1. Answer Key: California condor
0 in North America
1 22 pounds
2 white
3 nothing / they are identical
4 dead animals / deer, cattle, rabbits
5 100 miles
6 spread their wings /dry their feathers
7 on bare ground / caves / (and) (rock) crevices
8 both parents
Item 1: the words “at the most” in the question imply that you need to give an
exact figure in response, and the word “heavy” indicates that you need to look
for words like “weight” or “weigh” in the text.
Item 2: Notice that the examiners have used “spot” in the question as a synonym
for “patches” in the text. Obviously you need to look, above all, for colour words
in the text. Once you have found “orange”, “pink” and “white”, all in the first
paragraph, you need to read more carefully to decide which of these colours refers
to the patches under the birds' wings. Pink and orange are mentioned in the text
in connection with the heads and necks of the birds, and not with their wings.
Item 3: This is a slightly tricky question (see also item 8), because there is no
difference between the males and females. The question suggests that there is
a difference, but you do not have to believe this!
Item 4: Obviously you need to look in the text, first of all, for a word (or words)
that expresses “eating” in the question (and that word is “feeding” in the text),
and for words that indicate “food” for these birds. But remember that only three
words are allowed, so either you simply list the three types of food, or you
summarise them using the words “dead animals”.
Item 5: This question requires you to look for indicators of distances, but be
careful: “50 miles” in the text is associated with speed – 50 miles per hour – not
distance!
Item 6: There are two possible answers to this question, but you can only answer
in maximum three words, so either response given in the Answer Key is acceptable.
Item 7: Common sense might suggest that birds lay their eggs in a nest, but the
text explicitly contradicts this, so you need to read rather carefully the last
paragraph of the text to be sure you have the correct answer. The answers in
the Key separated by a slash ( / ) are all acceptable alternatives.
Item 8: Again, be careful. The question suggests that one or the other of the
parents feeds the young, but this is not the case.