Trash Talk Reading Answers

This article contains Trash Talk reading answers, which may help you comprehend the answer method. Check your answers from the image below.

13. B	17. True	21. True	25. Field season
14. D	18. False	22. Most local residents	26. Scholars
15. A	19. True	23. Commercial district
16. C	20. False	24. Amphoras

IELTS reading is considered one of the toughest modules. Therefore you must practise hard. We have provided the reading answers with explanations, which might help you to understand the answer method. The test is for 60 minutes, so you must manage your time effectively, or you could maintain a strategy to solve it quickly.  

There are a total of 14 IELTS Reading question types, out of which we have provided three main question types, asked in the IELTS exam. The passage talks about the dump and its area from ancient times to the present.

• IELTS Reading Locating Information
• IELTS Reading Sentence Completion
• IELTS Reading True/False/Not Given

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Strategies for solving “Trash Talk”

Before taking the Trash Talk reading test, study the provided strategies to improve your IELTS band score.

• ‘Trash Talk reading answers’ is devised from IELTS Academic Reading Test 48, passage 2. It describes the dumpster and its area and how the ancient dump affected the Roman economy.
• Highlight names, dates and features to locate answers easily; this might help you to solve the sentence completion question type.
• Develop skimming and scanning skills to answer questions that require you to locate information inside a passage.
• The True/False/Not Given question type assesses your scanning skills and vocabulary hence you must enhance those skills.
• Please devise a time management strategy, as you have only sixty minutes to complete the reading test.

Refer to the IELTS reading tips.

IELTS Reading Passage - Trash Talk

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 13-26 which are based on Reading Passage 2 below. After you've attempted all of the questions, review your answers using the provided Trash Talk reading answers with locations.

Trash Talk

Sorting through a mountain of pottery to track the Roman oil trade

1. In the heart of Rome's hippest area, surrounded by sushi restaurants and nightclubs with names like Rodeo Steakhouse and Love Story, is the ancient world's largest waste dump: a 150-foot-tall mountain of abandoned Roman amphoras, the ancient world's shipping drums. It takes around 20 minutes to stroll around Monte Testaccio, whose name derives from the Latin testa and Italian cocci, both of which imply "potsherd." But despite its size—nearly a mile in circumference—easy it's to walk by without noticing unless you're on your way to Velavevodetto, a restaurant practically carved into the mountain's side, for some of the best pizza in the city. Most local residents are unaware of what lies beneath the grass, dirt, and scattered trees. Monte Testaccio appears to be a large hill, and Romans are accustomed to living on hills.
2. Although a rubbish dump lacks the allure of the Forum or the Colosseum, I have travelled to Rome to visit the team excavating Monte Testaccio and to hear how historians are utilising its evidence to comprehend the ancient Roman economy. As the present world economy is dependent on light, sweet crude, so too were the ancient Romans reliant on oil, specifically olive oil. And for more than two centuries, beginning at least in the first century A.D, a vast quantity of olive oil-filled amphoras were transported by ship from the Roman provinces into the city, where they were unloaded, empty, and discarded on Monte Testaccio. In the lack of written records or literature on the topic, researching these amphoras is the greatest approach to solving some of the most perplexing questions about the Roman economy: how did it function? How much influence did the emperor have? Which industries were backed by the government, and which operated in a free market or private sector?
3. Monte Testaccio is near the Tiber River in ancient Rome's former commercial district. Numerous imported goods, including oil, were carried into the city and then stored in the massive warehouses surrounding the river before distribution. Professor, how many amphoras are available?" I inquired of José Remesal, Co-Director of the excavations at Monte Testaccio at the University of Barcelona. Everyone who visits the location must ponder the same thing when they realise that the crunching sounds they hear are not caused by stepping on fallen leaves but by amphora fragments. Even the smallest components are exceptionally durable. Remesal says in a deep baritone, "Approximately twenty-five million million. Naturally, precision is tough, he replies with a Mediterranean shrug. I find it difficult to believe that the entire mountain consists of amphoras with no dirt or rubble present. Remesal says, "Yes, those are merely amphoras," as I look down into a 10-foot-deep ditch with disbelief. I cannot think of any place in the world where archaeologists find a tonne of pottery every day. On the bulk of excavations in the Mediterranean, ceramic washing occurs in the afternoons when it is too hot to dig. For the majority of Remesal's crew, a multicultural collection of Spanish and American specialists and students, this is the only activity. During the two-week field season each year, they wash and sift tens of thousands of amphora handles, bodies, shoulders, necks, and tops, cataloguing them and searching for stamped names, painted names, and numbers that disclose the history of each amphora.
4. Although scholar Archaeologists at Monte Testaccio began in the late 19th century, it has only been within the last 30 years that the value of amphoras in understanding the Roman imperial economy has been acknowledged. According to Remesal, the greatest challenge archaeologists and economic historians face is a lack of "serial documentation," or resources that span consecutive years and adequately reflect chronology. It differentiates Monte Testaccio as a unique record of Roman commerce and provides a large quantity of datable evidence in a clear and straightforward sequence. Remesal says, "There is no other place in the region where you could study economic history, food production and distribution, and how the state controlled the transit of a product effectively." It is extraordinary.

Trash Talk Reading Questions

Questions 1 - 4

This reading passage has five paragraphs, A–D.
Which paragraph contains the following information?

Write the correct letter, A-D, as your answer to each question.

1. Concerns regarding the Roman economy
2. A unique characteristic
3. Explanation of the dump
4. Discussion with a professor

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Questions 5 - 9

Complete the sentences below.
Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer. 

5. What lies beneath the grass, dust, and smattering of trees is unknown for _________.
6. Monte Testaccio is located close to old Rome’ __________.
7. Remesal doesn't think the entire mountain is made out of nothing but _____________, dirt or debris.
8. Remesal’s team washes and sorts thousands of amphoras each year’s two-week ___________ .  
9. Remesal’s ___________ began operating at Monte Testaccio in the final decades of the nineteenth century.

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Questions 10 - 14

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage?
In boxes 10-14 on your answer sheet, write

TRUE if the statement is true
FALSE if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN if the information is not given in passage

10. Restaurants and nightclubs are surrounded by the largest rubbish dump in the world.
11. The Colosseum in Rome is equally well-known as the trash dump.
12. Oil was essential to the ancient Roman economy.
13. No information is available regarding the number of amphoras.
14. According to Remesal, Monte Testaccio is a fantastic location for economics study.   

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Trash Talk Reading Answers with Explanation

Trash Talk reading answers with explanations can assist you in correcting errors and identifying the required information for your answer.

(Note: The text in italics is from the reading passage and shows the location from where the answer is taken or inferred. The text in the regular font explains the answer in detail.)

1. B 

Explanation: Paragraph B illustrates, “In the lack of written records or literature on the topic, researching these amphoras is the greatest approach to solve some of the most perplexing questions about the Roman economy: how did it function? How much influence did the emperor have? Which industries were backed by the government, and which operated in a free market or private sector?” Therefore the answer must be B.

2. D

Explanation: As per paragraph D, the primary distinguishing characteristic of monte Testaccio is its unique record of Roman commerce, which gives a great quantity of datable evidence in a clear and plain sequence. The solution is, therefore, D.

3. A

Explanation: It is mentioned in paragraph A that In the middle of Rome's hippest neighbourhood, surrounded by sushi restaurants and nightclubs with names like Rodeo Steakhouse and Love Story, is the old world's greatest waste dump: a 150-foot-tall mountain of abandoned Roman amphoras. The answer is therefore A.

4. C

Explanation: The discussion between the professor is depicted in paragraph C.
“How many amphoras are available, Professor? I contacted José Remesal, co-director of the Monte Testaccio excavations at the University of Barcelona, with my inquiry. When visitors realise that the crunching sounds they hear are not caused by stepping on fallen leaves, but rather amphora fragments, they must all consider the same issue. Even the smallest components possess remarkable durability.” Consequently, the solution is C.

5. Most local residents

Explanation: It is clearly stated in Paragraph A that “Most local residents are unaware of what lies beneath the grass, dirt, and scattered trees. Monte Testaccio appears to be a large hill, and Romans are accustomed to living on hills.” Hence the answer is most local residents.

6. Commercial districts

Explanation: Paragraph C states that Monte Testaccio is situated near the Tiber River in ancient Rome's former commercial district.” Thus the answer is a commercial district.

7. Amphoras

Explanation: The middle lines of paragraph C state that I find it difficult to believe that the entire mountain consists of amphoras, with no dirt or rubble present.  Hence, the answer is Amphoras.

8. Field season

Explanation: The last few lines of paragraph C state that During the two-week field season each year, they wash and sift tens of thousands of amphora handles, bodies, shoulders, necks, and tops, cataloguing them and searching for stamped names, painted names, and numbers that disclose the history of each amphora. Hence, the answer is field season.

9. Scholar

Explanation: The first line of paragraph D states that In spite of the fact that scholar Archaeologists at Monte Testaccio began in the late 19th century, it has only been within the last 30 years that the value of amphoras in understanding the Roman imperial economy has been acknowledged. Hence, the answer is a scholar.

10. True

Explanation: Paragraph A states that In the heart of Rome's hippest area, surrounded by sushi restaurants and nightclubs with names like Rodeo Steakhouse and Love Story, is the ancient world's largest waste dump: a 150-foot-tall mountain of abandoned Roman amphoras, the ancient world's shipping drums.  Hence, the answer is true.

11. False

Explanation: In paragraph B, Although a rubbish dump lacks the allure of the Forum or the Colosseum, I have travelled to Rome to visit the team excavating Monte Testaccio and to hear how historians are utilising its evidence to comprehend the ancient Roman economy. It states that it last the forum of the colosseum thus the answer is false.

12. True

Explanation: In paragraph B, it is clearly mentioned that “As the present world economy is dependent on light, sweet crude, so too were the ancient Romans reliant on oil, specifically olive oil.” Thus the answer is true.

13. False

Explanation: In paragraph C, Remesal says in a deep baritone, "Approximately twenty-five million million. Naturally, precision is tough, he replies with a Mediterranean shrug. He gives the exact number and thus the answer is false.

14. True

Explanation: Remesal states in paragraph D, "There is no other location where you may study economic history, food production and distribution, and how the state regulated the transit of a product." It is exceptional. Thus, the response is correct.

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Conclusion

The "Trash Talk reading answers" blog consists of reading answers with locations which will help you to locate your answers easily. For the IELTS candidate, we have included other passage links which you can refer to for more practice. It can help improve your overall time management abilities.