Cambridge IELTS 14 · Academic · Test 1 · Passage 2
The Growth Of Bike-sharing Schemes Around The World — IELTS Reading Answers
All 11 answers for The Growth Of Bike-sharing Schemes Around The World, Cambridge IELTS 14 Academic Reading Test 1 Passage 2, with the passage evidence and an explanation for each.
← All Cambridge 14 Test 1 answers
The Growth Of Bike-sharing Schemes Around The World answer key at a glance
Questions 14–26. Tap an answer to see the evidence.
What this passage tests
This passage is tested with Matching Information (Q14–18), Two Choices (Q19–20), Two Choices (Q21–22), Summary Completion (Q23–26). Each section below gives the strategy for that question type, the answers, and the sentence that proves them.
Questions 14–18: Matching Information
Strategy: Scan for the idea, not the exact words. The answer is a paragraph letter, and one paragraph may be used more than once unless the instructions say otherwise.
a description of how people misused a bike-sharing scheme
“The system, however, was prone to vandalism and theft”
E: the scheme 'was prone to vandalism and theft', an example of people misusing it, so paragraph E matches.
an explanation of why a proposed bike-sharing scheme was turned down
“the council unanimously rejected the plan. ‘They said that the bicycle belongs to the past. They saw a glorious future for the car,’ says Schimmelpennink.”
C: the council 'unanimously rejected the plan', saying 'the bicycle belongs to the past', so paragraph C explains the refusal.
a reference to a person being unable to profit from their work
“But financially I didn’t really benefit from it, because I never filed for a patent”
F: Schimmelpennink says 'financially I didn't really benefit from it, because I never filed for a patent', so he made no profit.
an explanation of the potential savings a bike-sharing scheme would bring
“It turned out that a white bicycle – per person, per kilometer – would cost the municipality only 10% of what it contributed to public transport per person per kilometer”
C: a white bicycle would cost the municipality 'only 10% of what it contributed to public transport', a clear potential saving.
a reference to the problems a bike-sharing scheme was intended to solve
“They believed the scheme, which was known as the Witte Fietsenplan, was an answer to the perceived threats of air pollution and consumerism”
A: Provo believed the plan 'was an answer to the perceived threats of air pollution and consumerism', the problems it addressed.
Questions 19–20: Two Choices
Strategy: Both answers must be supported by the passage. Check each option independently; order does not usually matter.
“To continue the project we would have needed to set up another system, but the business partner had lost interest People had become more environmentally conscious, and the Danish experiment had proved that bike-sharing was a real possibility”
B fits because 'the business partner had lost interest'; D fits because the Danish experiment 'proved that bike-sharing was a real possibility'.
Questions 21–22: Two Choices
Strategy: Both answers must be supported by the passage. Check each option independently; order does not usually matter.
“People who travel on the underground don’t carry their bikes around. But often they need additional transport to reach their final destination. it is regarded as one of the two most cycle-friendly capitals in the world”
D fits because underground travellers 'need additional transport to reach their final destination'; E because the city is 'one of the two most cycle-friendly capitals'.
Questions 23–26: 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.
“Provo, the organization that came up with the idea, was a group of Dutch activists who wanted to change society”
Provo 'was a group of Dutch activists who wanted to change society', so activists names its members.
“an answer to the perceived threats of air pollution and consumerism”
The scheme answered 'the perceived threats of air pollution and consumerism', the second threat being consumerism.
“They also distributed leaflets describing the dangers of cars and inviting people to use the white bikes”
They 'distributed leaflets describing the dangers of cars', the printed material the summary requires.
“The police were opposed to Provo’s initiatives and almost as soon as the white bikes were distributed around the city, they removed them”
The police 'were opposed to Provo's initiatives' and removed the white bikes almost immediately.
Learn the question types in this passage
Frequently asked questions
Where does the The Growth Of Bike-sharing Schemes Around The World passage come from?
It is Passage 2 of Cambridge IELTS 14 Academic Reading Test 1, and it covers Questions 14–26.
What question types appear in The Growth Of Bike-sharing Schemes Around The World?
The passage is tested with Matching Information, Two Choices, Two Choices, 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.