On a Paris exhibition hall, the world's largest urban rooftop farm grows strawberries, lettuces and herbs in hollow aeroponic towers with no soil. Its designer, Pascal Hardy, says it won't feed the city, but local growing avoids pesticides, long refrigerated journeys and middlemen, and uses 90% less water. The limits: no root vegetables, no fruit trees, and mostly summer crops.
Every block follows the passage in order. The sentences (1-3) are in the second and third paragraphs, the table (4-7) in Hardy's complaints and his answer to them, and TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN (8-13) in the last two paragraphs.
Sentence completion (NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER)
Questions 1-3
How to attack this block: This is the one block with a two-word limit, and all three answers use it differently: a single plural noun, a number with its unit, and a two-word phrase (the one-word version is also accepted). In question 2, write the future daily harvest, not the lettuces and strawberries already picked in one day.
Question 1
Answer: lettucesParagraph 1, middle
Apart from strawberries and herbs, what grows in the vertical tubes?
From identical vertical tubes nearby burst row upon row of lettuces; near those are aromatic herbs, such as basil, sage and peppermint.
Question says → Passage says
Vertical tubesidentical vertical tubes
strawberriesStrawberries that are small, intensely flavoured
herbsaromatic herbs
Why: The paragraph lists what comes out of the tubes: strawberries first, then 'row upon row of lettuces' from the identical tubes, then herbs. The gap sits between strawberries and herbs, so it needs another crop, and a plural noun to match the list.
The trap: Cherry tomatoes, aubergines and chards are in the same paragraph, but they grow in horizontal trays of coconut fibre, not in the tubes.
Question 2
Answer: 1,000 kgParagraph 2, middle
Also accepted: 1000 kg
How much fruit and veg will the farm eventually harvest each day, by weight?
When the remaining two thirds of the vast open area are in production, 20 staff will harvest up to 1,000 kg of perhaps 35 different varieties of fruit and vegetables, every day.
Question says → Passage says
eventuallyWhen the remaining two thirds of the vast open area are in production
as much asup to
a daily harvestharvest… every day
Why: 'In weight' tells you to look for a unit of weight, and '1,000 kg' is the only one. 'As much as' is a paraphrase of 'up to', and 'eventually' matches the future 'will harvest' once the whole roof is in use. Write the number with its unit.
The trap: '3,000 lettuces and 150 punnets' were picked in a single day already, and they're counts, not a weight. '35' is the number of varieties.
Question 3
Answer: food consumptionParagraph 2, last sentence
Also accepted: consumption
What share of the city's food use could the farm's produce eventually cover?
there's no reason why you shouldn't eventually target maybe between 5% and 10% of consumption
Question says → Passage says
It may be possiblethere's no reason why you shouldn't eventually target maybe
as much as 10%between 5% and 10%
the city'sfeed the whole city
Why: The figure 10% leads you straight to Hardy's last sentence, and the word after '10% of' is 'consumption'. The key also accepts 'food consumption', which fits the two-word limit, but 'consumption' on its own is exactly what the passage says.
The trap: Don't write 'whole city' from 'feed the whole city' earlier in his quote. The sentence already says 'the city's', and that line is about what the farm can't do.
Table completion (ONE WORD ONLY)
Questions 4-7
How to attack this block: The table sets the conventional supply chain against Hardy's method, and the answers come from his list of complaints. Match the ideas: chemical treatment, varieties bred to survive long trips, who gets most of the money, and what crops can be chosen for instead. Both spellings of flavour are accepted.
Question 4
Answer: pesticidesParagraph 3, Hardy's second sentence
What is used in large variety when produce is grown by intensive farming?
most of the fruit and vegetables we eat have been treated with something like 17 different pesticides
Question says → Passage says
wide range ofsomething like 17 different
usedtreated with
techniques that pollute airhuge generators of greenhouse gases
Why: The table's 'Growth' column for intensive farming has two points, and the second (polluting techniques) matches the greenhouse gases. The first point, 'a wide range of ___ used', is the 17 different pesticides. One word only, so write the plural 'pesticides'.
The trap: 'Gases' fits the air pollution half of the cell, not the gap. The table already covers that with 'techniques that pollute air'.
Question 5
Answer: journeysParagraph 3, Hardy's third sentence
What do intensive-farming varieties have to survive?
their quality is so poor, because the varieties are selected for their capacity to withstand such substantial journeys
Question says → Passage says
quality not goodtheir quality is so poor
chosenselected
survive longwithstand such substantial
Why: The cell follows the sentence in order: poor quality, then varieties selected to withstand long trips. 'Survive' is 'withstand', and 'long' replaces 'substantial', so the noun after it is 'journeys'. Keep the plural.
The trap: 'Kilometres' is tempting because of '2,000 refrigerated kilometres', but 'survive long kilometres' makes no sense. 'Transport' comes later and is the farm's argument, not this cell.
Question 6
Answer: producersParagraph 3, end of Hardy's quote
Who gets very little of the money in intensive farming?
80% of the price I pay goes to wholesalers and transport companies, not the producers
Question says → Passage says
Salethe price I pay
receive very little of overall income80%… goes to wholesalers and transport companies, not the
Why: If 80% goes to wholesalers and transport companies, the people left with very little are the ones who grew the food. 'Not the producers' tells you who that is.
The trap: 'Wholesalers' is in the same line, but they're the ones taking most of the money, the opposite of the table.
Question 7
Answer: flavourParagraph 4, Hardy's quote
Also accepted: flavor
What can aeroponic farmers choose their crops for?
You can select crop varieties for their flavour, not their resistance to the transport and storage chain
Question says → Passage says
produce chosenselect crop varieties
because of itsfor their
Why: This is the farm's answer to the 'Selection' problem in the row above: varieties chosen for taste instead of toughness. The word after 'for their' is 'flavour'. American 'flavor' is also accepted, but don't mix spellings inside a word.
The trap: 'Resistance' sits in the same sentence, but that's what intensive farming selects for. The passage says aeroponic farmers choose 'not their resistance'.
TRUE / FALSE / NOT GIVEN
Questions 8-13
How to attack this block: The FALSEs contradict clear claims: aeroponics uses a tiny fraction of the electricity of some methods, and most produce suits the summer. Prices are lower than soil-based organic, so that one is TRUE. The passage never says the equipment can be home-made, or how long beans take to grow (only that they take up space).
Question 8
Answer: TRUEParagraph 5, third sentence (and Paragraph 1)
Does urban farming happen both up high and underground?
the world's largest urban rooftop farm… Strawberries are being grown in disused shipping containers, mushrooms in underground carparks.
Question says → Passage says
above groundurban rooftop farm
below groundunderground carparks
Why: The Paris farm is on a rooftop, which is above ground, and mushrooms are grown in underground car parks, which is below it. Both halves of the statement are in the passage, so it's TRUE.
The trap: Some students hunt for one sentence with both 'above' and 'below' and give up. You have to put the rooftop and the car park together.
Question 9
Answer: NOT GIVENParagraph 5, fifth sentence
Can you make some aeroponic equipment yourself?
The equipment weighs little, can be installed on almost any flat surface and is cheap to buy
Question says → Passage says
equipment used in aeroponic farmingThe equipment
Why: The passage gives three facts about the equipment: it's light, easy to install and cheap to buy. 'Cheap to buy' means you buy it. Nothing says whether any of it can be home-made, so it's NOT GIVEN.
The trap: Hardy started on his own apartment roof, which makes it sound like a DIY project. But the passage never says he built his own towers, and 'cheap to buy' doesn't rule home-made parts in or out.
Question 10
Answer: FALSEParagraph 5, last sentence
Does urban farming use more electricity than some other kinds?
It is cheap to run, too, consuming a tiny fraction of the electricity used by some techniques.
Question says → Passage says
relies more on electricityconsuming a tiny fraction of the electricity
some other types of farmingsome techniques
Why: 'A tiny fraction of the electricity' means much less, not more. The statement turns the comparison round, so it's FALSE.
The trap: Pumps, towers and closed circuits sound power-hungry, so you might guess TRUE. The passage states the opposite directly.
Question 11
Answer: TRUEParagraph 6, first sentence
Is aeroponic produce cheaper than soil-grown organic food?
Produce grown this way typically sells at prices that, while generally higher than those of classic intensive agriculture, are lower than soil-based organic growers.
Why: The prices are 'lower than soil-based organic growers', and 'soil-based organic' is the traditional kind of organic. Lower prices mean cheaper, so it's TRUE.
The trap: The same sentence says prices are higher than classic intensive farming. That comparison isn't the one in the statement, so don't let 'higher' pull you to FALSE.
Question 12
Answer: FALSEParagraph 6, second sentence
Can most produce be grown all year round on an aeroponic farm?
There are limits to what farmers can grow this way, of course, and much of the produce is suited to the summer months.
Question says → Passage says
at any time of the yearsuited to the summer months
Why: If much of the produce suits the summer months, it can't be grown at any time of the year. That's a contradiction, so it's FALSE.
The trap: The passage doesn't say 'not in winter' in so many words, which makes NOT GIVEN tempting. But 'suited to the summer' is a clear limit on the season, and it's set out as one of the 'limits'.
Question 13
Answer: NOT GIVENParagraph 6, end of Hardy's quote
Do beans take longer to grow than other vegetables on an urban farm?
And beans tend to take up a lot of space for not much return.
Question says → Passage says
Beansbeans
Why: Hardy's problem with beans is space: lots of room for a small crop. He says nothing about how long they take to grow, so it's NOT GIVEN.
The trap: 'Not much return' can feel like 'slow', and root vegetables are also ruled out nearby. But space and yield aren't growing time, and nothing compares the speed of different vegetables.
TRUE. Rooftops are above ground, and mushrooms grown in underground car parks are below it. Both are in the passage.
Words from this passage worth keeping
resplendently(Paragraph 1)
in a bright, eye-catching and impressive way
sprout(Paragraph 1)
grow out quickly
constraints(Paragraph 2)
limits on what you are able to do
showcase(Paragraph 3)
an example that shows something off to people at its best
fielding enquiries(Paragraph 3)
dealing with questions or requests as they come in
withstand(Paragraph 3)
survive something difficult without damage
booming(Paragraph 5)
growing very fast and successfully
disused(Paragraph 5)
no longer used for its original purpose
Sit this test on Langujet, then come back
The full Cambridge 18 Test 1 reading paper: all three passages, 60 minutes, marked the second you finish with a review of every answer. Already done it? Take it again and see if the same traps still get you.
Cambridge IELTS 18, Test 1, Reading Passage 1. The passage and questions belong to Cambridge University Press and are not reproduced here. We quote short extracts only as evidence for our own commentary, and the answers are published for self-marking. Get the book for the full text, or sit the test on Langujet.
