A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 4 Test – History of Transport & Unusual Travel 9
Reading » A2 Reading Tests » A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 4 Test – History of Transport & Unusual Travel
Test 1
Questions 19-24
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Travelling by Rickshaw
Travelling around a new city is always fun. A rickshaw is a very (19)…………… type of transport that you can still find in some countries today. The first rickshaws were made in Japan many years ago. They looked like small carts with two wheels.
Instead of an engine, a person moves the cart by (20)…………… it from the front. In the past, the driver often had to spend all day (21)…………… fast to take passengers to different places. Today, many modern rickshaws have bicycle wheels so the driver can ride instead.
Passengers really enjoy (22)…………… in the back of the cart because it is very open. It is a fantastic way to look at the busy (23)…………… and take photos of famous buildings. If you visit a large city on your next holiday, you should (24)…………… a ride in a rickshaw.
19 A late B long C old
20 A pulling B carrying C holding
21 A sailing B running C driving
22 A standing B sitting C waiting
23 A floors B streets C ways
24 A take B make C do
Answer Key & Explanations
19 C (old): This tests semantic fit. "Old" is the correct adjective to describe something from history, which matches the next sentence about them being made "many years ago". "Late" refers to arriving after the correct time, and "long" describes physical length or distance.
20 A (pulling): This tests phrase-level meaning. To move a cart behind you, you apply force by "pulling" it. "Carrying" means lifting it up in your arms, which you cannot do with passengers inside, and "holding" simply means keeping it in your hands without moving it.
21 B (running): This relies on the broader context of the paragraph. The text explains that there is no engine and a person moves the cart. Therefore, to travel fast on foot, the driver must be "running". You would be "driving" a car, and "sailing" a boat.
22 B (sitting): This tests semantic fit. "Sitting" is the correct physical position for passengers travelling safely in the back of a small cart. "Standing" would be dangerous and unnatural in a small cart, and "waiting" does not describe the action of enjoying the journey as you travel.
23 B (streets): This tests collocation and semantic fit. "Busy streets" is a highly common A2-level phrase to describe roads in a city filled with people and cars. "Floors" are found inside buildings, and "ways" refers to directions or methods, not physical urban roads.
24 A (take): This tests collocation. "Take a ride" is the correct and natural English phrase for travelling in a vehicle for enjoyment. We do not "make" or "do" a ride.
Test 2
Questions 19-24
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Invention of the Wheel
The wheel is one of the most important inventions in history. Before people had wheels, it was very difficult to move (19)…………… things from one place to another. People had to push or pull everything, which took a lot of time and hard (20)…………… .
We do not know exactly who made the first wheel, but it happened in (21)…………… times, over 5,000 years ago. At first, people did not use wheels for transport. Instead, they used them to make pots out of clay. Later, someone realised that a flat, (22)…………… piece of wood could help carts travel along the road easily.
Because of this, travelling became much faster. Soon, people started (23)…………… animals, like horses, to pull the carts. Today, we still need wheels for cars, bicycles, and even aeroplanes. It is hard to imagine life without them, because they keep our world (24)…………… !
19 A heavy B thick C strong
20 A work B job C action
21 A ancient B late C past
22 A round B square C straight
23 A using B making C doing
24 A moving B running C driving
Answer Key & Explanations
19 A (heavy): 'Heavy' is the correct semantic fit to describe objects with a lot of weight that are difficult to move. 'Thick' describes size or width (like a book or a wall), and 'strong' describes the power of people or materials, not the weight of the objects.
20 A (work): 'Hard work' is the correct English collocation to describe difficult physical effort. A 'job' is a countable noun (you have a job, but you do hard work), and you do not do a 'hard action' in this context.
21 A (ancient): 'Ancient' fits the phrase-level context because it pairs perfectly with 'times' to mean thousands of years ago. 'Late' means arriving after the correct time, and while 'past' refers to history, we say "in the past", not "in past times".
22 A (round): 'Round' is the correct semantic fit to describe the circular shape needed for a wheel to roll. A wheel cannot work if it is 'square', and 'straight' describes a flat line, not a circle.
23 A (using): 'Using' is the correct verb collocation for taking something (like animals) to help you do a job (pulling the carts). In English, you do not 'make' or 'do' animals to pull something.
24 A (moving): 'Moving' fits the broader context of the text, meaning to keep transport and travel going continuously. 'Driving' only describes operating a car, and 'running' usually describes moving fast on feet, but 'moving' perfectly describes what wheels help the world do.
Test 3
Questions 19-24
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Riding a Tandem Bicycle
Riding a tandem bicycle is a very special way to travel with another person. A tandem is a bicycle made for two riders. It is quite big, so two people can travel (19)…………… on the same machine.
When you are (20)…………… a tandem, the person at the front is the captain. They hold the handlebars and choose the way to go. The person at the back helps by (21)…………… hard with their feet to make the bike move forward fast.
Because you share the bike, both people must work as a (22)…………… . If you want to stop, you must speak to the other person first. Many friends like to go on (23)…………… journeys in the countryside on these bikes. It is a fantastic way to (24)…………… a sunny afternoon outdoors.
19 A together B along C around
20 A driving B flying C riding
21 A walking B pedalling C running
22 A group B team C club
23 A high B long C tall
24 A keep B make C spend
Answer Key & Explanations
19 A (together): 'Travel together' means to go somewhere with someone else. This fits the broader context of two people sharing one bicycle. 'Along' and 'around' do not describe people doing an action with each other.
20 C (riding): This is the correct semantic fit for a bicycle. You 'ride' a bike, a motorbike, or a horse. You 'drive' a car, and you 'fly' an aeroplane.
21 B (pedalling): This fits the phrase-level context of pushing with your feet to make a bicycle move. You cannot make a bicycle move forward by 'walking' or 'running' while sitting on it.
22 B (team): 'Work as a team' is a standard English collocation meaning to cooperate and do something together. We do not usually say 'work as a group' in this specific two-person sporting context, and a 'club' is a large organization.
23 B (long): This is the correct semantic fit to describe the distance or time of a journey. 'Tall' and 'high' describe vertical height (like a mountain or a building), not travel distance.
24 C (spend): 'Spend an afternoon' (or spend time) is a very common fixed English collocation. We do not use the verbs 'keep' or 'make' when we talk about using our hours to do an activity.