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Reading Passage 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are
based on Reading Passage 2

The beginning of the consumer age

How the public became mass consumers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries
A. By 1900 all major industralised countries had become aware of the
importance not only of production, but also of the consumption of goods by
their citizens. As a result, a culture of consumption emerged, and this played
an important role in the shaping of a country’s social and economic identity.
One feature of this new culture was a heightened awareness of social status
and a strong desire at all levels to show off newly acquired wealth. New
aspirations were expressed most visibly through the acquisition of consumer
goods, and the concept of style became increasingly significant as a measure
of social status.
B. One of the ways in which manufacturers tried to encourage consumption
was by identifying a particular market and deliberately making their goods
look attractive to potential customers. However, the dissemination of goods
to a mass market depended on more than the efforts of manufacturers and
designers to inject style into products. It also required a whole network of
activities and institutions. These included changes in production methods so
that more goods could be manufactured; the development of new kinds of
retail outlets; and the expansion of advertising to promote sales. The
introduction of a credit system of buying, initiated by the Singer Sewing
Machine Company in the US in the 1860s and later adopted elsewhere by
furniture and electrical appliance manufacturers. also went a long way
towards making more goods available to more people.
C. There were also changes to the selling environment. The department stores
established in the second half of the 19th century – Bon Marche in Paris,
Macy’s in New York. Harvey Nichols in London were joined, about the turn
of the century, by multi-branch retailers appealing to the lower end of the
market, such as John Jacob’s furniture stores in England. In US department
stores, interior areas expanded and large shop windows were introduced to
show off new products to their best advantage. Electric lighting increased
their visual appeal. This idea was pioneered in 1877 by the US store-owner
John Wanamaker, who persuaded inventor Thomas Edison to install
electricity in his Philadelphia department store.
 D. In the United States where there were large distances between urban centres,
mail order became a vital means whereby the rural population could acquire
goods that they would not otherwise have been able to buy. Chicago
entrepreneur Montgomery Ward launched the concept producing a single-
sheet mail-order catalogue in 1872. Three years later, his catalogue had
nearly four thousand items listed on it. Businessman Richard Sears followed
suit in 1891, and together with partner Alvah C.Roebuck, moved on to
develop the largest mail-order company of 20th the century.
E. By the end of the 19th century, consumer culture had taken root in
industrialized countries and was changing the way people lived and
perceived their own status. People were becoming increasingly conscious of
their own status, which was expressed through the acquisition of consumer
goods and the concept of style. In response, manufacturers began to create
goods that were more appealing to the public and retailers expanded their
advertising and sales efforts.
F. Retail stores adapted to meet the demands of consumers, with large
department stores opening in major cities and multi-branch retailers
appealing to the lower end of the market. The selling environment was
changed with large shop windows, electric lighting, and the expansion of
interior areas to showcase goods. Additionally, mail-order catalogs became
popular in the United States as a way for rural populations to access goods
they wouldn’t otherwise have access to. These developments helped to drive
the growth of consumer culture and the associated economy.

Question 14-19:
Match the headings

i The emergence of consumer culture and its impact on social and economic
culture
ii The strategies adopted by manufacturers to promote consumption
iii The expansion of retail networks to meet market demands
iv The innovations in the selling environment to enhance product presentation
v The significance of mail order in bridging the rural-urban divide
vi The interplay of social aspirations, consumer goods, and style in shaping
consumer culture
vii The proliferation of credit systems and its impact on widespread availability of
goods
viii The development of large department stores and multi-branch retailers to cater
to a wider market
ix The underlying drivers behind the growth of consumer culture and its economy

Questions 20-24:
Complete the sentences below:
Choose one word only from the passage for each answer.
20. By 1900, all industrialized countries were aware of the importance of both ___
and consumption.
21. The culture of consumption played a crucial role in shaping a country’s ____
and economic identity.
22. People expressed their newly acquired wealth through the acquisition of ____
goods.
23. The dissemination of goods to a mass market required a network of activities
and ____.
24. John Wanamaker was the first to use ____ in his department store to increase
the visual appeal of goods.

Questions 25 and 26:

Choose TWO letters A-E

Which of the following played a role in the development of consumer culture in

industrialized countries?

A) The Singer Sewing Machine Company

B) The department stores established in the second half of the 19th century
C) The large distances between urban centers
D) The expansion of interior areas in retail stores
E) The four thousand items listed in a mail-order catalog