Why Hyenas Laugh
Check you this sample text and questions about hyenas to help you prepare for part 1 of the Reading and Use of English paper.
Read the extract below and try to choose the correct answer from the four options given for each question. An example has been given (0) with the correct answer indicated. You have eight questions to answer like in your actual exam.
Why Hyenas Laugh
Hyenas are well-known for having a (0)…… laugh. Scientists who have studied hyenas tell us that even though it may sound like a laugh, (1)…… reality it is just a way in which hyenas (2)…… with each other. It is used to (3)…… fear, frustration or excitement and is mostly used during a hunt or when the pack are feeding on their prey. What sounds like laughter to humans lets other hyenas know that one of the other members of their pack has either made a kill or been attacked. When sharing the meat the sound might also (4)…… frustration from a younger animal that hasn’t (5)…… to eat anything yet. Likewise, the animal with the meat might also laugh as a warning to others that it’s not ready to share yet.
Researchers have also learned that the pitch of a hyena’s laugh varies depending on its social (6)…… among the pack. Females are dominant and (7)…… the pack, and as a result the males (8)…… to laugh more frequently with a higher pitch.
