A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 4 Test – Young Artists, Musicians & Performers 10
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Test 1
Questions 19-24
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Teen Guitar Player
Tom is a fifteen-year-old boy who loves music. He started playing the electric guitar two years ago. His guitar has six metal (19)…………… , and he has to change them when they break.
Tom plays his guitar in his bedroom every evening after school. He loves rock music and often makes a lot of noise. His parents usually ask him not to play too (20)…………… when his little sister is sleeping.
Next year, Tom wants to (21)…………… a rock band with his friends. They hope to play their songs in the school concert. To do this, they need to (22)…………… a lot of time practising together. Tom knows that playing in a band is difficult, (23)…………… he is very excited about it. He hopes they will be completely (24)…………… for the show in summer.
19 A strings B lines C wires
20 A loud B high C strong
21 A join B enter C add
22 A spend B use C keep
23 A but B because C so
24 A ready B sure C safe
Answer Key & Explanations
19 A (strings): 'Strings' is the specific, correct word for the thin parts of a guitar that you touch to make music. 'Lines' are drawn with a pen, and 'wires' are used to carry electricity, not for playing music.
20 A (loud): 'Loud' is the correct word to describe the high volume of a sound or music. We do not use 'high' or 'strong' to talk about how noisy music is in this context.
21 A (join): 'Join a band' is a fixed collocation that means to become a member of a musical group. You can 'enter' a room or a competition, and you 'add' numbers or ingredients, but you do not use these verbs for becoming a band member.
22 A (spend): 'Spend time' is the correct collocation for using your hours to do an activity like practising. We do not say 'use time' or 'keep time' when talking about doing an activity.
23 A (but): 'But' correctly connects two opposite ideas: playing in a band is hard work, yet he is still excited about doing it. 'Because' gives a reason, and 'so' gives a result, which would change the meaning completely.
24 A (ready): 'Ready' means prepared, which perfectly fits the phrase meaning of preparing for a future show. Being 'sure' (certain) or 'safe' (not in danger) does not make sense when talking about preparing to play in a concert.
Test 2
Questions 19-24
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A Young Portrait Artist
Leo is a fifteen-year-old boy who has a special talent for art. He loves making pictures of people, and he is very good at (19)…………… faces. He started doing this when he was just eight years old.
For his art, Leo does not use brushes or water. He only uses different kinds of (20)…………… to make his black and white pictures. When someone sits in front of him, Leo spends a lot of time (21)…………… carefully at them before he begins his work. He needs to see everything clearly.
Leo says that every person is interesting to draw. Sometimes, finishing a picture can (22)…………… a few hours, so the person must sit very still. Last week, Leo drew a picture of his teacher and gave it to him as a (23)…………… . In the future, he hopes to (24)…………… a famous artist and travel the world.
19 A drawing B painting C writing
20 A pencils B rulers C rubbers
21 A seeing B watching C looking
22 A spend B take C keep
23 A present B prize C price
24 A turn B become C grow
Answer Key & Explanations
19 A (drawing): "Drawing" correctly describes making pictures with dry tools. "Painting" is incorrect because the next paragraph says Leo "does not use brushes or water," and "writing" is used for words, not faces.
20 A (pencils): "Pencils" are the correct tools used to draw "black and white pictures." "Rulers" (for measuring) and "rubbers" (for erasing mistakes) are used in art, but they do not make the picture.
21 C (looking): "Looking at" is the correct English verb and preposition combination to describe focusing your eyes on something carefully. We do not say "seeing at" or "watching at".
22 B (take): "Take a few hours" is the correct collocation used when an activity requires a certain amount of time. A person can "spend" time, but an action "takes" time.
23 A (present): A "present" is something nice you give to a person, like a gift. A "prize" is something you win in a competition, and "price" is how much something costs to buy.
24 B (become): "Become" is the correct verb used when talking about changing into a new profession in the future (like a famous artist). "Turn" would need the extra word "into", and "grow" just means to get older or taller.
Test 3
Questions 19-24
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Teen beatboxer
Leo Miller is a fifteen-year-old boy from London, and he makes music in an unusual way. He is a beatboxer, which means he uses his mouth to make different drum (19)…………… . He started doing this when he was nine because he wanted to copy his favourite hip-hop songs.
Beatboxing is not easy. To do it well, an artist must understand (20)…………… so they can keep a fast beat, just like real drums. When Leo performs on stage, he does not use a guitar or a piano. He only holds a (21)…………… near his mouth so the audience can hear him.
Leo practises every day, and he always (22)…………… sure he drinks plenty of water to protect his voice. Next month, he is going to (23)…………… part in a national competition. He wants to win, but he mainly hopes to have a (24)…………… time with the other musicians.
19 A voices B noises C sounds
20 A rhythm B tune C song
21 A microphone B telephone C radio
22 A gets B makes C does
23 A take B get C have
24 A large B high C great
Answer Key & Explanations
19 C (sounds): In a musical context, the audio produced by instruments (or copying instruments) is called 'sounds'. 'Voices' are used for speaking or normal singing, and 'noises' usually refers to loud, unpleasant, or unwanted audio.
20 A (rhythm): The broader context refers to keeping a "fast beat" and copying "real drums". Drums create a 'rhythm', rather than a 'tune' (which is a melody played by instruments like a piano) or a 'song' (which has lyrics).
21 A (microphone): A 'microphone' is the correct semantic word for the piece of stage equipment a performer holds near their mouth to make their voice louder. A 'telephone' and 'radio' are for communication and broadcasting, not performing live on stage.
22 B (makes): The phrase 'make sure' is a highly frequent, fixed English collocation meaning to check or confirm that something happens. The verbs 'gets' and 'does' are incorrect word combinations here.
23 A (take): The phrase 'take part in' is a fixed collocation meaning to participate in an event or competition. 'Get' and 'have' do not collocate with 'part' in this context.
24 C (great): At the phrase level, the natural adjective to describe enjoying yourself is to have a 'great' time (or a 'good' time). Describing a time as 'large' or 'high' does not make sense in English.