Irish Potato Famine Reading Answers

Dec 13, 2022

Irish Potato Famine Reading Answers contains seven passages and 13 different types of questions. Candidates will be shown various question types with clear instructions in this IELTS Section. Reading Answers comprises three types of questions: Matching heading, sentence completion, and Choose the correct option. For the Matching heading, candidates need to thoroughly go through each passage. For sentence completion, candidates need to skim the passage for keywords and understand the concept. To choose the correct option, candidates must read the IELTS Reading passage and understand the statement provided

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The answers to these IELTS reading questions are given in this sample paper and the test-takers can check these out for better preparation of IELTS reading. The origin of this passage is The Great Irish Potato Famine. IELTS reading practice is necessary for a high IELTS score.

Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Irish Potato Famine Reading Answers

In the ten years following the Irish potato famine of 1845, over 750,000 Irish people died, including many of those who attempted to immigrate to countries such as the United States and Canada. Prior to the potato blight, one of the main concerns in Ireland was overpopulation. In the early 1500s, the country’s population was estimated at less than three million, but by 1840 this number had nearly tripled. The bountiful potato crop, which contains almost all of the nutrients that a person needs for survival, was largely to blame for the population growth. However, within five years of the failed crop of 1845, the population of Ireland was reduced by a quarter. A number of factors contributed to the plummet of the Irish population, namely the Irish dependency on the potato crop, the British tenure system, and the inadequate relief efforts of the English.
It is not known exactly how or when the potato was first introduced to Europe, however, the general assumption is that it arrived on a Spanish ship sometime in the 1600s. For more than one hundred years, Europeans believed that potatoes belonged to a botanical family of a poisonous breed. It was not until Marie Antoinette wore potato blossoms in her hair in the mid-eighteenth century that potatoes became a novelty. By the late 1700s, the dietary value of the potato had been discovered, and the monarchs of Europe ordered the vegetable to be widely planted.
By 1800, the vast majority of the Irish population had become dependent on the potato as its primary staple. It wasn’t uncommon for an Irish potato farmer to consume more than six pounds of potatoes a day. Families stored potatoes for the winter and even fed potatoes to their livestock. Because of this dependency, the unexpected potato blight of 1845 devastated the Irish. Investigators at first suggested that the blight was caused by static energy, smoke from railroad trains, or vapors from underground volcanoes; however, the root cause was later discovered as an airborne fungus that traveled from Mexico. Not only did the disease destroy the potato crops, it also infected all of the potatoes in storage at the time. Their families were dying from famine, but weakened farmers had retained little of their agricultural skills to harvest other crops. Those who did manage to grow things such as oats, wheat, and barley relied on earnings from these exported crops to keep their rented homes.
While the potato blight generated mass starvation among the Irish, the people were held captive to their poverty by the British tenure system. Following the Napoleonic Wars of 1815, the English had turned their focus to their colonial land holdings. British landowners realized that the best way to profit from these holdings was to extract the resources and exports and charge expensive rents and taxes for people to live on the land. Under the tenure system, Protestant landlords owned 95 percent of the Irish land, which was divided up into five-acre plots for the people to live and farm on. As the population of Ireland grew, however, the plots were continuously subdivided into smaller parcels. Living conditions declined dramatically, and families were forced to move to less fertile land where almost nothing but the potato would grow.
During this same period of colonization. The Penal Laws were also instituted as a means of weakening the Irish spirit. Under the Penal Laws, Irish peasants were denied basic human rights, such as the right to speak their own native language, seek certain kinds of employment, practice their faith, receive education, and own land. Despite the famine that was devastating Ireland, the landlords had little compassion or sympathy for tenants unable to pay their rent. Approximately 500,000 Irish tenants were evicted by their landlords between 1845 and 1847. Many of these people also had their homes burned down and were put in jail for overdue rent.
The majority of the British officials in the 1840s adopted the laissez-faire philosophy, which supported a policy of non-intervention in the Irish plight. Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel was an exception. He showed compassion toward the Irish by making a move to repeal the Corn Laws, which had been put in place to protect British grain producers from the competition of foreign markets. For this hasty decision, Peel quickly lost the support of the British people and was forced to resign. The new Prime Minister, Lord John Russell, allowed assistant Charles Trevelyan to take complete control over all of the relief efforts in Ireland. Trevelyan believed that the Irish situation should be left to Providence. Claiming that it would be dangerous to let the Irish become dependent on other countries, he even took steps to close food depots that were selling corn and to redirect shipments of com that were already on their way to Ireland. A few relief programs were eventually implemented, such as soup kitchens and 1 workhouse; however, these were poorly run institutions that facilitated the spread of disease, tore apart families, and offered inadequate food supplies considering the extent of Ireland’s shortages.
Many of the effects of the Irish potato famine are still evident today. Descendants of those who fled Ireland during the 1840s are dispersed all over the world. Some of the homes that were evacuated by absentee landlords still sit abandoned in the Irish hills. A number of Irish dependents still carry animosity toward the British for not putting people before politics. The potato blight itself still plagues the Irish people during certain growing seasons when weather conditions are favorable for the fungus to thrive.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation
Questions 1-5

The passage has seven paragraphs, A-G. Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter (A-G) in boxes 1-5 on your Answer Sheet.

the position of the British government towards the potato famine

Answer: F

Explanation: The passage details the British government officials' responses to their adoption of the laissez-faire doctrine. This suggests that, in light of that mindset, the officials did not show any concern for the condition of the Irish. The paragraph also provides readers with information about Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel. Who was sympathetic to Irish people and tried to improve their lot by removing the corn laws. Nevertheless, as a result, he was forced to leave since he had lost the backing of the British government. Trevelyan devised a few poorly handled relief funds in addition to taking actions to make the Irish suffer on their own. As a result, diseases spread faster and the Irish were left with inadequate supplies. Overall, we can defend the choice of paragraph F as the correct response since it gives us information on how British authorities and Prime Ministers responded to the Irish potato famine.
Supporting sentence: The majority of the British officials in the 1840s adopted the laissez-faire philosophy, which supported a policy of non-intervention in the Irish plight. Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel was an exception. He showed compassion toward the Irish by making a move to repeal the Corn Laws, which had been put in place to protect British grain producers from the competition of foreign markets. For this hasty decision, Peel quickly lost the support of the British people and was forced to resign.
Keywords: British officials, laissez-faire philosophy, policy of non-intervention in the Irish plight
Location in the passage: Paragraph F

a description of the system of land ownership in Ireland

Answer: D

Explanation: It includes information about the British tenure system, which contributed to the Irish people's enduring poverty. After exporting the territory's resources, the British landowners extorted high rents and levies from the inhabitants of the land they colonized. The paragraph also sheds light on the Protestant landowners. Who held 95% of the Irish land and divided it up into smaller plots for peasants to live and farm on, leading to a sharp decrease in Irish living standards. The families were compelled to relocate to less productive areas that only supported potatoes.
Supporting sentence: Following the Napoleonic Wars of 1815, the English had turned their focus to their colonial land holdings. British landowners realized that the best way to profit from these holdings was to extract the resources and exports and charge expensive rents and taxes for people to live on the land. Under the tenure system, Protestant landlords owned 95 percent of the Irish land, which was divided up into five-acre plots for the people to live and farm on. As the population of Ireland grew, however, the plots were continuously subdivided into smaller parcels. Living conditions declined dramatically, and families were forced to move to less fertile land where almost nothing but the potato would grow.
Keywords: colonial land holdings, to profit from these holdings was to extract the resources and exports and charge expensive rents and taxes for people to live on the land.
Location in the passage: Paragraph D

early European attitudes toward the potato

Answer: B
Explanation:According to legend, potatoes traveled to Europe in the 1600s on a Spanish ship. Until Marie Antoinette style potato blooms in her hair in the middle of the eighteenth century. It is reported that Europeans regarded potatoes to be toxic material that was from a botanical family of a deadly breed of plants. By the late 1700s, the potato's nutritional significance had been quickly identified by Europeans. Who then commanded its cultivation in all of the continent's states.
Supporting sentence: For more than one hundred years, Europeans believed that potatoes belonged to a botanical family of a poisonous breed. It was not until Marie Antoinette wore potato blossoms in her hair in the mid-eighteenth century that potatoes became a novelty.
Keywords: Europeans, potatoes, belonged, botanical family, poisonous breed
Location in the passage: Paragraph B

explanation of the lack of legal protection for Irish peasants

Answer: E
Explanation: Details of the criminal laws that were implemented to undermine the Irish people are provided in the paragraph. The Irishmen were denied the fundamental freedoms that supported their way of life under these penal laws. They suffered consequences for using their native tongue, exercising their faith, and even going to school. The landowners tortured the Irish people because they couldn't afford the high rents despite the hunger. The paragraph claims that the 500,000 Irish citizens who were forcibly evicted by their landowners were in no way protected by the law. Instead, they were imprisoned on the grounds of unpaid rent.
Supporting sentence: During this same period of colonization. The Penal Laws were also instituted as a means of weakening the Irish spirit. Under the Penal Laws, Irish peasants were denied basic human rights, such as the right to speak their own native language, seek certain kinds of employment, practice their faith, receive education, and own land.
Keywords: Penal Laws, Irish peasants were denied basic human rights
Location in the passage: Paragraph E

the importance of the potato in Irish society

Answer: C

Explanation: The Irish people had become so reliant on potatoes, according to the first sentence of the paragraph. That they had turned into their main source of nourishment. It was said that the typical Irish farmer ate over six pounds of potatoes per day. The passage sheds light on the significance of potatoes to Irish people. Because they were preserved for the winter and even fed to livestock. Indirectly or directly, Potato was mostly responsible for their thriving income. This caused them to experience severe destruction in 1845 when the famine destroyed the crops. Families perished as a result of the famine, and the farmers struggled mightily to grow other crops.
Supporting sentence: By 1800, the vast majority of the Irish population had become dependent on the potato as its primary staple. It wasn’t uncommon for an Irish potato farmer to consume more than six pounds of potatoes a day. Families stored potatoes for the winter and even fed potatoes to their livestock.
Keywords: dependent, primary staple, consume more than six pounds of potatoes a day
Location in the passage: Paragraph C

Questions 6-13

Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A-L from the box at the top of the next page.
Write the correct letter in boxes 21-28 on your Answer Sheet. There are more endings than sentences, so you won't use them all.

Sentence Endings

because they couldn’t pay the rent on their farms.
because railroad trains caused air pollution.
because potatoes were their main source of food.
because Charles Trevelyan took over relief efforts.
because they needed the profits to pay the rent.
because they weren’t well-managed
because there wasn’t enough land for the increasing population.
because his efforts to help the Irish were unpopular among the British.
because they believed that potatoes were poisonous.
because the British instituted penal laws.
because it was discovered that potatoes are full of nutrients.
because Marie Antoinette used potato blossoms as decoration.

At first Europeans didn't eat potatoes

Answer: I. because they believed that potatoes were poisonous.
Explanation: Due to the first belief that potatoes were harmful, Europeans initially avoided eating them. According to paragraph B, before Marie Antoinette style potato blossoms in her hair in the middle of the eighteenth century. Europeans thought of potatoes as a toxic plant kind.
Supporting sentence: For more than one hundred years, Europeans believed that potatoes belonged to a botanical family of a poisonous breed. It was not until Marie Antoinette wore potato blossoms in her hair in the mid-eighteenth century that potatoes became a novelty.
Keywords: botanical family of a poisonous breed
Location in the passage: Paragraph B

European monarchs encouraged potato growing

Answer: K. because it was discovered that potatoes are full of nutrients.
Explanation: When it was recognized that potatoes are packed with nutrients, European kings encouraged the cultivation of potatoes. They used to think potatoes were harmful, but that notion has since shifted. According to paragraph B, the kings loved the taste of potatoes once they learned about their nutritional worth. And soon after that, they ordered that them be cultivated extensively all over Europe.
Supporting sentence: Soon the potatoes were discovered to be edible and nutritious. By the late 1700s, the dietary value of the potato had been discovered, and the monarchs of Europe ordered the vegetable to be widely planted.
Keywords: dietary value of the potato, monarchs of Europe, vegetable to be widely planted
Location in the passage: Paragraph B

The potato blight was devastating to the Irish

Answer: C. because potatoes were their main source of food.
Explanation: Because potatoes were the Irish people's primary food supply, the potato blight had a terrible effect on them. Potatoes were the staple food and key source of nutrition for the Irish people. According to paragraph C, the Irish gave potatoes a very important place in society. Their livelihood was reliant on the potato. The main food they ate was potatoes. The Irish people's livelihood and crops were ruined by the famine.
Supporting sentence: By 1800, the vast majority of the Irish population had become dependent on the potato as its primary staple. It wasn’t uncommon for an Irish potato farmer to consume more than six pounds of potatoes a day. Families stored potatoes for the winter and even fed potatoes to their livestock. Because of this dependency, the unexpected potato blight of 1845 devastated the Irish.
Keywords: Irish population, become dependent, potato as its primary staple
Location in the passage: Paragraph C

Farmers who grew oats, wheat and barley didn’t eat these crops

Answer: E. because they needed the profits to pay the rent.
Explanation: Oat, wheat, and barley farmers didn't eat their harvests since they needed the money to cover their rent. In paragraph C, it is said that the Irish value potatoes as a particularly important crop. The fact that most farmers had been growing potatoes for a very prolonged period suggested that they had no experience growing any other crop. Farmers who were successful in producing other crops were unable to eat them because they needed to sell them to get money to cover their rent.
Supporting sentence: Those who did manage to grow things such as oats, wheat, and barley relied on earnings from these exported crops to keep their rented homes.
Keywords: exported crops, oats, wheat, and barley, keep their rented homes
Location in the passage: Paragraph C

Many Irish farmers lived on infertile plots

Answer: G. because there wasn’t enough land for the increasing population.
Explanation: Because there wasn't enough land to support the growing population, many Irish farmers lived on unproductive plots. The tenure system in Ireland, where 95% of the country's land was owned by landlords. And divided into 5-acre parcels for residents to live and farm on, is described in paragraph D. The lands were divided further as the population grew, finally getting smaller. Irish farmers were consequently made to live on barren land
Supporting sentence: Under the tenure system, Protestant landlords owned 95 percent of the Irish land, which was divided up into five-acre plots for the people to live and farm on. As the population of Ireland grew, however, the plots were continuously subdivided into smaller parcels. Living conditions declined dramatically, and families were forced to move to less fertile land where almost nothing but the potato would grow.
Keywords: five-acre plots for the people to live and farm on, Living conditions declined, families were forced to move to less fertile land
Location in the passage: Paragraph D

Many Irish farmers were arrested

Answer: A. because they couldn’t pay the rent on their farms.
Explanation: Because they were unable to make their farm rent payments, several Irish farmers were detained. E claims that the Irish people endured without any form of legal protection and without even the most basic right to life. The last sentence of the paragraph informs us that the Irish individuals were detained because their rent was past due. The farmers couldn't pay their loans at the time and had no basic access to food.
Supporting sentence: Many of these people also had their homes burned down and were put in jail for overdue rent.
Keywords: put in jail, overdue, rent.
Location in the passage: Paragraph E

Sir Robert Peel lost his position as prime minister

Answer: H. because his efforts to help the Irish were unpopular among the British.
Explanation: Due to the disapproval of the British people, Sir Robert Peel was forced to resign as prime minister. The readers are informed about the British government's stance on the Famine in paragraph F. They adhered to the laissez-faire philosophy, which meant they would stay out of Irish matters. As a result of his kindness toward the Irish and removal of the Corn Law, which benefited British grain growers. Prime Minister Robert Peel lost both his job and the support of the British people.
Supporting sentence: Prime Minister Sir Robert Peel was an exception. He showed compassion toward the Irish by making a move to repeal the Corn Laws, which had been put in place to protect British grain producers from the competition of foreign markets. For this hasty decision, Peel quickly lost the support of the British people and was forced to resign.
Keywords: Sir Robert Peel, showed compassion, repeal the Corn Laws, hasty decision, forced to resign.
Location in the passage: Paragraph F

Soup kitchens and workhouses didn’t relieve the suffering

Answer: I. because they believed that potatoes were poisonous.
Explanation: Because they thought potatoes were harmful, soup kitchens as well as workhouses couldn't alleviate the misery. The readers are informed in paragraph F about how British officials feel about the famine. The last sentence of the paragraph provides information on the programs, including the workhouses and soup kitchens, that were put into place. The Irish people didn't seem to gain from it as they were badly run, which fostered the spread of diseases and left them with insufficient food supply. They endured additional pain as a result.
Supporting sentence: A few relief programs were eventually implemented, such as soup kitchens and 1 workhouse; however, these were poorly run institutions that facilitated the spread of disease, tore apart families, and offered inadequate food supplies considering the extent of Ireland’s shortages.
Keywords: spread of disease, tore apart families, inadequate food supplies
Location in the passage: Paragraph F

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