(1 hour 10 minutes)
T. rex
Tyrannosaurus rex would have struggled to make a meal out of Usain Bolt, according to scientists who have tried to work out how fast the nine-ton predator might have been able to run.
T. rex was one of the largest land carnivores to have walked the earth, measuring up to 13 metres in length and standing four metres tall at the hips. The species is valuable to researchers because the
relatively large number of fossils found makes it easier to study. Researchers have been debating over the speed of dinosaurs – and of T. rex specifically – for years. Reconstructions of dinosaurs toward the end of the 19th century often depicted them as fast-moving creatures, but by the mid-twentieth century, that vision had been turned on its head.
Large, bipedal theropods like T. rex were often presented with a massive skull, standing completely upright, their long, heavy tails dragging along behind them in a manner suggestive of slow, lumbering locomotion. The theory was that they perhaps relied on ambushing prey or scavenging for carrion, rather than hunting, to get their food.
Over the last few decades, however, the standard model of T. rex locomotion has been revised yet again. Some studies have pushed for a ‘fast-running’ T. rex hypothesis – claiming that the tyrant lizard may have been capable of speeds in excess of 70 kilometres per hour – but more recent investigations now suggest that T. rex was neither sloth-like nor super-swift.
The latest research suggests the beast compensated for its bulk by growing massive leg muscles, and that the peak speed T. rex might have achieved was about 30 kph for a very fit or slim specimen, but for most it would have been closer to 25 kph.
Computerised models of T. rex have been created which show how its muscles might have worked. Despite being faster than most humans, T. rex would still probably have been slower than many smaller animals better designed for speed. This means that they may have hunted in packs and communicated with each other, which would 5 10 15 20 25 30 35
Disclaimer: Please note that this practice progression test has not been produced by Cambridge International Examinations and it should not be assumed that Cambridge progression tests will follow this exact pattern.
The total number of marks for this paper is 50.
Section A: Reading – Non-fi ction (20 marks)
1 What information cannot be found in the passage? Tick one box.
The appearance of T. rex The speed of T. rex The diet of T. rex
The way T. rex got its food [1]
2 What would be the best summary of what researchers believe about T. rex, according
to the passage? Tick one box. They were very slow. They were very fast.
They were slower than most other animals.
They were faster than most humans. [1]
3 Find synonyms in the passage for:
a theory b example [1]
4 Give the meaning of each of these words as they are used in the passage. In each case
give one word or a short phrase.
a relatively b depicted c ambushing
d tyrant [2]
5 The writer’s choice of vocabulary and idioms adds effects. Find words or phrases in
the text which mean:
a clumsy and heavy movement b slow-moving
c argued in favour of
d completely reversed [2]
6 Find a participle phrase, a modal verb form and a conditional verb form in this sentence:
Tyrannosaurus rex would have struggled to make a meal out of Usain Bolt, according to scientists who have tried to work out how fast the nine-ton predator might have been able to run.
a a participle phrase [1]
b a modal verb form [1]
7 Rewrite this sentence, using the same words, so that it begins with the subordinate
clause. Use correct punctuation.
The species is valuable to researchers because the relatively large number of fossils found makes it easier to study.
[1]
8 Why does the writer use dashes in the third paragraph?
[1]
9 Punctuate this text, using two commas, two hyphens, a colon and a semi-colon.
T. rex was neither super fast like some other contemporary creatures nor ultra slow it was probably able to run at an average speed of 25 kph slower
than the fastest humans. [3]
Read this extract about the reptiles found on the Galapagos Islands by the explorer Charles Darwin and then answer the questions.
Reptiles of the Galapagos
It was in September 1835 that the Beagle put into the remote Galapagos Islands. Situated far from any mainland, the Galapagos Islands existed in deep and rarely disturbed isolation from the rest of the world. The islands were named after the large tortoises which abound there, the famed giant, slow-moving creatures with shells a metre in diameter. Darwin estimated that they weighed 90 kilos each. They seemed to Darwin like the inhabitants of another planet. Indeed, the entire area resembled a piece of another world, for its plants and animals
were unlike those of any other place. Next to the tortoises, the most striking things were the lizards which lived, like the tortoises, upon cacti, and, also like them, dug underground tunnels. As he climbed over black volcanic rocks, Darwin had to push aside ‘disgusting clumsy lizards’ that crawled and swarmed over the beach. So
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10 Make a list of four impressions Darwin had of the Galapagos Islands and their inhabitants. 1 2 3 4 [2]
11 List the similarities and differences between the giant tortoises and giant lizards
described in the passage.
Similarities Differences
[3]
This is the description in Darwin’s diary of the giant lizard:
‘We here have another large Reptile in great numbers; it is a great Lizard, from 10–15 lb. [fi ve–seven kilos] in weight & two – four feet in length [60–120 cm]; is in structure closely allied to those “imps of darkness” which frequent the sea-shore. This one inhabits burrows to which it hurries when frightened, with quick & clumsy gait. They have a ridge & spines along the back; are coloured an orange yellow, with the hinder part of back brick red. They are hideous animals; but are considered good food: this day forty were collected.’
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Section B: Writing – Non-fi ction (30 marks)
12 You are interested in dinosaurs and lizards. Write an article for your school magazine
about Tyrannosaurus rex and the lizards of the Galapagos. You will need to think about:
• what is known and what is not yet certain about T. rex
• what Darwin discovered about giant lizards when he set foot on the Galapagos Islands
• what makes dinosaurs and lizards a fascinating study for adults and children. Write your plan here.
Purpose and Audience [7] Punctuation [5]
Text Structure [7] Spelling [4]
