‘The growth of bike-sharing schemes around the world’ – Reading Answer Explanation – CAM – 14
Here are explanations of the Questions of passage named ‘The growth of bike-sharing schemes around the world’ which is from the Cambridge 14 book. The Questions that have been asked are ‘finding information’, MCQs’ and Summary Blanks’, You will find the locations of the Reading Answers, Keywords(highlighted and underlined) and justifications.
READING PASSAGE 2: The growth of bike-sharing schemes around the world
| Question | Answer |
| 14 | E |
| 15 | C |
| 16 | F |
| 17 | C |
| 18 | A |
| 19 | B (IN EITHER ORDER) |
| 20 | D (IN EITHER ORDER) |
| 21 | D (IN EITHER ORDER) |
| 22 | E (IN EITHER ORDER) |
| 23 | ACTIVISTS |
| 24 | CONSUMERISM |
| 25 | LEAFLETS |
| 26 | POLICE |
Questions 14-18
Reading Passage 2 has seven paragraphs, A-G.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter, A-G, in boxes 14-18 on your answer sheet.
NB You may use any letter more than once.
14 a description of how people misused a bike-sharing scheme
Location and Answer: E
Explanation: The main keyword is ‘misused’ and its reference is there in the third line of the paragraph. ‘The system, however, was prone to vandalism and theft…’ ‘After every weekend there would always be couple of bikes missing…’Here, this lines makes it clear that bike-sharing scheme was misused. ‘Vandalism and theft’ is the misuse of scheme.
‘The growth of bike-sharing schemes around the world’ – Reading Answer Explanation – CAM – 14
15 an explanation of why a proposed bike-sharing scheme was turned down
Location and Answer: C
Explanation: The answer to this question is in the second last line of the paragraph. ‘Nevertheless, the council unanimously rejected the plan. ‘They said that the bicycle belongs to the past…’Here, ‘rejected’ and ‘turned down’ are synonyms. Moreover, The writer says, bike-sharing scheme was turned down because bicycle belongs to the past.
16 a reference to a person being unable to profit their work
Location and Answer: F
Explanation: The location of the answer is in the last line of the paragraph. Schimmelpennink’s…he says. ‘But financially I didn’t really benefit from it, because I never filed for a patent.’ Here, ‘unable to profit their work’ has been paraphrased as ‘didn’t really benefit from it…’Thus, the answer is F.
‘The growth of bike-sharing schemes around the world’ – Reading Answer Explanation – CAM – 14
17 an explanation of the potential savings a bike-sharing scheme would bring
Location and Answer: C
Explanation: The main keyword is ‘Potential savings’ and its reference is there in the third line of the paragraph. It turned out that a white bicycle … cost the municipality only 10% of what it contributed to public transport …’Here,10% are potential savings. Thus, this makes an answer very clear.
18 a reference to the problems a bike-sharing scheme was intended to solve
Location and Answer: A
Explanation: The location of the answer is in the second line of the paragraph. They believed… Witte Fietsenplan, was an answer to the threats of air pollution and consumerism. Here, ‘was an answer to the threats…’means solution to the problems. ‘Threat’ and ‘problems’ are synonyms.
Questions 19-20
Choose TWO letters, A-E
Write the correct letters in boxes 19 and 20 on your answer sheet.
Which TWO of the following statements are made in the text about the Amsterdam bike-sharing scheme of 1999?
A It was initially opposed by a government department.
B It failed when a partner in the scheme withdrew support.
C It aimed to be more successful than the Copenhagen scheme.
D It was made possible by a change in people’s attitudes.
E It attracted interest from a range of bike designers.
Location: D paragraph
Explanation: (19) The main keywords ‘Amsterdam bike-sharing and 1999’ are there in the middle line of the paragraph. ‘‘People had become more environmentally conscious, …that bike-sharing was a real possibility. ‘Here, this statement reveals that there was change in people’s attitudes.
‘The growth of bike-sharing schemes around the world’ – Reading Answer Explanation – CAM – 14
Location: E paragraph
Explanation: (20) The answer to this question is in the second last line of the paragraph. But the biggest blow came when Postbank decided to abolish the chip card, because it wasn’t profitable…’Here, ‘abolish the chip card means Postbank withdrew its support for the scheme…Thus, the answer is B.
Answer: B or D (in any order)
Questions 21-22
Choose TWO letters, A-E
Write the correct letters in boxes 21 and 22 on your answer sheet.
Which TWO of the following statements are made in the text about Amsterdam today?
A The majority of residents would like to prevent all cars from entering the city.
B There is little likelihood of the city having another bike-sharing scheme.
C More trips in the city are made by bike than by any other form of transport.
D A bike-sharing scheme would benefit residents who use public transport.
E The city has a reputation as a place that welcomes cyclists.
Location: G paragraph
Explanation: The main keywords are ‘Amsterdam’ and ‘today’ and its reference is there in the first line of the paragraph. In Amsterdam today, 38% of all trips are made by bike and… It is regarded as one of the two most cycle-friendly capitals in the world…’Thus, the answer is E.
‘The growth of bike-sharing schemes around the world’ – Reading Answer Explanation – CAM – 14
Location: G paragraph
Explanation: The answer to this question is in the third line of the paragraph. ‘People who travel on the underground don’t carry their bikes around. But often they need additional transport to reach their final destination.’ Here, the writer means people can use bikes as a additional transport.
Answer: D or E (in any order)
Questions 23-26
Complete the summary below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 23-26 on your answer sheet.
The first urban bike-sharing scheme
The first bike-sharing scheme was the idea of the Dutch group Provo. The people who belonged to this group were 23………………………..
Location: A paragraph
Explanation: The main keyword ‘Dutch group Provo’ helps to locate the answer in the second line of the paragraph. Provo, the organization that …. was a group of Dutch activists who wanted to change society. Thus, the answer is ‘activists’
Answer: Activists
‘The growth of bike-sharing schemes around the world’ – Reading Answer Explanation – CAM – 14
They were concerned about damage to the environment and about 24 ………………………….., and believed that the bike-sharing scheme would draw attention to these issues.
Location: A paragraph
Explanation: The location of the answer is in the second line of the paragraph. ‘They believed the scheme… was an answer to the perceived threats of air pollution and consumerism. Here, ‘threats of air pollution’ means damage to the environment.
Answer: Consumerism
‘The growth of bike-sharing schemes around the world’ – Reading Answer Explanation – CAM – 14
As well as painting some bikes white, they handed out 25 …………………….. that condemned the use of cars.
Location: A paragraph
Explanation: The main keyword is ‘painting’ and its reference is there in the second last line of the paragraph. ‘In the centre of Amsterdam, they painted a small number of used bikes white. They also distributed leaflets describing the dangers of cars…’Here, ‘distributed…’ and ‘handed out’ are synonyms.
Answer: Leaflets
However, the scheme was not a great success: almost as quickly as Provo left the bikes around the city, the 26 ………………………. took them away. According to Schimmelpennink’s, the scheme was intended to be symbolic. The idea was to get people thinking about the issues.
Location: B paragraph
Explanation: The answer to this question is in the third line of the paragraph. ‘. The police were opposed to Provo’s initiatives and almost..The white bikes were distributed around the city, they removed them. Here, ‘‘took them away’’ has been paraphrased as ‘removed them’ in the passage. Thus, the answer is very clear.
Answer: Police
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