Restoring Urban Wetlands: Reading Answers & Explanations
IELTS Reading practice test · 14 questionsAcademicmedium
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About this passage
The passage opens: “Wetlands are areas of land where water covers the soil, or lies just beneath its surface, for at least part of the year. They include marshes, swamps, bogs and the muddy margins of rivers and lakes.”
- Passage length: about 755 words
- Questions: 14
- Question types: True / False / Not Given, Multiple Choice, Short Answer
“Restoring Urban Wetlands” is an original IELTS-style practice passage written by IELTS-Bank. It is not taken from an official IELTS or Cambridge test, so these answers only apply to our version.
Answer key at a glance
Restoring Urban Wetlands answers with explanations
Questions 1–6: True / False / Not Given
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage? Write TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN.
- 1
For much of the past two hundred years, wetlands near cities were viewed as worthless land.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 1 “For much of the past two centuries, wetlands close to towns and cities were regarded as wasteland: damp, unproductive and a breeding ground for disease.”
- 2
Cities that have lost their wetlands tend to be better protected against sudden flooding.
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Answer: FALSE
Why: This sentence directly contradicts the statement, so the answer is FALSE.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “Cities that have lost their wetlands are therefore often more vulnerable to sudden flooding.”
- 3
Draining a wetland releases much of the carbon that its plants and soils had stored.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “When wetlands are drained, much of that stored carbon is released.”
- 4
Restoring a wetland can usually be achieved simply by allowing water to flood back onto the land.
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Answer: FALSE
Why: This sentence directly contradicts the statement, so the answer is FALSE.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “Restoration itself is rarely as simple as letting water flood back onto drained land.”
- 5
Wetland restoration projects cost more than building housing on the same land.
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Answer: NOT GIVEN
Why: The statement claims that wetland restoration projects cost more than building housing, but the passage does not confirm or deny this, instead discussing the complexity and time required for successful restoration.
Closest related text · Paragraph 5 “A successful restoration can take many years before the habitat begins to function as a natural wetland would.”
- 6
Climate change introduces uncertainty into wetland restoration because of rising seas and changing rainfall.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 7 “Climate change adds further uncertainty, since rising sea levels and shifting rainfall patterns may alter the conditions that a restored site was designed for.”
Question 7: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. a sponge
- B. a drain
- C. a reservoir
- D. a filter
- 7
The passage compares a wetland's response to heavy rainfall to the behaviour of
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Answer: A — a sponge
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports A — a sponge.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “A wetland behaves rather like a sponge, absorbing heavy rainfall and the surges that follow storms, then releasing the water slowly over the following days and weeks.”
Question 8: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. By speeding water rapidly into drains
- B. By trapping or breaking down pollutants and excess nutrients as water moves slowly through them
- C. By adding chemicals that neutralise pollution
- D. By storing water underground indefinitely
- 8
How do wetlands help improve water quality according to the passage?
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Answer: B — By trapping or breaking down pollutants and excess nutrients as water moves slowly through them
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — By trapping or breaking down pollutants and excess nutrients as water moves slowly through them.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “As water moves slowly through the reeds, sediments and the roots of aquatic plants, pollutants and excess nutrients are trapped or broken down by microorganisms.”
Question 9: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. They provide permanent breeding grounds
- B. They offer staging posts to rest and feed on long journeys
- C. They protect the birds from predators
- D. They supply the only source of fresh water in cities
- 9
Why are wetlands especially important to migratory species?
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Answer: B — They offer staging posts to rest and feed on long journeys
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — They offer staging posts to rest and feed on long journeys.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “Migratory species, in particular, rely on wetlands as staging posts where they can rest and feed on long journeys between breeding and wintering grounds.”
Question 10: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. pay for its construction
- B. protect it from littering, pollution and encroachment
- C. remove invasive species themselves
- D. oppose new housing developments
- 10
According to the passage, community support matters to a restoration project mainly because residents who value a wetland are more likely to
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Answer: B — protect it from littering, pollution and encroachment
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — protect it from littering, pollution and encroachment.
Evidence · Paragraph 6 “Where residents value a restored wetland, they are more likely to protect it from littering, pollution and encroachment.”
Questions 11–14: Short Answer
Answer the questions below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
- 11
Which service, involving the absorption of storm surges, is described as among the most valuable that wetlands provide?(max 2 words)
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Answer: flood control
Why: The answer “flood control” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “Among the most valuable of these services is flood control.”
- 12
What breaks down pollutants and excess nutrients as water passes through a wetland?(max 2 words)
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Answer: microorganisms
Why: The answer “microorganisms” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “…pollutants and excess nutrients are trapped or broken down by microorganisms.”
- 13
What kind of species, which colonise disturbed sites, must be controlled during restoration?(max 2 words)
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Answer: invasive species (also accepted: invasive)
Why: The answer “invasive species” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “Invasive species that have colonised the disturbed site have to be controlled so that they do not crowd out the plants the project is trying to establish.”
- 14
As what type of outdoor space do schools frequently use nearby wetlands?(max 2 words)
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Answer: outdoor classrooms (also accepted: classrooms / outdoor classroom)
Why: The answer “outdoor classrooms” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 6 “Schools frequently use nearby wetlands as outdoor classrooms, and volunteers help with tasks such as planting and monitoring wildlife.”
Estimated band score for this test
Your raw score out of 14 scaled to the 40-question IELTS Reading (Academic) conversion table. This is the same estimate the practice page shows after you submit. A single passage is a small sample, so treat it as a guide.
| Correct answers | Estimated band |
|---|---|
| 14 / 14 | 9.0 |
| 13 / 14 | 8.5 |
| 12 / 14 | 7.5 |
| 11 / 14 | 7.0 |
| 10 / 14 | 6.5 |
| 8–9 / 14 | 6.0 |
| 7 / 14 | 5.5 |
| 6 / 14 | 5.0 |
| 5 / 14 | 4.5 |
| 4 / 14 | 4.0 |
| 3 / 14 | 3.5 |
| 2 / 14 | 3.0 |
| 1 / 14 | 2.0 |
| 0 / 14 | 0.0 |
Full-test score? Use the IELTS band calculator.
Tips for the question types in this test
True / False / Not Given
- Read the statement first and underline the key idea, especially any qualifiers like "all", "only", "never", "always", "more than" or dates and numbers.
- Because the questions follow the order of the passage, scan for the paragraph that deals with the same topic rather than re-reading everything.
Common trap: Confusing "False" with "Not Given": choose False only when the passage actively contradicts the statement; if the passage is silent, it is Not Given.
Full True / False / Not Given strategyMultiple Choice
- Read the question stem carefully before the options so you know exactly what is being asked.
- Because multiple-choice questions follow passage order, locate the relevant section and read it in full — the answer usually depends on more than one sentence.
Common trap: Distractors that use exact words from the passage but distort the meaning.
Full Multiple Choice strategyShort Answer
- Read the instructions and note the exact word limit; going over it means zero marks even if the meaning is right.
- Turn each question into a set of keywords and predict what kind of answer it needs (a person, a date, a place, a noun).
Common trap: Exceeding the word limit (writing four words when only three are allowed).
Full Short Answer strategyPractise “Restoring Urban Wetlands” under exam conditions
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