What Changed after a Street Was Redesigned
About this practice test
A town street redesign is examined through its effects on traffic, buses, cyclists, pedestrians, nearby businesses, and residents, including both improvements and unintended consequences.
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.
What Changed after a Street Was Redesigned
Last spring, the town council redesigned Alder Street, a short road that connects the station to the old market square. For years it had been a place people hurried through rather than a place they wanted to stay. Cars used to queue beside buses, delivery vans, and shoppers stepping off the curb, and the pavement narrowed so sharply near the station entrance that two adults could not pass comfortably. Instead of widening the road for traffic, the council did the opposite. One of the two car lanes was removed, the kerb line was moved out, and the extra space became a broad pavement with trees, benches, and bicycle stands. At the crossing near the bakery, the kerb was raised so that pedestrians now cross on a level surface. A painted cycle lane runs along the eastern side, while delivery vehicles may enter only before 10 a.m. and must leave through the north end. Traffic has not disappeared, but it behaves differently. Because through-traffic no longer finds Alder Street quick, many drivers choose the ring road instead. Buses use a short priority section near the station, so they no longer wait behind private cars at the busiest corner. The bus company says the service is a little more reliable at rush hour, although drivers still lose time when a double-parked van blocks the loading area. Cyclists, meanwhile, say the new lane is smoother than the old mix of painted arrows and sudden gaps. Local businesses were worried at first. Mrs. Patel, who runs the bakery, expected fewer customers because there are fewer parking spaces outside her shop. In fact, the number of spaces dropped from twelve to five, and some drivers now stop for a shorter time. Yet more people on foot seem to notice the shop window, and the bakery has sold more coffee after 8 a.m. The florist next door likes the wider pavement because it gives her room to put out plants, but the hardware store still complains that large deliveries take planning. The council says the project was never meant to end congestion across the whole town. It was meant to make one important route easier to use for walking, cycling, and buses. On that measure, the street has changed markedly. The air feels less stale at the corner, conversations are easier to hear, and crossing the road no longer demands the same quick dash. But the redesign has also pushed some traffic onto nearby streets, where residents have noticed more noise in the evening. The changes were meant to be noticeable in daily life, not dramatic on a map. If you visit Alder Street now, you may still see a queue at school time or hear a lorry turning too tightly by the station wall. Even so, the street no longer behaves like a traffic funnel. It works better as a connector between the station and the market, and that was the practical aim all along. For people who live and work there, the results are mixed, but they are also visible every day.
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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.
The council expected the redesign to end congestion across the whole town.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- True
- False
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- False
False. The passage says the opposite: 'The council says the project was never meant to end congestion across the whole town.' So the statement reverses the council's view.
The council says the project was never meant to end congestion across the whole town
True: Incorrect. The council did not expect the project to end congestion everywhere.
False: Correct. The passage says the project was never meant to do that.
Not Given: Incorrect. The council's aim is stated clearly.
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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 new crossing near the bakery lets pedestrians cross on a level surface.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- True
- False
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- True
True. The passage says the kerb was raised 'so that pedestrians now cross on a level surface.' That directly matches the statement.
At the crossing near the bakery, the kerb was raised so that pedestrians now cross on a level surface
True: Correct. The raised kerb makes the crossing level for pedestrians.
False: Incorrect. The passage says the crossing is now level.
Not Given: Incorrect. The information is stated clearly in the passage.
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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 number of parking spaces outside the bakery increased.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- True
- False
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- False
False. The passage says 'the number of spaces dropped from twelve to five,' so the number went down, not up. The statement contradicts the text.
the number of spaces dropped from twelve to five
True: Incorrect. The number of spaces did not increase.
False: Correct. The passage says the number dropped from twelve to five.
Not Given: Incorrect. The passage clearly states the change in parking spaces.
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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 author says that shop rents fell after the changes.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- True
- False
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Not Given
Not Given. The passage discusses customer numbers, parking spaces, and deliveries, but it says nothing about shop rents. That detail is not established.
Local businesses were worried at first
the bakery has sold more coffee after 8 a.m
True: Incorrect. No rent information is provided.
False: Incorrect. The passage does not contradict the idea of lower rents; it simply does not mention rents at all.
Not Given: Correct. Rent is never mentioned.
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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 florist likes the wider pavement because it gives her room to put out plants.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- True
- False
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- True
True. The passage states that 'The florist next door likes the wider pavement because it gives her room to put out plants.' This matches the statement directly.
The florist next door likes the wider pavement because it gives her room to put out plants
True: Correct. The florist is said to like the wider pavement for that reason.
False: Incorrect. The passage says the florist likes the wider pavement.
Not Given: Incorrect. The passage states this clearly.
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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.
Cyclists are told to use the pavement rather than a painted lane.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- True
- False
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- False
False. The passage says 'A painted cycle lane runs along the eastern side,' so cyclists are directed to a lane, not the pavement. The statement reverses that meaning.
A painted cycle lane runs along the eastern side
True: Incorrect. The passage gives cyclists a painted lane, not the pavement.
False: Correct. The passage says there is a painted cycle lane.
Not Given: Incorrect. The passage states the cycling arrangement directly.
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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.
The passage says exactly how much the redesign cost.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- True
- False
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Not Given
Not Given. The passage describes the changes and the results, but it does not mention any price or budget for the work. That information is absent, not contradicted.
Last spring, the town council redesigned Alder Street, a short road that connects the station to the old market square
Instead of widening the road for traffic, the council did the opposite
True: Incorrect. No cost is given.
False: Incorrect. The passage does not contradict the statement; it simply does not mention the cost.
Not Given: Correct. The passage never gives the exact cost.
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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.
Alder Street is closed to pedestrians at night.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- True
- False
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Not Given
Not Given. The passage mentions pedestrian use, evening noise on nearby streets, and occasional queues, but it never says the street is closed to pedestrians at night. That specific policy is not stated.
If you visit Alder Street now, you may still see a queue at school time or hear a lorry turning too tightly by the station wall
the redesign has also pushed some traffic onto nearby streets, where residents have noticed more noise in the evening
True: Incorrect. Night-time closure is never mentioned.
False: Incorrect. The passage does not say the street stays open or closed at night; it gives no such information.
Not Given: Correct. No night closure is described.
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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 bus company says the redesign reduced the number of buses on Alder Street.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- True
- False
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Not Given
Not Given. The passage says the bus service is a little more reliable at rush hour, but it does not say anything about fewer buses using the street. That specific change is not stated.
The bus company says the service is a little more reliable at rush hour
Buses use a short priority section near the station
True: Incorrect. The passage does not say the number of buses was reduced.
False: Incorrect. The passage does not directly contradict the statement; it simply never mentions bus numbers.
Not Given: Correct. Only reliability is mentioned, not the number of buses.
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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.
Buses were no longer allowed to use Alder Street after the redesign.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- True
- False
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- False
False. The passage says 'Buses use a short priority section near the station,' which means they still use the street. The statement contradicts that detail.
Buses use a short priority section near the station
True: Incorrect. Buses still use the street.
False: Correct. The passage says buses still use a priority section on Alder Street.
Not Given: Incorrect. The passage clearly shows that buses still use the street.
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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.
The redesign removed one of the two car lanes.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- True
- False
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- True
True. The passage says that 'One of the two car lanes was removed.' This directly matches the statement, so it is supported.
One of the two car lanes was removed
True: Correct. The passage states that one car lane was removed.
False: Incorrect. The passage says a lane was removed, not kept.
Not Given: Incorrect. The information is stated directly in the passage.
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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.
Some traffic has been pushed onto nearby streets.
Return to the passage, recording or visual- True
- False
- Not Given
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- True
True. The passage says that 'the redesign has also pushed some traffic onto nearby streets.' That is a direct match, so the statement is supported.
the redesign has also pushed some traffic onto nearby streets
True: Correct. The passage says some traffic moved onto nearby streets.
False: Incorrect. The passage explicitly says this happened.
Not Given: Incorrect. The information is given directly.
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.