Agriculture and Tourism - IELTS Reading Answers

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To improve your performance in the IELTS Reading module, complete the questions for the Agriculture and Tourism reading passage and then compare your responses to the given answer key. 

Passage for Agriculture and Tourism IELTS Reading Answers

Now go through the passage for ‘Agriculture and Tourism’ Reading Answers given below, and be prepared to solve similar IELTS Reading topics for General and Academic.

Agriculture and Tourism

A Linkages between the Agri-Food Sector and Tourism offer significant opportunities for the development of both sectors within the region. These linkages could lead to ensuring the sustainability of the region’s tourism product thus ensuring its preservation. Agriculture and tourism — two of Wisconsin’s most industries — are teaming up in southwestern Wisconsin and have found that tourists, rural communities, and some farmers could benefit from stronger efforts to promote and market agricultural tourism there. In 1990, agricultural tourism project members surveyed 290 visitors to the annual Monroe Cheese Festival and 164 visitors to the Picnic on the Farm, a one-time event held in Platteville in conjunction with the Chicago Bears summer training camp. More than one-half of those surveyed responded favorably to a proposed tour, saying they would be interested in participating in some type of agricultural tour in southwestern Wisconsin. Survey respondents reported that they would prefer to visit cheese factories, sausage processing plants, dairy farms, and historical farm sites, as well as enjoy an old-fashioned picnic dinner. The study also found strong interest in visiting specialty farms (strawberries, cranberries, poultry, etc.). More than 75 percent of the Cheese Day visitors planned ahead for the trip, with 37 percent planning at least two months in advance.

B More than 40 percent of the visitors came to Monroe for two- or three-day visits. Many stopped at other communities on their way to Cheese Days. Visitors at both events indicated that they were there to enjoy themselves and were willing to spend money on food and arts and crafts. They also wanted the opportunity to experience the “country” while there. The study found that planning around existing events should take into account what brought visitors to the area and provide additional attractions that will appeal to them. For example, visitors to Cheese Days said they were on a holiday and appeared to be more open to various tour proposals. Picnic visitors came specifically to see the Chicago Bears practice. They showed less interest in a proposed agricultural tour than Cheese Day visitors, but more interest in a picnic dinner.

C The study identified three primary audiences for agricultural tourism: 1) elderly people who take bus tours to see the country; 2) families interested in tours that could be enjoyed by both parents and children; and 3) persons already involved in agriculture, including international visitors. Agricultural tourism can serve to educate urban tourists about the problems and challenges facing farmers, says Andy Lewis, Grant county community development agent. While agriculture is vital to Wisconsin, more and more urban folk are becoming isolated from the industry. In fact, Lewis notes, farmers are just as interested in the educational aspects of agricultural tours as they are in any financial returns.

D “Farmers feel that urban consumers are out of touch with farming,” Lewis says. “If tourists can be educated on issues that concern farmers, those visits could lead to policies more favorable to agriculture.” Animal rights and the environment are examples of two issues that concern both urban consumers and farmers. Farm tours could help consumers get the farmer’s perspective on these issues, Lewis notes. Several Wisconsin farms already offer some type of learning experience for tourists. However, most agricultural tourism enterprises currently market their businesses independently, leading to a lack of a concerted effort to promote agricultural tourism as an industry.

E Lewis is conducting the study with Jean Murphy, assistant community development agent. Other participants include UW-Platteville Agricultural Economist Bob Acton, the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, UW-Extension Recreation Resources Center, the Wisconsin Rural Development Center, and Hidden Valleys, a Southwestern Wisconsin regional tourism organization. This past fall, Murphy organized several workshops with some Green and Grant County farmers, local business leaders, and motor coach tour operators to discuss how best to organize and put on farm tours. Committees were formed to look at the following: tour site evaluations, inventory of the area’s resources, tour marketing, and familiarization of tours. The fourth committee is organizing tours for people such as tour bus guides and local reporters to help better educate them about agricultural tourism. Green County farmers already have experience hosting visitors during the annual Monroe Cheese Days. Green county Tourism Director Larry Lindgren says these farmers are set to go ahead with more formal agricultural tours next year. The tours will combine a farm visit with a visit to a local cheese factory and a picnic lunch.

F Another farm interested in hosting an organized tour is Sinsinawa, a 200-acre Grant County farm devoted to sustainable agriculture and run by the Dominican Sisters. Education plays a major role at the farm, which has an orchard, dairy and beef cows, and hogs. Farm tours could be combined with other activities in the area such as trips to the Mississippi River and/or visits to historical towns or landmarks, Lewis says. The project will help expose farmers to the tourism industry and farm vacations as a way to possibly supplement incomes, he adds. While farm families probably wouldn’t make a lot of money through farm tours, they would be compensated for their time, says Lewis. Farmers could earn additional income through the sale of farm products, crafts, and recreational activities.

Questions for Agriculture and Tourism Reading Answers

The passage, Agriculture and Tourism Reading Answers, consists of 14 questions, which showcase three different IELTS Reading question types. They are:

• IELTS Reading Matching Information (Q. 1-4)
• IELTS Reading Matching Features (Q. 5-9)
• IELTS Reading Summary Completion (Q. 10-14)

Questions 1-4

1 About half of all the tourists would spend several days in Monroe

2 Most visitors responded positively to a survey project on a farm tour.

3 Cooperation across organizations in research for agriculture tours has been carried out.

4 Agriculture tour assists tourists to understand more issues concerning animals and environment.

Questions 5-9

A Cheese Festival visitors

B Picnic visitors

C Both of them

5 ___________ have focused destination

6 ___________ majority prepare well before going beforehand.

7 ___________are comparably less keen on picnic meal

8 ___________ show interest in activities such as visiting factory tour and fruit

9 ___________are willing to accept a variety of tour recommendations.

Questions 10-14

Through farm tour, visitors can better understand significant issues such as 10.___________and environment. In autumn, Murphy organised 11.___________ and brought other participants together to develop the local tour market. Larry Lindgren said the farmers already had experience of farm tours with factory visiting and a 12. ___________. In Sinsinawa, a large area of the farmland contains an orchard, cow etc which is managed and operated by 13.___________; Lewis said the project will probably bring an extra 14.___________for local farmers.

Answers and Explanations of Agriculture and Tourism IELTS Reading Passage

In this section, you can go through the provided answers for the ‘Agriculture and Tourism’ passage. along with their precise locations within the given passage, and the explanation that will help you find the answers and assess your improvement for a high IELTS band score.

1 Answer: B

Question type: Matching information

Answer location: Paragraph B, lines 1-2

Answer explanation: It is mentioned that well over 40 percent of tourists came to Monroe for two- or three-day visits. They also stopped at other communities on their way. Thus, the answer is B.

2 Answer: A

Question type: Matching information

Answer location: Paragraph A, lines 9-10

Answer explanation: It is stated in the paragraph that in 1990, agricultural tourism project members surveyed 290 visitors to the annual Monroe Cheese Festival and 164 visitors to the Picnic on the Farm, a one-time event held in Platteville in conjunction with the Chicago Bears summer training camp. The responses of the survey indicated that more than half the visitors were favourably disposed towards a proposed tour. They even mentioned that they would be interested in participating in some type of agricultural tour in southwestern Wisconsin. Hence, the answer is A.

3 Answer: E

Question type: Matching information

Answer location: Paragraph E, lines 1-5

Answer explanation: Research into agricultural tours is being conducted with the concerted efforts of several organizations. Lewis conducted the research in association with organizations such as the Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems, the UW-Extension Recreation Resources Center, the Wisconsin Rural Development Center, and Hidden Valleys, a Southwestern Wisconsin regional tourism organization. Hence, the answer is E.

4 Answer: D

Question type: Matching information

Answer location: Paragraph D, lines 4-5

Answer explanation: Animal rights and the environment are examples of two issues that concern both urban consumers and farmers. Farm tours could help enlighten tourists about these issues as well as get the farmer’s perspective on these issues as noted by Lewis. Hence, the answer is D.

5 Answer: B

Question type: Multiple choice question

Answer location: Paragraph B, lines 7-8

Answer explanation: The picnic visitors had a focused destination and they specifically went to see the Chicago Bears practice. Hence, the answer is B.

6 Answer: A

Question type: Multiple choice question

Answer location: Paragraph A, lines 14-15

Answer explanation: The Cheese festival visitors were well-prepared when visiting the Cheese Day festival. Over 75 percent of them (majority) said that they planned ahead for the trip, with 37 percent planning at least two months in advance. Hence, the answer is A.

7 Answer: A

Question type: Multiple choice question

Answer location: Paragraph B, lines 8-9

Answer explanation: The Cheese festival visitors said they were on holiday and were more likely to go on agricultural tours but showed less interest in picnic dinners as compared to the visitors who had come to see the Chicago Bears practice. Hence, the answer is A.

8 Answer: C

Question type: Multiple choice question

Answer location: Paragraph A, lines 11-12

Answer explanation: Both picnic visitors and cheese festival visitors said that they would prefer to visit cheese factories, sausage processing plants, dairy farms, and historical farm sites, and visit speciality farms. Hence, the answer is C.

9 Answer: A

Question type: Multiple choice question

Answer location: Paragraph B, lines 6-7

Answer explanation: The visitors to Cheese Day said they were on a holiday and seemed to be more open to receiving a variety of recommended tours. Hence, the answer is A.

10 Answer: Animal rights

Question type: Summary completion

Answer location: Paragraph D, lines 3-5

Answer explanation: Animal rights and the environment are two issues that are important to both tourists and farmers. Farm tours could help educate tourists about these issues as well as enable them to get the farmer’s insight on these issues. Hence, the answer is animal rights.

11 Answer: Workshops

Question type: Summary completion

Answer location: Paragraph E, lines 5-7

Answer explanation: Workshops were organised by Murphy in the fall of the past year to discuss how best to organize and put on farm tours. Green and Grant County farmers, local business leaders, and motor coach tour operators were involved in these workshops. Hence, the answer is workshops.

12 Answer: Picnic

Question type: Summary completion

Answer location: Paragraph E, lines 9-12

Answer explanation: Larry Lindgren said that since the farmers already had experience hosting Cheese Day, they were already familiar with organising factory tours and other related activities such as picnics. Hence, the answer is picnic..

13 Answer: Dominican Sisters

Question type: Summary completion

Answer location: Paragraph F, lines 1-2

Answer explanation: The Dominican Sisters run a farm in Sinsinawa, a 200-acre Grant County farm devoted to sustainable agriculture and they are also interested in hosting agricultural tours. Hence, the answer is Dominican Sisters.

14 Answer: Income

Question type: Summary completion

Answer location: Paragraph F, lines 8-9

Answer explanation: Lewis said that the agricultural tours and the sale of farm products, crafts, and recreational activities in relation to that will bring in additional income for the farmers. Hence, the answer is income.

Tips for Answering the Question Types in Agriculture and Tourism Reading Passage

Given below are some IELTS exam preparation tips for band score of 8+ by helping you answer the types of questions in the ‘Agriculture and Tourism’ Reading Answers.

Matching Information

• Underline key information in each statement: For example, in “About half of all the tourists would spend several days in Monroe,” underline half, several days, and Monroe. These are the ideas you will scan for; not necessarily the exact words, but their paraphrased forms (e.g., “well over 40 percent” instead of “half”).
• Scan for specific data first: Statements like “About half of all the tourists…” contain numbers or percentages, which are easy to locate quickly. Scan the passage for figures such as “40 percent” or “two- or three-day visits” rather than reading every sentence.
• Match meaning, not vocabulary: In “Most visitors responded positively to a survey project on a farm tour,” the text may say “more than half were favourably disposed.” IELTS passages frequently paraphrase “responded positively” as “favourably disposed.”
• Identify topic-based clues: For “Cooperation across organizations in research for agriculture tours,” focus on words like cooperation, association, conducted with, partnership. Paragraphs listing multiple institutions working together are strong candidates.
• Look for issue-based language: In “Agriculture tour assists tourists to understand more issues concerning animals and environment,” scan for topic words like animal rights and environment. Paragraphs discussing educational benefits usually contain explanatory verbs like “enlighten” or “help understand.”
• Remember paragraphs can be used once: Unlike matching headings, here each paragraph usually fits one statement. Once you confidently match one, eliminate it to reduce confusion.

Matching Features

• Identify category keywords before scanning: For Question 5 (“have focused destination”), ask: Who had a specific purpose? Scan for phrases like “specifically went to see…” which signal a focused trip.
• Pay attention to comparison language: In Question 7 (“are comparably less keen on picnic meal”), words like ‘less’, ‘more likely’, ‘compared to’ indicate comparison. IELTS passages often hide answers in contrast structures.
• Look for majority indicators: For Question 6 (“majority prepare well before going beforehand”), scan for percentages like over 75 percent, which clearly indicate majority behaviour.
• Watch for shared preferences: For Question 8 (“show interest in activities such as visiting factory tour and fruit”), check if both groups are mentioned in the same sentence. If the text says both groups preferred factory visits, choose C (Both of them).
• Notice openness and flexibility language: In Question 9 (“are willing to accept a variety of tour recommendations”), look for words like open to, willing, or receptive to recommendations. These suggest flexibility.
• Expect repeated letters: The instructions state: “You may use any letter more than once.” Do not force variety. If evidence shows the same group twice, repeat it confidently.

Summary Completion

• Check the word limit immediately: The instruction says “using no more than two words.” If you write three words (e.g., “extra financial income”), the answer will be marked wrong even if correct.
• Identify summary order: Summaries follow the order of the passage. For example, Question 10 (“issues such as ______ and environment”) will likely come from the earlier paragraph discussing key issues.
• Look for parallel structure clues: In Question 10, since “environment” is already given, look for a similar concept mentioned alongside it (e.g., “animal rights”). IELTS passages often pair ideas in the same sentence.
• Use proper noun signals: For Question 13 (“managed and operated by ______”), you are likely looking for a name of a group or organisation. Scan for capitalised phrases such as “Dominican Sisters.”
• Focus on economic benefit language: In Question 14 (“bring an extra ______ for local farmers”), scan for financial terms like ‘income’, ‘revenue’, ‘profit’. The word that appears exactly in the passage must be copied.
• Copy exactly from the text: Do not change singular/plural form unless grammar requires it. If the passage says “income,” do not write “incomes.”

To sum up, we have looked at "Agriculture and Tourism" Reading Answers, which includes particular places and keywords to help you confidently respond to those frequently difficult questions. However, it would be beneficial for you to practice a variety of IELTS Reading practice tests and improve your weak areas on the IELTS Academic Reading exam. 

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