A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 5 Test – Holiday Memories: Recounting Trips & Journeys 1

25 the

– Why it's right: We always use the definite article the with ordinal numbers in common phrases like the first time or the second time.

– Why not 'a': We do not use a because there can only be one exact 'first' time, so we must use a specific article.

26 at

– Why it's right: We use the preposition at to talk about arriving at a specific building, point, or public place, like at the airport or at the station.

– Why not 'in': We usually say arrive in for large areas like cities or countries, but for specific buildings like an airport, we use at.

27 but

– Why it's right: We use but to connect two different ideas and show a contrast. The writer was nervous (which is scary), and the contrast is that they were also excited (which is happy).

– Why not 'so': We use so to show the result of a situation, but here we need a word that shows a difference between two mixed feelings.

28 of

– Why it's right: We always need the preposition of to complete the common fixed phrase look out of, which means to look from the inside of a place to the outside.

– Why not 'from': Although it sounds similar, the correct English expression for looking through a window or door is out of, not out from.

29 than

– Why it's right: We use than when we are comparing two different things. Here, the speed of the airplane is being compared to the speed of a car.

– Why not 'then': Then is used to talk about time or what happens next in a story, not for comparing two things.

30 would

– Why it's right: We use would with like to (as in I would like to) to talk about our wishes or what we want to do in the future.

– Why not 'will': We cannot say I will like to. We use will for future facts or predictions, but would like is the correct fixed phrase for wanting something.

25 it

– Why it's right: We always use the dummy pronoun 'it' as the subject when we talk about the weather, like 'it is sunny' or 'it rained'.

– Why not 'there': We use 'there' to say that something exists (like 'there was a storm'), but we cannot use it as a subject for the verb 'rain'.

26 our

– Why it's right: We need the possessive adjective 'our' because the sentence starts with 'We'. The fixed phrase 'on our way' means we were travelling to a place.

– Why not 'us': 'Us' is an object pronoun, but here we need a possessive word before the noun 'way' to show who is travelling.

27 but

– Why it's right: We use 'but' to link two ideas and show a difference or contrast. The dad tried to start the car, which is a positive action, but he failed.

– Why not 'because': We use 'because' to give a reason for why something happens, not to show a contrast between two different ideas.

28 for

– Why it's right: We use 'for' before a period of time, like 'two hours' or 'five days', to explain exactly how long an event lasts.

– Why not 'since': 'Since' is used for a specific starting point in time (like 'since 2 o'clock' or 'since Monday'), not a length of time.

29 Were

– Why it's right: We need the past tense 'to be' verb 'Were' to make a question with the subject 'you' and a place ('at home').

– Why not 'Did': We only use 'Did' when there is a main action verb in the question (like 'Did you go?'), but there is no action verb here.

30 to

– Why it's right: We always use the preposition 'to' after the verb 'try' to connect it to the main action verb ('call') and make the infinitive form.

– Why not 'for': We cannot use 'for' before a base action verb to show what someone is trying to do.

25 in

– Why it's right: We always use the preposition "in" when we talk about being inside a country, like "in Spain" or "in Mexico".

– Why not 'on': We use "on" for islands or flat surfaces, but we do not use it for countries.

26 to

– Why it's right: After the verb "want", we always use "to" plus another verb to talk about something we wish or desire to do.

– Why not 'for': We can use "for" before a noun (like "I want this for my birthday"), but we must use "to" right before a verb like "order".

27 but

– Why it's right: We use "but" to connect two different ideas in order to show a contrast or a problem.

– Why not 'so': We use "so" to show a result, but here Ben is contrasting his effort to use the dictionary with his big mistake.

28 was

– Why it's right: We need the past tense verb "was" because the subject is singular ("It") and this funny event already happened yesterday.

– Why not 'is': "Is" is for the present tense, but this story is about something that happened in the past.

29 Are

– Why it's right: We use the auxiliary verb "Are" at the beginning of a question to complete the "be going to" grammar structure for future plans with the subject "you".

– Why not 'Do': We use "Do" to ask about everyday habits, but we cannot put it right before the words "going to".

30 me

– Why it's right: We use the object pronoun "me" right after verbs like "tell" or "give" because Ben is the person receiving the message.

– Why not 'I': "I" is a subject pronoun used for doing an action, but here we need an object pronoun to receive the action.