Assuming that natural selection also generates the optimal solution, the modelled species should exhibit comparable behaviour to its extinct relative. Moreover, using the same method applied to actual animals (humans, emus, and ostriches), peak computer speeds were comparable to those attained in reality. By comparing their virtual results to actual measurements of current species, the Manchester team of palaeontologists may have confidence in the calculated data representing how extinct prehistoric animals, such as dinosaurs, travelled.

Paragraph D
 

The group from Manchester University has modelled a huge carnivorous dinosaur using computer simulations. The spines that run over its back give rise to its common name, “high-spined lizard” or “acrocanthosaurus.” It is theorised by scientists that they propped up a hump that accumulated fat and water reserves, although this is purely conjectural. Many people also think that a sail was supported by the spines. One group thinks it was a blood-flushable display, while another other thinks it was a thermostat. Perhaps both factors were involved. The narrow breadth and frail jaws of the cranium make it look disproportionate to the massive weight of the body. The feet are especially remarkable because of how little they are in proportion to the rest of the animal. Its large, broad tail and powerful leg muscles allow it to move swiftly and are used to aid in locomotion. It walked on its rear legs, while its front legs were small and equipped with vicious claws.

Paragraph E

Falkingham is analysing historical footprints with modelling tools to learn more about the migratory patterns of extinct animals. Today’s trackers, who research the habitats of wild animals, are able to determine the kind of animal that left behind a set of footprints, as well as the animal’s speed and, in some cases, gender. However, applying the same logic to a fossil trail is far more challenging. Knowing the circumstances under which the path was formed, particularly with regard to the mud or silt that the animal walked on, may be very helpful. These issues can be answered via experiments, however, there are a staggering amount of potential impacts. Physically recreating each incident with a box of mud is a tedious and error-prone procedure. Simulators on computers can help in this endeavour.

Paragraph F

Falkingham mimics prehistoric mud by simulating a volume of mud and manipulating the moisture level, consistency, and other variables. The virtual mud is then marked with a virtual foot. Inside this footprint, which can be separated and studied from any angle, the stress values may be retrieved and calculated. By running hundreds of these simulations concurrently on supercomputers, Falkingham may be able to begin to understand what sorts of imprints may be expected if an animal walked in a given way over a specific type of ground. Scientists may more securely interpret fossil tracks with the assistance of the diversity in the recreated trails. Computational approaches in palaeontology are becoming more popular by the year. As computer power increases, so will the number of problems that can be addressed and questions that can be answered.

True/False/Not Given (Questions 1-6)

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

In boxes 1-6 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

1. Peter Falkingham does very little fieldwork related to his studies of the ancient era at this point.

2. Sellers’ and Manning’s computerised dinosaur model often requires many tries before it can stand on its hind legs.

3. When applied to persons, the Sellers and Manning computer model represented them moving faster than their bodies could.

4. Concerns have been raised by a few palaeontologists regarding the Manchester team’s findings on dinosaur mobility.

5. A skilled tracker can identify fossilised animal tracks just as readily as those left by living creatures.

6. It has been discovered that the studies done on the composition of ancient mud were wrong.

Diagram Completion (Questions 7-9)

Choose NO MORE THAN ONE WORD from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 7-9 on your answer sheet.

7. ______ (structure supported by the spines along the back)
8. ______ (describes the breadth of the cranium)
9. ______ (function aided by the large tail and powerful leg muscles)
 

Flow Chart Completion (Questions 10-13)

Complete the flowchart below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.

Step
Mud is simulated by paying attention to its texture, thickness, and 10. ______ content.
A virtual foot leaves a muddy imprint.
11. ______ levels are detected in the footprint.
Numerous models link footprints to various 12. ______ types.
It is possible to read 13. ______ more accurately.