# The rise of the agribots: answers and explanations

The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS, Test 4, Reading Passage 2

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from The Official Cambridge Guide to IELTS, Test 4, 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 | NOT GIVEN | This, in turn, inevitably means bigger grocery bills for consumers |
| 15 | YES | they must also address the necessity of reducing their impact on the soil, waterways and atmosphere |
| 16 | NO | an approach that could slash chemical use and improve yields in one move |
| 17 | NOT GIVEN | the largest farms in Europe and the U.S. can cover thousands of acres |
| 18 | fertiliser | can identify individual seedlings and encourage them along with drops of fertilizer |
| 19 | lasers | eliminate them with shots from high-power lasers or a microdot of pesticide |
| 20 | cereals | with farms that grow cereals being the most heavily automated. |
| 21 | Communication | can even 'talk' to their implements ... This kind of communication is also being developed in other farm vehicles. |
| 22 | C | replacing brute force with precision is key |
| 23 | F | a rapidly shrinking number of people are willing to work in agriculture |
| 24 | H | Calvin and Martin have observed how rising employment costs have led to the adoption of labour-saving farm technology in the past |
| 25 | A | robotic milking is likely to influence the genetics of dairy herds |
| 26 | D | This could mean a return to smaller fields, with crops planted in grids rather than rows |

## Why these answers are right

**14. NOT GIVEN.** The statement is about what governments should do to keep food affordable. The writer mentions "bigger grocery bills for consumers" and food shortages, but never says what governments ought to do, or mentions governments at all. The writer's view is unknown, so the answer is NOT GIVEN.

**15. YES.** This statement says farmers should cut the environmental harm they cause. The writer states that farmers "must also address the necessity of reducing their impact on the soil, waterways and atmosphere." Soil, water and air make up the environment, so the writer agrees and the answer is YES.

**16. NO.** The statement predicts farmers will rely more on chemicals. The writer describes precision farming, where each plant gets exactly what it needs, as "an approach that could slash chemical use." Slashing use means relying on chemicals less, so this contradicts the writer's view and the answer is NO.

The why and the trap for questions 17 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/the-rise-of-the-agribots/answers).

[Practice The rise of the agribots](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/the-rise-of-the-agribots)