IELTS Recent Mock Tests Volume 2
- Published on: 05 Dec 2017
- Tests taken: 926,634
Answer Keys:
Part 1: Question 1 - 13
- 1 FALSE
- 2 FALSE
- 3 NOT GIVEN
- 4 TRUE
- 5 TRUE
- 6 flower
- 7 prejudice
- 8 reverse
- 9 meat
- 10 crops
- 11 soil
- 12 cultivation
- 13 investment
Part 2: Question 14 - 26
- 14 C
- 15 E
- 16 B
- 17 F
- 18 D
- 19 NO
- 20 NOT GIVEN
- 21 NO
- 22 NOT GIVEN
- 23 NO
- 24 YES
- 25 B
- 26 D
Part 3: Question 27 - 40
- 27 YES
- 28 NOT GIVEN
- 29 NO
- 30 YES
- 31 B
- 32 C
- 33 A
- 34 D
- 35 B
- 36 B
- 37 F
- 38 E
- 39 A
- 40 D
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Review & Explanations:
Questions 1-5
Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Reading Passage 1?
In boxes 1-5 on your answer sheet, write
| TRUE | if the statement agrees with the information |
| FALSE | if the statement contradicts the information |
| NOT GIVEN | If there is no information on this |
1 The early Spanish called potato as the Incan name ‘Chuchu’
2 The purposes of Spanish coming to Peru were to find out potatoes
3 The Spanish believed that the potato has the same nutrients as other vegetables
4 Peasants at that time did not like to eat potatoes because they were ugly
5 The popularity of potatoes in the UK was due to food shortages during the war
- 1 Answer: FALSE
Keywords in Questions
Similar words in Passage
Q1: The early Spanish called potato as the Incan name ‘Chuchu’
Early Spanish chroniclers who misused the Indian word batata (sweet potato) as the name for the potato
Note: + According to the passage, the Early Spanish misused the Indian word Batata to call potato. That mean, potato was called the Indian word Batata.
+ “misuse” has the same meaning as to use something in an unsuitable way or in a way that was not intended. Therefore, the answer should be FALSE.
- 2 Answer: FALSE
Keywords in Questions
Similar words in Passage
Q2: The purposes of Spanish coming to Peru were to find out potatoes
The Spanish conquistadors first encountered the potato when they arrived in Peru in 1532 in search of gold , and noted Inca miners eating chuchu.
Note:
+ From the passage, we can infer that the Spanish conquistadors arrived in Peru to search for gold, not to find out potatoes.
+“conquistador” has the same meaning as a leader in the Spanish conquest of America and especially of Mexico and Peru in the 16th century. Therefore, the answer should be FALSE.
- 3 Answer: NOT GIVEN
Keywords in Questions
Similar words in Passage
Q3: The Spanish believed that the potato has the same nutrients as other vegetables
At the time the Spaniards failed to realize that the potato represented a far more important treasure than either silver or gold, but they did gradually begin to use potatoes as basic rations aboard their ships. After the arrival of the potato in Spain in 1570，a few Spanish farmers began to cultivate them on a small scale, mostly as food for livestock.
Note: According to the passage, the Spanish began to use potatoes as basic ration abroad their ship, but it didn’t mention the nutrients of potatoes or of other vegetables. Therefore, the answer should be NOT GIVEN.
- 4 Answer: TRUE
Keywords in Questions
Similar words in Passage
Q4: Peasants at that time did not like to eat potatoes because they were ugly
Even peasants refused to eat from a plant that produced ugly, misshapen tubers and that had come from a heathen civilization.
Note:
+ From the connections stated above, the keyword “peasants”, “eat”, “ugly” appear in different places but the meaning remain the same.
+“misshapen tubers” has the same meaning as having an unusual shape like a root of plan or a shape that is not natural. Hence, the answer here should be TRUE.
- 5 Answer: TRUE
Keywords in Questions
Similar words in Passage
Q5: The popularity of potatoes in the UK was due to food shortages during the war
Potatoes did not become a staple until, during the food shortages associated with the Revolutionary Wars
Note:
+ From the passage, we can infer that potatoes didn’t cultivate until the shortage of food during the wars.
+ The keyword “potatoes”, “food shortages”, appear in different places but the meaning remain the same.
+ “ food shortages” has the same meaning as a situation in which there is not enough of food. Thus, the answer here should be TRUE.
Questions 6-13
Complete the sentences below with NO MORE THAN ONE WORD from the passage 1 for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 6-13 on your answer sheet.
In France, people started to overcome their disgusting about potatoes because the King put a potato 6 in his button hole.
Frederick realized the potential of potato but he had to handle the
7
against potatoes from ordinary people.
The King of Prussia adopted some
8
psychology to make people accept potatoes.
Before 1800，the English people preferred eating
9
with bread, butter and cheese.
The obvious way to deal with England food problems were high yielding potato
10
The Irish
11
and climate suited potatoes well.
Between 1780 and 1841, based on the
12
of the potatoes, the Irish population doubled to eight million.
The potato’s high yields help the poorest farmers to produce more healthy food almost without
13
- 6 Answer: flower
Keywords in Questions
Similar words in Passage
Q6: In France, people started to overcome their disgusting about potatoes because the King put a potato ______ in his button hole.
The people began to overcome their distaste when the plant received the royal seal of approval: Louis XVI began to sport a potato flower in his buttonhole, and Marie-Antoinette wore the purple potato blossom in her hair.
Note:
+ From the connections stated above, the keyword “overcome”, “distaste”, “disgusting” appear in different places but the meaning remain the same.
+ The answer must be a Noun that’s related to button hole and tomato. Hence the answer here is “flower”.
- 7 Answer: prejudice
Keywords in Questions
Similar words in Passage
Q7: Frederick realized the potential of potato but he had to handle the _____ against potatoes from ordinary people.
Frederick the Great of Prussia saw the potato’s potential to help feed his nation and lower the price of bread, but faced the challenge of overcoming the people’s prejudice against the plant
Note: + According to the passage, we can assume that the answer must be a Noun
+ The answer must be an attitude or action of people. So the answer is prejudice
- 8 Answer: reverse
Keywords in Questions
Similar words in Passage
Q8: The King of Prussia adopted some _________ psychology to make people accept potatoes
Trying a less direct approach to encourage his subjects to begin planting potatoes, Frederick used a bit of reverse psychology: [...]
Note:
+ From the question, we can assume that the answer must be a noun.
+ The information relating to this question is in the third sentence of paragraph G.
+ The keywords in question 8 are paraphrases of highlighted words in the sentence. “Frederick” is the name of “The King of Prussia”. After crossing out all the keywords, we have the correct answer. This is “reverse”.
- 9 Answer: meat
Keywords in Questions
Similar words in Passage
Q9: Before 1800，the English people preferred eating _______ with bread, butter and cheese.
Historians debate whether the potato was primarily a cause or an effect of the huge population boom in industrial-era England and Wales. Prior to 1800, the English diet had consisted primarily of meat , supplemented by bread, butter and cheese
Note:
+ From the question we can assume that the answer must be a Noun.
+ The answer must be a kind of food which is normal and convenient like bread, butter and cheese listed in the passage. We can easily detect the missing word here is meat.
- 10 Answer: crops
Keywords in Questions
Similar words in Passage
Q10: The obvious way to deal with England food problems were high yielding potato ______.
High yielding, easily prepared potato crops were the obvious solution to England’s food problems.
Note:
+ From the question we can assume that the answer must be a Noun
+“obvious solution” has the same meaning as “easy to see, recognize, or understand the way to deal with some difficult situations”. The answer for this question is quite easy to detect. As you odd out all the keywords, the only suitable noun left is “crops”. Hence the answer is crops.
- 11 Answer: soil
Keywords in Questions
Similar words in Passage
Q11: The Irish ______ and climate suited potatoes well.
The potato was well suited to the Irish the soil and climate, and its high yield suited the most important concern of most Irish farmers: to feed their families.
Note:
+ From the connections stated above, the keyword “The Irish”, “climate”, “suited” appear in different places but the meaning remain the same.
+ From the question we can assume that the answer must be a Noun. As you cross out all the keywords, the only suitable noun is “soil”. Thus, the answer here should be soil.
- 12 Answer: cultivation
Keywords in Questions
Similar words in Passage
Q12: Between 1780 and 1841, based on the _____ of the potatoes, the Irish population doubled to eight million.
The Irish population doubled to eight million between 1780 and 1841，this without any significant expansion of industry or reform of agricultural techniques beyond the widespread cultivation of the potato.
Note:
+ According to the passage, the Irish population doubled to eight million but the best way to deal with this trend is cultivation of the potato.
+ “Cultivation” has the same meaning as to prepare land and grow crops on it, or to grow a particular crop. With all these clues, we can conclude that the answer here should be cultivation.
- 13 Answer: investment
Keywords in Questions
Similar words in Passage
Q13: The potato’s high yields help the poorest farmers to produce more healthy food almost without ________
Though Irish landholding practices were primitive in comparison with those of England, the potato’s high yields allowed even the poorest farmers to produce more healthy food than they needed with scarcely any investment or hard labor
Note:
+ From the connections stated above, potato’s high yields will help farmers to produce more healthy food with any investment.
+ “ high yields” has the same meaning as to supply or produce something positive such as big profit, the big amount of food or information. Hence, the answer here should be investment
READING PASSAGE 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13, which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.
The Impact of the Potato
Jeff Chapman relates the story of history the most important vegetable
A The potato was first cultivated in South America between three and seven thousand years ago, though scientists believe they may have grown wild in the region as long as 13,000 years ago. The genetic patterns of potato distribution indicate that the potato probably originated in the mountainous west-central region of the continent.
B Early Spanish chroniclers who misused the Indian word batata (sweet potato) as the name for the potato noted the importance of the tuber to the Incan Empire. The Incas had learned to preserve the potato for storage by dehydrating and mashing potatoes into a substance called Chuchu could be stored in a room for up to 10 years, providing excellent insurance against possible crop failures. As well as using the food as a staple crop, the Incas thought potatoes made childbirth easier and used it to treat injuries.
C The Spanish conquistadors first encountered the potato when they arrived in Peru in 1532 in search of gold, and noted Inca miners eating chuchu. At the time the Spaniards failed to realize that the potato represented a far more important treasure than either silver or gold, but they did gradually begin to use potatoes as basic rations aboard their ships. After the arrival of the potato in Spain in 1570，a few Spanish farmers began to cultivate them on a small scale, mostly as food for livestock.
D Throughout Europe, potatoes were regarded with suspicion, distaste and fear. Generally considered to be unfit for human consumption, they were used only as animal fodder and sustenance for the starving. In northern Europe, potatoes were primarily grown in botanical gardens as an exotic novelty. Even peasants refused to eat from a plant that produced ugly, misshapen tubers and that had come from a heathen civilization. Some felt that the potato plant’s resemblance to plants in the nightshade family hinted that it was the creation of witches or devils.
E In meat-loving England, farmers and urban workers regarded potatoes with extreme distaste. In 1662, the Royal Society recommended the cultivation of the tuber to the English government and the nation, but this recommendation had little impact. Potatoes did not become a staple until, during the food shortages associated with the Revolutionary Wars, the English government began to officially encourage potato cultivation. In 1795, the Board of Agriculture issued a pamphlet entitled “Hints Respecting the Culture and Use of Potatoes”； this was followed shortly by pro-potato editorials and potato recipes in The Times. Gradually, the lower classes began to follow the lead of the upper classes.
F A similar pattern emerged across the English Channel in the Netherlands, Belgium and France. While the potato slowly gained ground in eastern France (where it was often the only crop remaining after marauding soldiers plundered wheat fields and vineyards), it did not achieve widespread acceptance until the late 1700s. The peasants remained suspicious, in spite of a 1771 paper from the Facult de Paris testifying that the potato was not harmful but beneficial. The people began to overcome their distaste when the plant received the royal seal of approval: Louis XVI began to sport a potato flower in his buttonhole, and Marie-Antoinette wore the purple potato blossom in her hair.
G Frederick the Great of Prussia saw the potato’s potential to help feed his nation and lower the price of bread, but faced the challenge of overcoming the people’s prejudice against the plant. When he issued a 1774 order for his subjects to grow potatoes as protection against famine, the town of Kolberg replied: “The things have neither smell nor taste, not even the dogs will eat them, so what use are they to us?” Trying a less direct approach to encourage his subjects to begin planting potatoes, Frederick used a bit of reverse psychology: he planted a royal field of potato plants and stationed a heavy guard to protect this field from thieves. Nearby peasants naturally assumed that anything worth guarding was worth stealing, and so snuck into the field and snatched the plants for their home gardens. Of course, this was entirely in line with Frederick’s wishes.
H Historians debate whether the potato was primarily a cause or an effect of the huge population boom in industrial-era England and Wales. Prior to 1800，the English diet had consisted primarily of meat, supplemented by bread, butter and cheese. Few vegetables were consumed, most vegetables being regarded as nutritionally worthless and potentially harmful. This view began to change gradually in the late 1700s. The Industrial Revolution was drawing an ever increasing percentage of the populace into crowded cities, where only the richest could afford homes with ovens or coal storage rooms, and people were working 12-16 hour days which left them with little time or energy to prepare food. High yielding, easily prepared potato crops were the obvious solution to England’s food problems.
I Whereas most of their neighbors regarded the potato with suspicion and had to be persuaded to use it by the upper classes, the Irish peasantry embraced the tuber more passionately than anyone since the Incas. The potato was well suited to the Irish the soil and climate, and its high yield suited the most important concern of most Irish farmers: to feed their families.
J The most dramatic example of the potato’s potential to alter population patterns occurred in Ireland, where the potato had become a staple by 1800. The Irish population doubled to eight million between 1780 and 1841，this without any significant expansion of industry or reform of agricultural techniques beyond the widespread cultivation of the potato. Though Irish landholding practices were primitive in comparison with those of England, the potato’s high yields allowed even the poorest farmers to produce more healthy food than they needed with scarcely any investment or hard labor. Even children could easily plant, harvest and cook potatoes, which of course required no threshing, curing or grinding. The abundance provided by potatoes greatly decreased infant mortality and encouraged early marriage.
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Great thanks to volunteer Ngoc Nguyen who has contributed these explanations and markings.
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