Collecting as a Hobby — IELTS Reading Answers

“They’ll look for, say, antiques that they can buy cheaply and expect to be able to sell at a profit”

The gap names the goods bought cheaply for resale; the passage gives antiques as the example collectors look for.

“But there may well be a psychological element, too – buying cheap and selling dear can give the collector a sense of triumph”

The gap is the feeling produced by profitable buying and selling; the text says it can give the collector a sense of triumph.

“attending meetings of a group of collectors and exchanging information on items”

The gap is what collectors exchange at meetings; the passage says exchanging information on items.

“This is a variant on joining a bridge club or a gym, and similarly brings them into contact with like-minded people”

The gap follows into and precedes with like-minded people; the passage says collecting brings them into contact with such people.

“Another motive for collecting is the desire to find something special, or a particular example of the collected item, such as a rare early recording by a particular singer. Some may spend their whole lives in a hunt for this.”

The gap names the lifelong pursuit of a special find; the passage says some spend their whole lives in a hunt for this.

“Psychologically, this can give a purpose to a life that otherwise feels aimless. There is a danger, though, that if the individual is ever lucky enough to find what they’re looking for, rather than celebrating their success, they may feel empty, now that the goal that drove them on has gone.”

The gap describes life without a collecting goal; the text says collecting gives purpose to a life that otherwise feels aimless.

“If you think about collecting postage stamps, another potential reason for it – or, perhaps, a result of collecting – is its educational value. Stamp collecting opens a window to other countries, and to the plants, animals, or famous people shown on their stamps.”

The gap is an adjective before value; the passage names the hobby's educational value, opening a window to other countries.

“a popular form of collecting, particularly among boys and men, was trainspotting”

The gap names the popular British collecting form; the passage says a popular form of collecting was trainspotting.

The number of people buying dolls has grown over the centuries.

“people who collect dolls may go beyond simply enlarging their collection”

The passage traces how dolls' materials changed over the centuries but gives no figures for how many people bought them.

Sixteenth century European dolls were normally made of wax and porcelain.

“These have changed over the centuries from the wood that was standard in 16th century Europe”

Wood was standard in sixteenth-century Europe, so wax and porcelain were not the normal materials then, contradicting the statement.

Arranging a stamp collection by the size of the stamps is less common than other methods.

“Stamp collectors, for instance, arrange their stamps in albums, usually very neatly, organising their collection according to certain commonplace principles – perhaps by country in alphabetical order, or grouping stamps by what they depict – people, birds, maps, and so on.”

Stamp collectors are said to organise by country or by subject such as people and birds; arranging by size is never mentioned, so its frequency cannot be judged.

Someone who collects unusual objects may want others to think he or she is also unusual.

“One reason, conscious or not, for what someone chooses to collect is to show the collector’s individualism. Someone who decides to collect something as unexpected as dog collars, for instance, may be conveying their belief that they must be interesting themselves.”

Collecting something as unexpected as dog collars may convey the collector's belief that they must be interesting themselves.

Collecting gives a feeling that other hobbies are unlikely to inspire.

“More than most other hobbies, collecting can be totally engrossing, and can give a strong sense of personal fulfilment”

More than most other hobbies signals that collecting uniquely provides a strong sense of personal fulfilment, matching the comparison.