A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 3 Test – Creative Cash 3
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Test 1
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Chris's cool shoe art
Fourteen-year-old Chris writes about his interesting hobby.
Fourteen-year-old Chris loves art and fashion. Because of this, he has a really fun hobby that also helps him earn some extra pocket money. His classmates give him their old, plain white trainers, and Chris paints cool, colourful pictures on them. He really enjoys making boring shoes look new and interesting.
Last week, his good friend Sam asked for some help. Sam wanted to wear some special shoes to a big family party. He gave Chris his white trainers and asked him to paint them a nice, dark blue colour. Chris was excited to do this and started working in his bedroom on Saturday morning.
However, there was a big problem. Chris used some new paint, but he didn't look at the bottle carefully. When he put the colour on the shoes, it was a very bright, light blue. Chris felt terrible about his mistake. He knew that his friend only liked dark colours. He couldn't give Sam bright blue shoes!
Chris didn't want to wash all the paint off and start again, so he had to think fast. He remembered a lesson from his school art classes. He quickly found some dark green paint and carefully mixed it into the bright blue on the shoes. Slowly, the colour changed to an amazing, dark blue-green.
When Sam saw his trainers the next day, he was very happy. He actually liked the new colour much more than his first idea and paid Chris some extra money. Chris was really pleased with his clever work. Next month, he is going to make a short video about mixing paints to help other young artists online.
14 What does Chris do for his classmates?
A He buys them cool new shoes.
B He makes their old trainers look better.
C He helps them with their school art projects.
15 What did Sam want Chris to do?
A go to a big family party with him
B put a dark colour on his white trainers
C choose some special shoes for him to wear
16 Why did Chris feel terrible?
A His friend was angry about the shoes.
B He used the wrong kind of blue paint.
C He broke a bottle of paint in his bedroom.
17 How did Chris solve the problem?
A He put a different colour on top of the blue.
B He asked his school art teacher to help him.
C He washed the blue paint off the trainers.
18 What is Chris planning to do next month?
A ask Sam to give him some extra cash
B buy some amazing new paint from a shop
C show people on the internet how to do something
Answer Key & Explanations
14 B - Explanation: In paragraph 1, the text says Chris gets "old, plain white trainers" from his classmates and paints them because he enjoys "making boring shoes look new and interesting." Option B paraphrases this perfectly. A is a wrong logic trap; he gets old trainers from his classmates, he doesn't buy them new ones. C is a wrong reference trap; the text mentions "school art classes" later, but he paints shoes for pocket money, not for their school projects.
15 B - Explanation: In paragraph 2, Sam gave Chris his white trainers and "asked him to paint them a nice, dark blue colour." Option B matches this request. A is a wrong reference trap; Sam wanted shoes to wear to a party, but he didn't ask Chris to go with him. C is a partial truth trap; Sam wanted special shoes, but he already had them and just needed Chris to paint them, not choose them.
16 B - Explanation: In paragraph 3, Chris felt terrible because he didn't look at the bottle carefully and used a "very bright, light blue" instead of dark blue. Option B matches this mistake. A is a wrong logic trap; Chris felt terrible because he knew his friend only liked dark colours, but his friend hadn't seen the shoes yet, so he wasn't angry. C is a wrong logic trap; he didn't look at the paint bottle carefully, but he never broke it on the floor.
17 A - Explanation: In paragraph 4, Chris "found some dark green paint and carefully mixed it into the bright blue on the shoes." Option A matches adding another colour. B is a partial truth trap; Chris "remembered a lesson" from his art classes, but he didn't ask his teacher for help. C is a wrong logic trap; the text specifically says Chris "didn't want to wash all the paint off".
18 C - Explanation: In the final paragraph, Chris decides "he is going to make a short video about mixing paints to help other young artists online." Option C perfectly describes this plan. A is a wrong logic trap; Sam already paid him extra money; he is not planning to ask for more. B is a wrong reference trap; mixing paints is mentioned, but Chris isn't planning to buy amazing new paint next month.
Test 2
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Art Cupboard
13-year-old Diana writes about a special job she did at school.
Hi, I'm Diana, and I'm 13 years old. I love art, so my favourite place in school is the art room. Last week, my art teacher asked me to do a very important job. The large cupboard where we keep all the art things was very messy. She wanted me to organise everything and make it clean. I decided to do this special job during my lunch break. I was happy to help because I wanted to show her that I could be responsible.
When I opened the cupboard doors, there were brushes and paper everywhere. First, I put the paper on the top shelf and the brushes in some cups. Then, I found lots of tubes of paint. Some were oil paints and some were acrylic paints. I tried to put them away quickly, but I made a big mistake. I put all the tubes into one big box because the outside of the tubes looked exactly the same. They were all silver with black tops.
Suddenly, I realised that students couldn't use the paints if they were all mixed together. I knew I had to fix the problem before lunch finished. I looked at the tubes again very carefully. I saw that there were tiny words on the back of each one. It took a long time, but I read every small label. Then, I sorted the tubes carefully and put the oil paints in a red box and the acrylic paints in a blue box.
When my teacher came back into the room, she looked inside the cupboard and smiled. She thanked me for working so hard and doing such a great job. I felt very proud of my work. Now, the art room is much easier to use. Next week, the teacher is going to let me help her choose the new paints for our next school project. I am really excited about doing that!
14 Why was Diana happy to clean the cupboard?
A She wanted to show that she could do an important job.
B She wanted to paint a new picture during her lunch break.
C Her teacher gave her some free art things to take home.
15 What mistake did Diana make with the paints?
A She lost the black tops for the silver tubes.
B She threw the boxes away because they were empty.
C She put two different kinds of paint in the same place.
16 How did Diana fix the problem with the paints?
A She read the little writing on the back of the tubes.
B She asked another student to help her sort them out.
C She painted one box red and another box blue.
17 What happened when the art teacher came back?
A She helped Diana clean the inside of the cupboard.
B She was very pleased with Diana's hard work.
C She asked Diana to make the room easier to use.
18 What is Diana going to do next week?
A help to decide what new art things to get
B use the new paints to finish her school project
C clean the rest of the art room for the teacher
Answer Key & Explanations
14 A - Explanation: The text in paragraph 1 says, "I was happy to help because I wanted to show her that I could be responsible." This matches option A (showing she can do an important job). Option B is a partial truth trap; it uses the words "lunch break", but she spent her break cleaning, not painting. Option C is wrong logic; the text doesn't mention the teacher giving her free things to take home.
15 C - Explanation: The text in paragraph 2 says, "I put all the tubes into one big box". This means she mixed the two different kinds of paint in the same place. Option A is a partial truth; the text mentions "silver with black tops", but she didn't lose them. Option B is wrong logic; she put the tubes into a box, but she didn't throw empty boxes away.
16 A - Explanation: The text in paragraph 3 says, "I saw that there were tiny words on the back of each one... I read every small label." This matches reading the little writing. Option B is a wrong reference trap; the text mentions students earlier, but nobody helped her fix the problem. Option C is wrong logic; she put the paints into a red box and a blue box, but she didn't paint the boxes herself.
17 B - Explanation: The text in paragraph 4 says the teacher "smiled" and "thanked me for working so hard and doing such a great job." This means she was very pleased. Option A is a partial truth; the teacher looked "inside the cupboard", but she didn't help clean it. Option C is wrong logic; the room is already easier to use because Diana finished the job; the teacher didn't ask her to do it again.
18 A - Explanation: This question tests the final paragraph detail. The text says, "Next week, the teacher is going to let me help her choose the new paints". This matches helping to decide what new art things to get. Option B is a partial truth trap; it mentions "new paints" and a "school project", but she is only choosing the paints, not using them to finish a project yet. Option C is incorrect because she is not cleaning the rest of the room.
Test 3
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
My weekend job as a street musician
Fifteen-year-old Evan writes a blog about playing his guitar for money.
My name is Evan, and I am 15 years old. I write a blog about music, and today I want to talk about my weekend job. Every Saturday and Sunday, I sit outside a popular coffee shop in my town and play my acoustic guitar. People who visit the café listen to my music, and if they like it, they leave some money in my guitar case. It is a fantastic way to earn some extra cash.
There are many great things about this job. The best part is that I can choose what music to play. I really love playing my favourite rock and pop songs. It is a wonderful feeling when customers smile or sing with me. Sometimes, people even ask me to play a special song for them. I don't feel like I am working because I am just doing my favourite hobby.
However, playing music in the street is not always easy. Last weekend, I had a very embarrassing problem. I was playing a really fast song, and my hands were moving quickly. Suddenly, one of my guitar strings broke! It made a terrible noise, and everyone looked at me. I couldn't finish the song, and I felt very silly. I had to stop playing and go all the way home.
Because of this, I want to give some useful advice to other street musicians. You should always keep an extra set of guitar strings inside your guitar case. If a string breaks, you don't have to stop working. You can fix the problem quickly, start playing again, and keep earning money. It is a simple idea, but it really helps!
14 How does Evan get money from his job?
A Customers at the café give it to him.
B The coffee shop pays him for his music.
C Other street musicians leave cash for him.
15 What is the best thing about the job for Evan?
A He decides which songs he wants to play.
B He learns new music from the customers.
C He enjoys singing with the café workers.
16 Why did Evan feel embarrassed last weekend?
A He played a fast song really badly.
B Part of his instrument broke and made a noise.
C Everyone looked at him because he stopped playing.
17 What advice does Evan give to other musicians?
A carry an extra guitar to work
B have some spare strings with them
C take a long break when they have a problem
18 What is Evan's main reason for writing the blog?
A to explain how to get a job at a coffee shop
B to talk about his experience of playing music for tips
C to tell people which acoustic guitars are the best to buy
Answer Key & Explanations
14 A - Explanation: In the first paragraph, the text states "People who visit the café... leave some money in my guitar case." Option B is wrong logic; he sits outside the shop, but the shop itself does not pay him. Option C is wrong reference; the customers leave money, not other street musicians.
15 A - Explanation: In the second paragraph, Evan says "The best part is that I can choose what music to play." Option B is wrong logic; customers sometimes ask for a special song, but the text doesn't say he learns new music from them. Option C is wrong reference; it is the customers who sing with him, not the café workers.
16 B - Explanation: In the third paragraph, Evan explains that "one of my guitar strings broke! It made a terrible noise," which made him feel silly (embarrassed). Option A is wrong logic; he was playing a fast song, but he didn't play it badly. Option C is a partial truth; everyone looked at him, but this was because of the sudden terrible noise, not because he stopped playing.
17 B - Explanation: In the final paragraph, Evan advises musicians to "keep an extra set of guitar strings inside your guitar case." Option A is wrong reference; he tells them to carry extra strings, not a whole extra guitar. Option C is wrong logic; he says if they have extra strings, they "don't have to stop working," which is the opposite of taking a long break.
18 B - Explanation: This is a global question. The whole text is a blog post about Evan's weekend job sitting outside a café, playing guitar for money (tips), the pros and cons of it, and his advice. Option A is wrong logic; he sits outside a coffee shop, but he doesn't explain how to get a job working inside one. Option C is wrong logic; he mentions his acoustic guitar, but he does not review or recommend which ones to buy.