The True Cost of Food Reading Answers

Dec 15, 2022

The True Cost of Food Reading Answers contains a write up that explains about the food production and the actual cost of food. The True Cost of Food Reading Answers comprises 13 different types of questions. Candidates in this IELTS Section will be shown various question types with clear instructions.The True Cost of Food Reading Answers comprises three types of questions: Matching heading, sentence completion, and Choose the correct option. For Matching heading in IELTS Reading passage, candidates need to thoroughly go through each passage. For sentence completion, candidates need to skim the passage for keywords and understand the concept. To choose the correct option, candidates must read the IELTS Reading passage and understand the statement provided. To gain proficiency, candidates can practice from IELTS reading practice test.

Check: Get 10 Free Sample Papers
Check: Register for IELTS Coaching - Join for Free Trial Class Now

Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

The True Cost of Food Reading Answers

First mechanisation, then mass use of chemical fertilisers and pesticides, then monocultures, then battery rearing of livestock, and now genetic engineering - the onward march of intensive farming has seemed unstoppable in the last half-century, as the yields of produce have soared. But the damage it has caused has been colossal. In Britain, for example, many of our best-loved farmland birds, such as the skylark, the grey partridge, the lapwing and the corn bunting, have vanished from huge stretches of countryside, as have even more wild flowers and insects. This is a direct result of the way we have produced our food in the last four decades. Thousands of miles of hedgerows, thousands of ponds, have disappeared from the landscape. The faecal filth of salmon farming has driven wild salmon from many of the sea lochs and rivers of Scotland. Natural soil fertility is dropping in many areas because of continuous industrial fertiliser and pesticide use, while the growth of algae is increasing in lakes because of the fertiliser run-off.

Put it all together and it looks like a battlefield, but consumers rarely make the connection at the dinner table. That is mainly because the costs of all this damage are what economists refer to as externalities: they are outside the main transaction, which is for example producing and selling a field of wheat, and are borne directly by neither producers nor consumers. To many, the costs may not even appear to be financial at all, but merely aesthetic - a terrible shame, but nothing to do with money. And anyway they, as consumers of food, certainly aren’t paying for it, are they?
But the costs to society can actually be quantified and, when added up, can amount to staggering sums. A remarkable exercise in doing this has been carried out by one of the world’s leading thinkers on the future of agriculture, Professor Jules Pretty, Director of the Centre for Environment and Society at the University of Essex. Professor Pretty and his colleagues calculated the externalities of British agriculture for one particular year. They added up the costs of repairing the damage it caused, and came up with a total figure of £2,343m. This is equivalent to £208 for every hectare of arable land and permanent pasture, almost as much again as the total government and EU spend on British farming in that year. And according to Professor Pretty, it was a conservative estimate.
The costs included: £120m for removal of pesticides; £16m for removal of nitrates; £55m for removal of phosphates and soil; £23m for the removal of the bug Cryptosporidium from drinking water by water companies; £125m for damage to wildlife habitats, hedgerows and dry stone walls; £1,113m from emissions of gases likely to contribute to climate change; £106m from soil erosion and organic carbon losses; £169m from food poisoning; and £607m from cattle disease. Professor Pretty draws a simple but memorable conclusion from all this: our food bills are actually threefold. We are paying for our supposedly cheaper food in three separate ways: once over the counter, secondly through our taxes, which provide the enormous subsidies propping up modern intensive farming, and thirdly to clean up the mess that modern farming leaves behind.
So can the true cost of food be brought down? Breaking away from industrial agriculture as the solution to hunger may be very hard for some countries, but in Britain, where the immediate need to supply food is less urgent, and the costs and the damage of intensive farming have been clearly seen, it may be more feasible. The government needs to create sustainable, competitive and diverse farming and food sectors, which will contribute to a thriving and sustainable rural economy, and advance environmental, economic, health, and animal welfare goals.
But if industrial agriculture is to be replaced, what is a viable alternative? Professor Pretty feels that organic farming would be too big a jump in thinking and in practices for many farmers. Furthermore, the price premium would put the produce out of reach of many poorer consumers. He is recommending the immediate introduction of a'Greener Food Standard’, which would push the market towards more sustainable environmental practices than the current norm, while not requiring the full commitment to organic production. Such a standard would comprise agreed practices for different kinds of farming, covering agrochemical use, soil health, land management, water and energy use, food safety and animal health. It could go a long way, he says, to shifting consumers as well as farmers towards a more sustainable system of agriculture.

Section 2

Questions 1-4

Reading Passage has seven paragraphs, A-G.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A-G, in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.

a cost involved in purifying domestic water

Answer: E
Supporting Sentence: £23m for the removal of the bug cryptosporidium from drinking water by water companies
Keyword: cost, purifying, domestic water
Keyword Location: Line 3-4, Section E
Explanation: Cost in this usage signifies the amount of total expenditure on anything. Here, we can quickly employ a method. Let's examine a few signs that stand for "cost," such as $, E, or €. By looking through the content for these symbols, we can locate the '$' symbol in paragraphs D and E. Now we must search the symbol's surroundings for any clues about water purification. Look examine the following lines in paragraph E: Drinking water provided by water companies; £23 million for the eradication of the bug Cryptosporidium from. Here, domestic water is cleaned as the bug from drinking water is removed. The answer is therefore E.

the stages in the development of the farming industry

Answer: B
Supporting Sentence: In Britain, for example, many of our best-loved farmland birds, such as the skylark, the grey partridge, the lapwing and the corn bunting, have vanished from huge stretches of countryside, as have even more wild-flowers and insects. This is a direct result of the way we have produced our food in the last four decades.
Keyword: stages, development, farming industry
Keyword Location: Line 7-11, Section B
Explanation: The writer states in paragraph B, "First mechanization, then mass use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, then monocultures, then battery rearing of cattle, and now genetic engineering - the onward march of intensive agriculture has seemed inevitable in the previous fifty years, as produce yields have risen." The linkers claim that the first phase in the rise of the agricultural industry was mechanization, which was then followed by the widespread use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides, and ultimately, monocultures. Prior to genetic engineering, there was cow battery farming. The right response is therefore B.

the term used to describe hidden costs

Answer: C
Supporting Sentence: To many, the costs may not even appear to be financial at all, but merely aesthetic -a terrible shame, but nothing to do with money.
Keyword: term, describe, hidden costs
Keyword Location: Line 7-8, Section C
Explanation: Paragraph C contains the following phrases: This is mostly because the expenses associated with all of this harm are what economists refer to as externalities because they occur outside of the primary transaction. Therefore, we might infer that "externalities" refers to the increased expense (they are outside the main transaction). The answer is therefore C.

one effect of chemicals on water sources

Answer: B
Supporting Sentence: The faecal filth of salmon farming has driven wild salmon from many of the sea lochs and rivers of Scotland.
Keyword: effect, chemicals, water sources
Keyword Location: Line 13-14, Section B
Explanation:Take a look at paragraph B's final sentence: " Natural soil fertility is falling in many locations as a result of continuous industrial fertilizer as well as pesticide use, whereas algae growth in lakes is growing as a result of fertilizer run-off." Chemical industrial fertilizers and pesticides are used here, and one effect is an increase in algae development. The right response is therefore B.

Questions 5-8

Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage?
In boxes 5-8 on your answer sheet, write

YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer
NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

Several species of wildlife in the British countryside are declining.

Answer: YES
Supporting Sentence: loved farmland birds, such as the skylark, the grey partridge, the lapwing and the corn bunting, have vanished from huge stretches of countryside
Keyword: several species, wildlife, British countryside, declining
Keyword Location: Line 7-9, Section B
Explanation:In addition to more natural flowers and insects, many of our most cherished farmed animals have also disappeared from large areas of the British countryside, including the skylark, grey partridge, lapwing, and corn bunting. have vanished means getting smaller in this situation. The answer is therefore YES.

The taste of food has deteriorated in recent years.

Answer: NOT GIVEN
Explanation:No relevant information has been given in the paragraphs associated with the question.

The financial costs of environmental damage are widely recognised.

Answer: NO
Supporting Sentence: Put it all together and it looks like a battlefield, but consumers rarely make the connection at the dinner table. That is mainly because the costs of all this damage are what economists refer to as
externalities: they are outside the main transaction.
Keyword: financial costs, environmental damage, widely recognised
Keyword Location: Line 5-6, Section C
Explanation: The author covers the financial implications of environmental degradation in paragraph C, line 2, and states, " That is essentially owing to the costs of all this damages." Lines 5 and 6 of the next paragraph read, "To many, the expenses may not even appear to be economic at all, but merely aesthetic—a terrible pity, but having nothing to do with money." Along these lines, many people would not even consider these costs to be pecuniary. Therefore, NO is the response.

One of the costs calculated by Professor Pretty was illness caused by food.

Answer: YES
Supporting Sentence: £106m from soil erosion and organic carbon losses; £169m from food poisoning; and £607m from cattle disease.
Keyword: one, costs calculated, Professor Pretty, illness, caused by food
Keyword Location: Line 6, Section E
Explanation:Graph E displays the precise costs incurred by Professor Pretty. In line no. 6, the author makes reference to one of the calculations: "£169m through food poisoning:" In this context, a food-related sickness is referred to as food poisoning. The answer is therefore YES.

Questions 9-13
Complete the summary below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 22-26 on your answer sheet.

Professor Pretty concludes that our 9___________ are higher than most people realise, because we make three different types of payment. He feels it is realistic to suggest that Britain should reduce its reliance on 10__________. Although most farmers would be unable to adapt to 11__________. Professor Pretty wants the government to initiate change by establishing what he refers to as a 12________. He feels this would help to change the attitudes of both 13___________.

Question:

Answer: food bills/ costs
Supporting Sentence: Professor Pretty draws a simple but memorable conclusion from all this our food bills are actually threefold. We are paying for our supposedly cheaper food in three separate ways: once over the counter, secondly through our taxes which provide the enormous subsidies propping up modern intensive farming, and thirdly to clean up the mess that modern farming leaves behind.
Keyword: Professor Pretty, concludes, higher than, most people realise, because, make three, types, payment
Keyword Location: Line 6-11, Section E
Explanation:Higher refers to thrice (meaning three times as much/triple), conclude (meaning to come to a conclusion), three different varieties (meaning three different methods), make payment (meaning to pay for), and over the counter (meaning in the stores). The answer is therefore to reduce food expenses.

Question:

Answer: (modern) intensive farming
Supporting Sentence: Breaking away from industrial agriculture as the solution to hunger may be very hard for some countries, but in Britain, where the immediate need to supply food is less urgent, and the costs and the damage of intensive farming have been clearly seen, it may be more feasible.
Keyword: feels, realistic, suggest, Britain, should reduce, reliance on
Keyword Location: Line 1-4, Section F
Explanation: These phrases show that Professor Pretty thinks it is possible (realistic), albeit challenging, to move away from industrial agriculture. This is because there is less immediate need for food in the United Kingdom. However, the effects of intensive farming are becoming more apparent. Therefore, (modern) agriculture and intensive farming are the solution.

Question:

Answer: organic farming
Supporting Sentence: Professor Pretty feels that organic farming would be too big a jump in thinking and in practices for many farmers.
Keyword: Although, most farmers, unable to adapt
Keyword Location: Line 2-3, Section G
Explanation: In this situation, the shift in thought and practice would be too great, and we wouldn't be able to adapt. The solution is organic farming as a result.

Question:

Answer: Greener Food Standard
Supporting Sentence: ... He is recommending the immediate introduction of a 'Greener Food Standard', which would push the market towards more sustainable environmental practices than the current norm, while not requiring the full commitment to organic production.
Keyword: Professor Pretty, wants, government, initiate change, establishing, refers to as
Keyword Location: Line 4-7, Section G
Explanation: In order to start making improvements, Professor Pretty urges the government to enact (create) a Greener Food Standard. A healthier food standard is the answer as a result.

Question:

Answer: IN EITHER ORDER farmers (and) consumers
Supporting Sentence: ...... It could go a long way, he says, to shifting consumers as well as farmers towards a more sustainable system of agriculture.
Keyword: feels, would help, change, attitudes, both
Keyword Location: Last Line, Section G
Explanation: Shifting creates change, a much more sustainable agricultural economy causes attitudes to change, and as a result, farmers and consumers are the best answers.

Read More IELTS Reading Related Samples