# Book review: The World of Sugar by Ulbe Bosma: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 21, Test 1, Reading Passage 3

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 21, Test 1, Reading Passage 3. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Used for educational practice. Explanations and evidence notes are written by Testmigo.

## Answer key

| Q | Answer | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 27 | B | It has also been massively subsidised and sold at artificially low prices on world markets |
| 28 | A | The sweet-toothed British first bought cane sugar from their own slavery-dependent colonial plantations ... Only in the 20th century was there a move to develop a national beet sugar industry |
| 29 | C | Contrary to popular belief, cane sugar production was never just restricted to large, dedicated plantations owned by rich men |
| 30 | A | He shows that we could always have done without sugar ... the multiple tragedies involving sugar |
| 31 | H | imported labour has been used for much large-scale production |
| 32 | E | the continuity of the use of traditional methods on small farms |
| 33 | I | Great firms and great interests have had profound influence on the policies of states |
| 34 | A | a powerful sugar bourgeoisie played a major role in politics |
| 35 | G | their interests were consequently protected by trade barriers and subsidies |
| 36 | C | it was inevitably the poor countries which came off worse |
| 37 | YES | new techniques, varieties, fertilisers, irrigation systems and much more have turned gleaming white sugar into a ubiquitous chemical |
| 38 | NOT GIVEN | Once regarded as a luxury, sugar came to be promoted as a valuable source of energy |
| 39 | NO | the recent past has seen worrying new developments in mass sweetening ... is regarded as a leading cause of obesity |
| 40 | YES | having been adopted in the making of soft drinks and a large number of processed foods |

## Why these answers are right

**27. B.** The first paragraph says beet sugar has been massively subsidized and sold at artificially low prices on world markets, which threatens cane producers. Subsidies and low prices make beet sugar easier to sell internationally, so the reviewer suggests it has been made more competitive: B.

**28. A.** Paragraph two follows Britain's supply step by step: first its own colonial plantations, then Cuba and Brazil after abolition, then European beet sugar in the late 19th century, and finally a national beet industry in the 20th century. This stresses changing sources over time: A.

**29. C.** The reviewer writes that, contrary to popular belief, cane sugar was never grown only on large plantations owned by rich men, and gives Java's small farmers as an example. Correcting a popular belief is addressing a misconception, so the answer is C.

The why and the trap for questions 30 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/book-review-the-world-of-sugar-by-ulbe-bosma/answers).

[Practice Book review: The World of Sugar by Ulbe Bosma](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/book-review-the-world-of-sugar-by-ulbe-bosma)