leap-scholar-logo
hamburger-menu

A Remarkable Beetle Reading Answers: IELTS Reading Practice Test

updated at

Updated on Jul 02, 2024, 11:57

In the IELTS Reading section, your ability to comprehend passages and answer questions is put to the test, spanning various question formats like multiple choice and True/False/Not Given. To excel, employ effective strategies like skimming for main ideas and scanning for specific details. Regular practice with sample questions will refine your skills for the exam.
 

Prepare for an intriguing exploration of the life of a remarkable beetle, uncovering the intricacies of its behaviour and habitat. Delve into the ecological significance, evolutionary adaptations, and unique features of this fascinating insect through engaging passages and accompanying questions, enhancing your understanding of the natural world and its inhabitants.

On this page

Arrow right
Slider image

1. A Remarkable Beetle Reading Passage

You should spend approximately 20 minutes answering Questions 1 - 13 based on the Reading Passage below. This approach can help manage time effectively during a reading comprehension activity or exam. 

Slider image

2. A Remarkable Beetle Reading Question & Answers

Discover exciting and informative IELTS reading answers about A Remarkable Beetle

More for you

Boost your IELTS Reading score

Book Free Reading class arrow right

See how to score 8+ in Speaking. 

 

Get proven strategies to ace your IELTS Speaking test.

Learn More arrow right
3/3
1.

A Remarkable Beetle Reading Passage

General Information

  • Read Instructions: Understand each question before answering.
  • Manage Time: Spend about 20 minutes per passage.
  • Skim and Scan: Quickly get the main idea and find specific information.
  • Highlight Key Info: Underline essential words or phrases.
  • Answer All Questions: Attempt every question; no penalty for wrong answers.
  • Stay Focused: Avoid distractions and keep your attention on the task.
  • Check Spelling: Ensure correct spelling and grammar.
  • Transfer Answers Clearly: Write answers neatly on the answer sheet.
  • Don’t Dwell: Move on if stuck and return later.
  • Review: If time allows, review your answers.

 

 

 

 

A Remarkable Beetle Reading Passage


 

 

Paragraph A 

More than 4,000 species of these remarkable creatures have evolved and adapted to the world’s different climates and the dung of its many animals. Australia’s native dung beetles are scrub and woodland dwellers, specialising in coarse marsupial droppings and avoiding the soft cattle dung in which bush flies and buffalo flies breed. Some of the most remarkable beetles are the dung beetles, which spend almost their whole lives eating and breeding in dung’.

 

Paragraph B
In the early 1960s, George Bornemissza, then a scientist at the Australian Government’s premier research organisation, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), suggested that dung beetles should be introduced to Australia to control dung-breeding flies. Between 1968 and 1982, the CSIRO imported insects from about 50 different species of dung beetle, from Asia, Europe and Africa, aiming to match them to different climatic zones in Australia. Of the 26 species that are known to have become successfully integrated into the local environment, only one, an African species released in northern Australia, has reached its natural boundary.

 

Paragraph C
Introducing dung beetles into a pasture is a simple process: approximately 1,500 beetles are released, a handful at a time, into fresh cow pats2 in the cow pasture.

 

Paragraph D
The beetles immediately disappear beneath the pats digging and tunnelling and, if they successfully adapt to their new environment, soon become a permanent, self sustaining part of the local ecology. In time they multiply and within three or four years the benefits to the pasture are obvious.

 

Paragraph E
Dung beetles work from the inside of the pat so they are sheltered from predators such as birds and foxes. Most species burrow into the soil and bury dung in tunnels directly underneath the pats, which are hollowed out from within. Some large species originating from France excavate tunnels to a depth of approximately 30 cm below the dung pat. These beetles make sausage-shaped brood chambers along the tunnels. The shallowest tunnels belong to a much smaller Spanish species that buries dung in chambers that hang like fruit from the branches of a pear tree. South African beetles dig narrow tunnels of approximately 20 cm below the surface of the pat. Some surface-dwelling beetles, including a South African species, cut perfectly-shaped balls from the pat, which are rolled away and attached to the bases of plants.

 

Paragraph F
For maximum dung burial in spring, summer and autumn, farmers require a variety of species with overlapping periods of activity. In the cooler environments of the state of Victoria, the large French species (2.5 cms long) is matched with smaller (half this size), temperate-climate Spanish species. The former are slow to recover from the winter cold and produce only one or two generations of offspring from late spring until autumn. The latter, which multiply rapidly in early spring, produce two to five generations annually. The South African ball-rolling species, being a subtropical beetle, prefers the climate of northern and coastal New South Wales where it commonly works with the South African tunnelling species. In warmer climates, many species are active for longer periods of the year.

 

Paragraph G

Dung beetles were initially introduced in the late 1960s with a view to controlling buffalo flies by removing the dung within a day or two and so preventing flies from breeding. However, other benefits have become evident. Once the beetle larvae have finished pupation, the residue is a first-rate source of fertiliser. The tunnels abandoned by the beetles provide excellent aeration and water channels for root systems. In addition, when the new generation of beetles has left the nest the abandoned burrows are an attractive habitat for soil-enriching earthworms. The digested dung in these burrows is an excellent food supply for the earthworms, which decompose it further to provide essential soil nutrients. If it were not for the dung beetle, chemical fertiliser and dung would be washed by rain into streams and rivers before it could be absorbed into the hard earth, polluting water courses and causing blooms of blue-green algae. Without the beetles to dispose of the dung, cow pats would litter pastures making grass inedible to cattle and depriving the soil of sunlight. Australia’s 30 million cattle each produce 10-12 cow pats a day. This amounts to 1.7 billion tonnes a year, enough to smother about 110,000 sq km of pasture, half the area of Victoria.

 

Paragraph H

Dung beetles have become an integral part of the successful management of dairy farms in Australia over the past few decades. A number of species are available from the CSIRO or through a small number of private breeders, most of whom were entomologists with the CSIRO’s dung beetle unit who have taken their specialised knowledge of the insect and opened small businesses in direct competition with their former employer.

2.

A Remarkable Beetle Reading Question & Answers

Discover exciting and informative IELTS reading answers about A Remarkable Beetle

Questions and Answers 1-5
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage?
In boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet write,

  • YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer
  • NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
  • NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

 

 

1. Bush flies are easier to control than buffalo flies.
2. Four thousand species of dung beetle were initially brought to Australia by the CSIRO.
3. Dung beetles were brought to Australia by the CSIRO over a fourteen-year period.
4. At least twenty-six of the introduced species have become established in Australia.
5. The dung beetles cause an immediate improvement to the quality of a cow pasture.

 

A Remarkable Beetle Reading Answers with Explanations (1-5)

 

Question Type:  Yes/No/Not Given

 

In this task, you are presented with a statement, and your task is to determine if it agrees with the information in the passage (Yes), contradicts the information in the passage (No), or if there is insufficient information in the passage to decide (not given).
 

How to best answer the question:

 

  • Read the statement carefully to ensure you understand exactly what it is saying. 
  • Pay attention to details such as dates, numbers, and specific information.
  • Scan the passage to find the section where the relevant information is likely to be located. 
  • Focus on finding evidence that either supports or contradicts the statement.
  • Yes: If the statement agrees with the information in the passage.
  • No: If the statement contradicts the information in the passage.
  • Not Given: If there is no information in the passage that confirms or contradicts the statement.

 

 

1. Not Given

 

Reference:

 

Paragraph B
In the early 1960s, George Bornemissza, then a scientist at the Australian Government’s premier research organisation, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO), suggested that dung beetles should be introduced to Australia to control dung-breeding flies.
 

Explanation

The passage discusses the introduction of dung beetles to control dung-breeding flies, but it doesn't directly compare the control of bush flies to buffalo flies.


 

2. No

 

Reference:

 

Paragraph B

Between 1968 and 1982, the CSIRO imported insects from about 50 different species of dung beetle, from Asia, Europe and Africa, aiming to match them to different climatic zones in Australia. 

 

Explanation

The paragraph mentions the importation of dung beetles from about 50 different species, not 4,000.


 

3. Yes

 

Reference:

 

Paragraph B

Between 1968 and 1982, the CSIRO imported insects from about 50 different species of dung beetle, from Asia, Europe and Africa, aiming to match them to different climatic zones in Australia. 

 

Explanation

The CSIRO imported dung beetles over a fourteen-year period between 1968 and 1982, as stated in the passage.


 

4. Yes

 

Reference:

 

Paragraph D
Of the 26 species that are known to have become successfully integrated into the local environment, only one, an African species released in northern Australia, has reached its natural boundary.

 

Explanation

The passage mentions that 26 species of dung beetles became successfully integrated into the local environment.


 

5. No

 

Reference:

 

Paragraph D
In time they multiply and within three or four years the benefits to the pasture are obvious. 

 

Explanation
While the passage discusses the benefits of dung beetles to pastures over time, it does not indicate an immediate improvement.

Questions and Answers 6-8
  • Label the tunnels on the diagram below.
  • Choose your labels from the box below the diagram.
  • Write your answers in boxes 6-8 on your answer sheet.

 

 

a remarkable beetle diagram

 

 

6. _____
7. _____
8. _____


 

Dung Beetle Types

French

Spanish

Mediterranean

South African

Australian native

South African ball roller

 

 

A Remarkable Beetle Reading Answers with Explanations (6-8)

 

Question Type: Diagram Labelling

 

In this type of question, you are presented with a diagram, chart, graph, or illustration, often related to a specific topic or subject area. The diagram is typically accompanied by a list of labels or terms that are missing from the diagram. You are required to match the correct labels to the corresponding parts of the diagram. 
 

How to best answer this question:

 

  • Carefully read the instructions and study the diagram provided. 
  • You should then analyse the diagram and the labels provided to determine which label corresponds to each part of the diagram. 
  • It's essential to pay attention to any specific details or features of the diagram that may help identify the correct labels.
  • You should also ensure that the labels they choose fit logically and accurately with the information presented in the diagram. 


 

6. South African

 

Reference:

 

Paragraph E
South African beetles dig narrow tunnels of approximately 20 cm below the surface of the pat.
 

Explanation

This paragraph describes how South African dung beetles dig tunnels below the surface of the dung pat.


 

7. French

 

Reference:

 

Paragraph E

Some large species originating from France excavate tunnels to a depth of approximately 30 cm below the dung pat

 

Explanation

The paragraph mentions that dung beetles originating from France excavate tunnels beneath the dung pat to a depth of around 30 cm.


 

8. Spanish

 

Reference:

 

Paragraph E
The shallowest tunnels belong to a much smaller Spanish species that buries dung in chambers that hang like fruit from the branches of a pear tree.

 

Explanation

According to this paragraph, a smaller species of Spanish dung beetles create shallow tunnels and bury dung in chambers resembling fruit hanging from branches.

Questions and Answers 9-13
  • Complete the table below.
  • Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS OR A NUMBER from Reading Passage 1 for each answer.
  • Write your answers in boxes 9-13 on your answer sheet.

 

 

SpeciesSize

Preferred

Climate

Complementary

Species

Start of

Active period

Number of generations per year
French2.5 cmCoolSpanishLate spring1-2
Spanish1.25 cm9 _____ 10 ____11 ____
South African ball roller 12 _____13 _____  

 

 

A Remarkable Beetle Reading Answers with Explanations (9-13)

 

Type of question: Table Completion

 

you'll need to extract key data, such as numbers, dates, or facts, from the passage and input them into the appropriate cells in the table. It's essential to pay attention to the instructions, as they may specify the type of information you need to fill in and the format in which it should be presented. 

 

How to best answer the question

 

  • Make sure you understand what information you need to fill in the table and the format required.
  • Quickly scan the relevant parts of the passage to locate the information needed to complete the table.
  • Pay attention to any headings, subheadings, or notes in the table to understand the context of the information you're completing.
  • Transfer the information from the passage to the table accurately, ensuring that you input the data in the correct cells and format as specified in the instructions.
  • Once you've filled in all the required information, review the table to ensure that all cells are filled, and there are no missing or incomplete entries.

 

 

9. Temperate

 

Reference:

 

Paragraph F
the large French species (2.5 cms long) is matched with smaller (half this size), temperate-climate Spanish species

 

Explanation

The information about the preferred climate of the Spanish species is provided in this paragraph, indicating that it is a "temperate" climate.


 

10. Early spring Not Spring

 

Reference:

 

Paragraph F

which multiply rapidly in early spring, produce two to five generations annually
 

Explanation

The paragraph mentions that the Spanish species multiplies rapidly in early spring, indicating the "start of the active period."


 

11. 2-5//two to five

 

Reference:

 

Paragraph F

produce two to five generations annually
 

Explanation
This paragraph states that the Spanish species produces "two to five generations annually," indicating the number of generations per year.


 

12. sub-tropical

 

Reference:

 

Paragraph F

The South African ball-rolling species, being a subtropical beetle

 

Explanation

The paragraph specifies that the South African ball-rolling species prefers a "sub-tropical" climate.


 

13. South African tunneling/tunnelling/tunneler/tunneller

 

Reference:

 

Paragraph F

the South African tunnelling species
 

Explanation

This paragraph mentions the South African ball-rolling species working with the "South African tunnelling species," providing information about its complementary species.

Next Up

IELTS Reading Practice Test

Read Now Read now

IELTS Speaking Practice Test

Read Now Read now

IELTS Practice Test

Read Now Read now

IELTS Listening Practice Test

Read Now Read now

IELTS Writing Practice Test

Read Now Read now

Top Reading Samples with Answers

IELTS Important Information

Read More about IELTS Practice Test

IELTS Accepting Universities

IELTS Test Centre and Dates in India

IELTS Accepting Countries

FAQs

Q. Can I write on the question paper during the test?

Ans. Yes, you are allowed to write on the question paper during the IELTS Reading test. This can be a helpful strategy for keeping track of key information, identifying important details, and organising your thoughts as you read the passages. You can underline relevant points, circle keywords, or make brief notes to aid in answering the questions later.

Q. Do I lose marks for incorrect answers in the IELTS Reading test?

Ans. No, there is no penalty for incorrect answers in the IELTS Reading test. This means that it's beneficial to attempt all questions, even if you're unsure about the answers. By making educated guesses, you may still earn points for correct responses, improving your overall score.

Q. How can I prepare effectively for the IELTS Reading test?

Ans. To prepare effectively for the IELTS Reading test, start by familiarizing yourself with the test format and question types. Practice with sample questions and past papers to develop your skills in skimming for main ideas, scanning for specific details, and understanding complex passages. Work on expanding your vocabulary by reading a variety of texts and noting down unfamiliar words. Additionally, practice time management to ensure you can complete the test within the allocated 60 minutes.