Bringing Cinnamon To Europe Reading Answers is a passage that explores the long journey of cinnamon from Asia to Europe and its role in shaping global trade. This cinnamon trade IELTS reading passage highlights how Arab, Portuguese, Dutch, and English traders controlled the spice routes for centuries. Students preparing for the exam will find the Bringing Cinnamon
Bringing Cinnamon to Europe Reading Answers are useful for understanding historical trade, cultural practices, and economic shifts. For better preparation, learners can also explore related resources like bringing cinnamon to Europe IELTS test, cinnamon spice IELTS reading explanation, and other IELTS Reading Topics.
Given here is the IELTS Bringing Cinnamon To Europe Reading Answers Passage is a popular cinnamon trade. This is an IELTS reading passage that examines how the spice reached Europe through Arab, Portuguese, Dutch, and English traders. Bringing Cinnamon To Europe Reading Answers Passage is part of the key IELTS Reading Topics. Thereby helping learners improve comprehension and prepare for multiple question types.
The inner bark of trees within the genus Cinnamomum, indigenous to the Indian subcontinent, is used to make cinnamon, a sweet, aromatic spice. It was well-known throughout the period of the Bible and is referenced in a number of its books as a component that was combined with oils for application to people's bodies as well as a token indicating friendship among lovers and friends. For a nice aroma, mourners in ancient Rome who were attending funerals would burn cinnamon. However, the spice was most frequently used as a food and beverage additive. The spice was used in the Middle Ages by Europeans who could afford it to flavor meals, especially meat, and to show off to others their capacity to get an expensive condiment from the "strange" East. A host would provide visitors with a platter during a feast with a variety of spices piled on it as a symbol of the wealth at his or her disposal. Additionally, cinnamon was said to offer health advantages and be able to treat a number of conditions, including indigestion.
At the end of the Middle Ages, the European middle classes started to aspire to the living of the privileged, such as their use of spices. The need for cinnamon and other spices increased as a result. At that time, Arab traders carried cinnamon and kept the location of the spice's origin a closely-guarded secret from possible competitors. They rode camels through the desert to the Mediterranean from India, where it was cultivated. When they arrived in Alexandria, their trip was over. European merchants sailed there to get their supply of cinnamon, then returned to Venice with it. The spice then made its way from that important commercial port to marketplaces across Europe. Due to Venice's near monopoly on the trade and the limited availability of the spice due to the overland trade route, the Venetians established a price of cinnamon extravagantly high. These costs and the rising demand encouraged Europeans who wanted to participate in the spice trade to look for new ways to Asia.
Portuguese traders came to Ceylon in the 15th century in the quest for cinnamon riches. Before Europeans arrived, the state produced cinnamon. Salagama members would pull cinnamon bark from fresh trees during the rainy season when it was more flexible. The coiled bark created the spice's "stick" shape while peeling. Salagama gave the finished object as an homage to the monarch. The Portuguese enslaved many more native Ceylonese to increase cinnamon production. 1518: Portugal builds a fort in Ceylon. This allowed them to secure the island, monopolize cinnamon trading, and generate huge profits. In the 16th century, Ceylon's cinnamon exports to India yielded a 10-fold profit. Eight days were spent traveling.
The Dutch had the goal of dethroning the Portuguese as the rulers of cinnamon when they first arrived off the southern Asian coast at the start of the 17th century. The interior Ceylonese kingdom of Kandy was linked with the Dutch. They shielded the native ruler from the Portuguese in exchange for gifts of elephants and cinnamon. When the Dutch invaded and took control of the Portuguese industries in 1649, they ended the 150-year Portuguese monopoly. They had successfully driven the Portuguese from the island by 1658, seizing control of the valuable cinnamon trade in the process.
Just like the Portuguese preceding them, the Dutch also mistreated the locals in order to maintain their market dominance. The Dutch started changing the Ceylonese harvesting procedures in order to increase production and feed Europe's insatiable need for cinnamon. As a result of routine bark-stripping, the island's stock of cinnamon trees eventually became almost depleted. The Dutch eventually started growing their domestic cinnamon trees to augment the dwindling supply of natural trees.
The Dutch lost their monopoly over cinnamon when the English arrived in Ceylon in 1996. The output of cinnamon increased to 1,000 tonnes annually by the middle of the 19th century as a lower-grade composition of the spice became more palatable to European palates. By then, Brazil, Guyana, the West Indies, and other areas of the Indian Ocean were also growing cinnamon. A monopoly of cinnamon was no longer viable, and the economic potential of the spice trade as a whole was declining. Ultimately, coffee, tea, chocolate, and sugar commerce overtook spices.
Aspirants must practice with Sample Questions on IELTS Bringing Cinnamon To Europe Reading Answers. Such passages can strengthen their preparation for the bringing cinnamon to Europe IELTS test. These practice sets cover IELTS Reading Question Types such as sentence completion, multiple choice, and help in boosting accuracy for a higher IELTS Reading Band Score. Mentioned here is the set of sample questions on IELTS Bringing Cinnamon to Europe Reading Answer:
Write TRUE if the statement agrees with the information in the passage, FALSE if it contradicts it, and NOT GIVEN if there is no information.
Why did Europeans use cinnamon during the Middle Ages?
A. To preserve food
B. To flavor food and display wealth
C. To treat skin diseases
D. To use in construction
Where did Arab traders end their cinnamon trade route?
A. Venice
B. Alexandria
C. Lisbon
D. Ceylon
When did the Dutch finally defeat the Portuguese and gain control of Ceylon?
A. 1518
B. 1649
C. 1658
D. 1996
Complete the sentences below using NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage.
Cinnamon is obtained from the inner bark of trees belonging to the genus ________.
In 1518, Portugal built a ________ in Ceylon to secure their trade.
The Dutch allied with the kingdom of ________ to fight against the Portuguese.
By the 19th century, cinnamon trade lost its dominance to coffee, tea, ________, and sugar.
Match the following groups with the correct action described in the passage.
Portuguese
Dutch
English
A. Expanded cultivation of cinnamon outside Ceylon
B. Established first monopoly in Ceylon
C. Improved production by altering harvesting methods
Answer the following questions using NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS.
Who were responsible for peeling cinnamon bark before European arrival?
How many days did it take to transport cinnamon from Ceylon to India in the 16th century?
Which European port city played a major role in distributing cinnamon across Europe?
IELTS Bringing Cinnamon To Europe Reading Answers section provides detailed solutions and explanations for this cinnamon spice IELTS reading explanation. This passage guides candidates in solving complex readings. It is useful for learning IELTS Reading Test Format, structure, and strategies on how to improve IELTS Reading Score effectively.
Check the below given answers of the above questions to check your progress:
IELTS Bringing Cinnamon To Europe Reading Answers | ||
Question Type | Question | Answer |
True / False / Not Given | Cinnamon was used in ancient Rome funerals for its fragrance. | TRUE |
In the Middle Ages, only the lower classes in Europe could afford cinnamon. | FALSE | |
Arab traders revealed the exact origin of cinnamon to European merchants. | FALSE | |
The Portuguese enslaved Ceylonese locals to boost cinnamon production. | TRUE | |
The English monopoly of cinnamon trade lasted for more than 300 years. | FALSE | |
Multiple Choice | Why did Europeans use cinnamon during the Middle Ages? | B. To flavor food and display wealth |
Where did Arab traders end their cinnamon trade route? | B. Alexandria | |
When did the Dutch finally defeat the Portuguese and gain control of Ceylon? | C. 1658 | |
Sentence Completion | Cinnamon is obtained from the inner bark of trees belonging to the genus ________. | Cinnamomum |
In 1518, Portugal built a ________ in Ceylon to secure their trade. | fort | |
The Dutch allied with the kingdom of ________ to fight against the Portuguese. | Kandy | |
By the 19th century, cinnamon trade lost its dominance to coffee, tea, ________, and sugar. | chocolate | |
Matching Information | Portuguese | B. Established first monopoly in Ceylon |
Dutch | C. Improved production by altering harvesting methods | |
English | A. Expanded cultivation of cinnamon outside Ceylon | |
Short Answer | Who were responsible for peeling cinnamon bark before European arrival? | Salagama members |
How many days did it take to transport cinnamon from Ceylon to India in the 16th century? | Eight days | |
Which European port city played a major role in distributing cinnamon across Europe? | Venice |
IELTS Reading Band Score | IELTS Listening Band Score |
IELTS Speaking Band Score | IELTS Writing Band Score |