Cambridge IELTS 18 · Academic · Test 1 · Passage 1
Urban Farming — IELTS Reading Answers
All 13 answers for Urban Farming, Cambridge IELTS 18 Academic Reading Test 1 Passage 1, with the passage evidence and an explanation for each.
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Urban Farming answer key at a glance
Questions 1–13. Tap an answer to see the evidence.
What this passage tests
This passage is tested with Sentence Completion (Q1–3), Table Completion (Q4–7), True / False / Not Given (Q8–13). Each section below gives the strategy for that question type, the answers, and the sentence that proves them.
Questions 1–3: Sentence Completion
Strategy: Find the stem's keyword in the passage, then complete the sentence with the exact words the grammar requires, within the word limit.
“From identical vertical tubes nearby burst row upon row of lettuces; near those are aromatic herbs, such as basil, sage and peppermint.”
The gap needs what grows in the vertical tubes; 'row upon row of lettuces' supplies the plural noun 'lettuces'.
“When the remaining two thirds of the vast open area are in production, 20 staff will harvest up to 1,000 kg of perhaps 35 different varieties of fruit and vegetables, every day.”
The gap needs the daily harvest figure; 'harvest up to 1,000 kg ... every day' supplies '1 000 kg'.
“‘We’re not ever, obviously, going to feed the whole city this way,’ cautions Hardy. ‘In the urban environment you’re working with very significant practical constraints, clearly, on what you can do and where.”
The gap needs what share of city food demand could be met; 'between 5% and 10% of consumption' gives 'consumption'.
Questions 4–7: 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.
“First, I don’t much like the fact that most of the fruit and vegetables we eat have been treated with something like 17 different pesticides”
The gap needs what the produce has been treated with; '17 different pesticides' supplies the plural noun 'pesticides'.
“because the varieties are selected for their capacity to withstand such substantial journeys”
The gap needs why varieties are selected; their 'capacity to withstand such substantial journeys' gives 'journeys'.
“80% of the price I pay goes to wholesalers and transport companies, not the producers”
The gap needs who misses out on the price; 80% goes to wholesalers and transport companies, 'not the producers'.
“You can select crop varieties for their flavour, not their resistance to the transport and storage chain”
The gap needs what crops can be selected for instead; 'select crop varieties for their flavour' supplies 'flavour'.
Questions 8–13: 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.
Urban farming can take place above or below ground.
“Strawberries are being grown in disused shipping containers, mushrooms in underground carparks”
The text mentions strawberries 'in disused shipping containers' and mushrooms 'in underground carparks', so farming occurs above and below ground, TRUE.
Some of the equipment used in aeroponic farming can be made by hand.
“The equipment weighs little, can be installed on almost any flat surface and is cheap to buy: roughly €100 to €150 per square metre”
The equipment is described as light, easy to install and cheap, but the passage never says any of it can be made by hand.
Urban farming relies more on electricity than some other types of farming.
“It is cheap to run, too, consuming a tiny fraction of the electricity used by some techniques”
The statement claims more electricity use, yet the text says it consumes 'a tiny fraction of the electricity used by some techniques', the opposite, so FALSE.
Fruit and vegetables grown on an aeroponic urban farm are cheaper than traditionally grown organic produce.
“Produce grown this way typically sells at prices that, while generally higher than those of classic intensive agriculture, are lower than soil-based organic growers”
Produce prices are 'lower than soil-based organic growers', so the aeroponic farm undercuts traditionally grown organic food, TRUE.
Most produce can be grown on an aeroponic urban farm at any time of the year.
“There are limits to what farmers can grow this way, of course, and much of the produce is suited to the summer months”
The text says 'much of the produce is suited to the summer months', so not most produce can be grown at any time, FALSE.
Beans take longer to grow on an urban farm than other vegetables.
“And beans tend to take up a lot of space for not much return”
Beans 'take up a lot of space for not much return'; the passage never compares their growing time with other vegetables, so NOT GIVEN.
Learn the question types in this passage
Frequently asked questions
Where does the Urban Farming passage come from?
It is Passage 1 of Cambridge IELTS 18 Academic Reading Test 1, and it covers Questions 1–13.
What question types appear in Urban Farming?
The passage is tested with Sentence Completion, Table Completion, True / False / Not Given. 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.