Nutmeg – A Valuable Spice IELTS Reading Answers with Explanation

“Nutmeg – A Valuable Spice” is Passage 1 of Cambridge IELTS 15 Academic Reading Test 1. This page gives the answers for Questions 1–13 with a short explanation of why each answer is right, so you can check your work and learn from every mistake. The question types are: Note Completion, True / False / Not Given, Table Completion.

Quick answers: Questions 1–13

Question	Answer
1	oval
2	husk
3	seed
4	mace
5	FALSE
6	NOT GIVEN
7	TRUE
8	Arabs
9	plague
10	lime
11	Run
12	Mauritius
13	tsunami

Questions 1–4: Note Completion

Q	Question	Answer	Why
1	—	oval	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
2	—	husk	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
3	—	seed	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
4	—	mace	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.

Questions 5–7: True / False / Not Given

Q	Question	Answer	Why
5	In the Middle Ages, most Europeans knew where nutmeg was grown.	FALSE	The passage contradicts this statement.
6	The VOC was the world’s first major trading company.	NOT GIVEN	The passage gives no clear information to confirm or reject this statement.
7	Following the Treaty of Breda, the Dutch had control of all the islands where nutmeg grew.	TRUE	The passage agrees with this statement.

Questions 8–13: Table Completion

Q	Question	Answer	Why
8	—	Arabs	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
9	—	plague	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
10	—	lime	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
11	—	Run	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
12	—	Mauritius	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.
13	—	tsunami	Use exactly this wording from the passage, within the word limit.

Tips for these question types

• Completion tasks: check the word limit and the grammar of the gap before you write the answer exactly as it appears in the passage.
• True / False / Not Given: TRUE means the passage says the same thing, FALSE means it says the opposite, and NOT GIVEN means it does not say. Never use your own knowledge.
• Review every mistake. Find the exact sentence in the passage that proves the answer so you can spot the same trap next time.

FAQ

How many questions does this passage have? Nutmeg – A Valuable Spice covers Questions 1–13, which is 13 questions.

Where is this passage from? It is Reading Passage 1 in Cambridge IELTS 15, Academic Test 1.

How should I use these answers? Attempt the passage under timed conditions first, then check your answers here and read the reason for every mistake.

Cambridge IELTS 15 Reading Test 1: all passages
Part 1: Nutmeg – A Valuable Spice (you are here)  |  Part 2: Driverless Cars  |  Part 3: What Is Exploration?

Next: Part 2 answers →

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