NewsTracker Answers for week of May 19, 2025

Q: Researchers found seabirds on Lord Howe Island eating so much plastic waste that they crunch when touched. A scientist said the grisly discovery on the small island between Australia and New Zealand is a warning about the danger of plastic waste to other creatures. Where is Australia and its southeastern neighbor, New Zealand?

Circle the area on this map


Q: It is estimated that more than 170 trillion pieces of plastic have been dumped into the world’s oceans. However, that is just a fraction of all plastic waste. Which nation consumes the most plastic?

A. Brazil

B. China

C. India

D. United States


B. China consumed 37.6 million tons of plastic in 2023, followed by the United States at 22.8 million tons, India at 7.4 million tons, and Brazil at 4.9 million tons. The Lord Howe Island seabirds eat chunks of plastic as large as a bottle cap, damaging their organs and brains. Tiny particles known as microplastics are found everywhere in the world, including inside the bodies of humans and other animals.


Q: Lord Howe Island is home to 445 people and about 44,000 sable shearwaters, which pick up plastic trash from the sea and feed it to their chicks. How long have modern humans lived on Lord Howe Island?

A. About 200 years

B. About 700 years

C. 50,000 to 65,000 years

D. 200,000 to 300,000 years


A. Extensive archaeological research found no evidence of human occupation of the island before British sailors landed in 1788 and established a permanent settlement in 1834. About 700 years ago, the islands of New Zealand were the last large habitable land to be settled by humans. Modern humans evolved in Africa 300,000 to 200,000 years ago and arrived in Australia 50,000 to 65,000 years ago


Q: The 5.6-square-mile Lord Howe Island limits tourists to 400 at a time to protect its subtropical environment. As a remote part of the Australian state of New South Wales, Lord Howe Island casts votes in a parliamentary district of the nation’s largest city. What is Australia’s largest city?

A. Brisbane

B. Canberra

C. Melbourne

D. Sydney


D. With 5.4 million people, Sydney is Australia’s most populous city, followed by Melbourne with 5.2 million people and Brisbane with 2.7 million. Canberra is the nation’s capital in the Australian Capital Territory, an enclave surrounded by New South Wales. It has a population of about 500,000 people.


Q: About 70% of Lord Howe Island remains relatively untouched, but several native bird species have gone extinct since humans arrived. Which animals imported by humans killed off many of the birds?

A. Cats

B. Pigs

C. Owls

D. All of the above


D. Pigs and goats were released on the island in the 1800s as potential food sources. Goats destroyed nesting habitats, while pigs ate eggs and chicks. After rats escaped from ships visiting the island, cats and a breed of owls were imported to control the rat population. The imported owls ended up replacing a native owl breed. Abandoned cats and dogs turned feral and began preying on the birds.