Practice Tests
IELTS Reading (AC) Task 1 #200

A. The Columbian Exchange refers to the widespread transfer of plants, animals, culture, human populations, technology, diseases, and ideas between the Americas (the New World) and the Old World (Afro-Eurasia) in the 15th and 16th centuries. This exchange was a direct consequence of the voyages of Christopher Columbus and the subsequent European colonisation of the Americas. It was one of the most significant events in the history of world ecology, agriculture, and culture, with profound and lasting consequences for both hemispheres.

B. From the New World, a vast array of new food crops were introduced to the Old World, which had a transformative impact on global diets and populations. Crops like maize (corn), potatoes, tomatoes, peanuts, and cacao (the source of chocolate) became staple foods in many parts of Europe, Asia, and Africa, contributing to a massive population boom. Conversely, the Old World brought crops like wheat, rice, sugar cane, and coffee to the Americas, which fundamentally reshaped the agricultural landscape.

C. The exchange of animals was equally significant. The Americas had very few large domesticated animals, but Europeans introduced horses, cattle, pigs, and sheep. The horse, in particular, revolutionised the lives of many Native American societies, especially on the Great Plains. However, the most devastating part of the exchange was the unintentional transfer of diseases. The populations of the Americas had no immunity to Old World diseases like smallpox, measles, and influenza. These diseases swept through the indigenous populations, causing a catastrophic demographic collapse, with estimates suggesting that up to 90% of the population died.

D. The Columbian Exchange permanently interconnected the two hemispheres, creating a new global economy and initiating the process of globalisation. While it led to a remarkable enrichment of diets and cultures around the world, it also had a dark side, paving the way for colonisation, the transatlantic slave trade (which was part of this exchange), and the near-total devastation of the indigenous peoples of the Americas.