PASSAGE 2 The Beginning of the Consumer Age

READING PASSAGE 2
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 14-26, which are based on Reading Passage 2 on pages 6 and 7.

THE BEGINNING OF THE CONSUMER AGE
How the public became mass consumers in the late 19th and early 2dh centuries

A. By 1900 all major industrialised countries had become aware of the importance not only of production, but also of the consumption of goods by their citizens. As a result, a culture of consumption emerged, and this played an important role in the shaping of a country’s social and economic identity. One feature of this new culture was a heightened awareness of social status and a strong desire at all levels to show off newly acquired wealth. New social aspirations were expressed most visibly through the acquisition of consumer goods, and the concept of style became increasingly significant as a measure of social status.

B. One of the ways in which manufacturers tried to encourage consumption was by identifying a particular market and deliberately making their goods look attractive to potential customers. However, the dissemination of goods to a mass market depended on more than the efforts of manufacturers and designers to inject style into products. It also required a whole network of activities and institutions. These included changes in production methods so that more goods could be manufactured; the development of new kinds of retail outlets; and the expansion of advertising to promote sales. The introduction of a credit system of buying, initiated by the Singer Sewing Machine Company in the US in the 1860s and later adopted elsewhere by furniture and electrical appliance manufacturers. also went a long way towards making more goods available to more people.

C. There were also changes to the selling environment. The department stores established in the second half of the 19th century-Bon Marche in Paris, Macy’s in New York. Harvey Nichols in London-were joined, about the turn of the century, by multi-branch retailers appealing to the lower end of the market, such as John Jacobs’ furniture stores in England. In US department stores, interior areas expanded and large shop windows were introduced to show off new products to their best advantage. Electric lighting increased their visual appeal. This idea was pioneered in 1877 by the US store-owner John Wanamaker, who persuaded inventor Thomas Edison to install electricity in his Philadelphia department store.

D. In the United States. where there were large distances between urban centres, mail order became a vital means whereby the rural population could acquire goods that they would not otherwise have been able to buy. Chicago entrepreneur Montgomery Ward launched the concept. producing a single-sheet mail-order catalogue in 1872. Three years later, his catalogue had nearly four thousand items listed on it Businessman Richard Sears followed suit in 1891, and together with partner Alvah C. Roebuck, moved on to develop the largest mail-order company of the 20th century.

E. By the end of the 19th century, consumer culture had taken root in industrialized countries and was changing the way people lived and perceived their own status. People were becoming increasingly conscious of their own social status, which was expressed through the acquisition of consumer goods and the concept of style. In response, manufacturers began to create goods that were more appealing to the public and retailers expanded their advertising and sales efforts.

F. Retail stores adapted to meet the demands of consumers, with large department stores opening in major cities and multi-branch retailers appealing to the lower end of the market. The selling environment was changed with large shop windows, electric lighting, and the expansion of interior areas to showcase goods. Additionally, mail-order catalogs became popular in the United States as a way for rural populations to access goods they wouldn’t otherwise have access to. These developments helped to drive the growth of consumer culture and the associated economy.

Question 14-19:

Heading-Matching

i. The economic emergence identity of consumer culture and its impact on social and
ii. The strategies adopted by manufacturers to promote consumption
iii. The expansion of retail networks to meet market demands
iv. The innovations in the selling environment to enhance product
presentation
v. The significance of mail order in bridging the rural-urban divide
vi. The interplay of social aspirations, consumer goods, and style in shaping
consumer culture
vii. The proliferation of credit systems and its impact on widespread
availability of goods
viii. The development of large department stores and multi-branch retailers to
cater to a wider market
ix. The underlying drivers behind the growth of consumer culture and its
economy.

14. Paragraph A
15. Paragraph B
16. Paragraph C
17. Paragraph D
18. Paragraph E
19. Paragraph F

Question 20 – 24:

Complete the sentences below:
Choose ONEWORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.

20. By 1900, all industrialized countries were aware of the importance of both
…………… and consumption.
21. The culture of consumption played a crucial role in shaping a country’s …………… and economic identity.
22. People expressed their newly acquired wealth through the acquisition of…………… goods.
23. The dissemination of goods to a mass market required a network of activities and ……………

24. John Wanamaker was the first to use ……………in his department store to increase the visual appeal of goods.

Question 25 and 26

Choose TWO letters A-E
Which of the following played a role in the development of consumer culture in industrialized countries?
A) The Singer Sewing Machine Company
B) The department stores established in the second half of the 19th century
C) The large distances between urban centers
D) The expansion of interior areas in retail stores
E) The four thousand items listed in a mail-order catalog