Comprehension
Direction for Reading Comprehension: The passages given here are followed by some questions that have four answer choices; read the passage carefully and pick the option whose answer best aligns with the passage.
The sleights of hand that conflate consumption with virtue are a central theme in A Thirst for Empire, a sweeping and richly detailed history of tea by the historian Erika Rappaport. How did tea evolve from an obscure “China drink” to a universal beverage imbued with civilising properties? The answer, in brief, revolves around this conflation, not only by profitmotivated marketers but by a wide variety of interest groups. While abundant historical records have allowed the study of how tea itself moved from east to west, Rappaport is focused on the movement of the idea of tea to suit particular purposes.
Beginning in the 1700s, the temperance movement advocated for tea as a pleasure that cheered but did not inebriate, and industrialists soon borrowed this moral argument in advancing their case for free trade in tea (and hence more open markets for their textiles). Factory owners joined in, compelled by the cause of a sober workforce, while Christian missionaries discovered that tea “would soothe any colonial encounter”. During the Second World War, tea service was presented as a social and patriotic activity that uplifted soldiers and calmed refugees.
But it was tea’s consumer-directed marketing by importers and retailers – and later by brands– that most closely portends current trade debates. An early version of the “farm to table” movement was sparked by anti-Chinese sentiment and concerns over trade deficits, as well as by the reality and threat of adulterated tea containing dirt and hedge clippings. Lipton was soon advertising “from the Garden to Tea Cup” supply chains originating in British India and supervised by “educated Englishmen”. While tea marketing always presented direct consumer benefits (health, energy, relaxation), tea drinkers were also assured that they were participating in a larger noble project that advanced the causes of family, nation and civilization. . . .
Rappaport’s treatment of her subject is refreshingly apolitical. Indeed, it is a virtue that readers will be unable to guess her political orientation: both the miracle of markets and capitalism’s dark underbelly are evident in tea’s complex story, as are the complicated effects of British colonialism. . . . Commodity histories are now themselves commodities: recent works investigate cotton, salt, cod, sugar, chocolate, paper and milk. And morality marketing is now a commodity as well, applied to food, “fair trade” apparel and ecotourism. Yet tea is, Rappaport makes clear, a world apart – an astonishing success story in which tea marketers not only succeeded in conveying a sense of moral elevation to the consumer but also arguably did advance the cause of civilisation and community.
I have been offered tea at a British garden party, a Bedouin campfire, a Turkish carpet shop and a Japanese chashitsu, to name a few settings. In each case the offering was more an idea – friendship, community, respect – than a drink, and in each case the idea then created a reality. It is not a stretch to say that tea marketers have advanced the particularly noble cause of human dialogue and friendship.
Question: 1

The author of this book review is LEAST likely to support the view that:

Updated On: Jul 22, 2025
  • tea became the leading drink in Britain in the nineteenth century.
  • the ritual of drinking tea promotes congeniality and camaraderie.
  • tea drinking has become a social ritual worldwide.
  • tea drinking was sometimes promoted as a patriotic duty.
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The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

The provided passage explores the transformation of tea from a lesser-known "China drink" to a universal beverage, highlighting the role of various movements and marketing strategies in this process. To identify which view the author of the book review is least likely to support, we need to examine the context provided:
1. The passage details how different interest groups promoted tea drinking for various reasons—temperance for a sober workforce, patriotic duty during the Second World War, and moral elevation by marketers.
2. The author mentions that tea has become a significant part of global social rituals, indicating its role in promoting friendship and community.
3. The narrative does not emphasize tea's dominance as the leading drink in Britain in the nineteenth century, but rather focuses on the broader sociopolitical and marketing aspects that contributed to its global spread.
Based on these insights:
The author of this book review is least likely to support the view that:tea became the leading drink in Britain in the nineteenth century.
This view is not directly supported by the text as the passage does not discuss tea's dominance in British society during the nineteenth century compared to other beverages.
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Question: 2

This book review argues that, according to Rappaport, tea is unlike other “morality” products because it:

Updated On: Jul 22, 2025
  • was actively encouraged by interest groups in the government.
  • was marketed by a wide range of interest groups.
  • appealed to a universal group and not just to a niche section of people.
  • had an actual beneficial effect on social interaction and society in general.
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The Correct Option is D

Solution and Explanation

To determine why tea, according to Rappaport, is unlike other "morality" products, let's analyze the passage:
Context: The passage discusses how tea evolved into a universal beverage associated with civilizing properties, supported by various interest groups. Rappaport focuses on the idea of tea and its market evolution.
Key Points:
  • The temperance movement promoted tea for its non-inebriating benefits.
  • Industrialists and factory owners supported tea for a sober workforce.
  • Tea soothed colonial encounters and was a patriotic activity in WWII.
  • Marketing emphasized both consumer benefits and moral elevation.
Main Argument: Rappaport argues that unlike other morality products, tea succeeded in conveying moral elevation and arguably advanced civilization and community. It fostered ideas like friendship, community, and respect, turning them into realities. Tea contributed to human dialogue and friendship, a unique success story.
Correct Answer: had an actual beneficial effect on social interaction and society in general.
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Question: 3

Today, “conflat[ing] consumption with virtue” can be seen in the marketing of:

Updated On: Jul 22, 2025
  • travel to pristine destinations.
  • ergonomically designed products.
  • sustainably farmed foods.
  • natural health supplements.
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The Correct Option is C

Solution and Explanation

To solve the problem of identifying an example where consumption is conflated with virtue in modern marketing, we need to analyze the given comprehension. The passage discusses how historically, tea consumption was marketed as morally virtuous, and this idea persists in various forms of moral marketing today. Specifically, the passage notes the concept of “morality marketing” being applied to food and other commodities, implying an ethical component to consumption.
Among the given options, the choice “sustainably farmed foods” is directly aligned with moral marketing. "Sustainably farmed" implies an ethical virtue, aligning with environmental and social responsibility, appealing to consumer values beyond mere consumption. This connects clearly with the theme of combining consumption with virtue as discussed in the context of tea.
Thus, the marketing of sustainably farmed foods serves as a contemporary example of conflating consumption with virtue.
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Question: 4

According to this book review, A Thirst for Empire says that, in addition to “profit-motivated marketers”, tea drinking was promoted in Britain by all of the following EXCEPT:

Updated On: Jul 22, 2025
  • the anti-alcohol lobby as a substitute for the consumption of liquor.
  • factories to instill sobriety in their labour.
  • manufacturers who were pressing for duty-free imports.
  • tea drinkers lobbying for product diversity.
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The Correct Option is D

Solution and Explanation

The question asks which group did not promote tea drinking in Britain according to the book review of A Thirst for Empire. The options are:
  • the anti-alcohol lobby as a substitute for the consumption of liquor.
  • factories to instill sobriety in their labour.
  • manufacturers who were pressing for duty-free imports.
  • tea drinkers lobbying for product diversity.
From the passage, the groups that promoted tea include:
  • The temperance movement (anti-alcohol lobby) saw tea as a non-inebriating pleasure.
  • Industrialists and factory owners promoted tea for a sober workforce.
  • Manufacturers, as mentioned in conjunction with free trade, implying they desired duty-free imports for economic reasons.
There is no mention of tea drinkers lobbying for product diversity. Thus, the correct answer is that tea drinkers lobbying for product diversity was not a group promoting tea drinking as mentioned in the review.
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