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IELTS Practice Reading: True, False, Not Given ID: #57805 Easy Yellow 1
Instructions ›
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage?
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
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.
AI explanationShows the answer. Tap to open.

Question Focus: Income comparison between cotton and traditional farming

Correct Answer: NOT GIVEN

Why this is correct: The passage says cotton promised more hard cash, but it does not clearly confirm that farmers actually earned more income overall. It describes the attraction of cotton, not a proven long-term income comparison. The passage does not discuss whether cotton really brought more income in reality.

Passage Reference: B. 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.

Common Mistake: Many students choose TRUE because they see more hard cash and assume higher income. This is a Not Given trap because the promise of profit is not the same as confirmed results.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'more hard cash' = Statement: 'bring more income'

Tips: Be careful with words like promised. Promises are not facts or results.

Key Vocabulary:

  • wooed = attracted
  • hard cash = money

Question Focus: Farmers' experience with pesticides in the past

Correct Answer: FALSE

Passage Reference: B. But raising cotton meant using pesticides and fertilisers - until then, a mystery to the mostly illiterate farmers of the community.

Why this is correct: The passage clearly says pesticides were a mystery to the farmers at that time. This means they had not used them before, which directly contradicts the statement.

Common Mistake: Some students choose NOT GIVEN because they miss the phrase a mystery. This is a Contradiction trap because the passage clearly says the opposite.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'a mystery to the mostly illiterate farmers' = Statement: 'had used agricultural pesticides'

Tips: If the passage says something was unknown, the answer cannot be TRUE.

Key Vocabulary:

  • mystery = something unknown
  • illiterate = unable to read or write

Question Focus: Comparison of cotton yield with other crops

Correct Answer: NOT GIVEN

Passage Reference: C. At first, cotton yields were high, and expenses for pesticides were low because cotton pests had not yet moved in.

Why this is correct: The passage only says cotton yields were high at first. It never compares cotton yield with other crops, so we cannot say it was lower.

Common Mistake: Students often answer FALSE because they see yields were high. This is a Not Given trap because no comparison with other crops is made.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'cotton yields were high' = Statement: 'yield is relatively lower'

Tips: For comparison questions, check carefully if two things are actually compared in the passage.

Key Vocabulary:

  • yield = amount produced
  • relatively = in comparison

Question Focus: Farmers' awareness of pest development

Correct Answer: TRUE

Passage Reference: C. But within a few years, cotton pests like bollworms and aphids plagued the fields, and the farmers saw how rapid insect evolution could be.

Why this is correct: The phrase saw how rapid insect evolution could be shows the speed surprised them. This matches the idea that they did not realise pests would spread so fast.

Common Mistake: Some students choose NOT GIVEN because the sentence does not say didn't realise directly. This is a Synonym match situation.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'saw how rapid insect evolution could be' = Statement: 'didn't realise the spread was so fast'

Tips: Look for expressions of surprise or realization. They often signal lack of awareness before.

Key Vocabulary:

  • plagued = caused serious problems
  • rapid = very fast

General Tips:

  • TFNG questions follow passage order. Use the location of the previous answer to find the next one faster.
  • Ask yourself: does the passage clearly confirm this, clearly contradict it, or not say it at all?
  • Words like promised, believed, or hoped do not mean something really happened.
  • Do not add your own logic or real-world knowledge. Only use what is written in the passage.

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