Loading question...
You are in free guest mode. Timed Practice Revision List Attempt History Progress Tracking Create a free account to unlock these tools
Back to Questions
Prev Next
IELTS Practice Reading: Note/Summary Completion ID: #57807 Easy Yellow 3
Instructions ›

Answer the questions below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer. 

Tap any word for its meaning
Natural Pesticide in India
A. A dramatic story about cotton farmers in India shows how destructive pesticides can be for people and the environment; and why today’s agriculture is so dependent on pesticides. This story also shows that it’s possible to stop using chemical pesticides without losing a crop to ravaging insects, and it explains how to do it.
B. The story began about 30 years ago, a handful of families migrated from the Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, southeast India, into Punukula, a community of around 900 people farming plots of between two and 10 acres. The outsiders from Guntur brought cotton culture with them. Cotton wooed farmers by promising to bring in more hard cash than the mixed crops they were already growing to eat and sell: millet, sorghum, groundnuts, pigeon peas, mung beans, chilli and rice. But raising cotton meant using pesticides and fertilisers – until then, a mystery to the mostly illiterate farmers of the community. When cotton production started spreading through Andhra Pradesh state. The high value of cotton made it an exceptionally attractive crop, but growing cotton required chemical fertilisers and pesticides. As most of the farmers were poor, illiterate, and without previous experience using agricultural chemicals, they were forced to rely on local, small-scale agricultural dealers for advice. The dealers sold those seeds, fertilisers, and pesticides on credit and also guaranteed the purchase of their crop. The dealers themselves had little technical knowledge about pesticides. They merely passed on promotional information from multinational chemical companies that supplied their products.
C. At first, cotton yields were high, and expenses for pesticides were low because cotton pests had not yet moved in. The farmers had never earned so much! But within a few years, cotton pests like bollworms and aphids plagued the fields, and the farmers saw how rapid insect evolution could be. Repeated spraying killed off the weaker pests but left the ones most resistant to pesticides to multiply. As pesticide resistance mounted, the farmers had to apply more and more of the pesticides to get the same results. At the same time, the pesticides killed off birds, wasps, beetles, spiders, and other predators that had once provided natural control of pest insects. Without these predators, the pests could destroy the entire crop if pesticides were not used. Eventually, farmers were mixing pesticide “cocktails” containing as many as ten different brands and sometimes having to spray their cotton as frequently as two times a week. They were really hooked!
D. The villagers were hesitant, but one of Punukula’s village elders decided to risk trying the natural methods instead of pesticides. His son had collapsed with acute pesticide poisoning and survived, but the hospital bill was staggering. SECURE’s staff coached this villager on how to protect his cotton crop by using a toolkit of natural methods that India’s Center for Sustainable Agriculture put together in collaboration with scientists at Andhra Pradesh’s state university. They called the toolkit “Non-Pesticide Management” — or “NPM.”
E. The most important resource in the NPM toolkit was the neem tree (Azadirachta indica) which is common throughout much of India. Neem tree is a broad-leaved evergreen tree related to mahogany. It protects itself against insects by producing a multitude of natural pesticides that work in a variety of ways: with an arsenal of chemical defences that repel egg-laying, interfere with insect growth, and most important, disrupt the ability of crop-eating insects to sense their food.
F. In fact, neem has been used traditionally in India to protect stored grains from insects and to produce soaps, skin lotions, and other health products. To protect crops from insects, neem seeds are simply ground into a powder that is soaked overnight in water. The solution is then sprayed onto the crop. Another preparation, neem cake, can be mixed into the soil to kill pests and diseases in the soil, and it doubles as an organic fertiliser high in nitrogen. Neem trees grow locally, so the only “cost” is the labour to prepare neem for application to fields.
G. The first farmer’s trial with NPM was a complete success! His harvest was as good as the harvests of farmers that were using pesticides, and he earned much more because he did not spend a single rupee on pesticides. Inspired by this success, 20 farmers tried NPM the next year. SECURE posted two well-trained staff in Punukula to teach and help everyone in the village, and the village women put pressure on their husbands to stop using toxic chemicals. Families that were no longer exposing themselves to pesticides began to feel much better, and the rapid improvements in income, health, and general wellbeing quickly sold everyone on the value of NPM. By 2000, all the farmers in Punukula were using NPM, not only for cotton but for their other crops as well.
H. The suicide epidemic came to an end. And with the cash, health, and energy that returned when they stopped poisoning themselves with pesticides, the villagers were inspired to start more community and business projects. The women of Punukula created a new source of income by collecting, grinding, and selling neem seeds for NPM in other villages. The villagers rescued their indentured children and gave them special six-month “catch-up’ courses to return to school.
I. Fighting against pesticides, and winning, increased village solidarity, self-confidence, and optimism about the future. When dealers tried to punish NPM users by paying less for NPM cotton, the farmers united to form a marketing cooperative that found fairer prices elsewhere. The leadership and collaboration skills that the citizens of Punukula developed in the NPM struggle have helped them to take on other challenges, like water purification, building a cotton gin to add value to the cotton before they sell it, and convincing the state government to support NPM over the objection of multinational pesticide corporations.
3 blanks 2 words max

In which year did all the farmers use NPM for their crops in Punukula? 

What gave the women of Punukula a business opportunity to NPMs? 

Name one project that the citizens of Punukula decide to develop in the NPM. 

AI explanationShows the answer. Tap to open.

Question Focus: Finding a specific year stated in the passage

Correct Answer: 2000

Why this is correct: The passage clearly says By 2000, all farmers in Punukula were using NPM. The question asks for the year, so the correct answer is 2000.

Passage Reference: By 2000, all the farmers in Punukula were using NPM, not only for cotton but for their other crops as well. H.

Common Mistake: Some students write a longer phrase like all farmers used NPM, but the question asks which year, not what happened. This is a context shift trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'By 2000, all the farmers in Punukula were using NPM' = Question: 'In which year did all the farmers use NPM'

Tips: When a question asks which year, scan for dates and numbers, not actions.

Key Vocabulary:

  • by = no later than
  • using = applying

Question Focus: Identifying the source of a business opportunity

Correct Answer: Neem seeds

Passage Reference: The women of Punukula created a new source of income by collecting, grinding, and selling neem seeds for NPM in other villages.

Why this is correct: The passage explains that women earned money by collecting, grinding, and selling neem seeds. This activity gave them a business opportunity related to NPM.

Common Mistake: Students may write neem trees or neem products, but the passage specifically mentions neem seeds. This is a partial truth trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'selling neem seeds for NPM in other villages' = Question: 'a business opportunity to NPMs'

Tips: Do not generalise. Copy the exact words from the passage that match the question.

Key Vocabulary:

  • collecting = gathering
  • selling = earning money from

Question Focus: Naming a project developed by villagers after NPM success

Correct Answer: Water purification

Passage Reference: The leadership and collaboration skills that the citizens of Punukula developed in the NPM struggle have helped them to take on other challenges, like water purification, building a cotton gin to add value to the cotton before they sell it, and convincing the state government to support NPM over the objection of multinational pesticide corporations.

Why this is correct: The passage lists water purification as one of the projects the villagers decided to develop after succeeding with NPM.

Common Mistake: Some students choose cotton gin or marketing cooperative without checking the word limit or wording. Choosing a different project is fine only if it matches the passage exactly. Choosing the wrong idea is a wrong section trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'take on other challenges, like water purification' = Question: 'one project that the citizens decide to develop'

Tips: If the question says name one, choose one clear noun phrase directly from the list in the passage.

Key Vocabulary:

  • purification = cleaning
  • project = planned activity

General Tips:

  • Summary and note completion questions follow passage order. Use the first answer to help you find the next.
  • Always check the word limit. Writing more than allowed is automatically wrong.
  • Copy the exact words from the passage. Do not use your own synonyms.
  • Look at grammar clues. If the gap asks for a year, write a number. If it asks for a thing, write a noun.

The rest of this explanation is for members. Sign in free to read why the other options are wrong, key words and tips.

Sign in to read the full explanation

With a free account: Retry and compare every attempt.
Be the first! No community answers here yet. Submit yours and help others learn.
Saving...