GRE® Reading Practice 3

Grey Wolf

The grey wolf also known as the timber wolf or wolf is a mammal of the order Carnivore. Genetic studies indicate the grey wolf shares a common ancestry with the domestic dog and might be its ancestor. Many other grey wolf subspecies have been identified however the actual number of subspecies is still open to discussion. Though once abundant over much of North America and areas of Europe and Asia, the grey wolf inhabits a very small portion of its former range because of the widespread destruction of its habitat. Gray wolves are highly adaptable and have thrived in forests, deserts, mountains, tundra and grasslands. They function as social predators and hunt in packs organized according to strict social hierarchies. It was originally believed that this comparatively high level of social organization was related to hunting success, and while this still may be true to a certain extent, emerging theories suggest that the pack has less to do with hunting and more to do with reproductive success.

1. We can understand from the passage that the grey wolf ----.

A) is able to survive in a wide variety of habitats
B) prefers to hunt individually rather than in groups
C) was once found in every continent of the world in great numbers
D) has been proved to be the ancestor of the domestic dog and all its subspecies
E) and the timber wolf are two different species of wolf

2. It is understood from the passage that ----.

A) the number of grey wolf subspecies has been determined with certainty by researchers
B) there are few grey wolf subspecies which continue living today
C) grey wolf subspecies have increased in number in the last decades
D) it is known that many of grey wolf subspecies have already become extinct
E) there is no consensus on how many grey wolf subspecies exist

3. According to the passage, in the light of the genetic studies carried out, It has been found out that ----.

A) the domestic dog could have descended from the grey wolf
B) the grey wolf and the domestic dog are the subspecies of a kind of wolf having lived thousands of years ago
C) the dog is believed to be ancestor of the grey wolf
D) grey wolves live in very large packs
E) grey wolves live only in Europe and Asia today

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