Seaweeds of New Zealand – IELTS Reading Practice

When strolling along the beach, you might dismiss seaweed as nothing more than harmless, drifting vegetation. Yet, beneath that simple exterior lies a world of surprising nutritional, industrial, and scientific value, particularly in the waters surrounding New Zealand. The IELTS reading passage “Seaweeds of New Zealand” invites us to explore this rich ecosystem while testing your reading comprehension through a variety of question types. Let’s dive into this passage with ECE to not only find the correct answers but also uncover fascinating facts about this precious oceanic resource.

Detailed Reading Passage and Questions: Seaweeds of New Zealand

Reading Passage

(A) Seaweed is a particularly wholesome food, which absorbs and concentrates traces of a wide variety of minerals necessary to the body’s health. Many elements may occur in seaweed… Seaweeds are also rich in vitamins… The health benefits of seaweed have long been recognised. For instance, there is a remarkably low incidence of goitre among the Japanese, and also among New Zealand’s indigenous Maori people, who have always eaten seaweeds, and this may well be attributed to the high iodine content of this food.

(B) New Zealand lays claim to approximately 700 species of seaweed… it is estimated that New Zealand has some 30 species of Gigartina… These are often referred to as the New Zealand carrageens. The substance called agar which can be extracted from these species gives them great commercial application in the production of seameal, from which seameal custard is made, and in the canning, paint and leather industries. Agar is also used in the manufacture of cough mixtures, cosmetics, confectionery and toothpastes.

(C) New Zealand has many of the commercially profitable red seaweeds… Despite this, these seaweeds were not much utilised until several decades ago. …New Zealand used to import the Northern Hemisphere Irish moss (Chondrus crispus) from England and ready-made agar from Japan.

(D) Seaweeds are divided into three classes determined by colour – red, brown and green – and each tends to live in a specific position. …the green seaweeds are mainly shallow-water algae; the browns belong to the medium depths; and the reds are plants of the deeper water, furthest from the shore. …Flat rock surfaces near midlevel tides are the most usual habitat of… most brown seaweeds. This is also the home of the purple laver or Maori karengo… Deep-water rocks on open coasts, exposed only at very low tide, are usually the site of bull-kelp…

(E) Propagation of seaweeds occurs by seed-like spores, or by fertilisation of egg cells. None have roots in the usual sense; few have leaves; and none have flowers, fruits or seeds. The plants absorb their nourishment through their leafy fronds when they are surrounded by water…

(F) Some of the large seaweeds stay on the surface of the water by means of air- filled floats; others… have large cells filled with air. Some which spend a good part of their time exposed to the air, often reduce dehydration either by having swollen stems that contain water… or they may have a coating of mucilage on the surface.

Questions

Questions 1-6 (Matching Headings)

1. Paragraph A
2. Paragraph B
3. Paragraph C
4. Paragraph D
5. Paragraph E
6. Paragraph F

List of Headings

i. The appearance and location of different seaweeds

ii. The nutritional value of seaweeds

iii. How seaweeds reproduce and grow

iv. How to make agar from seaweeds

v. The under-use of native seaweeds

vi. Seaweed species at risk of extinction

vii. Recipes for how to cook seaweeds

viii. The range of seaweed products

ix. Why seaweeds don’t sink or dry out

Questions 7-10 (Flowchart Completion) Using the image provided, complete the flowchart below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage for each answer.

Questions 11-13 (Classification) Classify the following characteristics as belonging to:

A. brown seaweed

B. green seaweed

C. red seaweed

11. can survive the heat and dryness at the high-water mark
12. grow far out in the open sea
13. share their site with karengo seaweed

Summary of “Seaweeds of New Zealand”

The passage provides a comprehensive overview of seaweed in New Zealand.

• Nutritional Value (A): Seaweed is a wholesome food, rich in minerals and vitamins, with long-recognized health benefits such as preventing goitre.
• Commercial Applications (B): Species such as Gigartina are used to extract agar, a substance with wide-ranging applications in food production, paint, leather, cosmetics, and medicine.
• History of Exploitation (C): Despite New Zealand’s wealth of commercially viable seaweed, these resources were underutilized for a long time, with the country relying on imports.
• Classification and Habitat (D): Seaweeds are categorized into three main types (green, brown, red), each inhabiting specific depths, from shallow waters to the deep sea.
• Reproduction and Growth (E): Seaweeds reproduce via spores or fertilization and absorb nutrients directly through their fronds.
• Adaptation Mechanisms (F): Seaweeds utilize various mechanisms to remain buoyant (air-filled floats) and prevent dehydration when exposed to air (swollen stems, mucilage).

Key Vocabulary

1. Wholesome (adj): Conducive to or suggestive of good health and physical well-being.
2. Palatable (adj): Pleasant to taste.
3. Sustenance (n): Food and drink regarded as a source of strength; nourishment.
4. Agar (n): A gelatinous substance obtained from algae, used as a thickening agent.
5. Confectionery (n): Sweets and chocolates.
6. Propagation (n): The breeding of specimens of a plant by natural processes from the parent stock.
7. Fronds (n): The leaf or leaflike part of a palm, fern, or similar plant.
8. Dehydration (n): The loss or removal of water from something.
9. Mucilage (n): A gelatinous substance secreted by some plants.

Suggested Answers and Detailed Explanations

Questions 1-6

1. Paragraph A → ii. The nutritional value of seaweeds

• Explanation: Paragraph A focuses on seaweed as a “wholesome food,” “rich in vitamins,” and highlights its “health benefits.”

2. Paragraph B → viii. The range of seaweed products

• Explanation: Paragraph B lists various products derived from seaweed or its extracts, such as seameal custard, canned goods, paint, leather, cough mixtures, cosmetics, confectionery, and toothpaste.

3. Paragraph C → v. The under-use of native seaweeds

• Explanation: Paragraph C notes that although New Zealand has valuable seaweed, it was “not much utilised until several decades ago” and the country previously relied on “imports.”

4. Paragraph D → i. The appearance and location of different seaweeds

• Explanation: Paragraph D describes the color (“appearance”) and habitat (“location”) of the three main types: green (shallow water), brown (medium depth), and red (deep water).

5. Paragraph E → iii. How seaweeds reproduce and grow

• Explanation: Paragraph E explains how seaweed reproduces (“propagation… by spores, or by fertilisation”) and grows by absorbing nutrients.

6. Paragraph F → ix. Why seaweeds don’t sink or dry out

• Explanation: Paragraph F describes the mechanisms that prevent seaweed from sinking (“stay on the surface”) and drying out (“reduce dehydration”).

Questions 7-10

7. New Zealand carrageens

• Evidence (Paragraph B): “…30 species of Gigartina… These are often referred to as the New Zealand carrageens.”
• Explanation: The passage identifies Gigartina by the alternative name “New Zealand carrageens.”

8. agar

• Evidence (Paragraph B): “The substance called agar which can be extracted from these species gives them great commercial application…”
• Explanation: The flowchart indicates that Gigartina is processed into an intermediate substance, which is “agar.”

9. canning

• Evidence (Paragraph B): “…great commercial application… in the canning, paint and leather industries.”
• Explanation: One of the industrial applications of agar is in the “canning” industry.

10. cough mixtures

• Evidence (Paragraph B): “Agar is also used in the manufacture of cough mixtures, cosmetics, confectionery and toothpastes.”
• Explanation: An example of a medicinal product made from agar is “cough mixtures.”

Questions 11-13

11. B. green seaweed

• Evidence (Paragraph D): “Those shallow-water species able to resist long periods of exposure to sun and air are usually found on the upper shore… the green seaweeds are mainly shallow-water algae…”
• Explanation: Green seaweed inhabits shallow waters, making it capable of resisting exposure to sun and air.

12. C. red seaweed

• Evidence (Paragraph D): “…and the reds are plants of the deeper water, furthest from the shore.”
• Explanation: Red seaweed is found in the deepest waters, furthest from the shore.

13. A. brown seaweed

• Evidence (Paragraph D): “Flat rock surfaces near mid-level tides are the most usual habitat of… most brown seaweeds. This is also the home of the… Maori karengo…”
• Explanation: Both brown seaweed and karengo share the same habitat.

We have now explored the rich world of New Zealand seaweed. This passage not only provides fascinating scientific insights but also serves as an excellent practice exercise for essential skills like Matching Headings and Classification. Next time you see seaweed on the beach, remember that it is more than just a part of the ocean—it is a valuable resource and a potential topic in your IELTS exam. We hope these detailed analyses from ECE help you gain more knowledge and confidence to conquer the Reading section.

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