Cambridge 2 Test 4 Reading passage 1 - Green Wave Washes Over Mainstream Shopping

Green Wave Washes Over Mainstream Shopping Reading Answers are provided below. They are taken from the Academic(ac) Cambridge 2 Test 4 Reading passage 1. It has 13 questions of three different question types- yes/no/not given, multiple choice questions, and summary completion. You should spend 20 minutes to answer these questions.

Answer Table

1. Yes	2. No	3. Yes	4. Not Given
5. No	6. Not Given	7. B	8. B
9. C	10. honesty and openness	11. consumers	12. armchair ethicals
13. Social record

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Green Wave Washes Over Mainstream Shopping

A. Research in Britain has shown that green consumers continue to flourish as a significant group among shoppers. This suggests that politicians who claim environmentalism are yesterday's issue may be seriously misjudging the public mood.

B. A report from Mintel, the market research organization, says that despite the recession and financial pressures, more people than ever want to buy environmentally friendly products, and a 'green wave' has swept through consumerism, taking in people previously untouched by environmental concerns. The recently published report also predicts that the process will repeat itself with 'ethical' concerns, involving issues such as fair trade with the Third World and the social record of businesses. Companies will have to be more honest and open in response to this mood.

C. Mintel's survey, based on nearly 1,000 consumers, found that the proportion who look for green products and are prepared to pay more for them has climbed from 53 percent in 1990 to around 60 percent in 1994. On average, they will pay 13 percent more for such products, although this percentage is higher among women, managerial and professional groups, and those aged 35 to 44.

D. Between 1990 and 1994 the proportion of consumers claiming to be unaware of or unconcerned about green issues fell from 18 to 10 percent but the number of green spenders among older people and manual workers has risen substantially. Regions such as Scotland have also caught up with the south of England in their environmental concerns. According to Mintel, the image of green consumerism as associated in the past with the more eccentric members of society has virtually disappeared. The consumer research manager for Mintel, Angela Hughes, said it had become firmly established as a mainstream market. She explained that as far as the average person is concerned environmentalism has not gone off the boil'. In fact, it has spread across a much wider range of consumer groups, ages, and occupations.

E. Mintel's 1994 survey found that 13 percent of consumers are 'very dark green', nearly always buying environmentally friendly products, 28 percent are 'dark green', trying 'as far as possible' to buy such products, and 21 percent are 'pale green' - tending to buy green products if they see them. Another 26 percent are 'armchair greens'; they said they care about environmental issues but their concern does not affect their spending habits. Only 10 percent say they do not care about green issues.

F. Four in ten people are 'ethical spenders', buying goods which do not, for example, involve dealings with oppressive regimes. This figure is the same as in 1990, although the number of 'armchair ethicals' has risen from 28 to 35 percent and only 22 percent say they are unconcerned now, against 30 percent in 1990. Hughes claims that in the twenty-first century, consumers will be encouraged to think more about the entire history of the products and services they buy, including the policies of the companies that provide them, and that this will require a greater degree of honesty with consumers.

G. Among green consumers, animal testing is the top issue - 48 percent said they would be deterred from buying a product it if had been tested on animals - followed by concerns regarding irresponsible selling, the ozone layer, river and sea pollution, forest destruction, recycling, and factory farming. However, concern for specific issues is lower than in 1990, suggesting that many consumers feel that Government and businesses have taken on the environmental agenda. 

Questions

Questions 1 - 6

Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer of Reading Passage?

In boxes 1 - 6 on your answer sheet write

YES: if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer
NO: if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN: if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

1. The research findings report commercial rather than political trends.
2. Being financially better off has made shoppers more sensitive to buying 'green'.
3. The majority of shoppers are prepared to pay more for the benefit of the environment according to the research findings.
4. Consumers' green shopping habits are influenced by Mintel's findings.
5. Mintel have limited their investigation to professional and managerial groups.
6. Mintel undertakes market surveys on an annual basis.

Questions 7 - 9

Choose the appropriate letters A - D and write them in boxes 7 - 9 on your answer sheet.

7. Politicians may have 'misjudged the public mood' because ...
A. they are pre-occupied with the recession and financial problems.
B. there is more widespread interest in the environment agenda than they anticipated.
C. consumer spending has increased significantly as a result of 'green' pressure.
D. shoppers are displeased with government policies on a range of issues.

8. What is Mintel?
A. an environmentalist group
B. a business survey organisation
C. an academic research team
D. a political organization

9. A consumer expressing concern for environmental issues without actively supporting such principles is…
A. an 'ethical spender'.
B. a 'very dark green' spender.
C. an 'armchair green'.
D. a 'pale green' spender.

Questions 11 - 13

Complete the summary using words from the box below.
Write your answers in boxes 10 - 13 on your answer sheet.

NB: There are more answers than spaces, so you will not use them all.

The Mintel report suggests that in the future companies will be forced to practice greater 10.____________ in their dealings because of the increased awareness amongst 11.____________ of ethical issues. This prediction is supported by the growth in the number of 12.____________ identified in the most recent survey published. As a consequence, it is felt that companies will have to think more carefully about their 13.__________.

environmental research	armchair ethicals
honesty and openness	environmentalists
ethical spenders	consumers
politicians	political belief
social awareness	financial constraints
social record

Answers for Green Wave Washes over Mainstream Shopping with Explanations

The Green Wave Washes over Mainstream Shopping reading answers with explanations are provided here. They will provide assistance to you in your performance evaluation process.

1. Answer: Yes
Explanation: Paragraph B, 5th Line. The recently published report also predicts that the process will repeat itself with 'ethical' concerns, involving issues such as fair trade with the Third World and the social record of businesses. The words fair trade and social records of businesses refer to commercial trends. Hence, the answer is yes.

2. Answer: No
Explanation: Paragraph B, 1st Line. A report from Mintel, the market research organization, says that despite the recession and financial pressures, more people than ever want to buy environmentally friendly products, and a 'green wave' has swept through consumerism, taking in people previously untouched by environmental concerns. Contradiction to the statement of people being better off referring to them being rich, the line in the passage indicates a recession period, during which the citizens have opted to buy green products. Therefore, the answer is no.

3. Answer: Yes
Explanation: Paragraph C, 1st Line. Mintel's survey, based on nearly 1,000 consumers, found that the proportion who look for green products and are prepared to pay more for them has climbed from 53 percent in 1990 to around 60 percent in 1994.

4. Answer: Not Given
Explanation: Not Available. There is no relevant information regarding this in the passage.

5. Answer: No
Explanation: Paragraph C, 3rd Line. On average, they will pay 13 percent more for such products, although this percentage is higher among women, managerial and professional groups, and those aged 35 to 44. The line above clearly states three different groups of sample investigation. The statement is contradicting the passage information, thus, the answer is no.

6. Answer: Not Given
Explanation: Not Available. No information regarding this is mentioned in the passage.

7. Answer: B
Explanation: Paragraph A, 1st Line. Research in Britain has shown that green consumers continue to flourish as a significant group among shoppers. This suggests that politicians who claim environmentalism are yesterday's issue may be seriously misjudging the public mood. There is a huge group that needs to be understood in order for them to realize, owning to which they misjudged the public mood.

8. Answer: B
Explanation: Paragraph B, 1st Line. A report from Mintel, the market research organization.

9. Answer: C
Explanation: Paragraph E, 4th Line. Another 26 percent are 'armchair greens'; they said they care about environmental issues but their concern does not affect their spending habits.

10. Answer: honesty and openness
Explanation: Paragraph B, 7th Line. Companies will have to be more honest and open in response to this mood.

11. Answer: consumers
Explanation: Paragraph C, 1st Line. Mintel's survey, based on nearly 1,000 consumers, found that the proportion who look for green products and are prepared to pay more for them has climbed from 53 percent in 1990 to around 60 percent in 1994. As per the survey which was answered by the consumers, it was visible that people are aware of the ethical and commercial issues in the market.

12. Answer: armchair ethicals
Explanation: Paragraph F, 2nd Line. This figure is the same as in 1990, although the number of 'armchair ethicals' has risen from 28 to 35 percent and only 22 percent say they are unconcerned now, against 30 percent in 1990. The increase of 7 percent indicates the growth of the number.

13. Answer: social record
Explanation: Paragraph F, 5th Line. Hughes claims that in the twenty-first century, consumers will be encouraged to think more about the entire history of the products and services they buy, including the policies of the companies that provide them, and that this will require a greater degree of honesty with consumers. The clause; “the entire history of the products and services they buy” here refers to the record of their social activity of the purchase. Therefore, the appropriate answer is the social record.

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