Traditional Farming in Zambia’s Luapula Province
Read Traditional Farming in Zambia’s Luapula Province and check the IELTS Reading answers. By tradition, land in Luapula Province is not owned by individuals, but, as in many other parts of Africa, is allocated by the headman or headwoman of a village to people of either sex according to need. Sinc…
Passage preview
By tradition, land in Luapula Province is not owned by individuals, but, as in many other parts of Africa, is allocated by the headman or headwoman of a village to people of either sex according to need. Since land is generally prepared by hand, a single-family group cannot take on a very large area, so land has not been a limiting resource over large parts of the province. However, that situation has already changed near the main towns, and there has long been a scarcity of land for cultivation in the river valley. In both these areas, registered ownership patterns are becoming prevalent.
Vocabulary from this passage
8 words worth learning before you sit the test, each with the sentence it appears in.
- all but disappeared verb phrase
Almost completely gone; very nearly no longer existing.
In the passage:
"Several previously abundant and desirable species have all but disappeared": "all but" means almost, not "everything except".
Synonyms: nearly vanished, almost died out
- alleviate verb
To make a problem or suffering less serious or severe.
In the passage:
"this could be alleviated when fish was available": a protein shortage could be reduced, not completely solved.
Synonyms: ease, relieve, reduce
Opposites: aggravate
- allocate verb
To officially give something to a person or group, based on a plan or rule.
In the passage:
Q1 says land is "given to people"; the passage says land is "allocated by the headman ... according to need".
Synonyms: give, assign
- apparently due to adverb phrase
Seeming to be caused by something, though this is not fully proven.
In the passage:
"disappeared from Lake Mweru, apparently due to overfishing": the writer hedges and does not state the cause as proven.
Synonyms: seemingly caused by, probably because of
- division of labour noun phrase
A system in which different people do different parts of the work.
In the passage:
"the practice of citemene entails a definite division of labour": men and women do different tasks.
Synonyms: separation of tasks, allocation of duties
- owing to the prevalence of adverb phrase
Because something is very common or widespread in a place.
In the passage:
Q8 says "Because of insect pests"; the passage says oxen are few "owing to the prevalence of the tsetse fly".
Synonyms: because of, due to
- remunerative adjective
Bringing in a good amount of money.
In the passage:
Q6 asks which animals "yield the biggest profits"; the passage says fishing is "a far more remunerative activity".
Synonyms: yield the biggest profits, profitable
Opposites: unprofitable
- subsistence noun
The minimum food or money needed to stay alive.
In the passage:
"These plots ... provide subsistence": food for the family's own needs, not for sale.
Synonyms: survival, basic living
Answers with explanations
- 1. need
Look at the opening lines, where the writer explains who gives out land. The question's **given to people** matches **allocated ... to people**, and the basis comes straight after **according to**. So the gap needs **need**.
- 2. ashes
The system called **citemene** is explained in the second paragraph. **Planting crops in** the gap of wood matches **crops are grown on** the ashes of tree branches, so the gap needs **ashes**.
- 2-3: limestone
2: The system called **citemene** is explained in the second paragraph. **Planting crops in** the gap of wood matches **crops are grown on** the ashes of tree branches, so the gap needs **ashes**.
3: The question's **last crop** matches the passage's **sequence ends with**. Maize, pumpkins and the other annuals are listed first, so they are not last. The crop that ends the sequence is **cassava**.
- 3. cassava
The question's **last crop** matches the passage's **sequence ends with**. Maize, pumpkins and the other annuals are listed first, so they are not last. The crop that ends the sequence is **cassava**.
- 3-4: NOT GIVEN
3: The question's **last crop** matches the passage's **sequence ends with**. Maize, pumpkins and the other annuals are listed first, so they are not last. The crop that ends the sequence is **cassava**.
4: The question's **areas without trees** is the passage's **forest is not available**. Crops go into **a series of ridges** that people build. Copy the whole phrase: after **a**, the single word "ridges" would not fit.
- 4. series of ridges
The question's **areas without trees** is the passage's **forest is not available**. Crops go into **a series of ridges** that people build. Copy the whole phrase: after **a**, the single word "ridges" would not fit.
- 5. houses
The question's **fruit trees may be planted near** matches **trees are often grown around**; **mango, guava and oil-palm** are the fruit trees. The sentence says they grow **around houses**, so that is the gap. The condition **If conditions are right** is the water access mentioned just before.
- 6. A
Look for the idea of **biggest profits**. The passage says fishing is **far more remunerative** than crop growing, and the next sentence adds that it is the one substantial source of cash. Only fish is compared in this way.
- 7. B
Look for animals eaten at **special occasions**: chickens and goats are **slaughtered for ceremonies** and for important visitors. Chickens are not in the list, so **goats** is the answer. Oxen and fish are not described this way.
- 8. C
**Insect pests** is the **tsetse fly**, and **do not thrive** means only **small numbers** are kept. The passage says this about **cattle or oxen**, so the animal is oxen.
- 9. A
The question's **preserved** matches **dried**, and **sold outside the local area** matches **sale to areas away from the main waterways**. The thing that is dried is **fish**, so look for the fish option.
- 10. TRUE
The deciding word is **usually**. Land is **generally prepared by hand**, and the passage explains why: there is an **absence of animal power**, because oxen are kept in only small numbers. So land is usually prepared without oxen, and the statement is TRUE.
- 11. NOT GIVEN
The passage talks about who does which job: **women and men cooperate** in planting, and women harvest. Children are never mentioned. For TRUE or FALSE the text would have to say that children help at busy times, so the answer is NOT GIVEN.
- 12. FALSE
The deciding words are **on a regular basis**. Chickens are kept for bartering and are **occasionally slaughtered**, and the text says these animals are **not a standard part** of people's diet. That contradicts regular eating, so it is FALSE.
- 13. C
The writer gives an opinion in the last paragraph: neither the **fisheries** nor the **woodlands** can support the **expanding population** with old methods. That is the option about being inadequate for a growing population. The option about meeting all dietary needs is the opposite, since diets lack **energy, protein, vitamins and minerals**. Resources are already overused, and more labour is never mentioned.