The Awesome Banana- IELTS Reading Answers

In the Academic Reading passage, “The Awesome Banana”, there are 3 most popular question types. Each of these question types are asked in the IELTS Reading exam. So,  this passage will help you enhance your reading and understanding capabilities.

Reading Passage

The Awesome Banana

Question 14-16

14 The banana was first eaten as a fruit by humans almost …………………… years ago.

15 The banana was first planted in …………………….

16 Wild banana’s taste is adversely affected by its ……………………

Question 17-23

NOTE: You may use any letter more than once.

17 A Pest invasion may seriously damage the banana industry.

18 The effect of fungal infection in the soil is often long-lasting.

19 A commercial manufacturer gave up on breeding bananas for disease-resistant species.

20 The banana disease may develop resistance to chemical sprays

21 A banana disease has destroyed a large number of banana plantations.

22 Consumers would not accept genetically altered crops.

23 Lessons can be learned from bananas for other crops.

List of People

1. Rodomiro
2. David Mclaughlin
3. Emile Frison
4. Ronald Romero
5. Lauder Gasparotto
6. Geoff Hawtin

Question 24-26

24 Banana is the oldest known fruit.

25 Gros Michel is still being used as a commercial product.

26 Banana is the main food in some countries.

Reading Answer

14 Answer: ten-thousand

Question type: Sentence Completion

Answer location: Paragraph A, line 2

Answer explanation: The 2nd line of paragraph A states that agricultural scientists believe that the first edible banana was discovered around ten thousand years ago. These lines indicate that the first edible banana was discovered over 10 thousand years ago. As a result, the banana was first eaten as a fruit by humans almost ten thousand years ago. Thus, the answer is ten thousand.

15 Answer: South-East Asia

Question type: Sentence Completion

Answer location: Paragraph A, line 3

Answer explanation: Paragraph A states that the first banana eaten by humans was almost ten thousand years ago. In the 3rd line, it is mentioned that it has been at an evolutionary standstill ever since it was first propagated in the jungles of South-East Asia at the end of the last ice age. We can deduce from these lines that the first bananas were spread and promoted in the jungles of South-East Asia at the end of the ice age. Thus, the banana was first planted in South-East Asia. So, the answer is Southeast Asia.

16 Answer: hard seeds

Question type: Sentence completion

Answer location: Paragraph A, line 4

Answer explanation: Paragraph A reveals that the banana was first eaten as a fruit by humans almost ten thousand years ago, and it was first planted in SouthEast Asia. In the 4th line, it is stated that normally the wild banana, a giant jungle herb called Musa acuminata, contains a mass of hard seeds that make the fruit virtually inedible. These lines indicate that the wild banana contains a mass of hard seed due to which it becomes inedible. Thus, the taste of wild bananas is adversely affected by their hard seeds. So, the answer is hard seeds.

17 Answer: F

Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph C, last line

Answer explanation: The last line of paragraph C illustrates Geoff Hawtin, director of the Rome-based International Plant Genetic Resources Institute, saying that when some pest or disease comes along, severe epidemics can occur. These lines indicate that it was Geoff Hawtin who claimed that the pest invasion may seriously damage the banana industry. Thus, the answer is F. Geoff Hawtin.

18 Answer: A

Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph D, line 4

Answer explanation: In the 4th line of paragraph D, Rodomiro Ortiz, director of the International Institute for Tropical Agriculture in Ibadan, Nigeria, states that once the fungus gets into the soil it remains there for many years. There is nothing farmers can do. Even chemical spraying won’t get rid of it. These lines reveal Rodomiro saying that the farmers cannot do anything when the fungus gets into the soil as it remains for many years and even chemical spraying will not be helpful. Thus, the effect of fungal infection in the soil is often long-lasting as Rodomrio claimed. So, the answer is A.

19 Answer: D

Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph G, line 2

Answer explanation: The 2nd line of paragraph G illustrates that the majority of plant breeders have turned their backs on the banana and got to work on easier plants. And commercial banana companies are now washing their hands of the whole breeding effort, preferring to fund a search for new fungicides instead. “We supported a breeding program for 40 years, but it wasn’t able to develop an alternative to Cavendish. It was very expensive and we got nothing back,” says Ronald Romero. These lines suggest that nobody liked the new hybrid. They accused the hybrid bananas of tasting more like an apple. The majority of breeders turned their back on bananas, while the commercial companies washed their hands of the breeding effort, preferring to fund a search for new fungicides. Thus, Ronald Romero states that commercial manufacturers gave up on banana breeding for disease-resistant species. Thus, the answer is D.

20 Answer: C

Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph B, last line

Answer explanation: The last line of paragraph B illustrates Emile Frison, who works at the International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain in Montpellier, France. “The state of the banana”, Frison warns, “can teach a broader lesson: the increasing standardization of food crops around the world is threatening their ability to adapt and survive.” We can deduce from these lines that Emile Frison who works at the International Network for the improvements of banana and plantain states that resistance can be seen due to the banana disease against the chemical sprays. Thus, the answer is C.

21 Answer: E

Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph E, line 8

Answer explanation: In the 8th line of paragraph E, Luadir Gasparotto, Brazil’s leading banana pathologist with the government research agency EMBRAPA, stated that one thing they can be sure of is that the Sigatoka won’t lose in this battle.” Poor farmers, who cannot afford chemicals, have it even worse. They can do little more than watch their plants die. “Most of the banana fields in Amazonia have already been destroyed by the disease. These lines suggest Luadir saying that the majority of banana fields have already died in Amazonia and the disease has already caused decay in numerous banana plantations in Amazonia. Thus, Luadir revealed that a banana disease destroyed a large number of banana plantations. So, the answer is E.

22 Answer: B

Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph I

Answer explanation: In paragraph I, David McLaughlin, Chiquita’s senior director for environmental affairs, says that biotechnology is extremely expensive and there are serious questions about consumer acceptance. We can understand from these lines that David said that the customers will not accept genetically modified crops and GM research is thus scared to involve in research. So, the answer is B.

23 Answer: C

Question type: Matching Information

Answer location: Paragraph B

Answer explanation: The initial lines of paragraph B states that in some ways, the banana today resembles the potato before blight brought famine to Ireland a century and a half ago. But “it holds a lesson for other crops, too”, says Emile Frison, who works at the International Network for the Improvement of Banana and Plantain in Montpellier, France. These lines indicate Emilie saying that lessons can be learned from bananas for other crops (potato). Thus, the answer is C.

24 Answer: Not Given

Question type: True/False/ Not Given

Answer location: Paragraph A

Answer explanation: Paragraph A states that the world’s favorite fruit could disappear forever in 10 years’ time. The banana is among the world’s oldest crops. Although these lines reveal that the banana is among the world’s oldest crops, it’s not mentioned anywhere that the banana is the oldest known fruit. Thus, the answer is Not Given.

25 Answer: False

Question type: True/False/ Not Given

Answer location: Paragraph D

Answer explanation: The initial lines of Paragraph D states that the banana is an excellent case in point. Until the 1950s, one variety, the Gros Michel, dominated the world’s commercial banana business. Found by French botanists in Asia in the 1820s, the Gros Michel was by all accounts a fine banana, richer and sweeter than today’s standard banana and without the latte’s bitter aftertaste when green. But it was vulnerable to a soil fungus that produced wilt known as Panama disease. We can understand from these lines that Gros Michel was used as a commercial product only until the 1950s. As a result, the statement contradicts the information as Gros Michel is not being used as a commercial product. So, the answer is False.

26 Answer: True

Question type: True/False/Not Given

Answer location: Paragraph E

Answer explanation: The introductory lines of paragraph E reveals that half a billion people in Asia and Africa depend on bananas. Bananas provide the largest source of calories and are eaten daily. Its name is synonymous with food. These lines indicate that the banana is the main food in some countries (Asia and Africa) as it is a rich source of nutrition and is one of the oldest known crops. Thus, the statement agrees with the information, so, the answer is True.

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