Producing Sugar Reading Answers

Jan 13, 2025

Producing Sugar Reading Answers is an academic reading answers topic. Producing Sugar Reading Answers has a total of 13 IELTS questions in total. In the question set you have to tell whether the statement is true, false or not given. In the next question set, you have to answer each question in no more than three words.

The IELTS Reading section is a crucial component of the IELTS exam, designed to assess a candidate's ability to comprehend and analyze different types of passages. In this passage, you will engage with a series of IELTS reading practice questions that simulate real test scenarios. These questions are aimed at improving your skills in identifying key ideas, extracting specific information, and making inferences. Whether you are preparing for the Academic or General Training module, practicing these IELTS reading questions will help you become familiar with the format and boost your confidence for the actual test.

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Section1

Producing Sugar

Sugar has been known to man for at least 3000 years. There are different types of sugar but the one that most of us recognise is derived from two plants. Although 70% of production comes from the sugar cane which enjoys a tropical climate, the remaining 30% comes from the sugar beet which grows best in more temperate areas. The production of sugar from sugar beet begins with the sowing of the beet in the spring. In the early years of the industry the seed was sown by hand into pre-made and fertilized drills. By the 1990s however, with the aid of new multi-purpose machinery, the labour intensive methods of the past have been totally eliminated. In addition, a new beet seed has been developed which requires no thinning and which is sown encased in a pellet of fertilizer which not only protects it from pests but also assists and nourishes it through its early development stages. The harvesting of the sugar beet, or the "campaign" as it is known, starts around the end of September and continues until mid-January. Once the campaign starts, it continues 24 hours a day, seven days a week. until all the beet is processed. Today's mechanical harvester is particularly ingenious. It not only takes the root out of the ground, it also cleans it and cuts off the top of the plants. The leaves are a valuable source of animal feed equal in value per acre to one acre of turnips. The beet is taken by lorry from the harvested field to sugar processing factories. Once inside the factory grounds the lorries drive over a weighbridge where their gross weight is automatically weighed. At the same time a sample of the particular load is taken to determine the sugar percentage and the amount of tare in the overall load. Tare may consist of clay, stones and beet tops. It is deducted from the gross weight of the load in order to determine the net weight of clean beet delivered. The farmer is paid a predetermined price per tonne of clean beet delivered based on a sliding scale related to sugar content. After that the beet is thoroughly washed before processing to remove all traces of clay, stones, grass and sand.

The actual sugar is inside the beet and has to be extracted by a diffusion process. To do this the beet is first cut up into elongated slices. Sugar is then extracted from the beet by diffusing it out with hot water. Beet slices are fed into a large vessel and mixed with the water. A solution of sugar emerges from one end and the exhausted beet slices emerge from the other. The exhausted beet slices, or pulp, are mixed with molasses then dried and sold as animal feed. The solution now left to continue for the rest of the process is referred to as the raw Juice and contains about 14% sugar.

At the diffusion stage other substances are extracted from the beet as well as the sugar. So before sugar can be produced in a white crystalline form it is necessary to remove as many of these non-sugars as possible. This part of the process is referred to as juice purification. The main raw materials used in the purification are lime and carbon dioxide gas which are got by burning limestone in a kiln. These substances are added to the juice causing the non-sugars to be precipitated out of the solution as solids. This is then filtered off and discarded.

The purified juice is a sugar solution containing approximately 14% sugar and 1% nonsugars which are left in the liquid. It is now necessary to concentrate this solution. This is done by boiling off water from the solution in large vessels known as evaporators. On leaving the evaporators it contains approximately 60% sugar.

In order to turn the sugar into a crystalline form it is now necessary to evaporate still more water. This is done at a reduced temperature and at high pressure in vacuum pans. Syrup is fed to the pans and, as the water is evaporated off, the crystals of sugar begin to grow. When the pan is full, it contains about 50 tonnes of a mixture of sugar crystals in syrup. The contents are then discharged into large holding vessels known as crystallizers.

The next step in the operation is to separate the sugar from the syrup. This is done in automatically controlled machines known as centrifugals. In them the syrup is spun off and the sugar crystals remain. The wet sugar is then dried, screened, cooled and sent to large bulk storage silos. The syrup from the centrifugals still contains a lot of dissolved sugar. This syrup is put back through two more boiling stages In order to extract still more sugar. The final syrup from which It is no longer practical or economical to extract more sugar is known as molasses. It contains some sugar together with non-sugars which were not removed at the juice purification stage. It is mainly used for animal feed. The total time from beet washing to white sugar is

about twelve hours. Depending upon the sugar content of the beet, 100 tonnes of beet will give approximately 12-14 tonnes of sugar and 3 to 4 tonnes of molasses.

Questions 27 - 34

DO the following statements below (questions 27 — 34) agree

with the information in Reading Passage 3, Producing Sugar?

In boxes 27 — 34 on your answer sheet write:

TRUE if the statement is true

FALSE if the statement is false

NOT GIVEN if the information is not given in the passage

27. Sugar beet isn't grown in tropical areas.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: The Passage does not provide any information regarding sugar beet not growing in the tropical areas. Although it does state about sugar beet growing best in more temperate areas.

28. Today's sugar beet seeds are produced in a small ball containing food for the seed to help it grow.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement:which is sown encased in a pellet of fertilizer which not only protects it from pests but also assists and nourishes

Keywords: encased, nourishes

Keyword Location: Para 1, Lines 9-10

Explanation: The text suggests that in comparison to the old method used for the seed production modern method uses a small encased pallet filled with fertilizer that allows it to get enough nutrients and protection from pests.

29. The discarded leaves and tops of the beet are processed and used as fertilizer.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement:The leaves are a valuable source of animal feed equal in value per acre to one acre of turnips

Keywords: leaves, feed

Keyword Location: Para 1, Lines 14-15

Explanation: The text suggests that the modern mechanical harvester is really efficient. It removes the root from the ground, cleans it, and trims the tops of the plants. The leaves can be used to make animal feed, and their worth per acre is comparable to that of one acre of turnips.

30. The amount of tare calculated to be in the beet delivered to the factories is taken into account when the beet farmers are paid.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement:The farmer is paid a predetermined price per tonne of clean beet delivered

Keywords: farmer, price

Keyword Location: Para 1, Lines 20-21

Explanation: According to the passage the price of the beet harvest is calculated in the following way. Firstly a weighbridge is crossed by the trucks as they enter the plant premises, and an automated scale measures their gross weight. Secondly In order to calculate the percentage of sugar and the amount of tare in the entire load, a sample of the specific load is collected at the same time. Tare may include clay, stones, and beet tops. To calculate the net weight of delivered clean beet, it is subtracted from the load's gross weight. Lastly a set price per tonne of supplied clean beet is given to the farmer according to a sliding scale that takes into account the amount of sugar in the harvest.

31. The beets are sorted by hand before the processing to remove rotten or inferior beets.

Answer: NOT GIVEN

Explanation: The text provides no information about the beets being cleaned by hand before it is processed to remove any rotten or inferior beets.

32. The exhausted beet is combined with another by-product of the sugar production process before being sold as animal food.

Answer: TRUE

Supporting statement:The exhausted beet slices, or pulp, are mixed with molasses then dried and sold as animal feed.

Keywords: exhausted, animal

Keyword Location: Para 2, Line 5

Explanation: The text explains that the exhausted beet slices emerge side by side with beet solution at both ends separately.The discarded beet slices are combined with the other by-products of the sugar production process such as pulp and molasses. All this are dried before being sold a animal fodder

33. The solid purification by-product is reprocessed to obtain more sugar solution.

Answer: FALSE

Supporting statement:These substances are added to the juice causing the non-sugars to be precipitated out of the solution as solids. This is then filtered off and discarded.

Keywords: sugars, solids

Keyword Location: Para 3, Lines 5-6

Explanation:The text highlights that the solid substances which are left in the vessels upon purification of the raw juice are filtered out of it and discarded having no use left.

34. The purified Juice still contains 1% non sugars which are removed before further processing.

Answer: True

Supporting statement:and 1% nonsugars which are left in the liquid. It is now necessary to concentrate this solution.

Keywords: nonsugars, liquid

Keyword Location: Para 4, Lines 1-2

Explanation: According to the text the 1% non sugars left in the solution needs to be filtered off before further processing the solution to attain a more concentrated sugar solution.

Questions 35 - 40

Use NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each.

Stage 1: Sowing and tending the beet

Stage 2: The Campaign - harvesting me beet plants_

Stage 3: Trucks deliver the beet to the factory where it’s,(35)..............sampled and cleaned.

Answer: WEIGHTED

Supporting statement:lorries drive over a weighbridge where their gross weight is automatically weighed.

Keywords: drive, weight

Keyword Location: Para , Line

Explanation: The text mentions that after the beets are harvested by the machines, the trucks/lorries are taken to sugar processing plants. When the trucks arrive at the production location, they pass a weighbridge where their total weight is automatically measured.At the same time, a sample of the specific load is obtained to determine the sugar % and tare level in the total load. Tare is often made of stones, clay, or beet tops. The net weight of the delivered clean beet is calculated by subtracting it from the gross weight of the delivery. In order to eliminate any last residues of clay, stones, grass, and sand, the beet is then carefully cleaned before processing.

Stage4: Sugar extracted and (36)........... produced by diffusing beet in hot liquid.

Answer: SOLUTION

Supporting statement:A solution of sugar emerges from one end

Keywords: solution, emerges

Keyword Location: Para 2, Lines 3-4

Explanation: The text states that diffusion is required to extract the real sugar, which is found inside the beet. The beet is first sliced into long pieces in order to do this. After that, boiling water is used to diffuse the sugar out of the beet. Slices of beet are added to a big container along with water. A sugar solution pours out of one end.

Stage 5: Purification: non sugar solids are produced, (37)...............and thrown away.

Answer: FILTERED OFF

Supporting statement: These substances are added to the juice causing the non-sugars to be precipitated out of the solution as solids. This is then filtered off and discarded.

Keywords: non-sugar , filtered

Keyword Location: Para 3, Lines 5-6

Explanation: According to the passage the purified juice is mixed with lime and carbon dioxide gas which are got by burning limestone in a kiln to remove the non-sugar. This process turns the non sugar into solid and gets precipitated out of the liquid which is filtered and discarded at last.

Stage 6: Purified juice is concentrated by (38)........... and evaporation.

Answer: BOILING

Supporting statement:It is now necessary to concentrate this solution. This is done by boiling off water

Keywords: concentrated, boiling

Keyword Location: Para 4, Lines 2-3

Explanation:The text states that with around 14% sugar and 1% non sugars remaining in the liquid, the filtered juice is a sugar solution. This solution now needs to be concentrated. Water is boiled out of the solution in huge containers called evaporators to accomplish this. It has around 60% sugar when it comes out of the evaporators.

Stage 7: Further evaporation in(39)............creates sugar crystals in syrup.

Answer: VACUUM PANS

Supporting statement:This is done at a reduced temperature and at high pressure in vacuum pans.

Keywords: temperature, pressure

Keyword Location: Para 5, Line2

Explanation: The passage highlights that to convert the sugar into crystalline form, additional water must be evaporated. This is carried out in vacuum pans at high pressure and a lowered temperature. The pans are filled with syrup, and as the water evaporates, sugar crystals start to form.

Stage 8: Syrup is spun off in centrifugals to leave wet sugar crystals. (40).....................is left after syrup is fully reprocessed.

Answer: MOLASSES

Supporting statement:The final syrup from which It is no longer practical or economical to extract more sugar is known as molasses.

Keywords: syrup, molasses

Keyword Location: Para 6, Lines 5-6

Explanation: According to the passage the sugar is separated from the syrup using automatically operated equipment called as centrifuges. The sugar crystals stay in them when the syrup is spun out. After drying, screening, and cooling, the wet sugar is sent to silos for massive bulk storage. A significant amount of dissolved sugar is still present in the syrup obtained from the centrifugals. 2 more boiling steps are applied to this syrup in order to extract even more sugar. Molasses is the final syrup from which further sugar extraction is no longer possible or affordable.

Stage 9: Wet Sugar crystal are dried. screened cooled.

The finished product is stored.

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