# The growth of bike-sharing schemes around the world: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 14, Test 1, Reading Passage 2

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 14, 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 | E | The system, however, was prone to vandalism and theft. |
| 15 | C | "They said that the bicycle belongs to the past. They saw a glorious future for the car," |
| 16 | F | "But financially I didn't really benefit from it, because I never filed for a patent." |
| 17 | C | would cost the municipality only 10% of what it contributed to public transport per person per kilometre. |
| 18 | A | was an answer to the perceived threats of air pollution and consumerism. |
| 19 | B, D | But the biggest blow came when Postbank decided to abolish the chip card, because it wasn't profitable. |
| 20 | B, D | "People had become more environmentally conscious, and the Danish experiment had proved that bike-sharing was a real possibility." |
| 21 | D, E | But often they need additional transport to reach their final destination. |
| 22 | D, E | it is regarded as one of the two most cycle-friendly capitals in the world |
| 23 | activists | was a group of Dutch activists who wanted to change society. |
| 24 | consumerism | the perceived threats of air pollution and consumerism. |
| 25 | leaflets | They also distributed leaflets describing the dangers of cars |
| 26 | police | almost as soon as the white bikes were distributed around the city, they removed them. |

## Why these answers are right

**14. E.** You need the paragraph describing misuse of a scheme. Paragraph E says the 1999 system suffered from vandalism and theft, with a couple of bikes missing after every weekend. Vandalism and stealing are clear forms of misuse, so the answer is E.

**15. C.** The question asks where a reason for rejecting a proposed scheme is given. In paragraph C the city council unanimously rejects Schimmelpennink's plan, and he explains that they saw the bicycle as belonging to the past and believed in the car. That reason places the answer in C.

**16. F.** This item looks for someone who could not profit from their own work. At the end of paragraph F Schimmelpennink says that although cities everywhere copied his model, he did not benefit financially because he never filed for a patent. So the answer is F.

The why and the trap for questions 17 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/the-growth-of-bike-sharing-schemes-around-the-world/answers).

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