The Thylacine IELTS Reading Answers:
The IELTS Reading is considered the second easiest module after the Listening section. The passages asked in the test are generally repetitive. Therefore, students can easily achieve a high
IELTS band score
by practicing several previous questions.
The IELTS Reading
“Thylacine”
topic generally includes questions on True/False/Not Given, Matching Headings, Sentence Completion, and Short Answer Questions. Therefore, practicing various IELTS Reading practice tests on the Thylacine topic can help students develop their personalized strategies for the original
IELTS Reading Test
.
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Free IELTS Practice Tests PDF
The Thylacine IELTS Reading Answers Passage
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-15 based on the Passage below.
The Thylacine IELTS Reading Answers
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.
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.
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.
4.
Approximately 4,000 years ago, 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.
5.
The dramatic decline of 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 that may also have affected thylacine.
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. way, and it will then, like the wolf of England and Scotland, be recorded as an animal of the past.’
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 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 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 193′, 59 days before the last known individual died in Hobart Zoo on 7th September 1936.
8.
There have been numerous expeditions and searches for 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 notes below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
The thylacine
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 the first months of life inside its mother’s
3
…………………..
Decline and extinction
-
Last evidence in mainland Australia is a 3100-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 the decline in Tasmania
Questions 6–13
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1?
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 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.
The Thylacine IELTS Reading Answers with Explanation
Answer to Question Number 1:
Answer
|
Carnivorous
|
Question type
|
Sentence completion
|
Answer location
|
Paragraph 2, Line 3
|
Answer explanation:
The thylacine had an exclusively carnivorous diet.
Answer to Question Number 2:
Answer
|
Scent
|
Question type
|
Sentence completion
|
Answer location
|
Paragraph 2, Line 1
|
Answer explanation:
During long-distance chases, thylacines were likely to have relied more on scent than any other sense.
Answer to Question Number 3:
Answer
|
Pouch
|
Question type
|
Sentence completion
|
Answer location
|
Paragraph 3, Line 1
|
Answer explanation:
New-born thylacines crawled into the pouch on the belly of their mother.
Answer to Question Number 4:
Answer
|
Fossil
|
Question type
|
Sentence completion
|
Answer location
|
Paragraph 4, Line 1
|
Answer explanation:
The carbon-dated fossil from Murray Cave in Western Australia is the most recent thylacine on the mainland. It is around 3,100 years old.
Answer to Question Number 5:
Answer
|
Habitat
|
Question type
|
Sentence completion
|
Answer location
|
Paragraph 5, Line 1
|
Answer explanation:
Some major factors that contributed to the decline of the thylacine in Tasmania are competition with introduced wild dogs, loss of habitat, and disappearing prey species.
Answer to Question Number 6:
Answer
|
True
|
Question type
|
True/False/Not given
|
Answer location
|
Paragraph 5, Line 1
|
Answer explanation:
According to the passage, the thylacine in Tasmania from the 1830s declined due to the efforts of sheep farmers and bounty hunters.
Answer to Question Number 7:
Answer
|
False
|
Question type
|
True/False/Not given
|
Answer location
|
Paragraph 6, Line 1
|
Answer explanation:
According to the information provided in the passage, in 1899 there was only one successful attempt to breed a thylacine in captivity, at Melbourne Zoo.
Answer to Question Number 8:
Answer
|
Not given
|
Question type
|
True/False/Not given
|
Answer location
|
N. A.
|
Answer explanation:
There is no information provided in the passage about how John Gould’s prediction about thylacine was received by biologists.
Answer to Question Number 9:
Answer
|
False
|
Question type
|
True/False/Not given
|
Answer location
|
Paragraph 7, Line 1
|
Answer explanation:
In the passage it is mentioned that after the thylacine's population began to decline, there was minimal public demand for its conservation.
Answer to Question Number 10:
Answer
|
NOT GIVEN
|
Question type
|
True/False/Not Given Questions
|
Answer location
|
Paragraph N. A.
|
Answer explanation:
There is no information provided in the passage about the practicality or outcome of T. T. Flynn’s proposal to rehome captive thylacines on an island.
Answer to Question Number 11:
Answer
|
False
|
Question type
|
True/False/Not given
|
Answer location
|
Paragraph 7, Line 8
|
Answer explanation:
The Tasmanian government officially introduced guidelines on protection of the thylacine in July 1936, 59 days before the last known individual died.
Answer to Question Number 12:
Answer
|
True
|
Question type
|
True/False/Not given
|
Answer location
|
Paragraph 7, Line 9
|
Answer explanation:
In the passage, it is given that the last known wild thylacine was shot in 1930 and only captive specimens were there from 1930 to 1936.
Answer to Question Number 13:
Answer
|
Not given
|
Question type
|
True/False/Not given
|
Answer location
|
N. A.
|
Answer explanation:
There is no information provided in the passage about the frequency of attempts to find living thylacines.
Also Read:
Tips for Answering the Question Types in The Thylacine Reading Answers
Preparing for reading passages, especially on topics like the Thylacine, involves adopting specific strategies and techniques. Here are some effective tips for tackling the different question types in the Thylacine reading answers:
1. Multiple Choice Questions
-
Try to scan the passage to locate major keywords relevant to the questions.
-
Understand the context of the passage before starting to answer the questions.
-
Use eliminating the incorrect answers that are not supported by the text.
2. True/False/Not Given
-
Focus on the given statement to determine whether the information is True, False, or Not Given.
-
Try to locate supporting information from the text to support your answer.
-
Only adhere to the passage to collect information and avoid assumptions.
3. Matching Headings
-
Read and scan the passage carefully to identify the main idea of the passage.
-
Do not opt for partial matching of the headings. Match the main idea of the paragraph with the most relevant heading
-
Use elimination methods to identify incorrect answers.
4. Tips for The Thylacine Reading Passage
-
Familiarize yourself with the general terms provided in the passage such as extinction, habitat loss, and human impact.
-
Allocate definite time to each question. Do not spend more than 1-2 minutes per question.
-
Practice paraphrasing to use the information provided in the passage.
Read More:
How to Manage Time in IELTS Reading
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