READING
Gary, from Hastings in the south-east of England, reassessed his life when he lived and worked with a remote tribe while he was travelling off the tourist trail in Peru. When he saw how the people there lived, he discovered what we all know deep down: money doesn’t make you happy. Instead, working together and being in nature are what counts. That is why, when Gary returned to the UK, he quit his job to follow his dream. His Board Game Café is still relatively new, but is proving popular with all ages.
What led Gary to open the café?
A He wasn’t earning enough in his previous job.
B He wanted to be able to work in a team of people.
C He wanted something to attract different generations.
D He learnt something from the time he spent in South America.
D
He learnt something from the time he spent in South America.
Gary believes the current popularity of board games is a result of the Covid pandemic, which meant people had to rely heavily on digital ways to connect. After then, when we didn’t have to stay indoors anymore, there was a greater need for in-person connection. This may explain why the pre-Covid global board-games market stood at approximately $7.2 million, whereas, according to recent figures, it has jumped to around $13 billion.
What do we learn about the global games market in paragraph 2?
A It went up mainly during the pandemic.
B It increased largely due to digital gaming.
C It rose because people decided to meet outdoors.
D It grew as a result of the need for people to meet up.
D
It grew as a result of the need for people to meet up.
3 One game that has benefited from this increase in sales has been Exploding Kittens®. Its incredible success is down to being fun, fast and easy to play. After initially raising money from crowdfunding, 700,000 copies of the game were printed. Elan Lee, one of the creators, said the idea came about because he was tired of the current games on the market. Many of the new strategic games involve reading a dense book of instructions. Lee felt games were too intent on being ‘a good game’ rather than having the ability to create memories with family and friends.
Why did Elan Lee create the Exploding Kittens game?
A To make getting together more important than the game.
B Most serious games weren’t fun.
C The other games available weren’t very memorable.
D The complicated games attracted few people.
A
To make getting together more important than the game.
Another popular board game is Wingspan®. It’s about birds, which might not be your thing, but that’s probably what reviewers online thought before giving it a five-star rating. The artwork is beautiful, it’s not too competitive and with 170 bird cards, there is little chance of having the same game experience twice. After a few games, you could even become a secret birdwatcher. And, if not, at least you can learn something new.
What does the writer suggest about the game Wingspan?
A Everyone loves playing this game.
B Some people might not enjoy it.
C Don’t judge it before you play it.
D You’ll like it more if you like birds.
C
Don’t judge it before you play it.
Another reason board games can be beneficial is that you may feel like you’re not allowed to make mistakes in those areas. But if we mess up in a game, we can just start a new one without worrying about the consequences. Games are risk-free and can be played for their own sake. In fact, if played for another purpose, they also cease to be games. Of course, they are also good for social skills, and often teach you something or improve your memory, but the point is, they don’t need to.
What does the writer mean by ‘for their own sake’ in paragraph 6?
A Because they teach us.
B Because they are just games.
C Because they have another reason.
D Because they make us more sociable.
B
Because they are just games.