A Drone Photograph Shows the Human and Environmental Cost of Ship Recycling in Bangladesh

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

B2. 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

Single choice

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.

1. Question 1 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What is the article mainly about?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. A photographer’s training in coastal geography
   2. An award-winning image and shipbreaking’s benefits and dangers
   3. The global history of liquefied natural gas transport
   4. A competition focused only on workplace photography
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   An award-winning image and shipbreaking’s benefits and dangers

   The article explains the photograph’s subject and the industry’s contrasting effects.

   Steinmetz’s winning image presents both sides of shipbreaking: the recovery of valuable materials and the risks connected with the work.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why does the article mention cooking, electricity, and transport?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. To explain why the tanker was unusually small
   2. To show where the photograph was taken
   3. To explain how liquefied natural gas is used
   4. To identify the workers’ main responsibilities
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To explain how liquefied natural gas is used

   These examples clarify the importance and uses of the ship’s former cargo.

   The ship was a tanker designed to carry liquefied natural gas, which is used for cooking, electricity, and transport.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does “There” refer to in the fourth paragraph?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Around the award ceremony
   2. At the Bay of Bengal’s deepest point
   3. Along Bangladesh’s coast
   4. Inside an overseas resale market
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Along Bangladesh’s coast

   The pronoun points back to Bangladesh’s coast, where ships are dismantled.

   There, they are dismantled and their materials are collected for possible reuse.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What can be inferred about Steinmetz’s interest in shipbreaking?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. It began only after the award announcement
   2. It has continued over an extended period
   3. It focuses exclusively on workplace accidents
   4. It developed through work in the shipping industry
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   It has continued over an extended period

   The article indicates that his interest existed before the award-winning photograph.

   Steinmetz has long been interested in Bangladesh’s shipbreaking industry.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   How is the article organized?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Award announcement, scene details, industry context, and criticism
   2. Environmental criticism, worker interviews, and award predictions
   3. A photographer’s biography followed by unrelated shipping statistics
   4. Ship design, fuel production, and international trade regulations
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Award announcement, scene details, industry context, and criticism

   It moves from the award and image details to the industry’s wider significance.

   However, the industry has also faced criticism from environmental groups, human rights organizations, labor unions, and other non-governmental organizations.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What relationship does the final paragraph establish?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Aerial photography can reveal complex realities more clearly
   2. Ground photography is always inaccurate in coastal areas
   3. Awards are mainly designed to support labor unions
   4. Shipbreaking can only be understood through photographs
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Aerial photography can reveal complex realities more clearly

   The winning image connects visual perspective with a fuller understanding of shipbreaking.

   The Siena awards use bird’s-eye photography to show landscapes, livelihoods, and human experiences that may be difficult to see from the ground.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why are non-governmental organizations mentioned?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. To praise the industry’s employment opportunities
   2. To identify groups challenging the industry’s harmful effects
   3. To explain how overseas resale markets operate
   4. To describe the rules of the photography competition
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To identify groups challenging the industry’s harmful effects

   Their concerns provide an important counterpoint to the industry’s recycling benefits.

   Their concerns include uncontrolled pollution, chemicals entering the sea, and dangerous conditions for workers.

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.