Part 3

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

The Free Sandwich

I only went for the sandwich. The leaflet said free carpet cleaning demonstration, Saturday afternoon, and everyone who attends gets a free lunch. I had no carpet. I lived in a rented room with wooden floors. But I had nothing else to do, and a free sandwich is a free sandwich.

The demonstration took place in a hotel conference room. There were seven of us there, mostly older couples from the area I lived in. A man named Derek stood at the front next to a dirty piece of carpet on a metal frame. He sprayed something onto it, wiped it, and the stain disappeared. We clapped politely. Then he did it again on a different stain. And again.

After twenty minutes, I wanted to leave. But the sandwich had not arrived yet. So I stayed. Derek started telling stories. Not about cleaning. About his brother who ran a fish shop and once sold a single prawn to a famous actor. About the time he locked his keys in his van outside a funeral. About his wife who still cuts his hair even though she has no training. The other people laughed. I laughed too.

Two hours passed. Nobody checked their phone. Nobody asked about the price of the cleaning machine. Derek kept talking, and we kept listening. At the end, he handed out sandwiches wrapped in plastic. Cheese and pickle. Not great, but fine. Then he said something I did not expect. Thank you for staying, he said. Most people leave after the first stain. You did not. That means a lot.

I walked home thinking about Derek. He was not a good salesman. A good salesman would have talked about the machine. Derek talked about prawns and funerals and haircuts. But I think he knew exactly what he was doing. He was not selling a carpet cleaner. He was selling an hour and a half of his time, and he gave it away for free.

I still have the leaflet somewhere. I never bought the machine. But sometimes I wonder if Derek is still there, on a Saturday afternoon, telling stories to seven strangers. And I hope someone is staying to listen.

11 What was the writer’s main reason for attending the demonstration?
A He was hoping to buy a carpet for his room.
B He was curious what the salesman would try to sell to him.
C He had nothing else to do and wanted free food.
D He expected to meet new people from his neighbourhood.

12 What did the writer think about leaving during the first part of the demonstration?
A He decided to stay because the cleaning method was interesting.
B He felt embarrassed to leave before the other people.
C He stayed because he had not received his free sandwich yet.
D He thought Derek would be offended if he left.

13 What does the writer say about Derek’s stories?
A They made the audience forget about the cleaning machine completely.
B They did not make sense to most of the people in the room.
C They were clearly the same stories he told at every demonstration.
D They were more about his personal life than about the product.

14 What does the writer suggest Derek valued most?
A Making sure everyone understood how the product worked.
B Getting people to stay and listen to his stories.
C Selling as many cleaning machines as possible.
D Proving that his product was better than others.

15 By saying Derek “knew exactly what he was doing”, what does the writer mean?
A He was better at telling stories than at cleaning carpets.
B He succeeded in making the audience feel valued, not pressured.
C He accidentally made people stay longer than they wanted.
D He understood that free food was the only reason anyone came.

For this task: Answers with explanations :: Vocabulary