The King of Fruits Reading Answers
The second task of the IELTS is the reading section. It is an important section that consists of a comprehensive passage followed by related questions. The Academic passage ‘The King of Fruits’ is a reading passage that appeared in an IELTS Test. Candidates must thoroughly read the IELTS reading passage, and answer over 40 questions that target the candidates' comprehension skills. This IELTS Reading sample King of Fruits contains three question types. For more such samples candidates can access the IELTS Practice Papers on the website.
- Choose the correct letter
- TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN
- Choose two letters
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Section 1
Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions
The King of Fruits Reading Answers
- One fact is certain: you’ll smell it before you see it. The scent (or should that be odor?) is overpowering (or should that be nauseating?). One inhales it with delight, or shrinks back in disgust. Is it sweet almonds with vanilla custard and a splash of whiskey? Or old socks garnished with rotten onion and a sprinkling of turpentine? Whatever the description, it wafts from what must be considered the most singular fruit on the planet—the durian, a Southeast Asian favorite, commonly called the ‘king of fruits’.
- Its title is, in many ways, deserved. As fruits go, it is huge and imposing. As big as a basketball, up to three kilograms heavy, and most noticeably, covered with a thick and tough thorn-covered husk, it demands a royal respect. The thorns are so sharp that even holding the massive object is difficult. In supermarkets, they are usually put into mesh bags to ease handling, while extracting the flesh itself requires the wearing of thick protective gloves, a delicate and dextrous use of a large knife, and visible effort. One can see why it is increasingly popular, in western markets, to have that flesh removed, wrapped up, and purchased directly.
- This leads one to wonder why nature designed such a smelly fruit in such an inconvenient package. Nature is, however, cleverer than one might think. For a start, that pungent odor allows easier detection by animals in the thick tropical forests of Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia, where the wild durian originates. When the pod falls, and the husk begins to crack open, wild deer, pigs, orangutans, and elephants are easily drawn forth, navigating from hundreds of meters away directly to the tree. The second clever fact is that, since the inner seeds are rather large, the durian tree needs correspondingly larger animals to eat, ingest, and transport these seeds away, hence the use of that tough spiny cover. Only the largest and strongest animals can get past that.
- And what are they seeking? Upon prising open the large pod, one is presented with white fibrous pith in which are nestled pockets of soft yellowish flesh, divided into lobes. Each lobe holds a large brown seed within. Although these seeds themselves can be cooked and eaten, it is the surrounding flesh over which all the fuss is made. One of the best descriptions comes from the British naturalist, Alfred Wallace. Written in 1856, his experience is typical of many, and certainly of mine. At first, he struggled hard to overcome the ‘disagreeable aroma’, but upon ‘eating it out of doors’ found the flesh to have a ‘rich glutinous smoothness, neither acid nor sweet nor juicy; yet it wants neither of these qualities, for it is in itself perfect’. He ‘at once became a confirmed durian eater’. Exactly!
- In actual fact, the flavor can vary considerably depending on the stage of ripeness and methods of storage. In Southern Thailand, the people prefer younger durians, with firmer texture and milder flavor, whereas in Malaysia, the preference is to allow the durian to fall naturally from the tree, then further ripen during transport. This results in a buttery texture and highly individual aroma, often slightly fermented. Whatever the case, it is this soft creamy consistency which easily allows durian to blend with other Southeast Asian delicacies, from candy and cakes, to modern milkshakes and ice cream. It can also appear in meals, mixed with vegetables or chili, and lower-grade durian (otherwise unfit for human consumption) is fermented into paste, used in a variety of local rice dishes.
- Such popularity has seen the widespread cultivation of durian, although the tree will only respond to tropical climates'—for example, only in the very northern parts of Australia, where it was introduced in the early 1960s. Since that time, modern breeding and cultivation techniques have resulted in the introduction of hundreds of cultivars (subspecies bred, and maintained by propagation, for desirable characteristics). They produce different degrees of odor, seed size, color, and texture of flesh. The tree itself is always very large, up to 50 meters, and given that the heavy thorny pods can hang from even the highest branches, and will drop when ripened, one does not walk within a durian plantation without a hardhat—or at least, not without risking serious injury.
- Thailand, where durian remains very popular, now exports most of this fruit, with five cultivars in large-scale commercial production. The market is principally other Asian nations, although interest is growing in the West as Asian immigrants take their tastes and eating preferences with them — for example, in Canada and Australia. The fruit is seasonal, and local, sale of durian pods is usually done by weight. These can fetch high prices, particularly in the more affluent Asian countries, and especially when one considers that less than one third of that heavy pod contains the edible pulp. In the true spirit of Alfred Wallace, there are certainly a large and growing number of ‘confirmed durian eaters’ out there.
Section 2
Solution and Explanation
Questions 1-4:
Reading Passage has seven paragraphs, A-G.
Write the correct letter, A-G, next to the questions.
Which paragraph gives a reason for durian’s
- spread outside of Asia?
Answer: G
Supporting Sentence: The market is principally other Asian nations, although interest is growing in the West as Asian immigrants take their tastes and eating preferences with them — for example, in Canada and Australia.
Keywords: interest, growing, West, Asian immigrants, Canada and Australia
Keyword Location: Para G lines 3-4
Explanation: As indicated in Paragraph G, Thailand exports Durian to other Asian Countries but the interest is also growing in the West for example in Canada and Australia.
Read More IELTS Reading Related Samples
- varieties of forms?
Answer: F
Supporting Sentence: Since that time, modern breeding and cultivation techniques have resulted in the introduction of hundreds of cultivars (subspecies bred, and maintained by propagation, for desirable characteristics). They produce different degrees of odor, seed size, color, and texture of flesh.
Keywords: modern breeding, techniques, resulted, introduction, hundreds of cultivars
Keyword Location: Para F, lines 3-4
Explanation: As indicated in Paragraph F, modern breeding and cultivation techniques have resulted in the production of different degrees of odor, seed size, color even texture of flesh.
- variety of food uses?
Answer: E
Supporting Sentence: Whatever the case, it is this soft creamy consistency which easily allows durian to blend with other Southeast Asian delicacies, from candy and cakes, to modern milkshakes and ice cream.
Keywords: soft creamy consistency, allows durian, blend, other Southeast Asian delicacies
Keyword Location: Para E, lines 5-6
Explanation: As indicated in Paragraph E, the buttery texture of durian allows it to blend with Southeast Asian delicacies like candy, cakes, milkshakes and ice cream. Durian also appears in meals, mixed with vegetables or chili, and lower-grade durian (otherwise unfit for human consumption) is fermented into paste, used in a variety of local rice dishes.
- defining characteristics?
Answer: C
Supporting Sentence: For a start, that pungent odor allows easier detection by animals in the thick tropical forests of Brunei, Indonesia, and Malaysia, where the wild durian originates.
Keywords: pungent odor, easier detection by animals
Keyword Location: Para C, lines 2-3
Explanation: As indicated in paragraph C, the fruit has a pungent odor, which allows it to be detected easily in the thick forests of Malaysia, Indonesia and Brunei where the wild durian originates. Other defining characteristics are the tough spiny cover and large inner seeds. The inner seeds are rather large, thus, the durian tree needs correspondingly larger animals to eat, ingest, and transport these seeds away, hence the use of that tough spiny cover. Only the largest and strongest animals can get past that.
Questions 5-7:
Label the diagram.
Choose ONE WORD from the passage for each answer.
Question 5:
Answer: Thorns
Supporting Sentence: The thorns are so sharp that even holding the massive object is difficult.
Keywords: thorns, sharp
Keyword Location: Para B, line 3-5
Explanation: As indicated in the figure above the outer covering of durian has sharp thorns which are so sharp that holding the massive object is difficult.
Question 6:
Answer: Pith
Supporting Sentence: And what are they seeking? Upon prising open the large pod, one is presented with white fibrous pith in which are nestled pockets of soft yellowish flesh, divided into lobes.
Keywords: white fibrous pith
Keyword Location: Para D, lines 1-2
Explanation: As indicated in the figure above open opening the large pod of the durian it has a white fibrous pith
Question 7:
Answer: pocket
Supporting Sentence: And what are they seeking? Upon prising open the large pod, one is presented with white fibrous pith in which are nestled pockets of soft yellowish flesh, divided into lobes.
Keywords: nestled, pockets, soft yellowish flesh
Keyword Location: Para D, line 2-3
Explanation: As indicated in the image above, the pith consists of lobes that are basically pockets of soft yellowish flesh.
Questions 8-10:
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage One?
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
- The seeds can be eaten.
Answer: TRUE
Supporting Sentence: Although these seeds themselves can be cooked and eaten, it is the surrounding flesh over which all the fuss is made
Keywords: seeds, can be cooked, eaten
Keyword Location: Para D, line 3-4
Explanation: As indicated in paragraph D, each lobe of the durian consists of large brown seeds that can be cooked and eaten.
- Durian trees are grown in many parts of Australia.
Answer: FALSE
Supporting Sentence: Such popularity has seen the widespread cultivation of durian, although the tree will only respond to tropical climates'—for example, only in the very northern parts of Australia, where it was introduced in the early 1960s.
Keywords: only, very northern parts, Australia
Keyword Location: Para F, line 2-4
Explanation: As indicated in paragraph F, durian is suitable for cultivation only in tropical climate areas therefore it is grown only in the northern part of Australia.
- Thailand consumes the most durians.
Answer: NOT GIVEN
Questions 11-13:
Answer the questions.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
- What can help to carry durians around?
Answer: Mesh bag(s)
Supporting Sentence: In supermarkets, they are usually put into mesh bags to ease handling, while extracting the flesh itself requires the wearing of thick protective gloves.
Keywords: usually put, mesh bags, ease handling
Keyword Location: Para B, line 4-5
Explanation: As indicated in Paragraph B that durian in supermarkets are put in mesh bags for easy handling.
- Which sort of durian is usually fermented into paste?
Answer: Lower-grade durian
Supporting Sentence: The fruit is seasonal, and local, sale of durian pods is usually done by weight.
Keywords: lower-grade durian, fermented, paste, used, local rice dishes
Keyword Location: Para E, lines 7-9
Explanation: As indicated in paragraph E, the low-grade durian which is otherwise unfit for human consumption is fermented into a paste and used in many local rice dishes.
- What should one wear when walking among durian trees?
Answer: hardhat
Supporting Sentence: The tree itself is always very large, up to 50 meters, and given that the heavy thorny pods can hang from even the highest branches, and will drop when ripened, one does not walk within a durian plantation without a hardhat—or at least, not without risking serious injury.
Keywords: does not walk, durian plantation without, hardhat
Keyword Location: Para F, lines 8-9
Explanation: As indicated in Paragraph F, that as the durian has heavy torn pods one does not walk through a durian plantation without a hardhat.
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