A Shopkeeper’s Thoughts on Car-Free Saturdays
About this practice test
A shopkeeper considers how car-free Saturdays affect shoppers, local businesses, older customers, deliveries, and the atmosphere of a town street.
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 Shopkeeper’s Thoughts on Car-Free Saturdays
When the council first announced car-free Saturdays on our main street, I expected complaints. My shop sells notebooks and gift items, and many customers usually arrive by car. The first weekend, some drivers parked one street away and walked in with arms full of shopping bags. I noticed the road was quieter, and the usual smell of exhaust was gone. At first that sounded like trouble, but it also made the pavement feel wider and safer. A few regular customers told me they liked being able to cross the road without waiting for a gap in traffic, and one child pointed out that the street felt less hurried. After a few weeks, I began to see another side. People no longer hurried past my window; they stopped to look at the book display and the new bread stand outside the bakery. Sales were not higher every single Saturday, yet more people came inside just to browse. On rainy days, some of them stayed under the awnings and talked longer than usual, and that helped the street feel more friendly. The café across the road did especially well, because visitors stayed longer and bought coffee after looking around. Older customers, however, sometimes found the change difficult, since they could not park right outside and needed help carrying heavier bags. Deliveries were harder too, because the van had to stop at the corner, and the driver had to walk the last part with boxes. Even so, I would not want the street closed all week. Some shoppers still depend on cars, and the town must remember them. But one car-free Saturday feels like a fair balance. It gives children room to cross safely, and it gives neighbours time to talk instead of staring at tail lights. If the council improves the loading point and keeps the signs clear, the scheme could work even better. I hope the council keeps the scheme for the rest of the year, because a lively street helps small shops like mine more than another row of parked cars does.
-
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 removing parked cars makes deliveries easier.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Yes
- No
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- No
No. The writer says the opposite: deliveries were harder because the van had to stop at the corner.
Deliveries were harder too, because the van had to stop at the corner
-
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 car-free Saturdays are worse for small shops than having parked cars on the street.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Yes
- No
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- No
No. The writer says the scheme is a fair balance and later adds that a lively street helps small shops more than parked cars do, so this opinion is not supported.
one car-free Saturday feels like a fair balance
a lively street helps small shops like mine more than another row of parked cars does
-
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 thinks buskers always annoy shoppers on car-free Saturdays.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Yes
- No
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Not Given
Not Given. The passage never mentions buskers or any opinion about them, so there is no evidence for or against this statement.
People no longer hurried past my window; they stopped to look at the book display and the new bread stand outside the bakery
-
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 believes the council has already decided to keep the scheme for the rest of the year.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Yes
- No
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Not Given
Not Given. The writer says, "I hope the council keeps the scheme," which is a wish, not proof that the council has already decided.
I hope the council keeps the scheme for the rest of the year
-
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 the council should close every street to cars every day.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Yes
- No
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- No
No. The writer clearly says, "I would not want the street closed all week," which disagrees with closing every street every day.
I would not want the street closed all week
-
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 council checked shopkeepers’ views before starting the scheme.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Yes
- No
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Not Given
Not Given. The writer mentions that the council announced the scheme, but says nothing about whether shopkeepers were consulted first.
When the council first announced car-free Saturdays on our main street, I expected complaints
-
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 the scheme should be kept because a lively street helps small shops.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Yes
- No
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Yes
Yes. The writer says a lively street helps small shops like theirs and then hopes the council keeps the scheme, so this reason is supported.
a lively street helps small shops like mine more than another row of parked cars does
I hope the council keeps the scheme for the rest of the year
-
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 thinks car-free Saturdays make the street feel safer.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Yes
- No
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Yes
Yes. The writer says the quieter road made the pavement feel "wider and safer," so this matches the writer’s view.
it also made the pavement feel wider and safer
-
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 thinks some older customers find the scheme difficult.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Yes
- No
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Yes
Yes. The writer says older customers sometimes found the change difficult, so this statement matches the passage directly.
Older customers, however, sometimes found the change difficult
-
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 café across the road benefits from the scheme.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Yes
- No
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Yes
Yes. The writer says the café "did especially well," which shows the writer believes it benefits from the car-free Saturdays.
The café across the road did especially well
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.