Cambridge IELTS General Training 16 Reading Test 1 Answers with Explanation / Helping pupils... ,It’s almost time for.., Reducing injuries on the farm, Good customer service..,Plastic is no longer ..

Helping pupils to choose optional subjects when they are aged 14-15: what some pupils say

Question No.	Answer	Keywords	Location	Explanation
1	D	"interested in, the subject, despite, way it is taught"	Paragraph D, Lines 3-5	"Violeta says, '... the teacher is very knowledgeable, though I think we spend too much time listening to her: I’d like to meet more people working in the sector, and learn from their experience.' Here, 'though I think we spend too much time listening to her' means despite the way it is taught, and 'I’d like to meet more people working in the sector, and learn from their experience' indicates the pupil is interested in the subject."
2	B	"hoping, a career, makes use of the subject"	Paragraph B, Final lines	"Lucy says, '... My plan is to study history at university, and maybe go into the diplomatic service, so I can apply a knowledge of history.' This shows the pupil is hoping to have a career that makes use of the subject."
3	C	"finds the subject harder, than expected"	Paragraph C, Lines 3-4	"Mark says, '... I didn’t think I’d have any problem with it, but I was quite wrong!' This indicates the pupil finds the subject harder than expected."
4	E	"finds the lessons very entertaining"	Paragraph E, Lines 2-3	"Walid says, '... I was afraid the lessons might be a bit dull. I needn’t have worried, though – our teacher gets us to do lots of fun things, so there’s no risk of getting bored.' This shows the pupil finds the lessons very entertaining."
5	A	"appreciates, benefit, doing challenging work"	Paragraph A, Lines 2-4	"Krishnan says, '... Mr. Peckham really pushes us, and offers us extra assignments, to help us improve. That’s good for me, because otherwise I’d be quite lazy.' This shows the pupil appreciates the benefit of doing challenging work."
6	B	"realised, connection between two things"	Paragraph B, Lines 1-2	"Lucy says, '... History is my favourite subject, and it’s fascinating to see how what we learn about the past is relevant to what’s going on in the world now.' This indicates the pupil has realised the connection between two things."

It’s almost time for the next Ripton Festival  

Question No.	Answer	Keywords	Location	Explanation
7	TRUE	"held, every year"	First lines	"The writer says, 'As usual, the festival will be held in the last weekend of June, this year on Saturday to Monday, 27-29 June.' 'As usual' means like every year, indicating the festival is a yearly event."
8	TRUE	"This year’s festival, focuses, town’s history"	Lines 2-3	"The writer says, 'The theme is Ripton through the ages. Scenes will be acted out showing how the town has developed since it was first established.' This shows that this year’s festival focuses on the town’s history."
9	NOT GIVEN	"goods, displayed in the craft fair, unlike ones, found in shops"	Second paragraph	"There is no comparison of goods with other shops in the passage, so there is no information to answer the question."
10	FALSE	"barbecue, will be cancelled, if it rains"	Paragraph 3, Line 2	"The writer says, 'The barbecue will be held in Palmer’s Field, or in the town hall if there’s rain.' This means the barbecue will NOT be cancelled if it rains; it will take place in the town hall instead."
11	FALSE	"Adults can attend, barbecue, any time without charge"	Paragraph 3, Lines 3-4	"The writer says, 'Adults can come for free until 6 pm and pay £5 after that.' This shows that adults can attend the barbecue without charge until 6 pm, but after that, they have to pay."
12	FALSE	"Amateur musicians, will perform, during, whole of the barbecue"	Paragraph 3, Final lines	"The writer says, 'with local amateur bands in the afternoon and professional musicians in the evening.' This shows that amateur musicians will only perform in the afternoon, not during the whole barbecue."
13	TRUE	"seating, available, for watching the boat races"	Paragraph 4, Lines 2-3	"The writer says, 'The spectator area by the bridge has plenty of room to stand and cheer the boats home, in addition to a number of benches.' This shows there will be seating available for watching the boat races."
14	NOT GIVEN	"People attending the festival, will be asked, donate some money"	Final line of the passage	"The writer says, 'All money raised by the festival will go to support the sports clubs in Ripton,' but there is no mention of any donation being asked from people attending the festival."

Reducing injuries on the farm

Question No.	Answer	Keywords	Location	Explanation
15	fertilizer	"heavy loads, lifting sacks"	Paragraph 2, Lines 1-4	"The author says, 'Examples of tasks that involve this risk are moving 50-kilogramme fertiliser bags from one site to another or carrying heavy buckets of animal feed around fields.' The word 'fertilizer' fits the context of lifting sacks."
16	animal	"lifting a restless"	Paragraph 3	"The author says, 'If a load is bulky or hard to grasp, such as a lively or agitated animal.' 'Restless' is used as a synonym for 'lively or agitated'."
17	obstacle	"moving something around a big"	Paragraph 3	"The author explains, 'Sometimes a load has to be held away from the body because there is a large obstacle in the area.' 'Obstacle' refers to something that blocks movement."
18	aids	"buy particular, help with support"	Paragraph 3	"The author states, 'In such cases, handling aids should be purchased that can take the weight off the load and minimise the potential for injury.' 'Aids' refers to tools or equipment that help with support."
19	bending	"a lot of, while working"	Final paragraph	"The author mentions, 'Another risk that relates to awkward posture is repetitive bending when carrying out a task.' 'Bending' is the task being referred to."
20	gate	"fixing a fallen"	Final paragraph	"The author says, 'An example might be repairing a gate that has collapsed onto the ground.' 'Gate' fits as the object being repaired."

Good customer service in retail

Question No.	Answer	Keywords	Location	Explanation
21	proactive	approach, selling, fine, irritate	Paragraph 2, Lines 1-2	"Be proactive in offering help without being annoying" = proactive approach.
22	special offers	recommend, additional products, forceful	Paragraph 2, Final lines	"Suggest a product" & "point out products for which there are special offers" = special offers.
23	brand names	compare, similar products, different	Paragraph 3, Opening	"Products that are alike but that have been produced under a range of brand names" = brand names.
24	negativity	avoid, always saying, more than ‘no’	Paragraph 3, Lines 4-6	"Negativity can put customers off instantly" = avoid negativity.
25	presentation	keep an eye, goods on shelves	Paragraph 4, Lines 1-3	"This attention to presentation keeps the shop tidy" = presentation of goods.
26	credit card	problems, paying with, handle	Paragraph 5, First few lines	"If the customer’s credit card is declined at the till" = credit card.
27	rudeness	any, from a customer, should not affect	Paragraph 6	"Even when you are faced with rudeness" = rudeness should not affect treatment.

Plastic is no longer fantastic

Question No.	Answer	Keywords	Location	Explanation
Question 28	vi (A disturbing experience)	Ferrando, angry, disturbing experience	Paragraph A, Lines 1-4	"The artwork, designed to raise public awareness, left Ferrando angry – and fuelled with entrepreneurial ideas."
Question 29	iv (Two inventions and some physical details)	Ferrando, inventions, physical details	Paragraph B, Lines 1-3	"Ferrando runs a Spanish-based design company, Closca, that produces an ingenious foldable bicycle helmet. But he has now also designed a stylish glass water bottle with a stretchy silicone strap and magnetic closure mechanism."
Question 30	ii (The reasons why Ferrando’s product is needed)	intention, reasons, saving money, reducing waste	Paragraph C, Lines 1-2	"The intention is to persuade people to stop buying water in plastic bottles, thus saving consumers money and reducing the plastic waste piling up in our oceans."
Question 31	viii (Looking back at why water was bottled)	looking back, social status, commodity	Paragraph D, Lines 2-6	"Three decades ago, conspicuous consumption... heightened people’s social status. Hence the fact that water became a consumer item, sold in plastic bottles, instead of just emerging, for free, from a tap."
Question 32	v (The contrasting views of different generations)	contrasting views, different generations, stainless-steel water bottles	Paragraph E, Lines 6-9	"Some teenagers currently think that these stainless-steel vacuum-insulated water bottles that are coming back onto the market are ultra ‘cool’; never mind the fact that they feel oddly out-of-date to anyone over the age of 40."
Question 33	i (A time when opportunities were limited)	limited opportunities, funding, past	Paragraph F, Lines 3-7	"though not as hard as it might have been in the past. If an entrepreneur had wanted to fund a smart invention a few decades ago, he or she would have had to either raise a bank loan, borrow money from a family member or use a credit card."
Question 34	iii (A no-risk solution)	no-risk solution, pre-sale, demand	Paragraph G, Lines 10-12	"Using this approach, none of the donors has a stake in his idea, nor does he have any debt. Instead, it is almost a pre-sale of the product, in a manner that tests demand in advance and creates a potential crowd of enthusiasts."
Question 35	D (He wants people to be proud to show it.)	Ferrando, glass water bottle, recycling, cool	Paragraph C, Lines 6-8	"‘We are trying to create a sense that being environmentally sophisticated is a status symbol,’ he adds. ‘We want people to clip their bottles onto what they are wearing, to show that they are recycling – and to look cool.’"
Question 36	D (the change it is revealing in people’s attitudes)	writer, Ferrando’s story, change in attitudes	Paragraph D & E, Lines 1-4	"Ferrando’s story is fascinating because it seems like an indicator of something unexpected... using a plastic water bottle was also a symbol of status... Today, though, conspicuous extravagance no longer seems desirable among consumers."
Question 37	A (It has both functional and artistic value.)	Closca, bike helmet, functional value, artistic value	Paragraph F, Opening Lines	"Although its foldable bike helmet is available in some outlets in New York, including the Museum of Modern Art..."
Question 38	family	creators, fund, family member	Paragraph F, Lines 5-7	"If an entrepreneur had wanted to fund a smart invention a few decades ago, he or she would have had to either raise a bank loan, borrow money from a family member or use a credit card."
Question 39	platform	Ferrando, immediate funding, well-known platform	Paragraph G, Lines 4-5	"Ferrando posted details about his water-bottle venture on a large, recognised platform for funding creative projects."
Question 40	multicoloured	Ferrando, two colours, significant amount	Paragraph G, Lines 8-10	"If he received the funds, he stated that the company would produce bottles in grey and white; if $60,000 was raised, a multicoloured one would be made."