A History of Bread Reading Answers

Feb 15, 2023

A History of Bread Reading Answers is a academic topic in the IELTS Reading section. This has been taken from the book: Cambridge IELTS 10 Student's Book with Answers. The IELTS reading section helps candidates increase their reading skills with the help of passages. Candidates need to read the passage and then answer the questions. There are 12 questions in this topic: A History of Bread Reading Answers. The IELTS reading questions are divided into two sections: Yes, No, Not Given and choose the correct heading. There are more topics like A History of Bread Reading Answers in IELTS Reading practice papers to help them excel in the IELTS exam.

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Section 1

Read the passage to answer the following questions

A History of Bread Reading Answers

Although bread is not a staple food in all countries around the world, it is in many and in others it is of great importance. As an example, the UK bakery market is worth £3.6 billion annually and is one of the largest markets in the food industry. Total volume at present is approximately just under 4 billion units, the equivalent of almost 11 million loaves and packs sold every single day. There are three principal sectors that make up the UK baking industry. The larger baking companies produce around 80% of bread sold in the UK. In store bakeries within supermarkets produce about 17% and high street retail craft bakers produce the rest. In contrast to the UK, craft bakeries still dominate the market in many mainland European countries. This allows genuine craftspeople to keep alive and indeed develop skills that have been passed on for thousands of years.
Recent evidence indicates that humans processed and consumed wild cereal grains as far back as 23,000 years ago. Archaeologists have discovered simple stone mechanisms that were used for smashing and grinding various cereals to remove the inedible outer husks and to make the resulting grains into palatable and versatile food. As humans evolved, they mixed the resulting cracked and ground grains with water to create a variety of foods from this gruel to a stiffer porridge. By simply leaving the paste to dry out in the sun, a bread like crust would be formed. This early bread was particularly successful, when wild yeast from the air combined with the flour and water. The early Egyptians were curious about the bread 'rising' and attempted to isolate the yeast, so that they could introduce it directly into their bread. Bakers experimented with leavened doughs and through these experiments Egyptians were the first to uncover the secret of yeast usage. Hence, the future of bread was assured.
As travellers took bread making techniques and moved out from Egyptian lands, the art began spreading to all parts of Europe. A key civilisation was the Romans, who took their advanced bread techniques with them around Europe. The Romans preferred whiter bread, which was possible with the milling processes that they had refined. This led to white bread being perceived as the most valuable bread of them all, a preference that seems to have stuck with many people. The Romans also invented the first mechanical dough-mixer, powered by horses and donkeys.
Both simple, yet elusive, the art of controlling the various ingredients and developing the skills required to turn grain and water into palatable bread, gave status to individuals and societies for thousands of years. The use of barley and wheat led man to live in communities and made the trade of baker one of the oldest crafts in the world.
Before the Industrial Revolution, millers used windmills and watermills, depending on their locations, to turn the machinery that would grind wheat to flour. The Industrial Revolution really moved the process of bread making forwards. The first commercially successful engine did not appear until 1712, but it wasn't until the invention of the Boulton and Watt steam engine in 1786 that the process was advanced and refined. The first mill in London using the steam engines was so large and efficient that in one year in could produce more flour than the rest of the mills in London put together. In conjunction with steam power, a Swiss engineer in 1874 invented a new type of mill. He designed rollers made of steel that operated one above the other. It was called the reduction roller milling system, and these machines soon became accepted all over Europe.
Since Egyptian times, yeast has been an essential part of bread making around the world, but yeast was not really understood properly until the 19th century. It was only with the invention of the microscope, followed by the pioneering scientific work of Louis Pasteur in the late 1860s, that yeast was identified as a living organism and agent responsible for dough leavening. Shortly following these discoveries, it became possible to isolate yeast in pure culture form. With this newfound knowledge the stage was set for commercial production of baker's yeast and this began around the turn of the 20th century. Since that time, bakers, scientists and yeast manufacturers have been working to find and produce pure strains of yeast that meet the exacting and specified needs of the baking industry.
The basics of any bread dough are flour, water and of course yeast. As soon as these ingredients are stirred together, enzymes in the yeast and the flour cause large starch molecules to break down into simple sugars. The yeast metabolises these simple sugars and exudes a liquid that releases carbon dioxide into the dough's minute cells. As more and more tiny cells are filled, the dough rises and leavened bread is the result.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation
Questions 28-34:
The passage has 7 paragraphs A-G. Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.

A key ingredient
Bread as an industry
South American influences
Techniques spread
A time of change
Taxes affect trade
The ancient process
The essential process
New recipes
Respect for a skill

Paragraph A

Answer: ii Bread as an industry
Supporting Sentence: Total volume at present is approximately just under 4 billion units, the equivalent of almost 11 million loaves and packs sold every single day.
Keyword: volume, billion units, sold
Keyword Location: Paragraph A, 3rd sentence
Explanation: The author states that bread is not a staple food for all countries. Still in some countries, it carries a very important role. He explains the market that bread does by pointing out the sell and the money involved. Hence, it shows the market of bread worldwide. This makes “Bread as an industry” the correct answer.

Paragraph B

Answer: vii The ancient process
Supporting Sentence: Archaeologists have discovered simple stone mechanisms that were used for smashing and grinding various cereals to remove the inedible outer husks and to make the resulting grains into palatable and versatile food.
Keyword: 23,000, discovered, stome mechanism
Keyword Location: Paragraph B, 2nd sentence
Explanation: The author states that breads were used since 23,000 years. Previously the process of manufacturing was different than the current process. They used stone mechanisms for smashing and grinding cereals. The author explains the ancient process of bread preparation. Hence, it is the correct answer.

Paragraph C

Answer: iv Techniques spread
Supporting Sentence: As travellers took bread making techniques and moved out from Egyptian lands, the art began spreading to all parts of Europe.
Keyword: moved out, techniques
Keyword Location: Paragraph C, 1st sentence
Explanation: The author clearly states in the first sentence of the paragraph C that travellers took bread and travelled out from Egyptian lands to other parts of the world. This means that the technique also went to other parts and it spread. This makes “techniques spread” the correct answer.

Paragraph D

Answer: x Respect for a skill
Supporting Sentence: Both simple, yet elusive, the art of controlling the various ingredients and developing the skills required to turn grain and water into palatable bread, gave status to individuals and societies for thousands of years.
Keyword: art, skill
Keyword Location: Paragraph D, first sentence
Explanation: As per the author, the use of barley and wheat led man to live in communities and made the trade of baker one of the oldest crafts in the world. He also explains the skill in the supporting sentence. Hence, the respect for this skill was shown.

Paragraph E

Answer: v A time of change
Supporting Sentence: The Industrial Revolution really moved the process of bread making forwards.
Keyword: really, moved
Keyword Location: Paragraph E, 2nd sentence
Explanation: The author in this paragraphs talks about the changes that came in for the machinery and the process of manufacturing bread. The supporting sentence also suggests the same. Hence, a time of change is the correct answer.

Paragraph F

Answer: i. A key ingredient
Supporting Sentence: Since Egyptian times, yeast has been an essential part of bread making around the world, but yeast was not really understood properly until the 19th century.
Keyword: essential, bread making
Keyword Location: Paragraph F, 1st sentence
Explanation: As per the author, yeast was one of the most important part of bread making. It talks about the use of year and that it was not understood before the 19th century. This makes “A key ingredient” the correct answer.

Paragraph G

Answer: viii The essential process
Supporting Sentence: The basics of any bread dough are flour, water and of course yeast.
Keyword: basics, process
Keyword Location: Paragraph G, 1st sentence
Explanation: The whole Paragraph G explains the process of preparation which is essential for all breads. The first is mixing the ingredients which are flour, water and yeast. The author states that yeast breaks the molecules which helps in bread preparation. Hence, “the essential process” is the correct answer.

Questions 35-38
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text? Write

YES - if the statement agrees with the information
NO - if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN - if there is no information on this

Few mainland European countries today favour the craft style bread made by independent bakeries.

Answer: No
Supporting Sentence: In contrast to the UK, craft bakeries still dominate the market in many mainland European countries.
Keyword: craft, bakeries, European countries
Keyword Location: Paragraph A, 2nd last sentence
Explanation: The author explains that in European markets craft bakeries dominate the market. This does not mean that few countries favour the style. It is instead that most of them favours the style. Hence, the answer is No.

The first leavening effects were done accidentally.

Answer: yes
Supporting Sentence: By simply leaving the paste to dry out in the sun, a bread like crust would be formed.
Keyword: simply, leaving
Keyword Location: Paragraph B, 4th sentence
Explanation: The author states that people left the paste simply under the sun. This was merely put under the sun as anyone did not had the intention to experiment. This resulted in the crust like formation. Later the Egyptiansd were curious and discovered yeat. This was the first leavening effect which was done accidentally.

The Romans were responsible for one of today's favoured types of bread.

Answer: yes
Supporting Sentence: This led to white bread being perceived as the most valuable bread of them all, a preference that seems to have stuck with many people.
Keyword: Romans, seems, stuck, people
Keyword Location: Paragraph C, 3rd sentence
Explanation: The author says that Romans preferred white bread. This slowly led the white bread to be the most valuable and even today, this has continued means it has stuck with many people. Hence, the statement is true making Yes the correct answer.

Pasteur's work in the 19th century allowed bread to be manufactured more cheaply.

Answer: Not Given
Explanation: There is no relevant information in the passage regarding this statement.

Questions 39 and 40:
Complete the sentences below. Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Dough made with flour, water and yeast........................... mixture produce sugars from the starch.

Answer: enzyme
Supporting Sentence: As soon as these ingredients are stirred together, enzymes in the yeast and the flour cause large starch molecules to break down into simple sugars.
Keyword: yeast, water, sugar
Keyword Location: Last paragraph, 2nd sentence
Explanation: The author states that water, sugar and yeast are important and basic elements. As soon as these are mixed, the enzyme in the yeat causes starch to break down in sugar. Hence, enzyme is the correct answer.

Dough rises because of the................released by the liquid formed.

Answer: carbon dioxide
Supporting Sentence: The yeast metabolises these simple sugars and exudes a liquid that releases carbon dioxide into the dough's minute cells. As more and more tiny cells are filled, the dough rises and leavened bread is the result.
Keyword: dough rises
Keyword Location: Last paragraph, last sentence
Explanation: The author states that the sugars in the dough release a liquid which releases carbon dioxide in to the cells of the dough. This enables the doubt to get fluffier and it rises. Hence, carbon dioxide is the correct answer.

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