TPO 42 Integrated Writing Task

Both the passage and the lecture discuss certain behaviors of elephants. The reading states several beliefs about those behaviors. On the other hand, the lecturer states that those beliefs are derived from some misunderstandings about the ways that these animals act and opposes each one.

First, the passage claims that elephants know about their death when they get old and weak. That is why they leave the herds. Nevertheless, the professor denies this view and illustrates that they break away from their herds because of other reasons. She explains that when they get old, their teeth become feeble and are not able to chew normal plants. Therefore, old elephants go to find softer vegetation that usually locates near water because it is easier to eat. Eventually, they die in the vicinity of lakes and water ponds.

Second, the reading states that elephants can paint objects, so they have the artistic ability. Nonetheless, the lecturer rejects this idea and describes that the reason why elephants are able to draw things is that they have been trained to do it. She mentions that elephants have sensitive ears. By stroking ears, people teach them how to move the brushes and repeat moving them. That is how they learn this trick.

Finally, the author suggests that elephants fear of mice, rather than larger and more dangerous animals, such as tigers or lions. However, the speaker refutes it, saying that they fear mice because in their natural environment, there are not any mice, and elephants are not familiar with them. It is their natural instinct. She says that those elephants that live in zoos and are familiar with mice are not afraid of them.