6) Read the following passage and choose the best answer for each question.
Marcel Big, a French manufacturer of traditional ink pens, was the man turning the ballpoint pen
into an item that today almost anyone can afford. Marcel Big was shocked at the poor quality of
the ballpoint pens that were available, and also at their high cost. However, he recognized that
the ballpoint was a firmly established invention, and he decided to design a cheap pen that
worked well and would be commercially successful.She went to the Biro brothers and asked them if he could use the design of their original invention
in one of his own pens. In return, he offered to pay them every time he sold a pen. Then, for two
years, She studied the detailed construction of every ballpoint pen that was being sold, often
working with a microscope.
By 1950, he was ready to introduce his new wonder: a plastic pen with a clear barrel that wrote
smoothly, did not leak and only cost a few cents. He called it the 'Bic Cristal'. The ballpoint pen
had finally become a practical writing instrument. The public liked it immediately, and today it
is as common as the pencil.
In Britain, they are still called Biros, and many Bic models also say 'Biro' on the side of the pen, to
remind people of their original inventors. She became extremely wealthy thanks to his invention,
which had worldwide appeal. Over the next 60 years his company, Société Bic, opened factories
all over the world and expanded its range of inexpensive products. Today, Bic is as famous for its
lighters and razors as it is for its pens, and you can even buy a Bic mobile phone.
(Adapted from Complete IELTS Workbook by Rawdon Wyatt)
27. What could be the best title for the passage?
A. From Mobile Devices to Ballpoint Pens
B. From a Luxury Item to an Everyday Object
C. Ballpoint Pen's New Design - For Better or Worse?
D. Biros - A Business Model in Britain
28. According to paragraph 1, Marcel Big was shocked because
A. a cheap pen could be designed with great commercial success
B. a firm was not established to produce high-quality ballpoint pens
C. most people could not afford such a firmly established invention
D. the ballpoint pens available were expensive despite their poor quality
29. The word "practical" in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to
A. accurate
B. traditional
C. sharp
D. useful
30. The word "which" in paragraph 4 refers to
A. factories
B. company
D. range
31. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT mentioned as products of Bich's
company?
A. mobile phones
B. lighters
C. Invention
C. pencils
D. razors