Rag-Pickers: The Bottom Rung in the Waste Trade Ladder – IELTS Reading Answers

Kasturika Samanta

15 min read

Updated On Dec 23, 2025

The IELTS Reading passage on ‘Rag-Pickers: The Bottom Rung in the Waste Trade Ladder’ contains Matching Information and Summary Completion type of questions. Check out tips for attempting, answers, explanation, and more to boost reading accuracy.

Rag-Pickers: The Bottom Rung in the Waste Trade Ladder – IELTS Reading Answers

Types of Questions in IELTS Reading Passage ‘Rag-Pickers: The Bottom Rung in the Waste Trade Ladder’
Tips for Answering the IELTS Reading Passage ‘Rag-Pickers: The Bottom Rung in the Waste Trade Ladder’
IELTS Reading Passage on ‘Rag-Pickers: The Bottom Rung in the Waste Trade Ladder’
Answer with Explanation for ‘Rag-Pickers: The Bottom Rung in the Waste Trade Ladder’

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Rag-Pickers: The Bottom Rung in the Waste Trade Ladder is a IELTS Academic Reading passage that consists of 13 questions. As you prepare yourself, utilize such passages for the practice of Matching Information and Summary Completion questions, which are both very common types of IELTS Reading tasks. In this way, you can focus on appropriate strategies where you will look for specifics for the first question type and analyze the paraphrased ideas while the second one will assess your ability to pick the exact words from the passage. Due to this, you will put more focus on individual question types which will build your confidence and make you prepared. With diligent practice, the Reading Module can be the top-scoring category for you.

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Types of Questions in IELTS Reading Passage ‘Rag-Pickers: The Bottom Rung in the Waste Trade Ladder’

Getting to know the types of questions that you will face and how difficult they can be would help you feel prepared before you go through the passage. With this knowledge, you would learn to concentrate on building skills for individual question types. You can build your comprehension and locate the answers quickly at ease. Below are the question types found in the passage ‘Rag-Pickers: The Bottom Rung in the Waste Trade Ladder’.

IELTS Reading Matching Information (Q.14–Q.21)
IELTS Reading Summary Completion (Q. 22-Q.26)

Tips for Answering the IELTS Reading Passage ‘Rag-Pickers: The Bottom Rung in the Waste Trade Ladder’

The IELTS Reading passage on 'Rag-Pickers: The Bottom Rung in the Waste Trade Ladder' is a well presented topic which includes description and analysis. For answering the two types of questions correctly, you need to incorporate a few tricks which will help you get a higher IELTS Band Score. Below are some of the tips which you can use for answering the questions while improving your reading accuracy and time management skills.

Matching Information

Matching Information is one of the question types that requires you to link different parts of the passage with the appropriate paragraphs or sections. The information has to match both the reading passage and the questions provided which can be examples, reasons, descriptions, comparisons, summaries, or explanations. The table below are some strategies which you can incorporate.

Strategy	Description
Read the Instructions Carefully	It is important to understand the type of information you have to match which can either be examples, reasons, or descriptions.
Identify Keywords	Identify the keywords or important terms in the statements and come up with possible synonyms or paraphrased forms
Skim and Scan the Passage	First, skim through the entire passage to get a general idea of the structure after which you can scan for the keywords related to the statements
Understand the Context	Read a little further around the keywords to check that the meaning is the same as that of the statement
Eliminate Incorrect Options	Apply the elimination method to get rid of those paragraphs that are irrelevant.

Summary Completion

Summary Completion demands that you must get a word or phrase from the passage to fill in a gap in a sentence. However, there must be certain strategies to find the answer quickly even though the information is provided in chronological order. The table below depicts the strategies which you can use to prepare for this specific question type.

Strategy	Description
Read the sentence to figure out what kind of word or phrase is missing.	This will tell you clearly whether a noun, verb, number, or phrase is required.
Find keywords in both questions and passage	This will help you in pinpointing the particular section where the answer is most probably found.
Re-read the sentence with the missing word	You will be able to determine if the word or phrase is fitting grammatically and logically.
Verify your answer	This is to make sure that the answer makes sense in the given situation and check if the answer follows the mentioned word limit.

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IELTS Reading Passage on ‘Rag-Pickers: The Bottom Rung in the Waste Trade Ladder’

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26 which are based on the Reading Passage below.

Rag-Pickers: The Bottom Rung in the Waste Trade Ladder

Recycling has existed in one form or another for many years in India and is complicated. Long before the term itself seeped into everyday vocabulary, women separated newspapers and sold them to weekend buyers, who cycled by with a weighing scale and loose change to pay with. Bottles were reused until they broke, and tins were simply never thrown away. As a 13-year-old, I was surrounded by baby food tins from my infancy, storing rice, dais, and chutneys. These habits are sadly dying out, superseded by the advent of the non-recyclable, non-reusable sachet and plastic packaging. Now, instead of being stored away for a rainy day, unwanted products are tossed carelessly into the dustbin. And this is where modern-day recycling begins. In Delhi, for every hundred residents, one person is engaged in recycling.

All recycling in India is undertaken by and via the informal sector. This sector includes ragpickers, middlemen, transporters, and finally, reprocessors. In terms of human resources, this sector is arranged in a table-top pyramid with rag pickers at the base, forming the backbone of waste collection. At the thinner end of the wedge are the small middlemen, who buy the waste and sell it to larger middlemen, who usually specialize in particular items and materials. Above them are factory owners, who procure supplies from those beneath through a ubiquitous network of agents. Delhi is particularly interesting because it has one of the largest and most vibrant recycling bases in the country. The 100,000 waste-pickers are the base of a huge recycling pyramid, handling something like 15% of the solid waste generated in the city. Since over 7,000 metric tonnes of waste is generated daily, this is a substantial business. A range of materials is processed within the sector, including plastics, metals, paper, and glass. Studies estimate that this informal labor force saves the three Delhi Municipalities a minimum of Rs. 6 lakhs (approx. 12,000 USD) every day. It has been calculated that a single scrap of material can increase 700% in value before it is even reprocessed, as it moves along the recycling chain.

So, recycling in Delhi is big business but is it a green business, and who does it benefit? Consider, first, the rag-picker, usually a young person, though not a child, with a large woven sack hanging from his or her shoulder. He or she will begin work as early as 4 am, or miss the most profitable finds. As locations and routes are territorial, residents may begin to recognize their own rag- picker. By late afternoon, or when the bag is full, the rag-picker hunts down a middleman to sell to. The waste should be separated according to almost 30 different categories, and it must be clean and dry. In secret segregation patches around the city; thousands of the poorest inhabitants sort through waste and wash it from makeshift water sources. Hunched over for hours, the poor undertake what the privileged preach: segregation of waste. If the privileged had done this themselves, the poor would suffer less from backache, allergies, and respiratory disorders, and have fewer cuts, burns, and dog bites. The transaction at the selling point is complex and frequently unjust. A rag-picker may be paid less if waste is substandard or wet, or if the buyer is temporarily cash strapped. Rag-pickers often take loans from buyers, and soon find themselves working simply to pay back debt.

Rag-pickers generally live either in slums, often the shop or warehouse of a middleman, or outside in alleyways and on footpaths. Some sleep in dustbins. Their access to basic amenities and essential services is virtually non-existent. The police regularly beat them or burn their bags of waste, leaving them with nothing to show for a day's work. Municipal workers charge rag-pickers to be allowed to forage in a bin, and if it is a lucrative bin, the rates gradually increase. Once ensconced, the municipal worker makes them do additional work, sweeping or loading trucks. It is not unknown for the police to pick up rag-pickers and force them to clean the police station. Sadly and shockingly, this whole process subsidizes the consumption of various materials by the city's wealthier citizens. The example of plastics is a good example. According to a report by the Ministry of Environment, the plastics industry is growing at 10% per annum, and almost 52% of this is expected to be used in the packaging sector. Packaging is a short life use and it will be collected and processed as waste by the informal sector. It will be undertaken in a manner that ensures that ecologically, economically, and socially, the costs will be internalized by this recycling chain.

In India, the informal sector has an essential role because it is able to undertake recycling, which the municipality cannot. However, although it is critical, especially for the handling of solid waste, the sector is unable to optimize its work. There is a stark lack of awareness and specific skills, as well as very poor working conditions. The services provided by this sector are poorly understood and ultimately free to consumers, so are currently unappealing to the private sector. Recycling, at least for now, must be seen as the flip side of urban middle-class consumption.

The state's attitude towards informal recycling is schizophrenic. On the one hand, in conferences and seminars, the sector is praised and rag-pickers complimented for their contribution. On the other hand, the sector is ignored by planners and policymakers, who look to reform municipal systems. The current Third Master Plan for Delhi, though still being drafted in secrecy, has been largely criticized. for having 'left out the informal sectors'. This lack of planning perpetuates the image of the sector as an illegal and illegitimate one, which is projected as encroaching upon the city, rather than serving it.

Question 14 – 21

Reading passage 2 had seven sections, A-G.

Which section contains the following information?

Write the correct letter A-G in boxes I4—2 I on your answer sheet.

NB You may use any letter more than once

14 An account of a typical day’s labor

15 Examples of cruelty and specific exploitation

16 An accusation that double standards are operating

17 A description of a hierarchical system

18 An allegation that wealthier people are not doing what they could

19 An assertion that the rich benefit from the hard work of the poor

20 A summary of how a business has changed over time

21 A claim that recycling is economically beneficial to the authorities

Questions 22-26

Complete the Summary below.

Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS com the passage for each answer.

Write yow answers in boxes 22—26 on your answer sheet.

The notion of recycling in India has changed hugely. At one time, people 22 _____________ everything from newspapers to household containers. Now, with the 23 __________________ disposable products and plastic packaging, people simply throw things away instead of putting them aside for 24 ____________. The 25 ____________ takes care of the whole recycling process nowadays. Rag-pickers are at the bottom of a 26 _______________________ with everyone from the various middlemen to the factory owners and their agents looking down.

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Answer with Explanation for ‘Rag-Pickers: The Bottom Rung in the Waste Trade Ladder’

Have you answered all the questions? Have a look at the answer key with detailed explanation and answer location for the passage, ‘Rag-Pickers: The Bottom Rung in the Waste Trade Ladder’. It will help you tally your answers as well as give you an idea of which question type to focus to achieve a band 8+.

Answer	Question Type	Answer Location	Answer Explanation
14. D	Matching Information	Paragraph D, last line	Paragraph D illustrates how a Rag-Picker begins their work as early as 4 am. The entire paragraph provides information on how the Rag-Picker has to work in order to earn his bread. The last line of the paragraph states that a rag-picker may be paid less if waste is substandard or wet, or if the buyer is temporarily cash strapped. Rag-pickers often take loans from buyers, and soon find themselves working simply to pay back debt. Thus, it is clear that paragraph D illustrates an account of the typical day’s labor of a Rag-Picker. Hence, the answer is D.
15. E	Matching Information	Paragraph E	In Paragraph E, it is mentioned that Rag-pickers generally live either in slums, often the shop or warehouse of a middleman, or outside in alleyways and on footpaths. Some sleep in dustbins. Their access to basic amenities and essential services is virtually non-existent. The police regularly beat them or burn their bags of waste, leaving them with nothing to show for a day’s work. Municipal workers charge rag-pickers to be allowed to forage in a bin, and if it is a lucrative bin, the rates gradually increase. Once ensconced, the municipal worker makes them do additional work, sweeping or loading trucks. It is not unknown for the police to pick up rag-pickers and force them to clean the police station. These lines indicate examples of cruelty and specific exploration of what all things a Rag-Picker has to undergo. Therefore, the answer is E.
16. G	Matching Information	Paragraph G	Paragraph G states that in India, the informal sector has an essential role because it is able to undertake to recycle, which the municipality cannot. However, although it is critical, especially for the handling of solid waste, the sector is unable to optimize its work. There is a stark lack of awareness and specific skills, as well as very poor working conditions. The services provided by this sector are poorly understood and ultimately free to consumers, so are currently unappealing to the private sector. Recycling, at least for now, must be seen as the flip side of urban middle-class consumption. These lines reveal that the informal sector in India alone plays an indispensable role as it undertakes recycling processes that the municipal government does not do. As a result, the paragraph depicts the accusation that double standards are operating. Thus, the answer is G.
17. B	Matching Information	Paragraph B	In paragraph B, it is mentioned that all recycling in India is undertaken by and via the informal sector. This sector includes ragpickers, middlemen, transporters, and finally, reprocessors. In terms of human resources, this sector is arranged in a table-top pyramid with rag pickers at the base, forming the backbone of waste collection. At the thinner end of the wedge are the small middlemen, who buy the waste and sell it to larger middlemen, who usually specialize in particular items and materials. Above them are factory owners, who procure supplies from those beneath through a ubiquitous network of agents. These lines clearly indicate a description of a hierarchical system of Rag-Pickers. Hence, the answer is B.

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18. D	Matching Information	Paragraph D, line 9	In the 9th line of paragraph D, it is mentioned that hunched over for hours, the poor undertake what the privileged preach: segregation of waste. If the privileged had done this themselves, the poor would suffer less from backache, allergies, and respiratory disorders, and have fewer cuts, burns, and dog bites. The transaction at the selling point is complex and frequently unjust. These lines indicate allegations that the wealthier people are not doing what they could. Therefore, the answer is D.
19. F	Matching Information	Paragraph F	The initial lines of paragraph F states that the whole process subsidizes the consumption of various materials by the city’s wealthier citizens. The example of plastics is a good example. According to a report by the Ministry of Environment, the plastics industry is growing at 10% per annum, and almost 52% of this is expected to be used in the packaging sector. These lines illustrate an assertion that the rich people are being benefited from the hard work of the poor Rag-Pickers as the entire process is subsidized within the consumption of different materials by wealthier individuals. Thus, the answer is F.
20. A	Matching Information	Paragraph A, last line	Paragraph A, illustrates how Recycling existed in one form or another for several years in India, even before the term seeped. The author writes, “As a 13-year-old, I was surrounded by baby food tins from my infancy, storing rice, dais, and chutneys. These habits are sadly dying out, superseded by the advent of the non-recyclable, non-reusable sachet and plastic packaging. Now, instead of being stored away for a rainy day, unwanted products are tossed carelessly into the dustbin. And this is where modern-day recycling begins. In Delhi, for every hundred residents, one person is engaged in recycling. These lines indicate a summary of how recycling has turned into a business and how the business has changed over the years. Thus, the answer is A.
21. C	Matching Information	Paragraph C	In paragraph C, the author gives an illustration of Delhi, introducing it as one of the largest and most vibrant recycling bases in the country. The 100,000 waste-pickers are the base of a huge recycling pyramid, handling something like 15% of the solid waste generated in the city. Since over 7,000 metric tonnes of waste is generated daily, this is a substantial business. A range of materials is processed within the sector, including plastics, metals, paper, and glass. Studies estimate that this informal labor force saves the three Delhi Municipalities a minimum of Rs. 6 lakhs (approx. 12,000 USD) every day. These lines suggest a claim that recycling is economically beneficial to the municipal authorities in Delhi. Therefore, the answer is D.
22. reused	Summary Completion	Paragraph A	The introductory line of paragraph A states that recycling has existed in one form or another for many years in India and is complicated. Long before the term itself seeped into everyday vocabulary, women separated newspapers and sold them to weekend buyers, who cycled by with a weighing scale and loose change to pay with. Bottles were reused until they broke, and tins were simply never thrown away. These lines indicate how recycling existed in India even before the term, “Recycling” was coined. It is stated that Indian women would separate and sell the newspapers to the weekend buyers who cycled and sold them again. Even bottles were reused until they were broken. Thus, it is evident that people rescued everything from newspapers to household chores. So, the answer is reused.
23. the advent of	Summary Completion	Paragraph A, line 6	The 6th line of paragraph A illustrates that these habits are sadly dying out, superseded by the advent of the non-recyclable, non-reusable sachet and plastic packaging. We can deduce from these lines that the old habits are dying out due to the advent of the non-recyclable, non-reusable sachet and plastic packaging. Thus, the answer is the advent of.
24. a rainy day	Summary Completion	Paragraph A, line 7	The 7th line of paragraph A states that now, instead of being stored away for a rainy day, unwanted products are tossed carelessly into the dustbin. These lines reveal that the unwanted products are tossed away into dustbins rather than being stored away for a rainy day. Thus, the answer is a rainy day.
25. informal sector	Summary Completion	Paragraph B	We can understand from the initial lines of paragraph B that all recycling in India is undertaken by and via the informal sector. This sector includes ragpickers, middlemen, transporters, and finally, reprocessors. Thus, it is clear that the informal sector takes care of the whole recycling process nowadays. So, the answer is the informal sector.
26. Pyramid	Summary Completion	Paragraph B, line 2	The 2nd line of paragraph B states that in terms of human resources this sector is arranged in a table-top pyramid with rag pickers at the base, forming the backbone of waste collection. These lines indicate that the rag pickers are at the bottom of a table-top pyramid with everyone from the various middlemen to the factory owners and their agents looking down. Hence, the answer is a pyramid.

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Regular practice with the intention of being aware of specific strategies while reviewing your answers are the pillars of improving your band scores. With passages such as this one on ‘Rag-Pickers: The Bottom Rung in the Waste Trade Ladder’, you will become familiar with different question types and the pattern of keywords. In this way, your reading accuracy would improve while reducing the number of mistakes. So, let’s continue the journey to achieve a higher band score of 8+.

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