Australia's Lost Giants IELTS Reading Answers
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Practice IELTS Reading with “Australia’s Lost Giants.” This article provides full answers, explanations, and expert tips to help you understand the passage, enhance accuracy, and achieve a higher band score in the Reading module.
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This article provides the IELTS Reading answers for “Australia’s Lost Giants.” This passage is taken from a real IELTS Reading test and is ideal for practising a variety of question types. The Reading Module can be one of the highest-scoring sections for IELTS candidates with consistent practice. To achieve a strong score, it is essential to understand how to approach each question type and locate answers efficiently.
By reviewing sample reading questions and answers from past IELTS papers, learners can enhance their comprehension skills and improve accuracy. Attempt the practice test “Australia’s Lost Giants” below, and explore more IELTS reading exercises on IELTSMaterial.com to boost your performance.
Not sure how to answer IELTS Reading True/False/Not Given questions? Check out the guide below to learn now!
For more Matching Information Questions practice, take a look at Matching Information IELTS Reading!
Australia’s Lost Giants IELTS Reading Passage
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on the Reading Passage below.
A. The Victorian Cave was explored by a fossil hunter named Rod Wells, who came to Naracoorte, South Australia, in 1969. The narrow passages, which were distinctly clawed, led to huge chambers. The ground had red soil, and the floor was bedraggled with strange objects. It took Wells a moment to acknowledge that what he was checking out were the bones of thousands of animals that might have fallen from openings in the ground above and gotten stuck. Compared to the mammals found today in Australia, some of the oldest were far more sizable. These bones belonged to Australian megafauna—giant mammals of the Pleistocene epoch. Across the continent, in boneyards, fossils of a giant snake, a huge flightless bird, and a seven-foot kangaroo, to give some examples, were discovered by scientists. Considering the amount of light cast on the extinction of the dinosaurs, it's surprising that a little has been discovered about megafauna. Prehistoric humans never harmed Tyrannosaurus rex with spears, although they did hunt mammoths and mastodons.
B. Soon after the arrival of humans, the extinction of megafauna in America, including mammoths, saber-toothed cats, and gigantic sloths, occurred around 13,000 years ago. A paleoecologist named Paul Martin published a hypothesis known as the "blitzkrieg hypothesis" in the 1960s. Modern people caused chaos in the Americas by killing animals with spears. These animals had never seen a smart predator before, so they couldn't defend themselves.But this period of extinction was not complete. On the continent, North America retained its deer, black bears, and a small type of bison, and on the continent, South America had its jaguars and llamas.
C. It is confounding to witness the melancholy of Australia's large animals. For quite a long time, researchers put aside any other causes for extinction other than environmental changes. To be sure, Australia has been drying out for more than 1,000,000 years, and the megafauna were confronted with a landmass where vegetation had started to vanish. Tim Flannery, an Australian paleontologist, proposed that people who moved onto the continent around 50 centuries ago used fire to hunt. This was accompanied by deforestation. Something worrisome occurred to Australia's predominant land animals-somewhere around 46,000 years ago, not long after the intrusion of a profoundly wise hunter with excellent tools.
D. The controversy over megafauna revolves around the methods for dating old bones and the sediments in which they are buried. Only if scholars can demonstrate that the extinction of megafauna occurred within a few centuries, or possibly a couple thousand years, of the emergence of humans would the argument be strengthened-regardless of whether it was merely coincidental. Cuddie Springs in New South Wales can demonstrate this case without a shadow of a doubt. Judith Field, an archaeologist, is currently the most vocal. In 1991, she discovered megafauna bones as well as stone tools. This was a significant discovery. She claims there are two strata displaying the affiliation, one around 30,000 years old and the other around 35,000 years old. This suggests that people and megafauna coexisted in Australia for at least 20 thousand years. "What Cuddie Springs reveals is that you have a long cross-over of people and megafauna that existed together," Field added. Critics argue that the original locations of fossils were altered and were replaced by younger sediments.
E. Another renowned boneyard in a similar area is a spot called Wellington Caverns,Diprotodon, the largest known marsupial (an animal that, like kangaroos and koalas, bears its young in a pouch), was discovered.In 1830 a regional officer, George Rankin lowered down himself into the cave utilizing a rope snared to a hole in a cave wall. The hole was actually a bone. 12 months later a surveyor, Thomas Mitchell examined the caves in the area and gave Richard Owen, British paleontologist , who was recognised later for unraveling the existence of dinosaurs. extinct marsupial’s cave bones were found in Wellington. In 1909 and 1915 sediments in Mammoth Cave that consisted of fossils were dug out and studied in haphazard manner as a result of this no scolar agreed with these findings. Yet, a single bone particularly captured dramatic attention : a femur with a wound in it, possibly left there by a sharp tool.
F. Sadly, the Earth conserves its history in a chaotic manner.Bones degrade , the land erodes, the climate changes, the mere existence of forests is uncertain , rivers change their course and the history slowly gets disguised. Sadly, the Earth conserves its history in a chaotic manner. The storys constructed from time to time have limited information. Various rock art portrayed Australia's first people. The paintings of Palorchestes, a megafauna marsupial , on rock, in far northern Australia, was examined by Peter Murray, a Paleontologist. In Western Australia another site shows what seems to be a hunter with either a marsupial lion ; in the more recent historical era, the marsupial lion went extinct as they were bigger. "Every stage of the procedure requires analysis. The information does not speak for itself." said Murray .
Australia’s Lost Giants IELTS Reading Questions
Questions (1 - 5)
The text above has six paragraphs, A-F. Which paragraphs contain the following information? Every question has only one answer but you may use any of the letters A-F for more than one question. Circle the correct letters in your answer sheet.
1. examples of the kinds of animals that did not die out as a result of hunting
2. descriptions of naturally occurring events that make the past hard to trace
3. an account of the discovery of a particular animal which had died out
4. the suggestion that a procedure to uncover fossilized secrets was inappropriate
5. the reason why a variety of animals all died in the same small area
Questions (6 - 9)
6 Judith Field's opponents claim that
A. The fossils of some younger animals were found in Cuddie Springs.
B. There was a long co-existence of humans and megafauna.
C. The layers where fossils were found had been displaced.
7 Judith Field claims that
A she made a great discovery in 1991
B she found fossil remains of giant animals in layers of sediments very close to those which had stone tools in them.
C she was most vocal about Cuddie Springs in South New Wales as an important archeological site
8 Which TWO of these possible reasons for Australian megafauna extinction are mentioned in the text? Choose TWO letters from A-E for question 8.
A human activity
B disease
C loss of habitat
D a drop in temperature
E the introduction of new animal species
9 The list below shows possible forms of proof for humans having contact with Australian megafauna. Which TWO possible forms of proof does the writer say have been found in Australia? Choose TWO letters from A-E for question 9.
A bone injury caused by a man-made object
B bones near to early types of weapons
C man-made holes designed for trapping animals
D preserved images of megafauna species
E animal remains at camp fires
Questions (10 - 13)
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage?
Write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the informations
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
10 There is sufficient evidence to support Tim Flannery's ideas about megafauna extinction.
11 Extinct megafauna should receive more attention than the extinction of the dinosaurs.
12 The Aborigines should have found a more effective way to protest about Flannery's book.
13 There are problems with Paul Martin's 'blitzkrieg' hypothesis for the Americas.
Australia's Lost Giants IELTS Reading Answers
Let’s now review the answers to the questions from the passage in the reading section, Australia's Lost Giants IELTS Reading Answers, and assess your improvement for a high IELTS Reading band score.
| Question number | Answer | Explanation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | F | Paragraph F mentions that the Earth preserves its history haphazardly. Naturally occurring events like ‘bones disintegrate, the land erodes, the climate changes, forests come and go, rivers change their course’ takes place and ‘history’ (past), if not destroyed, is ‘steadily concealed’ (hard to trace). Hence, the answer is F. |
| 2 | E | Paragraph E says that a famous boneyard in the same region is a place called Wellington Caves, where ‘Diprotodon, the largest known marsupial’ – an animal which carries its young in a pouch like kangaroos and koalas – ‘was first discovered’. A surveyor named Thomas Mitchell arrived, explored the caves in the area, and shipped fossils off to Richard Owen, the British paleontologist who later gained fame for revealing the existence of dinosaurs. Owen recognized that the ‘Wellington cave bones’ belonged to an ‘extinct’ (died out) ‘marsupial’. Hence, the answer is E3 |
| A | Paragraph A informs that in 1969, a fossil hunter named Rod Wells came to Naracoorte in South Australia to explore what was then known as Victoria Cave. It took Wells a moment to realize what he was looking at, which was the ‘bones of thousands of creatures’ (a variety of animals all died) that ‘must have fallen through holes in the ground above and become trapped’ (reason of death in the same small area). Hence, the answer is A. |
| 4 | E | Paragraph E points out that between 1909 and 1915 sediments in Mammoth Cave that contained ‘fossils’ were ‘hauled out’ (uncover) and ‘examined in a chaotic manner that no scientist today would approve’ (procedure was inappropriate). Hence, the answer is E. |
| 5 | B | Paragraph B states that Martin said that modern humans created havoc as they spread through the Americas, ‘wielding spears to annihilate animals’ (hunting) that had never faced a technological predator. But this period of extinction wasn’t comprehensive as North America kept its ‘deer, black bears and a small type of bison’ (examples of kinds of animals that did not die out as a result of hunting), and South America its ‘jaguars and llamas’. Hence, the answer is B. |
| 6 | B | Paragraph D mentions the debate about megafauna pivots to a great degree on the techniques for ‘dating old bones and the sediments’ in which they are buried. As it happens, there is one place where there may be such evidence: Cuddie Springs in New South Wales. Today the person most vocal about the site is ‘archeologist Judith Field’. In 1991, she discovered ‘megafauna bones’ (fossil remains of giant animals) directly ‘adjacent to stone tools’ – a headline-making find. Hence, the answer is B. |
| 7 | C | In paragraph D, the writer says that in 1991, Judith Field discovered megafauna bones directly adjacent to stone tools – a headline-making find. Later, it is given that her critics say the ‘fossils’ have been ‘moved from their original resting places and redeposited in younger sediments’ (displaced). Hence, the answer is C. |
| 8 | A,C | Paragraph C discussed that ‘Australia’ has been ‘drying out’ (extinction) for over a million years, and the ‘megafauna’ were faced with a continent where ‘vegetation began to disappear’ (loss of habitat). Australian paleontologist Tim Flannery suggests that ‘people, who arrived on the continent’ around 50,000 years ago, ‘used fire to hunt, which led to deforestation’ (human activity). Hence, the answer is A (human activity) & C (loss of habitat). |
| 9 | A,D | Paragraph E refers to the fact that between 1909 and 1915 sediments in Mammoth Cave (Australian site) that contained ‘fossils were hauled out and examined’ in a chaotic manner that no scientist today would approve. Still, one bone in particular has drawn extensive attention: ‘a femur with a cut’ (bone injury) in it, possibly ‘left there by a sharp tool’(man-made object).Further, it is added in Paragraph F that Australia’s first people expressed themselves in ‘rock art’ (preserved images). Paleontologist Peter Murray has studied a rock painting in far northern Australia that shows what looks very much like a ‘megafauna marsupial’ known as Palorchestes. Hence, the answer is A (bone injury caused by a man-made object) & D (preserved images of megafauna species). |
| 10 | A | In paragraph A, the writer points out that in boneyards across the continent, scientists have found the fossils of a giant snake, a huge flightless bird, and a seven foot kangaroo, to name but a few. Given how ‘much ink has been spilled on the extinction of the dinosaurs’, it’s a wonder that even more ‘hasn’t been devoted to megafauna’. Hence, the answer is A (TRUE) as the statement agrees with the claims of the author11 |
| 11 | C | In paragraph B, it is given that In the 1960s, paleoecologist ‘Paul Martin developed what became known as the blitzkrieg hypothesis’. Modern humans, Martin said, created havoc as they spread through the Americas, wielding spears to annihilate animals that had never faced a technological predator. But this period of extinction wasn’t comprehensive. There is no mention of any problems in the theory. Hence, the answer is C (NOT GIVEN). |
| 12 | C | In paragraph C, it is given that in Flannery’s 1994 book called ‘The Future Eaters’, he sets out his thesis that human beings are a new kind of animal on the planet, and are in general, one prone to ruining ecosystems. ‘Flannery’s book proved highly controversial’. Some viewed it as ‘critical of the Aborigines’, who pride themselves on living in harmony with nature. The more basic problem with Flannery’s thesis is that there is no direct evidence that they killed any Australian megafauna. As there is no mention of protest, hence, the answer is C (NOT GIVEN). |
| 13 | B | In paragraph C, it is stated that in Flannery’s 1994 book called The Future Eaters, he sets out his thesis that human beings are a new kind of animal on the planet, and are in general, one prone to ruining ecosystems. Flannery’s book proved highly controversial. The ‘more basic problem with Flannery’s thesis’ is that there is ‘no direct evidence’ that ‘they’ (Aborigines) ‘killed any Australian megafauna’. Hence, the answer is B (FALSE) as the statement contradicts the claims of the author. |
Tips to Ace Australia's Lost Giants IELTS Reading Answers
Let us check out some quick IELTS Exam Preparation Tips for Band Score of 8+ to answer the types of questions in the Reading Answers.
Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)
- Identify keywords in the question – Look for specific nouns, numbers, or phrases that point to the relevant section of the passage.
- Skim first, then read carefully – Locate the paragraph likely containing the answer and read it in detail.
- Look for paraphrasing – IELTS rarely repeats words exactly; synonyms or rephrased ideas are common.
- Eliminate wrong answers – Cross out clearly incorrect options to increase your chances of selecting the correct one.
- Refer only to the passage – Answers must be supported by the text; avoid using outside knowledge.
Matching Paragraphs
- Skim the passage headings first – Get an overall idea of each paragraph’s main topic.
- Underline keywords in the questions – Look for terms that signal the paragraph’s theme.
- Focus on the first and last sentences – Main ideas are often found there.
- Look for synonyms or paraphrased ideas – Questions may reword concepts from the text.
- Eliminate unlikely options – Narrow down choices by removing paragraphs that clearly don’t match
True/False/Not Given (T/F/NG)
- Understand the difference –
- True = statement agrees with the passage
- False = statement contradicts the passage
- Not Given = no information in the passage
- Highlight keywords – Focus on specific nouns, numbers, dates, and proper nouns in the statement.
- Compare carefully – Don’t assume anything; verify each part of the statement with the passage.
- Watch for qualifiers – Words like all, some, always, never, only can change the meaning.
- Skip and return – If unsure, move on and come back; sometimes later paragraphs clarify the answer.
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In conclusion, the IELTS Reading passage “The Great Australian Fence” allows candidates to practise a range of question types while improving comprehension and information-identifying skills. With complete answers, keyword locations, and explanations, this article helps learners understand the passage more effectively, enhance accuracy, and boost their overall IELTS Reading score. Keep practising with more IELTS Reading Recent Actual Tests and answers on IELTSMaterial.com to improve your speed, accuracy, and overall performance.
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