How a City Selected Its Cycling Routes
About this practice test
A reading about how planners selected and tested cycling routes by balancing safety, access, cost and public feedback.
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:
12 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
- Fill in the blank (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.
How a City Selected Its Cycling Routes
The city had decided to expand its cycle network, but the team knew they could not simply paint the widest streets and hope for the best. They began with maps of everyday journeys: school runs, short trips to clinics, visits to the tram stops, and the route to the central market. They marked the streets people already used by bike, as well as places where a safe connection would save a transfer or a long detour. From the start, the planners wanted a network that felt direct, even if it was not always the shortest line on a map. Each candidate street was scored on three main things: traffic speed, continuity, and connection. A quiet street with many driveways might rank below a busier one if the busier road offered an unbroken link across the city. The planners also looked at gradient, lighting, and room at intersections. Cost mattered too, but they treated cost and residents' concerns as filters, not automatic vetoes. That meant a difficult street could still be chosen if it solved a larger gap in the network. Public workshops quickly revealed two common worries. Shop owners feared losing loading space, and parents wanted routes near schools to be separated from fast traffic. The team kept one commercial street in the early list only until they checked delivery hours. They rejected another option through the old market because vans would need to cross the cycle lane every few metres. Instead of forcing cyclists through that conflict, they shifted the line one block east and added clearer signs for drivers. Another route followed the river. It was longer than the direct road through the hill district, yet it was chosen because it avoided the steep climb, needed less rebuilding, and could be opened in stages. The planners understood that a route which is easier and safer to ride is often used more often than a route that looks efficient on paper. That trade-off became one of the main principles behind the final decision. Before construction began, the city painted temporary lanes and installed light bollards on the streets that were most uncertain. Over three weeks, staff watched the morning peaks and asked volunteers to record where they hesitated. The trial showed that two junctions felt awkward when riders had to merge with turning traffic, so the final plan widened the waiting area and changed the signal timing. One short link was dropped completely because it created a blind corner beside a school gate. The temporary test saved the city from building a mistake into concrete. In the end, the chosen network joined the station quarter, the riverside housing, two secondary schools, and the central market without forcing riders onto the fastest roads. The city published its scoring sheet, which showed why some popular suggestions had been left out and why some less obvious streets had been selected instead. Officials said they would review the routes after six months. They also wanted the public to understand that a cycling plan is more than a line on a map: it is a set of compromises about safety, access, and money.
-
Question 1 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
The planners did not start by choosing the city's ___ streets.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- oldest
- quietest
- widest
- nearest
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- widest
Widest is correct because the passage says they could not simply paint the widest streets. The other choices do not match that contrast and are not supported by the text.
they could not simply paint the widest streets
oldest: Age is not used as the main starting criterion in the passage.
quietest: The passage never says the quietest streets were the starting point.
nearest: The text is about route planning, not choosing the nearest streets first.
-
Question 2 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
A street could rank lower if it lacked an ___ link across the city.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- decorative
- famous
- unbroken
- temporary
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- unbroken
Unbroken is correct because the passage says a busier road could be preferred if it offered an unbroken link across the city. The other options do not fit the meaning or the source wording.
if the busier road offered an unbroken link across the city
decorative: The passage is about practical connections, not decoration.
famous: Fame is not one of the route criteria in the passage.
temporary: Temporary lanes are mentioned later, not the quality used in scoring routes.
-
Question 3 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
The planners treated cost and residents' concerns as ___, not automatic vetoes.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- rewards
- shortcuts
- measurements
- filters
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- filters
Filters is correct because the passage explicitly says cost and residents' concerns were treated as filters, not automatic vetoes. The other choices do not match that decision-making idea.
they treated cost and residents' concerns as filters, not automatic vetoes
-
Question 4 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
Shop owners feared losing ___ space.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- loading
- recycling
- advertising
- parking
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- loading
Loading is correct because the passage says shop owners feared losing loading space. The other options are plausible in a shop setting, but they are not what the passage states.
Shop owners feared losing loading space
recycling: Recycling space is never mentioned in the passage.
advertising: The concern was about deliveries, not adverts.
parking: Parking is not the phrase used in the passage.
-
Question 5 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
The old market option was rejected because vans would need to cross the cycle lane every ___.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- few metres
- ten minutes
- few intersections
- few blocks
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- few metres
Few metres is correct because the passage states that vans would need to cross the cycle lane every few metres. The other options are grammatically possible but do not match the distance described in the text.
vans would need to cross the cycle lane every few metres
ten minutes: This is a time interval, not the distance described in the passage.
few intersections: This sounds route-related, but it does not match the text.
few blocks: This is a plausible distance phrase, but it is not what the passage says.
-
Question 6 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
The river route was chosen partly because it avoided the steep ___.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- bridge
- tunnel
- corner
- climb
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- climb
Climb is correct because the passage says the river route avoided the steep climb. The other options are not supported by the text and do not fit the sentence meaning.
it avoided the steep climb
bridge: A bridge is mentioned nowhere as the reason for choosing this route.
tunnel: The route avoids a hill, not a tunnel.
corner: The passage does not say the river route avoided a corner.
-
Question 7 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
The passage suggests that a route that looks efficient on ___ may not be used as much.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- paper
- asphalt
- weather
- time
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- paper
Paper is correct because the passage contrasts paper efficiency with real use. The other options do not match the source or the idea being developed.
a route that looks efficient on paper
asphalt: The passage compares planning ideas, not road surface material.
weather: Weather is not part of this contrast in the passage.
time: The sentence is about how a route appears in planning, not about the time of day.
-
Question 8 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
Before construction, the city installed light ___ on the streets that were most uncertain.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- mirrors
- banners
- benches
- bollards
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- bollards
Bollards is correct because the passage says the city installed light bollards on the streets that were most uncertain. The other options are reasonable street features, but they are not what the text names.
installed light bollards on the streets that were most uncertain
mirrors: Mirrors are not part of the passage's description of the trial.
banners: The city used temporary infrastructure, not banners, to test the route.
benches: Benches are not mentioned in the trial setup.
-
Question 9 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
Volunteers recorded where they ___ during the trial.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- stopped
- slowed down
- turned back
- hesitated
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- hesitated
Hesitated is correct because the passage says staff asked volunteers to record where they hesitated. The other options are grammatically possible, but they are not what the trial recorded.
asked volunteers to record where they hesitated
stopped: Stopping is possible in a trial, but the passage names a different behavior.
slowed down: This could happen on a route, but the passage does not say it was recorded.
turned back: This is plausible during testing, but it is not mentioned in the passage.
-
Question 10 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
The trial showed that two junctions felt awkward when riders had to merge with ___ traffic.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- turning
- river
- silent
- parked
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- turning
Turning is correct because the passage says the junctions felt awkward when riders had to merge with turning traffic. The other choices do not match the conflict described.
merge with turning traffic
river: River is irrelevant to the junction problem described here.
silent: This adjective does not fit the traffic conflict in the passage.
parked: The problem was moving vehicles, not parked ones.
-
Question 11 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
The final plan widened the waiting area and changed the signal ___.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- position
- colour
- timing
- length
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- timing
Timing is correct because the passage states that the final plan widened the waiting area and changed the signal timing. The other choices are grammatically possible in other contexts, but they are not supported by the passage.
widened the waiting area and changed the signal timing
position: The passage changes the timing, not the position, of the signal.
colour: Colour is not mentioned as part of the signal changes.
length: Length is not the feature adjusted in the passage.
-
Question 12 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
The city published its scoring sheet so people could see why some suggestions had been ___.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- copied
- left out
- renamed
- repaired
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- left out
Left out is correct because the passage says the scoring sheet showed why some popular suggestions had been left out. The other options do not fit the meaning of that publication.
The city published its scoring sheet, which showed why some popular suggestions had been left out
copied: The scoring sheet was not published to show copied ideas.
renamed: The issue was selection, not renaming suggestions.
repaired: Suggestions are not repaired; they are accepted or rejected.
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.