Koalas Reading Answers

Dec 19, 2022

Koalas Reading Answers have 13 questions that have to be answered in 20 minutes. Koalas Reading Answers comprises question types, namely-. select the appropriate paragraph and true/false/not given. This Koalas Reading Answers topic has been taken from the book E-ENG-school IELTS Reading Test With Answers Key. Candidates must understand the IELTS reading passage to identify keywords that will help them to answer the questions. More IELTS Reading topic like Koalas Reading Answers is available online. Students can access and practice them at IELTS Reading Practice papers.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Koalas Reading Answers

Koalas are just too nice for their own good. And except for the occasional baby taken by birds of prey, koalas have no natural enemies. In an ideal world, the life of an arboreal couch potato would be perfectly safe and acceptable.
Just two hundred years ago, koalas flourished across Australia. Now they seem to be in decline, but exact numbers are not available as the species would not seem to be ‘under threat’. Their problem, however, has been man, more specifically, the white man. Koala and aborigine had co-existed peacefully for centuries.
Today koalas are found only in scattered pockets of southeast Australia, where they seem to be at risk on several fronts. The koala’s only food source, the eucalyptus tree has declined. In the past 200 years, a third of Australia’s eucalyptus forests have disappeared. Koalas have been killed by parasites, chlamydia epidemics and a tumour-causing retro-virus. And every year 11000 are killed by cars, ironically most of them in wildlife sanctuaries, and thousands are killed by poachers. Some are also taken illegally as pets. The animals usually soon die, but they are easily replaced.
Bush fires pose another threat. The horrific ones that raged in New South Wales recently killed between 100 and 1000 koalas. Many that were taken into sanctuaries and shelters were found to have burnt their paws on the glowing embers. But zoologists say that the species should recover. The koalas will be aided by the eucalyptus, which grows quickly and is already burgeoning forth after the fires. So the main problem to their survival is their slow reproductive rate – they produce only one baby a year over a reproductive lifespan of about nine years.
The latest problem for the species is perhaps more insidious. With plush, grey fur, dark amber eyes and button nose, koalas are cuddliness incarnate. Australian zoos and wildlife parks have taken advantage of their uncomplaining attitudes, and charge visitors to be photographed hugging the furry bundles. But people may not realise how cruel this is, but because of the koala’s delicate disposition, constant handling can push an already precariously balanced physiology over the edge.
Koalas only eat the foliage of certain species of eucalyptus trees, between 600 and 1250 grams a day. The tough leaves are packed with cellulose, tannins, aromatic oils and precursors of toxic cyanides. To handle this cocktail, koalas have a specialised digestive system. Cellulose- digesting bacteria in the break down fibre, while a specially adapted gut and liver process the toxins. To digest their food properly, koalas must sit still for 21 hours every day.
Koalas are the epitome of innocence and inoffensiveness. Although they are capable of ripping open a man’s arm with their needle-sharp claws, or giving a nasty nip, they simply wouldn’t. If you upset a koala, it may blink or swallow, or hiccup. But attack? No way! Koalas are just not aggressive. They use their claws to grip the hard smooth bark of eucalyptus trees.
They are also very sensitive, and the slightest upset can prevent them from breeding, cause them to go off their food, and succumb to gut infections. Koalas are stoic creatures and put on a brave face until they are at death’s door. One day they may appear healthy, the next they could be dead. Captive koalas have to be weighed daily to check that they are feeding properly. A sudden loss of weight is usually the only warning keepers have that their charge is ill. Only two keepers plus a vet were allowed to handle London Zoo’s koalas, as these creatures are only comfortable with people they know. A request for the koala to be taken to meet the Queen was refused because of the distress this would have caused the marsupial. Sadly, London’s Zoo no longer has a koala. Two years ago the female koala died of a cancer caused by a retrovirus. When they come into heat, female koalas become more active, and start losing weight, but after about sixteen days, heat ends and the weight piles back on. London’s koala did not. Surgery revealed hundreds of pea-sized tumours.

Almost every zoo in Australia has koalas – the marsupial has become the Animal Ambassador of the nation, but nowhere outside Australia would handling by the public be allowed. Koala cuddling screams in the face of every rule of good care. First, some zoos allow koalas to be passed from stranger to stranger, many children who love to squeeze. Secondly, most people have no idea of how to handle the animals; they like to cling on to their handler, all in their own good time and use his or her arm as a tree. For such reasons, the Association of Fauna and Marine parks, an Australian conservation society is campaigning to ban koala cuddling. Policy on koala handling is determined by state government authorities. “And the largest of the numbers in the Australian Nature Conservation Agency, with the aim of instituting national guidelines. Following a wave of publicity, some zoos and wildlife parks have stopped turning their koalas into photo.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation
Questions 1-5
Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D. Write the correct letter in boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet.

The main reason why koala declined is that they are killed EXCEPT FOR

by poachers
by diseases they got
giving too many birth yet survived little!
accidents on the road

Answer: C
Supporting Sentence: And every year 11000 are killed by cars, ironically most of them in wildlife sanctuaries, and thousands are killed by poachers.
Keyword: killed by, chlamydia epidemics, killed by cars, killed by poachers
Keyword Location: Paragraph C, Lines 6.
Explanation: According to the lines, koalas have been killed by poachers, diseases, and a retro-virus that causes tumours, resulting in a population drop. They have also been killed in traffic accidents, most of which occurred in wildlife reserves. However, it is not emphasised that the low survival rates of infant koalas after birth are connected to their population reduction. As a result, the correct answer is C.

What can help koalas fully digest their food?

toxic substance in the leaves
organs that dissolve the fibres
remaining inactive for a period to digest
eating eucalyptus trees

Answer:C
Supporting Sentence: To digest their food properly, koalas must sit still for 21 hours every day.
Keyword: digest, properly, sit still
Keyword Location: Paragraph F, 5th line
Explanation: Koalas are said to need to sit motionlessly (be inactive) for 21 hours per day in order to digest their meal. As a result, the correct answer is C.

What would koalas do when facing the dangerous situation?

show signs of being offended
counter attack furiously
use sharp claws to rip the man
use claws to grip the bark of trees.

Answer: A
Supporting Sentence: If you upset a koala, it may blink or swallow, or hiccup. But attack? No way! Koalas are just not aggressive.
Keyword: upset, blink, swallow, hiccup, not aggressive,
Keyword Location: Paragraph G, Lines 3-5
Explanation: Although koalas' strong claws may shred a man, they are solely used to cling on trees, according to legend. When provoked, they do not behave angrily or counterattack. Instead, if you disturb a koala, it may blink, swallow, or hiccup, indicating that it is offended by blinking or hiccupping. As a result, the answer is A.

In what ways Australian zoos exploit koalas?

encourage people to breed koalas as pets
allow tourists to hug the koalas
put them on the trees as a symbol
establish a koala campaign

Answer: B
Supporting Sentence: Australian zoos and wildlife parks have taken advantage of their uncomplaining attitudes, and charge visitors to be photographed hugging the furry bundles.
Keyword: taken advantage, photographed hugging, cruel
Keyword Location: Paragraph E, Lines 5-7
Explanation: Visitors to Australian zoos are believed to be charged to be photographed embracing the hairy bundles (koalas). They have no idea how it will harm koalas and drive them to extinction. As a result, the correct answer is B.

What would the government do to protect koalas from being endangered?

introduce koala protection guidelines
close some of the zoos
encourage people to resist visiting the zoos
persuade the public to learn more knowledge

Answer: A
Supporting Sentence: Policy on koala handling is determined by state government authorities.
Keyword: policy, state government authorities, instituting, national guidelines
Keyword Location: Paragraph H, Lines 21-23
Explanation: To protect koalas, the Association of Fauna and Marine Parks, an Australian conservation organisation, is pushing for a ban on koala snuggling. The government and the Australian Nature Conservation Agency are also aiming to implement national standards for Koala conservation. As a result, the answer is A.

Questions 6-12

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1
In boxes 6-12 on your answer sheet, write

YES if the statement agrees with the information
NO if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this passage

new coming human settlers caused danger to koalas.

Answer: Yes
Supporting Sentence: Their problem, however, has been man, more specifically, the white man.
Keyword: man, aborigine
Keyword Location: Paragraph B, 3rd Line
Explanation: It is said that the problem has been man, notably the white man. For millennia, koalas and aborigines coexisted happily. It demonstrates that koalas coexisted harmoniously with indigenous Australians for years and thrived prior to the introduction of new immigrants. As a result, the answer is yes.

Koalas can still be seen in most of the places in Australia.

Answer: No
Supporting Sentence: Today koalas are found only in scattered pockets of southeast Australia, where they seem to be at risk on several fronts.
Keyword: found only, scattered pockets, southeast Australia
Keyword Location: Paragraph C 1st line
Explanation: It is said that koala numbers have declined and that they are now only found in scattered areas of southeast Australia, i.e. in relatively few sites across Australia, rather than being ubiquitous. As a result, the answer is No.

it takes decade for the eucalyptus trees to recover after the fire.

Answer: No
Supporting Sentence: The koalas will be aided by the eucalyptus, which grows quickly and is already burgeoning forth after the fires.
Keyword: grow quickly, burgeoning forth
Keyword Location: Paragraph D, 4th line
Explanation: According to the lines given, eucalyptus grows swiftly and is already sprouting forth following the flames. The answer is No since the trees are claimed to be fast-growing and to have begun to grow swiftly after the fire, and the assertion contradicts the facts in the paragraph.

Koalas will fight each other when food becomes scarce.

Answer: Not Given
Explanation: There is no mention of koalas fighting for food in any of the paragraphs. However, it is stated that they are not very aggressive. As a result, no answer is provided.

It is not easy to notice that koalas are ill.

Answer: Yes
Supporting Sentence: Koalas are stoic creatures and put on a brave face until they are at death’s door. One day they may appear healthy, the next they could be dead. Captive koalas have to be weighed daily to check that they are feeding properly. A sudden loss of weight is usually the only warning keepers have that their charge is ill.
Keyword: stoic creatures, brave face, appear healthy, dead, have to be weighed daily
Keyword Location: Paragraph H, Lines 2-6
Explanation: It has been said that koalas are stoic creatures who put on a brave front until they are on the verge of death. It implies that koalas remain calm even when they are ill or dying. As a result, their sickness is difficult to understand, even for their caregivers, unless they are weighed. As a result, the answer is yes.

Koalas are easily infected with human contagious disease via cuddling.

Answer: Not Given
Explanation: It is not stated if koalas transmit infections from people when hugged.

Koalas like to hold a person’s arm when they are embraced

Answer: Yes
Supporting Sentence: most people have no idea of how to handle the animals; they like to cling on to their handler, all in their own good time and use his or her arm as a tree.
Keyword: cling on, use his or her arm as tree
Keyword Location: Paragraph H, Lines 17-18
Explanation: It is said that koalas prefer to cling to their handler and utilise his or her arm as a tree in their own time. This demonstrates that they like holding someone's arm when they are hugged. As a result, the answer is yes.

Question 13
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter in boxes 13 on your answer sheet.

From your opinion this article written by

a journalist who writes for a magazine
a zoo keeper in London Zoo.
a tourist who traveling back from Australia
a government official who studies koalas to establish a law

Answer: A
Explanation: The content implies that the goal is to raise awareness about the endangered status of koalas, and since visitors and zoos have been chastised, and the story has a much broader reach than only laws, it was most likely authored by a journalist. As a result, the answer is A.

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