Testing a Deposit Scheme for Reusable Cups
About this practice test
A report on a market trial of reusable cups, examining return rates, customer responses, practical difficulties and the conditions needed for a wider deposit scheme.
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
- True / False / Not Given
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.
Testing a Deposit Scheme for Reusable Cups
Last summer, the Riverside Saturday Market tried a small experiment. For three weekends, drink stalls used thick reusable cups instead of the usual throwaway ones. Customers paid a £1 deposit with each drink and got it back when they returned the cup. The organisers wanted to know whether a simple deposit would reduce litter without making the market feel awkward or slow. The scheme was easy to explain, but it still changed how people bought drinks. A customer could hand back a cup at any of four collection points near the exits, not just at the stall where it had been issued. That mattered, because the market spreads over two streets and visitors often wander between food, music and craft stalls. On the first weekend, staff counted 3,200 cups in use, and 82% came back by closing time. Maya Patel, who helped coordinate the trial, said the number alone did not tell the whole story. Some cups were returned late, after people had finished their food elsewhere, and a few were kept as souvenirs. A cup that leaves the site is not always a lost cup, she said. The team noticed that the busiest bar had a slightly longer queue, but only for a short period when two bands finished at once. Even then, the delay was under a minute. Not everyone expected the idea to work. Before the trial began, a trader’s group argued that deposits could discourage customers who did not carry much cash. In response, the market accepted both card payments and cash, and posters explained the system in plain language. The organisers also hired an extra volunteer near the main gate to answer questions. According to Maya, the biggest surprise was that older visitors were not the most hesitant; they were slightly more likely than younger ones to return their cups promptly. The second weekend was less successful, although the reason was not simple. Heavy rain kept some people away, and the crowd that did arrive stayed longer in the indoor hall. As a result, return points near the outdoor stage were used less often. The washing unit still worked well, however. It cleaned the cups with far less water than would have been needed for an equivalent number of disposable bottles, and the team recorded no hygiene complaints. By the end of the trial, the organisers were careful in how they described the outcome. They believed the deposit scheme had cut visible litter and made people think twice before throwing cups away. At the same time, they did not claim that every festival or market should copy the model immediately. Their report said the system was most promising where return points were close to exits and where the deposit stayed low enough to feel fair. The council now plans to compare the market results with a winter event before deciding whether to extend the scheme.
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Question 1 · True / False / Not Given
Decide whether the statement agrees with the information. Choose Not Given when the text or recording does not provide the information.
Each drink cup required a £1 deposit.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- True
- False
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- True
True. The passage states that customers paid a £1 deposit for each drink and got it back when they returned the cup. There is no alternative amount mentioned.
Customers paid a £1 deposit with each drink
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Question 2 · True / False / Not Given
Decide whether the statement agrees with the information. Choose Not Given when the text or recording does not provide the information.
The council has already chosen the winter event it will use for comparison.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- True
- False
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Not Given
Not Given. The passage says the council plans to compare the market results with a winter event, but it does not identify which event has been chosen.
The council now plans to compare the market results with a winter event before deciding whether to extend the scheme
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Question 3 · True / False / Not Given
Decide whether the statement agrees with the information. Choose Not Given when the text or recording does not provide the information.
The trial was repeated at another market during the summer.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- True
- False
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Not Given
Not Given. The passage describes one trial at the Riverside Saturday Market, but it never says the scheme was tested at any other market during the summer.
Last summer, the Riverside Saturday Market tried a small experiment
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Question 4 · True / False / Not Given
Decide whether the statement agrees with the information. Choose Not Given when the text or recording does not provide the information.
The organisers said the trial proved that every festival should replace disposable cups immediately.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- True
- False
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- False
False. The passage says the organisers did not make that claim, so the statement contradicts their conclusion.
they did not claim that every festival or market should copy the model immediately
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Question 5 · True / False / Not Given
Decide whether the statement agrees with the information. Choose Not Given when the text or recording does not provide the information.
Some people kept the cups as souvenirs.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- True
- False
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- True
True. The passage explicitly says that a few cups were kept as souvenirs.
a few were kept as souvenirs
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Question 6 · True / False / Not Given
Decide whether the statement agrees with the information. Choose Not Given when the text or recording does not provide the information.
The busiest bar had a queue delay of more than a minute.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- True
- False
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- False
False. The passage says the delay was under a minute, so the statement reverses the detail given.
Even then, the delay was under a minute
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Question 7 · True / False / Not Given
Decide whether the statement agrees with the information. Choose Not Given when the text or recording does not provide the information.
Customers had to return cups to the same stall where they bought them.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- True
- False
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- False
False. The passage says cups could be handed back at any of four collection points near the exits, so the same stall was not required.
A customer could hand back a cup at any of four collection points near the exits, not just at the stall where it had been issued
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Question 8 · True / False / Not Given
Decide whether the statement agrees with the information. Choose Not Given when the text or recording does not provide the information.
On the first weekend, 82% of the cups were returned by closing time.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- True
- False
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- True
True. The passage gives that exact return rate for the first weekend, so the statement matches the text.
On the first weekend, staff counted 3,200 cups in use, and 82% came back by closing time
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Question 9 · True / False / Not Given
Decide whether the statement agrees with the information. Choose Not Given when the text or recording does not provide the information.
The market refused to accept card payments from customers.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- True
- False
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- False
False. The passage says the market accepted both card payments and cash, which directly contradicts the statement.
the market accepted both card payments and cash
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Question 10 · True / False / Not Given
Decide whether the statement agrees with the information. Choose Not Given when the text or recording does not provide the information.
The report said the scheme was most promising when return points were close to exits and the deposit stayed low.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- True
- False
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- True
True. This is stated directly in the final paragraph as the report’s conclusion about the conditions for success.
Their report said the system was most promising where return points were close to exits and where the deposit stayed low enough to feel fair
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Question 11 · True / False / Not Given
Decide whether the statement agrees with the information. Choose Not Given when the text or recording does not provide the information.
Younger visitors were asked to explain why they disliked the cups.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- True
- False
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Not Given
Not Given. The passage compares older and younger visitors, but it does not mention any follow-up question about disliking the cups.
they were slightly more likely than younger ones to return their cups promptly
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Question 12 · True / False / Not Given
Decide whether the statement agrees with the information. Choose Not Given when the text or recording does not provide the information.
The washing unit was located outside the town.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- True
- False
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Not Given
Not Given. The passage says the washing unit worked well and used less water, but it does not say where the unit was located.
The washing unit still worked well, however
It cleaned the cups with far less water than would have been needed for an equivalent number of disposable bottles
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.