# Shellac: A Resin Made by Insects

IELTS Academic Listening - 10 questions - 7 minutes - Note completion

Source: Written by Testmigo.

## The recording

5 minutes of audio. Practice it with the player on the page; the transcript is on the answers page.

## Questions

### Questions 31-40: Note completion

Complete the notes below. Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.

Shellac: A Resin Made by Insects
**The lac insect**
Once settled, each insect draws its food from the host's **(31)** _____
Males are about 5% of a colony; females produce most of the resin
In India, the host tree said to give the best quality and yield is **(32)** _____
**Production**
World output is about 20,000 tonnes a year; India leads, followed by Thailand
About half of India's lac comes from the state of **(33)** _____
**Processing**
Washing removes wood, insect remains and a red **(34)** _____ that is sold separately
Seedlac is heated inside a **(35)** _____ made of fine fabric, which works as a filter
The cooled sheets are snapped into **(36)** _____, the usual commercial form
**Past uses**
French polish: a solution of shellac in **(37)** _____, applied with a pad
78 rpm discs: weightier than today's records, and **(38)** _____
**Present-day uses**
Coatings on fruit add shine and prevent the loss of **(39)** _____
Coatings on some pills keep them intact until they get to the **(40)** _____

[Practice online with a timer and instant marking](https://testmigo.com/ielts/listening/shellac-a-resin-made-by-insects) - [Answers and explanations](https://testmigo.com/ielts/listening/shellac-a-resin-made-by-insects/answers)