A Librarian’s Case for Longer Opening Hours
About this practice test
A librarian argues that modestly longer opening hours would make the library more useful to students, workers, families, and other residents without requiring a major building project or budget increase.
What you’ll practice
Finding detail
Locate specific information and evidence.
Interpreting ideas
Connect main points and inferences.
Evaluating arguments
Assess claims, evidence, and limitations.
What to expect:
10 questions with explanations to review after submission.
Study the questions and tasks
Work through the material below, or start the interactive practice above to complete an attempt. Try the exercises before opening any answer or transcript sections, then use them to review your work.
- Practice level
- B1. Try this level if you can follow the instructions and understand most of the language; choose an earlier level if you need more support.
- Question formats
- Yes / No / Not Given
How to approach this practice
Read the passage for its main idea, then return to the relevant sentence or paragraph for each question. Base answers on the passage.
A Librarian’s Case for Longer Opening Hours
Our library opens from nine in the morning until five in the afternoon. Those hours are tidy on paper, but they do not match the lives of many readers. After school, students arrive looking for a place to study. Some ask for help with homework, while others need a computer or a quiet table. A few parents come after work with children who want books for the next day. By four thirty, the room is often busy, yet the doors still close before many people have finished their day. I believe this is the main reason we should stay open later. When the doors shut early, the library serves only part of the town, not the whole town. Some neighbours worry that longer opening hours will cost too much. I understand that concern, but longer hours do not automatically mean a bigger building or more shelves. They can mean better planning. For example, one late evening each week would help people who work during the day, and a shorter lunch closure could spread visitors more evenly. At the moment, some people give up and go home when they find the doors closed. That is a small loss each day, but over a month it matters. I do not think volunteers should replace trained staff at the front desk, because readers need someone who knows the catalogue and the rules. Still, a small rota change could make the service far more useful without asking the town for a huge budget. A simple change in hours is more realistic than a complete rebuild. A library is more than a place to borrow books. It is also where people print forms, look for jobs, and ask for advice. When I talk to readers, they rarely ask for more noise or more books. They ask for time. If the opening hours were longer, the building would serve the town in a calmer and more practical way. I am not saying it will solve every problem, and I am certainly not asking for midnight opening. But if we want the library to matter to more people, we should give them time to use it. In my view, that would be a low-cost improvement with clear value.
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Question 1 · Yes / No / Not Given
Decide whether the statement agrees with the writer’s or speaker’s view. Choose Not Given when the view is not stated.
The writer believes the council will definitely approve the change this year.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Yes
- No
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Not Given
Not Given. The writer argues for longer hours and suggests a small rota change, but there is no mention of a council decision or any time frame for approval. Yes is wrong because certainty and timing are not stated, and No is wrong because the writer does not say approval will not happen.
a small rota change could make the service far more useful without asking the town for a huge budget
I am not saying it will solve every problem
Yes: The passage does not give this level of certainty.
No: The writer does not say approval will not happen.
Not Given: The council’s decision and timing are not stated.
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Question 2 · Yes / No / Not Given
Decide whether the statement agrees with the writer’s or speaker’s view. Choose Not Given when the view is not stated.
The writer believes one late evening each week would be a practical help for people who work during the day.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Yes
- No
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Yes
Yes. The passage says, "one late evening each week would help people who work during the day." That is exactly the writer’s view. No is wrong because the writer presents it as useful, and Not Given is wrong because the opinion is explicit.
one late evening each week would help people who work during the day
Yes: The writer says this would help.
No: The passage gives it as a benefit, not a problem.
Not Given: The idea is directly stated.
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Question 3 · Yes / No / Not Given
Decide whether the statement agrees with the writer’s or speaker’s view. Choose Not Given when the view is not stated.
The writer believes longer opening hours would be a low-cost improvement.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Yes
- No
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Yes
Yes. The writer concludes that longer opening hours would be “a low-cost improvement with clear value.” No is wrong because the writer supports the proposal, and Not Given is wrong because this opinion is stated directly.
that would be a low-cost improvement with clear value
Yes: This matches the writer’s view.
No: The writer supports later opening, not against it.
Not Given: The passage clearly gives reasons and examples.
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Question 4 · Yes / No / Not Given
Decide whether the statement agrees with the writer’s or speaker’s view. Choose Not Given when the view is not stated.
The writer thinks volunteers should replace trained staff at the front desk.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Yes
- No
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- No
No. The writer says, "I do not think volunteers should replace trained staff at the front desk." This is a direct rejection. Yes is wrong because the writer argues against it, and Not Given is wrong because the view is clearly stated.
I do not think volunteers should replace trained staff at the front desk
Yes: The writer says the opposite.
No: The writer clearly disagrees.
Not Given: The opinion is stated directly.
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Question 5 · Yes / No / Not Given
Decide whether the statement agrees with the writer’s or speaker’s view. Choose Not Given when the view is not stated.
The writer believes a shorter lunch closure could spread visitors more evenly.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Yes
- No
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Yes
Yes. The writer says, "a shorter lunch closure could spread visitors more evenly." This is presented as one of the benefits of better planning. No is wrong because the writer approves of the idea, and Not Given is wrong because the statement is explicit.
a shorter lunch closure could spread visitors more evenly
Yes: The writer presents this as a benefit.
No: The passage supports this idea.
Not Given: The idea is stated directly in the text.
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Question 6 · Yes / No / Not Given
Decide whether the statement agrees with the writer’s or speaker’s view. Choose Not Given when the view is not stated.
The writer thinks the library should open all day on Saturdays.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Yes
- No
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Not Given
Not Given. The passage mentions a late evening, a lunch closure, and even says the writer is not asking for midnight opening, but it does not say anything about opening all day on Saturdays. Yes is wrong because that idea is not supported, and No is wrong because the writer does not reject Saturday opening specifically.
one late evening each week would help people who work during the day
I am certainly not asking for midnight opening
Yes: Saturday opening is not stated in the passage.
No: The writer does not directly oppose Saturday opening.
Not Given: The passage does not mention this schedule.
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Question 7 · Yes / No / Not Given
Decide whether the statement agrees with the writer’s or speaker’s view. Choose Not Given when the view is not stated.
The writer thinks longer opening hours would require a bigger building.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Yes
- No
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- No
No. The writer says that "longer hours do not automatically mean a bigger building or more shelves." So the idea is rejected. Yes is wrong because the passage says the opposite, and Not Given is wrong because the writer states this directly.
longer hours do not automatically mean a bigger building or more shelves
Yes: The passage says the opposite.
No: The writer directly rejects this idea.
Not Given: This is stated clearly in the passage.
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Question 8 · Yes / No / Not Given
Decide whether the statement agrees with the writer’s or speaker’s view. Choose Not Given when the view is not stated.
The writer believes a small rota change could improve the service without a huge budget.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Yes
- No
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Yes
Yes. The passage says exactly that "a small rota change could make the service far more useful without asking the town for a huge budget." This is the writer’s practical solution. No is wrong because the writer supports the change, and Not Given is wrong because the statement is directly in the text.
a small rota change could make the service far more useful without asking the town for a huge budget
Yes: This matches the writer’s proposal.
No: The writer recommends this change.
Not Given: The passage states this idea clearly.
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Question 9 · Yes / No / Not Given
Decide whether the statement agrees with the writer’s or speaker’s view. Choose Not Given when the view is not stated.
The writer believes Sunday opening is the best way to help local readers.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Yes
- No
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Not Given
Not Given. The passage says readers ask for time and that longer hours would help, but it never says Sunday opening is the best option. Yes is wrong because no such claim is made, and No is wrong because the writer does not reject Sundays either.
When I talk to readers, they rarely ask for more noise or more books. They ask for time
if we want the library to matter to more people, we should give them time to use it
Yes: The passage does not choose Sunday opening as the best option.
No: The writer does not say Sunday opening would not help.
Not Given: The text does not mention Sunday opening as the best solution.
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Question 10 · Yes / No / Not Given
Decide whether the statement agrees with the writer’s or speaker’s view. Choose Not Given when the view is not stated.
The writer believes the library is only useful for borrowing books.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Yes
- No
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- No
No. The writer says, "A library is more than a place to borrow books." The passage then adds other uses, such as printing forms and asking for advice. Yes is wrong because the writer says the opposite, and Not Given is wrong because the point is clearly made.
A library is more than a place to borrow books
It is also where people print forms, look for jobs, and ask for advice
Yes: The writer explicitly says the library does more than this.
No: The writer clearly disagrees.
Not Given: Other uses are named in the passage.
What to review next
Find the words that support each answer. For a mistake, compare the question with the evidence and identify the detail or inference you missed.
A focused practice result shows how you did on these tasks. Use several activities across skills to decide what to study next; one practice score does not certify an overall CEFR level.
Before you practise: a worked example
Look for evidence in the text. Separate what the writer says from what you already know about the topic.
The library normally closes at six, but on Fridays it stays open until eight. When does it close on Friday?
The answer is eight. But introduces an exception to the normal closing time, so the first time mentioned is not the answer.
This teaching example is separate from the scored questions. After your test, compare any mistakes with the explanation and revisit the topic before trying again.