A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 4 Test – History & Origins of Food 9
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 Origin of Vanilla
Vanilla is a very popular flavour today. People love to use it for making cakes and ice cream. But where did it come from? The story of vanilla began a long time ago in Mexico.
It actually comes from a special climbing plant. This plant produces beautiful yellow (19)…………… . After these open, the plant makes long green beans. Farmers pick them and leave them in the hot sun. They dry there for months until they become completely (20)…………… .
Inside the beans, there are tiny seeds that smell wonderful. People use them in their (21)…………… to make warm desserts. Real vanilla makes everything taste very (22)…………… and delicious. Because it takes a long time and hard work to grow, it is quite (23)…………… to buy. Today, farmers grow it in several warm countries, and people everywhere (24)…………… eating it!
19 A flowers B leaves C trees
20 A black B dirty C heavy
21 A cooking B farming C shopping
22 A sweet B fresh C safe
23 A expensive B rich C high
24 A enjoy B decide C want
Answer Key & Explanations
19 A (flowers): "Flowers" is the correct semantic fit for the yellow part of a plant that opens before producing beans. "Leaves" do not open in this way, and "trees" is incorrect because vanilla is described as a climbing plant.
20 A (black): "Black" is the correct semantic fit to describe the color the green beans turn after drying in the sun for months. "Dirty" (unwashed) is incorrect for preparing food, and "heavy" does not fit the physical result of drying out in the sun.
21 A (cooking): "Cooking" fits the phrase-level meaning ("in their cooking"), referring to the action of preparing food and "warm desserts". "Farming" is what the farmers do outside, and "shopping" does not fit the action of making a dessert.
22 A (sweet): "Sweet" correctly collocates with "taste" to describe a dessert flavour. "Fresh" is logically incorrect because the text explicitly states the beans are dried for months, and "safe" does not describe a delicious flavour.
23 A (expensive): "Expensive" fits the broader context. The previous clause ("Because it takes a long time and hard work...") logically explains why the ingredient costs a lot of money. "Rich" is used to describe people with money, not the food, and "high" describes a price, not the item itself.
24 A (enjoy): "Enjoy" forms the correct grammatical collocation with the "-ing" verb form ("enjoy eating"). "Decide" and "want" are incorrect because they must be followed by the infinitive with "to" (decide to eat / want to eat).
Test 2
Questions 19-24
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The History of Breakfast Cereal
Breakfast cereal is a very popular food for many people around the world. Most people eat it in the (19)…………… before they go to school or work. It is very quick to prepare. You just put a large (20)…………… of cereal on the table, and then add cold (21)…………… to make it soft.
The story of this famous food began over one hundred years ago in the United States. Doctors wanted to create a (22)…………… meal to help sick people get better. It was a great success. Soon, business people started making the food in a large (23)…………… because everybody wanted to buy it.
Today, you can find many different kinds of cereal in tall (24)…………… at the supermarket. Some have chocolate or fruit in them, but they are all delicious!
19 A morning B afternoon C evening
20 A bowl B piece C slice
21 A milk B juice C water
22 A healthy B fit C well
23 A factory B hospital C market
24 A boxes B cups C plates
Answer Key & Explanations
19 A (morning): The context tells us people eat this meal "before they go to school or work", which happens at the start of the day in the "morning".
20 A (bowl): We use the phrase "a bowl of" for food like cereal or soup that needs a deep dish. We use "piece" or "slice" for solid foods like cake or bread.
21 A (milk): This is the correct semantic fit. "Milk" is the cold liquid normally added to dry cereal. "Juice" or "water" would be very unnatural here.
22 A (healthy): We use the adjective "healthy" to describe food that is good for your body. "Fit" and "well" are used to describe a person's physical condition, not a meal.
23 A (factory): A "factory" is a large building where things (like food) are made in large amounts to be sold. "Hospital" is a distractor because doctors are mentioned earlier, but you do not produce food to sell there.
24 A (boxes): Cereal is usually sold in tall cardboard or paper containers called "boxes". "Cups" are small and used for hot drinks, and "plates" are completely flat.
Test 3
Questions 19-24
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The History of Rice
Rice is one of the most popular foods in the world today. For millions of families, it is a very (19)…………… part of their daily meals. But where did this delicious food come from?
In (20)…………… times, people could not just buy a bag of rice at the supermarket. Thousands of years ago, early (21)…………… in Asia were the first people to plant it. Because rice plants need a lot of space, they created special (22)…………… for them.
They also learned something else. Rice is different from other plants because it needs to stay very wet. Because of this, people usually (23)…………… the young plants in a few centimetres of (24)…………… . Today, people all over the world enjoy eating this healthy food!
19 A important B careful C strong
20 A past B old C ancient
21 A farmers B mechanics C builders
22 A parks B fields C gardens
23 A hold B keep C stay
24 A ice B milk C water
Answer Key & Explanations
19 A (important): This is the correct semantic fit to describe a significant or necessary part of someone's meals. "Careful" is used to describe a person's actions, and "strong" is used for physical power or intense flavors.
20 C (ancient): "Ancient times" is the correct natural English collocation for a period very long ago in history. We say "in the past" or "the old days," so "past times" and "old times" do not fit naturally here.
21 A (farmers): This fits the phrase-level context of people whose job is to "plant" crops and work on the land. "Mechanics" fix machines or cars, and "builders" make houses.
22 B (fields): "Fields" is the correct semantic fit for large areas of land used for agriculture and growing crops. "Parks" are public spaces for recreation, and "gardens" are typically small areas for plants right next to a house.
23 B (keep): "Keep" is the correct collocation (keep something somewhere) for maintaining an object in a specific state or place. You "hold" something in your hands, and "stay" cannot take a direct object (you cannot "stay" the plants).
24 C (water): This fits the broader context of the previous sentence, which states the plants need to stay "very wet." Plants do not grow in "ice" or "milk."