Agricultural Scientists Give Legumes A New Lease Of Life - IELTS Reading Answers & Explanations
From Collins Practice Tests For IELTS 1 Academic Reading Test 2 · Part 1 · Questions 1–12
Reading Passage
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-12, which are based on Reading Passage 1 on the following pages.
READING PASSAGE 1
A The health benefit of legumes has been widely known for centuries. Also known as pulses or, more commonly, beans, they belong to an extremely large category of vegetables containing over 13,000 species. Only grains supply more calories and protein to the world's population. Today, agricultural researchers and scientists are experimenting with varieties of legumes that are easier to harvest, more resistant to disease and yield better crops.
B Beans are often referred to as 'the poor person's meat' but this label is unfair - considering the health benefits of legumes, they should really be called 'the healthy alternative to meat'. Beans contain a rich and varied supply of nutritional substances, which are vital for keeping in good health. Diets rich in beans are used to help with a variety of health issues including lowering cholesterol levels, improving blood sugar control in diabetics, reducing the risk of many cancers, lowering the risk of heart disease and lowering blood pressure. Beans are a good source of protein but are often considered to be an 'incomplete' protein as they lack the essential amino acids that we need to complete our diet. Foods from animals (meat, fish, eggs, dairy products), on the other hand, contain protein and amino acids. However, many cultures combine beans with grains to form a complete protein that is a high-quality substitute for meat - rice and soy in Japan, corn and beans in Mexico, rice and lentils in the Middle East. Beans are also a good source of fibre, giving the consumer between 5 and 8.6 grams of fibre per 100 grams eaten. Fibre is an important ingredient in a healthy diet with great benefits to our digestive system and in reducing cholesterol levels, which in turn reduces our risk of heart disease. Fibre also helps us to feel full and control our appetite.
C Why is it important to substitute meat as much as possible? First of all because of the health implications - red meat in particular has a high fat content. Secondly, antibiotics and other chemicals are used in the raising of poultry and cattle. Thirdly, the cost to the environment is much greater in raising cattle than it is in growing crops. To produce a kilogram of beef, farmers need to feed the cow 15 kilograms of grain and a further 30 kilograms of forage.
D Little wonder then that legumes have been used from ancient times. According to Trevor Brice in Life and Society in the Hittite World, the Hittites, an ancient people living in Anatolia from the eighteenth century BC, ate a wide variety of legumes including peas, beans, faba beans, chickpeas and lentils. And in ancient Egypt, Ramses II is known to have offered 11,998 jars of beans to the god of the Nile. Archaeologists have found the remains of legumes on land beneath Lake Assad in Syria dating back to 8,000 BC and, astonishingly, a 4,000-year-old lentil seed found during an excavation in Turkey has been germinated, allowing scientists to compare the ancient variety with the organic and genetically engineered varieties of today. Professor Nejat Bilgen from Dumlupinar University, who led the archaeological team, said that the lentils were found in a container dating from the Bronze age. The plant grown from the ancient lentil was found to be 'pretty weak' in comparison with modern varieties.
E Modern agricultural research has tended to focus on grain production, breeding new varieties of wheat and other crops rather than improving the varieties of legumes, which can suffer from low yields and unstable harvests. For this reason, farmers started to abandon them in favour of more dependable crops, which had had the benefits of scientific improvement. Recently, scientists have returned to legumes to identify desirable characteristics such as height, good crop production and resistance to pests in order to cross different plants with each other and produce a new, improved variety. Using traditional breeding methods agricultural scientists are transforming the faba bean into a variety that is easier to grow. Traditional varieties are undependable as they rely on insects to pollinate them. But faba bean types that can self-fertilise naturally were discovered and this gene is being bred into new varieties. Other faba bean varieties have been found that produce higher yields or shorter crops. Faba bean plants tend to grow tall and fall over in the field making them difficult to harvest mechanically so breeding plants that are 50% shorter means they are more stable. Unlike the traditional plants, the new faba bean plants end in a flower - this means that more of the plant's energy is transformed into producing beans instead of unusable foliage.
F With the new varieties, farmers in some regions are achieving a marked rise in production - between 10 to 20% improvement. Scientists have also managed to develop a commercial faba bean able to resist the parasitic weed Orobanche, which has been known to destroy whole fields of the crop. The future of legumes and the farmers who grow them is becoming brighter. Legumes are an important source of nourishment for humans and also for the soil: the beans take nitrogen directly from the atmosphere and fix it into the soil to provide nutrients for other crops and save the farmer the cost of artificial fertiliser. Making legumes a profitable crop for the future may prove an essential factor in feeding growing populations.
Questions
Questions 1–5 Matching Headings
Passage 1 has six paragraphs, A-F.
Choose the correct heading for paragraphs A-D and F from the list of headings below.
Write the correct number, i-ix, next to Questions 1-5.
i. Improvements to faba bean farming
ii. Increasing productivity to secure the future of legume farming
iii. The importance of legumes
iv. The nutritional value of legumes
v. The effect of farming on the environment
vi. Legumes in the diet of ancient peoples
vii. The importance of reducing meat consumption
viii. Archaeological discoveries
ix. Legumes as a provider of protein
Questions 6–11 True / False / Not Given
Do the following statements agree with the information given in Reading Passage 1? 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
Questions 12–12 Multiple Choice (One Answer)
Choose the correct letter A, B or C.
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | iii | Only grains supply more calories and protein to the world's population | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that legumes are extremely important because, across the entire world, only grains are a bigger source of energy (calories) and protein for people. Answer Explanation: The answer is heading iii, which means the most suitable title for Paragraph A is "The importance of legumes." Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is heading iii because Paragraph A introduces legumes by highlighting their global importance. It mentions that their health benefits have been known for centuries and emphasizes their vital role in human nutrition. The paragraph explains that legumes are one of the top food sources worldwide, providing more calories and protein to people than almost any other type of vegetable, trailing only behind grains. |
| Q2 | iv | Beans contain a rich and varied supply of nutritional substances, which are vital for keeping in good health | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that beans have many different vitamins and minerals that are necessary for a person to stay healthy. Answer Explanation: The answer is heading iv, 'The nutritional value of legumes'. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is heading iv because Paragraph B focuses entirely on the specific nutrients found in beans and how they benefit human health. It mentions that beans are full of 'nutritional substances' like protein and fibre, which help with issues like high cholesterol and heart disease. The paragraph explains that while beans are an 'incomplete' protein on their own, they become a high-quality food when mixed with grains. Because the paragraph describes the healthy parts of the food (nutrients) and what they do for the body (value), heading iv is the best fit. |
| Q3 | vii | Why is it important to substitute meat as much as possible? First of all because of the health implications — red meat in particular has a high fat content. Secondly, antibiotics and other chemicals are used in the raising of poultry and cattle. Thirdly, the cost to the environment is much greater in raising cattle than it is in growing crops | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage asks why it is a good idea to replace meat with other types of food. It then gives three reasons: meat can be unhealthy, it contains chemicals like antibiotics, and raising animals for meat hurts the environment more than growing plants. Answer Explanation: The answer is vii, which is the heading 'The importance of reducing meat consumption'. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is vii because Paragraph C lists multiple reasons why people should eat less meat and replace it with other things like legumes. It asks why it is important to 'substitute' meat, which means to use something else instead of it. The paragraph explains that reducing the amount of meat we eat is better because meat has a lot of fat, contains chemicals, and is bad for the environment. These points show why eating less meat (reducing consumption) is important. |
| Q4 | viii | Archaeologists have found the remains of legumes on land beneath Lake Assad in Syria dating back to 8,000 BC and, astonishingly, a 4,000-year-old lentil seed found during an excavation in Turkey has been germinated, allowing scientists to compare the ancient variety with the organic and genetically engineered varieties of today | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that researchers who dig for old items found legume seeds from thousands of years ago in different parts of the world. Answer Explanation: The answer is 'viii' (Archaeological discoveries). Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is chosen because Paragraph D focuses on the findings made by experts who study history through old objects and remains. It mentions specific locations like Syria and Turkey where these experts, known as archaeologists, found very old seeds and plants. The paragraph highlights how these findings help us understand the history of legumes. |
| Q5 | ii | With the new varieties, farmers in some regions are achieving a marked rise in production - between 10 to 20% improvement Making legumes a profitable crop for the future may prove an essential factor in feeding growing populations |
Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage highlights that new types of bean plants allow farmers to grow more food than they used to. It also states that success in this type of farming is necessary to make sure there is enough food for everyone as the population increases. Answer Explanation: The answer identifies the best summary heading for Paragraph F, which focuses on making bean farming more successful to help provide food for the world in the years to come. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'ii' because Paragraph F discusses how scientists have helped farmers get a 'rise in production,' which relates to 'increasing productivity.' The paragraph ends by explaining that making these crops successful is 'essential' for 'feeding growing populations,' which matches the idea of 'securing the future' of the industry. |
| Q6 | TRUE | Only grains supply more calories and protein to the world's population | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage states that grains are the only type of food that provides people around the world with more energy (calories) and muscle-building food (protein) than legumes. Answer Explanation: The answer means the statement is correct according to the text. Legumes are the group of food that ranks right under grains as the most important source of energy and protein for people. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is TRUE because the writer states that legumes are an extremely large category and that 'only grains' provide more than they do. In this context, saying something is 'second to' another thing means that only that one thing is better or more important. Therefore, if only grains supply more, legumes are indeed in second place. Key words like 'only grains' and 'supply' help confirm this ranking. |
| Q7 | FALSE | Diets rich in beans are used to help with a variety of health issues including lowering cholesterol levels, improving blood sugar control in diabetics, reducing the risk of many cancers, lowering the risk of heart disease and lowering blood pressure | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that eating beans can help make the chance of getting heart disease smaller, but it does not say that beans can fix the disease if you already have it. Answer Explanation: The answer is FALSE because the statement does not agree with what is written in the text. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is FALSE because the passage states that eating beans can 'lower' or 'reduce' the risk of heart disease. This means beans help prevent someone from getting the disease in the first place. However, the question uses the word 'cure,' which means to make a disease go away after a person is already sick. Because the passage only mentions prevention (lowering risk) and not healing an existing sickness (curing), the statement is incorrect. |
| Q8 | TRUE | Secondly, antibiotics and other chemicals are used in the raising of poultry and cattle | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage states that antibiotics are used when farmers grow animals like chickens and cows for meat. Answer Explanation: The answer is TRUE because the text specifically says that antibiotics are used when people raise animals for food. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is TRUE because the passage mentions that antibiotics and chemicals are used when raising poultry (birds like chickens) and cattle (cows). In this context, 'raising poultry and cattle' is a way to describe farming animals for food. Therefore, the statement in the question matches the information provided in Paragraph C. |
| Q9 | TRUE | a 4,000-year-old lentil seed found during an excavation in Turkey has been germinated, allowing scientists to compare the ancient variety with the organic and genetically engineered varieties of today | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that an ancient seed was found and grown, which lets scientists compare the old plant to the plants we have today. Answer Explanation: The answer means that researchers are able to look at how old lentil plants and new lentil plants are like each other. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is TRUE because the passage explains that a 4,000-year-old seed was found and grown into a plant. This gives scientists the chance to compare this old plant with the modern ones we have now to see their similarities and differences. |
| Q10 | NOT GIVEN | Using traditional breeding methods agricultural scientists are transforming the faba bean into a variety that is easier to grow. Traditional varieties are undependable as they rely on insects to pollinate them. But faba bean types that can self-fertilise naturally were discovered and this gene is being bred into new varieties. Other faba bean varieties have been found that produce higher yields or shorter crops | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage describes the specific ways scientists are improving faba beans, such as making them self-fertilize and grow shorter, but it never mentions anything about dry areas or climate. Answer Explanation: The answer is NOT GIVEN because the passage does not mention whether scientists are trying to make beans grow better in dry places. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is NOT GIVEN because while the text says that scientists are making the faba bean "easier to grow," it does not mention "dry areas" or any specific weather conditions. The passage explains that the beans are easier to grow because they can now self-fertilize (they don't need insects) and they are shorter (so they don't fall over). Because information about water or dry land is completely missing, the statement cannot be confirmed as true or false. |
| Q11 | FALSE | Scientists have also managed to develop a commercial faba bean able to resist the parasitic weed Orobanche, which has been known to destroy whole fields of the crop | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that new types of beans are built to be safe from a specific weed that normally ruins crops. It says the beans are "able to resist" the weed, which is different from being able to destroy it. Answer Explanation: The answer is FALSE because the text says new faba beans can stay safe from weeds, but it does not say the beans kill the weeds. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is FALSE because the text in paragraph F states that scientists have developed beans that can "resist" a parasitic weed called Orobanche. To "resist" means that the bean plant is not harmed or killed by the weed. However, the statement in the question says the bean can "destroy" the weed. To destroy something means to kill or get rid of it completely. Since the text only mentions protection (resistance) and not killing (destruction) the weed, the statement is incorrect. |
| Q12 | C | farmers started to abandon them in favour of more dependable crops, which had had the benefits of scientific improvement Recently, scientists have returned to legumes to identify desirable characteristics such as height, good crop production and resistance to pests in order to cross different plants with each other and produce a new, improved variety |
Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage tells us that farmers began to stop growing beans because other plants were easier to grow. Later, it explains that experts have come back to studying beans so they can mix different plants and create a better, improved version. Answer Explanation: The answer choice suggests that the most appropriate title for the text is about how science experts are helping beans become a successful and popular food crop again. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because the passage describes the full journey of legumes—from their ancient history to their health benefits, and finally to the modern scientific efforts to save them. The phrase 'new lease of life' refers to making something successful or important again after it was being ignored. The text explains that farmers were previously giving up on beans, but agricultural scientists are now 'experimenting' and creating 'new, improved' versions to ensure beans have a 'brighter' future. This scientific revival is the most comprehensive theme mentioned throughout the different sections of the text. |