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About the Collecting As A Hobby Reading Passage
"Collecting as a Hobby" examines the psychological and social reasons behind collecting behaviour, why people gather objects such as stamps, coins, and antiques, what drives the urge to complete a set, and how collections reflect personal identity. The passage is sourced from Cambridge IELTS 9, Academic Test 4, Passage 1.
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1–13, which are based on the passage below.
The passage contains two question types: True/False/Not Given (Questions 1–6) and Sentence Completion (Questions 7–13).
Collecting As A Hobby : Full Reading Passage
Paragraph A
Collecting must be one of the most widespread of human activities. Many people collect things without even realising they are doing it. Most children collect something at some point, perhaps stamps, coins, or objects that simply catch their interest. For many people, collecting is a childhood activity they abandon when they grow up. Others, however, find that the urge to collect grows stronger as they age. Whatever the object of desire, the compulsion to own and preserve special objects is one of the basic human urges.
Paragraph B
Collectors themselves offer many different explanations for what drives their hobby. Many of these reasons are difficult to explain rationally. When pressed for an explanation, most collectors will say something quite simple, such as "I just like them" or "I find them fascinating." A more rational approach to the question produces some interesting answers. The desire to collect seems to be bound up with the feeling that a collection is never complete, that there is always something more to add to it.
Paragraph C
Collections are very personal things. In some cases, the items collected have a deep personal significance. Stamps, for instance, may bring back memories of childhood. For some collectors, it is the connection to the past that motivates them. The wish to preserve objects that might otherwise be destroyed or lost is another strong motive. Collections can also serve as a link to childhood, when many people first develop the habit.
Paragraph D
Many collectors describe an experience akin to the excitement of the hunt. Finding a rare item in a shop or at a market can generate the same kind of excitement as hunting for prey in the wild. The collector as hunter is a powerful image. The desire to seek out and capture the next item gives the hobby a sense of adventure. This is especially true for collectors of objects that are genuinely rare or hard to find.
Paragraph E
For some, collecting has more to do with a desire to achieve a sense of completeness or order. The aim is to have a perfect, complete set of every stamp from a particular country, every album by a certain artist. This is less about the individual object and more about the satisfaction of completing a series. Some collectors feel that the collection itself is never quite perfect, and this feeling drives them to keep adding to it. The quest for perfection can become almost obsessive.
Paragraph F
The way in which a collection is organised and displayed is also important to many collectors. Displaying a collection gives the owner a sense of pride and allows others to admire what has been gathered. Some collectors take great care over the way they arrange and show their collections, whether in cabinets, albums, or on shelves. For others, the collection is intensely private, kept out of sight and visited only by the collector.
Paragraph G
Collections may also have a financial dimension. Some items increase in value over time, and collectors may eventually choose to sell part or all of their collection. However, most serious collectors say that financial gain is not their primary motivation. For them, the real value lies in the personal pleasure and sense of identity that collecting provides. A collection can be a reflection of who you are — your interests, your history, your taste.
Collecting As A Hobby Reading Questions and Answers
True/False/Not Given — Questions 1–6
Do the following statements agree with the information given in the reading passage? In boxes 1–6 on your answer sheet, write: TRUE if the statement agrees with the information, FALSE if the statement contradicts the information, NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this.
1.Many people do not realise they are collectors.
2. Most collectors are able to give a rational explanation for their hobby.
3. The majority of collectors start their hobby as adults.
4. Some collectors compare the search for items to hunting.
5. All collectors want to complete a perfect set.
6. Some collectors join clubs to buy and sell items.
Sentence Completion — Questions 7–13
Complete the sentences below. Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.
7. Many collectors find it difficult to explain their hobby in a _____ way.
8. Some people collect stamps because they bring back _____.
9. Collections can serve as a link to _____.
10. Some collectors describe themselves as being like a _____ when looking for new items.
11. For some collectors, the main satisfaction comes from trying to _____ a complete set.
12. Many collectors take pride in the way they _____ their collection.
13. Collectors may eventually decide to _____ part or all of their collection.
