Jethro Tull (1674-1741) - Inventor of The Seed Drill
Read Jethro Tull (1674-1741) - Inventor of The Seed Drill and check the IELTS Reading answers. Jethro Tull was a major pioneer in the modernizing of agriculture. He was born in 1674 in Berkshire, southern England, into a family of land-owning gentry. He studied first at Oxford University and then a…
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Jethro Tull was a major pioneer in the modernizing of agriculture. He was born in 1674 in Berkshire, southern England, into a family of land-owning gentry. He studied first at Oxford University and then at the Inns of Court, London, in preparation for a legal or political career. However, his health issues forced him to postpone these plans, and after qualifying as a barrister in 1699, he made a tour of Europe, in the hope that the milder climates of France and Italy would alleviate his breathing problems. In every country through which he passed, he made careful observations of the soil and agricultural production, and on his return to England, the young Tull married, then began farming with his father at Howberry Farm in Oxfordshire.
Vocabulary from this passage
10 words worth learning before you sit the test, each with the sentence it appears in.
- alleviate verb
To make a problem, pain, or suffering less severe or more bearable through specific intervention or change
The milder climates of France and Italy were expected to alleviate his chronic breathing problems.
- haphazard adjective
Characterized by a lack of organization, order, or planning; happening in a random or incidental manner
At that time, seeds were still thrown across the field in a traditional, haphazard manner.
- low densities noun
The practice of spacing items, such as seeds, far apart to reduce competition and maximize individual growth
Tull instructed his staff to sow seeds at very precise, low densities to improve efficiency.
- net yield noun
The final amount of agricultural produce gathered from a field after accounting for all losses and expenditures
Although there would be fewer plants, the efficiency of the drill ensured the net yield was greater.
- persist verb
To continue firmly or obstinately in an opinion or a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition
Resistance to his revolutionary theories regarding seed distribution and soil maintenance persisted for many decades.
- pulverise verb
To reduce to fine particles or powder; in agriculture, to break up soil into very small pieces
He used an animal-drawn hoe to turn over and pulverise the earth between the rows of crops.
- revolutionize verb
To change something radically or fundamentally, especially in a way that significantly improves a system or practice
The English gentleman farmer Jethro Tull helped to revolutionize the traditional practice of agriculture.
- successive adjective
Following one another or following others in an uninterrupted sequence or order of time
His experiments were successful, as he managed to grow wheat in the same field for 13 successive years.
- uniform rows noun
A method of planting crops where seeds are placed in straight, evenly spaced lines to facilitate maintenance
As the seedlings grew in uniform rows, it became much easier to remove unwanted weeds.
- vindication noun
The action of clearing someone of blame or suspicion, or proof that someone's ideas were correct
Another century would pass before his revolutionary agricultural theories achieved their eventual vindication.
Answers with explanations
- 1. hopper
The diagram requires identifying the top component where seeds are stored. The text describes the **seed** passing from the **hopper** above. Syntactically, the blank requires a **noun** acting as the source container. The term 'hopper' fits this description perfectly as the starting point for seed distribution. Answer: HOPPER.
- 2. cylinder
The question asks for the rotating part shown in the diagram. The text states that as the wheels turn, the **cylinder rotated**. The term 'cylinder' is a **singular noun** that describes the mechanical part responsible for moving the seed against the tongue. Answer: CYLINDER.
- 3. funnel
The diagram points to the tube-like structure leading seeds to the ground. The text notes seeds pass from the hopper to a **funnel below**. The **preposition** 'below' confirms the location relative to the hopper, and 'funnel' provides the correct **noun** for the guiding mechanism. Answer: FUNNEL.
- 3-4: NOT GIVEN
3: The diagram points to the tube-like structure leading seeds to the ground. The text notes seeds pass from the hopper to a **funnel below**. The **preposition** 'below' confirms the location relative to the hopper, and 'funnel' provides the correct **noun** for the guiding mechanism. Answer: FUNNEL.
4: The blank identifies the parts at the rear of the drill. The text mentions that **spikes** at the **back of the machine** perform the task of turning soil. Since the diagram shows multiple points, the **plural noun** 'spikes' is grammatically correct and matches the spatial description. Answer: SPIKES.
- 4. spikes
The blank identifies the parts at the rear of the drill. The text mentions that **spikes** at the **back of the machine** perform the task of turning soil. Since the diagram shows multiple points, the **plural noun** 'spikes' is grammatically correct and matches the spatial description. Answer: SPIKES.
- 5. broadcasting
The question asks for the **name** of the **traditional technique** of seed-sowing, and the answer must be one or two words. Scan the second paragraph, where Tull's concern is sowing seeds. The passage says seeds were thrown by hand in a haphazard manner, **in a traditional method known as** broadcasting. The phrase **known as** introduces the name directly, so the noun is copied exactly from the text. It is a single word, which satisfies the word limit.
- 6. vine-growing
The question asks for the **type of agriculture** that gave Tull inspiration on his second tour of Europe. The text says he followed practices he had observed in the **vine-growing** methods of southern Europe. 'Vine-growing' is the compound noun naming that kind of farming, and it is copied exactly as the passage prints it, with its hyphen, so it fits the two-word limit. Answer: vine-growing.
- 7. manure
The question asks for the **traditional addition** to soil that Tull believed to be unnecessary. The text says he believed his methods would release enough nutrients in the soil to nourish the crop and so **eliminate the need for manure**. The context of soil nourishment and fertilizing confirms 'manure' as the noun required. Answer: manure.
- 8. horses
The question asks which **animals** Tull recommended to **pull machinery**. The passage paraphrases this as he **advocated the use of** horses to pull farm machinery. Scan the final paragraph for the word horses or a similar animal. A tempting wrong answer is oxen, but the text says these were the **traditionally** used animals that Tull wanted to replace. The answer is therefore the plural noun horses, one word, within the two-word limit.
- 9. NOT GIVEN
The statement claims Tull was **employed** in the legal profession. While the text confirms he **qualified as a barrister**, it only states that he then traveled for health reasons and began farming. There is **no information** regarding whether he ever actually worked or was employed as a lawyer before farming. Answer: NOT GIVEN.
- 10. TRUE
The statement claims the staff were **unwilling** to follow instructions. The text confirms Tull's **frustration** with their **lack of co-operation**. The phrase 'lack of co-operation' is a direct match for the concept of being unwilling to follow orders. Answer: TRUE.
- 11. TRUE
The statement claims Tull **reduced weeds**. Paragraph C explains the drill made it **easier to remove** weeds, and Paragraph D notes his soil pulverisation **cut down on the volume of weeds**. Both paragraphs confirm the successful reduction of weed growth through his methods. Answer: TRUE.
- 12. FALSE
The statement says Tull **lived to see** his ideas finally accepted. The passage says **another century would pass** before his **vindication**, which came only after his writings were edited in 1822. The heading gives his dates as 1674-1741, so he died about eighty years before that recognition. His ideas were accepted after his death, which directly contradicts the claim, so the answer is FALSE, not NOT GIVEN, because the text does state when recognition came.
- 13. NOT GIVEN
The statement claims the book **sold very few copies**. While the text mentions the book caused **controversy** and faced **resistance**, it provides absolutely no data on the **number of copies sold** or its commercial performance. Because this detail is absent, the answer is NOT GIVEN.