At home with books - Module 5

C2 Proficiency · Multiple Choice Reading · Expert Proficiency, Pearson Education

You are going to read an article about books in the home. For questions 1–6, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.

In an age when literature is increasingly going digital, books hold a curious role in some people's homes. There are few purchases which, once used, are placed on proud display and carted round as families move from place to place. And yet that's precisely what sometimes happens with books, despite the existence of a digital equivalent. After all, both the music industry and other aspects of the print media have felt the heat of virtual competition – why not books? Part of the explanation for this may lie in the fact that, when it comes to the crunch, nosing around someone's bookshelves is interesting. 'You can tell a lot about someone by their collection of books,' says Doug Jeffers, owner of a London bookstore. It's not just the quantity of titles on display, however, that speaks volumes; generation, occupation, political leanings, leisure pursuits (even where they go on holiday) – clues to all of these abound, if you care to analyse the contents of someone's bookshelves, and even casual visitors aren't slow to form judgements. Evidence of this manifested itself when the President of the USA made an informal call on the English Prime minister at home recently, and for some reason the pair posed for photos in the kitchen. One of the snapshots was subsequently released to the press, and widely published. There then ensued much speculation as to how the complete works of Shakespeare had ended up on the shelf in the background rather than a cookery book. Household stylist Abigail Hall agrees. 'I often style houses for sale and you'd be amazed how important the contents of the bookcase can be.' Apparently, people use such clues to form judgements about the type of person who lives in a property that's up for sale, and this may affect how they feel about going ahead with the purchase. Perhaps we all seek out others whose tastes in such matters match our own, and we can imagine living happily in a space that like-minded people have made homely. And even if we're not thinking of putting our home on the market, instinct tells us that however much they were enjoyed, paperbacks read on the beach might be better put away in a cupboard, whilst the unopened classics are destined for display. For the interior designer, however, the art of reputation-management-via-bookshelf is not the only issue. Books can also become an interactive display tool. 'They can almost be sculptural in that they offer a physical presence,' explains Abigail Hall. 'It's not just about stacking them on a bookcase, it's how you stack them. I've seen books arranged by colour, stacked on top of each other. Once I saw a load of coffee-table books piled up to become a coffee table in themselves. Books define a space, if you have some books and a comfy chair, you've immediately created an area.' It's a trick of which countless hotels, cafes and waiting rooms for fee-paying clients are only too aware. Placing a few carefully-chosen books atop coffee tables is about creating an ambiance. No one actually engages with the content. And this principle can be transferred to the home. 'I've not actually read any of them. I just love the bindings.' So said the actress, Davinia Taylor, earlier this year when she decided to put her house on the market – complete with its carefully-sourced collection of classic books. Rarely removed from their perch on a bookcase in the living room, their primary purpose was to disguise Taylor's walk-in fridge. And so, with the fridge no longer destined to be a feature in her life, the books were deemed redundant. Perhaps, then, the future of books lies in this. With more and more being bought in the undeniably handier digital format, the first casualties of the tangible variety are likely to be the beach-read paperbacks – the ones that, if you invite Abigail Hall around, would be relegated to the garage anyway. But given the uses to which we put our other tomes – whether they're deployed to show off, look pretty, or create an atmosphere – the odds of them hanging around look good. The kudos of great work is still there, and there's nothing like being, and being seen to be, in possession of the real thing.

outlining the reasons for changing priorities.

drawing our attention to an ongoing process.

seeking to account for a seemingly illogical attitude.

questioning our assumptions about people's behaviour.

In the first paragraph, the writer is

the public's curiosity about celebrity lifestyles

the importance of background detail in photography

the extent to which books tend to attract people's attention

the false impression that can be gained from books on display

What does the mention of political figures in the second paragraph serve to illustrate?

may not be as representative of the owners' taste as people assume.

can create an affinity between sellers and prospective buyers.

might help buyers to assess how keen the owners are to sell.

could mislead people into buying an unsuitable property.

Abigail Hall's experience suggests that the books on show in a house for sale

They regard books as little more than additional pieces of furniture.

They are likely to underestimate the impact of the content of books.

They sometimes show a lack of respect for the true function of books.

They understand the effect of books on the users of spaces they create.

What is implied about interior designers in the fourth paragraph?

she has no use for them beyond their current purpose.

she accepts that they don't reflect her taste in reading.

she realises she selected the titles for the wrong reasons.

she feels they are an integral part of the house she's selling.

Davinia Taylor no longer wants her books because

a personal preference for books in digital format.

optimism regarding the future of non-digital books.

regret that the content of all books is not more valued.

a hope that attitudes towards books will be different in the future.

In the final paragraph, the writer expresses

At home with books

Available as a free printable PDF worksheet with an optional answer key.

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