Here are the complete A new role for livestock guard dogs IELTS Reading Answers for Cambridge IELTS 20, Academic Test 4, Reading Passage 3 (Questions 27–40). The passage explains how dogs once used to guard sheep, goats and cattle from wolves and bears are now helping to protect the predators themselves, drawing on research from Portugal, Australia, Namibia, the UK and the United States.

Everything sits on one page: the full passage, all fourteen questions, the official answer table and a detailed explanation for every answer that quotes the evidence line by line. The set opens with locating information where letters may be reused (Questions 27–31), continues with matching statements to five named researchers (Questions 32–36) and closes with a ONE WORD ONLY summary on ecological side effects (Questions 37–40). Mark yourself strictly, then see the Cambridge IELTS 20 Test 4 answers hub for the whole paper or revisit Passage 2 with the Adapting to the effects of climate change walkthrough.

Reading Passage 3

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27–40, which are based on Reading Passage 3 below.

A new role for livestock guard dogs

Livestock guard dogs, traditionally used to protect farm animals from predators, are now being used to protect the predators themselves

A. For thousands of years, livestock guard dogs worked alongside shepherds to protect their sheep, goats and cattle from predators such as wolves and bears. But in the 19th and 20th centuries, when such predators were largely exterminated, most guard dogs lost their jobs. In recent years, however, as increased efforts have been made to protect wild animals, predators have become more widespread again. As a result, farmers once more need to protect their livestock, and guard dogs are enjoying an unexpected revival.

B. Today there are around 50 breeds of guard dogs on duty in various parts of the world. These dogs are raised from an early age with the animals they will be watching and eventually these animals become the dog’s family. The dogs will place themselves between the livestock and any threat, barking loudly. If necessary, they will chase away predators, but often their mere presence is sufficient. ‘Their initial training is to make them understand that livestock is going to be their life,’ says Dan Macon, a shepherd with three guard dogs. ‘A fluffy white puppy is fun to be around, but too much human affection makes it a great dog for guarding the front porch, rather than a great livestock guard dog.’

C. The evidence indicates that guard dogs are highly effective. For example, in Portugal, biologist Silvia Ribeiro has found that more than 90 per cent of the farmers participating in a programme to train and use guard dogs to protect their herds against attack from wolves rate the performance of the dogs as very good or excellent. In a study carried out in Australia by Linda van Bommel and Chris Johnson at the University of Tasmania, more than 65 per cent of herders reported that predation stopped completely after they got the dogs, and almost all the rest saw a decrease in attacks. ‘If they are managed and used properly, livestock guard dogs are the most efficient control method that we have in terms of the amount of livestock that they save from predation,’ says van Bommel.

D. But today’s guard dogs also have a new role – to help preserve the predators. It is hoped that reductions in livestock losses can make farmers more tolerant of predators and less likely to kill them. In Namibia, more than 90 per cent of cheetahs live outside protected areas, close to humans raising livestock. As a result, the cheetahs are often held responsible for animal losses, and large numbers have been killed by farmers. When guard dogs were introduced, more than 90 per cent of farmers reported a dramatic reduction in livestock losses, and said that as a result they were less likely to kill predators. Julie Young, at Utah State University in the US, believes this result applies widely. “There is common ground from the livestock perspective and from the conservation perspective,’ she says. ‘If ranchers don’t have a dead cow, they will not make a call to apply for a permit to kill a wolf.’

E. Looking at all the published evidence, Bethany Smith at Nottingham Trent University in the UK found that up to 88 per cent of farmers said they no longer killed predators after using dogs – but warned that such self-reported results must be taken with a pinch of salt. What’s more, it is possible that livestock guard dogs merely displace predators to unprotected neighbouring properties, where their fate isn’t recorded. ‘In some regions, we work with almost every farmer, but in others only one or two have dogs,’ says Ribeiro. ‘If we are not working with everybody, we are transferring the wolf pressure to the neighbour’s herd and he can use poison and kill an entire pack of wolves.’

F. Another concern is whether there may be unintended ecological effects of using guard dogs. Studies suggest that reducing deaths of one type of predator may have a negative impact on other species. The extent of this problem isn’t known, but the consequences are clear in Namibia. Cheetahs aren’t the only species that cause sheep and goat losses there: other predators also attack livestock. In 2015, researchers reported that in spite of the impact farmers obtaining guard dogs had on cheetahs, the number of jackals killed by dogs and people actually increased. Guard dogs have other ecological impacts too. They have been found to spread diseases to wild animals, including endangered Ethiopian wolves. They may also compete with other carnivores for food. And by creating a ‘landscape of fear’, their mere presence can influence the behaviour of prey animals.

G. The evidence so far, however, indicates that these consequences aren’t always negative. Guard dogs can deliver unexpected benefits by protecting vulnerable wildlife from predators. For example, their presence has been found to protect birds which build their nests on the ground in fields, where foxes would normally raid them. Indeed, Australian researchers are now using dogs to enhance biodiversity and create refuges for species threatened by predation. So if we can get this right, there may be a bright future for guard dogs in promoting harmonious coexistence between humans and wildlife.

Questions 27–40

Questions 27–31

Which paragraph contains the following information ?

Write the correct letter, A-G, in boxes on your answer sheet.

NB You may use any letter more than once.

27. An example of how one predator has been protected by the introduction of livestock guard dogs

28. An optimistic suggestion about the possible positive developments in the use of livestock guard dogs

29. A description of how the methods used by livestock guard dogs help to keep predators away

30. Claims by different academics that the use of livestock guard dogs is a successful way of protecting farmers’ herds

31. A reference to how livestock guard dogs gain their skills

Questions 32–36

Look at the following statements and the list of people below.

Match each statement with the correct person,

Write the correct letter, A E, in boxes on your answer sheet

List of People

• A. Dan Macon
• B. Silvia Ribeiro
• C. Linda van Bommel
• D. Julie Young
• E. Bethany Smith

32. The use of guard dogs may save the lives of both livestock and wild animals.

33. Claims of a change in behaviour from those using livestock guard dogs may not be totally accurate.

34. There may be negative results if the use of livestock guard dogs is not sufficiently widespread.

35. Livestock guard dogs are the best way of protecting farm animals, as long as the dogs are appropriately handled.

36. Teaching a livestock guard dog how to do its work needs a different focus from teaching a house guard dog.

Questions 37–40

Complete the summary below.

Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes on your answer sheet.

Unintended Ecological Effects of Using Guard Dogs

In Namibia, livestock guard dogs have been used to protect domestic animals from attacks by cheetahs.

• This has led to a rise in the deaths of other predators, particularly 37 ………… . In addition, it has been suggested that the dogs could have 38 ………… which may affect other species, and that they may reduce the amount of 39 ………… available to certain wild animals.
• On the other hand, these dogs may help birds by protecting their nests. These might otherwise be threatened by predators such as 40 ………… .

A new role for livestock guard dogs IELTS Reading Answers

Questions and Answers

Detailed Explanations for A new role for livestock guard dogs Answers

Questions 27–31

27. D — Paragraph D gives the clearest case of a predator protected by the dogs: after guard dogs cut livestock losses in Namibia, farmers “said that as a result they were less likely to kill predators”, sparing the cheetahs.

28. G — The optimistic suggestion closes the passage: paragraph G looks forward to “a bright future for guard dogs” in promoting harmonious coexistence between humans and wildlife.

29. B — The dogs’ working methods are spelled out in paragraph B: they “place themselves between the livestock and any threat”, barking loudly and chasing predators away only when necessary.

30. C — Paragraph C stacks up the academic claims: in Portugal more than 90 per cent of farmers “rate the performance of the dogs as very good or excellent”, and van Bommel and Johnson report similar success in Australia.

31. B — Skills are also covered in paragraph B, which explains that the dogs are “raised from an early age with the animals” they will watch until the flock becomes their family.

Questions 32–36

32. D — Julie Young sees both sides winning: “common ground from the livestock perspective and from the conservation perspective”, she says in paragraph D, meaning saved cattle and saved wild animals alike.

33. E — Bethany Smith cautions that claims of changed behaviour may be unreliable: such self-reported results “must be taken with a pinch of salt”, her warning in paragraph E.

34. B — Silvia Ribeiro describes the danger of partial coverage: without every farmer taking part, the dogs merely end up “transferring the wolf pressure to the neighbour’s herd”, where poison can wipe out an entire pack.

35. C — Linda van Bommel sets one condition on her praise: “managed and used properly, livestock guard dogs are the most efficient control method” for saving stock from predation.

36. A — Dan Macon separates the worker from the pet: “too much human affection makes it a great dog” for guarding the front porch, not for guarding livestock — a different training focus from a house dog.

Questions 37–40

37. jackals — The summary’s first gap concerns extra predator deaths: paragraph F reports that “the number of jackals killed by dogs and people actually increased” in Namibia despite the success with cheetahs.

38. diseases — The next gap is what the dogs might carry and pass on: they “have been found to spread diseases to wild animals”, including endangered Ethiopian wolves.

39. food — Competition is the third effect: paragraph F notes the dogs “compete with other carnivores for food”, reducing the amount available to wild hunters.

40. foxes — The final gap names the nest raider: in paragraph G the dogs shield ground-nesting birds in fields “where foxes would normally raid them”.

Key Vocabulary from A new role for livestock guard dogs

Study Tips

Questions 27–31 allow any letter more than once, and this paper proves the warning matters: paragraph B correctly answers both 29 and 31, so never cross a letter off after using it once. The statements are dense paraphrases — ‘how livestock guard dogs gain their skills’ is answered by a line about puppies being raised with the flock, not by the word skills. An ‘optimistic suggestion about possible positive developments’ almost always lives in a closing paragraph, and here that is G.

For Questions 32–36, mark the five names in the passage first and read only each person’s direct speech. The statements restate the quotes: ‘may not be totally accurate’ translates Smith’s pinch of salt, and ‘appropriately handled’ translates van Bommel’s condition that the dogs be managed properly. Each person is used exactly once, so bank the certain matches first and let elimination finish the rest. The paraphrase-spotting habit behind this is trained in our True/False/Not Given strategy guide.

The summary in Questions 37–40 is titled ‘Unintended Ecological Effects of Using Guard Dogs’, which points you straight at paragraphs F and G and saves you rereading anything. Predict a noun for every gap before scanning, respect ONE WORD ONLY, and copy forms exactly — jackals keeps its plural because the passage says the number of jackals increased. Keep the whole paper inside sixty minutes with the reading time management plan and check your total with the reading band score calculator when you are done.

For more practice on this question type, study the matching features lesson and pull another timed text from the Reading Passage 3 exam archive.

Practice More Cambridge Tests

You have just handled one of the trickier Passage 3 sets, so keep going. Simply IELTS built the free IELTS reading course for exactly these question types — reuse-letter locating information, researcher matching and tight summaries — and the Georgia O’Keeffe walkthrough covers Passage 1 of this same paper if you have not tried it yet. Steady daily practice like this is how reading bands climb.