The Murray River — Reading Comprehension — Answers
Answer sheet with model answers and success criteria for the Year 5 reading comprehension comprehension exercise.
Year 5 · English · Reading Comprehension
The Murray River — Reading Comprehension — Answers
The Murray River
Read the report carefully. Use the subheadings to help you find your way around the text.
The Murray is Australia's longest river. It begins as a trickle of snowmelt high in the Australian Alps and flows for about 2,500 kilometres before reaching the sea in South Australia. For most of its length it forms the border between New South Wales and Victoria.
The river's journey
From the mountains, the Murray winds west through forests of river red gums, past farms and towns, and across dry plains. Along the way it is joined by other rivers, including the Murrumbidgee and the Darling. Together these rivers and their tributaries form the Murray–Darling Basin, a huge area that covers parts of four states and the Australian Capital Territory. Near the end of its journey, the Murray flows through Lake Alexandrina and enters the Southern Ocean through a narrow opening called the Murray Mouth.
People and the river
Aboriginal peoples have lived along the Murray for tens of thousands of years. The river provided fish, mussels, waterbirds and reeds for weaving, and many groups have their own names and stories for it. In the 1800s, European settlers used the river as a highway. Paddle steamers carried wool, wheat and supplies between river towns such as Echuca, Swan Hill and Mildura. Later, large dams and weirs were built so that water could be stored and used to irrigate crops, including oranges, grapes and rice.
Life in the water
The Murray is home to the Murray cod, a large fish that can grow to more than a metre long. Turtles, platypuses, yabbies and many kinds of waterbirds also depend on the river and its wetlands.
A river under pressure
Because so much water is taken out for farms and towns, less reaches the lower river, especially in dry years. Low flows can make the water salty, harm fish and wetlands, and sometimes cause the Murray Mouth to clog up with sand. Governments, farmers and scientists are now working together to balance the needs of people with the needs of the river itself.
The Murray is more than a line on a map. It is a water supply, a workplace, a playground and a living system that millions of Australians rely on.
Part A — Right there in the text
Find each answer in the report.
Answer: About 2,500 kilometres.
- Ain Lake Alexandrina
- Bin the Australian Alps
- Cin South Australia
- Dat Echuca
Answer: in the Australian Alps
The text says it 'begins as a trickle of snowmelt high in the Australian Alps'.
Answer: New South Wales and Victoria.
Answer: The Murrumbidgee and the Darling.
- Atourists only
- Bwool, wheat and supplies
- Coranges and rice
- Dfish and mussels
Answer: wool, wheat and supplies
The text says 'Paddle steamers carried wool, wheat and supplies between river towns'.
Answer: Oranges, grapes and rice.
Part B — Reading between the lines
Use evidence from the report to explain your answers.
Answer: So that water could be stored and used to irrigate crops, instead of simply flowing to the sea.
Answer: Farms and towns take a lot of water out of the river. In dry years there is less water to begin with, so after it is taken out, very little is left to flow down to the lower river.
Answer: When the river is strong it pushes sand out to sea. When the flow is weak, waves and tides can pile sand across the narrow opening and the river cannot clear it.
Answer: A map only shows where the river is. The writer wants readers to see that it is also a source of water, jobs, recreation and life for people, plants and animals.
Part C — Word meanings
- Aa type of dam
- Ba smaller river that flows into a larger one
- Ca river town
- Da kind of fish
Answer: a smaller river that flows into a larger one
The text lists the Murrumbidgee and Darling as rivers that join the Murray and then refers to 'their tributaries', so a tributary is a river that flows into another.
- Aharvest them
- Bsell them at market
- Csupply them with water
- Dplant them in rows
Answer: supply them with water
The text says water was stored 'and used to irrigate crops', so irrigating means watering.
Answer: The river was used like a road, as the main way to transport goods and people between towns.
Part D — Extended response
Model answer: The Murray River is important for many reasons. Aboriginal peoples have relied on it for tens of thousands of years for food such as fish and mussels. It forms the border between New South Wales and Victoria and provides water to irrigate crops such as oranges, grapes and rice. It is also home to animals like the Murray cod, which can grow to more than a metre long. However, the river is under pressure. So much water is taken out for farms and towns that less reaches the lower river, especially in dry years. Low flows can make the water salty, harm wetlands and even cause the Murray Mouth to clog with sand. That is why governments, farmers and scientists are working together to share the water more fairly.
Success criteria:
- First paragraph explains why the river is important
- Second paragraph explains the pressures on the river
- Includes at least three accurate facts from the text
- Uses linking words (because, so, however, also)
- Full sentences with correct punctuation
Marking tips
- Give credit for correct method even when the final answer slips — the working shows where the thinking went right.
- For open-ended tasks, use the success criteria as a checklist rather than looking for one "right" answer.
- Celebrate what went well first, then pick one thing to work on next.