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The Koala Reading Answers

Bhaskar Das

Jul 25, 2025

The Koala Reading Answers contain 13 questions and belong to the assessment system of the IELTS General Reading test. The Koala Reading Answers must be answered within 20 minutes. In this IELTS reading section, question types include: Choose the appropriate letters, Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each, and Do the following statements agree with the information?

The Koala Reading Answers offers a comprehensive overview of Koalas who are endangered Australian marsupials threatened by habitat loss, disease, and past hunting. To practice similar reading tests, candidates can refer to the IELTS Reading Practice Test section.

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Many people love the cute koala bear. This animal has been made into stuffed toys all over the world. But it is rare to see this creature alive and moving, because it’s gradually becoming extinct.

The koala, like the kangaroo, is actually a marsupial. It contains a small pouch for its young. For this reason, the koala is not related to true bears. In appearance, it is a combination of a monkey and a kangaroo. Koalas are native to Australia, although they are now chiefly found in New South Wales and Queensland. The koala has been hunted since the middle of 20th century for fur and food. Today, anyone found harming a koala is severely punished by law.

Koalas get their endearing appearance from a covering of gray fur and little tufts of white hair on the sides of their faces. Their eyes are small and black, set in their head. They have large ears and curved noses, but no tail. They use their arms and paws to climb through the trees. Koalas have interesting living habits. They are nocturnal, which means that they move around chiefly at night. Koalas do not stay on the ground. They move from tree to tree, carefully lowering and raising themselves by their paws. Koalas have a surprisingly long life span, which can range from 9 to 20 years, in rare cases.

The Koala is the only mammal, other than the Greater Glider and Ringtail Possum, which can survive on a diet of eucalyptus leaves. Eucalyptus leaves are very fibrous and low in nutrition, and to most animals are extremely poisonous. To cope with such a diet, nature has equipped koalas with specialised adaptations. A very slow metabolic rate allows koalas to retain food within their digestive system for a relatively long period of time, maximising the amount of energy able to be extracted. At the same time, this slow metabolic rate minimises energy requirements. Koalas also sleep between 18 and 22 hours each day in order to conserve energy. Koalas eat only the new leaves of the eucalyptus, which is another reason they are now becoming extinct. The eucalyptus tree is disappearing from their natural habitats, fighting a battle all on its own.

The koala’s worst enemy, besides hunters, is fire. When a tree is aflame, they cannot run fast enough to save themselves. Baby koalas are in danger around certain kinds of lizards and snakes, though they are protected today by natural habitats set up for them. It is interesting to note that many koalas die from predation. Some are even attacked by dogs! Their main form of defense is climbing, but they sometimes try to use speed.

Koalas raise their young in a special way. A cub is usually born at birth, where it lays in the mother’s pouch. It will stay in the pouch for a little over half a year, during which the mother cleans and feeds the baby. At seven weeks, a tiny koala has a head larger than its body, of about 26 millimetres. By 22 weeks it begins to turn in the pouch and kick, occasionally looking out into the natural world. By 24 weeks, the cub is fully developed. Its brain development is complete. Teeth are fully formed. At thirty weeks, the cub climbs in and out of the pouch, clinging to the mother’s belly in agreeable weather. From 37 weeks onward, the baby is independent of the mother, although it will remain only a few metres away from her in its first few weeks. Baby koalas are strongly protected by their mothers, and the familial bond is very strong in the koala world. One can tell if a baby is separated from its mother by tiny squeaks of panic.

Because koala bears are so cute and rare, they are often found in zoos where their natural environment can be maintained. Although they only wake at night, sometimes it is possible to sight them moving around at twilight and early morning. During the day, they mainly sleep in trees, but they are fun to watch, nonetheless.

Koalas are in grave danger because of three main threats. Their source of food is depleting, because the eucalyptus is susceptible to loggers, pharmacists and changing weather. The koala’s body is also delicate, and it is extremely susceptible to diseases and bacteria not native to its environment. Finally, a certain bacterial disease is killing off many Australian koalas, causing deformity at birth and short life spans.

The largest force to contribute to koala extinction is human greed. Koalas fur are luxurious and warm, and at one point they were in demand all over the world. In 1924, at least 2.1 million koalas were exported from Australia alone! Forest clearance has also depleted the numbers of the koala, and forest fires killed off thousands through the years between 1950 and 1970. Now their greatest enemy is chlamydia, a disease that can also be found in humans. It is transmitted by sexual contact, and it has killed over three thousand koalas in the last year. The way to save koalas is clear. Their numbers have increased slightly, and actions have been taken to curb contact that will spread even further. In the next few years, their numbers may rise again, bringing them safely out of the danger zone.

Questions 14-17

Choose the appropriate letter.

14. Animals that have a small pouch include

A. koalas and bears.

B. kangaroos and bears.

C. monkeys and kangaroos.

D. kangaroos and koalas.

Answer: D. kangaroos and koalas

Supporting statement: "The koala, like the kangaroo, is actually a marsupial. It contains a small pouch for its young."

Keywords: kangaroo, koala, marsupial, pouch

Keyword Location: Paragraph 2, lines 1–2

Explanation: The passage specifies that both koalas and kangaroos are marsupials with pouches.

15. Koalas are often seen actively

A. climbing trees.

B. on the ground.

C. during the day.

D. at night.

Answer: D. at night

Supporting statement: "They are nocturnal, which means that they move around chiefly at night."

Keywords: nocturnal, night

Keyword Location: Paragraph 3, line 5

Explanation: Koalas are active at night due to their nocturnal nature.

16. Eucalyptus leaves are

A. extremely poisonous to all mammals.

B. only eaten by koalas.

C. getting rarer and rarer.

D. low in fibre.

Answer: C. getting rarer and rarer

Supporting statement: "The eucalyptus tree is disappearing from their natural habitats..."

Keywords: eucalyptus, disappearing

Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, line 7

Explanation: The passage directly states the eucalyptus trees are vanishing, threatening koalas.

17. Koalas can only stay awake for

A. 18 hours a day.

B. between 18 and 22 hours a week.

C. between 2 and 6 hours a week.

D. between 2 and 6 hours a day.

Answer: D. between 2 and 6 hours a day

Supporting statement: "Koalas also sleep between 18 and 22 hours each day..."

Keywords: sleep, 18–22 hours

Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, line 5

Explanation: If koalas sleep 18–22 hours, they are only awake for 2–6 hours daily.

Questions 18-20

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2? Write

YES if the statement agrees with the writer

NO if the statement contradicts the writer

NOT GIVEN if there is no information about this in the passage.

18. Koalas two main foes are fire and cars.

Answer: NO

Supporting statement: "The koala’s worst enemy, besides hunters, is fire... Some are even attacked by dogs!"

Keywords: fire, hunters, dogs

Keyword Location: Paragraph 5

Explanation: The passage mentions fire and predators (not cars) as enemies.

19. After a koala's brain is fully developed it emerges outside its pouch.

Answer: YES

Supporting statement: "By 24 weeks, the cub is fully developed. Its brain development is complete... By thirty weeks, the cub climbs in and out of the pouch..."

Keywords: brain development, pouch, climb out

Keyword Location: Paragraph 6

Explanation: After full brain development at 24 weeks, the baby begins to emerge at 30 weeks.

20. Koalas were hunted only because their furs are luxurious and warm.

Answer: NO

Supporting statement: "Koalas have been hunted... for fur and food."

Keywords: hunted, fur, food

Keyword Location: Paragraph 2, line 5

Explanation: The passage says they were hunted for both fur and food, not just for fur.

Questions 21-22

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 2? Write

YES if the statement agrees with the writer

NO if the statement contradicts the writer

NOT GIVEN if there is no information about this in the passage.

21. To save koala people have to save the eucalyptus.

Answer: YES

Supporting statement: "The eucalyptus tree is disappearing... Their source of food is depleting..."

Keywords: save, eucalyptus, food source

Keyword Location: Paragraph 4 and 8

Explanation: Koalas rely on eucalyptus leaves, so preserving these trees is essential for their survival.

22. After nine months a baby koala does not need its mother.

Answer: NO

Supporting statement: "From 37 weeks onward, the baby is independent... although it will remain only a few metres away from her..."

Keywords: baby koala, independent, still near mother

Keyword Location: Paragraph 6, last lines

Explanation: Even after becoming independent, the baby koala stays close to the mother.

Questions 23-26

Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each.

23. It is amusing to watch koalas …………………..

Answer: moving around

Supporting statement: "...they are fun to watch, nonetheless."

Keywords: fun to watch, moving

Keyword Location: Paragraph 7, last line

Explanation: Watching koalas move (especially at twilight or morning) is described as amusing.

24. People who cut down eucalyptus trees are a …………………. to koalas.

Answer: threat to koalas

Supporting statement: "...eucalyptus is susceptible to loggers, pharmacists and changing weather."

Keywords: loggers, threat

Keyword Location: Paragraph 8, line 2

Explanation: Loggers cut down eucalyptus trees, which threatens koala survival.

25. Foreign ………………………… in its environment are a great problem for koalas.

Answer: bacteria and diseases

Supporting statement: "...it is extremely susceptible to diseases and bacteria not native to its environment."

Keywords: bacteria, diseases, not native

Keyword Location: Paragraph 8, line 3

Explanation: Koalas are vulnerable to foreign bacteria and diseases.

26. Hunting and forest fires kill off many koalas but now their number one threat is ……………

Answer: chlamydia

Supporting statement: "...now their greatest enemy is chlamydia... it has killed over three thousand koalas..."

Keywords: chlamydia, number one threat

Keyword Location: Paragraph 9, last lines

Explanation: Chlamydia is currently the leading cause of koala deaths.

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