Health in the Wild Reading Answers

Health in the Wild is an IELTS Academic Reading passage that looks at how wild animals use plants, soil, and other natural materials to deal with health problems. It also discusses the research behind these examples of animal self-medication.

The passage takes you through different cases of animals using natural materials for health-related purposes, including chimpanzees using plants to deal with parasites, macaws eating clay to reduce harmful substances, and animals using leaves to remove worms. The questions test your ability to identify factual information, locate specific details, and understand ideas presented in different ways.

In the sections below, you’ll find all “Health in the Wild IELTS Reading Answers” along with explanations and practical tips to help you work through each question type.

Health in the Wild Reading Passage

An IELTS Reading passage is a text that you read to understand information, follow ideas, and answer questions based on what you have read.Health in the Wild is one such passage that can help you practise the skills needed for the IELTS exam, including locating details, understanding ideas, and recognising information that may be paraphrased in the questions. 

Before reading, take a quick look at the questions to notice the important names, terms, and ideas you may need to find in the passage. You do not need to remember every line; instead, focus on the main idea of each section and the details that connect to the questions.

Read the questions first, then read the passage with those points in mind.

After reading the passage, return to the questions and use the relevant details to check your answers. This can help you manage different question types more efficiently and avoid spending too much time searching through the text.

Now, read the Health in the Wild passage carefully before moving on to the questions and answers:

Health in the Wild

Paragraph A For the past decade, Dr Engel, a lecturer in environmental sciences at Britain’s Open University, has been collating examples of self-medicating behaviour in wild animals. She recently published a book on the subject. In a talk at the Edinburgh Science Festival earlier this month, she explained that the idea that animals can treat themselves has been regarded with some scepticism by her colleagues in the past. But a growing number of animal behaviourists now think that wild animals can and do deal with their own medical needs.

Paragraph B One example of self-medication was discovered in 1987. Michael Huffman and Mohamedi Seifu, working in the Mahale Mountains National Park in Tanzania, noticed that local chimpanzees suffering from intestinal worms would dose themselves with the pith of a plant called Veronia. This plant produces poisonous chemicals called terpenes. Its pith contains a strong enough concentration to kill gut parasites, but not so strong as to kill chimps (nor people, for that matter; locals use the pith for the same purpose). Given that the plant is known locally as “goat-killer”, however, it seems that not all animals are as smart as chimps and humans. Some consume it indiscriminately and succumb.

Paragraph C Since the Veronia-eating chimps were discovered, more evidence has emerged suggesting that animals often eat things for medical rather than nutritional reasons. Many species, for example, consume dirt, a behaviour known as geophagy. Historically, the preferred explanation was that soil supplies minerals such as salt. But geophagy occurs in areas where the earth is not a useful source of minerals, and also in places where minerals can be more easily obtained from certain plants that are known to be rich in them. Clearly, the animals must be getting something else out of eating earth.

Paragraph D The current belief is that soil—and particularly the clay in it—helps to detoxify the defensive poisons that some plants produce in an attempt to prevent themselves from being eaten. Evidence for the detoxifying nature of clay came in 1999, from an experiment carried out on macaws by James Gilardi and his colleagues at the University of California, Davis. Macaws eat seeds containing alkaloids, a group of chemicals that has some notoriously toxic members, such as strychnine. In the wild, the birds are frequently seen perched on eroding riverbanks eating clay. Dr Gilardi fed one group of macaws a mixture of harmless alkaloid and clay, and a second group just the alkaloid. Several hours later, the macaws that had eaten the clay had 60% less alkaloid in their bloodstreams than those that had not, suggesting that the hypothesis is correct.

Paragraph E Other observations also support the idea that clay is detoxifying. Towards the tropics, the amount of toxic compounds in plants increases—and so does the amount of earth eaten by herbivores. Elephants lick clay from mud holes all year round, except in September when they are bingeing on fruit which, because it has evolved to be eaten, is not toxic. And the addition of clay to the diets of domestic cattle increases the amount of nutrients that they can absorb from their food by 10–20%.

Paragraph F A third instance of animal self-medication is the use of mechanical scours to get rid of gut parasites. In 1972, Richard Wrangham, a researcher at the Gombe Stream Reserve in Tanzania, noticed that chimpanzees were eating the leaves of a tree called Aspilia. The chimps chose the leaves carefully by testing them in their mouths. Having chosen a leaf, a chimp would fold it into a fan and swallow it. Some of the chimps were noticed wrinkling their noses as they swallowed these leaves, suggesting the experience was unpleasant. Later, undigested leaves were found on the forest floor.

Paragraph G Dr Wrangham rightly guessed that the leaves had a medicinal purpose—this was, indeed, one of the earliest interpretations of a behaviour pattern as self-medication. However, he guessed wrong about what the mechanism was. His (and everybody else’s) assumption was that Aspilia contained a drug, and this sparked more than two decades of phytochemical research to try to find out what chemical the chimps were after. But by the 1990s, chimps across Africa had been seen swallowing the leaves of 19 different species that seemed to have few suitable chemicals in common. The drug hypothesis was looking more and more dubious.

Paragraph H It was Dr Huffman who got to the bottom of the problem. He did so by watching what came out of the chimps, rather than concentrating on what went in. He found that the egested leaves were full of intestinal worms. The factor common to all 19 species of leaves swallowed by the chimps was that they were covered with microscopic hooks. These caught the worms and dragged them from their lodgings.

Paragraph I Following that observation, Dr Engel is now particularly excited about how knowledge of the way that animals look after themselves could be used to improve the health of livestock. People might also be able to learn a thing or two, and may, indeed, already have done so. Geophagy, for example, is a common behaviour in many parts of the world. The medical stalls in African markets frequently sell tablets made of different sorts of clays, appropriate to different medical conditions.

Paragraph J Africans brought to the Americas as slaves continued this tradition, which gave their owners one more excuse to affect to despise them. Yet, as Dr Engel points out, Rwandan mountain gorillas eat a type of clay rather similar to kaolinite—the main ingredient of many patent medicines sold over the counter in the West for digestive complaints. Dirt can sometimes be good for you, and to be “as sick as a parrot” may, after all, be a state to be desired.

Now that you have read the passage, try answering the questions on your own before checking the Reading Answers of Health in the Wild with explanations below.

Health in the Wild Reading Answers with Explanation

The Health in the Wild Reading Answers section covers True, False, Not Given, Note Completion, and Summary Completion questions. First, try to answer the questions using the passage. Then, use the explanations to understand why each answer is correct and how the information is presented in the text.

The health in the wild reading answers with locations below also show the relevant paragraph for each answer, so you can check the information directly in the passage.

True, False, Not Given Reading Answers 1–4

For these questions, compare each statement with the passage. Decide whether the information agrees with the statement, contradicts it, or is not mentioned.

1. Dr Engel has been collecting examples of self-medication in wild animals for about a decade.

Answer: TRUE
Reference: Paragraph A

“For the past decade Dr Engel ... has been collating examples of self-medicating behaviour in wild animals.”

Explanation: Paragraph A clearly states that Dr Engel has been collecting examples of self-medication for the past decade. This matches the statement that he has been doing so for about ten years, making TRUE the correct answer.

2. Animals always choose plants for medicinal purposes because they contain useful minerals.

Answer: FALSE
Reference: Paragraph C

“Historically, the preferred explanation was that soil supplies minerals such as salt.”

Explanation: The passage explains that minerals were once considered a reason for animals consuming soil, but this explanation does not apply to every case. Some animals consume soil where minerals are easier to obtain elsewhere, making the statement FALSE.

Tricky question: The word “always” is important here. The passage questions the idea that animals consume these substances simply for their mineral or nutritional value.

3. Macaws that eat clay have been found to have lower levels of alkaloids in their blood.

Answer: TRUE
Reference: Paragraph D

“Several hours later, the macaws that had eaten the clay had 60% less alkaloid in their bloodstreams than those that had not.”

Explanation: The experiment compared macaws that consumed clay with those that did not. The clay-eating group had 60% less alkaloid in their blood afterwards. This directly supports the statement, so the correct answer is TRUE.

4. Dr Engel believes that studying animal self-medication could help improve the health of farm animals.

Answer: TRUE
Reference: Paragraph I

“Dr Engel is now particularly excited about how knowledge of the way that animals look after themselves could be used to improve the health of livestock.”

Explanation: Paragraph I connects Dr Engel’s interest in animal self-care with improving livestock health. Since livestock refers to farm animals, the statement accurately reflects the information given in the passage. Therefore, the answer is TRUE.

Note Completion Reading Answers 5–9

For Note Completion questions, find the specific detail needed for each blank and make sure your answer follows the given word limit.

5. PITH

Reference: Paragraph B

“...local chimpanzees suffering from intestinal worms would dose themselves with the pith of a plant called Veronia.”

Explanation: Paragraph B explains that chimpanzees with intestinal worms consume the pith of the Veronia plant. Since the note asks for the part of the plant used by chimpanzees, PITH is the correct one-word answer.

6. TERPENES

Reference: Paragraph B

“This plant produces poisonous chemicals called terpenes.”

Explanation: The passage directly identifies terpenes as the poisonous chemicals produced by Veronia. It also explains that these chemicals can kill gut parasites. Since the question asks for the name of these chemicals, TERPENES is correct.

7. ALKALOIDS

Reference: Paragraph D

“Macaws eat seeds containing alkaloids...”

Explanation: Paragraph D states that the seeds eaten by macaws contain alkaloids, some of which are highly toxic. The note asks what the seeds contain before mentioning clay, so ALKALOIDS correctly completes the sentence.

8. DETOXIFY

Reference: Paragraph D

“...soil—and particularly the clay in it—helps to detoxify the defensive poisons...”

Explanation: The passage suggests that clay helps detoxify poisonous substances found in some plants. Although the note uses different wording, the meaning remains the same. The verb DETOXIFY also fits grammatically after “helps to”.

9. HOOKS

Reference: Paragraph H

“...they were covered with microscopic hooks. These caught the worms and dragged them from their lodgings.”

Explanation: The leaves swallowed by the chimpanzees had microscopic hooks that caught and removed intestinal worms. Therefore, the question asks for the physical feature found on the leaves, making HOOKS the correct answer.

Tricky question: Paragraph G discusses the earlier theory that the leaves contained a drug. However, Paragraph H explains the actual mechanism: the microscopic hooks caught the worms.

Summary Completion Reading Answers 10–13

For Summary Completion questions, use the words around each blank to understand what information is needed. Then match the meaning with the most suitable option from the given box.

10. G - GEOPHAGY

Reference: Paragraph C

“Many species, for example, consume dirt, a behaviour known as geophagy.”

Explanation: The summary describes animals consuming soil or dirt. Paragraph C gives the specific name for this behaviour as geophagy. Therefore, option G - GEOPHAGY correctly completes the sentence and matches the information in the passage.

11. D - TOXIC

Reference: Paragraph D

“...clay in it—helps to detoxify the defensive poisons that some plants produce...”

Explanation: The passage explains that some plants produce poisonous substances, which clay may help detoxify. Since the summary needs a word describing these harmful substances, D - TOXIC fits both the meaning and grammar.

12. E - CLAY TABLETS

Reference: Paragraph I

“The medical stalls in African markets frequently sell tablets made of different sorts of clays...”

Explanation: Paragraph I explains that medical stalls in African markets sell tablets made from different types of clay for various medical conditions. This directly matches the summary, making E - CLAY TABLETS the correct option.

13. C - UNPLEASANT

Reference: Paragraph F

“Some of the chimps were noticed wrinkling their noses as they swallowed these leaves, suggesting the experience was unpleasant.”

Explanation: The chimpanzees’ reaction while swallowing the leaves suggested that the experience was unpleasant. The summary asks how swallowing the leaves could be described, so C - UNPLEASANT is the option that matches the passage.

Tricky question: Do not choose harmless because the passage discusses the leaves' medicinal effect. The question focuses on the chimpanzees’ reaction while swallowing them, which the passage describes as unpleasant.

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How to Approach Health in the Wild Reading Questions?

Health in the Wild includes three question types, and each one requires a slightly different approach. The passage moves between researchers, animals, plants, and experiments, so keeping track of these details can help you work through the health in the wild reading answers more confidently.

Here are some practical strategies to keep in mind while working through the passage:

Use Names and Dates to Find Specific Details

The passage gives you several names and years, which can act as quick location points.

Useful details to remember:

• 1987 → Michael Huffman and Mohamedi Seifu → Veronia
• 1999 → James Gilardi and colleagues → Macaws and clay
• 1972 → Richard Wrangham → Aspilia leaves

If a question contains a researcher’s name or a year, scan for that detail first. You will usually reach the relevant information much faster than by reading the passage from the beginning.

Notice When the Passage Corrects an Earlier Idea

One of the easiest places to get confused is the discussion of the Aspilia leaves.

The passage first says:

Wrangham believed the leaves contained a drug.

Later, it explains:

The leaves had microscopic hooks that caught the worms.

What to remember: If a question asks about the actual mechanism, look at the later explanation rather than stopping at the first theory mentioned.

Match Ideas, Not Just Words

The wording in the questions may be different from the wording in the passage.

For example, 

Question idea	Passage wording
Farm animals	Livestock
Harmful substances	Defensive poisons
Reduce harmful effects	Detoxify
Eating soil	Geophagy

Quick tip: Once you find a possible match, read a few lines around it. This helps you confirm that the passage is discussing the same idea rather than just using a similar word.

Watch Out for Strong Words

Words such as always, only, all, and never deserve extra attention in True, False, Not Given questions.

Example from this passage:

The passage mentions the earlier belief that animals eat soil to obtain minerals. It then explains why this does not fully account for the behaviour.

So, a statement saying animals “always” do something for that reason should immediately make you check the passage more carefully.

Let the Words Around the Blank Guide You

For Note and Summary Completion, you can often work out what kind of answer you need before finding it.

For example:

chemicals called ______

You need the name of a chemical here → terpenes

tablets made of different sorts of ______

You need the material used to make the tablets → clay

After choosing an answer, read the complete sentence again. If the word fits both the meaning and the grammar, you have a stronger reason to finalise it.

Also Read:
IELTS Syllabus	IELTS Test Format	IELTS Exam Pattern

Common Mistakes to Avoid in Health in the Wild Reading Answers

The main traps in Health in the Wild reading answers come from similar ideas, different explanations, and details spread across several paragraphs. The passage also uses different terms for related ideas, which can make some answers easy to confuse. 

Here are a few common mistakes to avoid while answering the Health in the Wild Reading Answers:

✗ Common Mistake	✓ What to Do Instead
Choosing FALSE because the statement is not mentioned.	Choose FALSE only when the passage contradicts the statement. If there is no relevant information, consider NOT GIVEN.
Assuming animals eat soil mainly for minerals.	Read Paragraph C carefully. The passage explains that the mineral theory does not account for every case of geophagy.
Confusing researchers with their experiments.	Keep the examples clear: Huffman and Seifu → Veronia; Gilardi → macaws and clay; Wrangham → Aspilia leaves.
Choosing the drug theory as the reason leaves remove worms.	Read Paragraph H. It explains that microscopic hooks on the leaves catch the worms.
Looking only for exact words from the question.	Look for the same idea in different words, such as farm animals → livestock and harmful substances → plant poisons.
Choosing an option because it seems related to the passage.	Check the complete sentence and context. For example, unpleasant fits the chimpanzees' reaction, while harmless does not.
Ignoring strong words such as always.	Check whether the passage supports the entire statement. Words like always, only, all, and never can change the answer.
Writing more words than allowed.	Check the instructions before answering. If it says NO MORE THAN ONE WORD, use only one word.

Students please note: When you finish, quickly review answers involving similar explanations, different researchers, and information that appears in more than one part of the passage.

Want to practise more IELTS Reading passages? Check out these answer guides for different topics and question types:  Transition Care for the Elderly IELTS Reading Answers Fatal Attraction IELTS Reading Answers with Explanations Bird Migration Reading Answers with Explanations Online Roommate Finder Toronto IELTS Reading Answers, Explanation Pine Trees IELTS Reading Answers 2026: Questions & Explanations

Conclusion

Health in the Wild takes you through examples of animal self-medication, including the use of plants, soil, and clay to deal with health problems. Solving its questions becomes easier when you focus on the main idea, follow the details carefully, and look beyond exact word matches.

As you work on more IELTS passages, try to build the habit of reading with a purpose rather than trying to memorise everything. The same approach can make a real difference in your overall study abroad journey.

For help with your IELTS preparation and wider study plans, you can book a free 1:1 counselling session with upGrad’s study abroad experts and get guidance based on your goals today!