A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 3 Test – Household Helpers 5
Reading » A2 Reading Tests » A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 3 Test – Household Helpers
Test 1
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A dirty job for Ben
Thirteen-year-old Ben writes about cleaning his pet.
Thirteen-year-old Ben has a large, friendly dog called Buster. Ben and his family live near a large forest, and they love going for long walks there. But there is often a problem. Buster loves playing in the dirty water, so his feet always get very muddy. Because of this, Ben has an important job. He has to wash the dog's dirty paws outside the house before Buster can go inside.
Last Sunday, the weather was terrible. It rained all morning, so the forest was extremely wet. Buster was very happy, but he was completely covered in brown mud. After their walk, Ben walked Buster back to the house. He planned to wash the dog's feet at the front door as usual.
However, things didn't go well. When they arrived at the house, Ben took off Buster's lead so he could prepare the water. Suddenly, the dog ran very fast through the open front door. Ben tried to catch him, but he was too late. Buster ran straight into the living room and left dirty footprints all over his mother's beautiful new rug. Ben felt really worried.
Ben knew he had to clean the mess quickly. He found some soap and warm water and carefully washed the dirty rug. After that, he took Buster into the back garden and washed the dog completely. Luckily, his mother was pleased with his hard work. Ben has learned a useful lesson from this. Next time it rains, he is going to keep the lead on his dog until they are safely in the garden!
14 What is Ben's important job after a walk?
A He must make the dog's feet clean.
B He has to walk the dog in the forest.
C He needs to take the dog inside the house.
15 Why was Buster completely covered in mud last Sunday?
A The rain made the forest very wet.
B Ben took him for a walk in some dirty water.
C He was playing in the garden all morning.
16 What happened when they got back to the house?
A Ben couldn't open the front door.
B The dog went inside the house very fast.
C Ben forgot to take off the dog's lead.
17 How did Ben solve the problem?
A He bought a new rug for his mother.
B He cleaned the dog in the living room.
C He washed the rug using some soap.
18 What is Ben planning to do next time?
A wait longer before he takes the lead off Buster
B leave Buster outside in the garden when it rains
C ask his mother to help him clean the dirty rug
Answer Key & Explanations
14 A - Explanation: In paragraph 1, the text says Ben "has to wash the dog's dirty paws outside". Option A correctly uses "make the dog's feet clean" to mean "wash paws". B is a partial truth trap; they do walk in the forest, but that is the activity, not his specific job after the walk. C is a wrong logic trap; he has to wash Buster before he goes inside the house.
15 A - Explanation: In paragraph 2, the text states that Buster was covered in mud because "It rained all morning, so the forest was extremely wet." Option A matches this exactly. B is a wrong logic trap; Buster loves playing in dirty water (mentioned in paragraph 1), but Ben didn't deliberately walk him in it. C is a wrong logic trap; they were in the forest, not the garden.
16 B - Explanation: In paragraph 3, the text says "the dog ran very fast through the open front door." Option B paraphrases this perfectly. A is a wrong logic trap; the front door was already open. C is a wrong logic trap; Ben didn't forget—he actually took the lead off, which is exactly why the dog was able to run away.
17 C - Explanation: In paragraph 4, Ben solved the problem when he "found some soap and warm water and carefully washed the dirty rug." Option C matches this action. A is a wrong logic trap; his mother's rug was new, but Ben cleaned it, he didn't buy another one. B is a wrong reference trap; he cleaned the rug in the living room, but he washed the dog in the back garden.
18 A - Explanation: In the final paragraph, Ben decides that next time "he is going to keep the lead on his dog until they are safely in the garden!" Option A correctly paraphrases this as waiting longer before taking the lead off. B is a partial truth trap; the garden is mentioned, but he plans to keep the lead on until they get there, not leave the dog out in the rain. C is a wrong logic trap; his mother was pleased with his work, but he has no plans to ask her for help.
Test 2
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Three tiny guests
14-year-old Clara writes about looking after some baby animals.
Hi, I’m Clara, and I am 14 years old. I really love animals, so last month I asked my parents if we could help our local pet rescue centre. The centre gave us three tiny rescue kittens to look after. My daily job is to feed them and keep them safe in my bedroom until they grow big enough to go to a new home. I am really enjoying this special responsibility.
For the first few days, the kittens were very quiet and just slept in a warm box. But last Saturday, they started to run around. I went to the kitchen to wash their food bowls, but I made a silly mistake. I completely forgot to shut my bedroom door behind me. When I came back upstairs, the room was empty. The little cats were gone!
I felt so worried because our house is quite large. I looked in the bathroom and my parents' bedroom, but I couldn't find them. Then, I walked downstairs into the living room and heard a very quiet noise. The three kittens were hiding under the heavy wooden sofa. I tried to catch them with my hands, but the space under the sofa was too small and they were too far back.
I knew I had to think of a clever plan to get them out. I remembered a special cat toy that I had from the pet shop. It was a stick with some bright feathers on it. I shook it on the floor next to the sofa. The kittens saw the feathers, ran out to play with it, and I quickly caught them. They were completely safe! Now, I always check the doors. Next week, I am going to take them to the animal doctor for their first check-up!
14 Why did Clara get the kittens?
A She wanted to keep them as her own pets.
B She offered to help a local animal centre.
C Her parents gave them to her as a present.
15 What happened last Saturday?
A The kittens broke their food bowls in the kitchen.
B Clara found the kittens sleeping in a warm box.
C Clara left her bedroom without closing the door.
16 Why couldn't Clara get the kittens from under the sofa?
A She was too worried to look in the living room.
B She wasn't able to reach far enough under the furniture.
C The kittens were making too much noise for her to think.
17 How did Clara solve the problem?
A She used something interesting to make them come out.
B She bought a new toy for them from the pet shop.
C She pushed the heavy wooden sofa out of the way.
18 What is Clara planning to do next week?
A buy the kittens some bright new feathers
B visit an animal doctor with the kittens
C fix the broken doors in her house
Answer Key & Explanations
14 B - Explanation: The text in paragraph 1 says, "I asked my parents if we could help our local pet rescue centre. The centre gave us three tiny rescue kittens". This matches offering to help a local animal centre. Option A is a wrong logic trap; the text says she will look after them "until they grow big enough to go to a new home", so she isn't keeping them. Option C is a wrong reference trap; she asked her parents to help, but they didn't give her the pets as a present.
15 C - Explanation: The text in paragraph 2 says, "I completely forgot to shut my bedroom door behind me." This matches leaving her bedroom without closing the door. Option A is a partial truth trap; she went to the kitchen to wash their food bowls, but the kittens didn't break them. Option B is a wrong time trap; the kittens slept in a box for "the first few days", not last Saturday when they ran away.
16 B - Explanation: The text in paragraph 3 says, "I tried to catch them with my hands, but... they were too far back." This matches not being able to reach far enough under the furniture (the sofa). Option A is a wrong logic trap; she felt worried, but she did look in the living room and found them. Option C is a partial truth trap; the kittens made a "very quiet noise", not too much noise.
17 A - Explanation: The text in paragraph 4 says she used "a stick with some bright feathers on it" and "The kittens saw the feathers, ran out to play with it". This matches using something interesting to make them come out. Option B is a wrong time trap; she "remembered" a toy she already had from the pet shop, she didn't buy a new one to solve the problem. Option C is a wrong logic trap; the sofa is described as heavy, but she didn't push it out of the way.
18 B - Explanation: This question tests the final paragraph detail (future plans). The text says, "Next week, I am going to take them to the animal doctor for their first check-up!" This matches visiting an animal doctor with the kittens. Option A is a wrong time trap; the bright feathers were on the toy she already used today, she isn't buying new ones next week. Option C is a wrong logic trap; she says "Now, I always check the doors", she isn't going to fix broken doors next week.
Test 3
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Looking after my brother's fish
Fifteen-year-old Dean blogs about his new responsibility at home.
My name is Dean, and I am 15 years old. Today on my blog, I want to talk about my new responsibility at home. Last month, my older brother moved to a different city to study at university. He couldn't take his two pet goldfish with him, so now I have to look after them. My job is to feed them and make sure they are healthy.
Actually, there are some great things about having fish in your bedroom. Feeding them only takes a minute, so it is very easy. Also, I think watching the fish swim in the water is very peaceful. When I come home after a long, busy day at school, looking at them makes me feel really relaxed. They are very quiet and beautiful pets.
However, taking care of fish is not always fun. The main problem is that the water in their glass tank turns green quite quickly. Because of this, my weekend responsibility is to clean the tank. I think doing this is completely disgusting! I really hate putting my hands into the cold, dirty water to wash the glass. It is a horrible job.
Luckily, I found a great way to make this work easier. I want to give some useful advice to anyone who looks after fish. You should buy a magnetic glass cleaner from a pet shop. You put one piece inside the tank and hold the other piece on the outside. When you move it, it cleans the glass perfectly, and your hands stay completely dry. It is the best thing I have ever bought!
14 Why does Dean look after the goldfish now?
A He wanted to have some beautiful pets.
B His older brother left home to study.
C His brother bought them as a gift for him.
15 What does Dean like about the goldfish?
A They take a long time to eat their food.
B They enjoy playing with him in the water.
C They help him feel calm after a busy day.
16 Why does Dean hate cleaning the tank?
A He does not like putting his hands in dirty water.
B He has to do it every day after school.
C The fish get sick when the water turns green.
17 What is Dean's advice for fish owners?
A keep the fish in a dry glass box
B ask the pet shop workers for help
C buy a special tool to wash the tank
18 What is Dean's main reason for writing this blog?
A to share his experience of caring for his brother's pets
B to complain about having too much work to do at home
C to explain how to get a job working in a local pet shop
Answer Key & Explanations
14 B - Explanation: In the first paragraph, the text says Dean's older brother "moved to a different city to study at university" and "couldn't take his two pet goldfish with him", which means his brother left home. Option A is a partial truth; the text says they are beautiful pets, but Dean didn't ask to have them. Option C is wrong logic; they were his brother's own pets, not a gift for Dean.
15 C - Explanation: In the second paragraph, Dean says "When I come home after a long, busy day at school, looking at them makes me feel really relaxed", which means they help him feel calm. Option A is wrong logic; the text says feeding them "only takes a minute", so they do not take a long time to eat. Option B is wrong logic; Dean watches them swim, he does not play with them in the water.
16 A - Explanation: In the third paragraph, Dean complains that he has to clean the tank and says "I really hate putting my hands into the cold, dirty water". Option B is a partial truth; he does it after school, but it is his "weekend responsibility", not every day. Option C is wrong logic; the water turns green, but the text never mentions the fish getting sick.
17 C - Explanation: In the final paragraph, Dean advises the reader to "buy a magnetic glass cleaner", which is a special tool to wash the glass. Option A is wrong logic; the tool keeps your hands completely dry, it does not keep the fish in a dry box. Option B is wrong logic; he says to buy the tool from a pet shop, not to ask the workers to clean the tank for you.
18 A - Explanation: This is a global question. The whole text is a blog about Dean's new responsibility of looking after his brother's goldfish, what he enjoys about it, what he hates about it, and his advice. Option B is a partial truth; he complains about cleaning the tank, but he also enjoys the pets, so complaining is not the main reason. Option C is wrong logic; he mentions a pet shop, but never talks about getting a job in one.