A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 3 Test – After-School Passions 4
Reading » A2 Reading Tests » A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 3 Test – After-School Passions
Test 1
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Keeping your school memories safe
16-year-old Quinn writes a blog about a fun art project.
My name is Quinn and I am 16 years old. This is my final year at school, and next summer I am going to leave. I really want to remember all the amazing times I had with my classmates. So, I decided to start a special hobby called a memory scrapbook. I am writing this blog today because I want to share some helpful ideas on how you can make a beautiful one.
A scrapbook is a large empty book where you can keep different things from your daily life. A lot of my friends just put their photographs in them, but I think it is a great idea to include other small items, too. For example, keeping old cinema tickets from the weekends with your classmates is brilliant. You can also keep bus tickets from special school trips and write a short story next to them.
However, when I first started my scrapbook last month, I made a very bad mistake. I bought a large bottle of liquid glue from the supermarket to stick my pictures onto the pages. This was a terrible idea! Because the glue was very wet, it changed the shape of the thin paper. When the pages finally dried, they became wrinkled and looked incredibly ugly. I actually had to cut three pages out of my book.
If you want to start a memory scrapbook, I have some excellent advice for you. You should definitely buy some double-sided sticky tape to use instead of wet glue. It is much cleaner and faster to use. If you choose this tape, your favourite photos and colourful pages will stay perfectly flat. It is simply the best way to keep your happy school memories safe!
14 Why is Quinn writing this blog?
A to help people create a great memory book
B to tell her classmates about a new summer job
C to show her teachers the photographs she took
15 What does Quinn think people should put in their scrapbooks?
A only the beautiful photographs of their friends
B small things like tickets from trips and the cinema
C a long story about what they did at the weekend
16 What was the problem with the liquid glue?
A It was too difficult to find in the supermarket.
B It ruined the pages because it was too wet.
C It took a long time to cut the pictures out.
17 What is Quinn's advice for the readers?
A Use a special tape to keep the pages looking good.
B Go to a large shop to buy some cleaner liquid glue.
C Keep your happy memories safe inside a flat box.
18 What is the best title for this text?
A Why I want to leave my school
B The best cinema and bus tickets
C How to make a perfect scrapbook
Answer Key & Explanations
14 A - Explanation: In paragraph 1, Quinn states, "I am writing this blog today because I want to share some helpful ideas on how you can make a beautiful one" (help people create a great memory book). Option B is a wrong reference trap; she mentions leaving next summer, but she isn't writing about a job. Option C is a wrong logic trap; she wants to remember times with her classmates, not show her photos to her teachers.
15 B - Explanation: In paragraph 2, Quinn says "it is a great idea to include other small items, too. For example, keeping old cinema tickets... bus tickets from special school trips". Option A is a wrong logic trap; she notes that her friends just (only) put photographs in, but she thinks they should include other things. Option C is a partial truth trap; she suggests writing a short story next to the tickets, not a long one.
16 B - Explanation: In paragraph 3, the text explains that "Because the glue was very wet... the pages finally dried, they became wrinkled and looked incredibly ugly" (it ruined the pages). Option A is a wrong logic trap; she bought it from the supermarket, but she never says it was difficult to find. Option C is a wrong reference trap; she had to cut pages out of her book because of the glue, not pictures.
17 A - Explanation: In paragraph 4, Quinn says you should "buy some double-sided sticky tape" and because of this, the "colourful pages will stay perfectly flat" (looking good). Option B is a wrong logic trap; she tells the reader to use tape instead of wet glue, so she is not telling them to buy cleaner glue. Option C is a wrong reference trap; she says the pages will stay flat, but she doesn't mention keeping memories inside a flat box.
18 C - Explanation: The text is an informative blog where Quinn shares her ideas and gives advice on the best way to create a memory book (How to make a perfect scrapbook). Option A is a wrong logic trap; she mentions leaving school in the first paragraph, but the text is about remembering it, not why she wants to leave. Option B is wrong focus; cinema and bus tickets are just one small detail from paragraph 2, not the main idea of the whole text.
Test 2
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A night with the stars
Fourteen-year-old Rose writes about her school astronomy club.
I'm Rose, and I am fourteen years old. I am very interested in space, so I joined the school astronomy club this year. Usually, our club meets in the afternoon to read books about the planets. But last Friday was different. Our teacher asked us to stay late at school because we wanted to look at the moon in the dark night sky.
We went up to the roof of the science building. There was a very large telescope waiting for us there. I was really excited because I had never used a real telescope before. My friends and I stood in a line, waiting for our turn to look at the stars and the moon.
However, when it was my turn, we had a big problem. I looked through the telescope, but everything was completely grey. I couldn't see the moon or any stars at all. At first, I thought the machine was broken. But then, we saw that the glass was just very dirty. It had a lot of dust on it because nobody had used it for a long time.
Luckily, our physics teacher, Mr Parker, knew exactly what to do. He didn't use a normal tissue or water, because that can break the telescope. Instead, he took a special soft cloth from his bag and cleaned the glass very carefully.
When he finished, I looked through the telescope again. It was amazing! I could see the moon perfectly, and I even saw the large holes on it for the very first time. It was the best club meeting ever. Next week, the club is going to use the telescope again to look for other planets, and I can't wait!
14 Why did the club meet late on Friday?
A They needed to read some books about planets.
B They wanted to see things in the night sky.
C They decided to start a new astronomy group.
15 How did Rose feel when she went to the roof?
A pleased because she was with all her friends
B surprised by the size of the science building
C excited to try a piece of equipment for the first time
16 What was the problem with the telescope?
A A part of the machine was broken.
B The glass was covered in dust.
C The night sky was too grey to see the moon.
17 How did Mr Parker fix the problem?
A He washed the glass with some water.
B He used something special from his bag to clean it.
C He asked the students to get a tissue for him.
18 What is Rose planning to do next week?
A try to find out about different planets
B take some photos of the holes on the moon
C buy a new telescope for the school club
Answer Key & Explanations
14 B - Explanation: The text states that the teacher asked them to stay late "because we wanted to look at the moon in the dark night sky." Option B correctly paraphrases this. Option A is a partial truth trap; they usually read books in the afternoon, but not on this late Friday meeting. Option C is wrong logic; she joined the club this year, but the meeting wasn't to start a new group.
15 C - Explanation: The text says Rose was "really excited because I had never used a real telescope before." Option C perfectly matches this feeling and reason. Option A is a partial truth trap; her friends were there, but that was not why she was excited. Option B is wrong reference; the telescope was very large, not the science building.
16 B - Explanation: The text explains that the glass "was just very dirty" and "had a lot of dust on it". Option B is a simple paraphrase of this problem. Option A is wrong logic; she thought it was broken at first, but it wasn't. Option C is a wrong logic trap; the sky wasn't grey, the dirty glass made everything look grey when she looked through it.
17 B - Explanation: The text states that Mr Parker "took a special soft cloth from his bag and cleaned the glass." Option B correctly matches this action. Option A is wrong logic because the text explicitly says he "didn't use a normal tissue or water". Option C is a wrong reference trap; the text mentions a tissue, but he didn't use one or ask students to get one.
18 A - Explanation: In the final paragraph, Rose says, "Next week, the club is going to use the telescope again to look for other planets". Option A perfectly summarises this future plan. Option B is wrong logic; she saw holes on the moon, but she never mentions taking photos of them. Option C is wrong logic; they will use the same telescope again, not buy a new one.
Test 3
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Learning to Juggle
13-year-old Sam writes about a new after-school activity.
My name is Sam, and I am 13 years old. Last month, my school started a fantastic new circus skills club. Students can go there to learn lots of fun things. When I heard about it, I immediately knew what I wanted to do. My dream was to learn how to juggle three balls at the same time. I thought it would be a cool trick to show my friends.
On the first day, our teacher showed us a box of equipment. I chose three bright red balls to practice with. They were made of hard, heavy plastic. I watched the teacher juggle very quickly. Because he made it look so simple, I felt sure that I could learn to do it in just one afternoon.
However, juggling is much harder than it looks! When I threw the three balls into the air, I couldn't catch them. The heavy plastic balls fell straight down onto my feet. I dropped them again and again, and they hit my toes very hard. Soon, my feet hurt a lot and I felt quite sad. I wanted to give up and go home.
Then, my teacher saw my problem and gave me some great advice. He told me to put the heavy plastic balls away. Instead, he gave me three soft beanbags. They were much lighter and didn't hurt my feet when they fell. With the soft bags, I finally started to learn the right rhythm for my hands.
Now, I am getting better every week. I can juggle the three beanbags for a whole minute without dropping them! I am really proud of myself because I didn't stop trying. Next month, our club is having a big show, and I am going to perform on stage!
14 What did Sam want to do at the new club?
A learn a specific skill to show his friends
B try lots of different circus activities
C start a new club for his schoolmates
15 How did Sam feel on his first day at the club?
A He thought the plastic balls were too heavy for him.
B He was surprised the teacher dropped the balls.
C He believed juggling would be easy to learn.
16 What problem did Sam have with the plastic balls?
A They caused him a lot of pain.
B They broke when they hit the floor.
C He threw them too high in the air.
17 Why were the beanbags better for Sam?
A The teacher showed him how to catch them.
B They didn't hurt him when he made a mistake.
C They helped his hands to grow stronger.
18 What is Sam planning to do next month?
A teach other students how to use beanbags
B juggle in front of an audience
C practise juggling for a whole minute
Answer Key & Explanations
14 A - Explanation: In paragraph 1, Sam says, "My dream was to learn how to juggle three balls... I thought it would be a cool trick to show my friends," matching A (a specific skill). B is a partial truth trap; the club lets students "learn lots of fun things," but Sam immediately knew the one specific thing he wanted to do. C is a wrong reference trap; the school started the club, not Sam.
15 C - Explanation: In paragraph 2, Sam watched the teacher and says, "Because he made it look so simple, I felt sure that I could learn to do it in just one afternoon." This matches C (believed it would be easy). A is a wrong logic trap; the balls were heavy, but at this point in the story, he didn't think they were a problem yet. B is a wrong reference; it was Sam who dropped the balls later, not the teacher.
16 A - Explanation: Paragraph 3 explains that the heavy plastic balls hit his toes and "my feet hurt a lot", which matches A (caused him pain). B is wrong logic; the balls hit his feet, but the text never says they broke. C is a wrong logic trap; he says he threw them in the air and couldn't catch them, but he doesn't say he threw them too high.
17 B - Explanation: In paragraph 4, Sam says the beanbags "were much lighter and didn't hurt my feet when they fell", which makes B the correct answer. A is a wrong reference trap; the teacher gave him advice to use the beanbags, but didn't show him how to catch them. C is wrong logic; the beanbags helped him learn the rhythm, not make his hands stronger.
18 B - Explanation: This question focuses on the final paragraph detail. Sam states that next month his club is having a big show and he is "going to perform on stage", matching B (audience). A is wrong reference; he is going to perform, not teach other students. C is a partial truth trap; he can already juggle for a minute now, it is not his plan for next month.