A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 4 Test – Birds, Marine Life & Insects 1
Reading » A2 Reading Tests » A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 4 Test – Birds, Marine Life & Insects
Test 1
Questions 19-24
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Emperor Penguins in Antarctica
Emperor penguins are amazing birds that live in Antarctica. It is one of the coldest places in the world, with ice and snow everywhere. However, these penguins do not mind the cold weather because they have thick feathers.
Unlike most other birds, Emperor penguins cannot fly. Instead, they spend a long (19)…………… walking across the ice. Sometimes, they slide on their stomachs to (20)…………… quickly over the snow. When they reach the ocean, they become fantastic swimmers. They are very (21)…………… at catching small fish under the water.
The winter in Antarctica is very difficult. To stay warm, thousands of Emperor penguins stand close together in a large (22)…………… . The father penguin has a very important (23)…………… during this time. He keeps the egg safe on his feet until the mother comes (24)…………… from the sea.
19 A time B hour C day
20 A change B move C turn
21 A nice B great C good
22 A group B team C club
23 A job B work C business
24 A away B out C back
Answer Key & Explanations
19 A (time): "A long time" is a very common fixed phrase used to talk about duration. "Hour" and "day" are specific periods of time, and we do not say "spend a long hour" or "spend a long day" in this context.
20 B (move): "Move" is the correct verb because the penguins are travelling from one place to another. "Change" means to make something different, and "turn" means to move around in a circle or change direction.
21 C (good): "Good" is the correct adjective to use with the preposition "at" to describe someone's skill (good at catching). We do not say "nice at", and while "great" can sometimes be used informally, "good at" is the standard English collocation tested here.
22 A (group): A "group" is a collection of people or animals in one place. A "team" is for people playing a sport together, and a "club" is an organization that people join for a hobby.
23 A (job): "Job" is a countable noun, so it matches the article "a" (a very important job). "Work" is an uncountable noun, so we cannot say "a work". "Business" refers to a company or selling things, which does not fit here.
24 C (back): The phrasal verb "come back" means to return. The mother penguin is returning from the sea. "Come out" means to emerge from a place, and "come away" means to leave or separate, which do not fit the meaning.
Test 2
Questions 19-24
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Ostriches
Ostriches are very interesting animals that live in the hot deserts of Africa. They are the largest birds in the world, but they cannot fly. Instead, they use their long, strong legs to run at an amazing (19)…………… . An ostrich can easily travel up to 70 kilometres an hour!
When they are running so fast, they use their big wings to (20)…………… them change direction. This helps them stay safe (21)…………… a dangerous animal comes near.
Ostriches are also famous for their eggs. An ostrich egg is much (22)…………… than any other bird's egg. The mother and father both take turns to look (23)…………… these eggs to keep them safe and warm. When the babies come out, they grow very quickly. In just a few months, they are ready to (24)…………… the older birds and run across the desert.
19 A way B time C speed
20 A keep B give C help
21 A when B so C but
22 A bigger B taller C longer
23 A at B for C after
24 A join B meet C find
Answer Key & Explanations
19 C (speed): "At a speed" is the correct English collocation to describe how fast something moves. We do not say "at a time" or "at a way" in this specific context of running fast.
20 C (help): "Help" fits the verb pattern and meaning here (to assist the ostrich in changing direction). "Give" and "keep" do not make sense grammatically or logically in the phrase "_____ them change direction".
21 A (when): "When" correctly connects the two parts of the sentence, explaining the time or situation that they need to stay safe (during the arrival of a dangerous animal). "So" and "but" create illogical sentence meanings.
22 A (bigger): This is the correct semantic fit to describe the overall size of a round egg. "Taller" is used for height (like a person or building) and "longer" is used for length (like a river or a snake), which do not accurately describe an egg.
23 C (after): The phrasal verb "look after" means to care for and protect something, which fits the context of keeping the eggs safe and warm. "Look at" means to observe with your eyes, and "look for" means to search for something lost.
24 A (join): "Join" fits the phrase-level meaning of becoming part of the group of older birds. "Meet" implies seeing someone for the first time or by arrangement, and "find" implies the older birds were lost.
Test 3
Questions 19-24
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Owls in the Dark
Owls are famous birds that sleep during the day and wake up when it gets dark. They prefer to (19)…………… their time hunting at night. Because there is very little light, owls need special eyes. Their large eyes do a great (20)…………… of finding small animals in the dark.
However, owls do not just use their eyes to hunt. They also have excellent ears. If a small mouse makes a quiet (21)…………… in the grass, an owl can hear it from far away.
When an owl flies, it is completely silent. Their soft wings do not make any noise, so they can get very (22)…………… to other animals before they attack. This makes it hard for a mouse to (23)…………… away and hide. Because they are so quiet and fast, an owl will almost never (24)…………… its dinner!
19 A spend B keep C stay
20 A work B job C duty
21 A sound B voice C song
22 A close B near C next
23 A run B walk C travel
24 A lose B miss C drop
Answer Key & Explanations
19 A (spend): We use the verb "spend" when talking about using time (spend time doing something). "Keep" and "stay" do not collocate with time in this way.
20 B (job): The correct collocation is "do a great job". "Work" is an uncountable noun so we do not say "a great work" in this context, and "duty" refers to a formal responsibility, not how well a body part functions.
21 A (sound): A mouse moving in the grass makes a "sound". We use "voice" for humans speaking, and a "song" is musical, which does not fit a mouse moving quietly.
22 A (close): We use "close" with the preposition "to" (close to) when talking about distance. We do not use "to" after "near" (get near other animals), and "next to" means right beside them, which doesn't fit the action of approaching from the sky.
23 A (run): In the context of a small animal trying to escape quickly, "run away" is the only logical choice. A mouse would not "walk" to escape danger, and "travel" is used for taking long journeys.
24 B (miss): To "miss" means to fail to hit or catch something. You "lose" something you already have (like keys), and you "drop" something out of your hands, but an owl trying to catch a moving mouse might "miss" it.