A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 5 Test – Tech Disconnects: Apologies & Polite Refusals 8

25 the

– Why it's right: We use the definite article the because both Charlotte and her brother know exactly which specific living room she is talking about (the one in their shared house).

– Why not 'a': We do not use a here because they are not talking about just any random room; a house usually only has one living room.

26 but

– Why it's right: We use but to connect two opposite or contrasting ideas. Trying to dry the keyboard is a positive action, which contrasts with the negative result that it is still broken.

– Why not 'so': We use so to show a result that makes sense, but drying the keyboard did not cause it to stop working.

27 an

– Why it's right: We use the article an instead of a before singular nouns and adjectives that begin with a vowel sound, like the 'i' in important.

– Why not 'a': We cannot use a directly before a word that starts with an 'i' sound because it is difficult to say smoothly.

28 to

– Why it's right: We use to after the word going when we talk about our future plans and intentions (are going to + the base verb).

– Why not 'for': We never use for immediately before a base verb like buy when we are talking about future plans.

29 me

– Why it's right: We need the object pronoun me to refer back to Charlotte, because she is the person who will receive the phone call.

– Why not 'I': We must use an object pronoun like me after an action verb like call; we never use the subject pronoun I as the object of a sentence.

30 am

– Why it's right: The word am is the correct present simple form of the verb to be when we use it with the subject pronoun I (I am / I'm).

– Why not 'are': We use are with the pronouns you, we, and they, but never with the pronoun I.

25 but

– Why it's right: We use 'but' to connect two opposite ideas. The website looking interesting is a positive idea, and not wanting to use it is a negative idea.

– Why not 'because': 'Because' gives a reason for something, but here we need a word to show a contrast.

26 he

– Why it's right: 'My older brother' is a boy, so we use the subject pronoun 'he' to show who did the action of getting the virus.

– Why not 'him': 'Him' is an object pronoun, but we need a subject pronoun here before the verb 'got'.

27 a

– Why it's right: We use the article 'a' before a singular noun phrase ('better website') when we are talking about it generally, not one specific page.

– Why not 'the': We only use 'the' when we are talking about a specific thing that the reader already knows about.

28 are

– Why it's right: We use 'there are' to talk about things that exist in the plural form ('lots of good pages').

– Why not 'is': We use 'there is' for singular nouns, but 'pages' is plural.

29 Do

– Why it's right: We use 'Do' at the beginning of a question in the present simple tense with the pronoun 'you'.

– Why not 'Are': We use 'Are' with an -ing verb (like 'Are you working?'), but 'want' is a simple verb that needs 'Do' to make a question.

30 me

– Why it's right: The phrase 'let me know' is a very common fixed expression that means 'tell me' or 'give me information'.

– Why not 'I': We must use the object pronoun 'me' after the verb 'let', not the subject pronoun 'I'.

25 but

– Why it's right: We use "but" to show a contrast between two ideas. Amelia tried to stay awake, but the opposite thing happened and she fell asleep.

– Why not 'so': We use "so" to show a result. Falling asleep is not the result of trying to stay awake.

26 the

– Why it's right: We always use the definite article "the" in the fixed time phrase "in the afternoon" (just like "in the morning" or "in the evening").

– Why not 'an': We do not use "an" when talking about this specific, general part of the day; the phrase is always "in the afternoon".

27 on

– Why it's right: We use the preposition "on" when something is resting flat on top of a surface, like a laptop resting on a bed.

– Why not 'in': We use "in" when something is inside a container or boundary, but the laptop is sitting on top of the bed covers.

28 Did

– Why it's right: We use "Did" at the beginning of a sentence to ask a question about an action that started and finished in the past.

– Why not 'Do': The word "Do" is for present habits or routines, but Amelia is asking about the film they watched last night.

29 what

– Why it's right: We use "what" to ask for specific information about a thing or an event. Amelia wants to know the events of the movie ending.

– Why not 'that': We use "that" to connect known ideas, but we cannot use it here because the events at the end of the film are a mystery to Amelia.

30 would / 'd

– Why it's right: We always use "would" with "like to" (I would like to) when we want to talk about our wishes or desires in a polite way.

– Why not 'will': We can say "I will watch it", but it is grammatically incorrect to put "will" in front of the phrase "like to".