Matching information: libraries in the digital age
You can find the paragraph that holds a detail, even when the passage says it in other words.
In matching information you read a list of statements and find the paragraph that contains each one. A paragraph can hold no answer at all, and when the instructions allow it, one paragraph can hold two.
Our passage is about public libraries, and what they are for now that so much of life has moved online. It has five paragraphs and there are seven statements, so at least one paragraph is the answer twice.
Warm-up
What kind of information?
Matching information statements name a kind of information, such as a reason or an example. Which kind does this extract contain?
Read thisSince March, residents of Maple Street have been able to apply for a parking permit only through the council's website. Paper forms are no longer accepted.
Which description fits the extract?
How it works
The reading passage has five paragraphs, A-E. Which paragraph contains the following information? Write the correct letter, A-E, next to Questions 1-7. NB You may use any letter more than once.
- 1a mention of equipment that people can borrow and take home1
- 2a description of how the space inside libraries has changed2
- 3a reason why an e-book can never be returned late3
- 4an example of young people teaching older people4
- 5a problem with the usual way of measuring a library's success5
- 6a prediction that turned out to be wrong6
- 7the view that helping others can benefit the helpers too7
The statements come in a different order from the passage. The set usually shares its passage with other question types.
Two matching tasks
You choose a heading for each paragraph. The heading sums up the whole paragraph, and each heading is used once.
You choose a paragraph for each statement. The statement points to one detail, often in a single sentence. A paragraph can hold no answer, or two when the NB line allows it.
The method
- 1Name the kind of information
Most statements begin with a kind of information: a reason, an example, a description, a prediction. Look for the reason or the example itself, because the word reason or example will rarely be there.
- 2Think of other words for the idea
The passage paraphrases, which means it says the same thing in different words. A reference to the cost of repairs might appear as fixing the roof used up most of the budget.
- 3Read one paragraph at a time
Read a paragraph, then check it against every statement you have not answered yet. This is faster than searching the whole passage for each statement in turn.
- 4Match every part of the statement
One shared word is not enough. For a problem caused by bad weather, the paragraph needs a problem, and weather that caused it.
The passage
The library after the internet
A When home computers and the internet became common, some commentators predicted that the public library would soon disappear. If any fact could be found in seconds with a search engine, and any book could be ordered online, who would need a building full of shelves? Many libraries have indeed lost funding since then, and some have closed. Most, however, are still open, although anyone who knew them thirty years ago would find them hard to recognise. Shelves have been reduced to make room for computers, study tables and meeting rooms that local groups can book.
B The most visible change is in lending. Many public libraries now lend e-books and audiobooks, which members borrow through an app without visiting the building. When the loan period ends, the title disappears from the reader's device automatically, so it can never be returned late. For libraries, however, digital books are expensive. Publishers often charge a library far more for an e-book than an individual reader pays for the same title, and in many cases the library's licence runs out after a fixed period or a set number of loans. After that, the library must pay again if it wants to keep the title.
C For people without a computer or an internet connection at home, the library is often the only place where they can get online. This matters more every year, because many employers and public services now accept applications only through a website. In many libraries, helping visitors to complete these forms has become a regular part of the staff's day, and some libraries now lend laptops and small portable internet devices for people to take home.
D Many libraries also teach the skills that daily life now demands. Free classes, often run by volunteers, show beginners how to send an email, make a video call or recognise a scam message. At one library in a small coastal town, the most popular session is run by students from a nearby secondary school, who spend an hour a week helping older residents with their phones. The library's manager says the students gain as much as the people they help: patience, for a start, and practice in explaining something clearly.
E All of this has made it harder to judge whether a library is doing its job well. For decades, the main measure was the number of books it lent each year. Today, a student may spend a whole day at a study desk, join a class and print a document without borrowing anything, and none of that appears in the lending figures. Some librarians now argue that a library should be judged by how many people it helps, and that loan numbers alone make a busy library look as if it is in decline.
Watch me do one
I start with paragraph A and hold it against the list. Statement 2 asks for a description of how the space inside libraries has changed.
The idea is the inside of the building: rooms, shelves, furniture. The passage may never use the word space, so I look for the idea.
The last sentence of A says Shelves have been reduced to make room for computers, study tables and meeting rooms. That describes the inside, and make room for is how the passage talks about space.
Paragraph B is the trap. It starts with The most visible change is in lending, so someone hunting for the word change might choose it. But B is about lending books, and it says nothing about the building. I write A.
Before I move on to B, I check the rest of the list against A. One more statement fits it. I'll leave that one to you.
Practice with Elita6 questions
Six statements are left. Use the passage above, and remember that a letter can come up twice.
Statement 1
Look back at the passage. Which paragraph contains this information?
Statement 1: a mention of equipment that people can borrow and take home
Statement 3
Which paragraph gives this reason? Look for the reason itself, since the word reason is not in the passage.
Statement 3: a reason why an e-book can never be returned late
Statement 4
Which paragraph contains this example? An example is one particular case of something more general.
Statement 4: an example of young people teaching older people
Statement 5
Which paragraph contains this problem? Think of other ways a writer might say the usual way of measuring.
Statement 5: a problem with the usual way of measuring a library's success
Statement 6
Which paragraph contains this prediction? You may already have used the answer once.
Statement 6: a prediction that turned out to be wrong
Statement 7
Which paragraph contains this view? Decide who the helpers are before you choose.
Statement 7: the view that helping others can benefit the helpers too
Words to keep
Money given for a particular purpose, often by a government. The library's funding pays for two extra staff on Saturdays.
Official permission to use something, often for a limited time. The licence for that e-book runs out in March.
A dishonest plan to get someone's money or personal details. The class showed us how to spot a scam message.
Someone who lives in a particular place. Residents can book the meeting room for free.
Create space for something by moving or removing other things. We gave away old books to make room for a study area.
Becoming smaller, weaker or less used. Printed newspapers have been in decline for years.
Before you go
Read each statement for the kind of information it asks for: a reason, an example, a description, a prediction.
Expect the passage to use other words, and check that every part of the statement is there.
Work through the passage one paragraph at a time, checking your whole list after each one.
Expect the answers out of passage order. When the NB line is printed, keep every letter in play: one paragraph can answer two questions.
Next: The listening lesson comes next: a study group picks its online tools for a project, and you link each tool to a comment in a box.