Pollination Reading Answers: The IELTS Reading section assesses a candidate's ability to comprehend and analyze written texts while answering related questions. “Pollination Reading Answers” is an essential topic in the IELTS reading module, designed to test skills such as understanding details, identifying key information, and interpreting scientific concepts. This passage includes 14 questions categorized into different formats: Summary Completion and True/False/Not Given.
In this guide, candidates will find detailed explanations and answers to approach each question type effectively. Practicing these questions will help students enhance their reading proficiency and improve their overall IELTS band score. Read till the end to discover useful insights for tackling the “Pollination Reading Answers” section with confidence.
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Pollination Reading Answers Passage
Pollination
Paragraph A. Plants have evolved a wide variety of methods to reproduce themselves. Some plants reproduce asexually by splitting off new roots or bulbs (e.g., garlic, lilies) or even branches, stems, or leaves (e.g., mangroves, spider plants). Plants that reproduce asexually are essentially reproducing clones of themselves. This is a simple and direct method of reproduction, producing new plants more quickly and with less energy than plants using sexual reproduction. The majority of plants, however, reproduce sexually. The advantages from an evolutionary perspective include more genetic variety and better dispersal than the colonies of clones formed by asexual reproduction. In flowering plants, pollen (male) grains are moved from the anther to the stigma, where the pollen fertilises the ovaries (female), resulting in seeds.
Paragraph B. A few flowering plants such as peas, beans, and tomatoes pollinate themselves, but more commonly, pollination occurs between separate plants, either through pollen being borne by the wind (most conifers and many kinds of grass) or by pollinators, animal species that plants rely on to help move the pollen from one plant to the ovaries of another. Most pollinators are insects, but some species of birds and bats also play an important roe.
Paragraph C. Plants have evolved a variety of methods to entice pollinators to do their work. Many produce nectar, a sugary substance that pollinators use as food. A well-known example is a honeybee, which collects nectar as well as pollen for food. When a bee enters one flower, it brushes against the anther and pollen grains are picked up by the surface of its body. When the bee enters a second flower and brushes against the stigma, some of that pollen comes in contact with the ovaries of the second plant, thus fertilising it, resulting in seeds that contain genetic material from the male gametes of the first plant combined with the female reproductive organs of the second plant. Most bees, butterflies, and moths, as well as certain species of bats and birds, are attracted to nectar-producing flowers.
Paragraph D. Flowering plants have evolved a variety of methods for signalling their usefulness to pollinators or for otherwise making their work easier. Butterflies are attracted to flowers that are open during the day, are bright-typically red, yellow, or orange and have a "landing platform." In contrast, many moths are active at night and thus are attracted to flowers that are pale or white, have a strong fragrance, but also have broad areas to land on. Both butterflies and moths have long tongues and have coevolved with plants that have developed deep sources of nectar that are available only to certain species. Hummingbirds are also attracted by colour, especially by bright reds, and flowers that attract these tiny birds also have strong stems and are designed for pollen to be brushed on the hummingbirds' heads as they sip nectar.
Paragraph E. Bees do not see red; thus, flowers that attract bees tend to be blue, yellow, purple, or other colours. Many bee attractors also have nectar guides, which are spots near the centre of each flower that reflect ultraviolet light, making it easier for the bees to find the nectar. Bees are also attracted to flowers with a mint-like or sweet smell. Snapdragons not only attract bees visually but they are also adapted to appeal to certain bee species: snapdragons have a landing platform that, if the bee is the correct weight, opens-allowing access to the nectar and pollen.
Paragraph F. Pollinators play a major role in agriculture. While many staple crops such as rice, corn, canola, and wheat are self-pollinating or pollinated by the wind, farmers are dependent on pollinator species for many fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seed crops. Over 30 percent of the world's crops require the work of pollinator species. Bees are the most common agricultural pollinators, with crops including fruit trees such as apples and cherries; vegetables such as squash, beans, tomatoes, and eggplant; flowering shrubs and annual and perennial flowers; forage crops such as clover and alfalfa; and fibre' crops such as cotton. Other pollinators include midges (cocoa), wasps (figs), moths (yucca, papaya), butterflies (asters, daisies, marigolds), and even a few species of bats (agave, palms, durians) and humming-birds (fuchsia).
Paragraph G. Recent declines in honeybees and other pollinator species around the world have raised concerns about future food production, and many scientists have called for increased study of the role of pollinators, the agricultural and environmental changes involved in the declines, as well as the economic and environmental effects and ways to prevent further declines.
Pollination Reading Answers Sample Questions
Questions 1-5
Complete the summary below.
Choose the correct word or phrase from the list (A–I) to complete the summary. Write the correct letter (A–I) on lines 1–5 on your answer sheet.
Summary:
Most plants reproduce ______ (1), which gives them genetic variety and helps in dispersal. Some plants, like peas and tomatoes, can self-pollinate, but most depend on external pollination, carried out by ______ (2). Many plants attract pollinators by producing ______ (3), which serves as food. Butterflies and moths rely on color and scent to find flowers, while bees locate flowers using ______ (4). In agriculture, pollination is crucial, as over 30% of the world’s crops depend on pollinators, particularly ______ (5).
Word List:
A. wind
B. scent
C. bees
D. pollinators
E. nectar
F. red flowers
G. ultraviolet guides
H. asexually
I. honey
Questions 6-14
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage?
On lines 6–14 on your answer sheet, write:
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TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
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FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
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NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
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Some plants reproduce by splitting off roots, stems, or leaves.
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Wind pollination is more effective than insect pollination.
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Moths are more likely to pollinate flowers that are open at night.
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Bees prefer flowers that are red and highly fragrant.
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Hummingbirds help in the pollination of flowers with strong stems.
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Pollinators play a role in producing staple crops like wheat and rice.
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Bees are the only insects responsible for agricultural pollination.
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Certain insects and animals, including midges and bats, pollinate specific crops.
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Scientists are unconcerned about the decline in pollinators.
Pollination Reading Answers with Explanations
1. (H) asexually
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Location: Paragraph A: "Plants that reproduce asexually are essentially reproducing clones of themselves. This is a simple and direct method of reproduction, producing new plants more quickly and with less energy than plants using sexual reproduction."
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Explanation: The passage states that plants reproduce asexually, which means without genetic variation. However, most plants reproduce sexually, which allows for genetic diversity.
2. (D) pollinators
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Location: Paragraph B: "More commonly, pollination occurs between separate plants, either through pollen being borne by the wind... or by pollinators, animal species that plants rely on to help move the pollen."
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Explanation: The passage explains that many plants rely on pollinators (insects, birds, and bats) for fertilization.
3. (E) nectar
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Location: Paragraph C: "Many produce nectar, a sugary substance that pollinators use as food."
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Explanation: The passage clearly states that nectar is the main attraction for pollinators, as it provides them with food.
4. (G) ultraviolet guides
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Location: Paragraph E: "Many bee attractors also have nectar guides, which are spots near the centre of each flower that reflect ultraviolet light, making it easier for the bees to find the nectar."
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Explanation: Bees use ultraviolet guides to locate nectar in flowers.
5. (C) bees
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Location: Paragraph F: "Bees are the most common agricultural pollinators, with crops including fruit trees such as apples and cherries."
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Explanation: The passage highlights that bees play a crucial role in pollinating various crops, making them the most significant pollinators in agriculture.
6. TRUE
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Location: Paragraph A: "Some plants reproduce asexually by splitting off new roots or bulbs (e.g., garlic, lilies) or even branches, stems, or leaves (e.g., mangroves, spider plants)."
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Explanation: The passage confirms that some plants reproduce by splitting off roots, stems, or leaves.
7. NOT GIVEN
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Location: Not mentioned in the passage.
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Explanation: While the passage states that some plants use wind pollination (Paragraph B), it does not compare its effectiveness to insect pollination.
8. TRUE
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Location: Paragraph D: "Many moths are active at night and thus are attracted to flowers that are pale or white, have a strong fragrance, but also have broad areas to land on."
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Explanation: The passage confirms that moths prefer flowers that bloom at night.
9. FALSE
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Location: Paragraph E: "Bees do not see red; thus, flowers that attract bees tend to be blue, yellow, purple, or other colours."
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Explanation: The passage states that bees cannot see red, so they are not attracted to red flowers.
10. TRUE
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Location: Paragraph D: "Hummingbirds are also attracted by colour, especially by bright reds, and flowers that attract these tiny birds also have strong stems and are designed for pollen to be brushed on the hummingbirds' heads as they sip nectar."
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Explanation: The passage states that hummingbird-pollinated flowers have strong stems to support the birds as they feed.
11. FALSE
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Location: Paragraph F: "While many staple crops such as rice, corn, canola, and wheat are self-pollinating or pollinated by the wind, farmers are dependent on pollinator species for many fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seed crops."
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Explanation: The passage clarifies that staple crops like wheat and rice are self-pollinating or wind-pollinated, not pollinated by animals.
12. FALSE
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Location: Paragraph F: "Other pollinators include midges (cocoa), wasps (figs), moths (yucca, papaya), butterflies (asters, daisies, marigolds), and even a few species of bats (agave, palms, durians) and hummingbirds (fuchsia)."
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Explanation: The passage lists several pollinators apart from bees, proving that bees are not the only agricultural pollinators.
13. TRUE
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Location: Paragraph F: "Other pollinators include midges (cocoa), wasps (figs), moths (yucca, papaya), butterflies (asters, daisies, marigolds), and even a few species of bats (agave, palms, durians) and hummingbirds (fuchsia)."
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Explanation: The passage states that different insects and animals pollinate specific crops.
14. FALSE
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Location: Paragraph G: "Recent declines in honeybees and other pollinator species around the world have raised concerns about future food production, and many scientists have called for increased study of the role of pollinators."
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Explanation: The passage states that scientists are deeply concerned about the decline in pollinators.
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