Do Animals Dream IELTS Reading Answers with Explanations

The Do Animals Dream IELTS Reading passage explores whether animals experience dreams in the same way as humans. It discusses REM and non-REM sleep, brain activity in rats and pigeons, unusual sleep patterns in whales and dolphins, and observations of sleeping octopuses.

This IELTS Academic Reading practice includes:

• Table-completion questions
• True, False and Not Given questions
• Complete answers
• Detailed answer explanations

Try to complete Questions 1–13 before checking the answers.

Do Animals Dream Reading Passage

Studies using electrodes attached to the heads of sleepers have shown that when we sleep, we do so in two ways that alternate throughout the night. The first is rapid eye movement, or REM sleep, which is also called active sleep.

During this stage, our eyes move even though our eyelids are closed. Our muscles may also twitch slightly, although they remain largely paralysed so that we do not hurt ourselves.

In contrast, we also experience non-REM sleep, during which we barely move at all. Most dream states, especially the most vivid dreams, occur during REM sleep.

There is some evidence that other mammals may also dream. Researchers compared the brain patterns of rats running through a maze while awake with their brain patterns during REM sleep.

The researchers discovered that the patterns were very similar. They concluded that the sleeping rats might have been dreaming about travelling through the maze.

Finding evidence of dreaming in non-mammals has proved more difficult. Their brains are very different from those of humans, and recording their brain activity while they are asleep can be challenging.

However, researchers recently succeeded in recording brain activity in sleeping pigeons. As with mammals, the recordings revealed both REM and non-REM sleep.

During REM sleep, activity was particularly high in the parts of the pigeons’ brains responsible for processing visual information. These areas were especially associated with physical activities such as flying.

This suggests that the pigeons may have been dreaming about flying.

Dreaming and REM sleep are unlikely to be universal throughout the animal kingdom. Sponges, for example, do not have brains and therefore lack the biological machinery required for dreaming.

Whales and dolphins have unusual sleep patterns. They do not shut down their entire brain while sleeping. Instead, they keep half of their brain awake.

They also show no signs of REM sleep. This suggests that they may only experience non-REM dreams, which are generally less vivid.

Scientists believe whales and dolphins may avoid REM sleep because animals become more vulnerable to extremes of temperature during this sleep stage.

Evidence from birds and mammals suggests that REM sleep and dreaming are important for learning and forming memories.

When events are replayed in dreams, they may help integrate memories into longer-term storage. Animals may have needed dreaming after they developed moderately complex lifestyles.

However, scientists still do not understand how outward behaviour relates to internal experiences.

People may interpret the twitching limbs and quiet barks of sleeping dogs as evidence that they are chasing something in their dreams. However, there is no way to confirm what the dogs are actually experiencing.

In 2019, David Scheel of Alaska Pacific University housed an octopus named Heidi in a tank in his living room while making a documentary.

During the night, Heidi’s limbs and head moved, and her skin rapidly changed colour. Her behaviour made it appear as though she was pursuing a crab.

Another report described a sleeping octopus named Costello that appeared to be having a nightmare.

Costello moved violently, extended his mantle to make himself appear larger and squirted ink as though he were being attacked by a predator.

Scheel stated that the study was interesting but was based on only one animal. He argued that brain imaging, as well as the observation of outward behaviour, would be necessary to prove that octopuses replay waking experiences in their dreams.

Humans may never be able to experience the dreams of animals or even the dreams of other humans.

However, people can try to imagine animal dreams by understanding how different animals experience the world.

Vision is the dominant sense for many humans, so human dreams are often highly visual. Dogs mainly navigate the world using smell, while spiders rely more heavily on vibrations.

Dreaming may have served several purposes since complex animals first evolved. Understanding these purposes may also help researchers discover the true purpose of human dreams.

Questions 1–5: Table Completion

Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.

Questions 6–13: True, False or Not Given

Write:

• TRUE if the statement agrees with the passage
• FALSE if the statement contradicts the passage
• NOT GIVEN if the information is not stated

6. Dreaming about past experiences helps us create lasting memories of them.
7. It is now possible to identify the type of dream a dog is having.
8. David Scheel’s documentary influenced other research into the sleeping patterns of octopuses.
9. While asleep, the octopus called Costello reacted as though it was hunting.
10. Scheel believes that further research into octopuses’ dreams is necessary.
11. We may soon be able to share the dreams of other human beings.
12. Hearing may be an important part of the dreams of some animals.
13. Interest in the reasons why humans dream has increased greatly in recent times.

Do Animals Dream IELTS Reading Answers

Answer Explanations

1. rats

The passage compares the brain patterns of rats while they were running through a maze and while they were sleeping.

2. visual

Activity was recorded in brain areas responsible for processing visual information.

3. half

Whales and dolphins keep half of their brain awake while sleeping.

4. temperature

REM sleep may make animals more vulnerable to extremes of temperature.

5. vivid

Non-REM dreams are described as less vivid.

6. TRUE

The passage says that replaying events in dreams helps integrate memories into longer-term storage.

7. FALSE

The passage states that people cannot confirm what sleeping dogs are internally experiencing.

8. NOT GIVEN

The documentary is mentioned, but the passage does not say that it influenced other studies.

9. FALSE

Costello behaved as though he was being attacked, not as though he was hunting.

10. TRUE

Scheel says that brain imaging is needed, which shows that further research is necessary.

11. FALSE

The passage states that humans may never experience the dreams of other humans.

12. NOT GIVEN

Vision, smell and vibrations are mentioned, but hearing is not discussed.

13. NOT GIVEN

The passage does not compare current interest in dreaming with interest in previous years.

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