The IELTS Reading assessment evaluates a student’s understanding of a given excerpt, ability to find specific information, and ability to identify key ideas. It may include multiple question types, such as matching information, completing sentences, and others.
The Story of Opium is one of the IELTS Reading passages that describes the history of the opium drug, its medical use, methods of production and distribution, possible negative consequences, and the way the opium trade was controlled. The story also explains how narcotic addicts can be treated successfully.
For reference, here is the official answer key for The Story of Opium IELTS Reading test:
Question Numbers
The Story of Opium IELTS Reading Answers
14
ix
15
iv
16
vi
17
i
18
v
19
iii
20
viii
21
A
22
C
23
D
24
selective breeding
25
Chinese
26
Counselling
In the sections below, you can practise The Story of Opium IELTS Reading questions using a practice version of the passage we have prepared for you.
You can then check your responses against the answer key and explanations of the practice questions.
The Story of Opium IELTS Reading Passage for Practice
The passage below traces the history of opium, from its early use in medicine to the growth of its production and trade.
It explains how opium is collected, where it is grown, and how its use can affect people's health. It also looks at the growing awareness of its dangers and the treatment available for people who develop an addiction.
Opium comes from the milky liquid found in the seed pods of the poppy plant. The liquid is collected and dried before use. Opium can be yellow or dark brown in colour. It has a bitter taste and a strong, distinct smell. About 12% of opium is morphine, a substance that can be used to make drugs such as heroin. The poppy plant also contains codeine and other alkaloids.
Paragraph B
People have used opium since ancient times, including the Neolithic period. It was used for medical treatment and religious ceremonies. The ancient Egyptians used it to relieve pain, while Indians and Romans used it during surgery. Opium and substances made from it were also used during the American Civil War. Today, medicines made from the opium poppy are still used in healthcare. Morphine, in particular, remains widely used to relieve pain.
Paragraph C
Opium can have harmful effects on the body in both the short and long term. At first, it may make a person feel relaxed or happy. However, continued use can lead to addiction and physical dependence. Some health problems are linked to smoking opium, while others are caused by substances made from it. These problems may take years to appear in some people. In others, the effects can be dangerous much sooner. An overdose can even lead to death.
Paragraph D
The process of making heroin begins with growing opium poppies. Many farmers who grow these plants are poor and work on small farms in remote areas. The plants grow well in warm, dry weather. For many years, most opium came from a 4,500-mile stretch of mountains across Central Asia, from Turkey through Pakistan and Burma. In recent years, opium has also been grown in Latin American countries such as Colombia and Mexico. After harvesting the crop, farmers take it to a nearby village and sell it to the dealer who offers the best price.
Paragraph E
India, Turkey, and Australia allow opium to be grown for medical purposes. Around 2,000 tonnes are produced each year to provide the raw material needed for medicines. Traditionally, farmers collected opium by making cuts in the poppy seed pods and allowing the liquid to come out and dry. They then scraped off the sticky substance and collected it. Today, machines can also be used to process mature poppy plants and collect the liquid.
Although opium production has changed little over the years, selective breeding has increased the levels of certain substances in the plant, including morphine, codeine, and thebaine. Burma, Afghanistan, and Colombia are among the main sources of illegal opium. Opium and heroin are profitable to trade because they are in high demand and take up little space. They can also be transported between countries within days or weeks. Both substances can be stored for long periods without losing their usefulness.
Paragraph F
People in China used opium for recreation between the fifteenth and seventeenth centuries. It took nearly 300 years for the Chinese to recognise that smoking opium was dangerous and could lead to physical dependence. In 1909, the International Opium Commission was formed to help control the shipping, sale, and use of opium. By then, people had become more aware of the dangers of regular use. Opium was also being processed into morphine and heroin, which are more potent and can be more dangerous than raw opium. Recreational use of these drugs is now illegal in most countries.
Paragraph G
In the past, people did not fully understand the physical dependence that opium and its related substances could cause. Today, the risks are better known, and different forms of treatment are available for people with addiction. Recovery often begins in a residential treatment centre, where patients receive care and support. Counselling is an important part of treatment and may take place in individual or group sessions. After completing residential treatment, patients may continue their recovery through an outpatient programme. This provides further counselling and therapy with less supervision.
Now, read the passage The Story of Opium carefully and answer the IELTS Reading questions that follow.
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The Story of Opium IELTS Reading Questions
The following IELTS Reading practice questions are based on the passage The Story of Opium. They test your ability to find specific information, understand details, and complete sentences using information from the passage.
Read each question carefully and refer to the passage to find the correct answers.
Questions 1–7: Matching Information
The passage has seven paragraphs, A–G.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A–G, for Questions 1–7. You may use a letter more than once.
The substances found in opium and their uses.
The use of opium for medical purposes in different periods of history.
The harmful effects of opium use on the human body.
The reasons why opium and heroin are profitable to trade.
The traditional method of collecting opium from poppy plants.
The formation of an organisation to control the trade and use of opium.
The treatment available for people who develop an addiction.
Questions 8–13: Sentence Completion
Complete the sentences below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
Opium comes from the milky liquid found in the seed pods of the __________ plant.
About 12% of opium is made up of __________.
Opium poppies grow well in __________ weather.
Traditionally, farmers collect opium after the liquid from the poppy pods dries and forms a sticky __________.
The International Opium Commission was formed in 1909 to control the shipping, sale, and __________ of opium.
After residential treatment, patients may continue their recovery through an __________ programme.
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The Story of Opium Reading Answers with Explanation
Here are the answers with short explanations. Each one points you back to the part of the passage where the answer is. If your answer is different, reread that paragraph and compare it with the question.
Answers 1–7: Matching Information
1. Answer: A Paragraph A tells you what opium contains, including morphine, codeine, and other alkaloids from the poppy plant. The question asks about the substances in opium, so look for the names of the compounds.
2. Answer: B Paragraph B gives examples of how people used opium in the past. The ancient Egyptians used it for pain, and Indians and Romans used it during surgery. It was also used during the American Civil War.
3. Answer: C Paragraph C is about what happens when someone uses opium. A person may first feel relaxed or happy, but continued use can lead to addiction and physical dependence. An overdose can cause death.
4. Answer: E Paragraph E explains why opium and heroin are profitable to trade. Demand is high, they take up little space, and they can be moved between countries in days or weeks. They also stay useful for a long time in storage.
5. Answer: E Paragraph E also describes how farmers collect opium. They cut the seed pods, let the liquid dry, and then scrape it off. Look for these steps, not for where poppies grow.
6. Answer: F Paragraph F mentions 1909, the year the International Opium Commission was formed to control the shipping, sale, and use of opium. The date helps, but the purpose of the organisation confirms the answer.
7. Answer: G Paragraph G describes addiction treatment. It starts with care at a residential treatment centre, where patients get support and counselling. Then patients can continue with an outpatient programme, which has less supervision.
Answers 8–13: Sentence Completion
8. Answer: poppy Paragraph A says opium comes from the milky liquid in the seed pods of the poppy plant. The question already gives you “plant,” so you only need the plant’s name.
9. Answer: morphine Paragraph A says about 12% of opium is morphine. You don’t need the percentage in your answer, since the question already gives it. Check which substance is named next to that number.
10. Answer: warm, dry Paragraph D says poppy plants grow well in warm, dry weather. Both words are needed, and they fit the two-word limit.
11. Answer: substance Paragraph E describes the liquid drying into a sticky material. The passage calls it a “sticky substance,” so “substance” completes the phrase.
12. Answer: use Paragraph F says the International Opium Commission was formed to control the shipping, sale, and use of opium. Words like “shipping” and “sale” in the question can help you find the right sentence.
13. Answer: outpatient Paragraph G says patients can continue their recovery through an outpatient programme after residential treatment. If you’re torn between “residential” and “outpatient,” remember that the question asks about the treatment that comes after residential care.
How to Approach The Story of Opium IELTS Reading Questions
This passage is about the poppy plant, opium, and the trade and treatment problems that followed. The questions test two skills: finding information in the paragraphs, and filling sentences with words from the text. Students often lose marks not because they can’t find the answer, but because they rush, pick a paragraph that is close but not quite right, or ignore the word limit.
The tips below will help you work through both types of questions at a steady pace, without spending too long on any single answer:
1. Start With the Statements, Not the Passage
For Questions 1 to 7, read each statement carefully and decide what it is really asking. Don’t search for the exact words in the statement, because the writer will almost always use different words in the passage.
For example, if a statement asks about the harmful effects of opium, look for ideas like health problems, addiction, dependence, or overdose. The passage might say something like “a person can become unable to stop using it.” That’s the same idea, just written differently.
Underline the main idea of each statement in a few words, such as “uses in history” or “how it’s collected.” This gives you something clear to search for.
2. Expect a Paragraph to Be Used More Than Once
This is one of the most confusing parts of the matching questions. A single paragraph can support more than one answer, because it may cover several points.
Paragraph E is a good example. It explains both why opium and heroin are profitable to trade and how farmers collect the liquid from the poppy pods. Two different statements can point to the same paragraph, so don’t assume a paragraph can only be used once.
When a paragraph seems to fit two statements, check the details, not the topic. Ask yourself, “Does this paragraph say the exact thing this statement describes?” The statement about collection needs the steps of cutting, drying, and scraping. The statement about trade needs demand, storage, and transport.
3. Use the Clues Around the Blank
For Questions 8 to 13, read the whole sentence before you look at the passage. The words before and after the blank tell you what kind of answer you need.
If the sentence asks for a plant, you need a plant name.
If it asks for a substance, look for the name of a chemical or drug.
If it asks for a type of treatment, look for the word that describes the programme.
Example: The question may say that a certain substance makes up about 12% of opium. Don’t search for “substance.” Search for the percentage, then read the words next to it.
4. Stick to the Word Limit
Sentence completion questions usually say “no more than two words.” This limit is strict, so check your answer before you move on.
Take Question 10. The answer is “warm, dry,” which is two words and describes the weather poppy plants need. If you wrote “warm and dry,” you may lose the mark, depending on the instructions. Also avoid adding words the sentence doesn’t need, even if they seem helpful.
Count your words every time. It takes a few seconds and can save you several marks.
5. Recheck Before You Finish
Before you move on, go back to each answer and ask two questions:
For matching questions: Does the paragraph contain the exact detail the statement asks about?
For sentence completion: Does my answer fit the sentence grammatically, keep the meaning, and follow the word limit?
If you’re not sure, go back to the paragraph and read it again. Don’t rely on your memory of what it said.
Need more IELTS Reading practice? Try these answer guides to practise different passage topics and question types:
The Story of Opium is an important passage for practising IELTS reading as it teaches you to read the question first, find the idea behind the words, and check your answer against the text before you move on.
Don’t worry if a few answers were hard. Go back to the paragraphs you got wrong and find the exact detail that led you to the right answer. Over time, you’ll spot these patterns faster and manage your time better on test day.
The passage is about the origin of opium and how it has been used since ancient times. It also discusses the making and business it serves, along with the health risks and the treatment available.
2. What types of questions are included in The Story of Opium IELTS Reading test?
The practice questions on this page include a Matching Information and a Sentence Completion question. The Matching Information task requires you to find information from the passage in paragraphs A-G, and the Sentence Completion task asks you to complete sentences using words provided in the passage.
3. Are there any tips to solve the Matching type of questions in the passage “Story of Opium”?
To solve the Matching information type of questions, you should read the options on both sides carefully and then understand the meaning of all of them. After understanding the options, look for the details in the passage to match the correct answer. It is always better not to try figuring out the information through exact pages; instead, focus on the meaning and then match the options.
4. How do I answer Sentence Completion questions correctly?
You need to read the sentence that needs to be completed first before you search for information in the passage. Make sure that the words you have chosen complete the sentence correctly and make sense within it. Also, remember to use no more words than the question asks you to.
5. Is the Story of Opium IELTS Reading passage difficult?
The Story of Opium IELTS Reading passage is not very difficult to understand, as it can be read one paragraph at a time. You should begin by focusing on the main ideas stated in each paragraph and then move on to finding specific information based on the questions.
6. How should I check my answers after completing the passage?
Once you have finished answering the questions, compare your answers to the answer key and read the explanations for the questions you have answered incorrectly. You should go back to the passage and find the correct answers in order to improve your understanding of the passage rather than simply memorising the answers.
7. Can I use the same paragraph for more than one The Story of Opium reading answer?
You can use the same paragraph multiple times for the Matching Information task if the instructions for the task say so. Read the statements carefully and make sure that the paragraph you have chosen contains the information that is needed for the answer.
8. Should I read the whole passage before answering the questions of The Story of Opium passage?
It is good to get a general idea about the passage by skimming through it, but you should also read the questions before reading any paragraph in full. This will help you identify which paragraphs contain the information you are looking for and save you time during the test.
9. Why should I read the explanations for The Story of Opium reading answers?
The explanations for The Story of Opium reading answers tell you just where the answers came from and how they relate to the questions. They can also help you understand questions that state something using different words than in the passage or that ask you to look for information indirectly.
10. How can I improve my score in The Story of Opium IELTS Reading test?
In order to improve your score in The Story of Opium IELTS Reading test, you need to practise answering different question types and take note of the mistakes you make. Remember to pay close attention to the words used to describe each question and the details you missed out on when searching for an answer.
Sunita Kadian, co-founder and Academic Head at Yuno Learning is an expert in IELTS and English communication. With a background in competitive exam preparation (IELTS, GMAT, CAT, TOEFL), interview pre...
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