A Campus Project to Reduce Energy Waste
About this practice test
A student group investigates energy waste on a university campus, tests inexpensive behavioural changes and uses a live dashboard to make consumption patterns visible.
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:
2 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
- 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
- Cloze (dropdown)
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 Campus Project to Reduce Energy Waste
At Northbridge University, the lights in several buildings stayed on long after classes ended. The heating also kept running in rooms that nobody was using. A student group called Bright Steps noticed this during evening study sessions and began to ask why so much energy seemed to disappear into ordinary habits. They were not trying to shame people for caring about comfort or convenience. Instead, they wanted to show that small daily choices, repeated across a large campus, could cost both money and electricity. With help from the facilities staff, the group spent a month tracking empty rooms, computer labs, stairwells and corridors. They found that some spaces used power even when no one was present, and that the campus already had smart meters in a few places. However, the readings were scattered and hard to compare, so it was difficult for non-specialists to see the pattern. The first surprise was that waste usually came from routine rather than from broken machines. Tutors left projectors running between classes, students opened windows while the heating stayed on, and lights in stairwells were left burning in daylight. To keep the project practical, the students chose changes that could be tested quickly and cheaply. They placed reminder cards by switches, set some printers to sleep after two minutes, asked offices to unplug chargers overnight and suggested reducing hallway lighting after 8 p.m. The team also asked volunteers to note simple patterns rather than blame individuals. They had seen that the waste was often small enough to seem harmless, but repeated often enough to matter. Because low-cost measures only work if people can see the effect, they began looking for a clearer way to present the data. Their answer was a live dashboard in the student centre. It showed hourly electricity use for three pilot buildings and compared each one with the same week in the previous year. At first, some staff worried that the display would feel like public shaming, so the group designed it carefully. Instead of ranking departments, it used coloured lines and short notes to explain spikes caused by evening exams or maintenance. This mattered because the busiest weeks are not always the most wasteful ones, and the students wanted cooperation rather than resistance. After two months, the pilot buildings used less power on average, although the savings were uneven. Teaching blocks with predictable schedules improved more than laboratories, where equipment had to stay ready for experiments. One department cut its overnight use by nearly a quarter simply by turning off decorative lighting. Another saved less, but still reduced waste by changing its cleaning timetable. The team was pleased, yet they avoided claiming victory too early. The weather had been milder than usual, and one building had a temporary fault that also changed the numbers. The project’s main lesson was that energy waste is rarely caused by one careless act. It grows from routines, unclear responsibility and machines that keep running because no one notices. The student group now trains new volunteers each term and shares a short checklist with incoming departments. They would like the university to expand the dashboard, but they also accept that numbers alone do not change behaviour. What changes behaviour is a system that makes waste visible, shows what can be fixed quickly and gives people a reason to keep watching after the novelty fades.
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Question 1 · Cloze (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
Complete the summary below with the best option for each gap (1-6). Bright Steps began by noticing that energy waste on campus came from everyday habits rather than major faults. With help from facilities staff, the students collected information from empty rooms, computer labs and other campus spaces, but the 1___ from smart meters were hard to compare. They told volunteers to record 2___ instead of blaming people, because the waste was often 3___ to seem harmless. The group then tried cheap fixes such as reminder cards, set printers to 4___, unplugging chargers and reducing hallway 5___. When they needed to explain what they had found, they searched for a clearer way to present the 6___.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- routes
- rules
- reports
- readings
Choices for blank 2
- public warnings
- simple patterns
- final results
- quiet repairs
Choices for blank 3
- visible enough
- small enough
- expensive enough
- quick enough
Choices for blank 4
- scan
- sleep
- open
Choices for blank 5
- lighting
- windows
- noise
- heating
Choices for blank 6
- timetable
- data
- budget
- rumours
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- readings
- Blank 2
- simple patterns
- Blank 3
- small enough
- Blank 4
- sleep
- Blank 5
- lighting
- Blank 6
- data
Gap 1: readings. The smart-meter readings were scattered and difficult to compare. Gap 2: simple patterns. Volunteers were asked to note simple patterns rather than blame individuals. Gap 3: small enough. The waste was often small enough to seem harmless, although it mattered when repeated. Gap 4: sleep. Some printers were set to sleep after two minutes. Gap 5: lighting. The students suggested reducing hallway lighting after 8 p.m. Gap 6: data. The group wanted a clearer way to present the data.
the readings were scattered and hard to compare
The team also asked volunteers to note simple patterns rather than blame individuals
they began looking for a clearer way to present the data
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Question 2 · Cloze (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
Complete the summary below with the best option for each gap (1-6). The next stage of the project was a live dashboard in the student centre. It showed hourly electricity use for three pilot buildings and compared it with the same week in the previous year. To avoid public shaming, the display used coloured lines and short notes to explain spikes caused by evening exams or 1___. After two months, the pilot buildings used less power on average, but the savings were 2___: teaching blocks improved more than laboratories, and one department cut overnight use by nearly a quarter. The team did not claim victory too early because weather conditions were milder than usual and one building had a temporary fault. Their wider lesson was that waste grows from 3___ and machines that keep running, so the university needs a system that makes waste 4___, shows what can be fixed quickly and gives people a reason to keep watching after the 5___ fades. The group now trains new volunteers each term and hopes the dashboard will be 6___.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- cleaning
- maintenance
- meetings
- deliveries
Choices for blank 2
- modest
- temporary
- uneven
- consistent
Choices for blank 3
- notices
- routines
- budgets
- complaints
Choices for blank 4
- private
- rare
- visible
- cheaper
Choices for blank 5
- deadline
- noise
- novelty
- winter
Choices for blank 6
- deleted
- expanded
- translated
- repaired
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- maintenance
- Blank 2
- uneven
- Blank 3
- routines
- Blank 4
- visible
- Blank 5
- novelty
- Blank 6
- expanded
Gap 1: maintenance. The dashboard explained spikes caused by evening exams or maintenance. Gap 2: uneven. The passage says the savings were uneven, with teaching blocks improving more than laboratories. Gap 3: routines. The project’s main lesson links waste to routines, unclear responsibility and machines that keep running. Gap 4: visible. The proposed system should make waste visible. Gap 5: novelty. The group wanted people to keep watching after the novelty faded. Gap 6: expanded. The students hoped the university would expand the dashboard.
spikes caused by evening exams or maintenance
the savings were uneven
It grows from routines, unclear responsibility and machines that keep running because no one notices
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.