History Of Salt Reading Answers

Dec 7, 2022

History of salt reading answers deals with 14 questions which are to be answered by candidates within 20 minutes. History of Salt reading answers higlhghts the use of daily necessity that is salt, and includes three types of questions; choose the correct statement, no more than two words, and true/false/not given. To solve choose the correct statement, candidates are required to go through the reading passage thoroughly and based on the given cues choose the correct option. To answer no more than two words, candidates are required to remember the cases represented in the IELTS reading passage and then answer them within a word limit of two. A proper analytical and identifying skills are required to answer true/false/not given in the IELTS Reading section of IELTS examination.

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Reading Passage Questions

Salt is so simple and plentiful that we almost take it for granted. In chemical terms, salt is the combination of a sodium ion with a chloride ion, making it one of the most basic molecules on earth. It is also one of the most plentiful: it has been estimated that salt deposits under the state of Kansas alone could supply the entire world’s needs for the next 250,000 years.
But salt is also an essential element. Without it, life itself would be impossible since the human body requires the mineral in order to function properly. The concentration of sodium ions in the blood is directly related to the regulation of safe body fluid levels. And while we are all familiar with its many uses in cooking, we may not be aware that this element is used in some 14,000 commercial applications. From manufacturing pulp and paper to setting dyes in textiles and fabric, from producing soaps and detergents to making our roads safe in winter, salt plays an essential part in our daily lives.
Salt has a long and influential role in world history. From the dawn of civilization, it has been a key factor in economic, religious, social and political development. In every corner of the world, it has been the subject of superstition, folklore, and warfare, and has even been used as currency.
As a precious and portable commodity, salt has long been a cornerstone of economies throughout history. In fact, researcher M.R. Bloch conjectured that civilization began along the edges of the desert because of the natural surface deposits of salt found there. Bloch also believed that the first war – likely fought near the ancient city of Essalt on the Jordan River – could have been fought over the city’s precious supplies of the mineral.
In 2200 BC, the Chinese emperor Hsia Yu levied one of the first known taxes. He taxed salt. In Tibet, Marco Polo noted that tiny cakes of salt were pressed with images of the Grand Khan to be used as coins and to this day among the nomads of Ethiopia’s Danakil Plains it is still used as money. Greek slave traders often bartered it for slaves, giving rise to the expression that someone was “not worth his salt.” Roman legionnaires were paid in salt – a solarium, the Latin origin of the word “salary.”
Merchants in 12th-century Timbuktu – the gateway to the Sahara Desert and the seat of scholars – valued this mineral as highly as books and gold. In France, Charles of Anjou levied the “gabelle,” a salt tax, in 1259 to finance his conquest of the Kingdom of Naples. Outrage over the gabelle fueled the French Revolution. Though the revolutionaries eliminated the tax shortly after Louis XVI, the Republic of France re-established the gabelle in the early 19th Century; only in 1946 was it removed from the books.
The Erie Canal, an engineering marvel that connected the Great Lakes to New York’s Hudson River in 1825, was called “the ditch that salt built.” Salt tax revenues paid for half the cost of construction of the canal. The British monarchy supported itself with high salt taxes, leading to a bustling black market for the white crystal. In 1 785, the Earl of Dundonald wrote that every year in England, 10,000 people were arrested for salt smuggling. And protesting against British rule in 1930, Mahatma Gandhi led a 200-mile march to the Arabian Ocean to collect untaxed salt for India’s poor.
In religion and culture, salt long held an important place with Greek worshippers consecrating it in their rituals. Further, in the Buddhist tradition, salt repels evil spirits, which is why it is customary to throw it over your- shoulder before entering your house after a funeral: it scares off any evil spirits that may be clinging to your back. Shinto religion also uses it to purify an area. Before sumo wrestlers enter the ring for a match – which is, in reality, an elaborate Shinto rite – a handful is thrown into the center to drive off malevolent spirits.
In the Southwest of the United States, the Pueblo worship the Salt Mother. Other native tribes had significant restrictions on who was permitted to eat salt. Hopi legend holds that the angry Warrior Twins punished mankind by placing valuable salt deposits far from civilization, requiring hard work and bravery to harvest the precious mineral. In 1933, the Dalai Lama was buried sitting up in a bed of salt. Today, a gift of salt endures in India as a potent symbol of good luck and a reference to Mahatma Gandhi’s liberation of India.
The effects of salt deficiency are highlighted in times of war, when human bodies and national economies are strained to their limits. Thousands of Napoleon’s troops died during the French retreat from Moscow due to inadequate wound healing and lowered resistance to disease – the results of salt deficiency.

Solution and Explanation

Questions 1-3

Choose THREE letters A-H.
Which THREE statements are true of salt?

A number of cities take their name from the word salt.
Salt contributed to the French Revolution.
The uses of salt are countless.
Salt has been produced in China for less than 2000 years.
There are many commercial applications for salt.
Salt deposits in the state of Kansas are vast.
Salt has few industrial uses nowadays.
Slaves used salt as a currency.

(Guide: Candidates need to answer questions 1 to 3 by selecting from the statements A to H)

Question: 1

Answer: B
Supporting Sentence:“Outrage over the gabelle fueled the French Revolution.”
Keyword: French Revolution
Keyword Location: 6th Paragraph, 3rd line
Explanation: Timbuktu, the gateway to the Sahara Desert and the centre of learning in the 12th century, was a trading hub where this mineral was valued equally to books and gold. Charles of Anjou imposed the "gabelle," a salt tax, across all of France in 1259 to raise money for his invasion of the County of Naples. The indignation over the gabelle was the catalyst for the French Revolution. Although right after Louis XVI, the revolutionaries removed the levy. Early in the nineteenth century, the French Republic restored the gabelle; it wasn't done away with until 1946.

Question: 2

Answer: E
Supporting Sentence: “And while we are all familiar with its many uses in cooking, we may not be aware that this element is used in some 14,000 commercial applications.”
Keyword: commercial applications
Keyword Location: 2nd Paragraph, 4th line
Explanation: Contrarily, salt is a crucial ingredient. Life would not be possible without the mineral because it is essential for the human body to function properly. The control of healthy physiological fluid levels is intimately related to sodium ions' presence in the bloodstream. While its many culinary uses are well known to all, it is also used in more than 14,000 commercial applications, which we may not even be aware of. There are many uses for salt. From producing pulp and paper to dyeing fabrics and clothing, from making soap and detergents to ensuring the safety of our roads during the winter.

Question: 3

Answer: F
Supporting Sentence: “It is also one of the most plentiful: it has been estimated that salt deposits under the state of Kansas alone could supply the entire world’s needs for the next 250,000 years.”
Keyword: Kansas
Keyword Location: 1st Paragraph, 3rd line
Explanation: Since salt is so accessible and plentiful, we almost take it for granted. One of the most fundamental molecules on the planet is called salt because it is a chemical compound made of the ions sodium and chloride. According to estimates, salt reserves under Kansas could meet the needs of the entire world for the next 250,000 years, making it one of the most abundant resources.

Complete the summary.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 4-8 on your answer sheet.

Salt is such a 4…………………….that people would not be able to live without it. As well as its uses in cooking, this basic mineral has thousands of business 5…………………….ranging from making paper to the manufacture of soap. Being a prized and 6…………………………., it has played a major part in the economies of many countries. As such, salt has not only led to war but has also been used to raise 7……………………by governments in many parts of the world. There are also many instances of its place in religion and culture, being used as a means to get rid of evil 8……………………..

Question: 4

Answer: ESSENTIAL ELEMENT
Supporting Sentence: “But salt is also an essential element.”
Keyword: essential element
Keyword Location: 2nd Paragraph, 1st line
Explanation: Despite the fact that we are all aware of the many culinary uses for it, we might not be aware of the more than 14,000 commercial uses for it. In addition to making pulp and paper, fixing the colours in textiles, making soaps and detergents, and ensuring the safety of our roads in the winter, salt is used in a variety of processes.

Question: 5.

Answer: APPLICATIONS
Supporting Sentence: “And while we are all familiar with its many uses in cooking, we may not be aware that this element is used in some 14,000 commercial applications.”
Keyword: applications
Keyword Location: 2nd Paragraph, 4th line
Explanation: It can be concluded from the abovementioned supporting sence that we are unaware that salt as an element is employed in almost 14,000 commercial applications.

Question: 6

Answer: PORTABLE COMMODITY
Supporting Sentence: “As a precious and portable commodity, salt has long been a cornerstone of economies throughout history.”
Keyword: portable commodity,
Keyword Location: 4th Paragraph, 1st line
Explanation: The foundation of economies throughout history has always been salt, a valuable and transportable resource. Indeed, according to researcher M.R. Bloch, due to the presence of subsurface salt deposits in the desert's periphery, civilization first emerged there. Bloch also believed that the first battle, which happened close to the ancient city of Essalt just on the Jordan River, was fought over the city's valuable mineral resources.

Question: 7

Answer: TAXES
Supporting Sentence: “In 2200 BC, the Chinese emperor Hsia Yu levied one of the first known taxes.”
Keyword: tax
Keyword Locations: 5th Paragraph, 1ST line
Explanation: In 2200 BC, the Chinese emperor Hsia Yu enacted one of the oldest known levies. He levied a salt fee. Marco Polo noted that tiny salt cakes were used as currency or were embossed with images of the Grand Khan in Tibet. However, some of the nomadic people who live in Ethiopia's Danakil Plains still use it as money. Greek slave traders frequently traded it for slaves, which is how the expression "not worth his salt" came to be. Roman legionnaires were paid through a solarium, the Latin word that is the basis of the word "salary."

Question: 8

Answer: SPIRITS
Supporting Sentence: “Further, in the Buddhist tradition, salt repels evil spirits, which is why it is customary to throw it over your- shoulder before entering your house after a funeral: it scares off any evil spirits that may be clinging to your back.”
Keyword: spirit
Keyword Locations: 8th Paragraph, 2nd line
Explanation: Greek worshipers have used salt in their rituals for as long as they have practised Greek religion and culture, maintaining its hallowed status. Furthermore, according to Buddhist belief, salt deters evil spirits. And that's why it's customary to throw it over your shoulders when leaving a funeral and entering your nation. Any bad spirits that might be clinging to your back are driven away by it. The Shinto religion also employs it to purify a location. Prior to baseball players entering the arena for a battle, a small amount of rice is placed in the centre of the ring. Actually, it is a complex Shinto ritual performed to ward off evil spirits.

Questions 9-14

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

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information about the statement

It has been suggested that salt was responsible for the first war.
The first tax on salt was imposed by a Chinese emperor.
Salt is no longer used as a form of currency.
Most of the money for the construction of the Erie Canal came from salt taxes.
Hopi legend believes that salt deposits were placed far away from civilization to penalize mankind
A lack of salt is connected with the deaths of many of Napoleon’s soldiers during the French retreat from Moscow.

Question: 9

Answer: True
Supporting Sentence: “Bloch also believed that the first war – likely fought near the ancient city of Essalt on the Jordan River – could have been fought over the city’s precious supplies of the mineral.”
Keyword: first war
Keyword Locations: 4th Paragraph, 3rd line
Explanation: Bloch also thought that the first conflict, which was probably fought close to the historic city of Essalt on the Jordan River. He may have fought over the city's valuable mineral resources.

Question: 10

Answer: Not Given
Explanation: The given statement or any relevant statement to the above given question was not found in the reading passage.

Question: 11

Answer: False
Supporting Sentence: “In every corner of the world, it has been the subject of superstition, folklore, and warfare, and has even been used as currency.”
Keyword: currency
Keyword Locations: 3rd Paragraph, 3rd line
Explanation: IThe history of the world has seen a significant role for salt. From the beginning of human history, it has played a significant role in the development of the economy, the soul, culture, and politics. Everywhere in the world, gold has inspired superstition, mythology, and strife. It has also been used as money.

Question: 12

Answer: False
Supporting Sentence: “The Erie Canal, an engineering marvel that connected the Great Lakes to New York’s Hudson River in 1825, was called the ditch that salt built.”
Keyword: Erie Canal
Keyword Locations: 7th Paragraph, 1st line
Explanation: "The ditch that salt built" is how some people refer to the 1825-opened Erie Canal, which connected the Great Lakes to the New York City-based Hudson River. Income from salt taxes helped to pay for a portion of the canal's construction. White crystal enjoyed a booming black market thanks to high salt taxes that supported the British monarchy. 10,000 people were detained in England annually for salt trafficking, according to William Earl of Dundonald's report from 1785. To protest British rule, Mahatma Gandhi walked 200 miles to the Arabian Ocean in 1930, collecting untaxed salt for the country's poor.

Question: 13

Answer: True
Supporting Sentence: “Hopi legend holds that the angry Warrior Twins punished mankind by placing valuable salt deposits far from civilization, requiring hard work and bravery to harvest the precious mineral.”
Keyword: punish
Keyword Locations: 9th Paragraph, 2nd line
Explanation: The Salt Mother is revered by Pueblo people all over the Southwest of the United States. Other indigenous tribes kept strict restrictions on who could consume salt. The Hopi people believe that the angry Warrior Twins punished humanity by locating rich salt deposits distant from civilisation. It took courage and a lot of hard work to extract. In 1933, the Dalai Lama was cremated while upright in a saltwater pool. In India today, a gift of salt is still regarded as a potent expression of good wishes and a celebration of Mahatma Gandhi's contribution to India's independence.

Question: 14

Answer: True
Supporting Sentence: “Thousands of Napoleon’s troops died during the French retreat from Moscow due to inadequate wound healing and lowered resistance to disease – the results of salt deficiency.”
Keyword: Napoleon’s troops
Keyword Locations: 10th Paragraph, 2nd line
Explanation: The effects of a salt shortage are magnified during times of conflict because both human bodies and financial systems are stressed. The French retreat from Moscow resulted in the deaths of thousands of Napoleon's soldiers. It was a result of poor tissue repair and low infection resistance brought on by a salt deficiency.