A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 3 Test – Creative Cash 1
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Test 1
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Tom's weekend job
Fifteen-year-old Tom writes about his weekend job as a face painter.
Fifteen-year-old Tom loves art and has a really fun weekend job. He earns his own money by doing face painting at children's birthday parties in his town. The parties are usually very noisy, and the young children never stop running around. However, Tom really enjoys his work because he loves drawing and chatting with the families.
Last Saturday, Tom was working at a large party. He was quite busy. Suddenly, a small boy sat down on the chair in front of him. The boy asked Tom to paint his face like a dangerous, scary tiger. Tom was very happy to do this. He opened his paints and carefully put a lot of bright orange colour all over the boy's face.
But after a few minutes, Tom noticed a big problem. He looked at his work and felt very worried. The orange face didn't look like a dangerous wild animal at all. Instead, it looked exactly like a cute, friendly little cat. Tom knew that the young boy really wanted to look scary, so he had to fix his mistake quickly before the boy saw it.
Tom quickly picked up some different brushes. He painted some thick black lines over the orange colour. Then, he added some very big, sharp white teeth around the boy's mouth. This time, the painting looked fantastic. When Tom showed the boy his new face in a small mirror, the boy gave a loud roar and smiled happily.
Tom felt very proud of his quick work. The boy's mother was so pleased with the tiger that she gave Tom some extra cash. Next month, Tom is going to use his saved money to buy a new book about painting wild animals. He wants to be ready for the next party!
14 What does Tom say about the birthday parties?
A They are full of loud sounds.
B He helps the children run around.
C He paints pictures of the families there.
15 What did the boy want Tom to do?
A make him look like a scary animal
B paint a picture of a chair for him
C show him how to use bright orange paint
16 Why was Tom worried about his painting?
A It looked like a nice, little cat.
B The orange colour was much too dark.
C The boy was angry when he saw it.
17 How did Tom make the painting better?
A He gave the boy a small mirror.
B He cleaned the orange colour off the face.
C He used white paint to draw some teeth.
18 What is Tom planning to do next month?
A go to a wild animal park with his mother
B get something to help him with his art
C give some of his money to the boy's family
Answer Key & Explanations
14 A - Explanation: In paragraph 1, the text says the parties are "very noisy". Option A matches this because "loud sounds" means noisy. B is a wrong logic trap; the children run around, but Tom doesn't help them do it. C is a partial truth trap; Tom chats with the families, but he doesn't paint pictures of the families, he paints faces.
15 A - Explanation: In paragraph 2, the boy asked Tom "to paint his face like a dangerous, scary tiger". Option A correctly paraphrases this. B is a wrong reference trap; the boy sat on a chair, he didn't want a painting of one. C is a wrong logic trap; Tom used orange paint, but he didn't show the boy how to use it.
16 A - Explanation: In paragraph 3, Tom was worried because the painting "looked exactly like a cute, friendly little cat". Option A matches this meaning perfectly. B is wrong logic; the text mentions "bright orange", not dark. C is a wrong logic trap; Tom was worried, but he wanted to fix it "before the boy saw it", so the boy wasn't angry yet.
17 C - Explanation: In paragraph 4, Tom "added some very big, sharp white teeth". Option C perfectly describes this action. A is a wrong logic trap; he showed the boy the mirror after the painting was fixed. B is a wrong logic trap; he painted black lines over the orange colour, he didn't clean it off.
18 B - Explanation: In the final paragraph, Tom plans to "buy a new book about painting wild animals". A book is something to help him with his art, making B the correct answer. A is a wrong reference trap; wild animals are mentioned, but he isn't visiting an animal park. C is a wrong logic trap; the boy's mother gave Tom cash; Tom isn't giving his money away.
Test 2
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Bracelet Business
14-year-old Uma writes about a mistake she made when selling her handmade jewellery.
Hi, I’m Uma and I am 14 years old. I have a really fun hobby. I spend a lot of time in my bedroom making colourful bracelets. I use lots of little glass beads to make them look beautiful. A few months ago, I started bringing them to school to sell. My friends and other students loved them. I was really happy to earn some extra pocket money from doing something I love.
When I first started making the jewellery, I wanted to save money. So, I bought some cheap string from a local supermarket to put the beads on. It didn't cost very much, but it was quite thin. I thought it was fine because the bracelets looked great. But soon, I learned that using cheap materials was a very bad idea!
One morning, a girl in my math class bought a pretty pink bracelet from me. She was very excited and put it on her arm immediately. But suddenly, the weak string broke! Hundreds of tiny glass beads fell all over the classroom floor. Everyone looked at us, and we had to spend ten minutes picking them up before the teacher arrived. I felt so embarrassed about it.
After school that day, I went straight to a craft shop and bought some strong, expensive string. I used it to make a new pink bracelet for the girl, and I gave it to her for free the next day. She was very pleased with how I fixed the problem. Now, everybody knows I make strong jewellery, and my little business is doing better than ever!
14 Why was Uma happy about her hobby?
A She could buy more glass beads.
B She got cash for doing something she enjoyed.
C She met lots of new friends at school.
15 Why did Uma buy string from the supermarket?
A It was the strongest string in the shop.
B She didn't want to spend a lot of money.
C It was the best place to find colourful beads.
16 What happened in Uma's math class?
A A customer's new jewellery broke into pieces.
B A girl dropped the bracelet she was making.
C The teacher stepped on some of her beads.
17 What did Uma do to solve the problem?
A She gave the girl her money back.
B She made another bracelet without charging the girl.
C She asked the craft shop to fix the bracelet.
18 How does Uma feel about her business now?
A She is pleased because it is very successful.
B She is worried about finding strong materials.
C She wants to sell her jewellery to a craft shop.
Answer Key & Explanations
14 B - Explanation: The text in paragraph 1 says, "I was really happy to earn some extra pocket money from doing something I love." Earning pocket money matches getting cash. Option A is incorrect because buying more beads isn't mentioned as a reason for her happiness. Option C is a partial truth trap; she mentions selling to her friends, but not that she met new friends.
15 B - Explanation: The text in paragraph 2 says, "I wanted to save money. So, I bought some cheap string". This means she didn't want to spend a lot of money. Option A is wrong logic; the string was actually thin and cheap, not strong. Option C is a partial truth; she talks about beads earlier, but she went to the supermarket for string, not beads.
16 A - Explanation: The text in paragraph 3 says a girl bought a bracelet and "suddenly, the weak string broke!" This matches a customer's jewellery breaking. Option B is a wrong reference trap; a girl was involved, but the girl was wearing the bracelet, not making it. Option C is wrong logic; they picked the beads up before the teacher arrived, so the teacher didn't step on them.
17 B - Explanation: The text in paragraph 4 says, "I used it to make a new pink bracelet for the girl, and I gave it to her for free". This matches making another bracelet without charging the girl. Option A is wrong logic; she gave her a free replacement, not a cash refund. Option C is a partial truth; she went to the craft shop to buy string, but she fixed the bracelet herself.
18 A - Explanation: This question tests the final paragraph detail. The text says, "Now, everybody knows I make strong jewellery, and my little business is doing better than ever!" "Better than ever" means it is very successful. Option B is wrong logic; she already found strong string, so she isn't worried. Option C is a partial truth trap; she mentions a craft shop, but she buys things there, she doesn't sell to them.
Test 3
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
My summer job as an artist
Sixteen-year-old Victor writes about drawing people at a local fair.
My name is Victor, and I am 16 years old. This summer, I have an interesting weekend job at the summer town fair. I work as an artist, drawing quick pencil pictures of the people who visit. The fair is always very busy, and the weather is often quite hot. At the end of the day, I usually feel quite tired, but I really love my job because I meet so many friendly people.
People come into my small tent and sit down in a comfortable chair. Then, I look at them and draw their face. It takes me about fifteen minutes to finish one picture. When it is ready, they pay me £5 for it. I am saving this money because I want to buy a new laptop for my school work, so it is great to earn cash by doing a hobby I enjoy.
Drawing older people is easy because they can stay in one place without moving. However, it is much harder when parents ask me to draw their young children. Kids get bored very quickly. They never sit still long enough for me to see their faces properly. They always want to stand up, look around the tent, or play with their toys. Sometimes, they even try to see what I am drawing!
Because of this problem, I had to find a better way to work. Now, if I need to draw a young child, I ask the parents if I can take a quick photo of them on my smartphone first. Then, the child can go outside and play while I draw the face from my screen. This saves a lot of time and stops everyone from getting angry. I think other artists should definitely try it!
14 How does Victor feel about his job at the fair?
A He enjoys it even though it makes him tired.
B He thinks the fair is too hot and busy to work in.
C He loves meeting all the other artists there.
15 Why is Victor happy about the money he gets?
A He wants to pay for some extra art lessons.
B He plans to buy something for his studies.
C He hopes to get some new equipment for his tent.
16 What problem does Victor have when he draws young children?
A They do not like the pictures that he draws.
B They want to play with his art equipment.
C They are not able to stay in one place.
17 What does Victor do to save time now?
A He draws the picture using a photo on his phone.
B He asks the parents to take a picture of their child.
C He lets the children play games on his screen.
18 What is Victor's main reason for writing this text?
A to describe his experience of drawing portraits at a fair
B to explain how anyone can get a weekend job at a fair
C to tell parents how to make their children sit quietly
Answer Key & Explanations
14 A - Explanation: In the first paragraph, Victor says "At the end of the day, I usually feel quite tired, but I really love my job." This matches enjoying the job even though it makes him tired. Option B is wrong logic; he mentions the fair is hot and busy, but he doesn't complain it is too hot to work in. Option C is wrong reference; he loves meeting "friendly people," not other artists.
15 B - Explanation: In the second paragraph, Victor says "I am saving this money because I want to buy a new laptop for my school work," which means he plans to buy something for his studies. Option A and Option C are wrong logic; he is saving for a computer, not for art lessons or tent equipment, even though these distractors use words related to the art theme.
16 C - Explanation: In the third paragraph, Victor explains that children "never sit still long enough," meaning they cannot stay in one place. Option A is wrong logic; the text says children "try to see what I am drawing," but it never says they dislike the pictures. Option B is a partial truth; they want to play, but with "their toys," not his art equipment.
17 A - Explanation: In the final paragraph, Victor says he takes a quick photo on his smartphone and then will "draw the face from my screen." Option B is wrong reference; Victor asks if he can take the photo, not the parents. Option C is wrong logic; the child goes outside to play, and Victor uses the screen to draw, they don't play games on it.
18 A - Explanation: This is a global question. The whole text is a review of Victor's personal experience working at the fair, how much he earns, the problems he faces, and his solution. Option B is wrong logic; he talks about his own job, but doesn't tell the reader how to get one. Option C is a partial truth; he talk