Book Review: The World of Sugar — IELTS Reading Answers

What does the reviewer suggest about the cultivation and trading of sugar in the first paragraph?

1. ASugar has played a major role in international relations.
2. BBeet sugar has been made more internationally competitive.correct
3. CCane sugar is thought to be of superior quality to beet sugar.
4. DNew locations for cultivating sugar have increased production.

“It has also been massively subsidised and sold at artificially low prices on world markets, threatening the livelihood of producers of cane sugar”

Beet sugar is 'massively subsidised and sold at artificially low prices', which makes it competitive on world markets.

In the second paragraph, when discussing the sugar market in Britain, the reviewer stresses

1. Ahow the sources used changed over time.correct
2. Bhow developments in agriculture affected trade.
3. Cthe increased demand for sugar over the years.
4. Dthe growing support for ethical methods of cultivation.

“The sweet-toothed British first bought cane sugar from their own slavery-dependent colonial plantations. Following the abolition of slavery in the British Empire, cane sugar was imported to Britain from places which retained the practice, such as Cuba and Brazil.”

The paragraph traces the changing sources: colonial plantations, then Cuba and Brazil, then European beet, then domestic production.

What is the reviewer doing in the third paragraph?

1. Adescribing an efficient approach to sugar cultivation
2. Bexplaining why the use of sugar plantations declined
3. Caddressing a misconception about the growing of sugar canecorrect
4. Devaluating different approaches to the cultivation of sugar cane

“Contrary to popular belief, cane sugar production was never just restricted to large, dedicated plantations owned by rich men”

The phrase 'Contrary to popular belief' signals that the reviewer is correcting a misconception about plantation-only cane farming.

In the final paragraph, what does the reviewer suggest is the overall message of Bosma's book?

1. ASugar is a harmful and unnecessary product.correct
2. BEconomic pressure is needed to control sugar production.
3. CConditions for workers in sugar production should be improved.
4. DIntensive marketing of sugar has had disastrous consequences.

“Bosma avoids outbursts of emotion, celebratory or critical, even if they might have made his analysis of the multiple tragedies involving sugar all the more powerful.”

The review stresses that Bosma avoids emotional outbursts and argues sugar was never necessary: a restrained conclusion.

“German beet fields employed Polish workers; Mexicans and many others, including Sicilians, were vital to US sugar production”

German beet fields used Polish workers, and US production relied on Mexicans, Sicilians and others: migrant workers.

“But as well as this, the book is about the continuity of the use of traditional methods on small farms. In the mid 20th-century, this type of sugar production dominated in South Asia and Latin America”

Traditional methods on small farms continued to dominate in South Asia and Latin America: small-scale cultivation.

“This is also a history of capitalists and sugar dynasties, as well as corporations that in some cases have remained influential over very long periods. Great firms and great interests have had profound influence on the policies of states”

The book is a history of 'capitalists and sugar dynasties' and corporations: powerful individuals and businesses.

“In many places — not just the British Caribbean but Cuba and the Philippines too — a powerful sugar bourgeoisie played a major role in politics and their interests were consequently protected by trade barriers and subsidies”

A powerful sugar bourgeoisie 'played a major role in politics', influencing national governments.

“In many places - not just the British Caribbean but Cuba and the Philippines too - a powerful sugar bourgeoisie played a major role in politics and their interests were consequently protected by trade barriers and subsidies”

Trade barriers and subsidies are financial controls set up to protect producers.

“In the battle for control of the industry, it was inevitably the poor countries which came off worse”

'The poor countries ... came off worse': less wealthy nations were penalised.

Sugar has now become available in large quantities due to a range of agricultural developments.

“Where once only tiny quantities of sugar could be produced, now new techniques, varieties, fertilisers, irrigation systems and much more have turned gleaming white sugar into a ubiquitous chemical”

YES: new techniques, varieties, fertilisers and irrigation turned sugar into a ubiquitous product.

Advertisers initially marketed sugar as a luxury product.

“Once regarded as a luxury, sugar came to be promoted as a valuable source of energy”

NOT GIVEN: the passage says sugar was 'regarded as a luxury' and later promoted as energy, but never says advertisers marketed it as a luxury.

The invention of high-fructose corn syrup was a positive development.

“And the recent past has seen worrying new developments in mass sweetening. High-fructose corn syrup made from maize using an enzymatic process invented in Japan in the 1960s has a similar number of calories to table sugar but is far cheaper to produce.”

NO: high-fructose corn syrup is described as a 'worrying' development and 'a leading cause of obesity'.

High-fructose corn syrup is an ingredient in many processed foods.

“It is now widely consumed, having been adopted in the making of soft drinks and a large number of processed foods, and is regarded as a leading cause of obesity”

YES: it is 'widely consumed' and used in soft drinks and 'a large number of processed foods'.