A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 5 Test – Classroom Excuses: Apologies & Polite Declines 4

25 for

– Why it's right: We always use the preposition 'for' after 'thank you' when we are explaining the reason we are thanking someone.

– Why not 'to': We do not use 'to' before an -ing verb (asking) when saying thank you.

26 but

– Why it's right: We use 'but' to connect two opposite ideas. Lucas thinks the dance is a good idea, which is positive, but he cannot go, which is negative.

– Why not 'because': 'Because' is used to give a reason, but here Lucas needs to show a contrast between his two thoughts.

27 am

– Why it's right: The subject of the sentence is 'I', so we must use the helping verb 'am' to make the 'am going to' future form.

– Why not 'is': We only use 'is' with singular subjects like 'he', 'she', or 'it', never with 'I'.

28 in

– Why it's right: We use the preposition 'in' when we talk about towns, cities, or villages where a person lives.

– Why not 'on': We use 'on' for flat surfaces or streets, but a village is an area that you live inside of.

29 a

– Why it's right: We must use the indefinite article 'a' to complete the very common English phrase 'have a good time'.

– Why not 'the': We use 'the' for specific things, but here Lucas is talking about having a general good time, not one exact moment.

30 to

– Why it's right: We use the preposition 'to' after the verb 'go' when we are talking about travelling in the direction of an event or place.

– Why not 'at': 'At' is used to show where you already are, but here Lucas is asking about moving towards the dance.

25 when

– Why it's right: We use when to show that a shorter action (starting to rain) interrupted a longer continuous action (walking home).

– Why not 'while': We use while before a long action with an -ing verb (like while I was walking), not before a past simple verb like started.

26 of

– Why it's right: We use the preposition of to complete the phrase out of, which shows movement from inside a place to outside it.

– Why not 'from': We say something falls from a table, but if it is inside something (like a bag), it falls out of it.

27 so

– Why it's right: We use so to talk about the result of something. The result of the pages being wet is that Sophia feels terrible.

– Why not 'because': Because gives a reason for something, but here Sophia is explaining the result of the ruined book.

28 a

– Why it's right: We use the article a before a singular, countable noun (like new book) when we introduce it for the first time.

– Why not 'the': We use the when we are talking about a specific item the reader already knows, but Sophia is talking about buying any new copy.

29 how

– Why it's right: We always use the question word how together with much to ask about the price or cost of something.

– Why not 'what': You can ask "what is the price", but you must say "how much" when asking about cost.

30 with

– Why it's right: We use the preposition with to talk about doing an activity together in the company of another person.

– Why not 'by': We use by to talk about how we travel (like by bus), but we use with for people.

25 to

– Why it's right: We use "to" followed by a base verb (like "say") to explain the reason or purpose for doing an action.

– Why not 'for': We cannot put "for" directly before an action verb like "say"; "for" must be followed by a noun or an "-ing" word.

26 on

– Why it's right: We use the preposition "on" when we talk about flat surfaces, like leaving an object on top of a desk or a table.

– Why not 'in': We use "in" when something is inside a container or a drawer, but objects like wallets are usually left on top of a desk.

27 because

– Why it's right: We use "because" to give a reason. Here, James is explaining the exact reason why he feels very bad.

– Why not 'so': "So" is used to show the result of a situation, not the reason for it.

28 the

– Why it's right: We use "the" to talk about a specific thing that both people already know about. They both know James is talking about the specific lunch money from today.

– Why not 'some': Using "some" means a general, unknown amount of money, but James needs to pay back a specific amount.

29 in

– Why it's right: We always use the preposition "in" to talk about parts of the day, like "in the morning", "in the afternoon", or "in the evening".

– Why not 'at': We use "at" for exact clock times (like "at 9 a.m.") or the word night ("at night"), but never for the morning.

30 me

– Why it's right: "Me" is an object pronoun that receives the action. It perfectly completes the very common English phrase "let me know" (which means "tell me").

– Why not 'I': "I" is a subject pronoun used to start a sentence, but here we need an object pronoun after the verb "let".