It’s Only A Cockroach IELTS Reading Answers

The Reading Module of the IELTS can be the top-scoring category with diligent practice. To achieve the best results in this section, you must understand how to approach and answer the different Question types in the Reading Module. By solving and reviewing Sample Reading Questions from past IELTS papers, you can ensure that your Reading skills are up to the mark.

It’s Only A Cockroach, is a reading passage that appeared in the recent IELTS Test. Try to find the answers to get an idea of the difficulty level of the passages in the actual reading test. This page contains – It’s Only a Cockroach IELTS reading answers and its passage for you to practice.

The question types found in this passage are:

• Short Answers (Q. 1-4)
• True/False/Not Given (Q. 5-8)
• Summary completion (Q. 9-11)
• Multiple-choice questions (Q. 12-14)

Reading Passage

It’s Only a Cockroach

I turn on the light in my kitchen that night, and then I see it. I draw back, and my first instinct is to scream. I control myself with difficulty but find myself shuddering, unable to deal with the creature before me. It’s only a cockroach, but its large size, long antennae, shiny appearance, and spiny legs, all present a particularly disgusting appearance. And this is not just to me, but to everyone it seems, even to the point of phobic responses.

This is certainly the overriding reason I want these creatures totally eradicated from my apartment, but with their offensive odour, passive transportation of microbes, and trails of droppings, they also pose a distinct threat to domestic hygiene. Clearly, cohabitation is not possible. So, I do all I can to keep these pests away. Food is stored in sealed containers, garbage cans have tight lids, my kitchen is kept spotlessly clean, and my apartment is swept and mopped nightly. I have also sealed up possible entry points, but still, these loathsome things find their way inside. I need a way to kill them.

The most precise cockroach killer is, typically, another insect. A specific species of wasp targets these creatures. With a quick accurate swoop, it bites the cockroach at the main nerve centre of its body, which results in temporary paralysis. This is very necessary, as we all know just how fast cockroaches can run. The wasp has only a few minutes to prepare its next sting, in the exact area of the brain which controls the cockroaches’ instinct to escape. After the paralysis departs, the cockroach is subdued and docile and doomed. The wasp bites off the antennae to further discourage flight, then drags its victim away.

Faced with such predation, cockroaches usually conceal themselves during the day, and with their ability to flatten their bodies, they can disappear into just about any tiny nook, crevice, and cranny. There, they wait patiently for darkness before emerging to search for food, and will usually run away when exposed to light. Given this, I am told that the slim and agile house centipede is probably the most effective cockroach predator, able to track down and root out the most carefully hidden prey. Unfortunately, I would say that centipedes are even more disgusting to have in one’s house if that’s possible. I just can’t win this game.

Can anyone win? These insects are just about the hardiest, on the planet. Some can wait for up to three months before meals, some can survive on the barest hint of nutrition (such as the glue on the back of postage stamps), and some can live without air for over half an hour. They do not, however, handle cold weather well, preferring the warm conditions and security found within buildings.

Hidden there, the female lays egg capsules containing around 40 eggs, and with the insect’s relatively long lifespan (about a year), some 300 to 400 offspring can ultimately be produced. The result: once these insects have infested a building, they are very difficult to eradicate.

Cockroaches do, however, have some subtleties. They leave chemical messages in their droppings, as well as emit airborne pheromones to signal other cockroaches about sources of food and water and alert them to their own presence. The latter is more important, for these insects are actually somewhat gregarious. Research has shown that cockroaches make group-based decisions, and tend to co-operate. One study placed a large number of cockroaches in a dish with three small shelters, and the insects divided themselves equally between two of them, leaving the third one empty. When these shelters were exchanged for two very large ones, all the cockroaches arranged themselves in just one. These creatures, it seems, prefer the company of others, and a rather fair allocation of resources.

Should I therefore feel any admiration? It is hard – in fact, in Western culture, cockroaches are almost universally depicted as repulsive and dirty pests. In the insect’s most famous literary appearance – Franz Kafka’s ‘The Metamorphosis – a man, Gregor, is transformed overnight into a monstrous insect, probably a cockroach (although the story never quite makes that clear). Gregor’s transformation results in very predictable responses from his family and friends, who can never accept him again. He eventually dies, outcast and lonely, despised and mistreated – a potent symbol of alienation and rejection. Yet in the Pixar animated feature ‘Wall-E’, a cockroach provides essential companionship to a lone robot living on a planet scorched by a nuclear holocaust.

Whatever the case, I am faced with a big problem: a large ugly cockroach crawling slowly across my sink, antennae waving as it explores around. If I try to grab it, it will dart away, and I doubt whether I’ll be able to catch it before it disappears into the numerous cracks and crevices of my old apartment. So, I carefully remove my slipper, determined to squash the insect, but then almost scream again as it lifts on its legs, raises membranous wings, and with a loud buzzing noise, flies away. Oh, just what I need, they can fly, too.

Questions 1-4

1 What aspect of cockroaches makes the author want them removed from the home?
2 What human aspect do they endanger?
3 Which insect is the best cockroach killer?
4 What can cockroaches do to easily hide?

Questions 5-8

5 The author finds cockroaches more repulsive than centipedes.
6 Cockroaches live longer than many other insects.
7 Cockroaches will fight over food.
8 Cockroaches are often the subject of research.

Questions 9-11

Cockroaches use 9………………..in the air to communicate, and show a willingness to 10……………….yet the author struggles to feel 11………………….for these insects.

Questions 12-13

12 Gregor –
A becomes a cockroach.
B is a famous character.
C despises his friends.
D needs companionship.

13 The author wants to –
A catch the cockroach.
B kill the cockroach.
C touch the cockroach.
D fly like a cockroach.

It’s Only a Cockroach Reading Answers Explanation

Now that you have checked your answers with the Answer key, read further for the explanation part of the reading answer.

1 Answer: Disgusting appearance

Question Type: Short Answers

Answer Explanation: The author in the first paragraph explains the appearance of cockroaches which is very disgusting. In the 1st sentence of the second paragraph, the author says that these are the reasons for which he wants the cockroaches out of his home. Hence, the correct answer is, disgusting appearance.

2 Answer: Domestic Hygiene

Question Type: Short Answers

Answer Explanation: The author in the second paragraph directly states that these cockroaches pose a threat to domestic hygiene due to their offensive odour, transportation of microbes and trails of droppings. Hence, the correct answer is domestic hygiene.

3 Answer: Wasp

Question Type: Short Answers

Answer Explanation: The author asks what can be done to kill the cockroaches. The passage just answers that there is a specific kind of wasp that mainly targets cockroaches. This makes wasps the correct answer.

4 Answer: Flatten (bodies)

Question Type: Short Answers

Answer Explanation: The author in the passage says that if the cockroaches face a threat, they hide easily. This is because they are capable of flattening their bodies which allows them to disappear into any corner. This flattens is the correct answer.

5 Answer: False

Question Type: True/False/Not given

Answer Explanation: The author directly states that centipedes are even more disgusting than cockroaches. It clearly means that the centipedes are more repulsive than cockroaches. Hence, the statement is False.

6 Answer: True

Question Type: True/False/Not given

Answer Explanation: The author explains how cockroaches can live without meals and the barest of nutrition. The passage also clearly talks about how they are able to live without air for over half an hour.

7 Answer: False

Question Type: True/False/Not given

Answer Explanation: The author states that they wait up to three months before meals and can survive with very little nutrition. This means there is no need for them to fight for food. Hence, the statement is false.

8 Answer: Not given

Question Type: True/False/Not given

Answer Explanation: There is no such information in the passage.

9 Answer: Pheromones

Question Type: Summary completion

Answer Explanation: The question asks us what cockroaches use to communicate. The supporting sentence directly mentions that the cockroaches emit airborne pheromones to signal other cockroaches about the water and food sources. Hence, pheromones are the correct answer.

10 Answer: Co-Operate

Question Type: Summary completion

Answer Explanation: The passage states that they inform other cockroaches about the food and water resources. This is cooperating with each other so that everyone can survive. Hence, co-operate is the correct answer.

11 Answer: Admiration

Question Type: Summary completion

Answer Explanation: The author states all the characteristics of cockroaches and how they cooperate. He adding to this, asks himself a question if the author should feel admiration towards them. Hence, admiration is the correct answer.

12 Answer: D

Question Type: Summary completion

Answer Explanation: The author states that Gregor’s family could never accept the transformation and rejected him. They did not accept him. So he needed companionship.

13 Answer: B

Question Type: Summary completion

Answer Explanation: The author states that he wants to squash the insect with his sleepers. This directly means that he wants to kill the cockroach.

Tips for Answering the Question Types in the above Reading Passage

Let us check out some quick tips to answer the types of questions in the,  ‘It’s Only A Cockroach’ Reading Answers passage.

Summary Completion:

Summary Completion is a type of IELTS reading question that requires you to fill in a gap in a paragraph with a word or phrase from the passage.

To answer summary completion questions, you can use the following strategies:

• Read the sentences carefully: This will give you an idea of the type of word or phrase that is missing.
• Scan the passage for the keywords: The keywords in the sentence can help you to identify the correct word or phrase.
• Read the sentence with the missing word or phrase: This will help you to see how the word or phrase fits into the sentence.
• Check your answer: Once you have filled in the gap, make sure that your answer makes sense in the context of the sentence.

True/False/Not Given: 

True/False/Not Given questions are a type of IELTS Reading question that requires you to identify whether a statement is true, false, or not given in the passage.

• True statements are statements that are explicitly stated in the passage.
• False statements are statements that are explicitly contradicted in the passage.
• Not Given statements are statements that are neither explicitly stated nor contradicted in the passage

To answer True/False/Not Given questions, you need to be able to understand the passage and identify the key information. You also need to be able to distinguish between statements that are explicitly stated, contradicted, and not given.

Multiple Choice Questions:

You will be given a reading passage followed by several questions based on the information in the paragraph in multiple choice questions. Your task is to understand the question and compare it to the paragraph in order to select the best solution from the available possibilities.

• Before reading the passage, read the question and select the keywords. Check the keyword possibilities if the question statement is short on information.
• Then, using the keywords, read the passage to find the relevant information.
• To select the correct option, carefully read the relevant words and match them with each option.
• You will find several options with keywords that do not correspond to the information.
• Try opting for the elimination method mostly.
• Find the best option by matching the meaning rather than just the keywords.

Also check: 

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• Mammoth kill 2, Stress of Workplace, Unexpected Benefits to Human Brain – Reading Answers
• The Need to Belong, Is Technology Harming our Children’s Health?, A History of Fingerprinting – IELTS Reading Answers