IELTS Reading: Termite Mounds – Key Vocabulary & Detailed Answers

The IELTS Reading test from August 3, 2024, featured a fascinating Passage 3 on Termite Mounds—the unique biological structures built by termites in Africa. In this article, ECE English provides the full reading passage, a breakdown of essential academic vocabulary, and detailed explanations for every question to help you deepen your understanding and sharpen your test-taking skills. If you are aiming for an IELTS Reading Band 7.0+, don’t miss this analysis!

TERMITE MOUNDS

Could the vast towers of mud constructed by insects in sub-Saharan Africa hold the key to our energy-efficient building of the future?

A.
To most of us, termites are destructive insects that can cause devastating damage. But according to Dr. Rupert Soar of Loughborough University’s School of Mechanical and Manufacturing Engineering, these pests may serve a useful purpose for us after all. His multi-disciplinary team of British and American engineers and biologists has set out to investigate the giant mounds built by termites in Namibia, in sub-Saharan Africa, as part of the most extensive study of these structures ever undertaken.

B.
Termite mounds are impressive for their size alone; they are typically three metres high, with some reaching as tall as eight metres. They also extend deep into the earth, where the insects ‘mine’ their building materials, carefully selecting each grain of sand they use. The termite nest is contained in the central cavity of the mound, safely protected from the harsh environment outside. The mound itself is formed of an intricate lattice of tunnels, which branch into smaller and smaller passages, much like a person’s blood vessels.

C.
This complex system of tunnels draws in air from the outside, capturing wind energy to drive it through the mound. It also serves to expel spent respiratory gases from the nest to prevent the termites from suffocating, ensuring a continuous supply of fresh, breathable air. The design is so detailed that the nest stays within three degrees of a constant temperature, despite outside variations of up to 50°C, ranging from blistering daytime heat to below-freezing temperatures on the coldest nights. The mound also automatically regulates moisture in the air by means of its underground ‘cellar’ and evaporation from the top of the structure. Some colonies even feature ‘chimneys’ at a height of 20m to control moisture loss in the hottest regions of sub-Saharan Africa.

D.
Furthermore, termites have evolved to outsource some of their biological functions. Part of their digestive process is carried out by a fungus, which they ‘farm’ inside the mound. This fungus, found nowhere else on earth, thrives in the constant and optimum environment of the mound. The termites feed the fungus with slightly chewed wood pulp, which the fungus then breaks down into a digestible sugary food to provide the insects with energy, and cellulose, which they use for building. And, although the termites must generate waste, none ever leaves the structure, indicating that there is also some kind of internal waste-recycling system.

E.
Scientists are so excited by the mounds that they have labeled them a ‘super organism’ because, in Soar’s words: “They dance on the edge of what we would perceive to be a living thing. If you’re too hot you need to cool down, or if you’re too cold you need to thrive: that’s called homeostasis. What the termites have done is to move homeostatic function away from their body, into the structure in which they live.” As more information comes to light about the unique features of termite mounds, we may ultimately need to redefine our understanding of what constitutes a ‘living’ organism.

F.
To reveal the structure of the mounds, Soar’s team begins by filling and covering them with plaster of Paris, a chalky white paste based on the mineral gypsum, which becomes rock-solid when dry. The researchers then carve the plaster of Paris into half-millimetre-thick slices and photograph them sequentially. Once the pictures are digitally scanned, computer technology is able to recreate complex three-dimensional images of the mounds. These models have enabled the team to map termite architecture at a level of detail never before attained.

G.
Soar hopes that the models will explain how termite mounds create a self-regulating living environment that manages to respond to changing internal and external conditions without drawing on any outside source of power. If they do, the findings could be invaluable in informing future architectural design and could inspire buildings that are self-sufficient, environmentally friendly, and cheap to run. “As we approach a world of climate change,” he explains, “there will not be enough fuel to drive air conditioners around the world.” It is hoped, says Soar, “that the findings will provide clues that aid the ultimate development of new kinds of human habitats, suitable for a variety of arid, hostile environments not only on the earth but maybe one day on the moon and beyond.”

📝 QUESTIONS 1–7

Reading Passage 3 has seven paragraphs A–G.
Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, i–ix, in boxes 1–7 on your answer sheet.

List of Headings

i. Methods used to investigate termite mound formation
ii. Challenging our assumptions about the nature of life
iii. Reconsidering the termite’s reputation
iv. Principal functions of the termite mound
v. Distribution of termite mounds in sub-Saharan Africa
vi. Some potential benefits of understanding termite architecture
vii. The astonishing physical dimensions of the termite mound
viii. Termite mounds under threat from global climate change
ix. A mutually beneficial relationship

QUESTIONS 8–11

Label the diagram below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 8–11 on your answer sheet.

• network of 8  helps to give the termites a constant
• 9  supply and to maintain a limited temperature range
• cellar to aid control of 10  levels in mound
• top of the mound permits 11 

QUESTIONS 12–14

Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 3?
In boxes 12–14 on your answer sheet, write:

• YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer

• NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer

• NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

12. The termite mound appears to process its refuse material internally.
13. Dr. Soar’s reconstruction involves scanning a single photograph of a complete mound into a computer.
14. New information about termite architecture could help people deal with future energy crises.

Academic Vocabulary & Structures

A. Academic & Technical Vocabulary

B. Useful Structures

1. “…safely protected from the harsh environment outside” → passive construction emphasizing protection.

2. “…none ever leaves the structure” → emphasis via inversion (starting with ‘none’).

3. “…they dance on the edge of what we would perceive…” → idiomatic expression describing a delicate balance.

4. “…without drawing on any outside source of power” → “draw on” = to use or rely on resources.

Answer Key

QUESTIONS 1–7: MATCH HEADINGS

1. Paragraph A → iii. Reconsidering the termite’s reputation

🔍 Evidence:

“To most of us, termites are destructive insects… But according to Dr. Rupert Soar… these pests may serve a useful purpose for us after all.”

📌 Explanation:

• The paragraph begins by mentioning the common negative view of termites.

• However, it then argues that they are actually useful.
  ✅ Therefore: the correct heading is “Reconsidering the termite’s reputation”

2. Paragraph B → vii. The astonishing physical dimensions of the termite mound

🔍 Evidence:

“typically they are three metres high, and some as tall as eight metres…”
“…reach far into the earth…”

📌 Explanation:

• Describes the “astonishing” height and depth of the mounds.

• Focuses entirely on physical dimensions.
  ✅ Correct answer: “The astonishing physical dimensions…”

3. Paragraph C → iv. Principal functions of the termite mound

🔍 Evidence:

“…expel spent respiratory gases…”
“…a continuous provision of fresh, breathable air…”
“…regulates moisture…”
“…chimneys to control moisture…”

📌 Explanation:

• Lists many functions: ventilation, temperature control, and humidity control.
  ✅ These are the “principal functions”.

4. Paragraph D → ix. A mutually beneficial relationship

🔍 Evidence:

“Part of their digestive process is carried out by a fungus…”
“…they ‘farm’ inside the mound…”
“This fungus… breaks down into a digestible sugary food…”

📌 Explanation:

• Fungus and termites have a symbiotic relationship—both benefit: the fungus gets a stable home, and the termites get food.
  ✅ This is a mutually beneficial relationship.

5. Paragraph E → ii. Challenging our assumptions about the nature of life

🔍 Evidence:

“We may ultimately need to redefine our understanding of what constitutes a ‘living’ organism.”

📌 Explanation:

• The final sentence questions the definition of a “living organism”—the mound itself exhibits “life.”
  ✅ Answer: Challenging assumptions about the nature of life.

6. Paragraph F → i. Methods used to investigate termite mound formation

🔍 Evidence:

“Soar’s team begins by filling and covering… with plaster of Paris…”
“…carves into half-millimetre-thick slices…”
“…digitally scanned…”

📌 Explanation:

• The entire paragraph describes the Chia sẻ: