IELTS Preparation : Tips, Strategy & Guide

Sentence Completion questions test your vocabulary and logical thinking. In this question the candidates are asked to fill in the blanks with words and numbers from the text. You will be given a set of four or five sentences with gaps in them. You are required to fill the gaps with appropriate words to complete the meaning of the sentence.

• Identifying Synonyms and paraphrasing
• Look for important information
• Read the passage in detail
• Skim and Scan

Please follow the below IELTS Reading Tips to enhance your knowledge on the Sentence Completion questions and to improve your band score.

1.Read the instructions carefully to avoid basic mistakes.

A) how many words you should write for the answer.

B) if you must use the exact words from the text or can use synonyms.

2.Read the questions first.

3.The answer appears in the same order in the text as the order of the incomplete sentences.

4.The complete sentences must be grammatically correct.

5.Guess what kind of word is missing and what do you need for the answer, For example: a verb. noun, adverb or adjective, etc.

6.Scan to find the location of the answer.

7.Keep track of the synonym and the paraphrasing because words will never be the same in the passage as in the question.

8.Never leave a blank space as there is no negative marking in IELTS exam.

HOW GEESE MIGRATE

Weighing over twenty pounds, the Canada Goose is the largest in the world. Generally, most geese weigh around 5 to 14 pounds. Females are smaller in size than their male counterparts. A full-grown Canada goose has a wingspan of 50 to 75 inches.

The Canada goose is the most widely distributed in North America. The breeding grounds of the geese cover the stretch from eastern Labrador to Western Alaska, and it is the only goose in North America to breed south of 49°N. The geese are known to occupy a wide range of habitats in temperate to low arctic areas including The Tundra which is not so rich in geographical features, The Boreal forest, The Parklands, The Prairies, meadows, and the higher mountains.

For most goose populations, nesting areas in the Arctic are secure; however, the development of gas and oil industries poses a danger to these groups. During migration, the geese head for warmer places where food is readily available. Canada geese migrate in the V- formation and are always in large groups. Scientists believe that geese travel in V-formation because of what is called the ‘drafting effect.’ It aids the birds to preserve their energy as they cover long distances. The same paths are followed by the migrating birds each year. The name given to these paths is ‘flyways’ or ‘routes’. The four flyways that the Canada Geese use are: The Atlantic Flyway which is along the eastern coast of North America, the Mississippi Flyway, the Central Flyway which spans the Rocky Mountains, and the Pacific Flyway which is the route along the west of the Rocky Mountains.

Canada geese follow seasonal patterns of migration. The autumn migration is seen from September to the starting of November. The early migrant geese are likely to migrate faster as they spend less time at the designated rest stops. Some geese are known to return year after year to the same nesting grounds and lay their eggs with their partners. The chicks are raised in the same way every year. We know this from the records of many geese that have been tagged by scientists on the East Coast. However, it has been noticed that a few migratory populations of the Canada Goose are not flying as far south in the winter months as they used to. This Northward range shift is probably because of the availability of waste grain in the fall and winter months. Agricultural fields offer food that is available in abundance and is also of superior quality for the geese compared to natural crops. Changing weather patterns and hunting pressure are the other reasons.

Every autumn, the snow geese move from their chief breeding area in central Canada to Squaw Creek National Wildlife Refuge where they make a stopover before moving to their destination in the Gulf of Mexico. They breed during the Arctic summers and then migrate to Mexico to spend the winter. During the summer, the young geese grow rapidly and become ready to fly. By the end of August, the birds make their journey to Mexico with the young ones on their first migration. They travel back to Canada in late spring along with their young ones. Some birds make the entire journey without stopping for rest, making it a journey of 70 straight hours of flying. Most of the geese are not inclined to make a stop on their return journey north as they are eagerly waiting to mate.

The Squaw Creek National Park is an essential stopover for the geese on the Central Flyway migratory route. The area was a private hunting area, but now the wildlife here is protected by law.

Questions 1 - 8

Complete the sentences below.

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
1The geese live in various types of ________.
2 Extraction of ______ and ______ in the Arctic can be a threat to goose population.
3 Migrating geese can save energy due to the _______ created by flying in V-formation.
4 Some groups of Canada goose do not migrate to the far south anymore because they can get plentiful _______ on farmlands.
5 After _______ in central Canada, Snow geese migrate to Mexico for the winters.
6 The return journey to Canada takes place by the end of ________.
7 Some geese do not take _______ as they fly back to the north.
8 _________ is not allowed in the Squaw Creek National Park.

Answers:

1. habitats

Explanation: Paragraph 2 - The geese are known to occupy a wide range of habitats in temperate to low arctic areas including the tundra …

2. oil, gas/ gas, oil

Explanation: Paragraph 3 - For most goose populations, nesting areas in the Arctic are secure; however, the development of gas and oil industries poses a danger to these groups.

3. drafting effect

Explanation: Paragraph 3 - Scientists believe that geese travel in V-formation because of what is called the ‘drafting effect.’ It aids the birds to preserve their energy as they cover long distances.

4. food/ waste grain

Explanation: Paragraph 4 - However, it has been noticed that a few migratory populations of the Canada Goose are not flying as far south in the winter months as they used to. This Northward range shift is probably because of the availability of waste grain in the fall and winter months. Agricultural fields offer food that is available in abundance ...

5. breeding

Explanation: Paragraph 5 - Every autumn, the snow geese move from their chief breeding area in central Canada to … before moving to their destination in the Gulf of Mexico. They breed during the Arctic summers and then migrate to Mexico to spend the winter.

6. spring

Explanation: Paragraph 5 - They travel back to Canada in late spring along with their young ones.

7. rest

Explanation: Paragraph 5 - Some birds make the entire journey without stopping for rest; …

8. Hunting

Explanation: Paragraph 6 - The Squaw Creek National Park is an essential stopover for the geese on the Central Flyway migratory route. The area was a private hunting area, but now the wildlife here is protected by law.

This article has taught you about Sentence Completion questions in detail and will help you to uplift your bands smoothly by following the above mentioned IELTS Reading Tips and strategies.