Perfume Reading Answers

Nov 24, 2025

The answers for "Perfume Reading Answers" include 13 questions and are part of the assessment framework for the IELTS General Reading test. Candidates are allotted 20 minutes to complete the reading responses concerning "Perfume Reading Answers." This portion of the IELTS reading exam consists of different question formats, such as writing no more than three words, writing the appropriate letter, and determining whether the following statements agree with the information given.

The answers for "Perfume" offer a comprehensive overview of how perfume originates from ancient methods of extracting natural scents, evolving from labour-intensive techniques like enfleurage to modern synthetic and efficient extraction processes. Today, essential oils—especially from Madagascar—remain valuable but risky to source, making synthetics crucial for stability, sustainability, and protecting endangered species. For additional practice with similar reading assessments, candidates can refer to the IELTS Reading Practice Test section.

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Perfume Reading Answers

A.Perfume comes from the Latin "per" meaning "through" and "fumum", or "smoke". Many ancient perfumes were made by extracting natural oils from plants through pressing and steaming. The oil was then burned to scent the air. Since the beginning of recorded history, humans have attempted to mask or enhance their own odor by using perfume, which emulates nature's pleasant smells. Many natural and man-made materials have been used to make perfume to apply to the skin and clothing, to put in cleaners and cosmetics, or to scent the air. Because of differences in body chemistry, temperature, and body odors, no perfume will smell exactly the same on any two people.

B.Before perfumes can be composed, the odorants used in various perfume compositions must first be obtained. Synthetic odorants are produced through organic synthesis and purified. Odorants from natural sources require the use of various methods to extract the aromatics from the raw materials Enfleurage a process from the raw materials. Enfleurage, a process that uses odorless fats that are solid at room temperature to capture the fragrant compounds exuded by plants, is the oldest of fragrance extraction techniques. The process can be "cold" enfleurage or "hot" enfleurage. In cold enfleurage, a large framed plate of glass, called a chassis, is smeared with a layer of animal fat, usually from pork or beef, and allowed to set. Botanical matter, usually petals or whole flowers, is then placed on the fat and its scent is allowed to diffuse into the fat over the course of 13 days. The process is then repeated by replacing the spent botanicals with fresh ones until the fat has reached a desired degree of fragrance saturation.

C.In hot enfleurage, solid fats are heated and botanical matter is stirred into the fat. Spent botanicals are repeatedly strained from the fat and replaced with fresh material until the fat is saturated with fragrance. In both instances, the fragrance-saturated fat is now called the "enfleurage pomade". The enfleurage pomade is washed or soaked in ethyl alcohol to draw the fragrant molecules into the alcohol. The alcohol is then separated from the fat and allowed to evaporate, leaving behind the essential oil of the botanical matter. The spent fat is usually used to make soaps since it is still relatively fragrant. This method of fragrance extraction is by far one of the oldest. It is also highly inefficient and costly but was the sole method of extracting the fragrant compounds in delicate floral botanical distillation. The method is now, supers eded by more eficient techniques such as solvent extraction or supercritical fuid extraction using liquid carbon dioxide (CO2) or similar compressed gases.

D.The results of the extraction are either essential oils, absolutes, concretes, or butters, depending on the amount of waxes in the extracted product. All these techniques will to a certain extent, distort the odour of the aromatic compounds obtained from the raw materials. This is due to the use of heat, harsh solvents, or through exposure to oxygen in the extraction process which will denature the aromatic compounds, which either change their odour character or renders them odourless. The country-island Madagascar-known for its extremely unique biodiversity-is recognized as holding tremendous potential for the development of new products in the essential oils, cosmetic and body care, due to the fact that 80% of its flora and fauna is endemic-meaning so unique that they are found nowhere else in the world.

E.For 85 million years, the flora and fauna of Madagascar evolved in isolation from the rest of the world. Examples of the totally unique essential oils and botanicals from Madagascar include the Ravinsara leaf known for its aroma, spice and therapeutic applications. Aromatherapists believe that the oil can travel deep into muscle tissues and joints. Some have suggested that the oil has antiviral properties, and it is thought to relieve rheumatism and joint inflammation.

Another totally unique essential oil from Madagascar to relieve rheumatic pains is Katrafay, which is also used in Madagascar by women after giving birth as a fortifier and tonic. It is also believed to have anti-inflammatory properties. Cinnamosma fragrans is used traditionally as a decoction for treatment of malarial symptoms. The essential oil is used for tired and aching muscles.

F. According to suppliers, there are quite a few other high quality aromatherapy oils produced in Madagascar. These include niaouli used for clearing, cleansing and mental stimulation; lantana camara used for flu, colds, coughs, fevers, yellow fever, dysentery and jaundice; ylang-ylang used as an aphrodisiac; cinnamon (bark and leaf) used to destroy microbes and bacteria, and holding promise for people with diabetes; tamanu (Calophylum inophyllum) used to treat skin ailments; wild orange petit grains, used as a lively and soothing fragrance and to relieve dry skin; a unique ginger (fresh) oil used for circulation, aching muscles and nausea; and clove bud oil, which has been utilized as a local anesthetic in dentistry, as a food preservative and as on alternative to Deet.

G.Because perfumes and essential oils depend heavily on harvests of plant substances and the availability of animal products, perfumery can often turn risky.

Thousands of flowers are needed to obtain just one pound of essential oils, and if the season's crop is destroyed by disease or adverse weather, perfumeries could be in jeopardy. In addition, consistency is hard to maintain in natural oils. The same species of plant raised in several different areas with slightly different growing conditions may not yield oils with exactly the same scent. Problems are also encountered in collecting natural animal oils. Many animals once killed for the value of their oils are on the endangered species list and now cannot be hunted. For example, sperm whale products like ambergris have been outlawed since

1977. Also, most animal oils in general are difficult and expensive to extract. Deer musk must come from deer found in Tibet; civet cats, bred in Ethiopia, are kept for their fatty gland secretions; beavers from Canada and the former Soviet Union are harvested for their castor. Synthetic perfumes have allowed perfumers more freedom and stability in their craft, even though natural ingredients are considered more desirable in the very finest perfumes. The use of synthetic perfumes and oils eliminates the need to extract oils from animals and removes the risk of a bad plant harvest, saving much expense and the lives of many animals.

Questions 28-30

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each.

28. Answer: pomade

Supporting statement: “The fat becomes saturated with fragrance and is then called the pomade.”

Keywords: pomade

Keyword Location: Paragraph 3, Line 1

Explanation: After flowers and animal fat are placed on the chassis, the fat absorbs the fragrance. At this stage, it is referred to as pomade, which is the next step shown in the diagram.

29. Answer: alcohol

Supporting statement: “The pomade is washed with alcohol to extract the perfume.”

Keywords: washed with alcohol

Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, Lines 1–2

Explanation: The diagram shows the pomade being soaked in a liquid. This liquid is alcohol, which dissolves the fragrance before evaporation.

30. Answer: essential oil

Supporting statement: “When the alcohol evaporates, it leaves behind the essential oil.”

Keywords: essential oil

Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, Line 3

Explanation: After the alcohol evaporates, the remaining substance is the essential oil, which is shown as the final step in the diagram.

Questions 31-34

Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 3?

TRUE - if the statement is true

FALSE - if the statement is false

NOT GIVEN - if the information is not given

31. Synthetic perfumes outweigh natural counterparts in all aspects.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement: “Natural ingredients are considered more desirable in the very finest perfumes.”

Keywords: natural ingredients more desirable

Keyword Location: Paragraph G, Lines 22–24

Explanation: The passage states that natural ingredients are still preferred in high-quality perfumes, so synthetic perfumes do not outweigh natural ones in all aspects.

32. The fragrance of jasmine can he extracted by employing the method of steam distillation.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: No sentence discusses jasmine extraction or confirms steam distillation.

33. Nowadays, the biggest industry of Madagascar is perfumery.

Explanation: The passage talks about unique oils from Madagascar but does not compare industries.

34. The original Latinal meaning of perfume is the scent smoke.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement: “Perfume comes from the Latin ‘per’ meaning ‘through’ and ‘fumum’, or ‘smoke’.”

Keywords: per, fumum, smoke

Keyword Location: Paragraph A, Lines 1–2

Explanation: The Latin roots literally mean “through smoke,” which is the same as “scent smoke.”

Questions 35-39

Use the information in the passage to match the

essential oils listed (A - F) with their purposes.

Write the appropriate letter (A- F).

A. Katralay

B. Clove bud oil

C. Ylang-ylang

D. Cinnamon

E. Lantana caniara

F. Ginger oil

35. used as postpartum tonic

Answer: A (Katrafay)

Supporting statement: “Katrafay… used in Madagascar by women after giving birth as a fortifier and tonic.”

Keywords: after giving birth, tonic

Keyword Location: Paragraph E, Lines 6–7

Explanation: Katrafay is directly linked to postpartum use.

36. used as medicine for influenza

Answer: E (Lantana camara)

Supporting statement: “Lantana camara used for flu, colds, coughs…”

Keywords: flu

Keyword Location: Paragraph F, Lines 2–3

Explanation: Lantana camara treats flu and similar illnesses.

37. used as medicine for diabetes

Answer: D (Cinnamon)

Supporting statement: “Cinnamon… holding promise for people with diabetes.”

Keywords: diabetes

Keyword Location: Paragraph F, Lines 4–5

Explanation: Cinnamon oil may help diabetic patients.

38. used as medicine for nausea

Answer: F (Ginger oil)

Supporting statement: “A unique ginger oil… used for circulation, aching muscles and nausea.”

Keywords: nausea

Keyword Location: Paragraph F, Lines 6–7

Explanation: Ginger oil is directly linked to treating nausea.

39. used as anesthetic medicine

Answer: B (Clove bud oil)

Supporting statement: “Clove bud oil… utilized as a local anesthetic in dentistry.”

Keywords: anesthetic

Keyword Location: Paragraph F, Lines 7–8

Explanation: Clove bud oil has anesthetic properties.

Question 40

List three kinds of protected animals whose oils are highly valued.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each.

Answer:

sperm whale
deer
civet cats

Supporting statement: “Sperm whale… outlawed… Deer musk… Civet cats… kept for their fatty gland secretions.”

Keywords: sperm whale, deer musk, civet cats

Keyword Location: Paragraph G

Explanation: These animals’ oils are rare, valuable, and some are protected.

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