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RC Passage
Direction for the questions 5 to 8: The passage below is accompanied by a set of four questions. Choose the best answer to each question.
The Second Hand September campaign, led by Oxfam . . . seeks to encourage shopping at local organisations and charities as alternatives to fast fashion brands such as Primark and Boohoo in the name of saving our planet. As innocent as mindless scrolling through online shops may seem, such consumers are unintentionallyâor perhaps even knowinglyâ contributing to an industry that uses more energy than aviation.
Brits buy more garments than any other country in Europe, so it comes as no shock that many of those clothes end up in UK landfills each year: 300,000 tonnes of them, to be exact.
This waste of clothing is destructive to our planet, releasing greenhouse gasses as clothes are burnt as well as bleeding toxins and dyes into the surrounding soil and water. As ecologist Chelsea Rochman bluntly put it, âThe mismanagement of our waste has even come back to haunt us on our dinner plate.â
Itâs not surprising, then, that people are scrambling for a solution, the most common of which is second-hand shopping. Retailers selling consigned clothing are currently expanding at a rapid rate . . . If everyone bought just one used item in a year, it would save 449 million lbs of waste, equivalent to the weight of 1 million Polar bears. âThriftingâ has increasingly become a trendy practice. London is home to many second-hand, or more commonly coined âvintageâ, shops across the city from Bayswater to Brixton.
So youâre cool and you care about the planet; youâve killed two birds with one stone. But do people simply purchase a second-hand item, flash it on Instagram with #vintage and call it a day without considering whether what they are doing is actually effective?
According to a study commissioned by Patagonia, for instance, older clothes shed more microfibres. These can end up in our rivers and seas after just one wash due to the worn material, thus contributing to microfibre pollution. To break it down, the amount of microfibers released by laundering 100,000 fleece jackets is equivalent to as many as 11,900 plastic grocery bags, and up to 40 per cent of that ends up in our oceans.
. So where does this leave second-hand consumers? [They would be well advised to buy] high-quality items that shed less and last longer [as this] combats both microfibre pollution and excess garments ending up in landfills. . . .
Luxury brands would rather not circulate their latest season stock around the globe to be sold at a cheaper price, which is why companies like ThredUP, a US fashion resale marketplace, have not yet caught on in the UK. There will always be a market for consignment but there is also a whole generation of people who have been taught that only buying new products is the norm; second-hand luxury goods are not in their psyche. Ben Whitaker, director at Liquidation Firm B-Stock, told Prospect that unless recycling becomes cost-effective and filters into mass production, with the right technology to partner it, âhigh-end retailers would rather put brand before sustainability.âRC Line-wise Explanation
Paragraph 1
Original: The Second Hand September campaign, led by Oxfam . . . seeks to encourage shopping at local organisations and charities as alternatives to fast fashion brands such as Primark and Boohoo in the name of saving our planet.
Explanation: Oxfam's campaign promotes buying second-hand items from charities and local stores instead of fast fashion brands, aiming to protect the environment.
Original: As innocent as mindless scrolling through online shops may seem, such consumers are unintentionallyâor perhaps even knowinglyâ contributing to an industry that uses more energy than aviation.
Explanation: Browsing and buying from online fast fashion retailers might seem harmless, but it supports an industry that consumes more energy than the entire aviation sector.
Paragraph 2
Original: Brits buy more garments than any other country in Europe, so it comes as no shock that many of those clothes end up in UK landfills each year: 300,000 tonnes of them, to be exact.
Explanation: People in the UK purchase more clothes than any other Europeans, leading to 300,000 tonnes of clothing waste annually in landfills.
Paragraph 3
Original: This waste of clothing is destructive to our planet, releasing greenhouse gasses as clothes are burnt as well as bleeding toxins and dyes into the surrounding soil and water.
Explanation: Burning and discarding clothes pollute the environment, emitting harmful gases and leaking chemicals into the earth and waterways.
Original: As ecologist Chelsea Rochman bluntly put it, âThe mismanagement of our waste has even come back to haunt us on our dinner plate.â
Explanation: Ecologist Chelsea Rochman warns that poor waste handling affects food safety, as pollutants end up in the food we eat.
Paragraph 4
Original: Itâs not surprising, then, that people are scrambling for a solution, the most common of which is second-hand shopping.
Explanation: With growing concern over waste, second-hand shopping has become a popular solution.
Original: Retailers selling consigned clothing are currently expanding at a rapid rate . . .
Explanation: Stores that sell pre-owned clothes are growing quickly in number.
Original: If everyone bought just one used item in a year, it would save 449 million lbs of waste, equivalent to the weight of 1 million Polar bears.
Explanation: Buying one second-hand item per person annually could prevent nearly 449 million pounds of wasteâabout the same as a million polar bears.
Original: âThriftingâ has increasingly become a trendy practice.
Explanation: Buying second-hand clothes is now fashionable.
Original: London is home to many second-hand, or more commonly coined âvintageâ, shops across the city from Bayswater to Brixton.
Explanation: London has numerous vintage clothing stores spread throughout the city.
Paragraph 5
Original: So youâre cool and you care about the planet; youâve killed two birds with one stone.
Explanation: Buying vintage makes you trendy and eco-conscious at the same time.
Original: But do people simply purchase a second-hand item, flash it on Instagram with #vintage and call it a day without considering whether what they are doing is actually effective?
Explanation: The writer questions whether consumers truly consider the environmental impact of second-hand fashion or just engage in it for social media clout.
Paragraph 6
Original: According to a study commissioned by Patagonia, for instance, older clothes shed more microfibres.
Explanation: A Patagonia study found that worn-out clothes release more tiny synthetic fibres.
Original: These can end up in our rivers and seas after just one wash due to the worn material, thus contributing to microfibre pollution.
Explanation: Washing old clothes can send these microfibres into water systems, worsening pollution.
Original: To break it down, the amount of microfibers released by laundering 100,000 fleece jackets is equivalent to as many as 11,900 plastic grocery bags, and up to 40 per cent of that ends up in our oceans.
Explanation: Washing a large number of fleece jackets can produce microfiber waste equal to nearly 12,000 plastic bags, much of which ends up in oceans.
Paragraph 7
Original: So where does this leave second-hand consumers? [They would be well advised to buy] high-quality items that shed less and last longer [as this] combats both microfibre pollution and excess garments ending up in landfills.
Explanation: Second-hand shoppers should choose better-quality clothes that donât shed much and have long life spans to reduce pollution and waste.
Paragraph 8
Original: Luxury brands would rather not circulate their latest season stock around the globe to be sold at a cheaper price, which is why companies like ThredUP, a US fashion resale marketplace, have not yet caught on in the UK.
Explanation: Luxury labels avoid letting their latest products be resold cheaply worldwide, limiting the reach of platforms like ThredUP in the UK.
Original: There will always be a market for consignment but there is also a whole generation of people who have been taught that only buying new products is the norm; second-hand luxury goods are not in their psyche.
Explanation: Though resale markets exist, many people are conditioned to prefer new items and overlook second-hand luxury options.
Original: Ben Whitaker, director at Liquidation Firm B-Stock, told Prospect that unless recycling becomes cost-effective and filters into mass production, with the right technology to partner it, âhigh-end retailers would rather put brand before sustainability.â
Explanation: Ben Whitaker says that unless recycling becomes cheap and efficient, luxury brands will prioritize brand image over environmental concerns.
RC Paragraph Explanation
Paragraph 1 Summary
Oxfam's Second Hand September campaign urges consumers to buy from local charities instead of fast fashion giants, which contribute significantly to global energy use.
Paragraph 2 Summary
UK consumers lead Europe in clothing purchases, with a massive portionâ300,000 tonnesâending up in landfills annually.
Paragraph 3 Summary
Disposing of clothing harms the planet through emissions and chemical pollution, even affecting human food chains.
Paragraph 4 Summary
With environmental concerns rising, second-hand shopping has grown popular and trendy, especially in cities like London.
Paragraph 5 Summary
The passage questions whether second-hand fashion is genuinely eco-friendly or just another superficial social media trend.
Paragraph 6 Summary
Old clothes contribute to microfibre pollution, releasing harmful particles into waterways during washing.
Paragraph 7 Summary
Consumers should prioritize durable, high-quality second-hand clothing to address both microfibre release and textile waste.
Paragraph 8 Summary
Luxury brands are reluctant to embrace second-hand models due to branding concerns, and widespread recycling will only catch on if it becomes economically viable.
RC Quick Table Summary
| Paragraph Number | Main Idea |
|---|---|
| Paragraph 1 | Oxfam's campaign promotes second-hand shopping to fight fast fashion's impact. |
| Paragraph 2 | UK leads in clothing purchases, causing major landfill waste. |
| Paragraph 3 | Disposing clothes pollutes air, water, and even food. |
| Paragraph 4 | Second-hand shopping is gaining traction and becoming trendy. |
| Paragraph 5 | The trendiness of thrifting is questioned for its real impact. |
| Paragraph 6 | Older clothes release microfibres that pollute oceans. |
| Paragraph 7 | Choosing long-lasting, high-quality items reduces pollution and waste. |
| Paragraph 8 | Luxury brands resist resale; recycling needs to be cost-effective to scale. |
RC Questions
Ques 5. Based on the passage, we can infer that the opposite of fast fashion, âslow fashionâ, would most likely refer to clothes that:
Ques 6. The central idea of the passage would be undermined if:
Ques 7. According to the author, companies like ThredUP have not caught on in the UK for all of the following reasons EXCEPT that:
Ques 8. The act of âthriftingâ, as described in the passage, can be considered ironic because it:
