The Limits of a Community Food Trial
About this practice test
A reading about a community food trial that used surplus produce while facing unpredictable supplies, limited volunteer time and short-term funding.
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.
The Limits of a Community Food Trial
In the town of Greenford, three local organisations started a small food trial after market stallholders complained that they were throwing away edible vegetables at the end of Saturday. The organisers borrowed the school canteen kitchen and used it on Tuesday evenings to turn surplus produce into soups, stews, and savoury fillings. Their aim was not only to reduce waste, but also to see whether a neighbourhood menu could work with irregular supplies and limited volunteers. The council gave a modest grant, yet from the start the team said the project would not be a full-scale answer to food insecurity. Each week, two volunteers collected crates from the market, sorted bruised produce, and wrote down what had arrived. That record was important because the cooks planned meals only after seeing the delivery, rather than choosing recipes first. If carrots came with beetroot, they made soup; if apples were plentiful, they baked crumbles. This flexibility kept costs low, yet it also made the menu uneven. Some residents liked the surprise, while others wanted the same dish every week and found the changing offers difficult to follow. The trial fed about forty people per session, most of them families from nearby streets and a few older residents from the estate. People paid what they could, but no one was turned away. The volunteers noticed that attendance rose when the food was served before sunset, because parents found it easier to come after work. However, the team could not open every day. Several volunteers had daytime jobs, and the kitchen was already booked on Thursdays and Fridays, so the schedule had to remain narrow. Midway through the trial, the organisers added a short feedback form. It showed that people valued the low price and the chance to meet neighbours, yet some felt the dining room was too noisy for older guests. Others asked for more protein, but the project could not reliably obtain meat or cheese. Instead, the cooks used beans, lentils, and eggs whenever donations allowed. The team realised that variety was improving, but only within narrow limits, because the ingredients still depended on whatever supporters happened to give. Money was another constraint. The grant covered gas, basic ingredients, and insurance for three months. After that, the project depended on extra support from a bakery and two local farms. Those partners were generous, though not always predictable. One wet week reduced the farm deliveries, and the group had to buy onions from a wholesaler. The organisers concluded that a trial can look smooth when supplies are kind, yet the same model becomes fragile as soon as outside help changes. At the final meeting, the coordinator said the trial should be judged by what it revealed, not by whether it became permanent. It proved that shared cooking can use surplus food effectively, but only if people accept a changing menu, flexible hours, and some inconvenience. The group decided to continue once a month and to search for a bigger site. They did not present the experiment as a cure-all; instead, they treated it as a modest, practical test of what a community could sustain.
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Question 1 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
The project began partly to see whether a neighbourhood menu could work with ___ supplies and limited volunteers.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- regular
- irregular
- fixed
- imported
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- irregular
"Irregular" is correct because the passage says the team wanted to test a menu that could cope with changing, unreliable deliveries. The other choices do not express this lack of predictability.
see whether a neighbourhood menu could work with irregular supplies and limited volunteers
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Question 2 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
The organisers borrowed the school canteen kitchen and used it on ___ evenings.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- Tuesday
- Thursday
- Saturday
- Sunday
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- Tuesday
"Tuesday" is correct because the passage states the kitchen was used then. The other days are mentioned elsewhere only as wrong or unavailable possibilities, so they do not fit the source.
used it on Tuesday evenings
Tuesday: Correct: the kitchen was used on Tuesday evenings.
Thursday: Thursday is mentioned as a day the kitchen was already booked.
Saturday: Saturday refers to the market, not the kitchen schedule.
Sunday: The passage does not mention Sunday use.
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Question 3 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
The cooks planned meals only after seeing the ___, rather than choosing recipes first.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- calendar
- menu
- budget
- delivery
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- delivery
"Delivery" is correct because the team waited to see what had arrived before deciding what to cook. "Budget" and "calendar" are possible planning tools, but the passage does not say they were used this way, and "menu" reverses the meaning.
planned meals only after seeing the delivery, rather than choosing recipes first
calendar: The schedule mattered, but it was not the basis for choosing recipes.
menu: This would mean the opposite of what the passage says.
budget: The budget mattered, but meals were not planned after seeing it.
delivery: Correct: the meal plan depended on what had arrived.
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Question 4 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
This flexibility kept costs low, yet it also made the menu ___.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- permanent
- healthier
- uneven
- identical
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- uneven
"Uneven" is correct because the passage contrasts lower costs with an irregular menu that some residents found hard to follow. "Healthier" is not stated, while "permanent" and "identical" contradict the idea of changing dishes.
This flexibility kept costs low, yet it also made the menu uneven
permanent: The menu was the opposite of permanent because it changed.
healthier: The passage does not say the changing menu was healthier.
uneven: Correct: the menu changed from week to week.
identical: The passage says the menu was not the same every week.
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Question 5 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
Attendance rose when the food was served before ___.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- breakfast
- midnight
- school
- sunset
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- sunset
"Sunset" is correct because parents found it easier to attend before dark after work. The other options do not fit the time reference and are not supported by the passage.
attendance rose when the food was served before sunset
breakfast: The meal was served in the evening, not before breakfast.
midnight: This is not the time mentioned in the passage.
school: This is not a time expression and does not fit the sentence.
sunset: Correct: serving before sunset helped attendance.
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Question 6 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
The team could not open every day because several volunteers had daytime ___.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- hours
- jobs
- holidays
- appointments
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- jobs
"Jobs" is correct because the passage says that several volunteers had daytime jobs, which limited the opening schedule. The other choices are not given as reasons for the restricted hours.
Several volunteers had daytime jobs
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Question 7 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
The feedback form showed that people valued the low price and the chance to meet ___.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- reporters
- neighbours
- teachers
- suppliers
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- neighbours
"Neighbours" is correct because that was one of the main benefits residents reported. The other options are not supported by the feedback described in the passage.
people valued the low price and the chance to meet neighbours
reporters: The passage does not mention reporters attending.
neighbours: Correct: the trial also offered social contact.
teachers: Teachers are not part of the feedback result.
suppliers: Suppliers are mentioned elsewhere, not as the people residents met.
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Question 8 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
Because meat and cheese were unreliable, the cooks used beans, lentils, and ___ whenever donations allowed.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- eggs
- pasta
- bread
- rice
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- eggs
"Eggs" is correct because the passage names them as the other protein source the cooks used when donations arrived. The other choices are not the items listed in the text and would weaken the source meaning.
the cooks used beans, lentils, and eggs whenever donations allowed
eggs: Correct: eggs were added when donations made them available.
pasta: Pasta is not part of the source phrase.
bread: Bread is not the protein item mentioned here.
rice: Rice is not named in the passage.
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Question 9 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
The grant covered gas, basic ingredients, and insurance for three ___.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- days
- months
- weeks
- years
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- months
"Months" is correct because the passage gives the exact length of support. The other units do not match the stated duration and would distort the funding limit.
The grant covered gas, basic ingredients, and insurance for three months
days: The grant lasted much longer than a few days.
months: Correct: the grant lasted for three months.
weeks: Weeks is too short for the period described.
years: The passage says months, not years.
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Question 10 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
After the grant ended, the project depended on extra support from a bakery and two local ___.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- shops
- cafés
- schools
- farms
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- farms
"Farms" is correct because the passage names those partners explicitly. Schools, shops, and cafés are all plausible community partners, but they are not the ones the source mentions.
the project depended on extra support from a bakery and two local farms
shops: Shops are not named as supporters here.
cafés: Cafés are not mentioned in the passage.
schools: Schools are part of the earlier kitchen arrangement, not the later support network.
farms: Correct: the extra support came from two local farms.
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Question 11 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
The organisers concluded that the same model becomes fragile as soon as outside help ___.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- changes
- improves
- expands
- continues
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- changes
"Changes" is correct because the passage warns that the model becomes fragile when outside support is no longer steady. The other choices do not match this stated condition.
the same model becomes fragile as soon as outside help changes
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Question 12 · Fill in the blank (dropdown)
Choose the correct option for each blank.
The trial should be judged as a practical test, not as a ___ for the town’s food problems.
Return to the passage, recording or visualChoices for blank 1
- cure-all
- shortage
- outline
- schedule
Check answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- cure-all
"Cure-all" is correct because the final paragraph says the organisers did not present the experiment as a complete solution. The other options do not capture that limited, cautious judgment.
They did not present the experiment as a cure-all
cure-all: Correct: the trial was never claimed to solve everything.
shortage: The passage discusses shortages, but this does not fit the final judgment.
outline: An outline is not the idea expressed here.
schedule: The issue is the trial’s limits, not its timetable.
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.