NAPLAN Year 3 Reading – Passage 4

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Very Hard Non-Fiction Inference Reading Practice

This advanced reading comprehension test is designed for students preparing for NAPLAN extension, OC, and Selective school exams. Questions require deep inference, author intent, and reasoning beyond literal meaning.

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Reading Passage

The Silent Network Beneath Our Feet

Most people notice trees for what they show above ground: leaves that change colour, trunks marked by age, and branches shaped by wind. What remains unseen, however, is a vast underground system connecting roots, soil, fungi, and microscopic organisms. This hidden network allows trees to exchange nutrients, warn neighbouring plants of danger, and even regulate growth within a forest.

Scientists discovered that certain fungi form thread-like structures that attach themselves to tree roots. Through these threads, trees can transfer carbon, water, and minerals to one another. Older, larger trees often send extra nutrients to younger seedlings struggling in the shade. While this behaviour appears “generous”, researchers suggest it is also practical: healthier young trees help stabilise the soil and protect the entire forest ecosystem.

When insects attack one tree, chemical signals travel through the underground network, alerting nearby trees to produce defensive substances before the insects arrive. This communication happens silently and invisibly, yet it can determine whether a forest survives a widespread infestation.

Although this underground system operates without human awareness, it challenges the idea that trees compete only for survival. Instead, the forest functions more like a coordinated community, where cooperation and competition exist at the same time. The strength of the forest depends not just on individual trees, but on the connections that bind them together beneath the surface.

Questions

1. Why does the author begin the passage by describing what people see above ground?
   • A. To explain how trees grow
   • B. To contrast visible features with hidden processes
   • C. To show why trees are difficult to study
   • D. To suggest trees are unimportant
2. The word “generous” is placed in quotation marks to suggest that:
   • A. Trees feel emotions
   • B. Scientists disagree about nutrient sharing
   • C. The behaviour may not be purely selfless
   • D. Young trees demand help
3. What can be inferred about older trees from the passage?
   • A. They grow faster than younger trees
   • B. They depend entirely on fungi to survive
   • C. They benefit indirectly from helping seedlings
   • D. They control the underground network
4. Why is the underground warning system important to the survival of a forest?
   • A. It removes insects from the soil
   • B. It allows trees to grow taller
   • C. It enables trees to respond before damage spreads
   • D. It replaces human conservation efforts
5. Which idea is implied but not directly stated in the final paragraph?
   • A. Forests are fragile and easily destroyed
   • B. Cooperation increases the strength of ecosystems
   • C. Trees communicate better than animals
   • D. Scientists fully understand forest systems
6. What is the main purpose of the passage?
   • A. To argue against cutting down forests
   • B. To explain how fungi damage trees
   • C. To reveal an unseen system that changes how forests are understood
   • D. To compare forests with human societies

Answer Key

1. B
2. C
3. C
4. C
5. B
6. C

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