Paragraphs in a Debate about Public Space
About this practice test
A fictional town considers competing views on how its public square should be accessible, welcoming, commercially useful and adaptable.
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
- Matching
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.
Paragraphs in a Debate about Public Space
Paragraph 1The town of Harrowgate had one small public square, an open rectangle of stone between the bus stop and the library. For years, people crossed it quickly, and most barely noticed the two benches at its centre. At lunchtime, office workers used it as a shortcut. In the evening, children on the way home paused there, and older residents sometimes rested before walking on. Then the council announced a redesign: some benches would be removed, café tables could spill into one side, and Saturday events would be allowed. The plan sounded practical, but it also reopened a familiar argument about what the square was for.
Paragraph 2Mara, who ran the florist on the north side, said the square had started to attract long, noisy groups in the evenings. She did not object to children or older people sitting there, but she felt that two benches near her window encouraged people to stay without buying anything. Some limits, she said, were still necessary. She wanted more flower beds and stronger lighting, because a place could be welcoming without becoming a hangout. To her, the square should look cared for, not empty, and not like somewhere anyone could settle for hours.
Paragraph 3Dev, a youth worker, answered that hangout was exactly the point. He brought teenagers to the square after school because the shopping centre chased them away if they were not spending. He argued that a town should offer somewhere free, visible, and ordinary where young people could sit with friends and not be treated as a problem. If the council removed every bench that attracted a group, he said, it would be choosing comfort for shopfronts over comfort for residents. In his view, the space did not become less public when people stayed in it; it became more alive.
Paragraph 4Lina, who used a wheelchair and pushed a pram most mornings, said the argument often ignored who could actually use the space. The square looked open, but its paving was uneven, and the fountain in the middle left little room to turn. She cared less about whether the design was stylish than whether it was practical. Smooth surfaces, shade, and toilets nearby mattered more to her than decorative extras, because a place was not truly public if only some bodies could move through it with ease.
Paragraph 5Tomas, who owned the café across the road and helped run the monthly craft market, took a more mixed view. He thought the square could support both calm and activity if the rules were clear. Small markets, he said, brought life into the area and gave the council a way to pay for cleaning and repairs. He also liked the idea of closing the road on Sundays, when delivery traffic was light, because that would make room for stalls, performances, and people who wanted to linger. In his opinion, the square did not need to choose between being useful and being enjoyable; it needed a pattern that made both possible.
Paragraph 6After weeks of letters and meetings, the council planner, Jules, proposed a trial rather than a verdict. The revised plan kept some benches, added a cycle lane along the edge, and set up a weekend market on a test basis. It would also be reviewed after six months, with a complaints form and a public report. Jules admitted that no design could satisfy everyone at once, and he said that pretending otherwise would only hide the real conflict. The final notice said the point was not to settle the argument for ever, but to find out which kinds of use the square could hold without excluding the people who depended on it. If the trial failed, the council could change course; if it worked, the town would have a model for other spaces.
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Question 1 · Matching
Match each item to the correct choice.
Match each statement to the person who expressed it. Choose the correct letter A-G.
Return to the passage, recording or visualAnswer choices
- Tomas
- Dev
- the writer
- the town historian
- Lina
- Jules
- Mara
Items
- Says benches near the square encourage people to stay without buying anything.
- Says young people need a free place to sit that is not tied to spending.
- Says practical access matters more than decoration.
- Says mixed use can work if the rules are clear.
- Says the plan should be tried before anyone judges it permanently.
- Frames the redesign as reopening a familiar argument about what the square is for.
Check answers and explanations
- 1. Says benches near the square encourage people to stay without buying anything.
- Mara
- 2. Says young people need a free place to sit that is not tied to spending.
- Dev
- 3. Says practical access matters more than decoration.
- Lina
- 4. Says mixed use can work if the rules are clear.
- Tomas
- 5. Says the plan should be tried before anyone judges it permanently.
- Jules
- 6. Frames the redesign as reopening a familiar argument about what the square is for.
- the writer
Match 1: Mara links the benches near her window with people staying without buying anything. Match 2: Dev argues that young people need a free place where they are not expected to spend money. Match 3: Lina prioritises smooth, practical access over decorative design. Match 4: Tomas says the square can support calm and activity if clear rules are used. Match 5: Jules proposes a trial followed by a review before making a permanent decision. Match 6: The writer introduces the redesign as a renewed argument about the square’s purpose.
two benches near her window encouraged people to stay without buying anything
a town should offer somewhere free, visible, and ordinary where young people could sit with friends and not be treated as a problem
The plan sounded practical, but it also reopened a familiar argument about what the square was for
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Question 2 · Matching
Match each item to the correct choice.
Match each proposal to the reason or effect given in the passage. Choose the correct letter A-G.
Return to the passage, recording or visualAnswer choices
- add a cycle lane along the edge
- review after six months
- add flower beds and stronger lighting
- complaints form and a public report
- close the road on Sundays
- keep some benches
- weekend market on a test basis
Items
- Measure that was retained in the revised plan.
- Change meant to make the place welcoming without becoming a hangout.
- Action that frees room for stalls, performances, and people who wanted to linger.
- Arrangement introduced to test whether the square could hold different kinds of use.
- Step that allows the council to check the compromise later.
- Measure that lets residents raise problems and see the results publicly.
Check answers and explanations
- 1. Measure that was retained in the revised plan.
- keep some benches
- 2. Change meant to make the place welcoming without becoming a hangout.
- add flower beds and stronger lighting
- 3. Action that frees room for stalls, performances, and people who wanted to linger.
- close the road on Sundays
- 4. Arrangement introduced to test whether the square could hold different kinds of use.
- weekend market on a test basis
- 5. Step that allows the council to check the compromise later.
- review after six months
- 6. Measure that lets residents raise problems and see the results publicly.
- complaints form and a public report
Match 1: The revised plan retained some benches. Match 2: Mara proposes flower beds and stronger lighting so the square can feel welcoming without becoming a hangout. Match 3: Closing the road on Sundays would create room for stalls, performances and people who wanted to linger. Match 4: The weekend market is introduced on a test basis to examine different uses of the square. Match 5: The six-month review allows the council to assess the compromise later. Match 6: A complaints form and public report allow problems to be raised and the outcome to be seen publicly.
The revised plan kept some benches, added a cycle lane along the edge, and set up a weekend market on a test basis
because that would make room for stalls, performances, and people who wanted to linger
It would also be reviewed after six months, with a complaints form and a public report
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.