Wheat is one of most primitive types of food in the world. Its discovery contributed to the development of Homo-sapiens from hunters to farmers. Civilization arose where soil was fertile and wheat could be produced. The Stone Age farmers in the Middle East 9000 years ago were perhaps the first to cultivate cereal grams, such as wheat and barley. They also developed bread wheat from a cross of wild wheat and grasses. Studies on Neolithic women in Syria highlight damage to their toes, knees and vertebrate as they had to spend long hours kneeling before saddle shaped stones to crush grains. The finding that grain could be grounded to make a powder called a meal must have been fantastic because raw wheat is distasteful. This powder called meal was used to make porridge or gruel until baking was discovered. The baked flour was more enjoyable and tasty. Sieve or baskets were made using horse hair or papyrus to separate the ground meal into coarse bran particles and white flour. Later ancient Romans crushed the grain and sifted the flour through linen, twice. This was an expensive procedure that only the aristocracy could afford. The white flour obtained was called “pollen” meaning a fine powder. The Romans were the pioneers in the birth of the milling industry using animals or slaves to drive the wheels to grind wheat. It was only in the 11th century that water and wind mills appeared to grind the wheat .
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Question Focus: Detail question - who performed grain crushing
Correct Answer: C
Why this is correct: This statement is not true because the passage says women, not men, did this work. Changing the group of people is a classic Context shift trap.
Passage Reference: Studies on Neolithic women in Syria highlight damage to their toes, knees and vertebrate as they had to spend long hours kneeling before saddle shaped stones to crush grains.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'Neolithic women... crush grains' = Option: 'ancient men crushed wheat'
Tips: Always check who did the action. IELTS often swaps people or groups.
Key Vocabulary:
- Neolithic = Stone Age
- crush = grind
Question Focus: Detail question - checking accuracy of a specific historical process
Correct Answer: A
Passage Reference: Later ancient Romans crushed the grain and sifted the flour through linen, twice. This was an expensive procedure that only the aristocracy could afford.
Why this is correct: This statement is true according to the passage, so it should not be selected. The passage describes sifting flour through linen as an expensive procedure that only the aristocracy could afford. The option paraphrases this as 'extracting fine pollen from raw wheat', which captures the same meaning.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'sifted the flour through linen... expensive procedure' = Option: 'extracting fine pollen from raw wheat was expensive'
Tips: When the option restates the same idea with different words, the statement is true and should not be chosen for a 'not true' question.
Key Vocabulary:
- sifted = separated fine particles
- aristocracy = rich upper class
Question Focus: Main idea question - role of wheat in early civilization
Correct Answer: B
Passage Reference: Its discovery contributed to the development of Homo-sapiens from hunters to farmers. Civilization arose where soil was fertile and wheat could be produced.
Why this is correct: This statement is true, so it should not be chosen. The passage clearly says wheat helped civilization develop. Choosing this would be a Contradiction trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'contributed to the development of Homo-sapiens' = Option: 'helped shape primitive societies'
Tips: For questions asking not true, double-check that the statement really disagrees with the passage.
Key Vocabulary:
- primitive = early
- contributed = helped
Question Focus: Detail question - Roman milling methods
Correct Answer: D
Passage Reference: The Romans were the pioneers in the birth of the milling industry using animals or slaves to drive the wheels to grind wheat.
Why this is correct: This statement is true, so it should not be selected. The passage clearly mentions slaves. Choosing it would be a Contradiction trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'using animals or slaves' = Option: 'with the help of slaves'
Tips: If the passage directly states the same idea, it is true, not an answer here.
Key Vocabulary:
- pioneers = first developers
- milling = grinding grain
Question Focus: Detail question - comparison of food taste
Correct Answer: E
Passage Reference: This powder called meal was used to make porridge or gruel until baking was discovered. The baked flour was more enjoyable and tasty.
Why this is correct: This statement is not true as written. The passage says baked flour was 'more enjoyable and tasty' but this describes baked flour generally - it does not make a direct taste comparison with porridge. The option adds a specific comparison the passage never makes. This is an Inference trap.
Paraphrasing: Passage: 'The baked flour was more enjoyable and tasty' (general quality) vs Option: 'tastier than porridge' (specific comparison not stated)
Tips: Watch for options that add a comparison the passage does not make. 'More tasty' as a general quality is different from 'tastier than X'.
Key Vocabulary:
- gruel = thin porridge
- enjoyable = pleasant
General Tips:
- When a question asks for not true, mentally change it to 'which statements disagree with the passage'.
- Multiple-answer questions need all correct choices. One wrong pick loses the mark.
- Read each option separately and compare it line by line with the passage.
- Do not use real-world knowledge. Only trust what is written in the passage.
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