What Do Whales Feel Reading Answers: IELTS Reading Practice Test

An examination of the functioning of the senses in cetaceans, the group of mammals comprising whales, dolphins and porpoises

1. Some of the senses that we and other terrestrial mammals take for granted are either reduced or absent in cetaceans or fail to function well in water. For example, it appears from their brain structure that toothed species are unable to smell. Baleen species, on the other hand, appear to have some related brain structures but it is not known whether these are functional. It has been speculated that, as the blowholes evolved and migrated to the top of the head, the neural pathways serving sense of smell may have been nearly all sacrificed. Similarly, although at least some cetaceans have taste buds, the nerves serving these have degenerated or are rudimentary.
2. The sense of touch has sometimes been described as weak too, but this view is probably mistaken. Trainers of captive dolphins and small whales often remark on their animals’ responsiveness to being touched or rubbed, and both captive and free- ranging cetacean individuals of all species (particularly adults and calves, or members of the same subgroup) appear to make frequent contact. This contact may help to maintain order within a group, and stroking or touching are part of the courtship ritual in most species. The area around the blowhole is also particularly sensitive and captive animals often object strongly to being touched there.
3. The sense of vision is developed to different degrees in different species. Baleen species studied at close quarters underwater - specifically a grey whale calf in captivity for a year, and free-ranging right whales and humpback whales studied and filmed off Argentina and Hawaii - have obviously tracked objects with vision underwater, and they can apparently see moderately well both in water and in air. However, the position of the eyes so restricts the field of vision in baleen whales that they probably do not have stereoscopic vision.
4. On the other hand, the position of the eyes in most dolphins and porpoises suggests that they have stereoscopic vision forward and downward. Eye position in freshwater dolphins, which often swim on their side or upside down while feeding, suggests that what vision they have is stereoscopic forward and upward. By comparison, the bottlenose dolphin has extremely keen vision in water. Judging from the way it watches and tracks airborne flying fish, it can apparently see fairly well through the air-water interface as well. And although preliminary experimental evidence suggests that their in-air vision is poor, the accuracy with which dolphins leap high to take small fish out of a trainer’s hand provides anecdotal evidence to the contrary.
5. Such variation can no doubt be explained with reference to the habitats in which individual species have developed. For example, vision is obviously more useful to species inhabiting clear open waters than to those living in turbid rivers and flooded plains. The South American boutu and Chinese beiji, for instance, appear to have very limited vision, and the Indian susus are blind, their eyes reduced to slits that probably allow them to sense only the direction and intensity of light.
6. Although the senses of taste and smell appear to have deteriorated, and vision in water appears to be uncertain, such weaknesses are more than compensated for by cetaceans’ well-developed acoustic sense. Most species are highly vocal, although they vary in the range of sounds they produce, and many forage for food using echolocation1. Large baleen whales primarily use the lower frequencies and are often limited in their repertoire. Notable exceptions are the nearly song-like choruses of bowhead whales in summer and the complex, haunting utterances of the humpback whales. Toothed species in general employ more of the frequency spectrum, and produce a wider variety of sounds, than baleen species (though the sperm whale apparently produces a monotonous series of high-energy clicks and little else). Some of the more complicated sounds are clearly communicative, although what role they may play in the social life and ‘culture’ of cetaceans has been more the subject of wild speculation than of solid  science.

*echolocation: the perception of objects by means of sound wave echoes.

Questions 14-19

Complete the sentences below. 

Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS  from the text for each answer.

Questions 20-25
The reading passage has five paragraphs: A – F.

Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.

Write the correct numbers, i –viii, in boxes 20-25 on your answer sheet. 

NB There are more headings than paragraphs, so you will not use them all.

1. Functional Importance of the Senses
2. Factors Impacting Visual Development
3. A Key Sensory Instrument: Sound
4. Echolocation and Vocal Abilities
5. The Relevance of Touch
6. Loss of taste and smell
7. Variations in Vision Across Species
8. Eye Position and Its Effect

   20. Paragraph A.

   Answer: VI - Variations in Vision Across Species
   Explanation: The loss or lack of taste and smell—two distinct senses—in cetaceans is highlighted in this paragraph. It illustrates how certain species have brain structures for smell and basic taste buds, yet these senses are either non-existent or severely reduced. 

   21. Paragraph B

   Answer: V - The Relevance of Touch
   Explanation: The significance of touching in cetaceans appears in this section. It disproves the idea that touch is a weak sense for them by showing how touch positively affects dolphins and whales

   22. Paragraph C

   Answer: VII - Variations in Vision Across Species
   Explanation: The differences in vision amongst cetacean species is covered in this paragraph. It describes how some baleen whales can see well both underwater and above, yet their area of vision is restricted due to where their eyes are located.

   23. Paragraph D

   Answer: VIII - Eye Position and Its Effect
   Explanation: The main topic of this paragraph is how dolphin's eyesight is impacted by their posture. Most dolphins have stereoscopic eyes, although depending on whether they inhabit freshwater or saltwater, their field of vision varies.

   24. Paragraph E

   Answer: II - Factors Impacting Visual Development
   Explanation: According to this section, the environments where cetacean species have developed have influenced their capacity for seeing. In contrast to those living in muddy surroundings, animals that inhabit clear waterways typically have more developed vision.

   25. Paragraph F

   Answer: III - A Key Sensory Instrument: Sound
   Explanation: The text highlights how important sound is. It explains how cetaceans use sound for echolocation, hunting, communication, and navigation.

Question 26.
Choose the correct letter (A, B, C, or D) from the options.

Which statement best summarizes the key findings about cetaceans' sensory capabilities discussed in the text?

1. Though they have limited vision and touch, cetaceans have exceptionally developed senses of smell and taste.
2. Vision and touch are the most important senses for cetaceans, as hearing is less developed.
3. There is little to be noticed in the sensory capacities of any species of cetacean that has evolved.
4. Because their visual and tactile senses differ according to their species and location, cetaceans rely mostly on their auditory sense.

   Answer to Q.26

   Answer: D
   Explanation: The passage emphasizes how different species' senses—such as touch and vision—variably differ and are impacted by their environments. Cetaceans possess an exceptionally developed ability to sense hearing, which they heavily rely on for echolocation and communication, even though their tactile and visual senses may be restricted or altered according to the species and surroundings. Because their other senses are limited and variable, cetaceans rely mainly on their auditory sense, as summarized in this review of the main results.