Tea And The Industrial Revolution — IELTS Reading Answers

Paragraph A

“Why did this particular Big Bang – the world-changing birth of industry – happen in Britain? And why did it strike at the end of the 18th century?”

Paragraph A poses the puzzle of why the industrial Big Bang happened in Britain and why at the end of the eighteenth century, which is heading iv on the question of origins.

Paragraph B

“There are about 20 different factors and all of them need to be present before the revolution can happen”

Paragraph B lists roughly twenty different factors that all need to be present before the revolution can happen, matching heading viii on multiple preconditions.

Paragraph C

“Tea and beer, two of the nation’s favourite drinks, fuelled the revolution.”

Paragraph C claims tea and beer, two of the nation's favourite drinks, fuelled the revolution, matching heading vii on drinks driving industrial change.

Paragraph D

“Efforts to explain this sudden reduction in child deaths appeared to draw a blank.”

Paragraph D notes that efforts to explain the sudden reduction in child deaths appeared to draw a blank, so the cause was unexplained, heading i.

Paragraph E

“But in the late 17th century a tax was introduced on malt, the basic ingredient of beer. The poor turned to water and gin and in the 1720s the mortality rate began to rise again. Then it suddenly dropped again. What caused this?’”

Paragraph E traces the malt tax, the poor turning to water and gin, and the puzzling rise and fall of the mortality rate, matching heading vi on taxation's effects.

Paragraph F

“Macfarlane looked to Japan, which was also developing large cities about the same time, and also had no sanitation.”

Paragraph F compares Britain with Japan, which was also developing large cities about the same time, matching heading ix on a parallel case.

Paragraph G

“it had turned its back on the essence of any work-based revolution by giving up labour-saving devices such as animals, afraid that they would put people out of work.”

Paragraph G explains that Japan gave up labour-saving devices, turning its back on the essence of any work-based revolution, matching heading ii.

China’s transport system was not suitable for industry in the 18th century.

“Tea was relatively expensive until Britain started a direct clipper trade with China in the early 18th century.”

The passage mentions Britain's direct clipper trade with China for tea but never assesses China's internal transport system or its suitability for industry.

Tea and beer both helped to prevent dysentery in Britain.

“The antiseptic properties of tannin, the active ingredient in tea, and of hops in beer – plus the fact that both are made with boiled water – allowed urban communities to flourish at close quarters without succumbing to water-borne diseases such as dysentery.”

Tannin, hops and boiled water let urban communities flourish without succumbing to water-borne diseases such as dysentery, so both drinks helped prevent it.

Roy Porter disagrees with Professor Macfarlane’s findings.

“Macfarlane’s case has been strengthened by support from notable quarters – Roy Porter, the distinguished medical historian, recently wrote a favourable appraisal of his research.”

Porter wrote a favourable appraisal that strengthened Macfarlane's case, so he agrees with the findings rather than disagreeing.

After 1740, there was a reduction in population in Britain.

“Between about 1650 and 1740, the population in Britain was static. But then there was a burst in population growth.”

After 1740 there was a burst in population growth, the opposite of a reduction in population.

People in Britain used to make beer at home.

“We drank beer. For a long time, the English were protected by the strong antibacterial agent in hops, which were added to help preserve the beer.”

The passage says hops were added to help preserve the beer but never states where or by whom beer was made, so home brewing is unaddressed.

The tax on malt indirectly caused a rise in the death rate.

“But in the late 17th century a tax was introduced on malt, the basic ingredient of beer. The poor turned to water and gin and in the 1720s the mortality rate began to rise again.”

The malt tax pushed the poor towards gin, and the mortality rate then began to rise, an indirect link between taxation and deaths.