Memo: To All Key Holders And Persons Responsible For Locking Up & The Heritage Hotel - IELTS Reading Answers & Explanations
From IELTS Trainer 2 General Training Reading Test 4 · Part 2 · Questions 15–27
Reading Passage
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 15-27, which are based on the two texts below. Read the text below and answer Questions 15-21.
Memo: To all key holders and persons responsible for locking up
Head office is streamlining procedures for the safety and security of employees, cash and stock. Below is the procedure for closing the Vern's Clothing Warehouse. Please follow these steps in all branches.
Vern's Clothing Warehouse: Procedure for closing the shop
Tasks:
One hour before the store closes
- Restock shelves, making a note of anything that needs to be ordered.
- Assign cleaning duties to staff members.
- Take defective returned merchandise to the back room to be processed / sent to warehouse.
- Put all non-defective returned merchandise back on shelves.
- Check window display and wheel the external sale table back inside.
Closing the shop
- Walk the floor, double-checking for any remaining customers. Be sure to check the fitting rooms, pulling back curtains as you go.
- Lock the side door with the key and bolt it at both top and bottom.
- Lock the automatic door (main entry) by pushing the red button to the left of the door.
- Observe departing employees, ensuring that all merchandise being taken has been paid for.
- No friends are allowed on the premises at closing time. Please have them wait outside.
Handling registers and money
- Close the cash register and lock the till.
- Count cash away from registers so that it will not be visible to people who might be able to view the activity from outside the store through windows. The back office is the best place for counting money.
- Place the till tape, daily report and all money in the safe there.
- Two people must always be present when the safe is open and money is being counted, so always do this in the presence of a co-worker.
- Leave register drawers open to better protect point of sale terminals in the event of a break-in because burglars are likely to damage a register if trying to gain access.
- Leave the appropriate lighting on - a sign near the main switch panel indicates which lights are not to be turned off.
- Activate the burglar alarm to the left of the front entrance by typing the code into the pad followed by the # key. This will give you 90 seconds to lock up and leave.
- Leave the key with security if you are not rostered on the following day.
______________
Read the text below and answer Questions 22-27.
The Heritage Hotel
Uniform policy
The Heritage Hotel is committed to dress standards that will enhance its corporate image, and it is essential that grooming and presentation be of the highest standard at all times.
Employees are required to maintain a neat, clean, well-groomed appearance. The discretion of what constitutes acceptable grooming rests with the company.
Uniform specifications
• Staff who have contact with customers (e.g. reception and management) are to wear either a white or black shirt with a pocket that displays the Heritage Hotel insignia (employees are issued one shirt in each colour). These staff members will be issued with a burgundy Heritage Hotel jacket, to be worn with the regulation black skirt or trousers, also provided by the Hotel.
• Those working back-of-house in maintenance and housekeeping roles will be provided with two white Bob Charles shirts with the Hotel insignia on the front. Trousers or a skirt in navy blue will also be issued by the Hotel.
• Shoes are to be comfortable and clean. They should be black and with a heel of less than 3cm. For safety reasons, no open-toed shoes are permitted.
• Anyone employed by the Heritage Hotel is to ensure their name badge is visible at all times during their shift.
Care of uniform
• The hotel issues complete uniforms to all staff, which are signed for on commencement of employment and must be returned when leaving the company.
• The hotel uniform, whether for management / reception or maintenance / housekeeping should always be freshly pressed with no stains, loose threads or missing buttons.
• Those working as managers or at reception may store their uniform in the locker in the office to the rear of reception and keep the jacket there during the shift if it is not being worn. It can be laundered when necessary in the hotel laundry.
• Those working in maintenance and housekeeping may also have their uniform laundered. Uniforms can be placed in the laundry basket in the ground-floor staffroom and picked up from the shelf in the same room for the next shift. It must be recorded on the wall chart when an item is dropped off or collected.
• If the management / reception uniform is torn, please take it directly to Ms Nichols in the laundry. Maintenance / housekeeping staff should notify their team leader if their uniform needs mending or replacing.
Questions
Questions 15–21 Flow Chart Completion
Complete the flow-chart below.
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the text for each answer.
Vern's Clothing Warehouse: Procedure for closing the shop
One hour prior to closing:
- take returns to storeroom or place on shelves
- bring in 15 from outside the shop
- replace stock on shelves
Close the shop:
- check no customers are still in store - look in 16
- lock both doors
- 17 are not permitted in the shop
- close and lock registers
- take cash to the safe in the 18
- you need a 19 to be there when opening the safe
- ensure correct 20 are on
- set the alarm (next to the 21) and leave within 90 seconds
Questions 22–27 Table Completion
Complete the table below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the text for each answer.
| Management / Reception | Housekeeping / Maintenance | |
|---|---|---|
| Top | - shirt (white or black) with logo on 22
- hotel jacket |
- white Bob Charles shirt with company logo |
| Trousers / skirt | - colour: black
- supplied and fitted by hotel |
- colour: 23 |
| Shoes | - must not be 24 | |
| 25 | - must be worn by all staff members while at work | |
| Storage and laundering of uniform | - keep in locker behind reception | - sign for clean uniform in 26 |
| Damaged uniform | - take to Ms Nichols (laundry) | - report to 27 |
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q15 | sale table | Check window display and wheel the external sale table back inside | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that workers must move the table used for selling items from its spot outside the shop back into the building before they finish work for the day. Answer Explanation: The answer is a table used for selling items that is usually placed outside the shop. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'sale table' because the text lists 'wheel the external sale table back inside' as a task to complete one hour before the store closes. The flow-chart asks for what should be brought 'from outside the shop', which matches the description in the passage. |
| Q16 | fitting rooms | Be sure to check the fitting rooms, pulling back curtains as you go | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that when closing the store, you must look inside the fitting rooms and move the curtains to make sure no customers are still there. Answer Explanation: The answer "fitting rooms" means the small rooms in a store where people put on clothes to see ifพวกเขา fit. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "fitting rooms" because the text explains the steps for closing the shop. One step is to make sure no customers are left inside. The instructions say to look in the areas where people change clothes, also known as fitting rooms, to double-check that everyone has gone. |
| Q17 | friends | No friends are allowed on the premises at closing time. Please have them wait outside | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage states that when it is time to close, workers cannot have their friends stay inside the store; those people must stay on the outside of the building. Answer Explanation: The answer identifies the people who are not allowed to stay inside the shop during the closing process. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'friends' because the rules for closing the shop clearly state that they are not 'allowed' inside. In English, 'not allowed' means the same as 'not permitted'. The text uses the word 'premises', which is a common formal word for the shop building itself. |
| Q18 | back office | The back office is the best place for counting money - Place the till tape, daily report and all money in the safe there |
Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage confirms that the back office is where employees should count money and that they must put the money into the safe located in that same area. Answer Explanation: The answer is the specific room behind the main shopping area where the safe is located and where money should be counted. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'back office' because the text explains that the back office is the best location for counting money and then instructs employees to put that money into the safe located there. Therefore, the safe is in the back office. |
| Q19 | co-worker | Two people must always be present when the safe is open and money is being counted, so always do this in the presence of a co-worker | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that two workers have to be in the room when the safe is open, which is why you must have a co-worker there. Answer Explanation: The answer "co-worker" means another person who works at the same shop as you. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "co-worker" because the text says that two people must be there when the safe is open. This means you cannot open it alone; you must have another person you work with standing there with you. |
| Q20 | lights | Leave the appropriate lighting on - a sign near the main switch panel indicates which lights are not to be turned off | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage states that workers must keep the right lamps turned on and should look at a sign near the switches to know which ones to leave on. Answer Explanation: The answer "lights" means the bulbs or lamps that provide brightness in the shop. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "lights" because the store's closing rules state that staff must keep certain electrical lighting switched on. The text explains that there is a sign indicating exactly which "lights" must stay on after the store is closed. |
| Q21 | front entrance / entrance | - Activate the burglar alarm to the left of the front entrance by typing the code into the pad followed by the # key. This will give you 90 seconds to lock up and leave | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that to turn on the security alarm, you must use the keypad located by the main front door. After doing this, you have one minute and thirty seconds to leave. Answer Explanation: The answer refers to the main doorway of the store where the security alarm system is located. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is derived from the steps for setting the security system at the end of the day. The text states that the burglar alarm is located to the left of the front entrance. It also confirms that after the code is entered, the worker has 90 seconds to finish locking up and get out of the building. |
| Q22 | Staff who have contact with customers (e.g. reception and management) are to wear either a white or black shirt with a pocket that displays the Heritage Hotel insignia (employees are issued one shirt in each colour) | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that workers like managers and receptionists must wear black or white shirts, and these shirts have a pocket where the hotel seal (insignia) is shown. Answer Explanation: The answer identifies the specific area of the shirt where the hotel logo (insignia) is located. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'pocket' because the passage states that for management and reception staff, the clothing logo (referred to as 'insignia' in the text) is placed on the pocket of the white or black shirts. The table asks for the location of the logo on these specific tops. |
|
| Q23 | navy blue / navy / blue | Trousers or a skirt in navy blue will also be issued by the Hotel | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that the hotel gives staff members either pants or a skirt that is the color navy blue. Answer Explanation: The answer is the specific color used for the pants or skirts worn by workers in maintenance and housekeeping. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is navy blue because the text explicitly states that for staff working in 'back-of-house' roles (maintenance and housekeeping), the hotel provides trousers or a skirt in that specific color. This distinguishes them from the front-of-house staff, who wear black. |
| Q24 | open-toed | For safety reasons, no open-toed shoes are permitted | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that because of safety, workers are not allowed to wear shoes that show their toes. Answer Explanation: The answer "open-toed" refers to shoes that have an opening at the front which leaves the toes visible or exposed. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "open-toed" because the passage explicitly states that this specific style of shoe is not allowed for any staff members. The phrase in the table "must not be" acts as a synonym for "no ... are permitted" used in the text. The passage links this rule to "safety reasons," explaining why that type of footwear is banned. |
| Q25 | name badge | Anyone employed by the Heritage Hotel is to ensure their name badge is visible at all times during their shift | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that every person who works at the hotel must make sure people can see their name tag the whole time they are working. Answer Explanation: The answer is a small tag showing an employee's name that is pinned or clipped to their clothes. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'name badge' because the hotel policy requires every worker to show this item for the entire duration of their work period. The passage uses the phrase 'anyone employed' to mean all staff members and 'during their shift' to mean while they are at work. The table asks for an item that all employees must wear, which matches the rule regarding name badges. |
| Q26 | staffroom | Uniforms can be placed in the laundry basket in the ground-floor staffroom and picked up from the shelf in the same room for the next shift. It must be recorded on the wall chart when an item is dropped off or collected | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that clean uniforms are kept on a shelf in a room called the staffroom, and workers must write down on a chart in that room when they take their items. Answer Explanation: The answer is 'staffroom', which is the special room where workers go to get their clean clothes and write down that they have taken them. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'staffroom' because the text explains that maintenance and housekeeping workers pick up their clean uniforms from a shelf in that specific room. They are also required to 'record' (which means to 'sign' or write down) on a chart in the same room when they pick up or drop off items. |
| Q27 | team leader | Maintenance / housekeeping staff should notify their team leader if their uniform needs mending or replacing | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage explains that workers in the maintenance or housekeeping areas have a duty to tell their boss, called a team leader, if their work clothes need to be fixed or if they need a new set. Answer Explanation: The answer 'team leader' refers to the specific supervisor that maintenance and housekeeping workers must talk to if their work clothes are broken or need to be swapped for new ones. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is found in the final sentence of the passage, which describes what to do with a damaged uniform. The text uses the word 'notify', which means to report or tell someone, and 'mending', which means fixing a tear or hole. It explicitly states that staff in the maintenance and housekeeping departments should go to their team leader for these issues. |