All Tomato Ripening: IELTS Reading Answers

The tomato ripening passage is one of the passages of academic reading of the IELTS exam. Generally, it has three passages, and one hour is given to answer it. The style of the passages can be narrative, argumentative, or descriptive. Images, graphs, or other illustrations are provided.

Before going through the tomato ripening passage 2 reading answers of the IELTS reading section, let us look at the structure and how to answer them.

Structure of Tomato Ripening Reading Passage

#1 The reading passage is either taken from newspapers, magazines, or books. The style of the passage is descriptive.

#2 It depicts the process involved in tomato ripening. One picture is given to illustrate the passage.

#3 A total of 14 questions are asked, which are categorised into 3 sets.

#4 One mark will be given for each correct answer, and there is no negative marking for wrong answers.

#5 The first and second category have “fill in the blanks” type questions, and the third one is “true and false.”

#6 No extra time is given to complete.

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IELTS Reading Passage 2 Tomato Ripening Answers

Read the passage carefully.

Tomatoes release ethylene gases in small quantities, which helps in the natural ripening process. But, the ripening is not uniform if we depend on the natural way. That’s why a trickled ethylene gas process of tomato ripening is used to ripen the tomatoes uniformly. The process is held in a special room with controlled temperature conditions.

The controlled ripening process helps the grower to distribute tomatoes of high quality and uniform colour to the market. Growers can also control the timing of marketing and harvesting, resulting in the best use of labour and equipment and maximum returns.

Conditions of Ripening

Tomatoes should be mature green to carry out the ripening process. Humidity does not play a great role in the process. The skin of the tomato is quite waterproof; that’s why only a small amount of moisture loss occurs. The ripening time depends upon the temperature of the ripening room. However, if the temperature rises above 24 degrees Celsius, the colour developed will be orange or yellow, rather than red. The heating and cooling capacity should be such that the tomatoes can be brought to the recommended ripening temperature within 24 hours.

Room Size and its Construction

For a uniform ethylene gas distribution and uniform temperature control, circulation of fan-forced air is required in the room. For good results, and air circulation with a rate of two air volumes per minute (480 cubic meters of air) is recommended. The standard cooling or heating capacity is 0.6 to 1.2 kW per tonne of tomatoes. This results in an air temperature differential of 3.5 to 7 degrees Celsius in the system. These standard rates are important to limit temperature variations in different parts of the room. Ventilation is also provided to exhaust out the dirty air and bring the fresh airs to the room. This clears out the carbon dioxide, which would have interfered in the ripening process.

Temperature Controlling System

Temperature is a very important aspect of the ripening process as out of the total heat load, 80% are the product heat load. This is because of the exchange of fresh air and heat through the external walls. By increasing the temperature, one can increase the ripening rate of tomatoes. Reverse cycle air-conditioners are used to control the cooling and heating capacity where humidity is not of much importance.

Control System and Supplies

With the trickled ethylene gas system, a nominal concentration of ethylene gas is maintained in the ripening room atmosphere by an uninterrupted small, controlled flow of gas of about 10 parts per million (ppm). Through a pressure regulator ethylene gas is released in the room as a bottled gas under high pressure. The gas pressure regulator regulates the pressure and a needle valve manages the flow rate. A closed solenoid valve helps in ensuring the gas is not supplied when the fans and ventilators are switched off. A thermostat, temperature sensing device is used to measure when to supply gas in the room. If all the systems are correctly arranged, the level of the ethylene gas will be sufficient and far below the explosion hazard level. That’s why the tomato-ripening rooms are considered non-hazardous by the electricity commissions and one can install them on the farm.

Tomato Ripening Reading Answers

Question 1 to 3

Fill in the Blanks Type Question (More than 3 words should not be used)

Q1 Tomatoes should be picked when they are mature green.

Q2 Room temperature must be under 24-degree celsius.

Q3 Optimal ripening temperature for fruit must be achieved within 24 hours.

Question 4 to 7

Fill in the Blanks Type Question (More than 3 words should not be used)

Tomatoes are harvested => Placed in the ripening room to regulate ripening and (4) Colouring process => Room air circulation limits temperature (5) variation => Air conditioning controls temperature & humidity => Ideal temperature is reached => Ventilation system controls the amount of (6) Ethylene & (7) Carbon Dioxide => Ethylene gas supplied in pressurised form => Tomatoes are ripened & removed => Tomatoes are marketed.

Question 8 to 14

True and False Type Question ( If the answers are TRUE and FALSE, then write it, and if you think the information is not given in the passage, write NOT GIVEN)

Q8 Carbon dioxide is not beneficial to the ripening process.

Ans. False

Q9 The outside air temperatures determine the amount of extra heating needed in the ripening room.

Ans. False

Q10 Increased temperature can speed up the maturing process.

Ans. True

Q11 For successful tomato ripening, humidity levels need to be carefully monitored.

Ans. False

Q12 The solenoid valve has to be checked at regular intervals.

Ans. Not Given

Q13 A build-up of ethylene gas may result in an explosion.

Ans. True

Q14 Setting up ethylene gas ripening rooms is not always safe.

Ans. True

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Conclusion

If you go through the tomato ripening passage 2 reading answers of IELTS reading, you’ll see that it’s quite easy. The only thing you have to keep in mind is the limited time. You have to be quick. This will be possible only when you practice a lot.

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