Stages in a Community Composting Project
About this practice test
A community composting project develops from choosing a site and collecting materials to producing compost and encouraging continued participation.
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
- Fill in the blank (text)
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.
Stages in a Community Composting Project
In Brookside, residents turned an empty corner behind the library into a community composting project. Maya, who was fourteen, helped after school. The first stage was to find a place that was easy to reach but far from homes. The volunteers chose a patch beside the community garden because it had a water tap and a fence. They also asked the council for a small grant to buy bins and posters, and two local shops agreed to lend gloves. At the launch, the team explained what could go in: fruit skins, tea bags, crushed eggshells, and dead leaves. Meat and oil were left out because they attract rats and do not rot well. Every Saturday a different family emptied its kitchen bucket into the main bin, then covered the fresh waste with dry material. This kept the smell low and helped air move through the pile. After that, one volunteer used a long fork to turn the heap. The team also kept a notebook so they could see whether the pile felt too wet or too dry, and they added water or leaves when needed. The compost needed about three months to be ready. When it looked dark and crumbly, the team spread it on flower beds and around young trees. Children from the local school then made signs and counted how many worms appeared in one square metre. Maya said the project had changed the way her family thought about food scraps. Before, they threw them away without a second thought; now they saved them for the bin. She liked that the project cut rubbish and brought neighbours together. Still, the volunteers knew the work would only continue if people kept coming, so they planned short talks at street fairs and a simple rota for winter.
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Question 1 · Fill in the blank (text)
Complete each blank with the missing word or phrase.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. The volunteers chose a patch beside the ___.
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- community garden
The correct completion is community garden because the passage says the site was chosen 'beside the community garden'. Other nearby details, such as the water tap and fence, describe the place but do not name it.
The volunteers chose a patch beside the community garden because it had a water tap and a fence
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Question 2 · Fill in the blank (text)
Complete each blank with the missing word or phrase.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. They asked the council for a ___ to buy bins and posters.
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- small grant / grant
Both grant and small grant are acceptable because the passage says they asked for 'a small grant'. The shorter word still matches the exact phrase structure, while answers like loan or donation do not fit the text.
They also asked the council for a small grant to buy bins and posters
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Question 3 · Fill in the blank (text)
Complete each blank with the missing word or phrase.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. At the launch, the team explained that ___, tea bags, crushed eggshells, and dead leaves could go in.
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- fruit skins
Fruit skins is the correct phrase because it is listed first among the acceptable compost items. Meat and oil are mentioned later as items that must not go in.
At the launch, the team explained what could go in: fruit skins, tea bags, crushed eggshells, and dead leaves
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Question 4 · Fill in the blank (text)
Complete each blank with the missing word or phrase.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. ___ were left out because they attract rats and do not rot well.
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- meat and oil
The correct words are meat and oil, which the passage says were kept out for a clear reason. Dead leaves are allowed in the bin, so they cannot be the answer.
Meat and oil were left out because they attract rats and do not rot well
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Question 5 · Fill in the blank (text)
Complete each blank with the missing word or phrase.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. Fresh waste was covered with ___ to keep the smell low.
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- dry material
Dry material fits the sentence and matches the passage exactly. It is the cover used after the kitchen bucket was emptied, not the wet waste itself.
then covered the fresh waste with dry material. This kept the smell low
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Question 6 · Fill in the blank (text)
Complete each blank with the missing word or phrase.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. One volunteer used a ___ to turn the heap.
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- long fork / fork
Both fork and long fork are acceptable because the passage says a volunteer used 'a long fork' and the shorter word still directly identifies the tool. A notebook was also used, but for checking the pile, not turning it.
After that, one volunteer used a long fork to turn the heap
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Question 7 · Fill in the blank (text)
Complete each blank with the missing word or phrase.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. The compost needed about ___ to be ready.
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- three months / 3 months
Three months is the stated time needed for the compost to become ready. The passage gives this as an estimate, so a longer or shorter period would be wrong.
The compost needed about three months to be ready
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Question 8 · Fill in the blank (text)
Complete each blank with the missing word or phrase.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. When it looked ___, the team spread it on flower beds and around young trees.
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- dark and crumbly
Dark and crumbly is the description used when the compost was ready. Words like wet or dry describe earlier checks, not the finished compost.
When it looked dark and crumbly, the team spread it on flower beds and around young trees
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Question 9 · Fill in the blank (text)
Complete each blank with the missing word or phrase.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. Before, Maya's family threw away their ___ without a second thought.
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- food scraps / scraps
Both scraps and food scraps are acceptable because Maya says her family used to throw away 'food scraps', and scraps is a shorter phrase taken directly from the same expression. The bin and the worms are later results, not the item they used to waste.
Maya said the project had changed the way her family thought about food scraps. Before, they threw them away without a second thought
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Question 10 · Fill in the blank (text)
Complete each blank with the missing word or phrase.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. The volunteers planned short talks at ___ and a simple rota for winter.
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- street fairs
Street fairs is the right phrase because it names the public events where they planned to speak. The simple rota was the other plan for winter, not the location of the talks.
they planned short talks at street fairs and a simple rota for winter
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.