Table of Contents
Passage
A There are more than 160 known species of chameleons. The main distribution is in Africa and Madagascar, and other tropical regions, although some species are also found in parts of southern Europe and Asia. There are introduced populations in Hawaii and probably in California and Florida too.
B New species are still discovered quite frequently. Dr Andrew Marshall, a conservationist from York University, was surveying monkeys in Tanzania, when he stumbled across a twig snake in the Magombera forest which, frightened, coughed up a chameleon and fled. Though a colleague persuaded him not to touch it because of the risk from venom, Marshall suspected it might be a new species, and took a photograph to send to colleagues, who confirmed his suspicions. Kinyongia magomherae, literally “the chameleon from Magombera”, is the result, and the fact it was not easy to identify is precisely what made it unique. The most remarkable feature of chameleons is their ability to change colour, an ability rivalled only by cuttlefish and octopi in the animal kingdom. Because of this, colour is not the best thing for telling chameleons apart and different species are usually identified based on the patterning and shape of the head, and the arrangement of scales. In this case it was the bulge of scales on the chameleon’s nose.
C Chameleons are able to use colour for both communication and camouflage by switching from bright, showy colours to the exact colour of a twig within seconds. They show an extraordinary range of colours, from nearly black to bright blues, oranges, pinks and greens, even several at once. A popular misconception is that chameleons can match whatever background they are placed on, whether a chequered red and yellow shirt or a Smartie box. But each species has a characteristic set of cells containing pigment distributed over their bodies in a specific pattern, which determines the range of colours and patterns they can show. To the great disappointment of many children, placing a chameleon on a Smartie box generally results in a stressed, confused, dark grey or mottled chameleon.
D Chameleons are visual animals with excellent eyesight, and they communicate with colour. When two male dwarf chameleons encounter each other, each shows its brightest colours. They puff out their throats and present themselves side-on with their bodies flattened to appear as large as possible and to show off their colours. This enables them to assess each other from a distance. If one is clearly superior, the other quickly changes to submissive colouration, which is usually a dull combination of greys or browns.
E If the opponents are closely matched and both maintain their bright colours, the contest c an e s c a l a t e to physi c a l fighting and jaw-locking, each trying to push each other along the branch in a contest of strength. Eventually, the loser will signal his defeat with submissive colouration. Females also have aggressive displays used to repel male attempts at courtship. When courting a female, males display the same bright colours that they use during contests. Most of the time, females are unreceptive and aggressively reject males by displaying a contrasting light and dark colour pattern, with their mouths open and moving their bodies rapidly from side to side. If the male continues to court a female, she often chases and bites him until he retreats. The range of colour change during female displays, although impressive, is not as great as that shown by males.
F Many people assume that colour change evolved to enable chameleons to match a greater variety of backgrounds in their environment. If this was the case, then the ability of chameleons to change colour should be associated with the range of background colours in the chameleons habitat, but there is no evidence for such a pattern. For example, forest habitats might have a greater range of brown and green background colours than grasslands, so forest-dwelling species might be expected to have greater powers of colour change. Instead, the males whose display colours are the most eye-catching show the greatest colour change. Their displays are composed of colours that contrast highly with each other as well as with the I background vegetation. This suggests that the species that evolved the most impressive capacities for colour change did so to enable them to intimidate rivals or attract mates rather than to facilitate camouflage.
G How do we know that chameleon display colours are eye-catching to another chameleon-or, for that matter, to a predatory bird? Getting a view from the perspective of chameleons or their bird predators requires information on the chameleons or birds visual system and an understanding of how their brains might process visual information. This is because the perceived colour of an object depends as much on the brain’s wiring as on the physical properties of the object itself. Luckily, recent scientific advances have made it possible to obtain such measurements in the field, and information on visual systems of a variety of animals is becoming increasingly available.
Questions
Questions 1-2 Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D. Write your answers in boxes 1-2 on your answer sheet.
1 Which situation can be inferred from the passage that a chameleons will display the most eye-catching colour
A when a chameleon hides in a bush after beating by another competitor
B when a male dwarf rejected by a female chameleon
C when a rival shows his contrast colour to the background
D when a chameleon moving into a forest habitat from grassland
2 Which one purpose is NOT mentioned as the case that a chameleons will change its colour
A when a defeated chameleon changes into a submissive coloration
B when a lurking chameleon want to hide its coloration in background avoid being attacked by a bird
C when a female chameleon want to discourage having sex with a male
D the chameleons in competition with an exaggerated size
Questions 3-5 Answer the questions below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 3-5 on your answer sheet
3 What kind of climate do most chameleons live in?
4 What was the new species named after?
5 Which part of the body is unique to the species Kinyongia magomberae?
Questions 6-13 Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage? In boxes 6-13 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the sataement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
6 Few creatures can change colour as effectively as cuttlefish.
7 Chameleons can imitate a pattern provided there are more than two colours.
8 Chameleons appear to enjoy trying out new colours.
9 Size matters more than colour when male chameleons compete.
10 After a fight, the defeated male hides among branches of a tree.
11 The popular explanation of why chameleons change colour has been proved wrong
12 There are more predators of chameleons in grassland habitats than in others.
13 Measuring animals’ visual systems necessitates removing them from their habitat
Answers
Below are the answers, key words, synonyms and full explanations for the IELTS Reading passage Communicating in Colour (Passage 1, Questions 1–13).
Questions 1–2: Multiple Choice
1. Which situation can be inferred to make a chameleon display the most eye-catching colour?
Answer: C (when a rival shows his contrasting colour against the background)
Key words: When two male dwarf chameleons encounter each other, each shows its brightest colours … colours that contrast highly … with the background vegetation
Synonyms: most eye-catching = brightest, high-contrast display = “the males whose display colours are the most eye-catching … Their displays are composed of colours that contrast highly with each other as well as with the background vegetation”
Explanation: Paragraphs D and F: a male shows his brightest, highest-contrast colours when facing a rival male → C. (Hiding, being rejected and moving habitat all involve dull or camouflage colours.)
2. Which purpose is NOT mentioned as a reason a chameleon changes its colour?
Answer: D (competing by means of an exaggerated size)
Key words: present themselves side-on with their bodies flattened to appear as large as possible
Synonyms: exaggerated size = appear as large as possible = “They puff out their throats and present themselves side-on with their bodies flattened to appear as large as possible”
Explanation: Appearing large is done by flattening the body, not by changing colour. Submissive colouration (A), camouflage (B) and rejecting a male (C) are all colour-change purposes, so D is the odd one out → D.
Questions 3–5: Short Answer (NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS)
3. What kind of climate do most chameleons live in?
Answer: tropical
Key words: The main distribution is in Africa and Madagascar, and other tropical regions
Synonyms: = “The main distribution is in Africa and Madagascar, and other tropical regions”
Explanation: Paragraph A: most chameleons live in tropical regions → tropical.
4. What was the new species named after?
Answer: (the) Magombera forest
Key words: Kinyongia magomberae, literally “the chameleon from Magombera”
Synonyms: named after = “the chameleon from Magombera” = “he stumbled across a twig snake in the Magombera forest … Kinyongia magomberae, literally ‘the chameleon from Magombera'”
Explanation: Paragraph B: it is named after the Magombera forest where it was found → Magombera forest.
5. Which part of the body is unique to the species Kinyongia magomberae?
Answer: (the) nose
Key words: In this case it was the bulge of scales on the chameleon’s nose
Synonyms: unique part = bulge of scales on the nose = “In this case it was the bulge of scales on the chameleon’s nose”
Explanation: Paragraph B: the distinguishing feature was the bulge of scales on its nose → nose.
Questions 6–13: True / False / Not Given
6. Few creatures can change colour as effectively as cuttlefish.
Answer: TRUE
Key words: an ability rivalled only by cuttlefish and octopi in the animal kingdom
Synonyms: few creatures = rivalled only by = “their ability to change colour, an ability rivalled only by cuttlefish and octopi in the animal kingdom”
Explanation: Paragraph B: only cuttlefish and octopi rival this ability, so few creatures match it → TRUE.
7. Chameleons can imitate a pattern provided there are more than two colours.
Answer: FALSE
Key words: A popular misconception is that chameleons can match whatever background they are placed on
Synonyms: cannot imitate any pattern = misconception = “A popular misconception is that chameleons can match whatever background they are placed on … each species has a characteristic set of cells … which determines the range of colours and patterns they can show”
Explanation: Paragraph C: chameleons cannot copy arbitrary patterns; it’s a misconception → FALSE.
8. Chameleons appear to enjoy trying out new colours.
Answer: FALSE
Key words: placing a chameleon on a Smartie box generally results in a stressed, confused, dark grey or mottled chameleon
Synonyms: not enjoy = stressed, confused = “placing a chameleon on a Smartie box generally results in a stressed, confused, dark grey or mottled chameleon”
Explanation: Paragraph C: forcing new colours makes them stressed, not happy → FALSE.
9. Size matters more than colour when male chameleons compete.
Answer: FALSE
Key words: the species that evolved the most impressive capacities for colour change did so to enable them to intimidate rivals
Synonyms: colour is key = intimidate rivals with colour = “the males whose display colours are the most eye-catching … intimidate rivals or attract mates”
Explanation: Paragraphs D and F: males first assess each other by colour; colour, not size, is emphasised → FALSE.
10. After a fight, the defeated male hides among the branches of a tree.
Answer: NOT GIVEN
Key words: the loser will signal his defeat with submissive colouration
Synonyms: The passage says the loser changes to submissive colour but never says he hides in the branches.
Explanation: Paragraph E only mentions the colour change of the loser, not any hiding → NOT GIVEN.
11. The popular explanation of why chameleons change colour has been proved wrong.
Answer: TRUE
Key words: Many people assume … to match a greater variety of backgrounds … but there is no evidence for such a pattern
Synonyms: proved wrong = no evidence, rather to intimidate/attract = “there is no evidence for such a pattern … This suggests that the species … did so to … intimidate rivals or attract mates rather than to facilitate camouflage”
Explanation: Paragraph F: the popular camouflage explanation is unsupported and rejected → TRUE.
12. There are more predators of chameleons in grassland habitats than in others.
Answer: NOT GIVEN
Key words: forest habitats might have a greater range of brown and green background colours than grasslands
Synonyms: The passage compares background colours of habitats, not the number of predators in them.
Explanation: Paragraph F mentions grasslands only for background colour, never for predator numbers → NOT GIVEN.
13. Measuring animals’ visual systems requires removing them from their habitat.
Answer: FALSE
Key words: recent scientific advances have made it possible to obtain such measurements in the field
Synonyms: in the field = not removed from habitat = “recent scientific advances have made it possible to obtain such measurements in the field”
Explanation: Paragraph G: measurements can now be taken in the field, so removal is not required → FALSE.
Answer Key (Quick Reference)
| Q | Answer | Q | Answer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | C | 8 | FALSE |
| 2 | D | 9 | FALSE |
| 3 | tropical | 10 | NOT GIVEN |
| 4 | Magombera forest | 11 | TRUE |
| 5 | nose | 12 | NOT GIVEN |
| 6 | TRUE | 13 | FALSE |
| 7 | FALSE |
