Practice test: Passage 1
Note
Set a timer for 15 minutes and answer Questions 1 to 13 before you look at the answer key.
The Future of Urban Farming
The world's population is projected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, with around two thirds of people living in cities. Feeding this population with traditional agriculture, which already uses about 70% of the world's freshwater withdrawals and roughly half of its habitable land, puts heavy pressure on the environment. Urban farming, the practice of growing food within cities, is emerging as a possible complement to rural agriculture.
Vertical farms, in particular, have gained attention. These facilities grow crops in stacked layers, often inside controlled-environment buildings. By using hydroponics (growing plants in nutrient-rich water rather than soil) and aeroponics (misting roots with nutrients), some vertical farms claim to produce up to 350 times more food per square metre than conventional farming. They can also use up to 95% less water, because closed-loop systems recycle moisture that would otherwise evaporate.
However, critics argue that vertical farming is energy-intensive. Artificial lighting, climate control and water circulation require large amounts of electricity, which, if it comes from fossil fuels, could cancel out the environmental benefits. Supporters reply that as renewable energy becomes cheaper and power grids improve, the carbon footprint of vertical farms will fall substantially.
In Singapore, where land is extremely scarce, the government has invested heavily in urban agriculture. When it set a goal of producing 30% of its nutritional needs locally, the city-state was producing less than 10%. Similarly, in Bangalore, rooftop gardens and community plots are becoming popular among households looking for pesticide-free vegetables.
Despite its promise, urban farming faces regulatory obstacles. Zoning laws in many cities do not allow agricultural activity in residential or commercial areas. In addition, the high start-up cost of vertical farms, which can run into tens of millions of dollars for a commercial facility, discourages small entrepreneurs. Until governments offer subsidies or tax incentives, urban farming may remain a niche solution rather than a mainstream one.
Questions 1 to 5: True / False / Not Given
Do the following statements agree with the information in the passage? Write TRUE if the statement agrees with the information, FALSE if it contradicts the information, NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this.
- Traditional agriculture uses more than half of the world's habitable land.
- All vertical farms produce 350 times more food per square metre than traditional farms.
- Supporters believe the carbon footprint of vertical farms will decrease as renewable energy becomes cheaper.
- Bangalore has more rooftop gardens than any other city in India.
- The cost of building a commercial vertical farm can discourage small business owners.
Questions 6 to 9: Matching headings
Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list below. There is one extra heading.
List of headings
- i. The environmental cost of conventional farming
- ii. Criticisms of vertical farming technology
- iii. Government investment in city-based agriculture
- iv. How vertical farms grow crops
- v. Legal and financial barriers to expansion
- Paragraph 2
- Paragraph 3
- Paragraph 4
- Paragraph 5
Questions 10 to 13: Sentence completion
Complete the sentences. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
- In vertical farms, plants are grown in stacked layers inside ______ buildings.
- In aeroponics, plant roots are misted with ______.
- When Singapore set its target, it produced less than ______ of its nutritional needs locally.
- Urban farming may not become mainstream until governments offer ______ or tax incentives.
