Toys R Us Skills Test

1. Which statement below is the main idea of the article, “Toys R Us: The End of an Era”?

• a. Toys R Us is facing tough competition from online retailers.
• b. Toys R Us is making less money than it used to.
• c. Toys R Us stores are closing around the world due to financial problems.
• d. People in the U.S. are having fewer children than they used to.

2. Which of the following is not a reason that Toys R Us closed its doors?

• a. Toys R Us had a lot of debt.
• b. Toys R Us struggled to compete with bigger retailers.
• c. Fewer babies are being born.
• d. Toys R Us made expensive improvements to its stores.

3. According to the article, what is one way that families today have changed?

• a. Family sizes are bigger today than they ever have been.
• b. Many people are waiting until they are older to have children.
• c. Fewer people are choosing to have children today.
• d. Many people are frustrated with politics today.

4. Which evidence from the article supports your answer to the previous question?

• a. This may be the result of changing gender roles– more women are choosing to focus on building their careers before starting a family.
• b. Toys R Us sells products that are made for babies and small children.
• c. Many smaller toy shops went out of business because they could not compete with the huge selection and low prices of Toys R Us.
• d. Toys R Us had 5 billion dollars in debt.

5. According to the article, when did families become more cautious about having children?

• a. After Toys R Us announced it was closing its doors.
• b. After the Great Recession of 2008.
• c. After some Toys R Us employees lost their jobs.
• d. After Amazon became the biggest online retailer.

6. Which sentence from the article provides a detail to support your answer to the previous question?

• a. Toys R Us has officially closed all of its stores.
• b. By the 1990s, it was the biggest toy seller in the United States.
• c. This is because the store was struggling financially.
• d. Many people lost their jobs, their homes, and their retirement savings.