A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 3 Test – Classrooms Without Walls 3
Reading » A2 Reading Tests » A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 3 Test – Classrooms Without Walls
Test 1
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A surprising painting
Sometimes you need to know the story to understand the art!
Fourteen-year-old Victor loves his art lessons at school. Last week, his teacher planned a special trip for his class. They travelled by bus to a big museum in the capital city. The teacher wanted them to see a very famous modern painting. Victor was excited because he usually enjoys drawing and painting. He expected to see a beautiful picture of people or nature.
When they arrived at the museum, they walked through many large rooms. Finally, the teacher stopped in front of the famous painting. Victor looked at it carefully, but he felt very surprised. The picture didn't show a person, an animal or a beautiful place. It was just some big blue and black squares on a white background.
Victor felt quite disappointed. He thought the picture looked very easy to make. He quietly said to his best friend, "I don't understand why this is famous. I could easily paint these simple squares in five minutes!" He wanted to walk away and look at something else in the museum. He thought the trip was a bit boring.
But then, his art teacher started to speak to the class. She explained the sad story behind the painting. The artist painted those dark squares after his family lost their home in a bad fire. The dark colours showed his unhappy feelings. Suddenly, Victor understood that art isn't always about painting pretty things.
Victor didn't want to walk away anymore. He stayed in front of the picture and took a long time looking at it quietly. He felt a lot of respect for the artist. Because of this trip, Victor is going to read a book about modern art before his next class!
14 Why was Victor excited about the school trip?
A He wanted to show his drawings to a famous artist.
B He hoped to see a pretty painting of the natural world.
C He planned to visit the capital city with his parents.
15 What did Victor see when he looked at the painting?
A some simple shapes in different colours
B a picture of a large room in the museum
C a beautiful place that he knew well
16 Why did Victor feel disappointed?
A He couldn't find his best friend in the museum.
B He thought it took five minutes to walk to the next room.
C He believed he could make the same picture without difficulty.
17 The teacher explained that the artist
A lost his dark paintings in a bad fire.
B used the colours to show how sad he was.
C painted his family's new home in the picture.
18 What is Victor planning to do next?
A buy a new painting for his art class
B learn more about modern art from a book
C spend a long time drawing a picture of a fire
Answer Key & Explanations
14 B - Explanation: The correct answer is B because the text says Victor "expected to see a beautiful picture of people or nature" (the natural world). Option A is wrong logic; he likes drawing, but he didn't go there to show his work to an artist. Option C is a partial truth trap; he visited the capital city, but he went with his class on a school trip, not with his parents.
15 A - Explanation: The correct answer is A because the painting was just "big blue and black squares" (simple shapes in different colours). Option B is a wrong reference trap; the text says they walked through large rooms, but the painting didn't show a room. Option C is wrong logic; the text explicitly states the picture "didn't show a person, an animal or a beautiful place."
16 C - Explanation: The correct answer is C because Victor thought he could "easily paint these simple squares" (make the same picture without difficulty). Option A is a wrong reference trap; the text mentions his best friend, but Victor spoke to him; he didn't lose him. Option B is a wrong reference trap; he said he could paint the picture in five minutes, not that it took five minutes to walk away.
17 B - Explanation: The correct answer is B because the text says "The dark colours showed his unhappy feelings" (how sad he was). Option A is a wrong logic trap; the artist lost his home in a fire, not his paintings. Option C is a partial truth trap; the artist's family and home are mentioned, but the artist painted dark squares, not a picture of a new home.
18 B - Explanation: The correct answer is B because the final paragraph says Victor is going to "read a book about modern art". Option A is a wrong logic trap; he has an art class next, but he isn't buying a new painting for it. Option C is a wrong reference trap; the story mentions a fire, but Victor is going to read, not draw a picture of a fire.
Test 2
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Speaking Spanish in the real world!
Fifteen-year-old Wendy blogs about a language project on her school trip.
My name is Wendy and I am 15 years old. Last week, I went on a fantastic school trip to Spain with my classmates. Our teacher gave us a special language project to do while we were there. We had to visit a large Spanish market, talk to the local people, and ask them some questions in Spanish. I am writing this blog to tell other students about my experience.
When my friends and I arrived at the market, I felt a little worried. I thought the sellers would be too busy to talk to us. But I quickly learned that the local people were very friendly. When we asked them our questions, they were happy to stop working for a minute and help us. They smiled a lot and gave us lots of interesting information.
However, the project was quite difficult for one big reason. At school, we usually listen to Spanish conversations on a CD in our classroom. On the CD, the speakers talk very slowly and clearly. But in the real market, people speak incredibly fast! It was much harder to catch all the words, and sometimes I completely failed to understand their answers.
Overall, interviewing people in another country is brilliant, but you have to be ready. If you have to do a project like this, I have some good advice. First, you should politely ask people to speak more slowly. Second, you can point at objects around you, like fresh fruit or clothes, while you talk. This makes it much easier to understand the new words. Don't be afraid to try!
14 Why did Wendy decide to write this blog?
A to describe her school project experience to other students
B to ask her classmates for help with her language homework
C to tell people about the best Spanish markets to visit
15 What does Wendy say about the people in the market?
A They were too busy working to talk to her.
B They were happy to answer the students' questions.
C They asked the students a lot of interesting questions.
16 Why was the language project difficult for Wendy?
A The speakers on the classroom CDs talked too quietly.
B The people in the market spoke very quickly.
C The classroom CDs were harder to understand than real people.
17 What advice does Wendy give to other students?
A Point at things around you to help you understand.
B Ask the sellers to show you their fruit and clothes.
C Tell the people to stop working while you talk.
18 What is the best title for this blog?
A The most interesting markets to visit in Spain
B Practising a new language in the real world
C How to get top marks in your school language exams
Answer Key & Explanations
14 A - Explanation: In the first paragraph, Wendy says "I am writing this blog to tell other students about my experience", which matches option A. Option B is a wrong logic trap; she is writing to share her experience, not to ask her classmates for help. Option C is a partial truth trap; she mentions visiting a Spanish market, but writing a travel guide about the best markets is not her reason for writing the blog.
15 B - Explanation: In the second paragraph, Wendy says "When we asked them our questions, they were happy to stop working for a minute and help us." This matches option B. Option A is a wrong logic trap; Wendy thought they would be too busy, but they were actually very friendly. Option C is a wrong reference trap; the students asked the questions, not the local people.
16 B - Explanation: In the third paragraph, Wendy explains that the project was difficult because "in the real market, people speak incredibly fast!" This makes option B correct. Option A is a wrong logic trap; the text says the CDs were spoken "clearly," not quietly. Option C reverses the facts (wrong logic); the CDs were slow and easy, but the real people were harder to understand.
17 A - Explanation: In the final paragraph, Wendy advises students that they "can point at objects around you... This makes it much easier to understand the new words." This matches option A. Option B is a wrong logic trap; she says to point at fruit and clothes to communicate, not to ask the sellers to show them to you. Option C is a wrong reference trap; the text in paragraph two says the sellers were happy to stop working to help, but Wendy doesn't advise students to tell them to stop working.
18 B - Explanation: This is a global question. The blog is about Wendy taking what she learned in a language classroom and using it with real people in a real market, making option B the best title. Option A is a partial truth trap; she talks about a market, but it is not a review of the most interesting markets. Option C is wrong logic; she talks about a school project, but she doesn't give advice on how to pass exams.
Test 3
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A special trip on the sea
16-year-old Alex writes about a school biology trip.
Hi, I’m Alex and I’m 16 years old. I really love learning about animals. Last week, my biology teacher took our class on a special school trip. We didn't stay in our normal classroom at school. Instead, we travelled to the coast and went on a large boat to study marine life, which means the plants and animals that live in the ocean. I was very excited before we left because I had never been on a boat before.
At first, the weather was sunny and the sea was very quiet. We saw some beautiful birds flying in the sky, and the teacher told us lots of interesting facts about them. My friends and I took a lot of photos with our phones. We thought it was going to be a brilliant and relaxing day out.
However, after an hour, the weather changed completely. The wind became very strong and the waves on the sea got really big. The boat started to move up and down very quickly. Because of this, my stomach began to hurt and I felt terribly seasick. I stopped taking photos and sat down. I felt so bad that I just wanted the driver to turn around and go back to the beach!
Suddenly, my friend pointed at the water. A large group of dolphins was swimming right next to our boat! They were jumping high into the air and playing in the waves. They looked incredibly beautiful and fast. I was so happy watching them that I completely forgot about feeling sick. Now, I definitely want to study ocean animals when I go to university in the future!
14 Why was Alex excited about the school trip?
A He wanted to learn about plants in his classroom.
B He was going to travel on a boat for the first time.
C He was finally going to teach a biology class.
15 What did the students do at the beginning of the trip?
A They learned how to take good photos of birds.
B They enjoyed the brilliant weather on the beach.
C They listened to information about some birds.
16 Why did Alex want to return to the beach?
A The movement of the boat made him feel ill.
B The strong wind broke his mobile phone.
C The driver of the boat told him to sit down.
17 What happened when the dolphins appeared?
A Alex's friend jumped into the water with them.
B Alex stopped feeling ill because he was so happy.
C Alex started taking lots of photos of them in the waves.
18 What is Alex planning to do in the future?
A get a job driving a large boat on the coast
B learn more about marine life at university
C take his friends on a boat to see the dolphins
Answer Key & Explanations
14 B - Explanation: The correct answer is B because Alex says, "I was very excited before we left because I had never been on a boat before." Option A is a wrong reference; the text mentions studying plants and animals (marine life) and the classroom, but they did not stay in their classroom. Option C is wrong logic; the biology teacher took the class, but Alex is a student, not the teacher.
15 C - Explanation: The correct answer is C because the text states that "the teacher told us lots of interesting facts about them [the birds]." Option A is wrong logic; they took photos of the birds, but they didn't learn how to take photos. Option B is a partial truth mixed with a wrong reference; the weather was brilliant, but they were already on the boat, not on the beach.
16 A - Explanation: The correct answer is A because the boat "started to move up and down very quickly" and this made his stomach hurt and he "felt terribly seasick" (ill). Option B is wrong logic; he stopped taking photos with his phone, but the wind didn't break it. Option C is a wrong reference; he sat down, but the driver didn't tell him to do that.
17 B - Explanation: The correct answer is B because Alex says he was "so happy watching them that I completely forgot about feeling sick." Option A is wrong logic; his friend pointed at the water, but didn't jump into it. Option C uses the words "taking photos," but this is a wrong reference (he took photos earlier in the trip, but he just watched the dolphins).
18 B - Explanation: The correct answer is B because in the final sentence, Alex says, "I definitely want to study ocean animals when I go to university in the future!" Option A is wrong logic and is not mentioned in the text. Option C is wrong logic; he wants to study the animals, not take his friends on a boat trip.