A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 4 Test – History & Origins of Food 1
Reading » A2 Reading Tests » A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 4 Test – History & Origins of Food
Test 1
Questions 19-24
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The History of Pizza
Pizza is one of the most popular foods in the world today. But its story began a long time ago in the (19)…………… in Italy. Hundreds of years ago, people in the city of Naples made a simple flat bread. It was a cheap meal for (20)…………… people who did not have much money.
Later, they started putting red (21)…………… on top of the bread. This made the food taste much better. The cooking process was also very important. People used special hot ovens for (22)…………… the bread quickly.
In 1889, a man in Naples made a special pizza for the Queen of Italy. He used red sauce, white cheese, and green leaves. Soon, everybody wanted to try it. Today, this delicious Italian dish is (23)…………… all over the world. People love to (24)…………… it with their friends and family.
19 A past B history C yesterday
20 A weak B low C poor
21 A apples B tomatoes C cherries
22 A baking B burning C warming
23 A famous B important C interesting
24 A divide B give C share
Answer Key & Explanations
19 A (past): "In the past" is a fixed English phrase used to talk about a time before now. "History" is used without the article "the" in this context (in history), and "yesterday" refers to just one day ago, not hundreds of years.
20 C (poor): "Poor" is the correct semantic fit for people "who did not have much money." "Weak" refers to a lack of physical strength, and "low" refers to height or level.
21 B (tomatoes): "Tomatoes" fits the broader context of the text as the correct red ingredient used to make pizza sauce. "Apples" and "cherries" are also red, but they are sweet fruits that do not fit the context of this recipe.
22 A (baking): "Baking" is the correct semantic fit for cooking bread inside a hot oven. "Burning" means destroying the food with too much heat, and "warming" just means making it slightly hot, not cooking it from raw dough.
23 A (famous): "Famous" correctly fits the phrase-level meaning of being known by many people "all over the world." "Important" and "interesting" do not naturally describe a dish's global popularity and recognition in this structure.
24 C (share): "Share" forms the correct collocation "share with", meaning to enjoy something together with other people. "Divide" does not fit the natural phrase of enjoying a meal, and "give" means you do not keep any to eat yourself.
Test 2
Questions 19-24
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Where Chocolate Comes From
Most young people love eating chocolate, but they do not always know where it comes from. The story of chocolate begins on small cacao (19)…………… that grow in warm, wet countries. These plants produce large fruits, and inside them are small seeds called cacao (20)…………… .
Farmers take these seeds from the fruit and leave them outside in the sun to get dry. After that, they sell them to chocolate factories all over the world. When they arrive, machines clean them and make them very (21)…………… . This is an important step to help make the real chocolate flavour.
At first, this natural chocolate tastes very (22)…………… . Because of this, the factory workers must (23)…………… other things, like sugar and milk. This mixes together to make the delicious, (24)…………… chocolate that we enjoy buying in the shops today.
19 A trees B woods C forests
20 A balls B stones C beans
21 A high B hot C tall
22 A bitter B hard C dry
23 A put B make C add
24 A sweet B kind C fresh
Answer Key & Explanations
19 A (trees): We use "trees" to talk about the individual tall plants that grow fruit. "Woods" and "forests" refer to large areas of land covered in many trees, so they do not fit the grammar or context of this sentence.
20 C (beans): The seeds of the cacao plant are called "beans". We do not call food seeds "balls" (which are used for games) or "stones" (which are rocks found on the ground).
21 B (hot): The text talks about using machines to change the temperature and create flavour, so the beans must get "hot". "High" and "tall" are used for size or distance, not for heat or cooking.
22 A (bitter): "Bitter" is an adjective used to describe a strong, sharp taste that is the opposite of sweet. We use "hard" and "dry" to talk about how things feel, not how they taste.
23 C (add): When you put a new ingredient into a mixture to improve it, you "add" it. "Put" is incorrect here because it needs a preposition (e.g., "put other things in"), and "make" does not fit the meaning.
24 A (sweet): The sentence before mentions using sugar, which makes food taste "sweet". "Kind" is used to describe a nice or helpful person, and "fresh" describes food that is newly picked or made, which does not link to the sugar context.
Test 3
Questions 19-24
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The History of Ice Cream
Many people love eating ice cream on a warm summer day. But did you know this sweet food has a long history? In ancient times, people did not have machines to keep things (19)…………… . Instead, workers had to climb high mountains to find natural ice.
When they brought the ice back, they did not eat it plain. People liked to (20)…………… sweet things to it. A famous leader in Rome enjoyed eating it with honey and fresh (21)…………… like apples and berries. It was a very special dish because it took a long time to prepare. Usually, only rich families could (22)…………… it.
Years later, people learned how to prepare ice cream with milk. Today, you can get it in a supermarket or even (23)…………… it at home. Eating a large bowl of ice cream is a fantastic (24)…………… to spend time with your family!
19 A dark B cold C clean
20 A add B put C mix
21 A vegetables B plants C fruit
22 A pay B buy C spend
23 A make B do C build
24 A way B road C trip
Answer Key & Explanations
19 B (cold): This fits the broader context of the text, which is about the history of ice cream and finding "ice" in the mountains to lower the temperature of food. "Dark" and "clean" do not fit the context of needing ice or refrigerators.
20 A (add): "Add" is the correct verb here because it naturally takes the preposition to (add sweet things to it). "Put" would require in or on, and "mix" is generally used with the preposition with.
21 C (fruit): "Fruit" is the correct phrase-level category because the text immediately gives examples of this: "apples and berries." These are not "vegetables" or generic "plants."
22 B (buy): "Buy" is correct because it takes a direct object (buy it). "Pay" would require the preposition for (pay for it), and "spend" is used with money or time (spend money on it), not the object itself.
23 A (make): "Make" is the correct semantic fit for creating or preparing food. You do not "do" ice cream, and "build" is used for physical structures like houses or models, not recipes.
24 A (way): "Way" is the correct semantic fit here, meaning a method or manner of doing something (a fantastic way to spend time). "Road" and "trip" are related to physical travel and do not fit this abstract meaning.