The passage is mainly about

how a prepaid stamp made letters cheap and common (Every paragraph builds one line: the old system was costly, Hill proposed a flat prepaid price, the stamp appeared, and letter writing spread.)

Before 1840, who usually paid for a letter?

the person who received it (The second sentence states it directly: the receiver paid, not the sender.)

Why did many people refuse their letters at the door?

The cost of accepting the letter was too high for them (The refusal is placed right after the sentence about a letter costing a day of pay, so money is the reason.)

In the last sentence, 'luxury' means

something expensive that ordinary people cannot easily afford (The sentence contrasts a 'normal habit' with a luxury, and the passage has already shown that letters used to be too expensive for ordinary families.)

One Penny, Any Distance: Level 2 Reading Comprehension Questions

Before 1840, sending a letter in Britain was awkward work. The person who received the letter usually paid for it, not the sender. The price depended on the distance and on the number of sheets of paper. A long letter from far away could cost a working man a full day of pay. Many people simply refused their letters at the door.

A reformer named Rowland Hill argued that this system wasted money. Clerks spent hours counting sheets and measuring routes. He proposed one flat price for any light letter, paid in advance by the sender.

In 1840 the Post Office issued a small rectangle of paper with glue on the back and the head of Queen Victoria printed in black ink. It cost one penny. People stuck it on the letter, and the letter travelled anywhere in the country.

The result surprised almost everyone. Letters became cheap enough for ordinary families, and the number sent in Britain rose sharply within a few years. Other countries copied the idea. The little black stamp had turned writing home into a normal habit instead of a luxury.

Comprehension questions