What does the phrase 'nature's engineer' suggest about the beaver?
For several hundred years, there were no beavers in Britain. Hunted for their thick fur and for an oily scent used in medicine, they had vanished from the rivers by the sixteenth century. In recent years, however, small groups have been released under careful supervision, and the results have surprised scientists.
A beaver is nature's engineer. It fells small trees with its sharp front teeth and uses the branches, mud and stones to build dams across streams. Behind each dam, the water spreads into pools and marshy patches. These slow the flow of the river, so that after heavy rain the water is released gradually instead of rushing downstream. Fish, frogs, dragonflies and water birds move into the new wetlands.
Not everyone is delighted. Some farmers point out that a dam can flood a field of crops, and that gnawed trees along a riverbank may fall across paths or fences. 'I like wildlife as much as anyone,' says one farmer, 'but I cannot grow wheat under a pond.'
Conservation groups reply that most problems can be managed. Pipes can be fitted through dams to keep the water at a safe level, and young trees can be wrapped in wire. The question, they argue, is not whether beavers should return but how people and beavers can share the same land.
A beaver is nature's engineer. It fells small trees with its sharp front teeth and uses the branches, mud and stones to build dams across streams. Behind each dam, the water spreads into pools and marshy patches. These slow the flow of the river, so that after heavy rain the water is released gradually instead of rushing downstream. Fish, frogs, dragonflies and water birds move into the new wetlands.
Not everyone is delighted. Some farmers point out that a dam can flood a field of crops, and that gnawed trees along a riverbank may fall across paths or fences. 'I like wildlife as much as anyone,' says one farmer, 'but I cannot grow wheat under a pond.'
Conservation groups reply that most problems can be managed. Pipes can be fitted through dams to keep the water at a safe level, and young trees can be wrapped in wire. The question, they argue, is not whether beavers should return but how people and beavers can share the same land.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: B. It changes its surroundings by building things.
- Step 1: An engineer designs and builds structures. Step 2. The beaver builds dams with branches, mud and stones. Answer: It changes its surroundings by building things. Why not the others: It has been trained by scientists to repair rivers.: The beaver builds naturally, with no training. It can only live near bridges and other structures.: The phrase is figurative and not about where it lives. It has taught engineers how to design better dams.: This is not stated or implied.
Practise more Reading comprehension.
Free questions with an explanation for every one, and full timed Independent School Entrance (ISEB Pre-Test and 11+ CEM style) mock tests.
More Reading comprehension questions
- Why could Kofi not play his own violin at the concert?
- What does 'His stomach felt as if he had swallowed a stone' show about Kofi?
- Who offered Kofi another violin?
- What did the old woman ask of Kofi in return for the loan?
- What does the phrase 'its varnish worn pale where a chin had rested for decades' suggest?
- How did the sound of the borrowed violin compare with Kofi's own?