Bringing Cinnamon to Europe Reading Answers
Bringing Cinnamon to Europe Reading Answers, tests the candidates on their ability to read fluently by reading a passage and answering questions. Candidates must answer questions, each with a unique set of question types. The reading component of the IELTS examines candidates' comprehension abilities by presenting them with a variety of tasks. This IELTS Reading sample - Bringing Cinnamon to Europe Reading Answers contains three question types:
- Fill in the boxes with relevance to the passage
- Select Yes, No or Not Given
Candidates must use IELTS Reading practice papers to improve their skills before appearing for the IELTS test.
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Section 1
Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions
Bringing Cinnamon to Europe Reading Answers
- Cinnamon is a sweet, fragrant spice produced from the inner bark of trees of the genus Cinnamomum, which is native to the Indian subcontinent. It was known in biblical times, and is mentioned in several books of the Bible, both as an ingredient that was mixed with oils for anointing people’s bodies, and also as a token indicating friendship among lovers and friends. In ancient Rome, mourners attending funerals burnt cinnamon to create a pleasant scent. Most often, however, the spice found its primary use as an additive to food and drink. In the Middle Ages, Europeans who could afford the spice used it to flavor food, particularly meat, and to impress those around them with their ability to purchase an expensive condiment from the ‘exotic’ East. At a banquet, a host would offer guests a plate with various spices piled upon it as a sign of the wealth at his or her disposal. Cinnamon was also reported to have health benefits, and was thought to cure various ailments, such as indigestion.
- Toward the end of the Middle Ages, the European middle classes began to desire the lifestyle of the elite, including their consumption of spices. This led to a growth in demand for cinnamon and other spices. At that time, cinnamon was transported by Arab merchants, who closely guarded the secret of the source of the spice from potential rivals. They took it from India, where it was grown, on camels via an overland route to the Mediterranean. Their journey ended when they reached Alexandria. European traders sailed there to purchase their supply of cinnamon, then brought it back to Venice. The spice then travelled from that great trading city to markets all around Europe. Because the overland trade route allowed for only small quantities of the spice to reach Europe, and because Venice had a virtual monopoly of the trade, the Venetians could set the price of cinnamon exorbitantly high. These prices, coupled with the increasing demand, spurred the search for new routes to Asia by Europeans eager to take part in the spice trade.
- Seeking the high profits promised by the cinnamon market, Portuguese traders arrived on the island of Ceylon in the Indian Ocean toward the end of the 15th century. Before Europeans arrived on the island, the state had organised the cultivation of cinnamon. People belonging to the ethnic group called the Salagama would peel the bark off young shoots of the cinnamon plant in the rainy season, when the wet bark was more pliable. During the peeling process, they curled the bark into the ‘stick’ shape still associated with the spice today. The Salagama then gave the finished product to the king as a form of tribute. When the Portuguese arrived, they needed to increase production significantly, and so enslaved many other members of the Ceylonese native population, forcing them to work in cinnamon harvesting. In 1518, the Portuguese built a fort on Ceylon, which enabled them to protect the island, helping them to develop a monopoly in the cinnamon trade and generate very high profits. In the late 16th century, for example, they enjoyed a tenfold profit when shipping cinnamon over a journey of eight days from Ceylon to India.
- When the Dutch arrived off the coast of southern Asia at the very beginning of the 17th century, they set their sights on displacing the Portuguese as kings of cinnamon. The Dutch allied themselves with Kandy, an inland kingdom on Ceylon. In return for payments of elephants and cinnamon, they protected the native king from the Portuguese. By 1649, the Dutch broke the 150-year Portuguese monopoly when they overran and occupied their factories. By 1658, they had permanently expelled the Portuguese from the island, thereby gaining control of the lucrative cinnamon trade.
- In order to protect their hold on the market, the Dutch, like the Portuguese before them, treated the native inhabitants harshly. Because of the need to boost production and satisfy Europe’s ever-increasing appetite for cinnamon, the Dutch began to alter the harvesting practices of the Ceylonese. Over time, the supply of cinnamon trees on the island became nearly exhausted, due to systematic stripping of the bark. Eventually, the Dutch began cultivating their own cinnamon trees to supplement the diminishing number of wild trees available for use.
- Then, in 1996, the English arrived on Ceylon, thereby displacing the Dutch from their control of the cinnamon monopoly. By the middle of the 19th century, production of cinnamon reached 1,000 tons a year, after a lower grade quality of the spice became acceptable to European tastes. By that time, cinnamon was being grown in other parts of the Indian Ocean region and in the West Indies, Brazil, and Guyana. Not only was a monopoly of cinnamon becoming impossible, but the spice trade overall was diminishing in economic potential, and was eventually superseded by the rise of trade in coffee, tea, chocolate, and sugar.
Section 2
Solution and Explanation
Questions 1-9:
Complete the notes below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 1-9 on your answer sheet.
Answer 1: oils
Supporting Sentence: It was known in biblical times, and is mentioned in several books of the Bible, both as an ingredient that was mixed with oils for anointing people’s bodies
Keyword: mixed with
Keyword Location: Paragraph 1, 2nd line
Explanation: It is mentioned in the first paragraph that oil was mixed which makes oil the correct answer.
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Answer 2: friendship
Supporting Sentence: and also as a token indicating friendship among lovers and friends
Keyword: token, friends
Keyword Location: Paragraph 1, 2nd line
Explanation: Cinnamon was also considered as a token of friendship. This is stated in the 3rd statement of the first paragraph and supports the answer.
Answer 3: funerals
Supporting Sentence: In ancient Rome, mourners attending funerals burnt cinnamon to create a pleasant scent
Keyword: pleasant, scent
Keyword Location: Paragraph 1, 3rd line
Explanation: As per the author, in ancient Rome cinnamon’s sweet scent was used at funerals to create a pleasant smell. Hence, funeral is the correct answer.
Answer 4: wealth
Supporting Sentence: In the Middle Ages, Europeans who could afford the spice used it to flavour food, particularly meat, and to impress those around them with their ability to purchase an expensive condiment from the ‘exotic’ East.
Keyword: afford, Europeans
Keyword Location: paragraph 1, 5th line
Explanation: as per the author, the Europeans could afford cinnamon as it was costly to use in food and meats. Hence, wealth is the correct answer.
Answer 5: indigestion
Supporting Sentence: Cinnamon was also reported to have health benefits, and was thought to cure various ailments, such as indigestion.
Keyword: cure, health benefits
Keyword Location: Paragraph 1, last line
Explanation: As per the author, cinnamon has health benefits and cures various ailments like indigestion. Hence, the answer is correct.
Answer 6: India
Supporting Sentence: They took it from India, where it was grown, on camels via an overland route to the Mediterranean.
Keyword: grown
Keyword Location: Paragraph 2, 4th line
Explanation: As per the passage, cinnamon was grown in India and was carried on camels via the Mediterranean to other countries. Hence, India is the correct answer.
Answer 7: camels
Supporting Sentence: They took it from India, where it was grown, on camels via an overland route to the Mediterranean.
Keyword: route, mediterranean
Keyword Location: Paragraph 2, 4th line
Explanation: As per the passage, merchants used camels to carry cinnamon. Hence, the answer camels is correct.
Answer 8: Alexandria
Supporting Sentence: Their journey ended when they reached Alexandria.
Keyword: journey, end
Keyword Location: Paragraph 2, 5th line
Explanation: The journey finished at Alexandria in the Mediterranean. Hence, the word Alexandria is correct.
Answer 9: Venice
Supporting Sentence: European traders sailed there to purchase their supply of cinnamon, then brought it back to Venice. The spice then travelled from that great trading city to markets all around Europe.
Keyword: European traders, around Europe
Keyword Location: Paragraph 2, 6th and 7th line
Explanation: As per the passage, Venice was the centre and traders took cinnamon there. From Venice, price was set and distributed all around Europe. Hence, Venice is the correct answer.
Questions 10-13:
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage?
In boxes 10-13 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
10 The Portuguese had control over the cinnamon trade in Ceylon throughout the 16th century.
Answer: True
Supporting Sentence: In 1518, the Portuguese built a fort on Ceylon, which enabled them to protect the island, helping them to develop a monopoly in the cinnamon trade and generate very high profits.
Keyword: Portuguese, Ceylon
Keyword Location: Paragraph 3, 2nd last sentence
Explanation: As per the passage, the Portuguese built a fort which enabled them to develop monopoly and have control over the cinnamon trade.
11 The Dutch took over the cinnamon trade from the Portuguese as soon as they arrived in Ceylon.
Answer: False
Supporting Sentence: By 1649, the Dutch broke the 150-year Portuguese monopoly when they overran and occupied their factories. By 1658, they had permanently expelled the Portuguese from the island, thereby gaining control of the lucrative cinnamon trade.
Keyword: Dutch, Portuguese, cinnamon trade
Keyword Location: paragraph 4, last 2 lines
Explanation: The Dutch had eyes on the cinnamon trade as soon as they arrived. However, to gain control, it took a few years. Eventually, the Dutch were able to overpower the portuguese.
12 The trees planted by the Dutch produced larger quantities of cinnamon than the wild trees.
Answer: Not Given
13 The spice trade maintained its economic importance during the 19th century.
Answer: False
Supporting Sentence: Not only was a monopoly of cinnamon becoming impossible, but the spice trade overall was diminishing in economic potential, and was eventually superseded by the rise of trade in coffee, tea, chocolate, and sugar.
Keyword: economy, diminish
Keyword Location: paragraph 6, last line of paragraph
Explanation: As per the passage, the spice trade overall was diminishing in economic potential. Hence, the statement “The spice trade maintained its economic importance during the 19th century” is false.
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