Non Pesticide Management of Crop in India Reading Answers

Sep 30, 2025

Non-Pesticide Management of Crop in India Reading Answers is an academic reading answers topic. Non-Pesticide Management of Crop in India Reading Answers has a total of 13 IELTS questions in total. In the question set given, you have to state whether the statement is true, false or not given with the information given in the text. In the next question set, you have to choose the correct answer in no more than two words for each from the given passage. In the last question set, you have to choose the correct answer in no more than two words or a number from the given passage.

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

NON-PESTICIDE MANAGEMENT OF CROP IN INDIA

A.A dramatic Story about cotton farmers in India shows how destructive pesticides can be for people and the environment, and why today's agriculture is so dependent on pesticides. This story also shows that it's possible to stop using chemical pesticides without losing a crop to ravaging insects, and it explains how to do it.

B.The story began about 30 years ago, a handful of families migrated from the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, southeast India, into Punukula, a community of around 900 people farming plots of between two and 10 acres. The outsiders from Guntur brought cotton culture with them. Cotton wooed farmers by promising to bring in more hard cash than the mixed crops they were already rowing to eat and sell: millet, sorghum, groundnuts, pigeon peas, mung beans, chili and rice. But raising cotton meant using pesticides and fertilizers - until then, a mystery to the mostly illiterate farmers of the community. When cotton production started spreading through Andhra Pradesh state. The high value of cotton made it an exceptionally attractive crop, but growing cotton required chemical fertilizers and pesticides. As most of the farmers were poor, illiterate, and without previous experience using agricultural chemicals, they were forced to rely on local, small-scale agricultural dealers for advice. The dealers sold them seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides on credit and also guaranteed the purchase of their crop. The dealers themselves had little technical knowledge about pesticides. They merely passed on promotional information from multinational chemical companies that supplied their products.

C.At first, cotton yields were high, and expenses for pesticides were low because cotton pests had not yet moved in. The farmers had never earned so much! But within a few years, cotton pests like bollworms and aphids plagued the fields, and the farmers saw how rapid insect evolution can be. Repeated spraying killed off the weaker pests, but left the ones most resistant to pesticides to multiply. As pesticide resistance mounted, the farmers had to apply more and more of the pesticides to get the same results. At the same time, the pesticides killed off birds, wasps, beetles, spiders, and other predators that had once provided natural control of pest insects. Without these predators, the pests could destroy the entire crop if pesticides were not used. Eventually, farmers were mixing, sometimes having to spray their cotton as frequently as two times a week. They were really hooked!

D.The villagers were hesitant, but one of Punukula's village elders decided to risk trying the natural methods instead of pesticides. His son had collapsed with acute pesticide poisoning and survived, but the hospital bill was staggering. SECURE's staff coached this villager on how to protect his cotton crop by using a toolkit of natural methods that India's Centre for Sustainable Agriculture put together in collaboration with scientists at Andhra Pradesh's state university.

They called the toolkit "Non-Pesticide Management" - or "NPM."

E.The most important resource in the NPM toolkit was the neem tree (Azadirachta indica) which is common throughout much of India. The neem tree is a broad-leaved evergreen tree related to mahogany. It protects itself against insects by producing a multitude of natural pesticides that work in a variety of ways: With an arsenal of chemical defenses that repel egg-laying, interfere with insect growth, and most important, disrupt the ability of crop-eating insects to sense their food.

F.In fact, neem has been used traditionally in India to protect stored grains from insects and to produce soaps, skin lotions, and other health products. To protect crops from insects, neem seeds are simply ground into a powder that is soaked overnight in water. The solution is then sprayed onto the crop. Another preparation, neem cake, can be mixed into the soil to kill pests and diseases in the soil, and it doubles as an organic fertilizer high in nitrogen. Neem trees grow locally, so the only "cost" is the labor to prepare neem for application to fields.

G.The first farmer's trial with NPM was a complete success! His harvest was as good as the harvests of farmers who were using pesticides, and he earned much more because he did not spend a single rupee on pesticides. Inspired by this success, 20 farmers tried NPM the next year. SECURE posted two well-trained staff in Punukula to teach and help everyone in the village, and the village women put pressure on their husbands to stop using toxic chemicals. Families that were no longer exposing themselves to pesticides began to feel much better, and the rapid improvement in income, health, and general well-being quickly sold everyone on the value of NPM. By 2000, all the farmers in Punukula were using NPM, not only for cotton but for their other crops as well.

H.The suicide epidemic came to an end. And with the cash. health, and energy that returned when they stopped poisoning themselves with pesticides, the villagers were inspired to start more community and business projects. The women of Punukula created a new source of income by collecting, grinding, and selling neem seeds for NPM in other villages. The villagers rescued their indentured children and gave them special six-month "catch-up" courses to return to school.

l.Fighting against pesticides, and winning, increased village solidarity, self-confidence, and optimism about the future. When dealers tried to punish NPM users by paying less for NPM cotton, the farmers united to form a marketing cooperative that found fairer prices elsewhere. The leadership and collaboration skills that the citizens of Punukula developed in the NPM struggle have helped them to take on other challenges, like water purification, building a cotton gin to add value to the cotton before they sell it, and convincing the State government to support

NPM over the objection of multi-national pesticide corporations.

Questions 1-4

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage I? In boxes 1-4 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

1. Cotton in Andhra Pradesh state could really bring more income to the local farmers than

traditional farming.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: The passage only states that cotton promised more hard cash and that initial yields were high, making them feel they had "never earned so much." However, the text does not provide an ultimate comparison or final accounting showing that, in reality, cotton did bring in reliably and sustainably more income than the traditional mixed crops over the long term, especially after factoring in the mounting pesticide costs

2. The majority of farmers had used agricultural pesticides before 30 years ago.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: But raising cotton meant using pesticides and fertilizers - until then, a mystery to the mostly illiterate farmers of the community.

Keywords: pesticides and fertilizers, mystery, illiterate farmers

Keyword Location: Para B, Lines 6-7

Explanation: The passage states that the use of pesticides was a mystery to the farmers until they started growing cotton, meaning they had not used them previously.

3. The yield of cotton is relatively lower than that of other agricultural crops.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: The text only says the initial cotton yields were high and discusses income. It does not provide a direct comparison between the weight/volume yield of cotton and the weight/volume yield of the other crops (millet, rice, etc.).

4. The farmers didn't realize the spread of the pests was so fast.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: But within a few years, cotton pests like bollworms and aphids plagued the fields, and the farmers saw how rapid insect evolution can be.

Keywords: cotton pests, rapid insect evolution

Keyword Location: Para C, Lines 2-4

Explanation: The text says the farmers saw how rapid the evolution (which led to the spread of resistant pests) was, implying they had not realised or expected it to be so fast before it happened.

Questions 5-11

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each.

THE MAKING OF PESTICIDE PROTECTING CROPS AGAINST INSECTS

The broad-leaved neem tree was chosen. It is a fast-growing and 5………… tree and produces an amount of 6……….for itself that can be effective like insects repellent. Firstly, neem seeds need to be crushed into 7……….. form, which is left behind 8………..in water. Then we need to spray the solution onto the crop. A special 9………….is used when mixing with soil in order to eliminate bugs and bacteria, and its effect 10................. when it adds the level of 11……….. in this organic fertilizer meanwhile.

5…………..

Answer: EVERGREEN

Supporting statement: The neem tree is a broad-leaved evergreen tree related to mahogany.

Keywords: evergreen, tree

Keyword Location: Para E, Line 2

Explanation: The neem tree is described in the text as an evergreen tree with broad leaves.

6…………..

Answer: NATURAL PESTICIDE

Supporting statement: It protects itself against insects by producing a multitude of natural pesticides that work in a variety of ways

Keywords: insects, natural pesticides

Keyword Location: Para E, Lines 3-4

Explanation: The passage claims that the neem tree defends itself by creating a wide range of naturally occurring insecticides that have different ways of effects.

7…………..

Answer: POWDER

Supporting statement: To protect crops from insects, neem seeds are simply ground into a powder that is soaked overnight in water.

Keywords: ground into a powder

Keyword Location: Para F, Line 3

Explanation: The text states that neem seeds are simply pounded into a powder and soaked in water for the entire night to protect crops from insects.

8…………..

Answer: OVERNIGHT

Supporting statement: To protect crops from insects, neem seeds are simply ground into a powder that is soaked overnight in water. The solution is then sprayed onto the crop.

Keywords: soaked overnight

Keyword Location: Para F, Line 3

Explanation: The powdered neem seeds are soaked overnight according to the text.

9…………..

Answer: NEEM CAKE

Supporting statement: Another preparation, neem cake, can be mixed into the soil to kill pests and diseases in the soil

Keywords: neem cake

Keyword Location: Para F, Line 4

Explanation: According to the text, the neem cake is a particular concoction that is utilised when mixing with soil.

10…………..

Answer: DOUBLES

Supporting statement: Another preparation, neem cake, can be mixed into the soil to kill pests and diseases in the soil, and it doubles as an organic fertilizer high in nitrogen.

Keywords: doubles, organic fertilizer

Keyword Location: Para F, Line 5

Explanation: The neem cake acts as a pesticide and it doubles as an organic fertilizer, thus describing the effect of the added benefit.

11…………..

Answer: NITROGEN

Supporting statement: Another preparation, neem cake, can be mixed into the soil to kill pests and diseases in the soil, and it doubles as an organic fertilizer high in nitrogen.

Keywords: diseases, high in nitrogen

Keyword Location: Para F, Line 5

Explanation: According to the text, neem cake acts as an organic fertilizer having a high content of nitrogen.

Questions 12-14

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/ OR A NUMBER for each answer.

12. In which year did all the farmers use NPM for their crops in Punukala?

Answer: IN 2000

Supporting statement: By 2000, all the farmers in Punukula were using NPM, not only for cotton but for their other crops as well.

Keywords: By 2000, farmers, NPM

Keyword Location: Para G, Line 8

Explanation: The text explicitly states that the transition to NPM use by all farmers was complete by 2000.

13. What gave the women of Punukula a business opportunity to NPMs?

Answer: NEEM SEEDS

Supporting statement: The women of Punukula created a new source of income by collecting, grinding, and selling neem seeds for NPM in other villages.

Keywords: neem seeds, selling

Keyword Location: Para H, Line 4

Explanation: According to the text, the women's new business project was based on collecting and selling neem seeds, the main ingredient for the NPM toolkit.

14. Name one project that the citizens of Punukula decide to develop in the NPM.

Answer: WATER PURIFICATION

Supporting statement: The leadership and collaboration skills that the citizens of Punukula developed in the NPM struggle have helped them to take on other challenges, like water purification, building a cotton gin

Keywords: challenges, water purification

Keyword Location: Para I, Line 5

Explanation: After the villagers' breakthrough with NPM, the text mentions "water purification" as one of their new business and community initiatives.

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