Forced Rhubarb Reading Answers

Nov 8, 2023

Forced Rhubarb Reading Answers is a general reading topic. Forced Rhubarb Reading Answers have a total of seven IELTS questions in total. The specified topic generates a single question type: fill in the blanks with no more than three words. Candidates should read the IELTS Reading passage thoroughly in order to recognize synonyms, identify keywords, and answer the questions below. IELTS reading practice papers, which feature topics such as Forced Rhubarb Reading Answers. Candidates can use IELTS reading answers to enhance their performance in the reading section.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Forced Rhubarb Reading Answers

Rhubarb has large fan-shaped leaves and long, green edible stalks, which are commonly cooked, with sugar to make pies and other desserts. One type of rhubarb is grown in the dark to produce longer, roster stalks and this is called 'forced rhubarb'

In the north of England, a cold winter is good news for some, and not just snowmen
and wooly hat makers. According to Yorkshire farmer David Westwood, this year's forced rhubarb is the best for years. Westwood, a softly spoken Yorkshireman, should know. He's been growing and selling rhubarb for 62 years, since he started picking on the farm aged 11. His son Jonathan works on the farm too, making him the sixth generation of the Westwoods to grow the pink stems or 'petioles' as they are otherwise known.
We meet at his farm, a few miles from the city of Wakefield, which with the cities of
Bradford and Leeds form the three points of the Rhubarb Triangle, the heart of the. British rhubarb industry. 'It doesn't grow as well anywhere else, insists Westwood. He has a number of theories as to why this is. The loam soil on a clay base is perfect for the roots or "crowns" which rhubarb grows from.
In Victorian times - the mid-to-late 1800s - when rhubarb's popularity was at its peak,the local coal mines provided cheap fuel for heating the sheds, a, crucial part of the forcing process, which involves depriving the plants of light as they develop. At the same time, the effluence from the industry enriched the soil for farmers. On top of that, according to Westwood, the high levels of pollution in the air would have been ideal for the rhubarb, as 'rhubarb loves soot'.
Westwood's farm produces both the greenish outdoor rhubarb, the kind that grows well In gardens all over the country, and the startlingly pink forced rhubarb. It's this that is the "cream of the crop', the upper class of the rhubarb family. Forced rhubarb is the one that's most likely to convert rhubarb-haters who've been traumatized by harshly flavored school pies made from green overgrown outdoor stems. The slender magenta spears, with a sherbet-tangy flavor and delicate texture, are a far cry from that coarse, bitter stuff.
It's also a rare local fruit (although technically a vegetable) at a time when Imports dominate, and a welcome splash of color in the drab winter months. No wonder chefs and food writers have fallen in love with forced rhubarb all over again. It's enjoying a remarkable renaissance, for only 20 years ago it was In such decline that Westwood, one of the last 12 growers left from a peak of 200, was considering abandoning It.
There are certainly simpler ways to grow food. First the plant roots, or crowns, are
grown outside for more than two years. Then, at the start of their third winter, they are left in the ground until it Is cold enough to break the crowns' dormancy. This is one of the factors that gives British rhubarb the edge over imports from the Netherlands, which arrive in the country a scene-stealing couple Of Weeks before the Yorkshire crop. To bring them to market that early, the Dutch crowns are fed with gibberellic acid, to replace the hormones naturally generated by a period of cold weather.
Westwood Is relaxed on the subject of the imported rhubarb, remarking only: 'It's good-looking all right, but the flavor is nowhere near. Back In Yorkshire, sometime around the middle of November, the crowns are dug up, transferred to sheds with earthen floors, and watered In. The light is blocked out completely and the heating is turned on. In the warm and dark, the shoots appear so quickly that the buds can be heard gently popping. Within three weeks or so, the first round of picking, or 'pulling' as it's known, can begin.
In Westwood's 1920s rhubarb sheds, It is pitch black. I slip and slide on the narrow troughs that serve as paths between the beds of rhubarb crowns. It's a relief when a team of 'pullers' arrive, all local men, some of whom have been working for Westwood for 40 years. Each carries a sturdy candle, and their pale, flickering light reveals a sea of yellow leaves stretching 40 meters to the far wall. The men walk the beds plucking the satiny stems expertly, choosing only the ones that have reached the length of an arm. Then, cradling the fuchsia pink bundles in their arms, they move on to the next patch. It's an extraordinary sight in this age of mechanized, computerized agriculture. 'The pulling's done much the same way as it always has been, Westwood says. 'Electric light spoils the color. A labor-intensive process, it goes some way to explain the admittedly eye- watering price of the best forced rhubarb - that and the heating, now from oil or propane rather than coal.
So how was this arcane cold-dark-heat process, in use since Victorian times, discovered? Westwood's story is appealingly earthy. A gardener threw an old crown onto the horse stable muck pile. The manure was hot, and the plant was soon covered. The stable boy must have been puzzled by the startling pink spears that came pushing through the dirt a week or two later, but happily he had the good sense to gather them. Where there's muck there's money - and good eating indeed.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation

Questions 28-33

The text has six paragraphs, A-F.

Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings below.

Write the correct number; i-vii, in boxes 28-33 on your answer sheet.

List of Headings

The extra time is worth it
The preferred rhubarb for consumers
Yorkshire's declining air quality
Observing the selection process
Suggesting a possible beginning
A long-standing family business
The best region for forced rhubarb

Paragraph A

Answer: vi
Supporting statement: “....His son Jonathan works on the farm too, making him the sixth generation of the Westwoods to grow the pink stems or 'petioles' as they are otherwise known.....”
Keywords: stems, petioles
Keyword Location: para A, line 5
Explanation: The phrase “long standing family business” is clearly showing that this is a form of business that has been passed down through the generations. This gives us a strong sense of tradition and continuity, which is a major theme of the story.

Paragraph B

Answer: vii
Supporting statement: “....the local coal mines provided cheap fuel for heating the sheds, a crucial part of the forcing process, which involves depriving the plants of light as they develop. .....”
Keywords: cheap, crucial
Keyword Location: para B, line 6
Explanation: It is given that the local mine present there provided a lot of fuel for heating the sheds that were present there. It is also very cheap. Hence it indicates that it is a good place for forced rhubarb.

Paragraph C

Answer: ii
Supporting statement: “....Forced rhubarb is the one that's most likely to convert rhubarb-haters who've been traumatized by harshly flavored school pies made from green overgrown outdoor stems......”
Keywords: haters, pies
Keyword Location: para C, line 3
Explanation: The forced rhubarb was a popular plant because it also converted the people who hated the rhubarb and changed their taste. Hence it was the most customer friendly item.

Paragraph D

Answer: i
Supporting statement: “....The light is blocked out completely and the heating is turned on. In the warm and dark, the shoots appear so quickly that the buds can be heard gently popping. Within three weeks or so, the first round of picking, or 'pulling' as it's known, can begin.....”
Keywords: popping, picking
Keyword Location: para D, line 11
Explanation: It is said that the preparation takes extra time. It takes three weeks to start the first round of picking. But in the end it compensates for all the time it took. Hence it is the correct answer.

Paragraph E

Answer: iv
Supporting statement: “....The men walk the beds plucking the satiny stems expertly, choosing only the ones that have reached the length of an arm. Then, cradling the fuchsia pink bundles in their arms, they move on to the next patch.....”
Keywords: satiny, fuchsia
Keyword Location: para E, line 5
Explanation: It is clearly given that the men only pluck the satiny stems with right knowledge. They only select those plants that have reached the arm length. Hence iv is the best title.

Paragraph F

Answer: v
Supporting statement: “.....The stable boy must have been puzzled by the startling pink spears that came pushing through the dirt a week or two later, but happily he had the good sense to gather them.....”
Keywords: puzzled, dirt
Keyword Location: para F, line 3
Explanation: It is given that the boy was very happy after seeing the pink spears that were coming out from the soil. It was clearly the sign of the new beginning.

Questions 34-36

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

Write the correct letter in boxes 34-36 on your answer sheet.

What aspect of forced rhubarb does the writer praise in Paragraph C?

its suitability for pies
the smoothness of its stems
its superiority over other types of rhubarb
the number of places it can be successfully grown

Answer: C
Supporting statement: “....No wonder chefs and food writers have fallen in love with forced rhubarb all over again. It's enjoying a remarkable renaissance, for only 20 years ago......”
Keywords: pies, stems
Keyword Location: para C, line 8
Explanation: It is given that the forced rhubarb was very much loved by the people and chefs. The paragraph explains the supremacy of forced rhubarb over other kinds.

Why does the writer think forced rhubarb has become more popular among cooking experts?

It is cheap and easy to grow.
It is attractive and pleasant to eat.
Local farmers are producing more of it.
Imported varieties are in limited supply.

Answer: B
Supporting statement: “.....The slender magenta spears, with a sherbet-tangy flavor and delicate texture, are a far cry from that coarse, bitter stuff......”
Keywords: delicate, texture
Keyword Location: para C, line 4
Explanation: It is given that the rhubarb was far from coarse and bitter. It was very tasty and a pleasure to eat. Hence B is the correct answer.

In the final paragraph, the writer suggests that forced rhubarb was first produced

by accident.
as animal feed.
through trial and error.
while growing something else.

Answer: A
Supporting statement: “......A gardener threw an old crown onto the horse stable muck pile. The manure was hot, and the plant was soon covered. .....”
Keywords: manure, crown
Keyword Location: para F, line 2
Explanation: It is given that the gardener threw the pile of muck and then the plant was soon covered. Hence it could be called an accident.

Questions 37-40

Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the text for each answer.

Growing forced rhubarb

During November, rhubarb crowns are removed from the soil and replanted in dark sheds that have plenty of heating. These conditions encourage such fast growth that the buds make a (37)......... sound as the pink stalks appear. The growing period lasts around three weeks. After that, the rhubarb can be picked by a group of people known as (38).......... They use a (39).......... to inspect the stems and to make sure they are as long as a human (40).......... before handling them with expert skill.

Ques: 37

Answer: POPPING
Supporting statement: “....In the warm and dark, the shoots appear so quickly that the buds can be heard gently popping......”
Keyword Location: para D, line 11
Explanation: It is given that the plant shoots appear very quickly. And the author has compared it with the popping sound it makes while bursting.

Ques: 38

Answer: PULLERS
Supporting statement: “.....It's a relief when a team of 'pullers' arrive, all local men, some of whom have been working for Westwood for 40 years.......”
Keyword Location: para E, line 2
Explanation: The people who used to pick up the rhubarb plants were called pullers.

Ques: 39

Answer: CANDLE
Supporting statement: “......Each carries a sturdy candle, and their pale, flickering light reveals a sea of yellow leaves stretching 40 meters to the far wall. The men walk the beds plucking the satiny stems expertly, choosing only the ones that
have reached the length of an arm......”
Keyword Location: para E, line 4
Explanation: It is given that each one of the pullers carry a candle and they want to make sure that the plants are of at least the length of a human arm.

Ques: 40

Answer: ARM
Supporting statement: “...... The men walk the beds plucking the satiny stems expertly, choosing only the ones that have reached the length of an arm......”
Keyword Location: para E, line 5
Explanation: The pullers check whether the plant has reached the arm length or not. They will only pluck the plants reaching arm length.

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