Testing the Promise of a Circular Economy
About this practice test
Read about a repair-and-reuse pilot, a grocery container-return scheme, and organisational obstacles to making reuse work at scale. The tasks test detail, comparison, paraphrase, vocabulary, and careful distinction between stated, contradicted, and absent information.
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:
18 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
- Multiple choice, True / False / Not Given, Cloze (dropdown), Short answer, 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.
Second Life Street
In the coastal city of Brookmere, a six-month pilot called Second Life Street opened in an unused library hall. Residents could bring in broken kettles, bicycles and small pieces of furniture, and each item was logged at a reuse desk before it entered the workshop. The project was not designed to save every object. Instead, the city wanted to test whether repair and reuse could cut waste while still keeping the process simple enough for ordinary households. People who left an item received a repair voucher and a pickup time, so they did not have to wait in the building all day. At first the room was crowded, and the team learned that speed mattered as much as goodwill. An online intake form reduced the queue, because staff could sort obvious cases before the owners arrived. Volunteers cleaned, sorted and labelled items, while trained technicians handled safety checks and electrical faults. The rules became stricter after the first week: volunteers could carry and test electrical goods, but only certified staff were allowed to open the casing. That division kept the workshop moving and also limited the risk of mistakes. By the third month, the workshop had created a small side business. Lamps, chairs and repaired bikes that were not claimed were sold in a corner shop inside the hall, and the income covered rent and transport. It did not cover wages, so the pilot still depended on the city’s environmental budget and donated time. Some goods were beyond repair and were stripped for parts; others were sent to recycling firms. The report noted that the pilot saved storage space, but it did not claim to eliminate waste. A few local retailers worried at first that the scheme would reduce sales, yet some later began supplying spare parts and asking customers to drop off broken stock instead of throwing it away. After six months, 1,240 items had entered the system. Of those, 46 per cent were repaired and returned, 31 per cent were broken into parts, and the rest were recycled or discarded. Bike repairs were usually finished in a day, while washing machines often waited several days for compatible parts. Coordinator Lena Ortiz said the pilot worked best when repair came first and resale came second, because a circular system still needs skilled people, sensible deadlines and honest limits. The city did not treat the pilot as proof that every neighbourhood could copy the model at once, but it did learn that reuse programs work better when they fit daily life rather than demand it change overnight.
Mira Shah and the Return Shelf
In March, GreenLoop Grocers ran a small container-return project in two city branches. Customers could buy soup, rice, and yogurt in sturdy plastic pots, then bring the pots back later for a refill. Each container carried a 25p deposit, which was refunded as app credit when it came back clean. The return shelf sat by the service desk so that staff could count the containers and inspect the lids before sending them to a local wash hub. Operations manager Mira Shah supported the trial, but she called it a test rather than proof that the whole chain could change overnight. The team hoped the scheme would reduce the number of disposable tubs sent away each week, but they kept the project small so they could watch how customers actually behaved. After six months, the numbers looked promising at first glance. Around 61% of the containers were returned within two weeks, and one branch did better than the other because it was closer to the depot. Even so, only about a third of weekly shoppers tried the scheme at all. Some liked the thicker pots because they did not leak in a bag, while others said the returns created extra trips that they did not want to make for a few coins. Staff also spent about 90 minutes a day logging lids and sorting damaged stock. The company originally promoted the project as a way to cut waste, but the internal report was less enthusiastic. Washing, transport, and the occasional replacement lid all cost money, so the savings were smaller than the publicity suggested. The project only reduced waste if each container was reused at least five times. Below that point, the energy used in collection and cleaning could outweigh the benefit of avoiding single-use tubs. In other words, the circular system was not automatically greener; it depended on how often people came back and how well the route worked. Shah's conclusion was careful rather than cynical. She argued that the project was useful because it showed customers would return packaging when the process was simple, but she rejected the idea that a few good figures proved the model was ready for every retailer. Her view was that local habits, transport distance, and honest accounting mattered as much as the container itself. The project, she said, was strongest in places where shoppers visited often and the washing hub was nearby. That did not make the circular economy a failure. It made it harder, and therefore more interesting, to test. A few colleagues wanted a louder success story, yet Shah preferred a cautious one because she thought the numbers meant more when they were explained honestly.
Six Voices on the Obstacles to Reuse
Paragraph 1At a workshop in the port city of Haven, six organisations were invited to explain why the promise of reuse is harder to deliver than it sounds. The meeting was not about whether a circular economy is desirable; everyone in the room supported the idea. The sharper question was why materials that could have been used again so often drift back into waste streams. Each speaker described a different bottleneck, and together they showed that the problem is not one dramatic failure but a chain of small, expensive ones.
Paragraph 2Coastal Loop, which collects plastic crates from supermarkets, said the worst problem was that the returns came back with food residue and mixed labels, so washing them for a second life used more water and heat than many buyers expected. Northbridge Paper Works made a similar point about paper trays: repeated use weakens fibres, and coatings that look harmless on day one can crack after only a few turns. Its manager, Leon, said a reused tray is not rejected because it is old, but because it is no longer predictable. That unpredictability means workers inspect each batch by hand, which slows the process and reduces the savings reuse is supposed to create.
Paragraph 3GreenShelf Retail focused on trust. Its team said shoppers would accept reused jars more readily if they could see a clear hygiene history, but a label alone is not enough unless shops use the same standard. MetroMove Logistics described a different trap: empty boxes and tubs take almost the same space in a lorry as full ones, so fuel and driver time can erase the gain from using them again. For MetroMove, the system only works when routes are dense enough to keep vehicles full in both directions. Otherwise, the cleaner option becomes the dearer one.
Paragraph 4Two more organisations widened the argument. Alloy Circle repairs metal parts for small factories, yet it said machines often need exact dimensions, and reused parts vary by a few millimetres after their first life. City Tax Forum added that tax and insurance rules were written for new goods, so second-hand flows trigger extra forms and higher premiums. By the end of the discussion, no one claimed reuse was impossible. The organisations were less optimistic than slogans, but more useful: they showed that design, transport, trust and regulation all have to line up before the circular economy can work at scale.
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Question 1 · Multiple choice
Choose all the correct answers.
Choose TWO statements that are true about the pilot.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Volunteers were allowed to open electrical casings.
- It ran for six months.
- An online intake form helped reduce waiting times.
- Every item collected was repaired and returned.
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- It ran for six months.; An online intake form helped reduce waiting times.
The passage says the scheme was a six-month pilot and that an online intake form reduced the queue. It does not say volunteers could open electrical casings, and it clearly states that not every collected item was repaired and returned.
a six-month pilot called Second Life Street
An online intake form reduced the queue
Volunteers were allowed to open electrical casings.: Incorrect. The passage says only certified staff could open the casing.
It ran for six months.: Correct. The opening paragraph gives the pilot’s length.
An online intake form helped reduce waiting times.: Correct. The text says it reduced the queue.
Every item collected was repaired and returned.: Incorrect. Some items were stripped for parts, recycled or discarded.
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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 report states that the city measured the pilot's exact carbon savings.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- True
- False
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Not Given
Not Given. The passage mentions storage space, waste and the pilot’s limits, but it does not mention any exact carbon-savings calculation or measurement.
The report noted that the pilot saved storage space, but it did not claim to eliminate waste
True: Incorrect. No exact carbon-savings measurement is reported.
False: Incorrect. The passage does not directly deny a carbon calculation; it simply never mentions one.
Not Given: Correct. The text gives no exact carbon-savings figure or measurement.
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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.
After a rule change, volunteers were allowed to open the casing of electrical goods.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- True
- False
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- False
False. The passage says the opposite: volunteers could carry and test the goods, but only certified staff could open the casing.
only certified staff were allowed to open the casing
True: Incorrect. The rule kept that task for certified staff.
False: Correct. The passage directly contradicts the statement.
Not Given: Incorrect. The rules for electrical goods are stated clearly.
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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.
Bike repairs were completed faster than washing-machine repairs.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- True
- False
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- True
True. The report compares the two types of repair and says bikes were usually finished in a day, while washing machines often waited several days for parts.
Bike repairs were usually finished in a day, while washing machines often waited several days for compatible parts
True: Correct. The timing comparison supports this.
False: Incorrect. The passage shows the opposite difference.
Not Given: Incorrect. The speed comparison is stated directly.
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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.
The pilot's earnings covered rent, transport and staff wages.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- True
- False
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- False
False. The report says the income covered rent and transport, but it did not cover wages, so the full claim is contradicted.
the income covered rent and transport. It did not cover wages
True: Incorrect. Wages are specifically excluded.
False: Correct. The text says wages were not covered.
Not Given: Incorrect. The passage gives enough information to judge the claim.
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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 reuse desk gave each owner both a repair voucher and a pickup time.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- True
- False
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- True
True. The passage states that people leaving an item received both. There is no contradiction in the text.
People who left an item received a repair voucher and a pickup time
True: Correct. Both details are stated directly.
False: Incorrect. The passage says the owners received both items.
Not Given: Incorrect. The information is given clearly in the first paragraph.
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Question 7 · Cloze (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
Complete the summary. Choose the best option for each gap. After a 1___ trial, Shah thought the project was useful because it showed that 2___ packaging when the process was simple. She also said that a few good figures did not prove the model was ready for 3___. For her, 4___, 5___, and honest accounting mattered as much as the container itself. The project was strongest in places where shoppers visited often and the washing hub was 6___.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- one-day
- three-week
- two-year
- six-month
Choices for blank 2
- staff would count
- customers would return
- prices would rise
- shelves would fill
Choices for blank 3
- every retailer
- the service desk
- single-use tubs
- a lower price
Choices for blank 4
- extra trips
- washing costs
- weekly shoppers
- local habits
Choices for blank 5
- damaged stock
- app credit
- the depot
- transport distance
Choices for blank 6
- closed
- nearby
- clean
- empty
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- six-month
- Blank 2
- customers would return
- Blank 3
- every retailer
- Blank 4
- local habits
- Blank 5
- transport distance
- Blank 6
- nearby
Gap 1: The trial lasted six months, described in the passage as a six-month pilot. Gap 2: Shah said the project showed that customers would return packaging when the process was simple. Gap 3: She rejected the idea that the results proved the model was ready for every retailer. Gap 4: Shah identified local habits as important alongside transport distance and honest accounting. Gap 5: She also identified transport distance as important alongside local habits and honest accounting. Gap 6: The project was strongest where the washing hub was nearby.
Shah's conclusion was careful rather than cynical
She argued that the project was useful because it showed customers would return packaging when the process was simple, but she rejected the idea that a few good figures proved the model was ready for every retailer
Her view was that local habits, transport distance, and honest accounting mattered as much as the container itself. The project, she said, was strongest in places where shoppers visited often and the washing hub was nearby
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Question 8 · Short answer
Write a short answer to the question.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. How much was the deposit on each container?
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Accepted answers
- 25p / 25p deposit
The passage says each container carried a 25p deposit. That is the amount requested; other figures in the passage refer to return rates or staff time, not the deposit.
Each container carried a 25p deposit, which was refunded as app credit when it came back clean
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Question 9 · Short answer
Write a short answer to the question.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. Which place was one branch closer to?
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Accepted answers
- the depot / depot
The passage says one branch did better because it was closer to the depot. The answer is therefore the depot; the shorter source-derived answer 'depot' is also acceptable.
one branch did better than the other because it was closer to the depot
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Question 10 · Short answer
Write a short answer to the question.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. What did some customers say the returns created?
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Accepted answers
- extra trips
The customers complained that the returns created extra trips. That is the exact idea in the passage; options like 'damaged stock' or 'few coins' describe other parts of the project, not this complaint.
others said the returns created extra trips that they did not want to make for a few coins
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Question 11 · Short answer
Write a short answer to the question.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. About how long did staff spend logging lids and sorting damaged stock each day?
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Accepted answers
- 90 minutes / about 90 minutes / ninety minutes
The passage states that staff spent about 90 minutes a day on logging lids and sorting damaged stock together. The key information is the combined time spent on those tasks, not just one task alone.
Staff also spent about 90 minutes a day logging lids and sorting damaged stock
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Question 12 · Short answer
Write a short answer to the question.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. How many times did each container need to be reused for the project to reduce waste?
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Accepted answers
- five times
The report says the project only reduced waste if each container was reused at least five times. The minimum number is therefore five times; smaller numbers would not meet the condition.
The project only reduced waste if each container was reused at least five times
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Question 13 · Matching
Match each item to the correct choice.
Match each statement with the organisation that made it. Choose the correct letter next to each number.
Return to the passage, recording or visualAnswer choices
- MetroMove Logistics
- GreenShelf Retail
- Coastal Loop
- Northbridge Paper Works
- Alloy Circle
- Harbour Materials Lab
- City Tax Forum
Items
- It says dirty returns make washing too costly for another round of use.
- It says repeated use can weaken fibres and crack coatings.
- It says reused jars need a clear hygiene history before shoppers will trust them.
- It says empty containers still take almost as much lorry space as full ones.
- It says reused parts fail when their sizes are not exact enough.
- It says rules for new goods add forms and higher premiums to second-hand trade.
Check answers and explanations
- 1. It says dirty returns make washing too costly for another round of use.
- Coastal Loop
- 2. It says repeated use can weaken fibres and crack coatings.
- Northbridge Paper Works
- 3. It says reused jars need a clear hygiene history before shoppers will trust them.
- GreenShelf Retail
- 4. It says empty containers still take almost as much lorry space as full ones.
- MetroMove Logistics
- 5. It says reused parts fail when their sizes are not exact enough.
- Alloy Circle
- 6. It says rules for new goods add forms and higher premiums to second-hand trade.
- City Tax Forum
Match 1: Coastal Loop links dirty returns with the extra water and heat needed for washing. Match 2: Northbridge Paper Works says repeated use weakens fibres and can crack coatings. Match 3: GreenShelf Retail says shoppers need a clear hygiene history to trust reused jars. Match 4: MetroMove Logistics says empty containers take almost as much lorry space as full ones. Match 5: Alloy Circle says reused parts may vary from the exact dimensions required by machines. Match 6: City Tax Forum says rules for new goods create extra forms and higher premiums for second-hand flows.
Coastal Loop, which collects plastic crates from supermarkets, said the worst problem was that the returns came back with food residue and mixed labels, so washing them for a second life used more water and heat than many buyers expected. Northbridge Paper Works made a similar point about paper trays: repeated use weakens fibres, and coatings that look harmless on day one can crack after only a few turns
GreenShelf Retail focused on trust. Its team said shoppers would accept reused jars more readily if they could see a clear hygiene history, but a label alone is not enough unless shops use the same standard. MetroMove Logistics described a different trap: empty boxes and tubs take almost the same space in a lorry as full ones, so fuel and driver time can erase the gain from using them again
Two more organisations widened the argument. Alloy Circle repairs metal parts for small factories, yet it said machines often need exact dimensions, and reused parts vary by a few millimetres after their first life. City Tax Forum added that tax and insurance rules were written for new goods, so second-hand flows trigger extra forms and higher premiums
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Question 14 · 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.
City Tax Forum says reuse causes fewer forms than buying new products.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- True
- False
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- False
False. The passage says the opposite: second-hand flows trigger extra forms and higher premiums because the rules were written for new goods. Not Given is wrong because the text clearly gives the opposite view.
City Tax Forum added that tax and insurance rules were written for new goods, so second-hand flows trigger extra forms and higher premiums
True: The passage says reuse creates extra forms and higher premiums, not fewer.
False: Correct. City Tax Forum says the rules make reuse more burdensome, not simpler.
Not Given: The text directly states the opposite, so it is not Not Given.
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Question 15 · 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 passage says GreenShelf believes the best way to build trust is to lower prices.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- True
- False
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Not Given
Not Given. GreenShelf discusses clear hygiene history and a shared standard, but it does not mention lowering prices as a way to build trust. False is wrong because the passage never contradicts that idea; it simply does not address it.
GreenShelf Retail focused on trust. Its team said shoppers would accept reused jars more readily if they could see a clear hygiene history, but a label alone is not enough unless shops use the same standard
True: The passage does not mention price as the solution to trust.
False: The text does not directly contradict this; it simply does not say anything about lowering prices.
Not Given: Correct. Trust is linked to hygiene history and a standard, not to prices.
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Question 16 · 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.
Coastal Loop says the returns come back with food residue and mixed labels.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- True
- False
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- True
True. The sentence about Coastal Loop states this directly. False is wrong because the passage matches the statement, and Not Given is wrong because the detail is explicitly provided.
Coastal Loop, which collects plastic crates from supermarkets, said the worst problem was that the returns came back with food residue and mixed labels, so washing them for a second life used more water and heat than many buyers expected
True: Correct. The passage states this directly.
False: The passage says the returns do come back with food residue and mixed labels.
Not Given: The detail is explicitly stated, so it is not Not Given.
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Question 17 · 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.
MetroMove says empty boxes and tubs take almost the same space in a lorry as full ones.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- True
- False
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- True
True. This is stated directly in the passage. False is wrong because the passage gives the same-space problem as the reason transport becomes expensive, and Not Given is wrong because the information appears clearly in the text.
MetroMove Logistics described a different trap: empty boxes and tubs take almost the same space in a lorry as full ones, so fuel and driver time can erase the gain from using them again
True: Correct. The passage states this directly.
False: The passage says the opposite: empty boxes and tubs take almost the same space.
Not Given: The detail is explicitly given, so it is not Not Given.
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Question 18 · 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 passage says all six organisations agreed that reuse is cheap if the items are strong enough.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- True
- False
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- False
False. The passage says the opposite: the speakers describe different costs and bottlenecks, and the final paragraph says they showed that several conditions must line up before reuse works at scale. The text does not present a shared belief that strength alone makes reuse cheap.
Each speaker described a different bottleneck, and together they showed that the problem is not one dramatic failure but a chain of small, expensive ones
The organisations were less optimistic than slogans, but more useful: they showed that design, transport, trust and regulation all have to line up before the circular economy can work at scale
True: The passage does not say this; it stresses costs and bottlenecks instead.
False: Correct. The passage stresses that reuse faces several expensive barriers, not that it is automatically cheap.
Not Given: The text clearly gives enough information to judge this statement, so it is not Not Given.
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.