Australias Megafauna Controversy Reading Answers

Jan 9, 2023

Australias Megafauna Controversy Reading Answers is an academic reading topic which discusses about the megafaunas of Australia. The given IELTS topic has originated from the book named “The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS Student's Book with Answers with DVD-ROM”. The topic named Australias Megafauna Controversy Reading Answers comes with 13 wide range of questions in total. There are three different sorts of questions, such as,True/False/Not Given, complete the following sentences, and choose the correct letter. The candidates should thoroughly read the IELTS reading passage to recognize the synonyms and identify the keywords and answer the questions below. IELTS reading practice papers can be taken into consideration by the candidates in order to score a good score in the reading section in which similar topics like Australias Megafauna Controversy Reading Answers has been included.

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Section 1

Read the passage to answer the following questions

Australias Megafauna Controversy Reading Answers

Just how long did humans live side by side with megafauna in Australia? Barry Brook, Richard Gillespie and Paul Martin dispute previous claims of a lengthy coexistence

Over the past 50 millennia, Australia has witnessed the extinction of many species of large animals, including a rhinoceros-sized wombat and goannas the size of crocodiles Debate about the possible cause of these extinctions has continued for more than 150 years and one the crucial questions raised is how long humans and megafauna coexisted in Australia. We need to know the overlap of time to make an informed choice between the two main theories regarding the causes of these extinctions. If humans and megafauna coexisted for a protracted period then climate change is the more likely cause. However, if the megafauna became extinct shortly after the arrival of humans, then humans are the likely culprits.

The archaeological site at Cuddie Springs in eastern Australia appears to be well preserved. This dusty claypan holds within its sediments a rich cache of flaked stone and seed-grinding tools, and side by side with these clear signals of human culture are the bones of a dozen or more species of megafauna. Drs Judith Field and Stephen Wroe of the University of Sydney, who excavated the site, claim that it provides unequivocal evidence of a long overlap of humans and megafauna, and conclude that aridity leading up to the last Ice Age brought about their

eventual demise. In the long-standing explanation of this site, artefacts such as stone tools and extinct animals remain were deposited over many thousands of years in an ephemeral lake- a body of water existing for a relatively short time - and remained in place and undisturbed until the present day.

There is no disputing the close association of bones and stones at Cuddie Springs, as both are found 1 to 1.7 metres below the modern surface. The dating of these layers is accurate: ages for the sediments were obtained through radiocarbon dating of charcoal fragments and luminescence dating of sand grains from the same levels (revealing when a sample was last exposed to sunlight). Intriguingly, some of the stone show surface features indicating their use for processing plants, and a few even have well-preserved blood and hair residues suggesting they were used in butchering animals.

But is the case proposed by Field aside Wroe clear-cut? We carried out a reanalyse of the scientific data from Cuddie Springs that brings into question their conclusions. The amount of anthropological evidence found at the site is remarkable: we estimate there are more than 3 tonnes of charcoal and more than 300 tonnes of stone buried there. Field and Wroe estimate that there are approximately 20 million artefacts. This plethora of tools is hard to reconcile with a site that was only available for occupation when the lake was dry. Furthermore, no cultural features such as oven pits have been discovered. If the sediment layers have remained undisturbed since being laid down, as Field and Wroe contend, then the ages of those sediments should increase with depth. However, our analysis revealed a number of inconsistencies.

First, the charcoal samples are all roughly 36,000 years old. Second, sand in the two upper levels is considerably younger than charcoal from the same levels. Third, Field and Wroe say that the tools and seed-grinding stones used for plant and animal processing are accient, yet they are very similar to implements found elsewhere that were in use only a few thousand years ago. Also interest is the fact that a deep drill core made a mere 60 metres from the site recovered no stone artefact or fossil bones whatsoever. These points suggests strongly that the sediments have been moved about and some of the old charcoal has been re-deposited in younger layers. Indeed, one sample of cow bone found I metre below the surface came from sediments where charcoal dated at 6,000 and 23,000 years old is mixed with 17,000-year-old sand. The megafauna bones themselves have not yet dated, although new technological developments make this a possibility in the near future.

We propose that the archaeologists have actually been sampling the debris carried by ancient flood channels beneath the site, including charcoal transported from bushfires that intermittently occurred within the catchment. Flood events more likely explain the accumulation of megafauna remains, and could have mixed old bones With fresh deposits. European graziers also disturbed the site in 1876 by constructing a well to provide water their cattle. Given the expense of well-digging, we speculate that the graziers made sure it was protected from the damage caused by cattle hooves by lining the surface with small stones collected from further afield, including prehistoric quarries. This Idea Is consistent with the thin layer of stones spread over a

arge area, with cattle occasionally breaking through the gravel surface and forcing the stone and even cattle bones deeper into the waterlogged soil.

The lack of conclusive evidence that humans and megafauna coexisted for a lengthy period casts doubt on Field and Wroe's assertion that climate change was responsible for the extinction of Australia's megafauna. However, we do not suggest that newly arrived, well-armed hunters systematically slaughtered all the large beasts they encountered. Recent studies based on the biology of modern-day large

Mammals, combined with observations of people who still practise a traditional huntergatherer lifestyle, reveal an unexpected paradox and suggest a further possible explanation as to what happened. Using a mathematical model, It was found that a group of 10 people killing only one juvenile Diprotodon each year would be sufficient to bring about the extinction of that spaces within 1,000 years. This suggests that here, as in other parts of the word, the arrival of humans in lands previously inhabited only by animals created a volatile combination in which large animals fared badly.

Note: The Diprotodon (a rhinoceros-sized wombat), an example of Australia’s now extinct megafauna

Section 2

Questions 14-17

Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage? In boxes 14-17 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this

Question 14 Field and Wroe argue that findings at the Cuddie Springs site show that people lived in this area at the same time as megafauna.

Answer: True
Supporting Sentence: If the sediment layers have remained undisturbed since being laid down, as Field and Wroe contend, then the ages of those sediments should increase with depth.
Keyword : sediment layers, Field and Wroe contend, sediments should increase with depth
Keyword location: paragraph 4, last line
Explanation: Field and Wroe estimate that there are approximately 20 million artefacts. This plethora of tools is hard to reconcile with a site that was only available for occupation when the lake was dry. Furthermore, no cultural features such as oven pits have been discovered. If the sediment layers have remained undisturbed since being laid down, as Field and Wroe contend, then the ages of those sediments should increase with depth. However, our analysis revealed a number of inconsistencies. So, the statement can be regarded to be a correct one.

Question 15 Field and Wroe believe it is likely that smaller megafauna species survived the last Ice Age

Answer: Not Given
Explanation: No pertinent information has been given in the passage in order to prove the validation of this sentence. So, the above sentence can be regarded as an invalid one.

Question 16 The writers believe that the dating of earth up to 1.7m below the present surface at Cuddie Springs is unreliable.

Answer: No
Supporting Sentence: There is no disputing the close association of bones and stones at Cuddie Springs, as both are found 1 to 1.7 metres below the modern surface.
Keyword : disputing the close association, Cuddie Springs, 1 to 1.7 metres below the modern surface.
Keyword location: paragraph 3, line 1
Explanation: Paragraph 3 states that there is no disputing the close association of bones and stones at Cuddie Springs. As both are found 1 to 1.7 metres below the modern surface. The dating of these layers is accurate: ages for the sediments were obtained through radiocarbon dating of charcoal fragments. Also, luminescence dating of sand grains from the same levels revealing when a sample was last exposed to sunlight. Therefore, the statement is regarded as an incorrect sentence.

Question 17 Some artefacts found at Cuddie Springs were preserved well enough to reveal their function

Answer: Yes
Supporting Sentence: In the long-standing explanation of this site, artefacts such as stone tools and extinct animals remain were deposited over many thousands of years in an ephemeral lake- a body of water existing for
a relatively short time - and remained in place and undisturbed until the present day.
Keyword : artefacts, deposited over many thousands of years, undisturbed until the present day.
Keyword location: paragraph 2, line 4
Explanation: According to the site's long-standing explanation, artefacts including stone tools and fossilised animal remains were deposited over thousands of years. It remains buried in an ephemeral lake, a body of water that existed for just a brief period of time. Also, they have stayed there, undisturbed, until the present day. The statement can be therefore concluded as a correct one.

Questions 18-22

Complete the summary using the list of words, A-l, below
The writers' arguments against Field and Wroe's analysis of the scientific data from
Cuddie Springs One objection to Field and Wroe's interpretation is the large quantity of
charcoal, 18......................... artefacts found at Cuddie Springs. Such large numbers of
artefacts would impossible if the area had been covered with 19.............. for a period.
There is also a complete lack of man-made structures, for instance those used for 20
Other evidence that doubt on Field and Wroe's claim is the fact that while some material
in the highest levels of sediment is 36,000 years old, the 21............... in the same levels is
much more recent. The tools used to process plants and animals may also be newer than
Field and Wroe believe. Further evidence against human occupation of the area is the
absence of tools and 22............ a short distance away.

seeds
stone
sand
cooking
deep drill core
water
fossil bones
sediment
storage

Question 18:

Answer: B
Supporting Sentence: The amount of anthropological evidence found at the site is remarkable: we estimate there are more than 3 tonnes of charcoal and more than 300 tonnes of stone buried there.
Keyword : amount of anthropological evidence, charcoal, stone
Keyword location: paragraph 4, line 3
Explanation: The third line of paragraph 4 questions that the case proposed by Field aside Wroe clear-cut or not. It is said to carried out a reanalyse of the scientific data from Cuddie Springs that brings into question their conclusions. The amount of anthropological evidence found at the site is remarkable. It is estimatation there are more than 3 tonnes of charcoal and more than 300 tonnes of stone buried there.

Question 19:

Answer: F
Supporting Sentence: In the long-standing explanation of this site, artefacts such as stone tools and extinct animals remain were deposited over many thousands of years in an ephemeral lake- a body of water existing for a relatively short time - and remained in place and undisturbed until the present day.
Keyword : artefacts, deposited over many thousands of years, a body of water existing for a relatively short time
Keyword location: paragraph 2, last line
Explanation: The last line of paragraph 2 portrays that Drs Judith Field and Stephen Wroe of the University of Sydney, who excavated the site. They claim that it provides unequivocal evidence of a long overlap of humans and megafauna. They conclude that aridity leading up to the last Ice Age brought about theireventual demise. In the long-standing explanation of this site, artefacts such as stone tools and extinct animals remain were deposited. Those were preserved over many thousands of years in an ephemeral lake- a body of water. It remains existing for a relatively short time - and remained in place and undisturbed until the present day.

Question 20:

Answer: D
Supporting Sentence: However, we do not suggest that newly arrived, well-armed hunters systematically slaughtered all the large beasts they encountered.
Keyword : well-armed hunters, systematically slaughtered, large beasts they encountered
Keyword location: paragraph 7, line 2
Explanation: Paragraph 7 states that Field and Wroe's claim that climate change was to blame for the demise of Australia's megafauna. It is called into question by the absence of solid proof that humans and megafauna coexisted for a significant amount of time. However, we do not imply that recently arrived, well-armed hunters executed all the large animals they came across. Recent research centred on the biology of big contemporary.

Question 21:

Answer: C
Supporting Sentence: The dating of these layers is accurate: ages for the sediments were obtained through radiocarbon dating of charcoal fragments and luminescence dating of sand grains from the same levels (revealing when a sample was last exposed to sunlight).
Keyword : sediments, radiocarbon dating, sand grains from the same levels
Keyword location: paragraph 3, line 2
Explanation: At Cuddie Springs, where both are discovered 1 to 1.7 metres below the present-day surface. There is no denying the strong relationship between the bones and stones. The ages for the sediments were determined using radiocarbon dating of charcoal fragments and luminescence dating of sand grains from the same levels. It ensures the accuracy of the dating of these strata (revealing when a sample was last exposed to sunlight).

Question 22:

Answer: G
Supporting Sentence: Also interest is the fact that a deep drill core made a mere 60 metres from the site recovered no stone artefact or fossil bones whatsoever.
Keyword : deep drill core, stone artefact, fossil bones
Keyword location: paragraph 5, line 4
Explanation: First, the age of the charcoal samples is around 36,000 years. Second, charcoal from the same layers is much older than the sand in the two above levels. Third, although the tools and seed-grinding stones used for processing plants and animals are ancient, Field and Wroe claim that they are very comparable. They are much comparable to tools discovered elsewhere that were in use only a few thousand years ago. The fact that no stone artefacts or fossilised bones were found at all in a deep drill core that was made within 60 metres from the site is also intriguing.

Questions 23-27

Choose the letter, A, B, C or D.

What conclusions did the writers reach about the inconsistencies in the data from Cuddie Springs?

The different layers of sediment have been mixed over time.
The sand evidence is unhelpful and should be disregarded.
The area needs to be re-examined when technology improves.
The charcoal found in the area cannot be dated.

According to the writers, what impact could a natural phenomenon have had on this site?

Floods could have caused the death of the megafauna.
Floods could have disturbed the archaeological evidence.
Bushfires could have prevented humans from settling in the area for any length of time
Bushfires could have destroyed much of the evidence left by megafauna and humans.

What did the writers speculate about the people who lived at this site in 1876?

They bred cattle whose bones could have been confused with megafauna
They found that the soil was too waterlogged for farming
They allowed cattle to move around freely at the site
They brought stones there from another area

In the final paragraph what suggestion do the writers hide about Australia's megafauna?

A rapid change in climate may have been responsible for the extinction of the megafauna.
Megafauna could have died out as a result of small numbers being killed year after year.
The population of humans at that time was probably insufficient to cause the extinction of the megafauna.
The extinction of ancient animals should not be compared to that of modern-day species.

Which of the following best represents the writers' criticism of Field and Wroe?

Their methods were not well thought out
Their excavations did not go deep enough.
Their technology failed to obtain precise data.
Their conclusions were based on inconsistent data.

Question 23:

Answer: A
Supporting Sentence: If the sediment layers have remained undisturbed since being laid down, as Field and Wroe contend, then the ages of those sediments should increase with depth.
Keyword : sediment layers, remained undisturbed, should increase with depth
Keyword location: paragraph 4, line 7
Explanation: Approximately 20 million artefacts, according to Field and Wroe's estimate. It is difficult to explain this abundance of equipment with a location that could only have been inhabited while the lake was dry. Additionally, no cultural artefacts like oven pits have been uncovered. The ages of such sediments should grow with depth if, as Field and Wroe claim, they have not been disturbed since they were laid down. However, our investigation uncovered a number of contradictions.

Question 24:

Answer: B
Supporting Sentence: The archaeological site at Cuddie Springs in eastern Australia appears to be well preserved.
Keyword : archaeological site, Cuddie Springs, well preserved
Keyword location: paragraph 2, line 1
Explanation: Apparently well conserved is the archaeological site at Cuddie Springs in eastern Australia. This dusty claypan contains an abundant cache of flaked stone and seed-grinding tools within its sediments. Also, next to these obvious signs of human culture are the bones of at least twelve different species of megafauna.

Question 25:

Answer: D
Supporting Sentence: European graziers also disturbed the site in 1876 by constructing a well to provide water their cattle.
Keyword : European graziers, in 1876, provide water their cattle
Keyword location: paragraph 6, line 3
Explanation: We suggest that the archaeologists have actually been sampling the material carried by old flood channels beneath the site. It includes charcoal transferred from bushfires that sporadically occurred within the basin. Megafauna remains have more likely accumulated due to flood occurrences, which may have mingled old bones with new deposits. Additionally, in 1876, a well was built on the property by European graziers in order to water their livestock.

Question 26:

Answer: B
Supporting Sentence: The lack of conclusive evidence that humans and megafauna coexisted for a lengthy period casts doubt on Field and Wroe's assertion that climate change was responsible for the extinction of Australia's megafauna.
Keyword : lack of conclusive evidence, megafauna coexisted, extinction of Australia's megafauna.
Keyword location: paragraph 7, line 1
Explanation: It is questionable whether Field and Wroe's claim that climate change was the cause of the extinction of Australia's megafauna was accurate. Given the absence of clear evidence that humans and megafauna coexisted for a significant amount of time. However, we do not imply that recently arrived, well-armed hunters executed all the large animals they came across. The biology of large modern fish has been the focus of recent research.

Question 27:

Answer: D
Supporting Sentence: However, we do not suggest that newly arrived, well-armed hunters systematically slaughtered all the large beasts they encountered.
Keyword : do not suggest, systematically slaughtered, large beasts they encountered
Keyword location: paragraph 7, line 2
Explanation: Field and Wroe's claim that climate change was to blame for the demise of Australia's megafauna is called into question. It is being questioned by the absence of solid proof that humans and megafauna coexisted for a significant amount of time. However, we do not imply that recently arrived, well-armed hunters executed all the large animals they came across. Recent research centred on the biology of big contemporary