Why Are So Few Tigers Man-Eaters – IELTS Reading Answers

The ‘Why Are So Few Tigers Man-Eaters’ Academic Reading Passage is a good resource for anyone who is preparing for the IELTS Reading test. The passage that is present in this blog is similar in difficulty to the passages that you will encounter on the actual IELTS Reading test.

By taking the ‘Why Are So Few Tigers Man-Eaters’ IELTS Reading Answer, you can get a feel for the types of questions that you will be asked and the level of difficulty that you can expect.

The question types in this Reading Passage include:

• Matching Information (Q. 1-5)
• True/False/Not Given (Q. 6-10)
• Multiple Choice Questions (Q. 11-13)

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Reading Passage

Why Are So Few Tigers Man-Eaters

A As you leave the Bandhavgarh National Park in central India, there is a notice which shows a huge, placid tiger. The notice says, ‘You may not have seen me, but I have seen you.’ There are more than a billion people In India and Indian tigers probably see humans every single day of their lives. Tigers can and do kill almost everything they meet in the jungle, they will kill and even attack elephants and rhinos. Surely, then, it is a little strange that attacks on humans are not more frequent.

B Some people might argue that these attacks were, in fact, common in the past. British writers of adventure stories, such as Jim Corbett, gave the impression that village life in India in the early years of the twentieth century involved a stage of constant siege by man-eating tigers. But they may have overstated the terror spread by tigers. There were also far more tigers around in those days (probably 60.000 in the subcontinent compared to just 3000 today). So in proportion, attacks appear to have been as rare then as they are today.

C It is widely assumed that the constraint is fear; but what exactly are tigers afraid of? Can they really know that we may be even better armed than they are? Surely not. Have the species programmed the experiences of all tigers with humans its genes to be inherited as instinct? Perhaps. But I think the explanation may be more simple and, in a way, more intriguing.

D Since the growth of ethology in the 1950s. we have tried to understand animal behavior from the animal’s point of view. Until the first elegant experiments by pioneers in the field such as Konrad Lorenz, naturalists wrote about animals as if they were slightly less intelligent than humans. Jim Corbett’s breathless accounts of his duels with man-eaters in truth tell us more about Jim Corbett than they do about the animals. The principle of ethology, on the other hand, requires us to attempt to think in the same way as the animal we are studying thinks and to observe every tiny detail of its behavior without imposing our own human significance on its actions.

E I suspect that a tiger’s afraid of humans lies not in some pre-programmed ancestral logic but in the way he actually perceives us visually. If you think like a tiger, a human in a car might appear just to be a part of the car, and because tigers don’t eat cars the human is safe-unless the car is menacing the tiger or its cubs, in which case a brave or enraged tiger may charge. A human on foot is a different sort of puzzle. Imagine a tiger sees a man who is 1.8m tall. A tigress is less than 1m tall but they may be up to 3m long from head to tail. So when a tiger sees the man’s face, it might not be unreasonable for him to assume that the man is 6m long. If he meets a deer of this size, he might attack the animal by leaping on its back, but when he looks behind the mind he can’t see a back. From the front, the man is huge, but looking from the side he all but disappears. This must be very disconcerting. A hunter has to be confident that it can tackle its prey, and no one is confident when they are disconcerted. This is especially true of a solitary hunter such as the tiger and may explain why young lionesses who tend to encourage one another to take risks are more dangerous than tigers.

F If the theory that a tiger is disconcerted to find that a standing human is both very big and yet somehow invisible is correct, the opposite should be true of a squatting human. A squatting human is half the size and presents twice the spread of the back, and more closely resembles a medium-sized deer. If tigers were simply frightened of all humans, then a squatting person would be no more attractive as a target than a standing one. This, however, appears not to be the case. Many incidents of attacks on people involved villagers squatting or bending over to cut grass for fodder or building material.

G The fact that humans stand upright may therefore not just be something that distinguishes them from nearly all other species, but also a factor that helped them to survive in a dangerous and unpredictable environment.

Questions 1-5

1 A rejected explanation of why tiger attacks on humans are rare

2 A reason why tiger attacks on humans might be expected to happen more often than they do

3 Examples of situations in which humans are more likely to be attacked by tigers

4 A claim about the relative frequency of tiger attacks on humans

5 An explanation of tiger behavior based on the principles of ethology

Questions 6-10

6 Tigers in the Bandhavgarh National Park are a protected species.

7 Some writers of fiction have exaggerated the danger of tigers to man.

8 The fear of humans may be passed down in a tiger’s genes.

9 Konrad Lorenz claimed that some animals are more intelligent than humans.

10 Ethology involves applying principles of human behavior to animals.

Questions 11-13

11 Why do tigers rarely attack people in cars?

A They have learned that cars are not dangerous.

B They realize that people in cars cannot be harmed.

C They do not think people in cars are living creatures.

D They do not want to put their cubs at risk.

12 The writer says that tigers rarely attack a man who is standing up because

A they are afraid of the man’s height.

B they are confused by the man’s shape.

C they are puzzled by the man’s lack of movement.

D they are unable to look at the man directly.

13 A human is more vulnerable to tiger attack when squatting because

A he may be unaware of the tiger’s approach.

B he cannot easily move his head to see behind him.

C his head becomes a better target for the tiger.

D his back appears longer in relation to his height.

Why Are So Few Tigers Man-Eaters IELTS Reading Answers with Location and Explanation

1 Answer: C
Question Type: Matching Information

Answer Location: 3rd paragraph, Sentence 1.
Answer Explanation: Paragraph C serves to justify the idea that tigers seldom attack humans out of fear. The author hints that tigers might not even be aware that humans possess superior weaponry. Consequently, paragraph C offers validation for this assertion, making it an explanation that has been dismissed.

2 Answer: A

Question Type: Matching Information
Answer Location: 1st paragraph, Line 4-5
Answer Explanation: Paragraph A addresses the behavior of tigers in the jungle, emphasizing that they tend to be lethal towards anyone they encounter. Given this, it is reasonable to anticipate that tigers would similarly pose a heightened threat to humans when they encounter them. Consequently, paragraph A fulfills the question’s criteria and is thus the accurate response.

3 Answer: F

Question Type: Matching Information
Answer Location: 6th paragraph, Sentence 5.
Answer Explanation: In paragraph F, the author presents numerous accounts of tiger attacks on humans, with a particular focus on individuals engaged in activities like squatting or bending over to collect grass for hay and construction materials. Consequently, paragraph F provides concrete evidence that substantiates the argument presented in the question, making it the accurate answer.

4 Answer: B

Question Type: Matching Information
Answer Location: 2nd paragraph, lines 1-2
Answer Explanation: The passage distinctly mentions that certain individuals assert the occurrence of frequent tiger attacks on humans in the past. Additionally, it highlights adventure stories that depict the twentieth century as a period marked by frequent incidents of man-eating tigers. Therefore, paragraph B contains pertinent information that aligns with the question’s argument, making it the accurate answer.

5 Answer: E

Question Type: Matching Information
Answer Location: 5th paragraph, sentence 2.
Answer Explanation: The passage delves into the inherent traits of tigers, with the author explaining that tigers perceive humans inside a vehicle as an undivided entity, failing to distinguish them. This is why they refrain from attacking the human occupants. However, should the occupants in the car pose a threat to the tigers or their offspring, the tigers will undoubtedly react by attacking the humans inside the vehicle. Consequently, paragraph E presents the pertinent information in line with the question’s criteria, making it the correct answer.

Tips for Answering the Question Types in Why Are So Few Tigers Man-Eaters Reading Answers

Now let’s get started with the tips for each question type. It’ll help you understand how to approach the problem.

Matching Information

1. Underline or highlight: As you find information that matches the question, underline or highlight it in the passage. This will make it easier to refer back to when answering the questions.
2. Skim the passage: Quickly read through the passage to get a general sense of the content and layout. This will help you identify where the information you need might be located.
3. Read the instructions carefully: Before you start, make sure you understand what you need to match. Sometimes, you’ll be asked to match headings to paragraphs or statements to sections, so be clear on the task.
4. Use keywords: Look for keywords or key phrases in the question and the passage. These words are often repeated or paraphrased in the text and can guide you to the correct answer.
5. Check for synonyms: Be aware of synonyms and paraphrases. Sometimes, the exact words from the question may not appear in the passage, but similar words or phrases will. Keep an eye out for these.

True/False/Not Given

1. Focus on keywords: Identify the keywords in the statement and look for those exact words or synonyms in the passage.
2. Refer to the passage: For each statement, go back to the passage and carefully locate the relevant information. Pay close attention to the wording of the statement and compare it to the information in the passage.
3. Read the instructions carefully: Understand the difference between “True,” “False,” and “Not Given.” “True” means the information is directly stated in the passage, “False” means it contradicts the information in the passage, and “Not Given” means the information isn’t mentioned in the passage.
4. Beware of paraphrasing: Sometimes, the statement is paraphrased in the passage, so be vigilant about synonyms and rephrase sentences.
5. Watch out for distractors: The passage may contain information that seems related to the statement but isn’t directly addressing it. Don’t be tricked by these distractors; the answer should directly match the statement.

Multiple-Choice Questions

When we’re given a handful of options and each looks similar to each other then it might get tricky for one to answer it correctly. And, for that reason, we’ve outlined tips that’ll help you out for the same.

1. Pay attention to synonyms and paraphrasing: The answer choices may not use the exact same words as the passage but rather synonyms or paraphrases. Be on the lookout for these and be prepared to recognize them.
2. Skim the passage: Begin by skimming the passage to get a general idea of the content. Pay attention to headings, subheadings, and any formatting features that might signal the location of the answer.
3. Read the question first: Before you start reading the passage, quickly read the multiple-choice question. This will give you a specific focus as you read and help you identify relevant information more efficiently.
4. Eliminate wrong answers: Use the process of elimination to eliminate answer choices that are clearly incorrect. This can often be done by matching keywords from the question to the passage.
5. Don’t spend too much time on one question: If you’re struggling with a multiple-choice question, move on and come back to it later. It’s important to manage your time effectively to answer all questions within the allotted time.

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