The Innovation of Grocery Stores IELTS Reading Answers
: Achieving a high
IELTS band score
can be challenging for non-native English speakers. To score high for prestigious universities abroad, students must score high bands in each IELTS test section. While the IELTS reading section is comparatively easier for students, however, some may face difficulties in solving reading passages.
Therefore, we tried to provide sample questions and their standard answer pattern for
“The Innovation of Grocery Stores IELTS Reading Answers”
. This sample passage is among the most asked passages for the
IELTS Reading module
. The “The Innovation of Grocery Stores IELTS Reading Answers” includes a total of 13 questions along with their sample answers. Read the complete article to learn various tips and tricks to answer “The Innovation of Grocery Stores IELTS Reading Answers” to achieve a high
IELTS Reading band score
.
Free IELTS Reading Practice Tests, Cambridge Sample Test PDF
The Innovation of Grocery Stores IELTS Reading Answers
You should spend about 20 minutes on questions 1-13, which are based on the Reading Passage below.
The Innovation of Grocery Stores
1.
At the beginning of the 20th century, grocery stores in the United States were full-service. A customer would ask a clerk behind the counter for specific items and the clerk would package the items, which were limited to dry goods. If they want to save some time, they have to ask a delivery boy or themselves to send the note of what they want to buy to the grocery store first and then go to pay for the goods later. These grocery stores usually carried only one brand of each good. There were early chain stores, such as the A&P Stores, but these were all entirely full-service and very time-consuming.
2.
In 1885, a Virginia boy named Clarence Saunders began working part-time as a clerk in a grocery store when he was 14 years old, and quit school when the shopkeeper offered him full-time work with room and board. Later he worked in an Alabama coke plant and in a Tennessee sawmill before he returned to the grocery business. By 1900, when he was nineteen years old, he was earning $30 a month as a salesman for a wholesale grocer. During his years working in grocery stores, he found that it was very inconvenient and inefficient for people to buy things because more than a century ago, long before there were computers, shopping was done quite differently than it is today. Entering a store, the customer would approach the counter (or wait for a clerk to become available) and place an order, either verbally or, as was often the case for boys running errands, in the form of a note or list. While the customer waited, the clerk would move behind the counter and throughout the store, select the items on the list – some form shelves so high that a long-handled grasping device had to be used – and bring them back to the counter to be tallied and bagged or boxed. The process might be expedited by the customer calling or sending in the order beforehand, or by the order being handled by a delivery boy on a bike, but otherwise, it did not vary greatly. Saunders, a flamboyant and innovative man, noticed that this method resulted in wasted time and expense, so he came up with an unheard-of solution that would revolutionize the entire grocery industry: he developed a way for shoppers to serve themselves.
3.
So in 1902, he moved to Memphis where he developed his concept to form a grocery wholesale cooperative and a full-service grocery store. For his new “cafeteria grocery”, Saunders divided his grocery into three distinct areas: 1) A front “lobby” forming an entrance and exit and checkouts at the front. 2) A sales department, which was specially designed to allow customers to roam the aisles and select their own groceries. Removing unnecessary clerks, creating elaborate aisle displays, and rearranging the store to force customers to view all of the merchandise and over the shelving and cabinets units of sales department were “galleries” where supervisors were allowed to keep an eye on the customers while not disturbing them. 3) And another section of his store is the room only allowed for the clerks which were called the “stockroom” or “storage room” where large refrigerators were situated to keep fresh products from being perishable. The new format allowed multiple customers to shop at the same time and led to the previously unknown phenomenon of impulse shopping. Though this format of grocery market was drastically different from its competitors, the style became the standard for the modern grocery store and later supermarket.
4.
On September 6, 1916, Saunders launched the self-service revolution in the USA by opening the first self-service Piggly Wiggly store, at 79 Jefferson Street in Memphis, Tennessee, with its characteristic turnstile at the entrance. Customers paid cash and selected their own goods from the shelves. It was unlike any other grocery store of that time. Inside a Piggly Wiggly, shoppers were not at the mercy of shop clerks. They were free to roam the store, check out the merchandise and get what they needed with their own two hands and feet. Prices on items at Piggly Wiggly were clearly marked. No one pressured customers to buy milk or pickles. And the biggest benefit at the Piggly Wiggly was that shoppers saved money. Self-service was positive all around. “It’s good for both the consumer and retailer because it cuts costs,” noted George T. Haley, a professor at the University of New Haven and director of the Center for International Industry Competitiveness. “If you looked at the way grocery stores were run previous to Piggly Wiggly and Alpha Beta, what you find is that there was a tremendous amount of labor involved, and labor is a major expense.” Piggly Wiggly cut the fat.
5.
Piggly Wiggly and the self-service concept took off. Saunders opened nine stores in the Memphis area within the first year of business. Consumers embraced the efficiency, the simplicity and most of all the lower food prices. Saunders soon patented his self-service concept and began franchising Piggly Wiggly stores. Thanks to the benefits of self-service and franchising, Piggly Wiggly ballooned to nearly 1,300 stores by 1923. Piggly Wiggle sold $100 million – worth $1.3 billion today – in groceries, making it the third-biggest grocery retailer in the nation. The company’s stock was even listed on the New York Stock Exchange, doubling from late 1922 to march 1923. Saunders had his hands all over Piggly Wiggly. He was instrumental in the design and layout of his stores. He even invented the turnstile.
However, Saunders was forced into bankruptcy in 1923 after a dramatic spat with the New York Stock Exchange and he went on to create the “Clarence Saunders sole-owner-of-my-name” chain, which went into bankruptcy.
Until the time of his death in October 1953, Saunders was developing plans for another automatic store system called the Foodelectric. But the store, which was to be located two blocks from the first Piggly Wiggly store, never opened. But his name was well-remembered along with the name Piggly Wiggly.
The Innovation of Grocery Stores IELTS Reading Answers Sample Questions
Match each statement with the correct paragraph (A-G).
Questions 1-5
-
Description of how grocery stores operated at the beginning of the 20th century.
-
Explanation of Saunders' innovative store design with distinct sections.
-
The success and expansion of the Piggly Wiggly franchise.
-
Saunders' plans for an advanced store system that never came to fruition.
-
The role of self-service in reducing grocery store labor costs.
Sentence Completion
Complete the sentences below with NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage.
Questions 6-10
6. Before self-service stores, customers had to place their orders with a __________.
7. Saunders' grocery design introduced the idea of a separate __________ for clerks to store products.
8. Piggly Wiggly became popular for its __________ on shelves.
9. By 1923, Piggly Wiggly had grown to approximately __________ stores.
10. Saunders went bankrupt after a dispute with the __________.
Multiple Choice Questions
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D.
Questions 11-13
11.What was a significant feature of Piggly Wiggly stores?
-
Home delivery services
-
Freedom for customers to select goods
-
Specialized clerks to assist shoppers
-
Larger stores with more employees
12.What led to Clarence Saunders' bankruptcy?
-
Financial losses in the grocery business
-
Failure to patent his self-service concept
-
A conflict with the New York Stock Exchange
-
Overspending on new store designs
13. What was the intended innovation of Saunders' Foodelectric system?
-
Automated payment options
-
Pre-packaged groceries for faster shopping
-
An automatic store system
-
Franchising options for other entrepreneurs
The Innovation of Grocery Stores IELTS Reading Answers with Explanation
1. Description of how grocery stores operated at the beginning of the 20th century
-
-
Explanation
: In paragraph A details of the working of grocery stores are provided including how grocery stores were full-service, how to place orders with clerks or send notes, etc.
2. Explanation of Saunders' innovative store design with distinct sections
-
-
Answer: Paragraph C
-
Explanation
: Saunders' new design for a grocery store is explained in detail in Paragraph C. The details include Saunders' new design for the lobby, sales department, and stockroom. It also discusses how customers could serve themselves without the help of any clerks.
3. The success and expansion of the Piggly Wiggly franchise
-
-
Answer: Paragraph E
-
Explanation
: Paragraph E discusses the success and expansion of the Piggly Wiggly franchise to 1,300 stores by 1923. The paragraph also highlights the financial success of the self-service concept.
4. Saunders' plans for an advanced store system that never came to fruition
-
-
Answer: Paragraph G
-
Explanation
: Saunders’ plan for a new store system called "Foodelectric," which never came to fruition due to his death was discussed in paragraph G.
5. The role of self-service in reducing grocery store labor costs
-
-
Answer: Paragraph D
-
Explanation
: In paragraph D it is explained how Piggly Wiggly’s self-service model reduced labor costs by eliminating the need for a large number of clerks.
6.
Before self-service stores, customers had to place their orders with a __________.
-
-
Answer: Clerk
-
Explanation
: Paragraph A mentions “A customer would ask a clerk behind the counter for specific items and the clerk would package the items, which were limited to dry goods.”
7.
Saunders' grocery design introduced the idea of a separate __________ for clerks to store products.
-
-
Answer: Stockroom
-
Explanation
: Paragraph C mentions “And another section of his store is the room only allowed for the clerks which were called the “stockroom” or “storage room” where large refrigerators were situated to keep fresh products from being perishable.”
8.
Piggly Wiggly became popular for its __________ on shelves.
-
-
Answer: Prices
-
Explanation
: Piggly Wiggly became popular for allowing its customers to pay cash and select their own goods from the shelves. It is mentioned in paragraph D.
9.
By 1923, Piggly Wiggly had grown to approximately __________ stores.
-
-
Answer: 1,300
-
Explanation
: Paragraph E mentions “Thanks to the benefits of self-service and franchising, Piggly Wiggly ballooned to nearly 1,300 stores by 1923.”
10.
Saunders went bankrupt after a dispute with the __________.
-
-
Answer: New York Stock Exchange
-
Explanation
: Paragraph F mentions “However, Saunders was forced into bankruptcy in 1923 after a dramatic spat which the New York Stock Exchange and he went on to create the “Clarence Saunders sole-owner-of-my-name” chain, which went into bankruptcy.”
11.
What was a significant feature of Piggly Wiggly stores?
-
-
Answer: B. Freedom for customers to select goods
-
Explanation
: The significant feature of Piggly Wiggly stores was it allowed customers to pick their own goods from the shelves.
12.
What led to Clarence Saunders' bankruptcy?
-
-
Answer: C. A conflict with the New York Stock Exchange
-
Explanation
: Paragraph F mentions “However, Saunders was forced into bankruptcy in 1923 after a dramatic spat which the New York Stock Exchange and he went on to create the “Clarence Saunders sole-owner-of-my-name” chain, which went into bankruptcy.”
13
. What was the intended innovation of Saunders' Foodelectric system?
-
-
Answer: C. An automatic storage system
-
Explanation
: Paragraph G discusses Saunders’ vision for an automatic store system called "Foodelectric,".
Tips for Answering The Innovation of Grocery Stores IELTS Reading Questions
Here are some important tips to answer questions in “The Innovation of Grocery Stores IELTS Reading Answers”:
1. The Innovation of Grocery Stores IELTS Reading Answers Tips for Matching Information
-
Skim the passage first, as this helps in locating information quickly.
-
Look for keywords from the questions to identify relevant paragraphs.
-
Look for synonyms or similar ideas as the information in the question may not match word-for-word in the text.
-
Once a paragraph is used, it won’t be the answer to another question, so eliminate it from further consideration.
2. The Innovation of Grocery Stores IELTS Reading Answers Tips for Sentence Completion
-
Stick within the given word limit. Do not cross the word limit to stop losing marks.
-
To answer the questions of sentence completion, use the exact words and phrases given in the passage.
-
Try to understand the grammatical structure of given questions and passages to predict the correct answer.
-
Scan for keywords in the passage that match the incomplete sentence.
3. The Innovation of Grocery Stores IELTS Reading Answers Tips for Multiple Choice Questions
-
Read the question and given options beforehand reading the full passage.
-
Eliminate incorrect options to narrow down choices.
-
Do not assume your answers just because it “sounds right.” Try to find specific information and data to support your answers.
-
Check all the provided options carefully beforehand marking the correct answer.
General Tips for The Innovation of Grocery Stores IELTS Reading Answers:
-
To manage time effectively, spend a maximum time of 20 minutes on each passage.
-
Practice previous IELTS question papers to learn skimming and scanning techniques.
-
For sentence completion and multiple-choice questions, pay attention to small details to find out the answers.
-
Familiarity with the question type is the main criterion to reduce time in “The Innovation of Grocery Stores IELTS Reading Answers”.
How to Manage Time in IELTS Reading
Guidance of PW IELTS
Physics Wallah offers a few popular
online IELTS courses
for all students. Follow the latest IELTS articles to better prepare for the exam.
