What Do Whales Feel? Reading Answers and Explanations

Check Questions 15–26 from Cambridge IELTS 4 Reading Test 1, with answers, paragraph references and explanations.

Answer table

Question	Answer
15	taste buds
16	baleen / the baleen whales
17	forward and downward
18	freshwater dolphin(s)
19	water / the water
20	lower frequencies
21	bowhead and humpback
22	touch / sense of touch
23	freshwater dolphin(s)
24	airborne flying fish
25	clear water(s) / clear open water(s)
26	acoustic sense / the acoustic sense

Paragraph references count the main text paragraphs of this passage, excluding subtitles and the Part 1/Part 2 labels.

The nerves connected to taste buds are described as degenerated or rudimentary.

The position of baleen whales’ eyes restricts their field of view and probably prevents stereoscopic vision.

These are the two directions given for stereoscopic vision in dolphins and porpoises. Both are needed; either order is accepted.

Freshwater dolphins are the group whose eye position suggests forward and upward stereoscopic vision.

The bottlenose dolphin’s vision is especially keen in water. The air–water interface is mentioned separately.

Large baleen whales generally use the lower part of the sound-frequency range.

These two whales are exceptions with song-like or complex sounds. Both names are needed; either order is accepted.

Stroking and touching are part of the courtship ritual, linking touch with mating.

Freshwater dolphins may swim on their side or upside down while feeding.

The bottlenose dolphin watches and tracks fish above the water’s surface.

The passage explains that vision is more useful in clear open water than in cloudy rivers or flooded plains.

The acoustic sense is said to compensate for weaknesses in other senses, supporting it as the best developed sense here.