Part 3

Questions 11-15
For each question choose the correct answer.

When the Lights Went Out

Nobody noticed the streetlamp at first. It was one of dozens along the main road, an old cast-iron thing that had stood there for over a century. The council had announced plans to replace the entire row with modern lighting, and residents had been informed of the plan, but most people had more pressing things to worry about. The letter sat unread on kitchen tables across the neighbourhood.

Anna Malik, however, did read the letter. She was a photographer who had moved into the area three years earlier, and she had spent those three years documenting the streets around her home. She knew every detail: the cracked paving stone outside the bakery, the faded sign above the barber shop, the particular shade of green that the old streetlamps turned in rainy weather. To her, these were not just objects. They were the character of the place.

The council’s plan was efficient and sensible. The new lights would be brighter, cheaper to run, and better for the environment. Nobody could reasonably argue against that. But Anna felt a quiet sense of loss as the removal date approached. She decided to photograph each of the old lamps before they disappeared. She started at the top of the road and worked her way down, capturing them in different lights: early morning mist, afternoon sunshine, and the soft glow of dusk.

Word spread about what she was doing. A neighbour stopped her on the street and asked if she could take a picture of him standing next to the lamp outside his house. He explained that his grandfather had helped install the original lights back in the 1920s. Another neighbour told her that she had got engaged under the fourth lamp, the one near the postbox. A third remembered walking home from a school dance and stopping under the same lamp to look at the stars.

By the time the council arrived to begin the work, Anna had taken over two hundred photographs. She had also collected dozens of stories, which she wrote down in a notebook. An idea began to form. With help from a local printer, she produced a small book combining the images with the stories. There was no plan to make money off of it – she simply wanted people to have a record of something that was about to vanish.

The book sold out within a week. A second printing sold out too. The local newspaper ran a story about it. At a community meeting, the council agreed to keep two of the original lamps in place, restored and fitted with energy-saving bulbs. Anna had not set out to change anything. She had simply paid attention when others looked away. But in doing so, she had reminded a whole street of what it meant to share a place.

11 What does the text say about the council’s letter?
A Most residents did not understand what it was about.
B It was delivered too late for people to respond.
C It was ignored by the majority of people who received it.
D It asked residents to vote on a design for the new lights.

12 Why did Anna feel differently about the streetlamps compared to her neighbours?
A She had a professional interest in street photography.
B She had spent years closely observing the streets around her home.
C She was responsible for maintaining them.
D She had been asked by the council to record them.

13 What happened after Anna started taking photographs of the lamps?
A Local people began to share their own memories connected to them.
B The council asked her to stop because the work was delayed.
C A newspaper offered to pay her for the images.
D Her neighbours complained that she was taking pictures of their houses.

14 The book Anna produced was
A a commercial success that made her a significant profit.
B created with the help of the council’s funding.
C intended as a way to remember what had been lost.
D criticised in the local newspaper for being too sentimental.

15 Which of the following best summarises what the text is about?
A A photographer who accidentally started a successful publishing business.
B The importance of replacing old technology with modern alternatives.
C A council’s failure to listen to the concerns of local residents.
D How paying attention to everyday things can reveal their hidden value.

For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary