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Palm Oil Reading Answers

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Palm Oil Reading Answers is an academic reading topic and a brief study about the palm oil and its usages. The given IELTS topic has originated from the book named “IELTS - The Complete Guide to General Reading”. The topic named Palm Oil Reading Answers comes with 13 different wide range of questions. Three different types of questions are included in this topic, like, choose the correct paragraph, choose the correct letter, and complete the following sentences. The candidates should thoroughly read the IELTS reading passage to recognize the synonyms and identify the keywords and answer the questions below. IELTS reading practice papers can be taken into consideration by the candidates in order to score a good score in the reading section in which similar topics like Palm Oil Reading Answers has been included.

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Section 1

Read the passage to answer the following questions

Palm Oil Reading Answers

  1. Palm oil is an edible oil derived from the fruit of the African oil palm tree, and is currently the most consumed vegetable oil in the world. It’s almost certainly in the soap we wash with in the morning, the sandwich we have for lunch, and the biscuits we snack on during the day. Why is palm oil so attractive for manufacturers? Primarily because its unique properties – such as remaining solid at room temperature – make it an ideal ingredient for long-term preservation, allowing many packaged foods on supermarket shelves to have ‘best before’ dates of months, even years, into the future.
  2. Many farmers have seized the opportunity to maximise the planting of oil palm trees. Between 1990 and 2012, the global land area devoted to growing oil palm trees grew from 6 to 17 million hectares, now accounting for around ten percent of total cropland in the entire world. From a mere two million tonnes of palm oil being produced annually globally 50 years ago, there are now around 60 million tonnes produced every single year, a figure looking likely to double or even triple by the middle of the century.
  3. However, there are multiple reasons why conservationists cite the rapid spread of oil palm plantations as a major concern. There are countless news stories of deforestation, habitat destruction and dwindling species populations, all as a direct result of land clearing to establish oil palm tree monoculture on an industrial scale, particularly in Malaysia and Indonesia. Endangered species – most famously the Sumatran orangutan, but also rhinos, elephants, tigers, and numerous other fauna – have suffered from the unstoppable spread of oil palm plantations.
  4. ‘Palm oil is surely one of the greatest threats to global biodiversity,’ declares Dr Farnon Ellwood of the University of the West of England, Bristol. ‘Palm oil is replacing rainforest, and rainforest is where all the species are. That’s a problem.’ This has led to some radical questions among environmentalists, such as whether consumers should try to boycott palm oil entirely.
    Meanwhile Bhavani Shankar, Professor at London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, argues, ‘It’s easy to say that palm oil is the enemy and we should be against it. It makes for a more dramatic story, and it’s very intuitive. But given the complexity of the argument, I think a much more nuanced story is closer to the truth.’
  5. One response to the boycott movement has been the argument for the vital role palm oil plays in lifting many millions of people in the developing world out of poverty. Is it desirable to have palm oil boycotted, replaced, eliminated from the global supply chain, given how many low-income people in developing countries depend on it for their livelihoods? How best to strike a utilitarian balance between these competing factors has become a serious bone of contention.
  6. Even the deforestation argument isn’t as straightforward as it seems. Oil palm plantations produce at least four and potentially up to ten times more oil per hectare than soybean, rapeseed, sunflower or other competing oils. That immensely high yield – which is predominantly what makes it so profitable – is potentially also an ecological benefit. If ten times more palm oil can be produced from a patch of land than any competing oil, then ten times more land would need to be cleared in order to produce the same volume of oil from that competitor.
    As for the question of carbon emissions, the issue really depends on what oil palm trees are replacing. Crops vary in the degree to which they sequester carbon – in other words, the amount of carbon they capture from the atmosphere and store within the plant. The more carbon a plant sequesters, the more it reduces the effect of climate change. As Shankar explains: ‘[Palm oil production] actually sequesters more carbon in some ways than other alternatives. […] Of course, if you’re cutting down virgin forest it’s terrible – that’s what’s happening in Indonesia and Malaysia, it’s been allowed to get out of hand. But if it’s replacing rice, for example, it might actually sequester more carbon.’
  7. The industry is now regulated by a group called the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), consisting of palm growers, retailers, product manufacturers, and other interested parties. Over the past decade or so, an agreement has gradually been reached regarding standards that producers of palm oil have to meet in order for their product to be regarded as officially ‘sustainable’. The RSPO insists upon no virgin forest clearing, transparency and regular assessment of carbon stocks, among other criteria. Only once these requirements are fully satisfied is the oil allowed to be sold as certified sustainable palm oil (CSPO). Recent figures show that the RSPO now certifies around 12 million tonnes of palm oil annually, equivalent to roughly 21 percent of the world’s total palm oil production.
  8. There is even hope that oil palm plantations might not need to be such sterile monocultures, or ‘green deserts’, as Ellwood describes them. New research at Ellwood’s lab hint at one plant which might make all the difference. The bird’s nest fern (Asplenium nidus) grows on trees in an epiphytic fashion (meaning it’s dependent on the tree only for support, not for nutrients), and is native to many tropical regions, where as a keystone species it performs a vital ecological role.
    Ellwood believes that reintroducing the bird’s nest fern into oil palm plantations could potentially allow these areas to recover their biodiversity, providing a home for all manner of species, from fungi and bacteria, to invertebrates such as insects, amphibians, reptiles and even mammals.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation 

Questions 14-20

Reading Passage 2 has eight sections, A-H. Which section contains the following information?

Write the correct letter, A-H, in boxes 14-20 on your answer sheet.

Question 14: examples of a range of potential environmental advantages of oil palm tree cultivation

Answer: F
Supporting sentence: That immensely high yield – which is predominantly what makes it so profitable – is potentially also an ecological benefit.
Keyword : immensely, high yield, profitable, ecological benefit
Keyword location: paragraph F, lines 3-4
Explanation: The third and fourth lines of paragraph F clarifies that even the deforestation argument is not as simple as it appears. That extraordinarily high yield, which is primarily what makes it so profitable, may also have ecological advantages. Thus, paragraph F is the right choice.

Question 15: description of an organisation which controls the environmental impact of palm oil production

Answer: G
Supporting sentence: The industry is now regulated by a group called the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), consisting of palm growers, retailers, product manufacturers, and other interested parties.
Keyword : industry, Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), palm growers, interested parties
Keyword location: paragraph G, lines 1-3
Explanation: Lines 1-3 of paragraph G says that the sector is now governed by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). Regarding the requirements, palm oil farmers must achieve in order for their product to be recognised as officially feasible. Thus, paragraph G is the place where the answer lies.

Question 16: examples of the widespread global use of palm oil

Answer: A
Supporting sentence: Palm oil is an edible oil derived from the fruit of the African oil palm tree, and is currently the most consumed vegetable oil in the world.
Keyword : Palm oil, African oil, palm tree, most consumed, world
Keyword location: paragraph A, lines 1-2
Explanation: The first two lines of paragraph A explains that currently the most widely used vegetable oil in the world is palm oil. Hence, paragaph A is the right answer for the above question.

Question 17: reference to a particular species which could benefit the ecosystem of oil palm plantations

Answer: H
Supporting sentence: and is native to many tropical regions, where as a keystone species it performs a vital ecological role.
Keyword : bird’s nest fern, Asplenium nidus, tropical regions, vital ecological role
Keyword location: paragraph H, lines 3-5
Explanation: Lines 3-5 of paragraph H states that Ellwood's lab's new findings point to a single plant that could make all the difference. The bird's nest fern, Asplenium nidus, is a keystone species. It is native to many tropical locations and grows epiphytically on trees, meaning it is solely dependent on the tree for support and not for nutrients. Paragraph H therefore can be regarded as a right choice for this question.

Question 18: figures illustrating the rapid expansion of the palm oil industry

Answer: B
Supporting sentence: From a mere two million tonnes of palm oil being produced annually globally 50 years ago, there are now around 60 million tonnes produced every single year, a figure looking likely to double or even triple by the middle of the century.
Keyword : 60 million tonnes, figure, double or even triple, middle of the century
Keyword location: paragraph B, lines 4-6
Explanation: The fourth to sixth lines of paragraph B explains that between 1990 and 2012, the global land area dedicated to cultivating oil palm trees increased. It increased from 6 to 17 million hectares, accounting for approximately 10% of total farmland in the globe. This number is expected to double or possibly treble by the middle of the century. Thus, paragraph B is the right answer.

Question 19: an economic justification for not opposing the palm oil industry

Answer: E
Supporting sentence: One response to the boycott movement has been the argument for the vital role palm oil plays in lifting many millions of people in the developing world out of poverty.
Keyword : response, boycott movement, vital role, developing world out of poverty
Keyword location: paragraph E, lines 1-2
Explanation: The first two lines of paragraph E says that one response to the boycott campaign has been to argue. It is to argue for the critical role palm oil plays in raising millions of people out of poverty in the developing nations. Thus, paragraph E is the right option for this question.

Question 20: examples of creatures badly affected by the establishment of oil palm plantations

Answer: C
Supporting sentence: Endangered species – most famously the Sumatran orangutan, but also rhinos, elephants, tigers, and numerous other fauna – have suffered from the unstoppable spread of oil palm plantations.
Keyword : Endangered species, suffered, unstoppable spread, oil palm plantations
Keyword location: paragraph C, lines 5-7
Explanation: The fifth to seventh lines of paragraph C says that the relentless expansion of oil palm plantations has harmed endangered animals. Most notably the Sumatran orangutan but also rhinos, elephants, tigers, and several other species of fauna. So, paragraph C is the correct response for this question.

Questions 21 and 22

Choose TWO letters, A-E.

Write the correct letters in boxes 21 and 22 on your answer sheet.

Which TWO statements are made about the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO)?

  1. Its membership has grown steadily over the course of the last decade.
  2. It demands that certified producers be open and honest about their practices.
  3. It took several years to establish its set of criteria for sustainable palm oil certification.
  4. Its regulations regarding sustainability are stricter than those governing other industries.
  5. It was formed at the request of environmentalists concerned about the loss of virgin forests.

Question 21:

Answer: B
Supporting sentence: Only once these requirements are fully satisfied is the oil allowed to be sold as certified sustainable palm oil
Keyword : requirements, fully satisfied, certified, sustainable palm oil
Keyword location: paragraph G, lines 6-7
Explanation: Lines 6-7 of paragraph G says that the sector is now governed by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). The oil can only be sold as certified sustainable palm oil once all of these conditions have been met (CSPO). Then, option B is one of the correct answer.

Question 22:

Answer: C
Supporting sentence: Over the past decade or so, an agreement has gradually been reached regarding standards that producers of palm oil have to meet in order for their product to be regarded as officially ‘sustainable’.
Keyword : past, decade, agreement, sustainable
Keyword location: paragraph G, lines 3-8
Explanation: Lines 3-8 of paragraph G implies about a body called the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO). A consensus has progressively developed over the past ten years. Hence, option C is the another right answer of this question.

Questions 23-26

Complete the sentences below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 23-26 on your answer sheet.

Question 23: One advantage of palm oil for manufacturers is that it stays ……………………… even when not refrigerated.

Answer: solid
Supporting sentence: Primarily because its unique properties – such as remaining solid at room temperature – make it an ideal ingredient for long-term preservation
Keyword : unique properties, solid, room temperature, long-term preservation
Keyword location: paragraph A, lines 4-5
Explanation: The fourth to fifth lines of paragraph A says about the unique qualities. The abilities such as its ability to remain solid at room temperature. One advantage of palm oil for manufactures is that it stays solid without being kept in a refrigerator.

Question 24: The ……………………… is the best known of the animals suffering habitat loss as a result of the spread of oil palm plantations.

Answer: (Sumatran) orangutan
Supporting sentence: Endangered species – most famously the Sumatran orangutan, but also rhinos, elephants, tigers, and numerous other fauna – have suffered from the unstoppable spread of oil palm plantations.
Keyword : Sumatran orangutan, suffered, unstoppable spread, palm plantations
Keyword location: paragraph C, lines 5-7
Explanation: The fifth to seventh lines of paragraph C explains about some endangered species. It says about exotic species, most notably the Sumatran orangutan. The sumantran orangutan is thus the best known of the endangered animals that suffering habitat loss for the expansion of palm plantations.

Question 25: As one of its criteria for the certification of sustainable palm oil, the RSPO insists that growers check ……………………… on a routine basis.

Answer: carbon stocks
Supporting sentence: The RSPO insists upon no virgin forest clearing, transparency and regular assessment of carbon stocks, among other criteria.
Keyword : RSPO, virgin forest clearing, assessment, carbon stocks
Keyword location: paragraph G, lines 5-6
Explanation: The RSPO mandates, among other things, transparency, regular assessments of carbon stocks, and the preservation of virgin forests. So, RSPO insists that growers check carbon stocks on a routine basis.

Question 26: Ellwood and his researchers are looking into whether the bird’s nest fern could restore ……………………… in areas where oil palm trees are grown.

Answer: biodiversity
Supporting sentence: Ellwood believes that reintroducing the bird’s nest fern into oil palm plantations could potentially allow these areas to recover their biodiversity, providing a home for all manner of species, from fungi and bacteria, to invertebrates such as insects, amphibians, reptiles and even mammals
Keyword : Ellwood, bird’s nest fern, biodiversity, manner of species
Keyword location: paragraph H, lines 6-8
Explanation: The sixth to eighth line of paragraph H says that it can help these places regain their biodiversity. It assists giving a home to a wide range of species, from fungi and bacteria to invertebrates like insects, amphibians, reptiles, and even mammals.

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