# A second attempt at domesticating the tomato: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 17, Test 2, Reading Passage 2

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 17, Test 2, Reading Passage 2. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Used for educational practice. Explanations and evidence notes are written by Testmigo.

## Answer key

| Q | Answer | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 14 | C | a strain resistant to a common disease called bacterial spot race |
| 15 | B | every time a single plant with a mutation is taken from a larger population for breeding, much genetic diversity is lost |
| 16 | E | including foxtail, oat-grass and cowpea |
| 17 | A | It took at least 3,000 years for humans to learn how to domesticate the wild tomato |
| 18 | C | "They are quite tasty," says Kudla. |
| 19 | B | By choosing wild plants that are drought or heat tolerant, says Gao |
| 20 | D | But it will be hard for new foods to grow so popular with farmers and consumers |
| 21 | A | But Kudla didn't want to reveal which species were in his team's sights |
| 22 | C | taking the work further would be expensive |
| 23 | A | There are 50,000 edible plants in the world, but 90 percent of our energy comes from just 15 crops. |
| 24 | flavour | the tomato strains grown for supermarkets have lost much of their flavour. |
| 25 | size | they tripled the size of fruit by editing a gene called FRUIT WEIGHT |
| 26 | salt | They also created another strain that is more salt tolerant |

## Why these answers are right

**14. C.** Section C says the Chinese team created "a strain resistant to a common disease called bacterial spot race, which can devastate yields". A disease that can destroy harvests is a dangerous infection, and the strain is a type of tomato, so the answer is C.

**15. B.** Section B explains that each time a single plant with a mutation is picked from a larger population for breeding, genetic diversity is lost, and unwanted traits such as poor flavor can come along. Relying on one plant causes problems, so the answer is B.

**16. E.** Section E says the teams are considering other plants that could be "catapulted into the mainstream", including foxtail, oat-grass and cowpea. These are several uncultivated plants with food potential, so section E contains the examples.

The why and the trap for questions 17 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/a-second-attempt-at-domesticating-the-tomato/answers).

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