IELTS-G 13 Reading test 3 section 3 Q28-40

Read the text below and answer Questions 28- 40.

Vanilla – the most wonderful flavor in the world

Questions 32-34

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

Write the correct letter in boxes 32-34 on your answer sheet.

32. What prevented countries, apart from Mexico, from growing vanilla in the 17th and 18th centuries?

A the Aztecs’ refusal to let the pods be exported

B the lack of the most suitable pollinating insect

C the widespread ignorance of the existence of the plant

D the poor condition of the vanilla pods that Cortez collected

33. What does the writer suggest was the main reason for the success of vanilla cultivation on Madagascar?

A the adoption of a particular agricultural technique

B the type of vanilla orchid that was selected

C the unique quality of the soil on the island

D the rapidly increasing number of growers

34. The writer believes that Madagascan vanilla is so popular because

A it works well in a variety of main courses and puddings.

B its pod is less likely than others to break up when it is cooked. 

C its taste is widely considered to be the standard taste of vanilla.

D it is the one that is used in a number of commercial frozen desserts.

Questions 35-40

Complete the summary below.

Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the text for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 35-40 on your answer sheet.

How vanilla pods are cured in Tahiti

Tahitian farmers start by leaving the pods to turn 35 ……………………………………. all over.They then wash them quickly before the main stage  of the curing process begins.  They  place the pods in the 36 ……………………………………. during the early part of the day. Cloths are then wrapped round them and they are left in boxes  overnight. This procedure  encourages 37 ………………………Gradually, the 38 ……………………………………. of the individual pods starts to decrease. While this  is happening,  the farmers  continue  to  work on the pods. They use their 39 ………………………………..to flatten them out. For the last stage in the curing process, the pods are kept in a cool place which is open to the air, so that the amount of  40 …………………….within them is reduced.