Cambridge IELTS 16 · General Training · Test 1 · Section 3
Plastic Is No Longer Fantastic — IELTS Reading Answers
All 13 answers for Plastic Is No Longer Fantastic, Cambridge IELTS 16 General Training Reading Test 1 Section 3, with the passage evidence and an explanation for each.
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Plastic Is No Longer Fantastic answer key at a glance
Questions 28–40. Tap an answer to see the evidence.
What this section tests
This section is tested with Matching Headings (Q28–34), One Choice (Q35–37), Summary Completion (Q38–40). Each section below gives the strategy for that question type, the answers, and the sentence that proves them.
Questions 28–34: Matching Headings
Strategy: Read the paragraph first and summarise its main idea in five words. Choose the heading that matches the whole paragraph, not a repeated keyword.
Paragraph A
“The artwork, designed to raise public awareness, left Ferrando angry – and fuelled with entrepreneurial ideas”
Heading vi fits Paragraph A, where the artwork 'left Ferrando angry – and fuelled with entrepreneurial ideas', a strong personal reaction.
Paragraph B
“Ferrando runs a Spanish-based design company, Closca, that produces an ingenious foldable bicycle helmet. But he has now also designed a stylish glass water bottle with a stretchy silicone strap and magnetic closure mechanism that means it can be attached to almost anything”
Heading iv matches Paragraph B's description of the foldable helmet and the 'stylish glass water bottle' he designed.
Paragraph C
“The intention is to persuade people to stop buying water in plastic bottles, thus saving consumers money and reducing the plastic waste piling up in our oceans”
Heading ii suits Paragraph C's intention 'to persuade people to stop buying water in plastic bottles', cutting waste and cost.
Paragraph D
“Hence the fact that water became a consumer item, sold in plastic bottles, instead of just emerging, for free, from a tap”
Heading viii fits Paragraph D, where water became 'a consumer item, sold in plastic bottles' rather than free from a tap.
Paragraph E
“Some teenagers currently think that these stainless-steel vacuum-insulated water bottles that are coming back onto the market are ultra 'cool'; never mind the fact that they feel oddly out-of-date to anyone over the age of 40”
Heading v fits Paragraph E's point that teenagers find steel bottles 'ultra cool', a shift in taste.
Paragraph F
“If an entrepreneur had wanted to fund a smart invention a few decades ago, he or she would have had to either raise a bank loan, borrow money from a family member or use a credit card”
Heading i matches Paragraph F: entrepreneurs once had to 'raise a bank loan' or borrow from family.
Paragraph G
“Instead, it is almost a pre-sale of the product, in a manner that tests demand in advance and creates a potential crowd of enthusiasts”
Heading iii fits Paragraph G, which calls crowdfunding 'almost a pre-sale of the product' that 'tests demand in advance'.
Questions 35–37: One Choice
Strategy: Read the question stem and predict the answer before looking at the options. Wrong options often repeat passage words while the correct one paraphrases them.
What does Ferrando say about his glass water bottle?
- AIt matches his bicycle helmet.
- BIt is cheaper than a plastic bottle.
- CHe has designed it to suit all ages.
- DHe wants people to be proud to show it.correct
“'We are trying to create a sense that being environmentally sophisticated is a status symbol,' he adds. 'We want people to clip their bottles onto what they are wearing, to show that they are recycling – and to look cool.'”
Option D: he wants people to 'clip their bottles onto what they are wearing' and 'look cool', so they show it proudly.
What does the writer find fascinating about Ferrando’s story?
- Athe youthfulness of his ideas
- Bthe old-fashioned nature of his products
- Cthe choice it is creating for consumers
- Dthe change it is revealing in people’s attitudescorrect
“Today, though, conspicuous extravagance no longer seems desirable among consumers”
Option D: the writer notes 'conspicuous extravagance no longer seems desirable', a change in consumer attitudes that fascinates him.
What does the writer suggest about Closca’s bike helmet?
- AIt has both functional and artistic value.correct
- BIts main appeal is to older people.
- CIt has had extraordinary success worldwide.
- DIt is a more exciting invention than the glass bottle.
“Ferrando runs a Spanish-based design company, Closca, that produces an ingenious foldable bicycle helmet”
Option A: the helmet is 'ingenious' and foldable, so practical, yet produced by a design company that gives it artistic appeal.
Questions 38–40: Summary Completion
Strategy: Read the summary as a paragraph first to establish the logic, then locate the missing idea in the passage. With a lettered list, confirm the grammar fits.
“If an entrepreneur had wanted to fund a smart invention a few decades ago, he or she would have had to either raise a bank loan, borrow money from a family member or use a credit card”
The gap names a relative; entrepreneurs short of funds might 'borrow money from a family member'.
“Ferrando posted details about his water-bottle venture on a large, recognised platform for funding creative projects”
A noun for the funding site is needed; Ferrando posted details on 'a large, recognised platform for funding creative projects'.
“if $60,000 was raised, a multicoloured one would be made”
The adjective describes the premium version; at $60,000 raised, 'a multicoloured one would be made'.
Learn the question types in this section
Frequently asked questions
Where does the Plastic Is No Longer Fantastic passage come from?
It is Section 3 of Cambridge IELTS 16 General Training Reading Test 1, and it covers Questions 28–40.
What question types appear in Plastic Is No Longer Fantastic?
The section is tested with Matching Headings, One Choice, Summary Completion. Each type is explained on this page, alongside the answers.
Are these reading answers reliable?
Every answer is paired with the sentence that proves it, so you can check each one against the passage yourself. Use the page after a timed attempt, not instead of one.
Cambridge IELTS is published by Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Band9Prep is not affiliated with Cambridge. This page is an independent study aid: it gives the answer key, the passage evidence and an explanation so you can review an attempt you have already made.