The Impact of the Potato Reading Answers

Dec 20, 2022

The Impact of the Potato Reading Answers contains 13 questions that need to be answered in 20 minutes. The IELTS topic Impact of the Potato Reading Answers consists of two types of questions including- identifying true statements, and sentence completion. It is important for the candidates to read the passage of The Impact of the Potato Reading Answers before answering the questions. IELTS Reading increases the understanding and the capability of students in reading and understanding a passage. This topic has been taken from the book: Reading for the IELTS. Similar topics like The Impact of the Potato Reading Answers are available for candidates online. They can also refer to IELTS Reading practice papers.

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

The Impact of the Potato Reading Answers

The potato was first cultivated in South America between three and seven thousand years ago, though scientists believe they may have grown wild in the region as long as 13,000 years ago. The genetic patterns of potato distribution indicate that the potato probably originated in the mountainous west-central region of the continent.
Early Spanish chroniclers who misused the Indian word batata (sweet potato) as the name for the potato noted the importance of the tuber to the Incan Empire. The Incas had learned to preserve the potato for storage by dehydrating and mashing potatoes into a substance called Chuchu could be stored in a room for up to 10 years, providing excellent insurance against possible crop failures. As well as using the food as a staple crop, the Incas thought potatoes made childbirth easier and used it to treat injuries.
The Spanish conquistadors first encountered the potato when they arrived in Peru in 1532 in search of gold, and noted Inca miners eating chuchu. At the time the Spaniards failed to realize that the potato represented a far more important treasure than either silver or gold, but they did gradually begin to use potatoes as basic rations aboard their ships. After the arrival of the potato in Spain in 1570，a few Spanish farmers began to cultivate them on a small scale, mostly as food for livestock.
Throughout Europe, potatoes were regarded with suspicion, distaste and fear. Generally considered to be unfit for human consumption, they were used only as animal fodder and sustenance for the starving. In northern Europe, potatoes were primarily grown in botanical gardens as an exotic novelty. Even peasants refused to eat from a plant that produced ugly, misshapen tubers and that had come from a heathen civilization. Some felt that the potato plant’s resemblance to plants in the nightshade family hinted that it was the creation of witches or devils.
In meat-loving England, farmers and urban workers regarded potatoes with extreme distaste. In 1662, the Royal Society recommended the cultivation of the tuber to the English government and the nation, but this recommendation had little impact. Potatoes did not become a staple until, during the food shortages associated with the Revolutionary Wars, the English government began to officially encourage potato cultivation. In 1795, the Board of Agriculture issued a pamphlet entitled “Hints Respecting the Culture and Use of Potatoes”； this was followed shortly by pro-potato editorials and potato recipes in The Times. Gradually, the lower classes began to follow the lead of the upper classes.
A similar pattern emerged across the English Channel in the Netherlands, Belgium and France. While the potato slowly gained ground in eastern France (where it was often the only crop remaining after marauding soldiers plundered wheat fields and vineyards), it did not achieve widespread acceptance until the late 1700s. The peasants remained suspicious, in spite of a 1771 paper from the Facult de Paris testifying that the potato was not harmful but beneficial. The people began to overcome their distaste when the plant received the royal seal of approval: Louis XVI began to sport a potato flower in his buttonhole, and Marie-Antoinette wore the purple potato blossom in her hair.
Frederick the Great of Prussia saw the potato’s potential to help feed his nation and lower the price of bread, but faced the challenge of overcoming the people’s prejudice against the plant. When he issued a 1774 order for his subjects to grow potatoes as protection against famine, the town of Kolberg replied: “The things have neither smell nor taste, not even the dogs will eat them, so what use are they to us?” Trying a less direct approach to encourage his subjects to begin planting potatoes, Frederick used a bit of reverse psychology: he planted a royal field of potato plants and stationed a heavy guard to protect this field from thieves. Nearby peasants naturally assumed that anything worth guarding was worth stealing, and so snuck into the field and snatched the plants for their home gardens. Of course, this was entirely in line with Frederick’s wishes.
Historians debate whether the potato was primarily a cause or an effect of the huge population boom in industrial-era England and Wales. Prior to 1800，the English diet had consisted primarily of meat, supplemented by bread, butter and cheese. Few vegetables were consumed, most vegetables being regarded as nutritionally worthless and potentially harmful. This view began to change gradually in the late 1700s. The Industrial Revolution was drawing an ever increasing percentage of the populace into crowded cities, where only the richest could afford homes with ovens or coal storage rooms, and people were working 12-16 hour days which left them with little time or energy to prepare food. High yielding, easily prepared potato crops were the obvious solution to England’s food problems.
Whereas most of their neighbors regarded the potato with suspicion and had to be persuaded to use it by the upper classes, the Irish peasantry embraced the tuber more passionately than anyone since the Incas. The potato was well suited to the Irish the soil and climate, and its high yield suited the most important concern of most Irish farmers: to feed their families.
The most dramatic example of the potato’s potential to alter population patterns occurred in Ireland, where the potato had become a staple by 1800. The Irish population doubled to eight million between 1780 and 1841，this without any significant expansion of industry or reform of agricultural techniques beyond the widespread cultivation of the potato. Though Irish landholding practices were primitive in comparison with those of England, the potato’s high yields allowed even the poorest farmers to produce more healthy food than they needed with scarcely any investment or hard labor. Even children could easily plant, harvest and cook potatoes, which of course required no threshing, curing or grinding. The abundance provided by potatoes greatly decreased infant mortality and encouraged early marriage.

Section 2

Solution with Explanation
Questions 1-5:
Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Reading Passage 1? In boxes 1-5 in 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

(Guide: Candidates need to identify the questions and answer them as True or False or Not Given)

The early Spanish called potato as the incan name 'Chuchu'.

Answer: FALSE
Supporting sentence: Early Spanish chroniclers who misused the Indian word Batata (sweet potato) as the name for the potato noted the importance of the tuber to the incan Empire.
Keyword: early spanish
Keyword Location: Para B, 1^st sentence
Explanation: As per the passage, the early Spanish chroniclers used the Indian word for sweet potato- Batata- as the name for the potato. hence, the statement is False.

The purposes of Spanish coming to Peru were to find out Potatoes.

Answer: FALSE
Supporting sentence: The Spanish conquistadors first encountered the potato when they arrived in Peru in 1532 in search of gold, and noted Inca miners eating Chuchu.
Keyword: Spanish, Peru
Keyword Location: Para C, 1^st sentence
Explanation: The Spanish came to Peru in search of gold, not potato. They encountered the potato while they were there. Hence, the statement claiming that Peru came to find potatoes is wrong or False.

The Spanish believed that the potato has the same nutrients as other vegetables.

Answer: NOT GIVEN
Explanation: There is no mention of the fact that the Spanish believed that the potato has the same nutrients as other vegetables. Therefore, the selected answer is Not Given.

Peasants at that time did not like to eat potatoes because they were ugly.

Answer: TRUE
Supporting sentence: Even peasants refused to eat from a plant that produced ugly, misshapen tubers and that had come from a heathen civilization.
Keyword: peasants, ugly
Keyword Location: Para D, 3^rd sentence
Explanation: As per the passage, peasants considered potatoes as ugly and misshapen tubers which had come from a heathen civilization. Hence, peasants did not like to eat potatoes because they were ugly. The statement is True.

The popularity of potatoes in the UK was due to food shortages during the war.

Answer: TRUE
Supporting sentence: Potatoes did not become a staple until, during the food shortages associated with the revolutionary wars, the English government began to officially encourage potato cultivation.
Keyword: potatoes, english government
Keyword Location: Para E, 3^rd sentence
Explanation: The English government encouraged potato cultivation after the food shortages during the revolutionary wars. As per the passage, that is how it became a staple in the UK. Hence, the statement is True.

Questions 6-13:
Complete the sentences below with NO MORE THAN ONE WORD from passage 1 for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 6-13 on your answer sheet.

(Guide: Candidates need to fill the sentences with not more than one word from the passage)

In France, people started to overcome their disgusting about because the King put a potato ___ in his button hole.

Answer: Flower
Supporting sentence: Louis XVI began to sport a potato flower in his buttonhole and Marrie - Antoinette wore the purple potato blossom in her hair.
Keyword: Louis XVI, buttonhole
Keyword location: Para F
Explanation: As per the passage, XVI stated using potato flowers in his buttonhole. The people in France began to overcome their distaste when the plant received the royal seal of approval. Hence, the flower is the correct answer.

Frederick realized the potential of potato but he had to handle the ___ against potatoes from ordinary people.

Answer: prejudice
Supporting sentence: Frederick the Great of Prussia saw the potato's potential to help feed his nation and lower the prices of bread, but faced the challenge of overcoming the people's prejudice against the plant.
Keyword: people’s prejudice
Keyword Location: Paragraph G
Explanation: The passage states that Prussia's ruler Frederick the Great realized that potatoes will help feed his nation. But he had the challenge of overcoming people's prejudice against it. This makes prejudice the correct answer.

___ psychology to make people accept potatoes.

Answer: reverse
Supporting sentence: Trying a less direct approach to encourage his subjects to begin planting potatoes, Frederick used a bit of reverse psychology: he planted a royal field of potato plants and stationed a heavy guard to protect this field from thieves.
Keyword: reverse psychology
Keyword Location: Para G
Explanation: The passage states that Frederick used a bit of reverse psychology to make his people accept potatoes. This makes reverse the correct answer.

Before 1800, the English people preferred eating ___ with bread, butter and cheese.

Answer: meat
Supporting sentence: Prior to 1800, the English diet had consisted primarily of meat, supplemented by bread, butter and cheese.
Keyword: 1800, English, meat
Keyword location: Para H
Explanation: The supporting sentence tells us that before 1800, the English people preferred meat with bread, butter and cheese. This makes meat the correct answer.

The obvious way to deal with England food problems were high yielding potato ___

Answer: crops
Supporting sentence: High yielding, easily prepared potato crops were the obvious solution to England's food problems.
Keyword: high yielding
Keyword Location: Para H
Explanation: As per the author potato crops were high yielding and easily available. This was the solution to England's food problems. Hence crops is the correct answer.

The Irish ___ and climate suited potatoes well.

Answer: soil
Supporting sentence: The potato was well suited to the Irish soil and climate, and it's high yield suited the most important concern of most Irish farmers: to feed their families.
Keyword: potato, Irish soil
Keyword Location: Para I
Explanation: The two Irish factors that suited potatoes was the Irish soil and climate. They proved suitable to potatoes. Hence, soil is the correct answer.

___ of the potatoes, the Irish population doubled to eight million.

Answer: cultivation
Supporting sentence: The Irish population doubled to eight million between 1780 and 1841, this without any significant expansion of industry or reform of agricultural techniques beyond widespread cultivation of the potatoes.
Keyword: widespread cultivation
Keyword Location: Para J
Explanation: The author states that the Irish population doubled to eight million in about 60 years. This was just because of the widespread cultivation of potatoes. Hence, cultivation is the correct answer.

The potato's high yields help the poorest farmers to produce more healthy food almost without ___.

Answer: Investment
Supporting sentence: Though Irish landholding practices were primitive in comparison with those of England, the potato's high yields allowed even the poorest farmers to produce more healthy food than they needed with scarcely any investment or hard labour.
Keyword: investment
Keyword Location: Para J
Explanation: As per the passage, the high yield of potatoes helped the poorest of farmers. They produced more healthy food almost without any investment thanks to the high yields of potatoes. Hence, investment is the correct answer.

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