A Beginner's Guide to Home Composting: Reading Answers & Explanations
IELTS Reading practice test · 10 questionsGeneral Trainingeasy
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About this passage
The passage opens: “Composting is one of the simplest ways to reduce household waste and improve your garden at the same time. When food scraps and garden clippings are thrown away with ordinary rubbish, they end up in landfill sites, where they rot slowly and release gases that are harmful to the environment.”
- Passage length: about 480 words
- Questions: 10
- Question types: True / False / Not Given, Multiple Choice
“A Beginner's Guide to Home Composting” is an original IELTS-style practice passage written by IELTS-Bank. It is not taken from an official IELTS or Cambridge test, so these answers only apply to our version.
Answer key at a glance
A Beginner's Guide to Home Composting answers with explanations
Questions 1–6: True / False / Not Given
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the passage? Write TRUE if the statement agrees, FALSE if it contradicts, or NOT GIVEN if there is no information.
- 1
Composting requires expensive equipment to begin.
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Answer: FALSE
Why: This sentence directly contradicts the statement, so the answer is FALSE.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “Getting started does not require special equipment.”
- 2
A compost container should be placed on bare soil.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “…it should sit directly on bare soil so that worms and other helpful creatures can move up into the compost from below.”
- 3
A healthy compost heap needs roughly equal amounts of greens and browns.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “A healthy heap needs roughly equal amounts of each.”
- 4
Meat and fish are good materials to add to a home compost bin.
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Answer: FALSE
Why: This sentence directly contradicts the statement, so the answer is FALSE.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “Meat, fish and dairy products can attract rats and other pests, and they tend to produce unpleasant smells as they decay.”
- 5
Closed compost bins produce better compost than open heaps.
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Answer: NOT GIVEN
Why: The statement claims closed compost bins produce better compost than open heaps, but the passage never confirms or denies this, only mentioning closed bins keep contents tidy and warm and are suitable for small spaces.
Closest related text · Paragraph 2 “Many people use a simple open heap in a corner of the garden, while others prefer a closed bin that keeps the contents tidy and warm.”
- 6
Compost tends to break down more quickly in warm weather.
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Answer: TRUE
Why: This sentence confirms the statement, so the answer is TRUE.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “In warm weather the process is faster, and a well-managed heap can produce usable compost in a few months.”
Question 7: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. It produces compost faster than any other method.
- B. It suits a small space and keeps animals away.
- C. It removes the need to add any browns.
- D. It heats the compost enough to kill diseased plants.
- 7
Why does the passage say a closed bin can be a good choice?
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Answer: B — It suits a small space and keeps animals away.
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — It suits a small space and keeps animals away..
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “A closed bin is a good choice if you have a small space or if you want to keep animals away from the pile.”
Question 8: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. Browns, which provide carbon
- B. Greens, which are rich in nitrogen
- C. Items that should never be added
- D. Materials that make the heap dry
- 8
What kind of material are grass cuttings and coffee grounds described as?
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Answer: B — Greens, which are rich in nitrogen
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — Greens, which are rich in nitrogen.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “Greens are soft, moist things such as vegetable peelings, grass cuttings and coffee grounds, and they are rich in nitrogen.”
Question 9: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. To let air reach the organisms doing the work
- B. To remove the greens from the pile
- C. To add extra carbon to the mixture
- D. To cool the compost down
- 9
According to the passage, why should the heap be turned with a fork?
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Answer: A — To let air reach the organisms doing the work
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports A — To let air reach the organisms doing the work.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “Turning the heap with a fork every couple of weeks lets air reach the centre, and the tiny organisms doing the work need that air to survive.”
Question 10: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. It smells strongly of rotting food.
- B. It has turned pale and dry.
- C. It is dark, crumbly and smells of damp earth.
- D. It has stopped attracting worms.
- 10
How can you tell that compost is ready to use?
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Answer: C — It is dark, crumbly and smells of damp earth.
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports C — It is dark, crumbly and smells of damp earth..
Evidence · Paragraph 6 “You will know the compost is ready when it looks dark and crumbly and smells pleasantly of damp earth rather than of rotting food.”
Estimated band score for this test
Your raw score out of 10 scaled to the 40-question IELTS Reading (General Training) conversion table. This is the same estimate the practice page shows after you submit. A single passage is a small sample, so treat it as a guide.
| Correct answers | Estimated band |
|---|---|
| 10 / 10 | 9.0 |
| 9 / 10 | 7.5 |
| 8 / 10 | 6.5 |
| 7 / 10 | 5.5 |
| 6 / 10 | 5.0 |
| 5 / 10 | 4.5 |
| 4 / 10 | 4.0 |
| 3 / 10 | 3.5 |
| 2 / 10 | 2.5 |
| 1 / 10 | 2.0 |
| 0 / 10 | 0.0 |
Full-test score? Use the IELTS band calculator.
Tips for the question types in this test
True / False / Not Given
- Read the statement first and underline the key idea, especially any qualifiers like "all", "only", "never", "always", "more than" or dates and numbers.
- Because the questions follow the order of the passage, scan for the paragraph that deals with the same topic rather than re-reading everything.
Common trap: Confusing "False" with "Not Given": choose False only when the passage actively contradicts the statement; if the passage is silent, it is Not Given.
Full True / False / Not Given strategyMultiple Choice
- Read the question stem carefully before the options so you know exactly what is being asked.
- Because multiple-choice questions follow passage order, locate the relevant section and read it in full — the answer usually depends on more than one sentence.
Common trap: Distractors that use exact words from the passage but distort the meaning.
Full Multiple Choice strategyPractise “A Beginner's Guide to Home Composting” under exam conditions
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