IELTS Reading Answers: The Thylacine (Cambridge 17 Test 3, Passage 1)

The natural world once witnessed the existence of the Tasmanian tiger (thylacine)—a unique creature that looked like a dog but possessed tiger-like stripes and the characteristic pouch of a marsupial. The reading passage The Thylacine paints a comprehensive ecological portrait of this apex predator of Oceania: from its persistent hunting style relying on scent and its den-dwelling habits, to its tragic century-long decline under the fire of bounty hunters and the belated indifference of conservation laws.

For IELTS candidates, this is a classic text within the Zoology & Extinction topic. The passage features standard biological vocabulary and a precise historical timeline, tested through two familiar question types: Sentence Completion and True/False/Not Given. Join the ECE language center now as we explore and decode this reading passage.

Reading Passage

The thylacine

[Paragraph 1] The extinct thylacine, also known as the Tasmanian tiger, was a marsupial that bore a superficial resemblance to a dog. Its most distinguishing feature was the 13–19 dark brown stripes over its back, beginning at the rear of the body and extending onto the tail. The thylacine’s average nose-to-tail length for adult males was 162.6 cm, compared to 153.7 cm for females.

[Paragraph 2] The thylacine appeared to occupy most types of terrain except dense rainforest, with open eucalyptus forest thought to be its prime habitat. In terms of feeding, it was exclusively carnivorous, and its stomach was muscular with an ability to distend so that it could eat large amounts of food at one time, probably an adaptation to compensate for long periods when hunting was unsuccessful and food scarce. The thylacine was not a fast runner and probably caught its prey by exhausting it during a long pursuit. During long-distance chases, thylacines were likely to have relied more on scent than any other sense. They emerged to hunt during the evening, night and early morning and tended to retreat to the hills and forest for shelter during the day. Despite the common name ‘tiger’, the thylacine had a shy, nervous temperament. Although mainly nocturnal, it was sighted moving during the day and some individuals were even recorded basking in the sun.

[Paragraph 3] The thylacine had an extended breeding season from winter to spring, with indications that some breeding took place throughout the year. The thylacine, like all marsupials, was tiny and hairless when born. Newborns crawled into the pouch on the belly of their mother, and attached themselves to one of the four teats, remaining there for up to three months. When old enough to leave the pouch, the young stayed in a lair such as a deep rocky cave, well-hidden nest or hollow log, whilst the mother hunted.

[Paragraph 4] Approximately 4,000 years ago, the thylacine was widespread throughout New Guinea and most of mainland Australia, as well as the island of Tasmania. The most recent, well-dated occurrence of a thylacine on the mainland is a carbon-dated fossil from Murray Cave in Western Australia, which is around 3,100 years old. Its extinction coincided closely with the arrival of wild dogs called dingoes in Australia and a similar predator in New Guinea. Dingoes never reached Tasmania, and most scientists see this as the main reason for the thylacine’s survival there.

[Paragraph 5] The dramatic decline of the thylacine in Tasmania, which began in the 1830s and continued for a century, is generally attributed to the relentless efforts of sheep farmers and bounty hunters with shotguns. While this determined campaign undoubtedly played a large part, it is likely that various other factors also contributed to the decline and eventual extinction of the species. These include competition with wild dogs introduced by European settlers, loss of habitat along with the disappearance of prey species, and a distemper-like disease which may also have affected the thylacine.

[Paragraph 6] There was only one successful attempt to breed a thylacine in captivity, at Melbourne Zoo in 1899. This was despite the large numbers that went through some zoos, particularly London Zoo and Tasmania’s Hobart Zoo. The famous naturalist John Gould foresaw the thylacine’s demise when he published his Mammals of Australia between 1848 and 1863, writing, ‘The numbers of this singular animal will speedily diminish, extermination will have its full sway, and it will then, like the wolf of England and Scotland, be recorded as an animal of the past.’

[Paragraph 7] However, there seems to have been little public pressure to preserve the thylacine, nor was much concern expressed by scientists at the decline of this species in the decades that followed. A notable exception was T.T. Flynn, Professor of Biology at the University of Tasmania. In 1914, he was sufficiently concerned about the scarcity of the thylacine to suggest that some should be captured and placed on a small island. But it was not until 1929, with the species on the very edge of extinction, that Tasmania’s Animals and Birds Protection Board passed a motion protecting thylacines only for the month of December, which was thought to be their prime breeding season. The last known wild thylacine to be killed was shot by a farmer in the north-east of Tasmania in 1930, leaving just captive specimens. Official protection of the species by the Tasmanian government was introduced in July 1936, 59 days before the last known individual died in Hobart Zoo on 7th September, 1936.

[Paragraph 8] There have been numerous expeditions and searches for the thylacine over the years, none of which has produced definitive evidence that thylacines still exist. The species was declared extinct by the Tasmanian government in 1986.

Questions 1–5

Complete the sentences below.

Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Appearance and behaviour

• looked rather like a dog

• had a series of stripes along its body and tail

• ate an entirely 1. _______________ diet

• probably depended mainly on 2. _______________ when hunting

• young spent first months of life inside its mother’s 3. _______________

Decline and extinction

• last evidence in mainland Australia is a 3,100-year-old 4. _______________

• probably went extinct in mainland Australia due to animals known as dingoes

• reduction in 5. _______________ and available sources of food were partly responsible for decline in Tasmania

Questions 6–13

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage?

In boxes 6–13 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

6. Significant numbers of thylacines were killed by humans from the 1830s onwards.

7. Several thylacines were born in zoos during the late 1800s.

8. John Gould’s prediction about the thylacine surprised some biologists.

9. In the early 1900s, many scientists became worried about the possible extinction of the thylacine.

10. T. T. Flynn’s proposal to rehome captive thylacines on an island proved to be impractical.

11. There were still reasonable numbers of thylacines in existence when a piece of legislation protecting the species during their breeding season was passed.

12. From 1930 to 1936, the only known living thylacines were all in captivity.

13. Attempts to find living thylacines are now rarely made.

Translated Reading Passage

[Paragraph 1] The extinct thylacine, also known as the Tasmanian tiger, was a marsupial that bore a superficial resemblance to a dog. Its most distinguishing feature was the 13–19 dark brown stripes over its back, beginning at the rear of the body and extending onto the tail. The thylacine’s average nose-to-tail length for adult males was 162.6 cm, compared to 153.7 cm for females.

[Paragraph 2] The thylacine appeared to occupy most types of terrain except dense rainforest, with open eucalyptus forest thought to be its prime habitat. In terms of feeding, it was exclusively carnivorous, and its stomach was muscular with an ability to distend so that it could eat large amounts of food at one time—probably an adaptation to compensate for long periods when hunting was unsuccessful and food scarce. The thylacine was not a fast runner; it could catch its prey by exhausting it during a long pursuit. During long-distance chases, it relied more on scent than any other sense. It emerged to hunt during the evening, night and early morning, and tended to retreat to the hills and forest for shelter during the day. Despite the common name “tiger,” the thylacine had a shy, nervous temperament. Although mainly nocturnal, it was sighted moving during the day and some individuals were even recorded basking in the sun.

[Paragraph 3] The thylacine had an extended breeding season from winter to spring, with indications that some breeding took place throughout the year. Like all marsupials, the thylacine was tiny and hairless when born. Newborns crawled into the pouch on the belly of their mother and attached themselves to one of the four teats, remaining there for up to three months. When old enough to leave the pouch, the young stayed in a lair—such as a deep rocky cave, a well-hidden nest, or a hollow log—while the mother hunted.

[Paragraph 4] Approximately 4,000 years ago, the thylacine was widespread throughout New Guinea, most of mainland Australia, and the island of Tasmania. The most recent, well-dated occurrence of a thylacine on the mainland is a carbon-dated fossil from Murray Cave in Western Australia, which is around 3,100 years old. Its extinction on the mainland coincided with the arrival of wild dingoes in Australia and a similar predator in New Guinea. Dingoes never reached Tasmania, and most scientists see this as the main reason for the thylacine’s survival on that island.

[Paragraph 5] The dramatic decline of the thylacine in Tasmania began in the 1830s and continued for a century, with the primary cause attributed to the relentless efforts of sheep farmers and bounty hunters with shotguns. Although this determined campaign played a major role, many other factors likely contributed to the species’ eventual decline and extinction. These include competition with wild dogs introduced by European settlers, loss of habitat, the disappearance of prey species, and a distemper-like disease that may have also infected the thylacine.

[Paragraph 6] There was only one successful attempt to breed a thylacine in captivity, at Melbourne Zoo in 1899, despite the large number of individuals that passed through various zoos, particularly London Zoo and Tasmania’s Hobart Zoo. The famous naturalist John Gould predicted the species’ demise when he published his book *Mammals of Australia* between 1848 and 1863, writing: “The numbers of this singular animal will speedily diminish, extermination will have its full sway, and it will then, like the wolf of England and Scotland, be recorded as an animal of the past.”

[Paragraph 7] However, there seemed to be little public pressure to preserve the thylacine, and scientists did not express much concern over the species’ decline in the decades that followed. A notable exception was T.T. Flynn, Professor of Biology at the University of Tasmania. In 1914, he was so worried about the thylacine’s scarcity that he proposed capturing some individuals and moving them to a small island. But it was not until 1929, when the species was on the verge of extinction, that the Tasmanian Animals and Birds Protection Board passed a motion to protect them—but only for the month of December, which was thought to be their peak breeding season. The last known wild thylacine was shot by a farmer in north-east Tasmania in 1930, leaving the species to exist only in captivity. Official protection from the Tasmanian government was enacted in July 1936, exactly 59 days before the last known individual died at Hobart Zoo on September 7, 1936.

[Paragraph 8] Many expeditions and searches for the thylacine have been organized over the years, but none have produced definitive evidence that they still exist. The species was officially declared extinct by the Tasmanian government in 1986.

Key Academic Vocabulary Summary

Suggested Answers for The Thylacine

1. Answer: carnivorous

Locating keyword: ate an entirely … diet.

Evidence in paragraph 2: “In terms of feeding, it was exclusively carnivorous…”

Analysis: “Exclusively” is synonymous with “entirely.” The diet consisted only of meat, so the required word is the adjective carnivorous.

2. Answer: scent

Locating keyword: depended mainly on … when hunting.

Evidence in paragraph 2: “During long-distance chases, thylacines were likely to have relied more on scent than any other sense.”

Analysis: “Relied on” matches “depended on,” and “more than any other sense” is equivalent to “mainly.” The primary sense mentioned is scent.

3. Answer: pouch

Locating keyword: young spent first months of life inside its mother’s…

Evidence in paragraph 3: “Newborns crawled into the pouch on the belly of their mother… remaining there for up to three months.”

Analysis: Newborns crawled into the mother’s pouch and stayed there for the first three months. The correct noun is pouch.

4. Answer: fossil

Locating keyword: mainland Australia, 3,100-year-old.

Evidence in paragraph 4: “The most recent, well-dated occurrence of a thylacine on the mainland is a carbon-dated fossil from Murray Cave in Western Australia, which is around 3,100 years old.”

Analysis: The last confirmed evidence on the mainland, dating back 3,100 years, is a fossil. The word to fill in is fossil.

5. Answer: habitat

Locating keyword: reduction in … and available sources of food, responsible for decline in Tasmania.

Evidence in paragraph 5: “These include competition with wild dogs… loss of habitat along with the disappearance of prey species…”

Analysis: “Disappearance of prey species” corresponds to “available sources of food,” and “loss of” is equivalent to “reduction in.” The remaining noun is habitat.

Questions 6–13: True / False / Not Given

6. Significant numbers of thylacines were killed by humans from the 1830s onwards. $\to$ Answer: TRUE

Evidence in paragraph 5: “The dramatic decline of the thylacine in Tasmania, which began in the 1830s and continued for a century, is generally attributed to the relentless efforts of sheep farmers and bounty hunters with shotguns.”

Analysis: The sharp decline starting in the 1830s was caused by continuous hunting campaigns by farmers and bounty hunters, proving that humans killed significant numbers $\to$ TRUE.

7. Several thylacines were born in zoos during the late 1800s. $\to$ Answer: FALSE

Evidence in paragraph 6: “There was only one successful attempt to breed a thylacine in captivity, at Melbourne Zoo in 1899.”

Analysis: The question claims “several” were born, but the text emphasizes there was “only one successful attempt” in 1899. The data directly contradicts the statement $\to$ FALSE.

8. John Gould’s prediction about the thylacine surprised some biologists. $\to$ Answer: NOT GIVEN

Evidence in paragraph 6: The text quotes the naturalist John Gould’s prediction from his book (1848–1863) that the species would go extinct.

Analysis: The paragraph does not mention the reactions of other biologists or whether they were “surprised” by this prediction $\to$ NOT GIVEN.

9. In the early 1900s, many scientists became worried about the possible extinction of the thylacine. $\to$ Answer: FALSE

Evidence in paragraph 7: “…nor was much concern expressed by scientists at the decline of this species in the decades that followed. A notable exception was T.T. Flynn…”

Analysis: The text states that the scientific community expressed little concern (with the rare exception of Professor Flynn). This contradicts the claim that “many scientists became worried” $\to$ FALSE.

10. T. T. Flynn’s proposal to rehome captive thylacines on an island proved to be impractical. <span class="katex-html" aria-hidden="

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