What to Do If Your Clothes Have Been Lost or Damaged by a Dry Cleaner and Groups for Readers and Writers- IELTS Reading Answers

With consistent practice, IELTS applicants can score highest on the Reading module of IELTS General . All you need is to be able to approach and respond to the different question types. The IELTS General Passage, What to Do If Your Clothes Have Been Lost or Damaged by a Dry Cleaner and Groups for Readers and Writers is part of Cambridge IELTS 18 General Training Reading and ideally, you should not spend more than 20 minutes on both these passages.

There are 14 questions in total in passages. You must understand the subject, look up key term and solve accordingly. Also, start practicing timed IELTS General practice exams regularly if your goal is to become proficient in these passages and obtain a high reading band score.

The question types found in these passages are:

• True/False/Not Given (Questions 1-7)
• Matching Heading (Questions 8-14)

Reading Passage 1

What to do if your clothes have been lost or damaged by a dry cleaner

Dry cleaners are legally required to take reasonable care of anything left with them. You can claim compensation if your belongings are damaged or lost while in their care.

Even if the dry cleaning company has a sign saying they aren’t responsible for items left with them, this isn’t necessarily true. They can’t opt out of this responsibility just by putting up a sign.

As soon as you realize there’s a problem, contact them and explain the situation. They might offer you compensation straight away. If they don’t, you should ask them to either cover the cost of repairing the item or to pay for a replacement (if it can’t be repaired).

If they have to pay the cost of replacing a damaged or lost item, the maximum they’re obliged to offer you is the value of the item when it was left with them, not what it would cost to replace as new. You’ll probably be asked to provide evidence of how much it originally cost – for example, a receipt. The dry cleaner can then offer you a reduced amount depending on the condition of the item – you’ll have to negotiate the cost with them.

If the dry cleaner is part of a national chain, you could get in touch with the customer services department of their head office and make the complaint to them directly. If the dry cleaner refuses to compensate you or they offer you too little, try the following steps:

– If the dry cleaner is a member of a trade association such as the UK Fashion and Textile Association, you can pass your complaint to them and they may be able to help you.

– You could get an independent organisation to look at your issue and produce a report,but this could be expensive (often around £100).

– If you’ve tried the options above and are still unhappy With the outcome, you could take your case to court. There’s a time limit for going to court – from when you took the item to the dry cleaner, you have up to six years.

Questions 1-7

1 Dry cleaners are generally responsible for items left with them, even if there’s a sign saying the opposite.
2 If the dry cleaner loses an item belonging to you, they should give you enough money to buy a completely new one.
3 If you have the receipt for a damaged item, the company should refund the amount you originally paid for it.
4 It may be possible to get support for your complaint from a dry cleaners’ trade association.
5 if you’re offered too little compensation, you can request a free report from an independent organisation.
6 Most people who take a case about a dry-cleaning company to court are satisfied with the outcome.
7 If an item was lost or damaged nine months ago, you can still take the dry cleaner to court.

Reading Passage 2

Groups for readers and writers

A Teenvision

This is a reading group for teens aged 12—16 which meets on the last Thursday of the month. We are a friendly group, with everybody keen to talk about what we’ve enjoyed reading recently and make suggestions on what we should read next. We are massive fans of action, fantasy and adventure but we try to include a mix of genres in our choices.

B Creative writing workshops

Would you like to share your writing with others and hear their constructive suggestions for how to improve it? Have you got a book inside you but need the inspiration to get started? Build your confidence to begin formulating ideas for storylines and characters at our regular workshops. Open to all — beginners and established writers.

C Books for now

We meet on the second and fourth Mondays of each month in members’ homes. The group is open to men and women who enjoy discussing the themes and issues found in science fiction novels. Our books are usually those written from the 1960s onwards and include feminist science fiction, cyberpunk and scientific romance.

D Readers’ book group

This is an open group for parents at the library, and toddlers are welcome to come along and play in the children’s library while the meeting is taking place. The group reads mainly fiction of different genres. Books are supplied by the library. Anyone is welcome — have a look at our website to see what the book is for the next meeting.

E The book club
Every month members of this group read a fabulous business book which is then discussed when we meet. At our meetings you’ll have the chance to network With other members — all like-minded businesswomen — in a relaxed environment. There will be lots of ideas to discuss, as well as refreshments and lots of fun!

F Poetry writing group

A writing group for young poets aged between 12 and 18 at the library. You will explore how to power up your imagination, and your poems will be displayed in the library and online. The group meets fortnightly on Saturdays from 12 pm. to 2 pm. The group is currently full but anyone interested is welcome to join the membership waiting list.

Question 8-14

Choose the correct paragraph that mentions the following?

8 Members of this group share ideas for the books they would like to read.
9 It isn’t possible for any new members to join this group at present.
10 You can get feedback on your own work from other members of this group.
11 This group focuses on stories belonging to just one genre.
12 Work produced by members of this group will be available to the public.
13 This group doesn’t read or write either poetry or fiction
14 This group would suit someone who thinks they could write a book.

Answers for What to do if your clothes have been lost or damaged by a dry cleaner and Groups for Readers and Writers with an Explanation

1 Answer: TRUE
Question type: TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN
Answer location: Paragraph 1, Lines 3-4
Answer explanation: Take a look at this line “…Dry cleaners are legally required to take reasonable care of anything left with them. You can claim compensation if your belongings are damaged or lost while in their care…”. It is clear in this line that dry cleaners are responsible for items left with them. Hence, the answer is True.

2 Answer: TRUE
Question type: TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN
Answer location: Paragraph 3, Lines 1-2
Answer explanation: In this specified line of Paragraph 3 it is stated that “… As soon as you realize there’s a problem, contact them and explain the situation. They might offer you compensation straight away. If they don’t you should ask them to either cover the cost of repairing the item or to pay for a replacement( if it can’t be repaired)…”. It is stated in this line that if your clothes get lost they will offer you some compensation or replacement. It is not written that they should give enough money to buy a new one. Hence, the answer is FALSE.

3 Answer: FALSE
Question type: TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN
Answer location: Paragraph 4, Lines 1-4
Answer explanation: Take a look at this line“…If they have to pay the cost of replacing a damaged or lost item, the maximum they’re obliged to offer you is the value of the item when it was left with them, not what it would cost to replace as new…”
It is written here that they are not obliged to pay the exact value to buy a new item. Hence, the answer is FALSE.

4 Answer: TRUE
Question type: TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN
Answer location: Paragraph 6, Lines 1-2
Answer explanation: In this specified line“…If the dry cleaner is a member of a trade association such as the UK Fashion and Textile Association, you can pass your complaint to them and they may be able to help you…” It is written here that if a dry cleaner is a member of any association then it may be possible to complain about this issue to the Trade Association. Hence, the answer is TRUE.

5 Answer: FALSE
Question type: TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN
Answer location: Paragraph 7, Line 1
Answer explanation: Take a look at this line “… You could get an independent organization to look at your issue and produce a report, but this could be expensive (often around £100)…..” It is written here that anyone facing an issue can reach out to an independent organization but that would cost around £100. Hence, the answer is FALSE.

6 Answer: NOT GIVEN
Question type: TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN
Answer location: Paragraph 7
Answer explanation: The information mentioned in the statement is not found in the passage.

7 Answer: TRUE
Question type: TRUE/FALSE/NOT GIVEN
Answer location: Paragraph 8, Lines 1-2
Answer explanation: Take a look at this line from Paragraph 8,“…. If you’ve tried the options above and are still unhappy with the outcome, you could take your case to court. There’s a time limit for going to court – from when you took the item to the dry cleaner, you have up to six years…..”. Here it is written that you can go to the court for your issue till 6 years from the date of the incident. Hence, the answer is TRUE.

8 Answer: A
Question type: Matching Heading
Answer location: Paragraph A, Lines 1-2
Answer explanation: Take a look at this line from Paragraph A “…. We are a friendly group, with everybody keen to talk about what we’ve enjoyed reading recently and make suggestions on what we should read next ….”. It is stated in this line that members of this group are friendly and they also suggest to their friends about the next read. Hence, the answer is A.

9 Answer: F
Question type: Matching Heading
Answer location: Paragraph F, Lines 2-3
Answer explanation: In this specified line of Paragraph F it is stated that “…The group is currently full but anyone interested is welcome to join the membership waiting list….”
The music group is full and anyone interested can join the waiting list. Hence, the answer is F.

10 Answer: B
Question type: Matching Heading
Answer location: Paragraph B, Lines 1-2
Answer explanation: Take a look at this line,“…Would you like to share your writing with others and hear their constructive suggestions for how to improve it?….” Here it is written that in this group you can share your ideas and get feedback accordingly. Hence, the answer is Paragraph B.

11 Answer: C
Question type: Matching Heading
Answer location: Paragraph C, Lines 1-2
Answer explanation: In this specified line of Paragraph C “…The group is open to men and women who enjoy discussing the themes and issues found in science fiction novels….” It is clear in this line that this group is open to everyone who wants to share their ideas either male or female. Hence, the answer is C.

12 Answer: F
Question type: Matching Heading
Answer location: Paragraph F, Lines 1-2
Answer explanation: Take a look at this line“…You will explore how to power up your imagination, and your poems will be displayed in the library and online…..”. It is stated here that the poems produced in this club will be available in the library and on many online websites. Hence, the answer is F.

13 Answer: E
Question type: Matching Heading
Answer location: Paragraph F, Lines 1-2
Answer explanation: In this specified line of Paragraph F it is stated that “…At our meetings you’ll have the chance to network With other members – all like-minded businesswomen – in a relaxed environment….”. It is clear here that this is not just poetry or fiction book club, members read business books here and you can also meet like-minded people here. Hence, the answer is Paragraph E.

14 Answer: B
Question type: Matching Heading
Answer location: Paragraph B , Lines  1-2
Answer explanation: In this line of Paragraph B it is written that, “…Would you like to share your writing with others and hear their constructive suggestions for how to improve it?….” It is clear that if you want to write a book or hear other’s ideas you can do that in this group. Hence, the answer is B.

Tips to Solve the Question Types in the What to Do If Your Clothes Have Been Lost or Damaged by a Dry Cleaner Reading Answers 

Since now you know the answers to What to Do If Your Clothes Have Been Lost or Damaged by a Dry Cleaner Reading Answers, let us check out some quick tips to answer the question types in the Reading.

True/False/Not Given:

True/False/Not Given questions are a type of IELTS Reading question that requires you to identify whether a statement is true, false, or not given in the passage.

To answer this type of question, you can use the following strategies:

• Before reading the material, have a look at your list of True/False/Not Given questions.
• Scan the passage for synonyms or paraphrased words of the keywords. When you have highlighted the keywords, swiftly read the text to look for paraphrases or synonyms.
• Match the highlighted words in the questions with their synonyms in the text. Once you find both sets of keywords, cross-check them to find the answer.
•  If the facts match, the answer is correct so it would be yes, and in case it doesn’t match, it is No. If you are unable to find the answer or unsure of it, mark it NOT GIVEN.

Matching Heading questions 

• Before going through the passage, quickly scan headings for keywords related to your Matching Heading questions. This will save time and help you target relevant sections.
• First, tackle headings that match the keywords in your questions. Leave less relevant headings for later.
• Don’t get hung up on exact matches. Look for synonyms or paraphrases of your keywords in the passage. The meaning should be the same but words could be different.
• To save your time read the test instructions carefully to check if you can reuse information from the previous headings in other questions.
• As you read each paragraph, try to understand the main idea behind it. This provides context for the specific details of the target of your question.

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