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Communicating In Colour Reading Answers, IELTS Reading Passage

Communicating In Colour Reading Answers: Learn how to answer IELTS Reading Communicating In Colour passage questions to prepare with sample questions and answers.
authorImagePorishmita Paul6 Mar, 2025
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Communicating In Colour Reading Answers, IELTS Reading Passage

Communicating In Colour Reading Answers: In the IELTS Reading test, the “Communicating In Colour Reading Answers” topic frequently appears. These questions typically focus on areas such as territorial displays, mating rituals, and the role of colour in communication. Practicing with Communicating In Colour Reading Answers can give candidates valuable insights into the types of questions they might encounter in the IELTS Reading test.

The practice exams contain question categories such as IELTS Reading Matching Headings and IELTS TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN. This page includes an example passage with answers designed for students studying for the IELTS exam in 2025.

Free IELTS Reading Practice Tests, Cambridge Sample Test PDF

Communicating In Colour Reading Answers Passage

Communicating in Colour

Paragraph 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.
Paragraph 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 magomberae, 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.
Paragraph 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.
Paragraph 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. If the opponents are closely matched and both maintain their bright colours, the contest can escalate to physical 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.
Paragraph E:  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.
Paragraph 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 chameleon's 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 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.
Paragraph 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 chameleon s or bird's 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 die 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.
Paragraph H:  The spectacular diversity of colours and ornaments in nature has inspired biologists for centuries. But if we want to understand the function and evolution of animal colour patterns, we need to know how they are perceived by the animals themselves or their predators. After all, camouflage and conspicuousness are in the eye of the beholder.
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Communicating In Colour Reading Answers Sample Questions

Communicating In Colour Reading Answers:
Questions 1-7 (TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN) 
  1. Chameleons are mainly found in North America.
  2. Chameleons can change to any colour, including bright red and yellow.
  3. The discovery of the Kinyongia magomberae chameleon was accidental.
  4. Male chameleons change colour to attract mates.
  5. Female chameleons can be as colourful as males.
  6. Chameleons' ability to change colour evolved primarily for camouflage.
  7. Predatory birds see chameleons in the same way humans do.
Communicating In Colour Reading Answers:
Questions 8-13 (Matching Information to Sections A-E) 
  1. Description of how chameleons use colour to communicate.
  2. Explanation of why chameleons’ colour change is not solely for camouflage.
  3. A story about how a new chameleon species was discovered.
  4. The use of technology to understand how animals perceive colours.
  5. Misconceptions about chameleons' colour-changing abilities.
  6. The geographical distribution of chameleons.
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Communicating In Colour Reading Answers with Explanations

Communicating In Colour Reading Answers Question 1-13
Questions Answers Reference
Chameleons are mainly found in North America. FALSE Paragraph A: "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."
Chameleons can change to any colour, including bright red and yellow. FALSE Paragraph C: "Each species has a characteristic set of cells containing pigment... which determines the range of colours and patterns they can show."
The discovery of the Kinyongia magomberae chameleon was accidental. TRUE Paragraph B: "Marshall was surveying monkeys in Tanzania, when he stumbled across a twig snake... which coughed up a chameleon."
Male chameleons change colour to attract mates. TRUE Paragraph E: "When courting a female, males display the same bright colours that they use during contests."
Female chameleons can be as colourful as males. FALSE Paragraph E: "The range of colour change during female displays... is not as great as that shown by males."
Chameleons' ability to change colour evolved primarily for camouflage. FALSE Paragraph F: "The species that evolved the most impressive capacities for colour change did so to intimidate rivals or attract mates rather than to facilitate camouflage."
Predatory birds see chameleons in the same way humans do. NOT GIVEN Paragraph G mentions bird vision but does not confirm if birds see chameleons the same way humans do.
Description of how chameleons use colour to communicate. Paragraph D "They communicate with colour... presenting themselves side-on with their bodies flattened to appear as large as possible and show off their colours."
Explanation of why chameleons’ colour change is not solely for camouflage. Paragraph F "Chameleons evolved colour change to intimidate rivals or attract mates rather than for camouflage."
A story about how a new chameleon species was discovered. Paragraph B "Marshall suspected it might be a new species... and took a photograph to send to colleagues, who confirmed his suspicions."
The use of technology to understand how animals perceive colours. Paragraph G "Recent scientific advances... provide information on visual systems of a variety of animals."
Misconceptions about chameleons' colour-changing abilities. Paragraph C "A popular misconception is that chameleons can match whatever background they are placed on."
The geographical distribution of chameleons. Paragraph A "The main distribution is in Africa and Madagascar... also found in parts of southern Europe and Asia."
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Communicating In Colour Reading Answers FAQs

Q. Why do chameleons change colour?

Ans. Chameleons change colour mainly for communication, to intimidate rivals, or to attract mates, rather than just for camouflage. Bright colours are used during contests or courtships.

Q. Can chameleons match any background?

Ans. No, chameleons cannot match all backgrounds. Their colour change depends on pigment cells and patterns they naturally possess. Unusual backgrounds can stress them.

Q. Where are chameleons mainly found?

Ans. Chameleons are found mostly in Africa and Madagascar, with some species in southern Europe, Asia, and tropical regions.

Q. How was the Kinyongia magomberae chameleon discovered?

Ans. Dr. Andrew Marshall discovered the Kinyongia magomberae by accident in Tanzania when a snake coughed it up. His photograph confirmed it as a new species.
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