Cambridge IELTS 15 · Academic · Test 1 · Passage 1
Nutmeg – A Valuable Spice — IELTS Reading Answers
All 13 answers for Nutmeg – A Valuable Spice, Cambridge IELTS 15 Academic Reading Test 1 Passage 1, with the passage evidence and an explanation for each.
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Nutmeg – A Valuable Spice answer key at a glance
Questions 1–13. Tap an answer to see the evidence.
What this passage tests
This passage is tested with Note Completion (Q1–4), True / False / Not Given (Q5–7), Table Completion (Q8–13). Each section below gives the strategy for that question type, the answers, and the sentence that proves them.
Questions 1–4: Note Completion
Strategy: Predict the word class from the note, find the paraphrase of the note's keyword in the passage, then copy the answer exactly within the word limit.
“The tree is thickly branched with dense foliage of tough, dark green oval leaves”
The tree has 'dense foliage of tough, dark green oval leaves', so oval describes the leaf shape.
“When the fruit is ripe, this husk splits into two halves along a ridge running the length of the fruit”
The outer covering is the 'husk', which 'splits into two halves' when the fruit ripens.
“the former being produced from the dried seed and the latter from the aril”
Nutmeg is 'produced from the dried seed', while mace comes from the aril, so seed fills the gap.
“These are the sources of the two spices nutmeg and mace”
The two spices are 'nutmeg and mace'; mace comes from the aril, the second product listed.
Questions 5–7: True / False / Not Given
Strategy: Judge the whole statement against the text. FALSE contradicts the passage; NOT GIVEN means the passage never addresses that specific claim.
In the Middle Ages, most Europeans knew where nutmeg was grown.
“They sold nutmeg for high prices to merchants based in Venice, but they never revealed the exact location of the source of this extremely valuable commodity”
FALSE: the traders 'never revealed the exact location of the source', so most Europeans could not have known where nutmeg grew.
The VOC was the world’s first major trading company.
“By 1617, the VOC was the richest commercial operation in the world”
NOT GIVEN: the VOC was 'the richest commercial operation in the world', but the passage never says it was the first major trading company.
Following the Treaty of Breda, the Dutch had control of all the islands where nutmeg grew.
“The Dutch now had a monopoly over the nutmeg trade which would last for another century”
TRUE: after the Treaty of Breda 'the Dutch now had a monopoly over the nutmeg trade', implying control of all nutmeg-producing islands.
Questions 8–13: Table Completion
Strategy: Work row by row. The row label tells you where to look; the column heading tells you what kind of word you need.
“Throughout this period, the Arabs were the exclusive importers of the spice to Europe”
Throughout the period 'the Arabs were the exclusive importers of the spice to Europe', so Arabs is the answer.
“At the same time, thousands of people across Europe were dying of the plague, a highly contagious and deadly disease. Doctors were desperate for a way to stop the spread of this disease, and they decided nutmeg held the cure”
Europeans were 'dying of the plague', and doctors believed nutmeg held the cure.
“In addition, all exported nutmeg was covered with lime to make sure there was no chance a fertile seed which could be grown elsewhere would leave the islands”
Exported nutmeg was 'covered with lime' to stop fertile seeds leaving the islands.
“the Dutch offered a trade: if the British would give them the island of Run, they would in turn give Britain a distant and much less valuable island in North America. The British agreed.”
The Dutch offered to exchange 'the island of Run' for a less valuable North American island.
“Then, in 1770, a Frenchman named Pierre Poivre successfully smuggled nutmeg plants to safety in Mauritius, an island off the coast of Africa”
Pierre Poivre 'smuggled nutmeg plants to safety in Mauritius, an island off the coast of Africa'.
“Next, in 1778, a volcanic eruption in the Banda region caused a tsunami that wiped out half the nutmeg groves”
A volcanic eruption in 1778 'caused a tsunami that wiped out half the nutmeg groves'.
Learn the question types in this passage
Frequently asked questions
Where does the Nutmeg – A Valuable Spice passage come from?
It is Passage 1 of Cambridge IELTS 15 Academic Reading Test 1, and it covers Questions 1–13.
What question types appear in Nutmeg – A Valuable Spice?
The passage is tested with Note Completion, True / False / Not Given, Table Completion. 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.