Cambridge IELTS 10 · General Training · Test 1 · Section 3
Kauri Gum – A Piece Of New Zealand’s History — IELTS Reading Answers
All 13 answers for Kauri Gum – A Piece Of New Zealand’s History, Cambridge IELTS 10 General Training Reading Test 1 Section 3, with the passage evidence and an explanation for each.
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Kauri Gum – A Piece Of New Zealand’s History answer key at a glance
Questions 28–40. Tap an answer to see the evidence.
What this section tests
This section is tested with Matching Information (Q28–33), Matching Features (Q34–39), One Choice (Q40–40). Each section below gives the strategy for that question type, the answers, and the sentence that proves them.
Questions 28–33: Matching Information
Strategy: Scan for the idea, not the exact words. The answer is a paragraph letter, and one paragraph may be used more than once unless the instructions say otherwise.
an example of a domestic product made of high-quality gum
“The first major commercial use of kauri gum was in the manufacture of high-grade furniture varnish, a kind of clear paint used to treat wood”
Paragraph E describes the gum's use in 'high-grade furniture varnish', varnish being a product for furniture in the home.
factors affecting gum quality
“This gum came in a bewildering variety of colours, degree of transparency and hardness, depending on the length and location of burial, as well as the health of the original tree and the area of the bleeding”
Paragraph A explains gum varied in 'colours, degree of transparency and hardness, depending on the length and location of burial' and the tree's health, the quality factors listed.
how kauri gum is formed
“After running from rips or tears in the bark of trees, the sap hardens to form the lumps of gum which eventually fall to the ground and are buried under layers of forest litter”
Paragraph A traces formation: sap runs from tears in the bark, 'the sap hardens to form the lumps of gum' which fall and are buried.
how gum was gathered
“In Maori and early European times up until 1850, most gum collected was simply picked up from the ground, but, after that, the majority was recovered by digging”
Paragraph B contrasts picking gum 'up from the ground' before 1850 with later recovery 'by digging', the two gathering methods.
the main industrial uses of the gum
“The first major commercial use of kauri gum was in the manufacture of high-grade furniture varnish, a kind of clear paint used to treat wood. The best and purest gum that was exported prior to 1910 was used in this way”
Paragraph E identifies the 'first major commercial use' as furniture varnish, with the 'best and purest gum that was exported prior to 1910' going into it.
recent uses of kauri gum
“Over the years, kauri gum has also been used in a number of minor products, such as an ingredient in marine glue and candles. In the last decades it has had a very limited use in the manufacture of extremely high-grade varnish for violins,”
Paragraph F records that 'In the last decades it has had a very limited use in the manufacture of extremely high-grade varnish for violins', a present-day use.
Questions 34–39: Matching Features
Strategy: Match the statement to the named person or thing. Names can repeat, so check each option against what that person actually says.
Kauri gum was first used in New Zealand.
“The original inhabitants of New Zealand, the Maori, had experimented with kauri gum well before Europeans arrived at the beginning of the nineteenth century”
Option A covers the pre-European period, and the text says the Maori 'had experimented with kauri gum well before Europeans arrived at the beginning of the nineteenth century'.
The amount of kauri gum sent overseas peaked.
“The increasing number of diggers resulted in rapid growth of the kauri gum exports from 1,000 tons in 1860 to a maximum of over 10,000 tons in 1900”
Option B marks 1900, when exports reached 'a maximum of over 10,000 tons', the peak described in the statement.
The collection of kauri gum supplemented farmers’ incomes.
“For fifty years from about 1870 to 1920, the kauri gum industry was a major source of income for settlers in northern New Zealand”
Option D covers 1870 to 1920, the fifty years when the industry 'was a major source of income for settlers in northern New Zealand'.
Kauri gum was made into jewellery.
“In the time of Queen Victoria of England (1837-1901), some pieces were made into fashionable amber beads that women wore around their necks”
Option E is the Victorian era, when 'some pieces were made into fashionable amber beads that women wore around their necks', a form of jewellery.
Kauri gum was used in the production of string instruments.
“In the last decades it has had a very limited use in the manufacture of extremely high-grade varnish for violins”
Option I covers recent decades, when gum was used in 'extremely high-grade varnish for violins', a stringed instrument.
Most of the kauri gum was found underground.
“In Maori and early European times up until 1850, most gum collected was simply picked up from the ground, but, after that, the majority was recovered by digging”
Option G is the period after 1850, when 'the majority was recovered by digging', meaning most gum lay underground.
Questions 40–40: One Choice
Strategy: Read the question stem and predict the answer before looking at the options. Wrong options often repeat passage words while the correct one paraphrases them.
What was most likely to reduce the quality of kauri gum?
- Ahow long it was buried
- Bexposure to watercorrect
- Chow deep it was buried
- Dexposure to heat
“Lowest quality gum was soft, black or chalky and sugary and was usually found buried in swamps, where it had been in contact with water for a long time”
Option B fits: the 'Lowest quality gum ... was buried in swamps, where it had been in contact with water for a long time', so water exposure lowered quality.
Learn the question types in this section
Frequently asked questions
Where does the Kauri Gum – A Piece Of New Zealand’s History passage come from?
It is Section 3 of Cambridge IELTS 10 General Training Reading Test 1, and it covers Questions 28–40.
What question types appear in Kauri Gum – A Piece Of New Zealand’s History?
The section is tested with Matching Information, Matching Features, One Choice. Each type is explained on this page, alongside the answers.
Are these reading answers reliable?
Every answer is paired with the sentence that proves it, so you can check each one against the passage yourself. Use the page after a timed attempt, not instead of one.
Cambridge IELTS is published by Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Band9Prep is not affiliated with Cambridge. This page is an independent study aid: it gives the answer key, the passage evidence and an explanation so you can review an attempt you have already made.