A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 3 Test – Nature’s Canvas 4
Reading » A2 Reading Tests » A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 3 Test – Nature's Canvas
Test 1
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The thunderstorm song
Fifteen-year-old Xena writes about making her own music.
My name is Xena and I am fifteen years old. I have played the piano since I was eight, and I love writing my own music. Last Sunday, it was raining heavily outside. I looked out of my bedroom window and decided to write a new song. I wanted the music to sound exactly like a dangerous thunderstorm.
First, I started to play some very fast notes. I wanted this part of the song to sound like the strong wind in the trees. I thought it was a brilliant idea. Then, I needed to add the sound of heavy rain, so I used both of my hands to play a lot of keys at the same time.
After a few minutes, I wanted the music to sound like big storm clouds and thunder. I pressed the piano keys very hard to make a really loud noise. However, I completely forgot that my baby brother was asleep in the next room. Suddenly, I heard him crying. I stopped playing immediately because my loud music woke him up, and he sounded very frightened.
I felt terrible about making my little brother cry. I went into his room and brought him to the piano. I sat him on my lap and started to play a very different song. This time, I played a soft, slow melody that sounded like gentle rain. Soon, he closed his eyes and fell back to sleep. My new storm song is quite good, but next time I play it, I am going to make sure my brother is not at home!
14 Why did Xena decide to write a new song?
A She wanted to play the piano for the first time.
B She got a good idea from the weather outside.
C She needed to practise for a music lesson.
15 How did Xena make the sound of the wind?
A She played the notes very quickly.
B She used both of her hands at the same time.
C She played the loudest keys on the piano.
16 Why did Xena stop playing her piano?
A She was afraid of the dangerous thunderstorm.
B She forgot how to play the rest of her new song.
C She heard her baby brother making a noise.
17 What did Xena do to help her brother?
A She carried him back to his bed.
B She played a quiet piece of music.
C She told him a story about the rain.
18 What is Xena planning to do next time?
A play the storm song when her brother is out of the house
B write a song that sounds much more like a storm
C play her music very quietly so her brother can sleep
Answer Key & Explanations
14 B - Explanation: In the first paragraph, Xena says "it was raining heavily outside. I looked out of my bedroom window and decided to write a new song." This matches getting a good idea from the weather (Option B). Option A uses wrong logic; she has played the piano since she was eight, so it wasn't her first time. Option C is a wrong logic trap; she loves writing music, but the text doesn't mention practising for a lesson.
15 A - Explanation: In the second paragraph, Xena states she "started to play some very fast notes" to "sound like the strong wind." This matches Option A (quickly). Option B is a wrong reference trap; she used both hands to make the sound of heavy rain, not the wind. Option C is a wrong reference trap; she pressed the keys very hard to make a loud noise for the thunder, not the wind.
16 C - Explanation: In the third paragraph, the text says, "Suddenly, I heard him crying. I stopped playing immediately." This matches hearing her brother making a noise (Option C). Option A uses wrong logic; she wanted the song to sound like a dangerous storm, but she wasn't afraid of it (her brother was frightened by the music). Option B is a wrong reference trap; she forgot that her brother was asleep, she didn't forget her song.
17 B - Explanation: In the fourth paragraph, Xena explains that she brought him to the piano and "played a soft, slow melody." This matches playing a quiet piece of music (Option B). Option A is wrong logic; she went into his room but she "brought him to the piano," she didn't carry him back to bed. Option C uses wrong logic; she played music that sounded like gentle rain, she didn't tell a story about it.
18 A - Explanation: In the final paragraph, Xena states her future plan: "next time I play it, I am going to make sure my brother is not at home!" This matches Option A (when her brother is out of the house). Option B is wrong logic; she thinks her storm song is already "quite good," she isn't planning to rewrite it. Option C is a partial truth trap; she played quietly this time to help him sleep, but next time she wants to play her loud song, so she will wait until he is gone.
Test 2
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
My glass jar garden
Fourteen-year-old Vera writes about making a home for small plants.
I'm Vera, and I am 14 years old. I love nature, but I live in a flat and my family doesn't have a garden. Because of this, my favourite hobby is making terrariums. A terrarium is a beautiful mini-garden inside a glass jar. You only need a clean jar, some small rocks, some dirt, and a green plant called moss. Today, I am writing this blog to tell you how to make one for your bedroom.
Making a mini-garden is actually very easy. First, you put the rocks in the bottom of the jar, and then you add the dirt. Finally, you carefully put the green moss on top. When it is finished, it looks like an amazing little jungle. I love watching it grow on my desk while I do my homework. It makes my room feel really fresh.
However, you have to be careful when you look after it. Like all plants, moss needs water to live. But my first terrarium didn't grow well. I used a bottle to spray water on it every single day. That was a big mistake! If you spray too much water, the glass gets completely covered in a thick fog. Then, it is impossible to see the beautiful plants inside the jar.
Luckily, there is a simple answer if this happens to you. You just need to take the lid off the jar and leave it open for a whole day. The air will dry the glass, and your mini-jungle will grow perfectly again. If you follow this advice, you will have a wonderful indoor garden!
14 Why is Vera writing this blog?
A to explain how to build a small indoor garden
B to show readers some photos of her family's garden
C to tell people where to find the best glass jars
15 How does Vera feel about her mini-garden?
A She thinks it is quite difficult to make one.
B She likes looking at it while she works.
C She feels surprised that it grew so quickly.
16 What problem did Vera have with her first terrarium?
A She couldn't find a good bottle to spray the plants.
B She forgot to give the plants water every day.
C She put too much water inside the glass jar.
17 What does Vera advise people to do?
A take the top off the jar for a whole day
B dry the inside of the glass with some paper
C put the mini-jungle outside in the fresh air
18 What is Vera doing in this blog?
A asking readers to help her grow better moss
B explaining why plants grow better in the jungle
C helping readers to make and look after a terrarium
Answer Key & Explanations
14 A - Explanation: The text says, "Today, I am writing this blog to tell you how to make one for your bedroom." This means she is explaining how to build a small indoor garden (A). Option B is a wrong reference trap; she explicitly says her family doesn't have a garden. Option C is wrong logic; she says you need a jar, but she doesn't tell people where to buy or find them.
15 B - Explanation: Vera says, "I love watching it grow on my desk while I do my homework." This matches option B (looking at it while she works). Option A is wrong logic because she explicitly states, "Making a mini-garden is actually very easy." Option C is a partial truth trap; she mentions watching it grow, but doesn't say she is surprised by how fast it happened.
16 C - Explanation: The text explains that Vera "used a bottle to spray water on it every single day" and "If you spray too much water, the glass gets completely covered in a thick fog." This matches option C. Option A is a wrong reference trap; she used a bottle, but the bottle itself wasn't the problem. Option B is wrong logic because she did the opposite (she gave it water every single day).
17 A - Explanation: Vera advises, "You just need to take the lid off the jar and leave it open for a whole day." This means taking the top off the jar for a whole day (A). Option B is wrong logic; she says the air will dry the glass, not that you should use paper to do it. Option C is a partial truth trap; she mentions the air drying the glass, but you don't need to put the whole jar outside.
18 C - Explanation: This is a global question. Throughout the blog, Vera explains what a terrarium is, how to build one, and how to fix a common problem with watering it. This matches option C. Option A is wrong logic; she is giving advice to her readers, not asking them for help. Option B is a wrong reference trap; she says her jar looks like a jungle, but she isn't explaining how real jungle plants grow.
Test 3
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A Perfect Map
Sixteen-year-old Will writes about an interesting art project at school.
Hi, my name is Will and I am sixteen years old. I want to tell you about an interesting school project I did last month. In my art and design class, our teacher asked us to draw a map for a new city zoo. We had to use our computers and work with special graphic design software. I love technology and drawing, so I was really excited to begin.
I wanted my map to look completely different from a normal map. I decided to make it very colourful and fun for young children to use. First, I drew a large area for the lions and painted it bright orange. Then, I added a big blue lake for the penguins. After that, I carefully typed the names of all the animals next to their pictures in black letters. Everything was going very well.
However, a few days later, I had a big problem. I wanted to add a special place for the monkeys. Because monkeys love trees, I coloured their home dark green on the computer. But when I looked at the screen, I felt very worried. The black letters of the monkeys' name mixed with the dark green background. It was impossible for anyone to read the words. I didn't know what to do at first.
Suddenly, I had a great idea. I didn't change the colour of the trees. Instead, I changed the colour of the letters from black to bright white. The new words were very clear and easy to see against the dark green. When I showed the finished map to my teacher, she was very pleased. She said it looked exactly like a real, professional zoo map. Next week, I am going to try making a map for a theme park!
14 Why was Will so excited about the school project?
A He enjoys using computers to create pictures.
B He wanted to visit a new zoo in his city.
C His teacher gave him a special computer.
15 How did Will make his map special?
A He painted a picture of some young children.
B He used lots of bright colours on the map.
C He used a normal map to help him draw it.
16 What problem did Will have with the monkey area?
A He couldn't draw the trees very well.
B He painted the animals black and green.
C The writing was too difficult to see.
17 How did Will solve his problem?
A He made the words a different colour.
B He changed the green trees on his computer.
C He asked his teacher for a great idea.
18 What is Will planning to do next?
A show his work to a professional designer
B design a map for a different place
C visit a theme park with his teacher
Answer Key & Explanations
14 A - Explanation: In the first paragraph, Will says they had to use computers to draw a map, and "I love technology and drawing, so I was really excited." Option A correctly paraphrases this. Option B is a partial truth trap; they designed a map for a "new city zoo," but he didn't want to visit it. Option C is a wrong logic trap; the teacher asked them to do a project, but didn't give him a computer to keep.
15 B - Explanation: In the second paragraph, Will explains that he decided "to make it very colourful" and mentions using bright orange and blue. Option B matches this detail. Option A is a wrong logic trap; he made the map for young children to use, he didn't paint a picture of them. Option C is a wrong reference trap; the text says he wanted his map to look "completely different from a normal map."
16 C - Explanation: In the third paragraph, Will says "The black letters... mixed with the dark green background. It was impossible for anyone to read the words." Option C correctly paraphrases this problem. Option A is a wrong reference trap; he coloured the monkey's home dark green, but he didn't say drawing trees was hard. Option B is a partial truth trap; the letters were black and the background was green, not the animals.
17 A - Explanation: In the final paragraph, Will states: "Instead, I changed the colour of the letters from black to bright white." Option A matches this solution perfectly. Option B is a wrong logic trap; the text explicitly says "I didn't change the colour of the trees." Option C is a wrong reference trap; he had a great idea himself and showed the map to his teacher later, he didn't ask her for an idea.
18 B - Explanation: This is a specific detail question about the final paragraph. Will says, "Next week, I am going to try making a map for a theme park!" Option B correctly paraphrases this plan. Option A is a partial truth trap; his teacher said the map looked "professional", but he isn't planning to show it to a professional designer. Option C is a wrong logic trap; he is going to make a map for a theme park, not visit one.