Wild Foods Of Australia - IELTS Reading Answers

Wild Foods of Australia is a real Reading test passage that appeared in the IELTS. With diligent practice, the Reading Module can be the top-scoring category for IELTS aspirants. To score well, 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. Take the reading answer ‘Wild Foods Of Australia’ below and try more IELTS reading practice tests from IELTSMaterial.com.

In this Academic Reading passage, we have three types of questions:

• Yes/No/Not Given
• Multiple Choice Questions
• Summary Completion (without suggested options)

For some expert tips on how to solve IELTS Reading True/False/Not Given questions, check out the video below!

Wild Foods Of Australia IELTS Reading Passage

A. Over 120 years ago, the English botanist J. D. Hooker, writing of Australian edible plants, suggested that many of them were ‘eatable but not worth eating’.Nevertheless, the Australian flora, together with the fauna, supported the Aboriginal people well before the arrival of Europeans. The Aborigines were not farmers and were wholly dependent for life on the wild products around them. They learned to eat, often after treatment, a wide variety of plants.

B. The conquering Europeans displaced the Aborigines, killing many, driving others from their traditional tribal lands, and eventually settling many of the tribal remnants on government reserves, where flour and beef replaced nardoo and wallaby as staple foods. And so, gradually, the vast store of knowledge, accumulated over thousands of years, fell into disuse. Much was lost.

C. However, a few European men took an intelligent and even respectful interest in the people who were being displaced. Explorers, missionaries, botanists, naturalists, and government officials observed, recorded, and. fortunately in some cases, published. Today, we can draw on these publications to form the main basis of our knowledge of the edible, natural products of Australia. The picture is no doubt mostly incomplete. We can only speculate on the number of edible plants on which no observation was recorded.

D. Not all our information on the subject comes from the Aborigines. Times were hard in the early days of European settlement, and traditional foods were often in short supply or impossibly expensive for a pioneer trying to establish a farm in the bush. And so necessity led to experimentation, just as it must have done for the Aborigines, and experimentation led to some lucky results. So far as is known, the Aborigines made no use of Leptospermum or Dodonaea as food plants, yet the early settlers found that one could be used as a substitute for tea and the other for hops. These plants are not closely related to the species they replaced, so their use was not based on botanical observation. Probably some experiments had fewer happy endings; L. J. Webb has used the expression eat, die, and learn in connection with the Aboriginal experimentation, but it was the successful attempts that became widely known. It is possible that the edibility of some native plants used by the Aborigines was discovered independently by the
European settlers or their descendants.

E. Explorers making long expeditions found it impossible to carry sufficient food for the whole journey and were forced to rely on, in part, on food that they could find on the way. Still another source of information comes from the practice in other countries. There are many species from northern Australia which occur also in Southeast Asia, where they are used for food.

F. In general, those Aborigines living in the dry inland areas were largely dependent for their vegetable foods on seeds such as those of grasses, acacias, and eucalypts. They ground these seeds between flat stones to make coarse flour. Tribes on the coast, and particularly those in the vicinity of coastal rainforests, had a more varied vegetable diet with a higher proportion of fruits and tubers. Some of the coastal plants, even if they had grown inland, probably would have been unavailable as food since they required prolonged washing or soaking to render them non-poisonous; many of the inland tribes could not obtain water in the quantities necessary for such treatment. There was also considerable variation in the edible plants available to Aborigines in different latitudes. In general, the people who lived in the moist tropical areas enjoyed a much greater variety, than those in the southern part of Australia.

G. With all the hundreds of plant species used for food by the Australian Aborigines, it is perhaps surprising that only one, the Queensland nut, has entered into commercial cultivation as a food plant. The reason for this probably does not lie with an intrinsic lack of potential in Australian flora, but rather with the lack of exploitation of this potential. In Europe and Asia, for example, the main food plants have had the benefit of many centuries of selection and hybridization, which has led to the production of forms vastly superior to those in the wild. Before the Europeans came, the Aborigines practiced no agriculture and so there was no opportunity for such improvement; either deliberate or unconscious, in the quality of the edible plants.

H. Since 1788, there has, of course, been an opportunity for the selection of Australian food plants which might have led to the production of varieties that were worth cultivating. But Australian plants have probably ‘missed the bus’. Food plants from other regions were already so far in advance after a long tradition of cultivation that it seemed hardly worth starting work on Australian species. Undoubtedly, the native raspberry, for example, could, with suitable selection and breeding programs, be made to yield a high-class fruit; but Australians already enjoy good raspberries from other areas of the world and unless some dedicated amateur plant breeder takes up the task, the Australian raspberries are likely to remain unimproved.

I. And so, today, as the choice of which food plants to cultivate in Australia has been largely decided, and as there is little chance of being lost for long periods in the bush. Our interest in the subject of Australian food plants tends to relate to natural history rather than to practical necessity.

Wild Foods Of Australia IELTS Reading Questions

Questions 1-7

Do the following statements reflect the claims of the writer in the reading passage?

In boxes 1 — 7 write:
YES if the statement reflects the writer's claims
NO if the statement contradicts the writer
NOT GIVEN if there is no information about this in the passage

(1) Most of the pre-European Aboriginal knowledge of wild foods has been recovered.
(2) There were few food plants unknown to pre-European Aborigines.
(3) Europeans learned all of what they knew of edible wild plants from Aborigines.
(4) Dodonaea is an example of a plant used for food by both pre-European Aborigines
and European settlers.
(5) Some Australian food plants are botanically related to plants outside Australia.
(6) Pre-European Aboriginal tribes closer to the coast had access
to a greater variety of food plants than tribes further inland.
(7) Some species of coastal food plants were also found inland.

Questions 8 - 10

Choose the appropriate letters (A-D) and write them in boxes 8-10 on your answer
sheet.

(8) Wallaby meat...

[A] was regularly eaten by Aborigines before European settlement.
[B] was given by Aborigines in exchange for foods such as flour.
[C] was a staple food on government reserves.
[D] was produced on farms before European settlement.

(9) Experimentation with wild plants ...

[A] depended largely on botanical observation.
[B] was unavoidable for early settlers in all parts of Australia.
[C] led Aborigines to adopt Leptospermum as a food plant.
[D] sometimes had unfortunate results for Aborigines.

(10) Wild plant used by Aborigines ...

[A] was limited to dry regions.
[B] was restricted to seed.
[C] sometimes required the use of tools.
[D] was more prevalent in the southern part of Australia.

Questions 11 -13

Complete the partial summary below. Choose ONE or TWO words from the passage for
each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 11 -13 on your answer sheet.

Despite the large numbers of wild plants that could be used for food, only one, the ... (11) ... is being grown as a cash crop. Other edible plants in Australia, however much potential they have for cultivation, had not gone through the lengthy process of... (12) ... that would allow their exploitation, because Aborigines were not farmers. Thus species such as the ... (13)..., which would be an agricultural success had it not had to compete with established European varieties at the time of European settlement, are of no commercial value.

Wild Foods Of Australia IELTS Reading Answers

1. Answer: No
   Answer type: Statement
   Answer keyword: The picture is no doubt mostly incomplete. We can only speculate on the number of edible plants on which no observation was recorded
   Answer location: Paragraph C; Last 4 lines

2. Answer: Not given
   Answer type: Statement
   Answer keyword: There were few food plants unknown to pre-European Aborigines
   Answer location: –

3. Answer: No
   Answer type: Statement
   Answer keyword: Not all our information on the subject comes from the Aborigines
   Answer location: Paragraph D; Line 1

4. Answer: No
   Answer type: Statement
   Answer keyword: So far as is known, the Aborigines made no use of Leptospermum or Dodonaea as food plants, yet the early settlers found that one could be used as a substitute for tea and the other for hops
   Answer location: Paragraph D; Line 4

5. Answer: Yes
   Answer type: Statement
   Answer keyword: There are many species from northern Australia which occur also in Southeast Asia, where they are used for food
   Answer location: Paragraph E; Last line

6. Answer: Yes
   Answer type: Statement
   Answer keyword: Tribes on the coast, and particularly those in the vicinity of coastal rainforests, had a more varied vegetable diet with a higher proportion of fruits and tubers. Some of the coastal plants, even if they had grown inland, probably would have been unavailable as food since they required prolonged washing or soaking to render them non-poisonous; many of the inland tribes could not obtain water in the quantities necessary for such treatment
   Answer location: Paragraph F; Lines 3–4

7. Answer: Not given
   Answer type: Statement
   Answer keyword: –
   Answer location: –

8. Answer: A
   Answer type: Statement
   Answer keyword: The conquering Europeans displaced the Aborigines, killing many, driving others from their traditional tribal lands, and eventually settling many of the tribal remnants on government reserves, where flour and beef replaced nardoo and wallaby as staple foods
   Answer location: Paragraph B; Line 2

9. Answer: D
   Answer type: Statement
   Answer keyword: Probably some experiments had less happy endings
   Answer location: Paragraph D; Line 6

10. Answer: C
    Answer type: Statement
    Answer keyword: They ground these seeds between flat stones to make a coarse flour
    Answer location: Paragraph F; Line 2

11. Answer: Queensland nut
    Answer type: Name / Term
    Answer keyword: With all the hundreds of plant species used for food by the Australian Aborigines, it is perhaps surprising that only one, the Queensland nut, has entered into commercial cultivation as a food plant
    Answer location: Paragraph G; Line 1

12. Answer: Selection
    Answer type: Term / Keyword
    Answer keyword: In Europe and Asia, for example, the main food plants have had the benefit of many centuries of selection and hybridisation, which has led to the production of forms vastly superior to those in the wild
    Answer location: Paragraph G; Line 3

13. Answer: Native raspberry
    Answer type: Name / Term
    Answer keyword: Undoubtedly, the native raspberry, for example, could, with suitable selection and breeding programs, be made to yield a high-class fruit; but Australians already enjoy good raspberries from other areas of the world
    Answer location: Paragraph H; Last line

Tips to Ace Wild Foods Of Australia - 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. 

1. Yes/No/Not Given (or True/False/Not Given)

• Focus on the statement meaning – Read the question statement carefully and paraphrase it in your own words to match it with the passage.
• Look for exact evidence in the text – “Yes/True” or “No/False” requires clear support or contradiction in the passage.
• Distinguish between ‘Not Given’ and ‘No’ – If the text doesn’t mention the information at all, it’s Not Given, not No.
• Check keywords and synonyms – Look for paraphrases rather than exact word matches; IELTS often uses synonyms to test comprehension.
• Do not infer beyond the text – Avoid adding your own knowledge; base answers strictly on information in the passage.

2. Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs)

• Read the instructions carefully – Note how many options you need to select and whether multiple answers are possible.
• Skim first, then scan – Skim the passage to understand the general topic, then scan for keywords from the question and options.
• Eliminate distractors – Remove options that are clearly wrong to narrow down choices; often 2–3 options can be eliminated quickly.
• Pay attention to qualifiers – Words like always, often, sometimes, rarely can change the correct answer.
• Check context in the passage – Ensure the option matches the meaning in context, not just individual words.

3. Summary Completion 

• Identify key ideas – Read the summary first to find the missing points and understand the topic of the section.
• Scan the passage for relevant sections – Use keywords from the summary to locate the correct part of the passage.
• Use the correct form of words – Follow grammar and tense; sometimes plural/singular forms or verb forms matter.
• Don’t overcomplicate – Answers are usually 1–3 words. Use only information given in the passage.
• Maintain logical flow – Read the completed summary to ensure it makes sense and stays consistent with the passage.

In conclusion, the IELTS Reading passage “Wild Foods Of Australia - IELTS Reading Answerss” 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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