# COLLECTING AS A HOBBY: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 12, Test 1, Reading Passage 2

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 12, Test 1, Reading Passage 2. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Used for educational practice. Explanations and evidence notes are written by Testmigo.

## Answer key

| Q | Answer | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 14 | antiques | antiques that they can buy cheaply and expect to be able to sell at a profit. |
| 15 | triumph | buying cheap and selling dear can give the collector a sense of triumph. |
| 16 | information | attending meetings of a group of collectors and exchanging information on items. |
| 17 | contact | and similarly brings them into contact with like-minded people. |
| 18 | hunt | Some may spend their whole lives in a hunt for this. ... the desire to find something special |
| 19 | aimless | this can give a purpose to a life that otherwise feels aimless. |
| 20 | educational | is its educational value. Stamp collecting opens a window to other countries |
| 21 | Trainspotting | a popular form of collecting, particularly among boys and men, was trainspotting. |
| 22 | NOT GIVEN | These have changed over the centuries |
| 23 | FALSE | from the wood that was standard in 16th century Europe, through the wax and porcelain of later centuries |
| 24 | NOT GIVEN | perhaps by country in alphabetical order, or grouping stamps by what they depict |
| 25 | TRUE | Someone who decides to collect something as unexpected as dog collars, for instance, may be conveying their belief that they must be interesting themselves. |
| 26 | TRUE | More than most other hobbies, collecting can be totally engrossing, and can give a strong sense of personal fulfilment. |

## Why these answers are right

**14. antiques.** The sentence needs an example of collecting for money. Paragraph B describes instrumental collectors who look for antiques they can buy cheaply and sell at a profit, so "antiques" is the item the writer mentions as an example.

**15. triumph.** You need the feeling collectors get from trading items. Paragraph B says buying cheap and selling dear can give the collector a sense of triumph, so "triumph" fits after "a feeling of", with "sense" paraphrased as feeling.

**16. information.** The gap is what collectors' clubs let members share. Paragraph C says collectors attend meetings of a group and exchange information on items, and "exchange" matches "share", so the word to copy is "information".

The why and the trap for questions 17 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/collecting-as-a-hobby/answers).

[Practice COLLECTING AS A HOBBY](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/collecting-as-a-hobby)