The Business of Second-Hand Fashion: Reading Answers & Explanations
IELTS Reading practice test · 13 questionsAcademicmedium
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About this passage
The passage opens: “For much of the twentieth century, buying used clothing carried a certain stigma. Second-hand garments were associated with hardship, and many shoppers preferred the newness and status of clothes bought fresh from a store.”
- Passage length: about 733 words
- Questions: 13
- Question types: Yes / No / Not Given, Multiple Choice, Short Answer
“The Business of Second-Hand Fashion” 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
The Business of Second-Hand Fashion answers with explanations
Questions 1–6: Yes / No / Not Given
Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer? Write YES if the statement agrees with the views of the writer, NO if it contradicts them, or NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks.
- 1
Attitudes towards buying used clothing have changed considerably in recent years.
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Answer: YES
Why: The writer's view here agrees with the statement, so the answer is YES.
Evidence · Paragraph 1 “In recent years, however, this attitude has changed dramatically in many places.”
- 2
Low price is the only reason people now buy second-hand clothing.
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Answer: NO
Why: The writer's view here contradicts the statement, so the answer is NO.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “But price alone does not explain the trend, because much of the new interest comes from shoppers who could afford to buy new if they wished.”
- 3
Extending the life of a garment means fewer new items need to be produced.
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Answer: YES
Why: The writer's view here agrees with the statement, so the answer is YES.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “…buying second-hand as a way of reducing waste, since extending the life of a garment means one fewer new item needs to be made.”
- 4
Online platforms have made buying and selling used clothes easier.
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Answer: YES
Why: The writer's view here agrees with the statement, so the answer is YES.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “The rise of online platforms has changed everything, allowing people to buy and sell used garments easily from home”
- 5
The enthusiasm for second-hand clothing definitely reduces the total amount people consume.
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Answer: NO
Why: The writer's view here contradicts the statement, so the answer is NO.
Evidence · Paragraph 6 “There are also questions about whether the enthusiasm for buying used clothing genuinely reduces overall consumption, or whether it simply encourages people to acquire even more garments than before”
- 6
Second-hand clothing shops employ more staff than shops selling new clothes.
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Answer: NOT GIVEN
Why: The statement claims that second-hand clothing shops employ more staff than shops selling new clothes, but the passage does not confirm or deny this, focusing instead on the growth and motivations behind the second-hand clothing market.
Closest related text · Paragraph 5 “This convenience has drawn many new participants into the market and helped the second-hand trade expand far beyond what the old shops could support.”
Question 7: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. Because used clothing is not actually cheaper
- B. Because much of the new interest comes from people who could afford to buy new
- C. Because prices have not changed
- D. Because only wealthy people buy used clothing
- 7
Why does the passage say that low price does not fully explain the trend?
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Answer: B — Because much of the new interest comes from people who could afford to buy new
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — Because much of the new interest comes from people who could afford to buy new.
Evidence · Paragraph 2 “…much of the new interest comes from shoppers who could afford to buy new if they wished.”
Question 8: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. Because they cannot afford new clothes
- B. As a way of standing out and expressing individual taste
- C. Because new clothes are unavailable
- D. To copy what everyone else is wearing
- 8
According to the passage, why do many younger buyers wear second-hand clothing?
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Answer: B — As a way of standing out and expressing individual taste
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — As a way of standing out and expressing individual taste.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “…wearing second-hand has become a way of standing out and expressing individual taste rather than a sign of being unable to afford anything better.”
Question 9: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. It has made physical shops the only option
- B. It has allowed people to buy and sell used garments from home and reach a wide audience
- C. It has made used clothing more expensive to produce
- D. It has reduced the number of buyers
- 9
How has technology changed the second-hand clothing trade?
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Answer: B — It has allowed people to buy and sell used garments from home and reach a wide audience
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — It has allowed people to buy and sell used garments from home and reach a wide audience.
Evidence · Paragraph 5 “…allowing people to buy and sell used garments easily from home and to reach a vast audience of potential buyers.”
Question 10: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
- A. They are always of poor quality
- B. Their prices have risen and they can be surprisingly expensive
- C. They cannot be sold online
- D. They are no longer fashionable
- 10
What complication does the passage mention regarding the most sought-after items?
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Answer: B — Their prices have risen and they can be surprisingly expensive
Why: This is the part of the passage that supports B — Their prices have risen and they can be surprisingly expensive.
Evidence · Paragraph 6 “…so have prices for the most sought-after items, and what began partly as a cheaper alternative has, in some corners of the market, become surprisingly expensive.”
Questions 11–13: Short Answer
Answer the questions below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer.
- 11
What did buying used clothing carry for much of the twentieth century?(max 3 words)
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Answer: a stigma (also accepted: stigma / a certain stigma)
Why: The answer “a stigma” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 3-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 1 “…buying used clothing carried a certain stigma.”
- 12
Producing new garments consumes large quantities of water and what else?(max 2 words)
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Answer: energy
Why: The answer “energy” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 2-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 3 “Manufacturing new garments consumes large quantities of water and energy and generates pollution”
- 13
Why are garments from past decades sought after by some buyers?(max 3 words)
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Answer: they are different (also accepted: because they are different / different)
Why: The answer “they are different” is taken from this sentence — copy the word(s) exactly as they appear. It fits the 3-word limit.
Evidence · Paragraph 4 “…garments from past decades are sought after precisely because they are different.”
Estimated band score for this test
Your raw score out of 13 scaled to the 40-question IELTS Reading (Academic) 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 |
|---|---|
| 13 / 13 | 9.0 |
| 12 / 13 | 8.5 |
| 11 / 13 | 7.5 |
| 10 / 13 | 7.0 |
| 9 / 13 | 6.5 |
| 8 / 13 | 6.0 |
| 7 / 13 | 5.5 |
| 5–6 / 13 | 5.0 |
| 4 / 13 | 4.0 |
| 3 / 13 | 3.5 |
| 2 / 13 | 3.0 |
| 1 / 13 | 2.0 |
| 0 / 13 | 0.0 |
Full-test score? Use the IELTS band calculator.
Tips for the question types in this test
Yes / No / Not Given
- Identify the claim in the statement and, crucially, whose opinion it represents — these passages often quote several people, so track who is speaking.
- Scan the passage for opinion signals: verbs like "argues", "believes", "suggests", "claims", and phrases such as "in the author’s view".
Common trap: Treating a reported opinion (someone else’s view mentioned by the writer) as the writer’s own conclusion.
Full Yes / No / 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 strategyShort Answer
- Read the instructions and note the exact word limit; going over it means zero marks even if the meaning is right.
- Turn each question into a set of keywords and predict what kind of answer it needs (a person, a date, a place, a noun).
Common trap: Exceeding the word limit (writing four words when only three are allowed).
Full Short Answer strategyPractise “The Business of Second-Hand Fashion” under exam conditions
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