A Young Italian Tradition Reading Answers

Nov 7, 2025

A Young Italian Tradition Reading Answers is an academic reading answers topic. A Young Italian Tradition Reading Answers has a total of 13 IELTS questions, such as Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below. Write the correct number, i-viii. And choose NO MORE THAN ONE WORD for each answer.

The IELTS Reading section is an essential part of the test that evaluates a candidate's comprehension and analysis of various passage types. You will work through a number of IELTS reading practice problems in this section that resemble actual test situations. These questions are designed to help you improve your ability to recognise essential concepts, extract particular facts, and make inferences. Practising these IELTS reading problems can help you get comfortable with the structure and increase your confidence for the exam, regardless of whether you are studying for the Academic or General Training module.

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Section 1

A YOUNG ITALIAN TRADITION

A.Italian espresso coffee as we know it today is a relatively recent phenomenon. Italians have been drinking coffee since it was first imported from Turkey in the 1600s, but the way it was prepared and drunk did not differ much from similar coffee cultures that were emerging in Austria, France, England, Holland, and other places around the world at the time. Originally, the coffee that was drunk throughout Europe was created by boiling water with ground coffee beans in it. It was bitter to taste, so infusion techniques were developed to pass boiling water through ground coffee beans using filters made of fabric or metal. Grounds were also wrapped in cloth and put in boiling water, much like a large version of a tea bag today.

B.The Viennese opened the original coffee houses in Europe and introduced the modern way of drinking coffee with cream and sugar, but the technique was improved in Italy much later. Contrary to popular belief, the cappuccino, or coffee mixed with cream (later milk), did not originate in Italy, but was first drunk in Austria. The Kapuziner was named after the colour of the vestments of the Capuchin monks in Vienna. The frothy, steamed milk of the cappuccino as we know it today was not developed in Italy until the 1930s.

C.The first coffee bar in Italy was the elegant Florian, which opened in Venice in 1720 and is still serving coffee today. After it opened, over the next thirty years, two hundred coffee bars opened in Venice. But the way it was made and drunk was still no different from other countries in Europe, and coffee would take six or seven minutes to prepare. Coffee remained unchanged for the next two hundred years. As the nineteenth century came to a close, in the spirit of the new mechanized world that was developing, the Italians still wanted coffee, but they wanted it faster. So it was in the twentieth century that new inventions and technology for making a cup of coffee emerged, that made Italian coffee what it is today. The thing that distinguishes Italian coffee from that in other countries is that it is pressurized through a filter. This is called espresso because it can be expressly made for one person. Italian coffee is served very 'short' in tiny cups. The flavour is intense, but the level of caffeine is lower than with other ways of making coffee.

D.Angelo Moriondo owned coffee houses in Turin. He was the first to come up with the idea of making coffee with the use of steam extraction in 1884. His machine resembled tall copper boilers and though it did not produce fresh individual servings of coffee, it made large amounts of coffee very quickly. He patented the idea, but did not produce machines for commercial sale. He missed a great opportunity. The person who is considered the father of Italian coffee making was the one who came next. It was Milanese Luigi Bezzera who patented his coffee-making machine in 1901. It too was a vertical copper boiler over an open flame, but he added features that still exist in espresso machines today, such as the removable pod that the coffee is pressed into and a mechanism to bring the temperature of the water to the ideal level. In 1904, he sold his patent to Desiderio Pavoni, and together they added modifications, such as pressure valves and a steam release wand (that would later be used to make cappuccino), and took their newly named espresso machine to the Milan Fair, The Pavoni machine sold well, and many others started developing and selling similar machines. Over the next twenty years the machines switched from gas to electricity and smaller versions were developed. There were, however, problems with flavour as steam alone was not able to create enough pressure to make the espresso we know today without burning the coffee and making it bitter. And the coffee was still being prepared in large cups.

E.The major breakthrough came in the late 1940s when Achille Gaggia produced the horizontal machine that is now standard in coffee bars around the world. He added a lever to be pulled by the barista that increased the pressure of the water, creating the smooth but intense flavour of espresso coffee that we love today. The lever meant the machine could have smaller boilers, but also limited the amount of coffee that would be produced by each shot. This is how the small espresso servings and their tiny cups came to be. This technique also produced the golden foam found on top of espresso coffee called crema, which is the symbol of a fine cup of Italian coffee, Modifications have since been added over the years, such as when Ernesto Valente

replaced the bartista's lever with a motorised pump in 1961, but Gaggia's espresso machine is the basis of what is in most coffee bars today.

F.Smaller versions were developed for home use in the 1970s, but though beautiful to 100k at with their modern Italian chrome designs, they took a long time to heat up, were too large for most modern kitchens, and were extremely expensive. In the last ten years, home espresso machines that use pre-prepared pods of coffee have become very popular. They are smaller, less expensive and easier to use, but the flavour is not thought to be as good as coffee that is produced by machines in a bar.

Questions 14-19

Reading Passage 2 has six paragraphs, A-F.

Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below. Write the correct number, i-viii.

List of headings

i. Smaller shots, smoother flavour

ii. Steam power

iii. Early types of coffee

iv. Resistance from the public

v. The colour of monk's clothes

vi. International sales records

vii. Domestic coffee

viii. Tradition makes way for speed

14. Paragraph A

Answer: III

Supporting statement: Originally, the coffee that was drunk throughout Europe was created by boiling water with ground coffee beans in it. It was bitter to taste, so infusion techniques were developed...

Keywords: coffee, Europe, ground coffee beans

Keyword Location: Para A, Lines 5-6

Explanation: The paragraph describes the initial, non-espresso methods of making and drinking coffee in Europe, fitting the heading Early types of coffee.

15. paragraph B

Answer: V

Supporting statement: The Kapuziner was named after the colour of the vestments of the Capuchin monks in Vienna.

Keywords: Kapuziner, colour of the vestments, Capuchin monks

Keyword Location: Para B, Lines 4-5

Explanation: The paragraph focuses on the Kapuziner (precursor to cappuccino) and its naming source, which was the color of the monks' clothing.

16. Paragraph C

Answer: VIII

Supporting statement: As the nineteenth century came to a close, in the spirit of the new mechanized world that was developing, the Italians still wanted coffee, but they wanted it faster.

Keywords: nineteenth century, Italians

Keyword Location: Para C, Lines 5-6

Explanation: The core idea is the desire for faster coffee preparation, replacing the slow, traditional six or seven minutes, leading to new technology.

17. Paragraph D

Answer: II

Supporting statement: Angelo Moriondo owned coffee houses in Turin. He was the first to come up with the idea of making coffee with the use of steam extraction in 1884... It too was a vertical copper boiler over an open flame...

Keywords: Angelo Moriondo, Turin, steam extraction

Keyword Location: Para D, Lines 1-2

Explanation: This paragraph details the early attempts by Moriondo and Bezzera to use steam and boilers to create coffee machines.

18. Paragraph E

Answer: I

Supporting statement: He added a lever to be pulled by the barista that increased the pressure of the water, creating the smooth but intense flavour of espresso coffee... This is how the small espresso servings and their tiny cups came to be.

Keywords: barista, intense flavour, espresso coffee

Keyword Location: Para E, Lines 3-4

Explanation: The paragraph describes the breakthrough that resulted in both the small size of the serving and the improved, smoother flavor (with crema).

19. Paragraph F

Answer: VII

Supporting statement: Smaller versions were developed for home use in the 1970s... In the last ten years, home espresso machines that use pre-prepared pods of coffee have become very popular.

Keywords: 1970s, espresso machines

Keyword Location: Para F, Lines 1-3

Explanation: This section discusses the evolution and popularity of coffee machines intended for the home or domestic setting.

Questions 20-26

Choose NO MORE THAN ONE WORD for each answer.

ITALIAN COFFEE

Early coffee making used different kinds of filters to counter the (20)…………flavour.

Answer: BITTER

Keywords: bitter to taste, filters

Keyword Location: Para A, Lines 6-7

Explanation: The text clearly states that the early coffee was bitter, and filters were developed to improve the taste.

The Kapuziner was a coffee and cream combination that was the forerunner of the (21)...........

Answer: CAPPUCCINO

Supporting statement: Contrary to popular belief, the cappuccino, or coffee mixed with cream (later milk), did not originate in Italy, but was first drunk in Austria. The Kapuziner was named after the colour of the vestments of the Capuchin monks in Vienna.

Keywords: cappuccino, originate in Italy, Austria

Keyword Location: Para B, Lines 3-4

Explanation: The text implies that the Kapuziner was the predecessor to the modern cappuccino.

The fact that espresso is (22)............ is what makes it different from other styles of coffee.

Answer: PRESSURIZED

Supporting statement: The thing that distinguishes Italian coffee from that in other countries is that it is pressurized through a filter. This is called espresso...

Keywords: Italian coffee, pressurized

Keyword Location: Para C, Lines 8-9

Explanation: The text states that being pressurized is the distinguishing characteristic of Italian coffee (espresso).

Angelo Moriondi did not manufacture his invention, so he (23)................ out on being called the father of Italian coffee.

Answer: MISSED

Supporting statement: He patented the idea, but did not produce machines for commercial sale. He missed a great opportunity. The person who is considered the father of Italian coffee making was the one who came next.

Keywords: patented, produce machines, father of Italian coffee

Keyword Location: Para D, Lines 4-5

Explanation: According to the text, by not commercializing his patent, Angelo Moriondi missed the opportunity to be recognized as the father of the tradition.

Luigi Bezzera improved Moriondi's design by adding a (24)............... control mechanism.

Answer: TEMPERATURE

Supporting statement: he added features that still exist in espresso machines today, such as the removable pod that the coffee is pressed into and a mechanism to bring the temperature of the water to the ideal level.

Keywords: espresso machines, removable pod

Keyword Location: Para D, Lines 8-9

Explanation: Bezzera added a feature specifically to control the water temperature.

Coffee started to be served in small cups because the Gaggia system was (25)............. . in the amount of coffee it was able to make each time.

Answer: LIMITED

Supporting statement: The lever meant the machine could have smaller boilers, but also limited the amount of coffee that would be produced by each shot. This is how the small espresso servings and their tiny cups came to be.

Keywords: smaller boilers, limited, produced by each shot,

Keyword Location: Para E, Lines 4-5

Explanation: The Gaggia system mechanically limited the yield per shot, necessitating the use of small cups.

The new home espresso machines use (26)............ that are already packed withground coffee.

Answer: PODS

Supporting statement: In the last ten years, home espresso machines that use pre-prepared pods of coffee have become very popular.

Keywords: pre-prepared, pods

Keyword Location: Para F, Line 4

Explanation: The modern home machines are noted for using pre-prepared pods of coffee.

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