A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 3 Test – Eco-Earners 2
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Test 1
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Weekend Gardener
Fourteen-year-old Sam writes about his first weekend job.
Fourteen-year-old Sam loves spending time outside in nature. Last month, he found a great weekend job. A friendly older lady called Mrs Gable asked him to help in her huge front garden. She wanted him to plant lots of bright spring flowers to make the house look beautiful. Sam was very excited to start earning some pocket money.
On his first Saturday, Mrs Gable gave Sam a big box of little white daisies. She explained that he could plant them anywhere he wanted in the garden. Sam looked around and decided to put them under a very big oak tree. He thought the flowers would look lovely next to the tree's thick brown trunk. He worked hard all afternoon to finish the job.
However, when Sam returned the next weekend, he saw a big problem. The little daisies didn't look healthy at all. Their leaves were yellow and they were starting to die. Sam felt very worried. He quickly checked the empty flower box and read the instructions. The box clearly said that daisies love hot sunlight. But the big oak tree made a dark shadow, so the flowers were too cold.
Sam knew he had to work fast. He carefully took the flowers out of the dark earth and carried them to the other side of the yard. This side was very sunny and warm. A few days later, Mrs Gable sent Sam a picture of the daisies. They looked beautiful and strong again! Sam was really pleased. He learned a lot about caring for plants, and in the future, he plans to read all the instructions before he plants anything new.
14 Why did Mrs Gable give Sam a job?
A She wanted to give him some pocket money.
B She needed someone to make her garden look pretty.
C She wanted him to spend more time outside.
15 What did Sam do on his first Saturday?
A He asked Mrs Gable where to put the daisies.
B He decided to plant the flowers near a tall tree.
C He rested under an oak tree all afternoon.
16 What was the problem with the daisies?
A They were not getting enough light.
B The flower box was completely empty.
C The weather was too hot for them.
17 How did Sam solve the problem?
A He took the flowers back to the garden shop.
B He asked Mrs Gable to send him a picture.
C He moved the plants to a brighter place.
18 What is Sam going to do in the future?
A check the rules for growing a plant first
B always plant his flowers in dark earth
C take more photos of Mrs Gable's garden
Answer Key & Explanations
14 B - Explanation: In paragraph 1, the text says Mrs Gable wanted him to plant flowers "to make the house look beautiful," which means she needed someone to make her garden look pretty. Option A is a wrong reference trap; Sam wanted pocket money, but that wasn't Mrs Gable's reason for hiring him. Option C is wrong logic; Sam already loves spending time outside.
15 B - Explanation: In paragraph 2, the text states that Sam decided to put the flowers "under a very big oak tree" and next to its "thick brown trunk." Option A is wrong logic; Mrs Gable told him he could plant them anywhere, so he didn't need to ask. Option C is a partial truth trap; he was under the oak tree, but he worked hard all afternoon, he didn't rest.
16 A - Explanation: Paragraph 3 explains that daisies love hot sunlight, but the tree made a "dark shadow", so they were too cold. This means they were not getting enough light. Option B is a partial truth trap; Sam checked the empty flower box to read the instructions, but the box wasn't the problem. Option C uses wrong logic; the daisies love hot sunlight, but they were actually too cold.
17 C - Explanation: In paragraph 4, Sam took the flowers out of the ground and carried them to the other side of the yard, which was "very sunny and warm." This matches moving them to a brighter place. Option A uses wrong logic; he took them out of the earth, not back to the shop. Option B is a partial truth; Mrs Gable sent a picture later, but Sam didn't ask for it, and it didn't solve the problem.
18 A - Explanation: In the final paragraph, Sam plans "to read all the instructions before he plants anything new," which is the same as checking the rules first. Option B is wrong logic; planting in the dark earth was his mistake, so he won't do it again. Option C is a wrong reference trap; Mrs Gable took a photo, but Sam is not planning to take photos.
Test 2
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Selling old clothes
16-year-old Tina writes about her part-time weekend job.
Hi, I'm Tina and I'm 16 years old. Welcome to my blog! Today, I want to write about a great way to help the environment and make some pocket money. Every month, my friends and I set up a market stall in our town. We sell second-hand clothes that people don't want to wear anymore. It is a fantastic idea because it stops good clothes from going in the bin, which is very important for our planet.
You can sell many different things at a clothes stall, like old jeans or summer dresses. However, I think selling old winter jackets is the best idea. People are always looking for warm coats, and they usually pay a good price for them. I make the most money when I sell these, so I always try to collect as many as possible before the market opens.
But running a stall isn't always easy. Before market day, I have a lot of difficult work to do. I have to wash all the clothes carefully and then iron them so they look nice and clean. If you have 50 items of clothing, this takes a very long time! By the time I finish doing this on Friday night, I usually feel extremely tired.
If you want to start your own clothes stall, I have one very important piece of advice for you. When you are busy at the market, customers will constantly ask you questions. To stop this, you should write the size of the clothes on a very big piece of paper. Then, put these paper tags on all the shirts and trousers. Customers can see the information immediately, and you can just relax and enjoy your day!
14 Why does Tina think her market stall is a fantastic idea?
A It stops people from throwing good things away.
B It is a great place to spend time with her friends.
C It helps her to buy lots of new clothes for herself.
15 Which clothes does Tina prefer to sell at her stall?
A summer dresses
B warm coats
C old jeans
16 How does Tina feel on Friday nights?
A worried about working at the market the next day
B angry that she has to wash exactly 50 things
C very tired after preparing all the items to sell
17 What is Tina's advice for new stall owners?
A Answer the customers' questions as quickly as possible.
B Use large pieces of paper to show the sizes of the clothes.
C Ask the customers to try on the shirts and trousers.
18 What is Tina's main purpose in writing this blog?
A to explain why it is important to wash our clothes often
B to describe what it is like to run a second-hand clothes stall
C to tell people which markets have the best winter jackets
Answer Key & Explanations
14 A - Explanation: The text says the stall is a fantastic idea because "it stops good clothes from going in the bin." Option B is a wrong logic trap: she does run the stall with her friends, but that is not the reason she says it's a fantastic idea for the planet. Option C is a wrong reference trap: she makes pocket money, but she is selling old clothes, not buying new ones for herself.
15 B - Explanation: The text says that "selling old winter jackets is the best idea" and people are always looking for "warm coats." Option A and Option C are partial truth traps: she mentions that you can sell dresses and jeans, but she clearly prefers selling jackets/coats because they make the most money.
16 C - Explanation: The text explains that washing and ironing takes a long time, and by Friday night, she feels "extremely tired" (very tired after preparing). Option A is a wrong logic trap: she is tired, but the text doesn't say she is worried about the market. Option B is a partial truth trap: she mentions having "50 items" as an example of why it takes a long time, but she isn't angry about it.
17 B - Explanation: Tina advises people to "write the size of the clothes on a very big piece of paper" (use large pieces of paper to show the sizes). Option A is a wrong logic trap: she says customers will ask questions, but her advice is to use tags to stop the questions, not to answer them quickly. Option C is a wrong reference trap: the text says to put tags on the shirts and trousers, it doesn't tell customers to try them on.
18 B - Explanation: This is a global question. The blog covers Tina's experiences of setting up a stall, what she sells, the hard work involved, and her advice for doing it. Option A is a partial truth trap: she mentions washing clothes for the market, but that is not the main purpose of the whole blog. Option C is a wrong logic trap: she talks about selling winter jackets, but she isn't telling people where to go buy them.
Test 3
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A great day at the beach
Fifteen-year-old Umar writes about cleaning his local beach.
Fifteen-year-old Umar goes to a youth club in his town every weekend. He loves his club, but they need new sports equipment. Last month, Umar saw some information online about a special environmental prize. A local business wanted to give £500 to a community group for helping nature. Umar decided to enter his club into the competition.
Umar wanted to clean up the local beach. He asked his friends from the youth club to help him. On Saturday morning, ten teenagers went down to the sea with large plastic bags. They worked really hard for three hours. They picked up old bottles, food boxes, and lots of other rubbish from the sand.
By lunchtime, they had ten full bags of rubbish. They were very tired, so they put the bags down near the water and sat down to eat their sandwiches. But suddenly, Umar noticed a big problem. The sea water was getting higher and coming very close to their bags. The waves were going to take all the rubbish back into the sea!
Umar shouted to his friends, and they all ran to the bags. They quickly pulled the heavy bags away from the water and up to the safe road. It was hard work, but they saved them just in time. After that, they weighed the rubbish. They had 50 kilos of plastic!
Umar sent photos of their hard work to the local business. A few days later, he got an email. The business was very pleased and gave his club the £500 prize. Umar feels very proud of his team. Next month, he is going to use the money to buy a table tennis table for everyone to enjoy.
14 Why did Umar decide to enter the competition?
A to help a local business with a project
B to win some cash for his youth club
C to learn how to play a new sport
15 What did Umar and his friends do on Saturday?
A They had a meal from some food boxes.
B They bought some new plastic bags.
C They spent three hours cleaning the sand.
16 What was the problem at lunchtime?
A The teenagers were too tired to eat their sandwiches.
B The water almost washed their bags away.
C The bags were completely full of sea water.
17 How did the friends save the rubbish bags?
A They carried them to the road.
B They asked people on the road to help.
C They took the heavy plastic out of them.
18 What is Umar going to do next month?
A get a new game for his club
B send more photos to the business
C give his friends some extra money
Answer Key & Explanations
14 B - Explanation: In paragraph 1, the text says the club needs "new sports equipment" and a business wanted to "give £500" for helping nature, so Umar entered the competition to get this money. A is wrong logic; the business is giving the prize, but Umar isn't helping them with their own project. C is a partial truth trap; the text mentions "sports equipment", but he wants to buy it, not learn a new sport.
15 C - Explanation: In paragraph 2, the text states they "worked really hard for three hours" and "picked up... rubbish from the sand". A is wrong logic; they picked up old food boxes as rubbish, they didn't eat from them. B is a partial truth; they went down to the sea "with large plastic bags", but they didn't buy new ones on Saturday.
16 B - Explanation: In paragraph 3, Umar notices that the water "was getting higher" and the waves "were going to take all the rubbish back into the sea". A is wrong logic; they were tired, but they sat down "to eat their sandwiches", not because they were too tired to eat. C is a partial truth trap; the bags were full, but they were full of rubbish, not sea water.
17 A - Explanation: In paragraph 4, the text says they "pulled the heavy bags away from the water and up to the safe road." B is wrong logic; they pulled the bags to the road themselves, they didn't ask anyone for help. C is wrong logic; they weighed the plastic afterwards, but they didn't empty the bags to save them.
18 A - Explanation: In the final paragraph, Umar says he is going to "use the money to buy a table tennis table" (a game) for everyone to enjoy. B is a partial truth; he already sent photos to the business, but this is not his plan for next month. C is wrong logic; he is using the money to buy something for the club, not giving cash directly to his friends.