Environmental Practices Of Big Businesses Reading Answers

Feb 1, 2023

Environmental Practices Of Big Businesses Reading Answers has 14 questions that are to be answered in 40 minutes. IELTS topic- Environmental Practices Of Big Businesses Reading Answers deals with the environmental practices of big businesses companies. Environmental Practices Of Big Businesses IELTS reading question type has two kinds of questions. That is choosing the correct answer and identifying whether a statement can correspond to the passage. Candidates need to skim through the passage for the best answer. Environmental Practices Of Big Businesses Reading Answers help students to prepare for IELTS exams.They can also refer to IELTS Reading practice papers.

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Section 1

Read the passage to answer the following questions

Environmental Practices Of Big Businesses Reading Answers

Environmental practices of big businesses

The environmental practices of big businesses are shaped by a fundamental fact that for many of us offend our sense of justice. Depending on the circumstances, a business may maximize the amount of money it makes, at least in the short term, by damaging the environment and hurting people. That is still the case today for fishermen in an unmanaged fishery without quotas, and for cnternational logging companies with short-term leases on tropical rainforest land in places with corrupt officials and unsophisticated landowners. When government regulation is effective, and when the public is environmentally aware, environmentally clean big businesses may out-compete dirty ones, but the reverse is likely to be true if government regulation is ineffective and if the public doesn’t care.

It is easy for the rest of us to blame a business for helping itself by hurting other people. But blaming alone is unlikely to produce change. It ignores the fact that businesses are not charities but profit-making companies, and that publicly owned companies with shareholders are under obligation to those shareholders to maximize profits, provided that they do so by legal means. US laws make a company’s directors legally liable for something termed ‘breach of fiduciary responsibility’ if they knowingly manage a company in a way that reduces profits. The car manufacturer Henry Ford was in fact successfully sued by shareholders in 1919 for raising the minimum wage of his workers to $5 per day: the courts declared that, while Ford’s humanitarian sentiments about his employees were nice, his business existed to make profits for its stockholders.

Our blaming of businesses also ignores the ultimate responsibility of the public for creating the condition that let a business profit through destructive environmental policies. In the long run, it is the public, either directly or through its politicians, that has the power to make such destructive policies unprofitable and illegal, and to make sustainable environmental policies profitable.

The public can do that by suing businesses for harming them, as happened after the Exxon Valdez disaster, in which over 40,000m3 of oil were spilled off the coast of Alaska. The public may also make their opinion felt by preferring to buy sustainably harvested products; by making employees of companies with poor track records feel ashamed of their company and complain to their own management; by preferring their governments to award valuable contracts to businesses with a good environmental track record; and by pressing their governments to pass and enforce laws and regulations requiring good environmental practices.

In turn, big businesses can expert powerful pressure on any suppliers that might ignore public or government pressure. For instance, after the US public became concerned about the spread of a disease known as BSE, which was transmitted to humans through infected meat, the US government’s Food and Drug Administration introduced rules demanding that the meat industry abandon practices associated with the risk of the disease spreading. But for five years the meat packers refused to follow these, claiming that they would be too expensive to obey. However, when a major fast-food company then made the same demands after customer purchases of its hamburgers plummeted, the meat industry complied within weeks. The public’s task is therefore to identify which links in the supply chain are sensitive to public pressure: for instance, fast-food chains or jewelry stores, but not meat packers or gold miners.

Some readers may be disappointed or outraged that I place the ultimate responsibility for business practices harming the public on the public itself. I also believe that the public must accept the necessity for higher prices for products to cover the added costs, if any, of sound environmental practices. My views may seem to ignore the belief that businesses should act in accordance with moral principles even if this leads to a reduction in their profits. But I think we have to recognize that, throughout human history, in all politically complex human societies, government regulation has arisen precisely because it was found that not only did moral principles need to be made explicit, they also needed to be enforced.

To me, the conclusion that the public has the ultimate responsibility for the behavior of even the biggest businesses is empowering and hopeful, rather than disappointing. My conclusion is not a moralistic one about who is right or wrong, admirable or selfish, a good guy or a bad guy. In the past, businesses have changed when the public came to expect and require different behavior, to reward businesses for behavior that the public wanted, and to make things difficult for businesses practicing behaviors that the public didn’t want. I predict that in the future, just as in the past, changes in public attitudes will be essential for changes in businesses’ environmental practices.

Section 2

Solution and Explanation

Questions 27-31

Complete the summary using the list of words, A-J, below.

Write the correct letter, A-J, in boxes 27-31 on your answer sheet.

Big businesses

Many big businesses today are prepared to harm people and the environment in order to make money, and they appear to have no 27………………. . Lack of 28……………….. by governments and lack of public 29………………. can lead to environmental problems such as 30……………….. or the destruction of 31……………….

A funding B trees C rare species

D moral standards E control F involvement

G flooding H overfishing I worker support

27.

Answer: D moral standards
Supporting Sentence: Depending on the circumstances, a business may maximize the amount of money it makes, at least in the short term, by damaging the environment and hurting people
Keywords: business may maximize, damaging the environment
Keyword Location: Paragraph 1, lines 2-4
Explanation: The first paragraph does state that depending on the situation, a business may maximise its profit, at least in the short term, by harming the community and the environment.

28.

Answer: E. control
Supporting Sentence: but the reverse is likely to be true if government regulation is ineffective and if the public doesn’t care.
Keywords: regulation, ineffective, public doesn’t care.
Keyword Location: Paragraph 1, last two lines
Explanation: Ineffective government regulation and a disinterested populace, according to the first paragraph, may cause environmental issues. The public's lack of concern can be translated into "lack of control by governments," and ineffective government regulation can be translated into "lack of public involvement."

29.

Answer: F involvement
Supporting Sentence: but the reverse is likely to be true if government regulation is ineffective and if the public doesn’t care.
Keywords: regulation, ineffective, public doesn’t care.
Keyword Location: Paragraph 1, last two lines
Explanation: Ineffective government regulation and a disinterested populace, according to the first paragraph, may cause environmental issues. The public's lack of concern can be translated into "lack of control by governments," and ineffective government regulation can be translated into "lack of public involvement."

30.

Answer: H overfishing
Supporting Sentence: an unmanaged fishery without quotas
Keywords: unmanaged fishery,
Keyword Location: Paragraph 1, line 4
Explanation: Examples of two environmental issues brought on by "lack of control by governments and lack of public involvement" must be found. The phrase "an unmanaged fishery without quotas" in paragraph 1 denotes that fishing is done without restriction. This is also referred to as "overfishing." Additionally, it refers to "international logging companies... with dishonest officials and ignorant landowners." This is a reference to logging companies that, with the support of authorities and landowners, overexploit tropical rainforests. As a result, this can be referred to as "tree destruction."

31.

Answer: B trees
Supporting Sentence: international logging companies with short-term leases on tropical rainforest land in places with corrupt officials
Keywords: short-term leases, tropical rainforest land
Keyword Location: Paragraph 1, lines 5-6
Explanation: Examples of two environmental issues brought on by "lack of control by governments and lack of public involvement" must be found. The phrase "an unmanaged fishery without quotas" in paragraph 1 denotes that fishing is done without restriction. This is also referred to as "overfishing." Additionally, it refers to "international logging companies... with dishonest officials and ignorant landowners." This is a reference to logging companies that, with the support of authorities and landowners, overexploit tropical rainforests. As a result, this can be referred to as "tree destruction."

Question 32-34

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

Write the correct letter in boxes 32-34 on your answer sheet.

The main idea of the third paragraph is that environmental damage

requires political action if it is to be stopped.
is the result of ignorance on the part of the public.
could be prevented by the action of ordinary people.
can only be stopped by educating business leaders.

Answer: C could be prevented by the action of ordinary people.
Supporting Sentence: Our blaming of businesses also ignores the ultimate responsibility of the public for creating the condition that let a business profit through destructive environmental policies.
Keywords: responsibility of the public, destructive environmental policies
Keyword Location: Paragraph 3, first two lines
Explanation: The "ultimate responsibility of the public" is emphasized in paragraph 3. The public has the power to "make destructive policies unprofitable and illegal," which means they can stop or slow down improper behavior. Additionally, they can "make sustainable environmental policies profitable," which implies that they can encourage moral behavior. As a result, the main idea of this paragraph is that common people can take action to reduce environmental damage.

In the fourth paragraph, the writer describes ways in which the public can

reduce their own individual impact on the environment.
learn more about the impact of business of the environment.
raise awareness of the effects of specific environmental disasters.
influence the environmental policies of businesses and governments.

Answer: D influence the environmental policies of businesses and governments.
Supporting Sentence: The public can do that by suing businesses for harming them
Keywords: The public, suing businesses
Keyword Location: Paragraph 4, line 1
Explanation: The actions mentioned in paragraph 4 include purchasing products made from sustainably harvested resources, suing environmentally harmful companies, and putting pressure on governments to uphold sound environmental regulations. The only viable response is option D because the actions mentioned above have an impact on corporate and governmental policies.

What pressure was exerted by big business in the case of the disease BSE?

Meat packers stopped supplying hamburgers to fast-food chains.
A fast-food company forced their meat suppliers to follow the law.
Meat packers persuaded the government to reduce their expenses.
A fast-food company encouraged the government to introduce legislation.

Answer: B A fast-food company forced their meat suppliers to follow the law
Supporting Sentence: However, when a major fast-food company then made the same demands after customer purchases of its hamburgers plummeted,
Keywords: major fast-food company, same demands,
Keyword Location: Paragraph 5, lines 7-8
Explanation: We can quickly locate the details we require in paragraph 5 by skimming "BSE." Afterward, we need to determine which sentence refers to "big business" and what pressure that business put on the author. We discover that "the meat industry complied within weeks when a major fast-food company then made the same demands." The FDA's demands that the meat industry adhere to the rules and stop using methods that increase the risk of BSE are referred to in this sentence as "the same demands." Therefore, it makes sense that a fast-food chain put pressure on the meat sector, or meat suppliers, to adhere to FDA regulations.

Questions 35-39

Do the following statements agree with the claims of the writer in Reading Passage 3?

In boxes 35-39 on your answer sheet, write

YES if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer
NO if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

The public should be prepared to fund good environmental practices.

Answer: YES
Supporting Sentence: I also believe that the public must accept the necessity for higher prices for products to cover the added costs, if any, of sound environmental practices
Keywords: public must accept, necessity for higher prices, environmental practices
Keyword Location: Paragraph 6, lines 2-4
Explanation: The author implies that the public should contribute financially to good practises by saying that they should cover their additional costs. As a result, this claim supports the author's viewpoint.

There is a contrast between the moral principles of different businesses.

Answer: NOT GIVEN
Explanation: The given statement cannot be inferred with the passage.

It is important to make a clear distinction between acceptable and unacceptable behaviour.

Answer: NO
Supporting Sentence: My conclusion is not a moralistic one about who is right or wrong, admirable or selfish, a good guy or a bad guy.
Keywords: My conclusion, not a moralistic one
Keyword Location: Last paragraph, lines 2-4
Explanation: The author does not want to make a clear distinction between right and wrong (acceptable behavior), according to the last paragraph (unacceptable behavior). The statement goes against the author's point of view.

The public have successfully influenced businesses in the past.

Answer: YES
Supporting Sentence: In the past, businesses have changed as the public came to expect and demand different behaviour
Keywords: businesses, changed, as the public, demand different behaviour
Keyword Location: Last paragraph, lines 4-5
Explanation: The last paragraph contains two pertinent statements: "In the past, businesses have changed as the public came to expect and demand different behaviour." Second: "I foresee that, as in the past, changes in public attitudes will be necessary for changes in businesses' environmental practises." The sentences imply that the demands and expectations of the general public had an impact on businesses.

In the future, businesses will show more concern for the environment.

Answer: NOT GIVEN
Explanation: The given statement cannot be inferred with the passage.

Question 40

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

Write the correct letter in box 40 on your answer sheet.

What would be the best subheading for this passage?

Will the world survive the threat caused by big businesses?
How can big businesses be encouraged to be less driven by profit?
What environmental dangers are caused by the greed of businesses?
Are big businesses to blame for the damage they cause the environment?

Answer: D Are big businesses to blame for the damage they cause the environment?
Supporting Sentence: I place the ultimate responsibility for business practices harming the public on the public itself
Keywords: I place, the ultimate responsibility, business practices, harming the public, on the public itself
Keyword Location: Paragraph 6, lines 1-2
Explanation: The cause of environmental problems is discussed in this passage. The passage makes it clear that the author challenges conventional thinking and presents a different perspective. In order to examine the issue from the standpoint of the general public's accountability, the author argues that businesses are not the only ones at fault. Therefore, option D, "Are big businesses to blame for the damage they cause the environment?," must be the most appropriate subheading.