The Sweet Scent Of Success - IELTS Reading Answers & Explanations
From IELTS Recent Actual Test 1 Academic Reading Test 6 · Part 1 · Questions 1–13
Reading Passage
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1-13 which are based on Reading Passage 1 below.
The Sweet Scent of Success
A Innovation and entrepreneurship, in the right mix, can bring spectacular results and propel a business ahead of the pack. Across a diverse range of commercial successes, from the Hills Hoist clothes line to the Cochlear ear implant, it is hard to generalise beyond saying the creators tapped into something consumers could not wait to get their hands on. However, most ideas never make it to the market. Some ideas that innovators are spruiking to potential investors include new water-saving shower heads, a keyless locking system, ping-pong balls that keep pollution out of rainwater tanks, making teeth grow from stem cells inserted in the gum, and technology to stop LPG tanks from exploding. Grant Kearney, chief executive of the Innovation Xchange, which connects businesses to innovation networks, says he hears of great business ideas that he knows will never get on the market. "Ideas by themselves are absolutely useless," he says. "An idea only becomes innovation when it is connected to the right resources and capabilities."
B One of Australia's latest innovation successes stems from a lemon-scented bathroom cleaner called Shower Power, the formula for which was concocted in a factory in Yatala, Queensland. In 1995, Tom Quinn and John Heron bought a struggling cleaning products business, OzKleen, for $250,000. It was selling 100 different kinds of cleaning products, mainly in bulk. The business was in bad shape, the cleaning formulas were ineffective and environmentally harsh, and there were few regular clients. Now Shower Power is claimed to be the top-selling bathroom cleaning product in the country. In the past 12 months, almost four million bottles of OzKleen's Power products have been sold, and the company forecasts 2004 sales of ten million bottles. The company's sales in 2003 reached $11 million, with 70% of business being exports. In particular, Shower Power is making big inroads on the British market.
C OzKleen's turnround began when Quinn and Heron hired an industrial chemist to revitalise the product line. Market research showed that people were looking for a better cleaner for the bathroom, universally regarded as the hardest room in the home to clean. The company also wanted to make the product formulas more environmentally friendly. One of Tom Quinn's sons, Peter, aged 24 at the time, began working with the chemist on the formulas, looking at the potential for citrus-based cleaning products. He detested all the chlorine-based cleaning products that dominated the market. "We didn't want to use chlorine, simple as that," he says. "It offers bad working conditions and there's no money in it." Peter looked at citrus ingredients, such as orange peel, to replace the petroleum by-products in cleaners. He is credited with finding the Shower Power formula. "The recipe is in a vault somewhere and in my head," he says. The company is the sole owner of the intellectual property.
D To begin with, Shower Power was sold only in commercial quantities but Tom Quinn decided to sell it in 750ml bottles after the constant "raves" from customers at their retail store at Beenleigh, near Brisbane. Customers were travelling long distances to buy supplies. Others began writing to OzKleen to say how good Shower Power was. "We did a dummy label and went to see Woolworths," Tom Quinn says. The Woolworths buyer took a bottle home and was able to remove a stain from her basin that had been impossible to shift. From that point on, she championed the product and OzKleen had its first supermarket order, for a palette of Shower Power worth $3,000. "We were over the moon," says OzKleen's financial controller, Belinda McDonnell.
E Shower Power was released in Australian supermarkets in 1997 and became the top-selling product in its category within six months. It was all hands on deck at the factory, labelling and bottling Shower Power to keep up with demand. OzKleen ditched all other products and rebuilt the business around Shower Power. This stage, recalls McDonnell, was very tough. "It was hand-to-mouth, cash flow was very difficult," she says. OzKleen had to pay new-line fees to supermarket chains, which also squeezed margins.
F OzKleen's next big break came when the daughter of a Coles Myer executive used the product while on holidays in Queensland and convinced her father that Shower Power should be in Coles supermarkets. Despite the product success, Peter Quinn says the company was wary of how long the sales would last and hesitated to spend money on upgrading the manufacturing process. As a result, he remembers long periods of working round the clock to keep up with orders. Small tanks were still being used, so batches were small and bottles were labelled and filled manually. The privately owned OzKleen relied on cash flow to expand. "The equipment could not keep up with demand," Peter Quinn says. Eventually a new bottling machine was bought for $50,000 in the hope of streamlining production, but he says: "We got ripped off." Since then, he has been developing a new automated bottling machine that can control the amount of foam produced in the liquid, so that bottles can be filled more effectively – "I love coming up with new ideas." The machine is being patented.
G Peter Quinn says OzKleen's approach to research and development is open slather. "If I need it, I get it. It is about doing something simple that no one else is doing. Most of these things are just sitting in front of people ... it's just seeing the opportunities." With a tried and tested product, OzKleen is expanding overseas and developing more Power-brand household products. Tom Quinn, who previously ran a real estate agency, says: "We are competing with the same market all over the world, the cleaning products are sold everywhere." Shower Power, known as Bath Power in Britain, was launched four years ago with the help of an export development grant from the Federal Government. "We wanted to do it straight away because we realised we had the same opportunities worldwide." OzKleen is already number three in the British market, and the next stop is France. The Power range includes cleaning products for carpets, kitchens and pre-wash stain removal. The Quinn and Heron families are still involved. OzKleen has been approached with offers to buy the company, but Tom Quinn says he is happy with things as they are. "We're having too much fun."
Questions
Questions 1–7 Matching Information
Reading Passage 1 has seven paragraphs A-G.
Which paragraph contains the following information?
Write the correct letter A-G.
Questions 8–11 Matching Features
Look at the following people and the list of statements below.
Match each person with the correct statement.
Write the correct letter A-E.
A. Described his story of selling his products to a chain store
B. Explained there was a shortage of money when sales suddenly increased
C. Thinks innovations need support to succeed
D. Believes new products like Shower Power may incur risks
E. Says businesses won't succeed without innovations
Questions 12–13 Multiple Choice (One Answer)
Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | F | OzKleen's next big break came when the daughter of a Coles Myer executive used the product while on holidays in Queensland and convinced her father that Shower Power should be in Coles supermarkets | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that the company's next big, lucky chance happened because of a family. The daughter of an important manager at a big supermarket company used the cleaning product. She then 'convinced' her father, which means she made him believe, that his supermarkets should sell it. Answer Explanation: The answer is 'F'. This means that paragraph F talks about a person in a family convincing another person in the same family to sell cleaning products. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'F' because this paragraph describes a very important event for the company OzKleen. It tells the story of a daughter who tried the 'Shower Power' product and liked it. She then 'convinced', or persuaded, her father, who was a manager at a large supermarket chain called Coles Myer, to start selling the product in his stores. This matches the question about one family member persuading another. |
| Q2 | E | It was all hands on deck at the factory, labelling and bottling Shower Power to keep up with demand | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says it was 'all hands on deck'. This is a way of saying that every single worker had to help. They were all busy putting labels on bottles ('labelling') and filling them ('bottling') to make enough Shower Power because so many customers wanted to buy it ('to keep up with demand'). Answer Explanation: The answer means that paragraph E talks about how all the workers in the factory worked together when many people started buying the product. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is E because the question asks for a description of all the factory workers cooperating to handle an increase in sales. Paragraph E explains that Shower Power became a 'top-selling product' very quickly. To manage this success, the passage uses the phrase 'all hands on deck at the factory'. This phrase means everyone had to help out to keep up with the high 'demand' from customers. |
| Q3 | C | Peter looked at citrus ingredients, such as orange peel, to replace the petroleum by-products in cleaners. He is credited with finding the Shower Power formula | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that a man named Peter used parts of citrus fruits, like orange peels, to make the cleaning product. The passage also says that people believe he is the one who invented the recipe for Shower Power. Answer Explanation: The answer is C, which means paragraph C has information about how the Shower Power cleaner was made. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because this paragraph explains the story of how the Shower Power formula was created. It says the company hired a chemist, and then a young man named Peter Quinn started working with him. Peter wanted to make a cleaner using natural parts from citrus fruits, like orange peels, instead of harsh chemicals. The paragraph states that Peter is the one who found the special recipe, or 'formula', for Shower Power. |
| Q4 | B | In 1995, Tom Quinn and John Heron bought a struggling cleaning products business, OzKleen, for $250,000 | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that in the year 1995, two men named Tom Quinn and John Heron purchased a business named OzKleen. This business sold cleaning products and was not doing well. They paid $250,000 to buy it. Answer Explanation: The answer 'B' is correct. This means paragraph B tells the story of how the original OzKleen company was purchased. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because this paragraph gives details about the purchase of the OzKleen company. The question asks for an 'account of buying', and the paragraph states that 'Tom Quinn and John Heron bought a struggling cleaning products business, OzKleen, for $250,000'. This tells us who bought the company, when they bought it, what the company was called, and how much they paid for it. |
| Q5 | G | With a tried and tested product, OzKleen is expanding overseas and developing more Power-brand household products. Tom Quinn, who previously ran a real estate agency, says: "We are competing with the same market all over the world, the cleaning products are sold everywhere." Shower Power, known as Bath Power in Britain, was launched four years ago with the help of an export development grant from the Federal Government. "We wanted to do it straight away because we realised we had the same opportunities worldwide." OzKleen is already number three in the British market, and the next stop is France | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that the company, OzKleen, is growing by selling its products in other countries ('expanding overseas'). It started selling Shower Power in Britain, where it is called Bath Power. The company is now successful in the British market and plans to start selling in France next. Answer Explanation: The answer is G. This means that paragraph G talks about how the company started selling its Shower Power product in countries outside of Australia. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is G because this paragraph is the only one that describes OzKleen's business growth in other countries. It specifically mentions 'expanding overseas', launching the product in 'Britain' under a different name, and planning to enter the market in 'France'. These details are all about the company's 'international expansion'. |
| Q6 | D | To begin with, Shower Power was sold only in commercial quantities but Tom Quinn decided to sell it in 750ml bottles after the constant "raves" from customers at their retail store at Beenleigh, near Brisbane | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that at first, Shower Power was sold in large amounts for businesses. But the owner decided to sell it in smaller 750ml bottles because many normal customers who shopped at their store kept saying wonderful things about it. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the information about why Shower Power's bottle size was changed is in paragraph D. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is D because this paragraph explains that the product was originally sold in large sizes for businesses, called 'commercial quantities'. However, regular customers at their store loved the product so much. They gave it 'raves', which means very good reviews. Because so many customers wanted it for their homes, the owner, Tom Quinn, decided to change the packaging and sell it in smaller, 750ml bottles. |
| Q7 | A | Some ideas that innovators are spruiking to potential investors include new water-saving shower heads, a keyless locking system, ping-pong balls that keep pollution out of rainwater tanks, making teeth grow from stem cells inserted in the gum, and technology to stop LPG tanks from exploding | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that some new ideas that inventors are showing to people with money include: shower heads that use less water, locks that don't need keys, special ping-pong balls for water tanks, growing new teeth from special cells, and a technology to prevent gas tanks from blowing up. These are all examples of new and 'innovative ideas'. Answer Explanation: The answer is A. This means that paragraph A contains examples of new and creative ideas. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because the question asks for a paragraph with 'an example of some innovative ideas'. The word 'innovative' means new and creative. Paragraph A provides a list of several new ideas that inventors are trying to get support for. These ideas include a shower head that saves water, a lock without a key, and a way to grow new teeth. This list directly answers the question. |
| Q8 | C | "An idea only becomes innovation when it is connected to the right resources and capabilities." | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that, according to Grant Kearney, a new idea can only become a successful product ('innovation') if it has the right help, like money and skills ('resources and capabilities'). Answer Explanation: The answer is C, which means Grant Kearney believes that new ideas need help and support to become successful products. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is C because the passage mentions Grant Kearney in paragraph A. He is quoted saying that ideas by themselves are 'useless'. He explains that an idea can become a successful 'innovation' only when it has the right 'resources and capabilities'. The words 'resources and capabilities' mean the same as 'support'. |
| Q9 | A | "We did a dummy label and went to see Woolworths," Tom Quinn says. The Woolworths buyer took a bottle home and was able to remove a stain from her basin that had been impossible to shift. From that point on, she championed the product and OzKleen had its first supermarket order, for a palette of Shower Power worth $3,000 | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that Tom Quinn made a practice label for the product and went to a supermarket called Woolworths. A person who buys products for the store took a bottle home and used it to clean a very difficult stain. After she saw how well it worked, she supported the product, and the company received its first order from a supermarket. Answer Explanation: The answer is A. This means the correct statement for Tom Quinn is that he told the story of how he sold his product to a big store. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A because the passage includes a direct quote from Tom Quinn where he describes approaching the supermarket chain Woolworths to sell Shower Power. He tells the story of how they created a sample label and showed it to a buyer from Woolworths. This buyer tried the product at home, was very impressed, and helped the company get its first order from the supermarket. This action perfectly matches the statement, 'Described his story of selling his products to a chain store'. |
| Q10 | D | Despite the product success, Peter Quinn says the company was wary of how long the sales would last and hesitated to spend money on upgrading the manufacturing process | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that even though the product was very successful, Peter Quinn was careful because he was not sure if the sales would stay high for a long time. This is why the company waited to spend money to improve how they made the product. Answer Explanation: The answer means that Peter Quinn believed that a successful new product like Shower Power could still have dangers or problems. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is D because the passage states that even when Shower Power was selling very well, Peter Quinn was worried that its success might not continue. The passage uses the word 'wary', which means to be careful because you think there might be a problem. This shows he saw a risk. Because of this risk, the company did not want to spend money on new machines right away. |
| Q11 | B | This stage, recalls McDonnell, was very tough. 'It was hand-to-mouth, cash flow was very difficult,' she says | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage quotes Belinda McDonnell, who remembered this time as being very hard. She said 'It was hand-to-mouth', which means the company only had enough money for its immediate needs. She also said 'cash flow was very difficult', which means it was hard to manage the money coming in and going out of the business. Answer Explanation: The answer means that Belinda McDonnell talked about a time when the company didn't have enough money, even though sales of their product grew very quickly. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because the passage says that after Shower Power became a top-selling product, Belinda McDonnell remembered that period as being 'very tough'. She specifically mentions that 'cash flow was very difficult', which means there was a 'shortage of money' when sales suddenly went up. |
| Q12 | B | To begin with, Shower Power was sold only in commercial quantities but Tom Quinn decided to sell it in 750ml bottles after the constant "raves" from customers at their retail store at Beenleigh, near Brisbane. Customers were travelling long distances to buy supplies | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that Shower Power was first sold in large amounts, which are good for businesses. However, Tom Quinn decided to sell it in smaller 750ml bottles after getting very good feedback ("raves") from regular people ("customers") at his shop. These customers were even traveling far to buy the product. Answer Explanation: The answer means that the company changed the bottle size to make the product more appealing for regular people to buy for their homes. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B. The passage says that at first, the product was only sold in "commercial quantities," which means large amounts for businesses. However, individual customers at the company's retail store loved the product, giving it "raves" (very positive reviews). These customers were traveling long distances just to get it. This showed a strong demand from individual people. Because of this, Tom Quinn decided to sell the product in smaller 750ml bottles, a size that is convenient for personal use, to appeal to these individual customers. |
| Q13 | D | Ozkleen has been approached with offers to buy the company, but Tom Quinn says he is happy with things as they are. 'We're having too much fun.' | Excerpt/Passage Explanation: The passage says that people have tried to buy the company from Tom Quinn. However, he says he is satisfied with the current situation ('happy with things as they are') and doesn't want to sell because he is enjoying himself. Answer Explanation: The answer means that Tom Quinn chose not to sell his company because he was happy with the way things were and did not want them to change. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is 'He wanted to keep things unchanged'. The final paragraph of the passage clearly states that even though OzKleen received 'offers to buy the company', Tom Quinn's response was that he was 'happy with things as they are'. This phrase is very similar in meaning to 'wanted to keep things unchanged'. He also added that he was 'having too much fun', which supports the idea that he enjoyed the current situation and didn't want to sell. |