Seaweed
Read Seaweed and check the IELTS Reading answers. Seaweed, a common plant that grows in the sea, has been an important food, fuel, and fertilizer since prehistoric times. For example, it has supplemented the diet of sheep in the Orkneys, islands off the coast of Scotland, since Neolithic times, rou…
Passage preview
Seaweed, a common plant that grows in the sea, has been an important food, fuel, and fertilizer since prehistoric times. For example, it has supplemented the diet of sheep in the Orkneys, islands off the coast of Scotland, since Neolithic times, roughly 5,000 years ago. In the early part of the 8th century in Japan, seaweed was already such a key part of people’s regular diet that legislation was introduced giving people the right to pay their taxes to the Emperor in the form of seaweed.
Vocabulary from this passage
11 words worth learning before you sit the test, each with the sentence it appears in.
- artificially adverb
In a way produced by human effort or intervention rather than occurring naturally
The greenhouse was artificially heated to protect the delicate seedlings throughout the long, harsh winter.
- biofuel noun
A fuel made from living matter such as plants or algae rather than from fossil deposits
Engineers are testing a biofuel made from algae that could power commercial aircraft more cleanly.
- constraint noun
A limitation or restriction that prevents something from developing or operating as effectively as it otherwise might
Limited funding remains the main constraint on the expansion of the university's research programme.
- cultivation noun
The deliberate preparation of land or conditions to grow crops or plants for human use
The cultivation of rice in flooded fields has shaped the landscape of Southeast Asia for centuries.
- deplete verb
To use up or reduce the supply of a resource so that too little of it remains
Intensive overfishing continues to deplete fish stocks in several regions of the Atlantic Ocean.
- economically viable adjective
Capable of operating successfully and earning enough profit to justify the investment of time and money
Solar power only became economically viable for ordinary households once panel prices fell dramatically.
- livelihood noun
The means by which a person earns the money needed to support themselves and their family
The collapse of the fishing industry destroyed the livelihood of thousands of coastal families.
- predominantly adverb
Mainly or for the most part; describing the largest or most influential element within a group or situation
The local economy is predominantly based on tourism, with agriculture playing a much smaller role.
- re-evaluation noun
The act of assessing something again, especially in a different light or because of new evidence
The archaeological discovery prompted a thorough re-evaluation of how early settlers in the region lived.
- supplement verb
To add something extra to an existing amount or source in order to complete it or make it more adequate
Many farmers supplement their income with seasonal work in nearby towns when harvests are poor.
- sustainable adjective
Able to be maintained over a long period without exhausting natural resources or damaging the environment
The council promotes sustainable farming practices that protect the soil for future generations of growers.
Answers with explanations
- 1. TRUE
The statement says seaweed has been used to **feed animals** on some **Scottish islands** for **thousands of years**. The passage says it has **supplemented the diet of sheep** in the Orkneys, islands off the coast of Scotland, since Neolithic times, roughly 5,000 years ago. Sheep are animals, the Orkneys are Scottish islands, and 5,000 years counts as thousands of years, so every part of the claim is supported. Answer: TRUE.
- 2. FALSE
The statement claims that eating seaweed was **reserved for special occasions** in 8th-century Japan. The passage says seaweed was already such a key part of people’s **regular diet** that legislation let them pay their **taxes** in seaweed. Something eaten regularly, and valuable enough to settle taxes, is the opposite of an occasional food, so the text directly contradicts the claim. It is FALSE rather than NOT GIVEN because the passage speaks to this exact point. Answer: FALSE.
- 2-3: B
2: The statement claims that eating seaweed was **reserved for special occasions** in 8th-century Japan. The passage says seaweed was already such a key part of people’s **regular diet** that legislation let them pay their **taxes** in seaweed. Something eaten regularly, and valuable enough to settle taxes, is the opposite of an occasional food, so the text directly contradicts the claim. It is FALSE rather than NOT GIVEN because the passage speaks to this exact point. Answer: FALSE.
3: The statement says the **Monte Verde findings** revealed new information about the **significance of women’s roles**. The passage says the findings led to a **re-evaluation** of the importance of plants, because it was previously believed that diet relied on the hunting skills of men. The findings suggest that women, who gathered plants such as seaweed, **played an important part** in providing food. That is new information about women’s significance, so the whole claim is supported. Answer: TRUE.
- 3. TRUE
The statement says the **Monte Verde findings** revealed new information about the **significance of women’s roles**. The passage says the findings led to a **re-evaluation** of the importance of plants, because it was previously believed that diet relied on the hunting skills of men. The findings suggest that women, who gathered plants such as seaweed, **played an important part** in providing food. That is new information about women’s significance, so the whole claim is supported. Answer: TRUE.
- 3-4: B
3: The statement says the **Monte Verde findings** revealed new information about the **significance of women’s roles**. The passage says the findings led to a **re-evaluation** of the importance of plants, because it was previously believed that diet relied on the hunting skills of men. The findings suggest that women, who gathered plants such as seaweed, **played an important part** in providing food. That is new information about women’s significance, so the whole claim is supported. Answer: TRUE.
4: The statement says potash was Norway’s **largest export** in the 1800s. The passage only says that in 1800 Norway **exported 1,500 tonnes** of potash. This gives one quantity for one year, with no comparison with any other Norwegian export, so the text neither confirms nor contradicts the claim that potash was the biggest. A candidate who treats a large-sounding figure as proof of ranking is adding information the passage does not give. Answer: NOT GIVEN.
- 4. NOT GIVEN
The statement says potash was Norway’s **largest export** in the 1800s. The passage only says that in 1800 Norway **exported 1,500 tonnes** of potash. This gives one quantity for one year, with no comparison with any other Norwegian export, so the text neither confirms nor contradicts the claim that potash was the biggest. A candidate who treats a large-sounding figure as proof of ranking is adding information the passage does not give. Answer: NOT GIVEN.
- 5. TRUE
The statement compares Dr Kathleen Drew-Baker’s fame in Japan and in the UK. The passage says **hardly anyone has heard of** her in the **UK**, while in **Japan** she is known as the ‘Mother of the Sea’ and has a statue in Osaka. Almost no recognition in one country, set against a famous title and a statue in the other, confirms that she is **more famous** in Japan, so the claim is fully supported. Answer: TRUE.
- 6. typhoons
The gap follows **pollution and** in a note about the destruction of the Japanese seaweed industry in **1948**, so it needs a plural noun. The passage says a series of **typhoons**, combined with **increased pollution** in coastal waters, led to a **total collapse** of nori production. The longer phrase ‘a series of typhoons’ has four words, which breaks the three-word limit and does not fit after ‘pollution and’, so only ‘typhoons’ works. Answer: typhoons.
- 7. laver
The gap follows ‘research into’ and needs the name of a seaweed **similar to nori**. The passage says Dr Drew-Baker, based at Manchester University, **was studying a seaweed called laver**, which is the Welsh **equivalent of nori**. ‘Equivalent’ paraphrases ‘similar’, and the name is printed directly, so it is a single noun well within the three-word limit. Nori itself cannot be used because the sentence already mentions it. Answer: laver.
- 8. kelp
The gap needs the **type of seaweed** that has become a **successful crop** because of new methods. The paragraph on Professor Yarish says his **work on kelp**, a large brown seaweed, produced new harvesting techniques, and that he has helped make it an **economically viable crop**. ‘Successful crop’ paraphrases ‘economically viable crop’. Nori and laver belong to the Japanese story, not to the American farming described here. Answer: kelp.
- 9. ["fishermen","New England fishermen"]
The gap follows ‘alternative source of income for’ and needs the **people** who benefited. The passage says Yarish made kelp an **economically viable crop** for the New England **fishermen** whose **livelihoods** were threatened by overfishing, pollution, and warming waters. ‘Income’ paraphrases ‘livelihoods’, and a viable crop is the new source. Both ‘fishermen’ and ‘New England fishermen’ are copied from the passage and fit within three words. Answer: fishermen / New England fishermen.
- 10. ["chemicals","environmentally unfriendly chemicals","unfriendly chemicals"]
The gap follows ‘the harmful effects of various’ and needs a plural noun for what **different industries** produce. The passage says seaweed can absorb **environmentally unfriendly chemicals discharged** by farms, factories, and wastewater treatment plants, which makes it valuable for **reducing pollution**. ‘Harmful’ paraphrases ‘environmentally unfriendly’, and ‘produced by’ paraphrases ‘discharged by’. ‘Chemicals’ fits the gap, as do the longer passage phrases, which stay within three words. Answer: chemicals / environmentally unfriendly chemicals / unfriendly chemicals.
- 11. markets
The note says the **cost of production** and a **shortage of** something may be preventing growth in **Europe**. The passage lists the **main constraints** on European seaweed farming as the **lack of markets** and the relative expense of European production. ‘Relative expense’ matches ‘cost of production’, and ‘lack of’ matches ‘shortage of’, so the missing noun is the thing there is too little of. Answer: markets.
- 12. jobs
The gap needs a plural noun for what the industry could create in **very large numbers**. The passage says hitting the **500 million** mark would boost the food supply by 10%, **generating 50 million jobs** in the process. ‘50 million’ is the very large number, and the thing generated is ‘jobs’. The phrase ‘50 million jobs’ cannot be used, because the sentence already expresses the number and only the noun is missing. Answer: jobs.
- 13. vehicles
The note says seaweed could be used **instead of oil** to power a **small percentage** of something. The passage says that as a **biofuel for vehicles** it could replace about 1.5% of the **fossil fuels** used today. ‘Oil’ paraphrases ‘fossil fuels’, and ‘small percentage’ matches 1.5%. The word ‘vehicles’ completes the phrase naturally and sits well inside the three-word limit. Answer: vehicles.