A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 4 Test – Nature Facts, Plants & Eco-Awareness 4
Reading » A2 Reading Tests » A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 4 Test – Nature Facts, Plants & Eco-Awareness
Test 1
Questions 19-24
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Fast-Growing Bamboo
Bamboo is an interesting plant that grows in many countries. It looks like a tree, but it is actually a kind of grass. Bamboo is famous for growing very fast. Some kinds can grow more than a metre in a single day! If you look closely, you can almost see it getting (19)…………… .
Bamboo plants are a beautiful bright colour. They (20)…………… green all year, even in cold weather. Many wild animals live in bamboo forests. The most famous is the giant panda. Pandas eat bamboo every day, and they spend a lot of time looking (21)…………… it.
Bamboo is also very useful for people. Because it is strong but light, people often (22)…………… it to build things like small houses. It is a great plant for gardens because it is very easy to (23)…………… after. When someone cuts bamboo, a new plant usually grows in the same (24)…………… very quickly.
19 A taller B longer C higher
20 A stay B keep C hold
21 A at B for C to
22 A use B make C do
23 A watch B take C look
24 A room B part C place
Answer Key & Explanations
19 A (taller): We use "tall" (and "taller") to describe the vertical size of plants, trees, and people growing up from the ground. "Longer" is used for horizontal size or time, and "higher" describes the position of an object, not a plant's physical growth.
20 A (stay): The verb "stay" naturally links with an adjective (stay green) to mean remaining in a certain condition. "Keep" would need an object here (e.g., keep their leaves green), and you cannot "hold" a color.
21 B (for): The correct phrasal verb meaning to search for something is "look for". "Look at" means to just view something with your eyes, which does not fit the context of animals trying to find food.
22 A (use): People "use" materials to do a job, like building a house. A learner might choose "make" because they are thinking about building, but humans do not "make" natural bamboo, they only use it.
23 C (look): The phrase "look after" is a very common collocation meaning to take care of something (like a plant or pet). "Take after" means to look or behave like an older family member, which doesn't fit a plant.
24 C (place): A "place" is a specific location, which perfectly fits where a plant grows outside. A "room" is an enclosed space inside a building, and a "part" refers to a piece of something, not a geographical spot.
Test 2
Questions 19-24
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Cacti
Cacti are interesting plants that usually grow in very (19)…………… places. You can often find them in the desert, where there is very little rain. Because the weather is so hot, it is (20)…………… for most plants to live there.
When it finally rains, a cactus drinks as much water as it can. It keeps this water inside its thick green body for a (21)…………… time. This helps the plant to survive during the summer months.
Most trees have flat leaves, but cacti are different. They have hard, sharp parts that look (22)…………… large pins. These are very useful because they (23)…………… hungry animals from eating the plant. Many people enjoy growing a cactus in their bedroom. However, if you buy one, you must (24)…………… care when you touch it!
19 A dry B empty C clear
20 A heavy B strong C hard
21 A long B slow C big
22 A same B like C as
23 A close B finish C stop
24 A make B take C give
Answer Key & Explanations
19 A (dry): 'Dry' is the correct semantic fit to describe a place that has very little water or rain. 'Empty' means having nothing inside, and 'clear' is used for things you can see through (like glass) or a sunny sky.
20 C (hard): In this broader context, the hot weather creates a difficult environment, making it 'hard' for plants to live. 'Heavy' describes weight, and 'strong' describes muscles or power; neither fits this sentence structure.
21 A (long): 'A long time' is a strong, fixed collocation in English used to describe how much time has passed. We do not say a 'slow' time or a 'big' time.
22 B (like): 'Look like' is a fixed phrase-level structure used to say that two things have a similar appearance. 'As' and 'same' do not fit this grammatical structure.
23 C (stop): 'Stop' is the correct semantic fit for preventing an animal from doing an action (eating the plant). 'Close' means to shut something (like a door), and 'finish' means to complete an activity.
24 B (take): 'Take care' is a common English collocation meaning to be careful or to look after something. 'Make' and 'give' do not form a meaningful phrase with 'care' in this context.
Test 3
Questions 19-24
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Giant Redwood Trees
Giant redwood trees are some of the most amazing plants in the world. They grow near the ocean in the United States and are famous for being very (19)…………… . Some of them reach over 100 metres into the sky!
These beautiful trees can also live for a very long time. Some of the oldest trees in these (20)…………… are more than 3,000 years old. Because they are so big, redwoods need to drink a large (21)…………… of water every day. They get most of this water from the wet fog that comes in from the ocean at night.
In the past, people cut down many redwoods because they wanted to use the (22)…………… to build houses. Today, these trees are safe. Visitors often travel a long (23)…………… just to see them. They love to (24)…………… time walking under the giant branches and enjoying nature.
19 A tall B high C long
20 A forests B fields C gardens
21 A amount B number C size
22 A wood B piece C part
23 A way B road C path
24 A spend B make C do
Answer Key & Explanations
19 A (tall): This tests semantic fit. We use "tall" to describe the vertical height of trees, buildings, and people. "High" is used to describe something's position above the ground (like a cloud or a plane), and "long" measures horizontal distance.
20 A (forests): This tests broader context. Redwood trees grow together in large, wild areas covered with trees, which are called "forests". "Fields" are open areas of grass or farm land, and "gardens" are small, cultivated areas next to houses.
21 A (amount): This tests phrase-level meaning and grammar. The phrase "a large amount of" is used with uncountable nouns like water. "Number" is only used for countable nouns (e.g., a number of trees), and "size" does not fit this specific grammatical structure.
22 A (wood): This tests semantic fit. The hard material that trees are made of is called "wood", which is used for building houses. "Piece" and "part" would need the preposition "of" (e.g., a piece of wood) to make grammatical sense here.
23 A (way): This tests a collocation. The phrase "a long way" is a fixed expression used to describe a long distance. While visitors might travel on a "road" or "path", we do not say "travel a long road" to mean coming from far away.
24 A (spend): This tests a very common A2 collocation. We use the verb "spend" with the noun "time" to describe passing hours or days doing an activity. We do not use the verbs "make" or "do" with time in this context.