Chocolate for the Masses Reading Answers

Mar 25, 2025

Chocolate for the Masses Reading Answers is an academic reading answers topic. Chocolate for the Masses Reading Answers has a total of 13 IELTS questions in total. In the question set you have to state whether the statement is true, false or not given. In the next set you have to fill the blank with the correct answer only with one word.

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 recognize essential concepts, extract particular facts, and make inferences. Practicing 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.

Check: Get 10 Free Sample Papers
Check: Register for IELTS Coaching - Join for Free Trial Class Now

Section 1 CHOCOLATE FOR THE MASSES

For almost three thousand years, chocolate was a drink of the elite and the wealthy, originally in South America and later on in Europe. In the early 19th century, however, chocolate became far more widely available, and consumption shot up dramatically across the populations of Europe in particular. It was 1828 that marked the beginning of the modern era in chocolate making and production. Chocolate as a drink had been known for centuries, but in 1628 a Dutch chemist named Van Houten developed a process for the manufacture of a new kind of powdered chocolate using a hydraulic press. Untreated chocolate liquor' — the end result of grinding the cocoa beans from which Chocolate is obtained - contains about 53 per cent cacao butter. but this machine removed nearly half of this. leaving a cake that could be pulverized into a fine powder — What is now known as 'cocoa'.

In 1547, the British Firm Fry and Sons found a way to mix a blend of cocoa powder and sugar with melted cacao butter to produce a thin paste which could be cast into various shapes. This was the world's first true solid chocolate. Thanks to immediate high demand for this product, the price of cacao butter escalated, so the new solid chocolate was only accessible for the elite. But this would eventually change, because of the introduction of cost-cutting methods and mass production. By the latter half of the 19th century, many manufacturers had begun making their own chocolate, and using cocoa powder to hand-coat sugar confections. Cocoa powder also reached wide use in many Other products. like ice creams and biscuits. Entrepreneurial families like the Frys and Cadburys in Britain had a social conscience in the midst of all this money-ranking. unlike many other 19th-century captains of industry. In the Birmingham suburb of Bourneville, where they had established their chocolate factor, the Cadburys created a model town with adequate housing for their workers, and even dining and reading rooms so that their employees had no need to spend anything on entertaining themselves.

However, the rising demand for chocolate also made it a target for unscrupulous producers and merchants. Sometimes the expensive cacao butter was completely extracted and replaced with Olive or almond Oil, or egg yolks. Alternatively, cheaper materials such as potato Starch or

flour were added. In 1850, a health commission was created in Britain for the analysis Of foods suspicions about chocolate proved well-founded- most of the samples contained starch grains from potatoes or other plants. The investigation inspired the British Food and Drug Act of

1860 and the Adulteration of Food Act of 1872. The invention of milk chocolate took place in Switzerland, and was a collaboration between two men. The first was Henri Nestle. a chemist who in 1867 discovered a process to make powdered milk by evaporation, when mixed with

water, this could be fed to infants and small children. The second man. Daniel Peter, came up with the idea of using Nestle's milk powder in the manufacture of a new kind of chocolate. and. in 1879, the first milk chocolate bar was produced.

Also in 1879 another Swiss, Rodolphe Lindt, invented the conche machine, which vastly improved the quality of Chocolate confectionery. Before Lindt, solid chocolate was usually coarse and gritty. Now, however, it achieved such a degree of smoothness that Lindt named it

'fondant', after the smooth sugar creams of that name. People on both sides of the Atlantic developed a taste for fondant chocolate, and the use of the conche machine for solid chocolate became universal in the business. In the USA, Milton Hershey dominated the chocolate

industry. In 1893, after seeing examples of the machinery used in Europe in action at an international exhibition in Chicago, he bought some and began turning out chocolate coatings for the caramels he was already producing. But after a trip to the chocolate centers Of Europe, he sold his caramel business for a million dollars, bought a farm in Pennsylvania, and built a chocolate factory there.

This became the nucleus of 'Hershey, the Chocolate Town', which contained amongst other things Hershey's imposing mansion, the Hershey Department Store and the Hershey Bank. ‘there was, however, no elected mayor or indeed any democratic system in place. The whole town was in essence Milton Hershey's private kingdom, and he ran it as he wanted. This was not the only Hershey town in existence. During a trip which he made to the island of Cuba in 1915, Hershey was inspired to build a new model town centered round a mill for grinding sugar. To transport the refined sugar so that it could be shipped by sea to his chocolate and cocoa factory, Hershey built modern electric railroads too. To help advertise his products, Hershey employed nutritionists to proclaim their health qualities, and his chocolate bars and cocoa soon

commanded the American market. Everything was mechanized — a true assembly-line operation. Hershey's best-set King bar contained almonds imported from southern Europe dropped by machines into the waiting molds. Another popular product was 'Hershey's Kisses'

- bite-sized, flat-bottomed drops of chocolate, individually wrapped. Nowadays so many tourists visit Hershey that the company no longer offers tours of its factory. Rather, visitors are whisked along on automated carts through an exhibition called 'Chocolate World', where they can see how their favorite products are produced.

Questions 14-19

Do the following statements agree with the

information given in Reading Passage I? 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

14. Chocolate was consumed by greater numbers of people in the nineteenth century than in previous times.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement:In the early 19th century, however, chocolate became far more widely available, and consumption shot up dramatically across the populations of Europe in particular.

Keywords: 19th century, chocolate

Keyword Location: Para 1, Line 1

Explanation: According to the passage, Chocolate was the beverage of the rich and privileged for about 3,000 years, first in South America and then in Europe. However, chocolate's access increased greatly in the early 19th century, and its consumption increased among Europeans in particular.

15. Fry's chocolate became more affordable because of the fall in price of one ingredient.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement:Thanks to immediate high demand for this product, the price of cacao butter escalated, so the new solid chocolate was only accessible for the elite.

Keywords: high demand, accessible

Keyword Location: Para 2, Lines 3-4

Explanation: The passage mentions that The price of cacao butter increased due to the product's early great demand, making the new solid chocolate made by Fry and Sons exclusively available to the wealthy.

I6. Entrepreneurial British chocolate manufacturers paid their employees well.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: The passage contains no information about the statement asked above.

17. Customers were made ill through the practices of unscrupulous chocolate producers.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation:The passage contains no information about the statement asked above.

18. Fresh milk was used in the production of milk chocolate in Switzerland.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement:discovered a process to make powdered milk by evaporation,

Keywords: process, powdered milk

Keyword Location: Para 3, Line 9

Explanation: The passage states that the chocolate made in Switzerland used milk powder instead of fresh milk to produce milk chocolate.

19. Lindt's conche machine was adopted by other manufacturers.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement:and the use of the conche machine for solid chocolate became universal in the business.

Keywords: conche machine, universal

Keyword Location: Para 4, Lines 5-6

Explanation: According to the passage the conche machine invented by Rodolphe Lindt in 1879 to make the chocolate more smooth was globally adopted by other chocolate makers.

Questions 20-26

Choose ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.

• Hershey bought some 20…….. after visiting a trade fair

Answer: MACHINERY

Supporting statement: In 1893, after seeing examples of the machinery used in Europe in action at an international exhibition in Chicago, he bought some

Keywords: machinery, international exhibition

Keyword Location: Para 4, Lines 7-8

Explanation: After witnessing European technology in practice at an international exhibit in Chicago in 1893, Milton Hershey purchased some and started manufacturing chocolate coatings for the caramels he was already making.

• After selling his caramel business, Hershey purchased a 21…………..

Answer: FARM

Supporting statement: he sold his caramel business for a million dollars, bought a farm in Pennsylvania

Keywords: sold, farm

Keyword Location: Para 4, Line 10

Explanation:Milton Hershey sold his caramel company for a million dollars, purchased a farm in Pennsylvania, and constructed a chocolate factory there following a visit to the chocolate centers of Europe.

• The inhabitants of Hershey could not vote for a 22..............

Answer: MAYOR

Supporting statement: however, no elected mayor or indeed any democratic system in place.

Keywords: elected mayor, democratic system

Keyword Location: Para 5, Line 3

Explanation: The passage highlights that people living in the Hershey, the Chocolate Town had no elections to elect a Mayor as they had no democratic system in place.

• Hershey set up a new town in Cuba around a mill.

• Hershey constructed 23………to transport material

Answer: RAILROADS

Supporting statement: Hershey built modern electric railroads too.

Keywords: built, electric railroad

Keyword Location: Para 5, Line 8

Explanation: Hershey also constructed modern electric railroads for transporting the refined sugar so that it could be exported by sea to his chocolate and cocoa factories.

• Hershey brought In 24...........to improve the image Of his chocolate.

Answer: NUTRITIONISTS

Supporting statement: Hershey employed nutritionists to proclaim their health qualities,

Keywords: nutritionists, health qualities

Keyword Location: Para 5, Line 9

Explanation:Hershey hired nutritionists to promote his products' health benefits, and his cocoa and chocolate bars quickly took the lead in the US market.

• One popular chocolate product had 25……….added to it.

Answer: ALMONDS

Supporting statement: Hershey's best-set King bar contained almonds imported from southern Europe

Keywords: King bar, almonds

Keyword Location: Para 5, Line 11

Explanation:Almonds imported from southern Europe were put into the waiting molds by machinery to create Hershey's best-set King bar.

• Because Of the lime demand, tourists can only visit the 26……….at Hershey.

Answer: EXHIBITION

Supporting statement:Rather, visitors are whisked along on automated carts through an exhibition called 'Chocolate World',

Keywords: visitors, exhibition

Keyword Location: Para 5, Lines 14 -15

Explanation: Hershey no longer provides factory tours because of the high volume of tourists that visit the company these days. Instead, guests are escorted on automated carts around the "Chocolate World" display, where they can observe the manufacturing process of their favorite goods.

Read More IELTS Reading Related Samples