A Short History of Tea: Reading Answers & Explanations
IELTS Reading practice test · 13 questionsAcademicmedium
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About this passage
The passage opens: “Tea is one of the most widely consumed drinks in the world, second only to water in many estimations, yet its origins lie in a single plant and a long history of cultivation and trade. All true tea, whether green, black or oolong, is produced from the leaves of Camellia sinensis, an evergreen shrub native to parts of…”
- Passage length: about 787 words
- Questions: 13
- Question types: True / False / Not Given, Multiple Choice, Short Answer
“A Short History of Tea” is an original IELTS-style practice passage written by IELTS-Bank. It is not taken from an official IELTS or Cambridge test, so these answers only apply to our version.
Answer key at a glance
A Short History of Tea answers with explanations
Questions 1–5: True / False / Not Given
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage? Write TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN.
- 1
Green, black and oolong teas are all made from the same species of plant.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 1 “All true tea, whether green, black or oolong, is produced from the leaves of Camellia sinensis, an evergreen shrub native to parts of East and South Asia.”
- 2
The story of the emperor Shen Nong is regarded by the passage as reliable historical fact.
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Answer: FALSE
Why: This sentence directly contradicts the statement, so the answer is FALSE.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “Such stories are charming but cannot be treated as history, and the true beginnings of tea drinking are lost in the distant past.”
- 3
Lu Yu wrote his famous work on tea during the Tang dynasty.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “By the time of the Tang dynasty, tea had become firmly established in Chinese culture, and it was during this period that the scholar Lu Yu composed a famous work devoted entirely to the subject.”
- 4
When tea first reached Europe, it was cheap and available to everyone.
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Answer: FALSE
Why: This sentence directly contradicts the statement, so the answer is FALSE.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “At first tea was an expensive luxury available only to the wealthy, and it was regarded by some as an exotic novelty of doubtful value.”
- 5
The British government banned the import of Chinese tea in order to protect Indian plantations.
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Answer: NOT GIVEN
Why: The statement claims the British government banned Chinese tea imports to protect Indian plantations, but the passage neither confirms nor denies this, only mentioning British efforts to grow tea in India to reduce dependence on China.
Closest related text · Paragraph 5 “In an effort to reduce their dependence on Chinese supplies, the British sought to grow tea within their own empire, and large plantations were established in parts of India, notably in the Assam region, where a variety of the plant suited to the local conditions was cultivated.”
Question 6: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. the use of entirely different plants
- B. the way the leaves are treated after picking
- C. the country in which the plant is grown
- D. the age of the shrub when it is harvested
- 6
According to the passage, what mainly creates the differences between types of tea?
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Answer: B — the way the leaves are treated after picking
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — the way the leaves are treated after picking.
Evidence · Paragraph 1 “The differences between the various kinds of tea arise not from different plants but from how the harvested leaves are treated after picking, particularly the extent to which they are allowed to oxidise before being dried.”
Question 7: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. through European traders
- B. as a gift from Chinese emperors
- C. through Buddhist monks returning from travels
- D. by means of large commercial plantations
- 7
How is tea said to have reached Japan?
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Answer: C — through Buddhist monks returning from travels
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports C — through Buddhist monks returning from travels.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “…it took particularly deep root in Japan, where Buddhist monks are thought to have carried tea seeds and drinking practices back from their travels.”
Question 8: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. to reduce their dependence on Chinese supplies
- B. because tea could not be grown in China
- C. to provide work for European settlers
- D. because Indian tea was cheaper to transport to Japan
- 8
Why did the British establish tea plantations in India?
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Answer: A — to reduce their dependence on Chinese supplies
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports A — to reduce their dependence on Chinese supplies.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “In an effort to reduce their dependence on Chinese supplies, the British sought to grow tea within their own empire, and large plantations were established in parts of India.”
Question 9: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. in dry lowland regions
- B. in cooler, higher-altitude areas
- C. only in the country of China
- D. in places with very little rainfall
- 9
What does the passage say about where the finest teas are often grown?
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Answer: B — in cooler, higher-altitude areas
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — in cooler, higher-altitude areas.
Evidence · Paragraph 7 “…the finest teas are often associated with cooler, higher-altitude areas where the leaves grow more slowly.”
Questions 10–13: Short Answer
Answer the questions below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
- 10
What is the scientific name of the plant from which all true tea is produced?(max 2 words)
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Answer: Camellia sinensis
Why: The answer “Camellia sinensis” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 1 “All true tea, whether green, black or oolong, is produced from the leaves of Camellia sinensis, an evergreen shrub native to parts of East and South Asia.”
- 11
Which nationality of merchants is credited with being among the earliest to import tea in large quantities?(max 2 words)
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Answer: Dutch (also accepted: Dutch merchants)
Why: The answer “Dutch” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “Dutch merchants are generally credited with being among the earliest to import it in significant quantities during the seventeenth century.”
- 12
In which region of India were plantations established using a locally suited variety of the plant?(max 3 words)
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Answer: Assam (also accepted: the Assam region / Assam region)
Why: The answer “Assam” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 3-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “…large plantations were established in parts of India, notably in the Assam region, where a variety of the plant suited to the local conditions was cultivated.”
- 13
What did the British commonly add to their tea?(max 2 words)
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Answer: milk
Why: The answer “milk” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 6 “In Britain the practice of adding milk became common, and an afternoon meal centred on tea, accompanied by light food, developed into a recognised social occasion.”
Estimated band score for this test
Your raw score out of 13 scaled to the 40-question IELTS Reading (Academic) conversion table. This is the same estimate the practice page shows after you submit. A single passage is a small sample, so treat it as a guide.
| Correct answers | Estimated band |
|---|---|
| 13 / 13 | 9.0 |
| 12 / 13 | 8.5 |
| 11 / 13 | 7.5 |
| 10 / 13 | 7.0 |
| 9 / 13 | 6.5 |
| 8 / 13 | 6.0 |
| 7 / 13 | 5.5 |
| 5–6 / 13 | 5.0 |
| 4 / 13 | 4.0 |
| 3 / 13 | 3.5 |
| 2 / 13 | 3.0 |
| 1 / 13 | 2.0 |
| 0 / 13 | 0.0 |
Full-test score? Use the IELTS band calculator.
Tips for the question types in this test
True / False / Not Given
- Read the statement first and underline the key idea, especially any qualifiers like "all", "only", "never", "always", "more than" or dates and numbers.
- Because the questions follow the order of the passage, scan for the paragraph that deals with the same topic rather than re-reading everything.
Common trap: Confusing "False" with "Not Given": choose False only when the passage actively contradicts the statement; if the passage is silent, it is Not Given.
Full True / False / Not Given strategyMultiple Choice
- Read the question stem carefully before the options so you know exactly what is being asked.
- Because multiple-choice questions follow passage order, locate the relevant section and read it in full — the answer usually depends on more than one sentence.
Common trap: Distractors that use exact words from the passage but distort the meaning.
Full Multiple Choice strategyShort Answer
- Read the instructions and note the exact word limit; going over it means zero marks even if the meaning is right.
- Turn each question into a set of keywords and predict what kind of answer it needs (a person, a date, a place, a noun).
Common trap: Exceeding the word limit (writing four words when only three are allowed).
Full Short Answer strategyPractise “A Short History of Tea” under exam conditions
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