The History of Salt Reading Answers

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Solution for The History of Salt

1. B	5. Applications	9. True	13. True
2. E	6. Portable commodity	10. Not Given
3. F	7. Taxes	11. False
4. Essential element	8. Spirits	12. False

In this post, we have given the reading passage and the history of reading answers which provides you feedback. Of all the four sections in IELTS, reading is the one in which everyone needs to practice the most, but it can be made easier if a student follows the strategies provided by IELTS reading experts. 

There are three significant IELTS reading question types made along with the practice test, which prepares you for an actual IELTS exam. And, also we have given the history of salt reading answers. You will practice the following question types in this passage.

• IELTS reading matching features questions
• IELTS reading summary completion questions
• IELTS reading true false not given questions 

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Strategies for solving “The History of Salt Reading Answers”

• In the summary question type, you should focus on the keywords of the question and then try to find an answer in the passage.
• In the matching features question type, you should first understand the question and then you should eliminate the wrong options for the question. After following this strategy, you will get your answer in the minimum amount of time.
• In the true, false, not given question type, you should focus on the concept of the provided question. If the question completely matches the information in the passage, then it would be true, but if the information provided in the question completely contradicts the information in the passage, then it would be false.
• The History of Salt Reading answers is a slightly difficult reading passage that will test your time management skills in IELTS reading.
• On a full-scale reading test, try to finish all three passages in 55 minutes, so you can have time to check the answers.
• After finishing the test, always check the spelling of the answers you have written because many people make silly mistakes by making spelling errors in the exam.
• This blog will have an explanation of the answers in which justification of the answers will be given, so check that to see your mistakes. 

For achieving a high band score in the IELTS Reading exam, you should follow the proper tips, which are IELTS reading tips here.

IELTS Reading Passage - The History of Salt

You should complete this test in 20 minutes. After completing the test, you can review your attempt with The History of Salt Reading Answers with explanation. 

The History of Salt

We practically take salt for granted since it is so straightforward and common. One of the most fundamental compounds on earth, salt is made up of two ions, sodium, and chloride, according to chemical theory. Furthermore, it is one of the most abundant: it has been calculated that the salt reserves beneath the state of Kansas alone could provide all of the world's demands for the next 250,000 years.

However, salt is also a crucial component. Without it, life would be impossible since the human body needs the mineral to operate correctly. The concentration of sodium ions in the blood is directly connected to the maintenance of normal body fluid levels. We are all aware of the various applications for this element in cooking, but we may not be aware of its 14,000 commercial uses for it. Salt plays an important role in our everyday lives, from the production of pulp and paper to the set of colors in fabrics, from the production of soaps and detergents to the safety of our roads in the winter.

Throughout history, salt has played a significant and enduring role. It has played a significant role in the development of social, political, religious, and economic systems since the birth of civilization. It has inspired mythology, superstition, and even acts of violence all throughout the globe. It has even been used as money.

Salt has always been a vital component of economies since it is a valuable and transportable resource. In fact, the natural surface salt deposits observed there led scholar M.R. Bloch to hypothesize that civilization first emerged around the margins of the desert. Bloch also suggested that the first conflict, which took place near the ancient city of Assault on the Jordan River, may have been fought over the city's valuable deposits of the mineral.

One of the earliest taxes recorded was enforced by the Chinese monarch Hsia Yu in 2200 BC. He assessed salt. Small salt cakes imprinted with the Grand Khan were used as currency in Tibet, according to Marco Polo, and the Danakil Plains nomads of Ethiopia still use them today. Greek slave dealers often exchanged it for slaves, giving origin to the phrase "not worth his salt" when referring to someone. A solarium, the Latin word for "salary," was the currency used to pay Roman legionnaires.

This mineral was valued equally to books and gold by merchants in Timbuktu, the center of learning and the entrance to the Sahara Desert, in the 12th century. In order to pay for his acquisition of the Kingdom of Naples, Charles of Anjou imposed the "gabelle," a salt tax, on  France in 1259. The French Revolution was sparked by outrage about the gabelle. Although the tax was abolished by the revolutionaries soon after Louis XVI, the gabelle was reinstated by the Republic of France at the beginning of the 19th century, and it was only officially abolished in 1946.

The Erie Canal, which opened in 1825 and linked the Great Lakes to New York's Hudson River, was dubbed "the ditch that salt built." Half of the cost of building the canal was covered by salt tax income. A thriving illicit market for white crystal resulted from the British monarchy's use of hefty salt taxes to fund its own existence. The Earl of Dundonald reported in 1785 that 10,000 people were detained for salt smuggling in England each year. Mahatma Gandhi also conducted a 200-mile march to the Arabian Ocean in 1930 as part of a protest against British rule to gather untaxed salt for India's underprivileged.

Greek worshipers consecrated salt in ancient rites, giving it a significant role in both religion and society. It is also traditional to toss salt over your shoulder before entering your home after burial because, according to Buddhist tradition, doing so frightens away any bad spirits that could be clinging to your back. It is also used to cleanse a region in the Shinto faith. A handful is tossed into the middle of the ring before the sumo wrestlers enter for the bout, which is really a complex Shinto ritual, to ward off evil spirits.

The Pueblo people of the American Southwest revere the Salt Mother. Other aboriginal groups had stringent limitations on who might consume salt. According to Hopi folklore, the furious Warrior Twins punished humanity by locating lucrative salt mines far from civilization, requiring hard effort and courage to extract the valuable mineral. The Dalai Lama was buried sitting up on a bed of salt in 1933. Today, a gift of salt is still considered a powerful sign of good luck and a nod to Mahatma Gandhi's independence of India.

During times of conflict, when human bodies and national economies are taxed to their maximum, the impacts of salt deprivation are accentuated. Thousands of Napoleon's men perished during the French retreat from Moscow as a consequence of poor wound healing and illness resistance caused by salt deprivation.

The History of Salt  IELTS Reading questions

Question 1–3

Choose three letters from A-H.

Which THREE statements are true about salt?

A. A number of cities take their names from the word salt.
B. Salt contributed to the French Revolution.
C. The uses of salt are countless.
D. Salt has been produced in China for less than 2000 years.
E. There are many commercial applications for salt.
F. Salt deposits in the state of Kansas are vast.
G. Salt has few industrial uses nowadays.
H. Slaves used salt as a currency.

Do more practice in the IELTS reading matching features question type to create smoothness in this question type.

Question 4–8

Complete the summary.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 17-21 on your answer sheet.

Salt is such a 4…………………….that people would not be able to live without it. As well as its uses in cooking, this basic mineral has thousands of businesses 5…………………….ranging from making paper to the manufacture of soap. Being a prize and 6…………………………., it has played a major part in the economies of many countries. As such, salt has not only led to war but has also been used to raise 7……………………by governments in many parts of the world. There are also many instances of its place in religion and culture, being used as a means to get rid of evil 8……………………..

Practice IELTS reading summary completion for a better understanding of this question type.

Question 9–14

Do the following statements agree with the information in the Reading Passage?

TRUE             if the statement agrees with the information.
FALSE           if the statement contradicts the information.
NOT GIVEN  if there is no information about the statement.

9. It has been suggested that salt was responsible for the first war.
10. The first tax on salt was imposed by a Chinese emperor.
11. Salt is no longer used as a form of currency.
12. Most of the money for the construction of the Erie Canal came from salt taxes.
13. Hopi legend believes that salt deposits were placed far away from civilization to penalize mankind.
14. A lack of salt is connected with the deaths of many of Napoleon’s soldiers during the French retreat from Moscow.

Do practice the IELTS Reading True False Not Given as it mostly appears in the real IELTS reading exam.

The History of Salt Reading Answers with an explanation

Understand your solutions comprehensively with the history of salt reading answers with explanation.

1. B.

Keyword Location: 6th Paragraph, 3rd line

Explanation: This mineral was prized as highly as manuscripts and gold by traders in 12th-century Timbuktu, the entrance to the Sahara Desert and the center of academic life. To fund his invasion of the County of Naples, Charles of Anjou imposed the "gabelle," a salt tax, in 1259 throughout France. The French Revolution was sparked by outrage about the gabelle. Though the levy was abolished by the revolutionaries immediately after Louis XVI, the gabelle was reinstated by the Republic of France in the early nineteenth century, and it was only abolished in 1946.

2. E.

Keyword Location: 2nd Paragraph, 4th line

Explanation: Salt, on the other hand, is a necessary component. Because the human body needs the mineral to operate correctly, life would be unthinkable without it. The management of safe bodily fluid levels is closely connected to the presence of sodium ions in the bloodstream. While we are all aware of its numerous culinary applications, we may not even be aware that it is also utilized in over 14,000 commercial applications. Salt is used in a variety of ways, from generating pulp and paper to fixing colors in fabrics and cloth, from producing soaps and detergents to keeping our roads safe in the winter.

3. F. 

Keyword Location: 1st Paragraph, 3rd line

Explanation: We nearly take salt for granted since it is so easy and abundant. Salt is a chemical compound made up of a sodium ion and a chloride ion, rendering it one of the most basic molecules here on the planet. It's one of the most abundant: salt reserves under Kansas could provide the whole world's requirements for the next 250,000 years, according to estimates.

4. Essential element.

Keyword Location: 2nd Paragraph, 1st line

Explanation: Salt, on the other hand, is a necessary component. Because the human body requires the mineral to operate correctly, life would be unthinkable without it. The management of safe bodily fluid levels is closely connected to the number of sodium ions in the bloodstream. While we are all aware of its numerous culinary applications, we may not know that it is also utilized in over 14,000 commercial applications. Salt is used in a variety of ways, from generating pulp and paper to fixing colors in fabrics and fabric, from producing soaps and detergents to keeping our roads safe in the winter.

5. Applications.

Keyword Location: 2nd Paragraph, 4th line.

Explanation: Salt, on the other hand, is a necessary component. Because the human body requires the mineral to operate correctly, life would be unthinkable without it. The management of safe bodily fluid levels is closely connected to the number of sodium ions in the bloodstream. While we are all aware of its numerous culinary applications, we may not know that it is also utilized in over 14,000 commercial applications. Salt is used in a variety of ways, from generating pulp and paper to fixing colors in fabrics and fabric, from producing soaps and detergents to keeping our roads safe in the winter.

6. Portable commodity.

Keyword Location: 4th Paragraph, 1st line.

Explanation: Salt has always been a valuable and portable commodity that has served as a foundation for economies throughout history. Indeed, according to scholar M.R. Bloch civilization originated on the outskirts of the desert due to the natural subsurface salt deposits present there. Bloch also thought that the first conflict, which took place near the old civilization of Essalt just on the Jordan River, was fought over the city's valuable mineral resources.

7. Taxes.

Keyword Locations: 5th Paragraph, 1ST line

Explanation: The Chinese monarch Hsia Yu imposed one of the earliest recorded levies in 2200 BC. He imposed a salt charge. Marco Polo observed that little cakes of salt were stamped with pictures of the Grand Khan or used as currency in Tibet, but it is still used as money among some of the nomadic of Ethiopia's Danakil Plains. Slavery traffickers in Greece frequently exchanged it for slaves, giving birth to the phrase "not worth his salt." A solarium, the Latin root of the term "salary," was used to pay Roman legionnaires.

8. Spirits.

Keyword Locations: 8th Paragraph, 2nd line

Explanation: Salt has always maintained a sacred position in Greek religion and culture, with Greek worshipers using it in their ceremonies. Furthermore, salt is said to repel bad spirits in the Buddhist tradition, and that is why throwing it over your shoulders before entering your country after a funeral is a common practice: it drives away any evil spirits which may be hanging from your back. It is also used in the Shinto faith to cleanse a place. A handful of rice is put into the middle of the ring before baseball players enter the arena for a battle — which is actually an intricate Shinto ceremony – to ward off evil spirits.

9. True.

Keyword Locations: 4th Paragraph, 3rd line

Explanation: Salt has always been a valuable and portable commodity that has served as a foundation for economies throughout history. Indeed, according to scholar M.R. Bloch civilization originated on the outskirts of the desert due to the natural surface salt deposits present there. Bloch also thought that the first conflict, which took place near the old civilization of Essalt just on the Jordan River, was fought over the city's valuable mineral resources.

10. Not Given. 

Explanation: The Chinese monarch Hsia Yu imposed one of the earliest recorded levies in 2200 BC. He imposed a salt charge. Marco Polo observed that little cakes of salt were stamped with pictures of the Grand Khan or used as currency in Tibet, but it is still used as money among some of the nomadic of Ethiopia's Danakil Plains. Slavery traffickers in Greece frequently exchanged it for slaves, giving birth to the phrase "not worth his salt." A solarium, the Latin root of the term "salary," was used to pay Roman legionnaires.

11. False. 

Keyword Locations: 3rd Paragraph, 3rd line.

Explanation: In world history, salt has played a significant role. It has been an important factor in economic, spiritual, cultural, and political growth since the birth of humanity. It has been the topic of superstition, mythology, and conflict in every corner of the world, and it has also been employed as currency.

12. False.

Keyword Locations: 7th Paragraph, 1st line

Explanation: The Erie Canal, which opened in 1825 and linked the Great Lakes to that same Hudson River in New York, has been dubbed "the ditch that salt built." Part of the canal's construction cost was covered by salt tax income. High salt taxes sustained the British monarchy, resulting in a thriving illicit market for a white crystal. William Earl of Dundonald reported in 1785 that 10,000 persons were detained in England each year for salt trafficking. In 1930, Mahatma Gandhi led a 200-mile walk to the Arabian Ocean in opposition to British rule, collecting untaxed salt for India's destitute.

13. True.

Keyword Locations: 9th Paragraph, 2nd line

Explanation: Pueblo people throughout the Southwest of the United States revere the Salt Mother. Other aboriginal cultures maintained tight rules on who was allowed to ingest salt. According to Hopi tradition, the enraged Warrior Twins punished humanity by putting lucrative salt deposits far away from civilization, requiring hard effort and bravery to extract. The Dalai Lama was cremated while sitting up in a salt pool in 1933. A gift of salt is still considered a powerful sign of best wishes and a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi's independence of India today.

14. True.

Keyword Locations: 10th Paragraph, 2nd line

Explanation: During times of conflict, when human bodies and financial systems are pushed to their limits, the impacts of salt shortages are accentuated. Thousands of Napoleon's men perished during the French withdrawal from Moscow as a consequence of poor tissue repair and infection resistance caused by a lack of salt.

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Conclusion

We believe you will find this article “The History of Salt Reading Answers” beneficial for you to prepare for your IELTS reading test. Practice all the question types of reading and do not miss the other important reading passages given above.