Where Have All Our Birds Gone IELTS Reading Answers with Explanation

“Where Have All Our Birds Gone” is Part 2 of IELTS Reading Test 13. This page gives the answers for Questions 14-27, with a short explanation wherever the reasoning is clear, so you can check your work and learn from every mistake. The task types are: Matching Headings, Matching Information, Yes / No / Not Given.

Quick answers: Questions 14-27

Question	Answer
14	x
15	ii
16	v
17	ix
18	i
19	D
20	C
21	E
22	F
23	NOT GIVEN
24	NO
25	YES
26	NOT GIVEN
27	YES

Questions 14–18: Matching Headings

Choose the correct heading (i–xi) for paragraphs B–F.

Q	Statement	Answer	Explanation
14	Major landscape change; more land farmed	x	The paragraph describes idle land being turned back into farmland.
15	Habitat loss drives bird decline	ii	Losing living space leaves birds short of food and pushes species toward extinction.
16	Who is responsible for the decline	v	The paragraph names intensive farming and urban change as the causes.
17	Countryside is essentially farmland	ix	Most of Britain's rural land is farmed, so the countryside and farmland are largely the same.
18	Other wildlife also suffers	i	The expert says bird decline signals problems for plants and insects as well.

Questions 19–22: Matching Information

Write the letter (A–F) of the paragraph containing each piece of information.

Q	Statement	Answer	Explanation
19	City changes affect bird numbers	D	The paragraph links urban change to the starling decline.
20	Sharp drop in bird living areas	C	This paragraph reports that bird habitat fell by half in two years.
21	Misconception about farmland birds	E	The paragraph challenges the belief that farmland bird decline is minor.
22	Other wildlife is equally affected	F	—

Questions 23–27: Yes / No / Not Given

Decide if each statement agrees (YES), contradicts (NO), or is not covered (NOT GIVEN).

Q	Statement	Answer	Explanation
23	RSPB is a famous international conservation group	NOT GIVEN	—
24	EU fields left unfarmed to boost fertility	NO	The passage says the schemes aimed to limit overproduction, not improve soil.
25	Habitat loss makes survival harder for birds	YES	The paragraph links habitat loss to birds being pushed to the brink.
26	Government counted only 19 farmland bird species	NOT GIVEN	—
27	More farmland is cultivated than people expect	YES	Most of Britain is farmed, which is more than people typically assume.

Tips for these question types

• Read the question first. Underline keywords, then scan the passage for the same idea in different words.
• Check the instructions. Note the word limit and whether letters or words are needed before you write.
• Review every mistake. Find the sentence that proves the answer so you can spot the same trap next time.

FAQ

How many questions does Part 2 have? Part 2 of this test covers Questions 14-27, which is 14 questions.

Why do some answers have no explanation? We add an explanation only where the reasoning is clear. Always confirm doubtful answers against the passage.

IELTS Reading Test 13: all passages
Part 1: Atlantis – True Story or Cautionary Tale?  |  Part 2: Where Have All Our Birds Gone (you are here)  |  Part 3: Life Beyond Earth

← Previous: Part 1Next: Part 3 answers →

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