The Rise of Vertical Farming: Reading Answers & Explanations
IELTS Reading practice test · 14 questionsAcademicmedium
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About this passage
The passage opens: “Vertical farming is the practice of growing crops in stacked layers rather than spread across open fields. Instead of relying on soil and sunlight in the traditional way, most commercial vertical farms are housed inside controlled indoor environments such as warehouses, shipping containers or purpose-built structures.”
- Passage length: about 769 words
- Questions: 14
- Question types: True / False / Not Given, Multiple Choice, Short Answer
“The Rise of Vertical Farming” 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
The Rise of Vertical Farming answers with explanations
Questions 1–6: True / False / Not Given
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage? Write TRUE, FALSE or NOT GIVEN.
- 1
Most commercial vertical farms are located inside enclosed indoor spaces.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 1 “Instead of relying on soil and sunlight in the traditional way, most commercial vertical farms are housed inside controlled indoor environments such as warehouses, shipping containers or purpose-built structures.”
- 2
In aeroponic systems, plant roots are placed in soil.
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Answer: FALSE
Why: This sentence directly contradicts the statement, so the answer is FALSE.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “Others use aeroponics, where roots hang in the air and are misted with the nutrients they need.”
- 3
Vertical farms can produce crops at any time of year regardless of outdoor weather.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “This level of control means crops can be grown throughout the year, unaffected by the changing seasons or by spells of poor weather outside.”
- 4
Growing crops indoors typically requires more water than field agriculture.
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Answer: FALSE
Why: This sentence directly contradicts the statement, so the answer is FALSE.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “Vertical farms can recycle water within closed systems, and as a result they often use only a small fraction of the water required by field agriculture, where much of the supply is lost to evaporation or drainage.”
- 5
Governments in most countries now offer subsidies to vertical farming companies.
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Answer: NOT GIVEN
Why: The statement claims that most governments offer subsidies to vertical farming companies, but the passage does not confirm or deny this, nor does it mention any government subsidies related to vertical farming.
- 6
The environmental gains of vertical farming can be undermined when its electricity comes from fossil fuels.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “When that power comes from fossil fuels, the environmental benefits of saving water and land can be offset by a heavy carbon footprint.”
Question 7: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. The high cost of building and equipping a facility
- B. A shortage of leafy greens in cities
- C. Government restrictions on staple crops
- D. The difficulty of installing LED lighting
- 7
According to the passage, why do early vertical farming ventures tend to focus on high-value crops?
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Answer: A — The high cost of building and equipping a facility
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports A — The high cost of building and equipping a facility.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “The high cost of building and equipping a facility also means that early ventures have tended to concentrate on high-value crops that can command premium prices.”
Question 8: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. A lack of suitable urban land
- B. Energy consumption
- C. Public distrust of hydroponics
- D. A shortage of trained workers
- 8
The passage identifies which factor as the most serious obstacle facing vertical farming?
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Answer: B — Energy consumption
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — Energy consumption.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “Yet the model faces significant obstacles, and the most serious of these is energy.”
Question 9: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. They cannot survive under artificial lighting
- B. They require chemical pesticides to grow
- C. They take up large volumes, mature slowly and sell for little
- D. They need more carbon dioxide than can be supplied
- 9
Why are staple cereals such as wheat and rice considered impractical for vertical farms?
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Answer: C — They take up large volumes, mature slowly and sell for little
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports C — They take up large volumes, mature slowly and sell for little.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “Staple cereals such as wheat and rice, however, remain impractical, because they occupy large volumes, take longer to mature and sell for relatively little.”
Question 10: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. As a complete replacement for conventional agriculture
- B. As a complement to conventional agriculture
- C. As a method suited only to cereal production
- D. As a technology with no environmental benefits
- 10
How does the passage suggest vertical farming should best be understood?
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Answer: B — As a complement to conventional agriculture
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — As a complement to conventional agriculture.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “…vertical farms are better understood as a complement to conventional agriculture than as a replacement for it.”
Questions 11–14: Short Answer
Answer the questions below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
- 11
What type of energy-efficient fixtures typically replace the sun inside vertical farms?(max 2 words)
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Answer: LED fixtures (also accepted: LED lighting / LED lamps)
Why: The answer “LED fixtures” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “Artificial lighting, typically supplied by energy-efficient LED fixtures, replaces the sun and can be tuned to the specific wavelengths that particular plants absorb most readily.”
- 12
In which growing method are roots bathed in a nutrient-rich water solution?(max 2 words)
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Answer: hydroponics
Why: The answer “hydroponics” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “Many operations depend on hydroponics, a method in which roots are bathed in a nutrient-rich water solution rather than anchored in earth.”
- 13
Which category of fast-growing crop is described as an ideal candidate for vertical farming?(max 2 words)
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Answer: leafy greens (also accepted: leafy green)
Why: The answer “leafy greens” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “Leafy greens such as lettuce, spinach and herbs grow quickly, remain compact and fetch good returns, which makes them ideal candidates.”
- 14
What kind of machines could reduce the labour costs that burden many vertical farms?(max 2 words)
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Answer: robots
Why: The answer “robots” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 7 “Advances in automation, including robots that plant, monitor and harvest crops, could reduce the labour costs that weigh on many operations.”
Estimated band score for this test
Your raw score out of 14 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 |
|---|---|
| 14 / 14 | 9.0 |
| 13 / 14 | 8.5 |
| 12 / 14 | 7.5 |
| 11 / 14 | 7.0 |
| 10 / 14 | 6.5 |
| 8–9 / 14 | 6.0 |
| 7 / 14 | 5.5 |
| 6 / 14 | 5.0 |
| 5 / 14 | 4.5 |
| 4 / 14 | 4.0 |
| 3 / 14 | 3.5 |
| 2 / 14 | 3.0 |
| 1 / 14 | 2.0 |
| 0 / 14 | 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 “The Rise of Vertical Farming” under exam conditions
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