IELTS Reading Practice: Koalas (Full Answer Key & Explanation)

The koala, Australia’s iconic marsupial, is a constant subject of public fascination. Yet, behind that adorable and gentle exterior lies a complex story of survival under threat. The “Koalas” passage in the IELTS Reading test is a classic example of the Animals & Environment topic, requiring readers to grasp both specific details and the author’s underlying message.

This article from ECE English will help you understand the passage, analyze the vocabulary, and, most importantly, provide a detailed explanation for every answer to help you master this reading comprehension task.

Reading Passage

Koalas

A. 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.

B. 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.

C. 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 11,000 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.

D. Bush fires pose another threat. The horrific ones that raged in New South Wales recently killed between 100 and 1,000 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.

E. 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.

F. Koalas only eat the foliage of certain species of eucalyptus trees, between 600 and 1,250 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 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.

G. 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.

H. 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.

I. 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 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 props.

Questions 1 – 5:

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

Write the correct letter in boxes 1 – 5 on your answer sheet.

1. The main reason why koala populations declined is that they are killed EXCEPT FOR:
   A. by poachers
   B. by diseases they contracted
   C. giving birth too often yet surviving little
   D. accidents on the road
2. What helps koalas fully digest their food?
   A. toxic substances in the leaves
   B. organs that dissolve the fibres
   C. remaining inactive for a period to digest
   D. eating eucalyptus trees
3. What would koalas do when facing a dangerous situation?
   A. show signs of being offended
   B. counter-attack furiously
   C. use sharp claws to rip a man
   D. use claws to grip the bark of trees
4. In what way do Australian zoos exploit koalas?
   A. encourage people to breed koalas as pets
   B. allow tourists to hug the koalas
   C. put them on trees as a symbol
   D. establish a koala campaign
5. What would the government do to protect koalas from being endangered?
   A. introduce koala protection guidelines
   B. close some of the zoos
   C. encourage people to resist visiting the zoos
   D. persuade the public to learn more knowledge

Questions 6 – 12:

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

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

6. New human settlers caused danger to koalas.
7. Koalas can still be seen in most places in Australia.
8. It takes decades for eucalyptus trees to recover after a fire.
9. Koalas will fight each other when food becomes scarce.
10. It is not easy to notice that koalas are ill.
11. Koalas are easily infected with human contagious diseases via cuddling.
12. Koalas like to hold a person’s arm when they are embraced.

Question 13:

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

Write the correct letter in box 13 on your answer sheet.

13. In your opinion, this article was written by:
    A. a journalist writing for a magazine
    B. a zookeeper at London Zoo
    C. a tourist traveling back from Australia
    D. a government official who studies koalas to establish a law

Summary of the Reading Passage: Koalas

This passage analyzes the koala, describing them as gentle creatures with no natural enemies that are nonetheless facing a serious decline.

• Causes of decline: The author points to humans (“white man”) as the primary problem. Specific threats include habitat loss (eucalyptus forests), disease (chlamydia, retro-virus), car accidents, poaching, and bushfires.
• Survival challenges: Another major issue is their slow reproductive rate.
• New threats: The article criticizes Australian zoos for allowing tourists to cuddle koalas for photos.
• Biological traits: Koalas have a highly specialized diet (eucalyptus leaves) and a unique digestive system, requiring them to sit still for 21 hours a day to digest.
• Temperament: They are gentle and non-aggressive. When bothered, they only show minor reactions (blinking, swallowing, hiccuping) rather than attacking.
• Sensitivity: Koalas are highly sensitive, prone to stress, and notably “stoic,” hiding illness until they are near death. This makes captive care extremely difficult.
• Call for protection: The article concludes with information about a campaign to ban koala cuddling and efforts to establish national protection guidelines.

Key Vocabulary & Structures

1. Arboreal (adj – Paragraph A): Living in trees.
2. Flourished (v – Paragraph B): To grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way.
3. Co-existed peacefully (v – Paragraph B): To live together in harmony.
4. On several fronts (idiom – Paragraph C): In several different areas or aspects.
5. Poachers (n – Paragraph C): People who hunt animals illegally.
6. Burgeoning forth (phr.v – Paragraph D): To begin to grow or increase rapidly.
7. Insidious (adj – Paragraph E): Proceeding in a gradual, subtle way, but with harmful effects.
8. Incarnate (adj – Paragraph E): Embodied in flesh; in human form.
9. Epitome (n – Paragraph G): A perfect example of a particular quality or type.
10. Succumb to (v – Paragraph H): To fail to resist pressure, temptation, or some other negative force (often illness).
11. Stoic (adj – Paragraph H): Able to endure pain or hardship without showing feelings or complaining.

Answer Key and Detailed Explanations

1. Answer: C (giving birth too often yet surviving little!)

• Explanation: The question asks for the reason that is NOT a cause of koala deaths.
  • A (by poachers): Mentioned in Paragraph C (“…thousands are killed by poachers.”)
  • B (by diseases): Mentioned in Paragraph C (“Koalas have been killed by parasites, chlamydia epidemics…”)
  • D (accidents on the road): Mentioned in Paragraph C (“…every year 11,000 are killed by cars…”)
  • C: Paragraph D states koalas have a “slow reproductive rate,” producing “only one baby a year.” This contradicts the idea of “giving birth too often.” This is a reproductive issue, not a cause of death.

2. Answer: C (remaining inactive for a period to digest)

• Explanation: The question asks what helps koalas digest their food properly.
  • Location: Paragraph F.
  • Analysis: The final sentence states: “To digest their food properly, koalas must sit still for 21 hours every day.” This matches option C.

3. Answer: A (show signs of being offended)

• Explanation: The question asks what koalas do when facing a dangerous situation (being bothered).
  • Location: Paragraph G.
  • Analysis: The text states they will not attack (“But attack? No way!”). Instead, “If you upset a koala, it may blink or swallow, or hiccup.” These are signs of being bothered or offended.

4. Answer: B (allow tourists to hug the koalas)

• Explanation: The question asks how Australian zoos “exploit” koalas.
  • Location: Paragraph E.
  • Analysis: Paragraph E states: “…charge visitors to be photographed hugging the furry bundles.” This matches option B.

5. Answer: A (introduce koala protection guidelines)

• Explanation: The question asks what the government will do to protect koalas.
  • Location: Paragraph I.
  • Analysis: Paragraph I mentions the Australian Nature Conservation Agency aims at “instituting national guidelines.” This matches option A.

6. Answer: YES

• Explanation: “New human settlers caused danger to koalas.”
  • Location: Paragraph B.
  • Evidence: “Their problem, however, has been man, more specifically, the white man.” “White man” refers to the new settlers.

7. Answer: NO

• Explanation: “Koalas can still be seen in most places in Australia.”
  • Location: Paragraph C.
  • Evidence: “Today koalas are found only in scattered pockets of southeast Australia…” This contradicts “most places.”

8. Answer: NO

• Explanation: “It takes decades for eucalyptus trees to recover after a fire.”
  • Location: Paragraph D.
  • Evidence: “…the eucalyptus, which grows quickly and is already burgeoning forth after the fires.” This contradicts “takes decades.”

9. Answer: NOT GIVEN

• Explanation: “Koalas will fight each other when food becomes scarce.”
  • Analysis: Paragraph C mentions food decline, and Paragraph G says they are not aggressive. However, the text does not mention how they react to each other when food is scarce.

10. Answer: YES

• Explanation: “It is not easy to notice that koalas are ill.”
  • Location: Paragraph H.
  • Evidence: “Koalas are stoic creatures and put on a brave face until they are at death’s door.” and “A sudden loss of weight is usually the only warning…” This confirms it is difficult to notice illness.

11. Answer: NOT GIVEN

• Explanation: “Koalas are easily infected with human contagious diseases via cuddling.”
  • Analysis: The text mentions cuddling causes “distress” (Paragraph H) and is poor care (Paragraph I), but it does not mention the transmission of human diseases.

12. Answer: YES

• Explanation: “Koalas like to hold a person’s arm when they are embraced.”
  • Location: Paragraph I.
  • Evidence: “…they like to cling to their handler… and use his or her arm as a tree.”

13. Answer: A (a journalist writing for a magazine)

• Explanation: The article is written in a journalistic style, presenting information objectively, citing experts, and describing public campaigns and events. It lacks the personal bias of a tourist or the specific internal perspective of a zookeeper.

Conclusion

The “Koalas” passage is not just a test of scanning skills but a profound lesson on human impact on the natural world. By analyzing the diverse threats this gentle animal faces—from habitat loss to commercial exploitation—readers can sharpen their ability to synthesize information and grasp the author’s intent.

We hope this detailed analysis from ECE English has helped you master the techniques for this reading passage and provided you with more knowledge about one of the most adorable animal icons on the planet.