Green Wave Washes Over Mainstream Shopping: reading answers and analysis
A Mintel survey of about 1,000 British shoppers found green consumerism had gone mainstream by 1994: 60% would pay more for green products, older people, manual workers and Scots caught up, and only 10% didn't care. Ethical spending was flat, but 'armchair ethicals' grew, so companies will need to be more honest about their records.
Questions 1-13 · 13 marks · 3 question blocks
Where the answers sit
YES / NO / NOT GIVEN (1-6) and the multiple choice (7-9) cover the survey paragraphs. The summary (10-13) comes from the second and sixth paragraphs, about ethical concerns.
Questions 1-6
It's a market survey that politicians may have misread (YES), and 60% will pay more, a majority (YES). Greener buying grew despite recession, not because of wealth (NO), and Mintel surveyed people of all groups (NO). The passage never says Mintel influences shoppers or surveys every year.
| Question | Answer | Also accepted |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | YES | — |
| 2 | NO | — |
| 3 | YES | — |
| 4 | NOT GIVEN | — |
| 5 | NO | — |
| 6 | NOT GIVEN | — |
Questions 7-9
Interest in the environment is wider than politicians think. Mintel is a market research organisation. 'Armchair greens' say they care but don't change what they buy.
| Question | Answer | Also accepted |
|---|---|---|
| 7 | B | — |
| 8 | B | — |
| 9 | C | — |
Questions 10-13
Companies will need honesty and openness because consumers are more aware of ethical issues, as shown by the rise in 'armchair ethicals' from 28% to 35%. Companies must think about their whole social record. 'Ethical spenders' is a trap, because that group stayed at four in ten.
| Question | Answer | Also accepted |
|---|---|---|
| 10 | C | — |
| 11 | F | — |
| 12 | B | — |
| 13 | K | — |
The questions most people get wrong
B (armchair ethicals). Ethical spenders stayed the same as in 1990, and the armchair ethicals are the group that grew.
NO. Green buying rose 'despite recession and financial pressures', which is the opposite of shoppers being better off.
NO. Women and professional groups pay the highest premium, but the survey covered all consumer groups, ages and occupations.
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The full Cambridge 2 Test 4 reading paper: all three passages, 60 minutes, marked the second you finish with a review of every answer. Already done it? Take it again and see if the same traps still get you.
Cambridge IELTS 2, Test 4, Reading Passage 1. The passage name belongs to Cambridge University Press. No passage text or question wording is reproduced on this page. The answers are published for self-marking, and the analysis is our own.