What is the main idea of the passage?

A refundable deposit encourages jar returns and helps cover containers that do not return. (The text shows that returners receive their money back, while money from unreturned jars can help pay for replacements.)

Why does the passage say an easy return counter matters?

A difficult return would make customers pay with extra time and effort. (The passage calls time another kind of price, so a convenient counter lowers the nonmoney burden of returning a jar.)

What is a “deposit” in this passage?

Money held until a reusable jar is returned (The buyer pays the deposit with the purchase and receives it back when the jar returns, so the money is held temporarily.)

What does the market do when a jar comes back?

It returns the customer's deposit. (The first paragraph directly says that the market returns the deposit when the jar comes back.)

A Price That Comes Back: Level 1 Reading Comprehension Questions

A market sells soup in sturdy glass jars. The label lists two amounts: the soup price and a small deposit for the jar. A buyer pays both amounts. When the jar comes back, the market returns the deposit.

This system changes the cost of keeping the container. A customer who returns it pays only for the soup. Someone who keeps or loses it leaves money to help cover a replacement. The system still has costs. Jars must be washed, inspected, carried, and stored.

An easy return counter matters because time can be a price too. The deposit is therefore not a fine or a discount. It is money held temporarily. It connects one person's choice with the reusable jar's next trip.

Comprehension questions