A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 3 Test – Budget Backpackers 1
Reading » A2 Reading Tests » A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 3 Test – Budget Backpackers
Test 1
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
My very expensive t-shirt!
14-year-old Hannah writes about a school trip to London.
My name is Hannah, and I am 14 years old. Last month, my class went on a four-day school trip to London. My parents gave me £50 for the journey. They told me to use the money for lunches, drinks, and maybe a small present to remember the trip. I felt very grown-up because I had my own money in my purse. I promised my mum and dad that I was going to be very careful with it.
On the first morning, we visited a famous museum in the city centre. Before we left, our teacher gave us some free time to look around the big museum shop. There were so many beautiful things! I saw a fantastic blue t-shirt with a picture of London on it. I really wanted it, but it cost £40. I didn't think about my lunches for the next three days. I just took the t-shirt and paid for it immediately.
When we went to a café for lunch later that day, I looked inside my purse. I only had £10 left! My friends all ordered hot pizzas and large lemonades. I couldn't buy a hot meal because I needed to save my last £10 for the rest of the week. I felt a bit silly. While my friends ate their delicious food, I only had enough money to buy a small bottle of water.
For the next three days, I couldn't buy any hot meals or nice snacks. I had to buy very cheap cheese sandwiches from a small supermarket near our hotel. The sandwiches were completely boring, and I was often quite hungry! However, it was a very good lesson for me. Next time I go on a school trip, I am going to plan my spending. I will save some money for food every day and only buy a small present at the end!
14 What did Hannah's parents want her to do with the £50?
A use it to pay for her school trip to London
B keep it safe in her purse until she went home
C buy things like food and something small to keep
15 Why did Hannah buy the £40 t-shirt?
A Her teacher told her to choose a present from the shop.
B She really liked it and forgot to worry about her food.
C She wanted to wear something blue for the rest of the trip.
16 At the café, Hannah felt a bit silly because
A she didn't have enough money to buy a hot meal.
B she left her purse inside the big museum shop.
C she had to drink a large lemonade instead of water.
17 For the last three days of the trip, Hannah
A ate food that she didn't find very interesting.
B asked her friends to buy some hot meals for her.
C went to a small supermarket to buy nice snacks.
18 What is Hannah planning to do on her next school trip?
A wait until the final day to buy all of her food
B take a lot more money with her to buy clothes
C be much more careful with how she uses her money
Answer Key & Explanations
14 C - Explanation: The text states her parents told her "to use the money for lunches, drinks, and maybe a small present to remember the trip." This matches Option C. Option A is wrong logic; her parents gave her spending money for the journey, not to pay for the trip itself. Option B is a partial truth; she put the money in her purse and promised to be careful, but they wanted her to spend it, not just keep it until she went home.
15 B - Explanation: In paragraph 2, Hannah says, "I really wanted it... I didn't think about my lunches for the next three days." This matches Option B. Option A is wrong reference; her teacher gave the class free time in the shop, but didn't tell her to buy anything. Option C is wrong logic; the t-shirt was blue, but she didn't buy it because she needed to wear that colour.
16 A - Explanation: Paragraph 3 says she only had £10 left and "couldn't buy a hot meal... I felt a bit silly." This matches not having enough money for a hot meal (Option A). Option B is wrong logic; she looked inside her purse at the café, so she didn't leave it at the shop. Option C is wrong reference; her friends drank the lemonade, while Hannah only had enough money for water.
17 A - Explanation: In paragraph 4, Hannah says she had to buy "very cheap cheese sandwiches" and that they "were completely boring". This matches eating food she didn't find interesting (Option A). Option B is wrong logic; her friends are mentioned earlier, but she didn't ask them to buy her meals. Option C is a partial truth trap; she went to a supermarket, but the text explicitly says she "couldn't buy... nice snacks."
18 C - Explanation: In the final paragraph, Hannah says, "Next time I go on a school trip, I am going to plan my spending." This matches being more careful with how she uses her money (Option C). Option A is wrong logic; she says she will only buy a small present on the final day, not her food. Option B is wrong logic; she doesn't mention taking more money, just that she will save her money better.
Test 2
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Think before you buy!
13-year-old Ian writes about a problem with holiday souvenirs.
Hi, I'm Ian and I am 13 years old. I love going on holiday with my family. Before we go home, I always want to buy some nice souvenirs for my friends. But I want to tell you about a big problem. Many teenagers like buying things made of glass, like little animals or beautiful cups. I think you need to be very careful if you want to buy these.
When you see a glass souvenir in a small shop, it often looks amazing. The colours are bright and it shines in the light. It is easy to buy it without thinking. However, packing this fragile object is a bad idea. When you are on a busy holiday, your suitcase is usually full of heavy clothes, hard shoes, and lots of other things.
When you travel to the airport, your bags move around a lot. Then, the airport workers put the bags onto the plane. They have to work very fast, so they don't always carry them gently. Because of this, it is almost impossible to keep a glass cup safe. I tried it once, and my beautiful cup was completely broken when I opened my bag at home. I felt very sad.
So, what should you do? My best advice is to buy soft souvenirs instead. T-shirts or hats are great because they never break. But if you really want to buy something made of glass, you must protect it. You should put the glass object inside some thick winter socks before you put it in your bag. This is a very good way to keep it safe on the long journey home!
14 What does Ian say about souvenirs in the first paragraph?
A He thinks buying glass ones can be a bad idea.
B He always buys small glass animals for his friends.
C He enjoys making beautiful glass cups on holiday.
15 Why is packing a glass souvenir a problem?
A It does not look nice when you take it out of the shop.
B It is very difficult to put it in a full bag safely.
C It is too heavy to carry in a holiday suitcase.
16 What happened to Ian's glass cup?
A The airport workers took it out of his bag.
B He dropped it while he was walking in the airport.
C It broke into pieces during his journey back home.
17 What is Ian's advice at the end of his blog?
A Buy some thick winter socks as a holiday souvenir.
B Put glass objects inside a soft hat to protect them.
C Use your clothes to keep glass souvenirs safe in a bag.
18 What is the best title for Ian's blog?
A How to pack your suitcase quickly
B Be careful with what you buy on holiday
C The best shops for cheap glass souvenirs
Answer Key & Explanations
14 A - Explanation: In the first paragraph, Ian says "you need to be very careful if you want to buy these" referring to glass souvenirs, meaning it can be a bad idea (A). B is a partial truth trap; he buys souvenirs for friends and mentions little animals, but he doesn't say he always buys glass animals. C is wrong logic; he talks about buying cups, not making them.
15 B - Explanation: In the second paragraph, Ian says "packing this fragile object is a bad idea" because your suitcase is full of clothes and shoes. This matches B (difficult to put in a full bag safely). A is wrong logic; he says it looks amazing in the shop, but doesn't say it looks bad outside. C is a wrong reference trap; he says the clothes are heavy, not the glass souvenir.
16 C - Explanation: In the third paragraph, Ian says "my beautiful cup was completely broken when I opened my bag at home," matching C (broke during his journey). A is a wrong logic trap; the airport workers are mentioned, but they just move the bags quickly, they don't take things out. B is a wrong logic trap; it broke inside his bag, he didn't drop it at the airport.
17 C - Explanation: In the fourth paragraph, Ian advises to "put the glass object inside some thick winter socks," which matches C (use clothes to keep glass safe). A is a wrong logic trap; he says to use socks to protect glass, not to buy them as souvenirs. B is a partial truth trap; he mentions hats as soft souvenirs, but he uses socks to protect the glass, not a hat.
18 B - Explanation: This is a global question. The entire text is a warning about why buying fragile glass souvenirs on holiday is a bad idea and giving advice on how to protect them, making B the perfect title. A is a wrong logic trap; he talks about suitcases, but the blog isn't about packing quickly. C is wrong because he advises against buying glass, not where to find cheap shops.
Test 3
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A lucky day in Edinburgh
Sometimes a bad situation has a very happy ending!
Fifteen-year-old Jenny loves travelling. Last week, she went on a fantastic holiday to Edinburgh in Scotland with her parents. They decided to take a big, red tourist bus to see the famous old buildings. The weather was beautiful, and Jenny was very excited. She carried a small bag and had a new wallet with her holiday money inside.
After an hour on the bus, the family got off to walk around the city centre. Jenny wanted to buy a cold drink from a small shop. She looked inside her bag, but she felt terrible. Her wallet wasn't there! She looked in all her pockets, but she couldn't find it anywhere. She started to panic because she didn't have her money.
Jenny tried to remember what happened. Before they got off the bus, they stopped to watch a street performer playing the guitar. There was a large crowd of people standing very close to the bus. Jenny thought a thief put his hand through the open window and took the wallet while she was listening to the music. She felt very upset and wanted to call the police.
However, Jenny's dad told her to wait and walked back to the bus station. Ten minutes later, he returned with a big smile on his face. The friendly bus driver found Jenny's wallet on her seat! It simply fell out of her bag when she stood up to leave. Everything was still inside it. Because of this lucky day, Jenny is going to buy a special wallet with a strong chain for her next holiday!
14 What do we learn about Jenny in the first paragraph?
A She brought some money with her on the holiday.
B She travelled to Scotland by bus with her parents.
C She bought a small bag for her new wallet.
15 Why did Jenny look inside her bag?
A She hoped to buy something cold to drink.
B She wanted to find out where her family was.
C She needed to check if her pockets were empty.
16 What did Jenny think happened to her wallet?
A A street performer took it from her bag.
B Someone stole it while she was enjoying some music.
C A person in the crowd dropped it out of a window.
17 Where was the missing wallet?
A on the ground outside the bus station
B at the bottom of Jenny's small bag
C on a place to sit inside the tourist bus
18 What is Jenny planning to do for her next trip?
A return to Scotland on another red bus
B get something safer to carry her money in
C keep her new wallet inside a larger bag
Answer Key & Explanations
14 A - Explanation: The correct answer is A because the text says Jenny "had a new wallet with her holiday money inside" (she brought money). Option B is a partial truth trap; she travelled to Scotland with her parents, but they took the bus in the city to see buildings, not to travel to Scotland. Option C is wrong logic; she carried a small bag, but the text doesn't say she bought it specifically for the wallet.
15 A - Explanation: The correct answer is A because the text states "Jenny wanted to buy a cold drink... She looked inside her bag". Option B is wrong logic; she was with her family, she wasn't looking for them. Option C is wrong reference; she looked in her pockets after looking in her bag, she didn't look in her bag to check her pockets.
16 B - Explanation: The correct answer is B because Jenny thought "a thief... took the wallet while she was listening to the music". Option A is a wrong reference trap; she thought a thief took it, not the street performer. Option C is wrong logic; she thought the thief put his hand through the window, not that someone dropped it out of one.
17 C - Explanation: The correct answer is C because the bus driver found the wallet "on her seat" (a place to sit). Option A is a wrong reference trap; her dad walked back to the bus station, but the wallet wasn't on the ground there. Option B is wrong logic; the wallet fell out of her bag, so it wasn't at the bottom of it.
18 B - Explanation: The correct answer is B because in the final paragraph, Jenny says she is "going to buy a special wallet with a strong chain" (something safer to carry money in). Option A is wrong logic; it was a lucky day, but there is no mention of planning to return to Scotland. Option C is wrong logic; she is getting a wallet with a chain, not keeping it inside a larger bag.