A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 3 Test – Household Helpers 1
Reading » A2 Reading Tests » A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 3 Test – Household Helpers
Test 1
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Penny's babysitting job
Fifteen-year-old Penny writes about looking after her younger cousin.
Fifteen-year-old Penny loves children and she often looks after her young cousins. Last Friday evening, her aunt wanted to go to the cinema in town to see a new film with some friends. She asked Penny to babysit her six-year-old son, Leo, for a few hours. Penny was very happy because her aunt promised to pay her some useful pocket money. She thought it was going to be a very easy job.
When her aunt left, Penny and Leo played some fun games in the living room. At six o'clock, it was time for dinner. Penny went into the kitchen to make a healthy, hot meal. She cooked some chicken and potatoes, and she also prepared some fresh carrots. She carefully cut the orange carrots into small circles and put everything on a big plate for Leo.
However, when they sat down at the table, there was a problem. Leo looked at the food and started crying. He said he didn't want to eat his dinner. Penny was surprised and asked him what was wrong. Leo told her that he only liked carrot sticks, and he hated carrot circles. He refused to eat anything on his plate.
Penny didn't get angry. She knew she had to think of a clever idea quickly. She took the plate back into the kitchen. She found a small knife and carefully cut the round carrots again. This time, she changed them into little stars. When she gave the dinner back to Leo, he loved the fun shapes.
Leo ate all his food very happily and then went to sleep easily. When Penny's aunt came home, she was very pleased and gave Penny some extra cash for being so helpful. Next weekend, Penny is going to look for a special cookbook about fun food for kids so she can try some more new ideas.
14 Why was Penny happy to look after Leo last Friday?
A She wanted to earn some pocket money.
B She wanted to see a new film at the cinema.
C She liked spending time with her aunt's friends.
15 What did Penny do in the kitchen?
A She cut some vegetables into small circles.
B She showed Leo how to cook a hot meal.
C She played some fun games with a big plate.
16 Why didn't Leo want to eat his dinner?
A He didn't like the shape of the carrots.
B He wanted to eat his food in the living room.
C He was angry because he hated all vegetables.
17 How did Penny solve the problem with the food?
A She used a knife to make the carrots look like stars.
B She cooked some completely different vegetables for Leo.
C She asked Leo to help her cut the food in the kitchen.
18 What is Penny planning to do next weekend?
A get a book to help her make fun meals
B give her aunt some of her extra cash
C try some new games with her young cousin
Answer Key & Explanations
14 A - Explanation: In paragraph 1, the text says Penny was very happy "because her aunt promised to pay her some useful pocket money." Option A matches this exactly. B is a wrong reference trap; her aunt wanted to see a new film, not Penny. C is a wrong reference trap; her aunt went out with friends, Penny stayed home with Leo.
15 A - Explanation: In paragraph 2, the text explains that in the kitchen, Penny "carefully cut the orange carrots into small circles". Option A correctly paraphrases this. B is a wrong logic trap; Penny cooked the hot meal, but she didn't show Leo how to do it. C is a wrong logic trap; they played fun games in the living room, not in the kitchen with a plate.
16 A - Explanation: In paragraph 3, Leo didn't want to eat because "he hated carrot circles" and only liked carrot sticks. Option A correctly means he didn't like their shape. B is a wrong logic trap; the living room is mentioned earlier in the text, but it is not the reason he was crying. C is a partial truth trap; he was angry about the carrots on his plate, but he actually likes carrot sticks, so he doesn't hate all vegetables.
17 A - Explanation: In paragraph 4, Penny fixed the problem when she "found a small knife" and changed the carrots "into little stars." Option A matches this perfectly. B is a partial truth trap; she changed the carrots, but she didn't cook different vegetables. C is a wrong reference trap; she took the plate to the kitchen, but she did the cutting herself without Leo's help.
18 A - Explanation: In the final paragraph, Penny says she is going to "look for a special cookbook about fun food for kids". Option A correctly paraphrases this as getting a book to make fun meals. B is a wrong logic trap; the aunt gave Penny extra cash, Penny is not planning to give it back. C is a partial truth trap; the text mentions she wants to "try some more new ideas", but these are food ideas, not new games.
Test 2
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
My holiday job
14-year-old Quinn writes about looking after an unusual pet.
Hi, I’m Quinn, and I am 14 years old. During the long school holidays, I always try to earn some extra pocket money. Last month, my science teacher asked me to do a special job for her. She needed a responsible student to look after her pet iguana while she was away on a trip. I quickly said yes because I really love animals.
The iguana lives inside a large glass tank. Every morning, my job is to give it fresh water and some green vegetables. For the first few days, I just watched the animal carefully through the glass. The iguana is quite big and has a very long tail. Honestly, it looks exactly like a small green dragon, so I felt a bit nervous around it.
Last Tuesday, the glass tank was quite dirty. I knew I had to wash it. But to do that, I needed to take the iguana out of the tank first. I stood in the room for a long time because I felt really scared to pick it up. I didn't know if the animal was angry or if it wanted to bite my fingers.
Then, I had a good idea. I found a pair of thick gardening gloves and put them on to keep my hands safe. I opened the tank and slowly picked the iguana up. Amazingly, it didn't try to hurt me at all. It just sat quietly on my arm. I realised it was actually a very friendly pet! I am not scared anymore, and I am going to buy my own lizard next year!
14 Why did Quinn get the holiday job?
A He asked his science teacher to give him some money.
B His science teacher went away for a short time.
C He wanted to learn about animals during the holidays.
15 How did Quinn feel about the iguana at first?
A He was a little afraid of how it looked.
B He felt sorry that it was in a glass tank.
C He was worried that it was not eating its food.
16 What was Quinn's problem last Tuesday?
A He didn't know how to wash the dirty glass tank.
B He was too frightened to take the iguana out.
C He hurt his fingers while he was cleaning the tank.
17 How did Quinn solve his problem?
A He asked a gardener to help him open the tank.
B He waited for the iguana to climb onto his arm.
C He wore something to protect his hands.
18 What is Quinn planning to do next year?
A buy an animal of his own
B look after his teacher's iguana again
C find a different job in the school holidays
Answer Key & Explanations
14 B - Explanation: The text in paragraph 1 says his science teacher needed someone to look after her pet iguana "while she was away on a trip." This matches the teacher going away for a short time. Option A is a wrong logic trap; Quinn wanted pocket money, but he didn't ask his teacher for it (she asked him to do a job). Option C is a partial truth trap; he loves animals, but the text doesn't say he took the job to learn about them.
15 A - Explanation: The text in paragraph 2 says, "it looks exactly like a small green dragon, so I felt a bit nervous around it." "Nervous" because of how it looked matches being a little afraid of it. Option B is a wrong logic trap; he mentions the tank, but never says he feels sorry for the animal. Option C is a partial truth trap; he feeds it green vegetables, but he is not worried about it eating.
16 B - Explanation: The text in paragraph 3 says, "I needed to take the iguana out... I felt really scared to pick it up". "Scared" matches being too frightened to take it out. Option A is wrong logic; he knew he had to wash it, but his problem was getting the animal out first, not how to clean the glass. Option C is a wrong logic trap; he was worried the iguana might "bite my fingers," but he didn't actually hurt his fingers.
17 C - Explanation: The text in paragraph 4 says, "I found a pair of thick gardening gloves and put them on to keep my hands safe." This matches wearing something to protect his hands. Option A is a wrong reference trap; he used gardening gloves, but he didn't ask a gardener for help. Option B is a partial truth trap; the iguana sat quietly on his arm, but he picked it up first, he didn't just wait for it to climb.
18 A - Explanation: This question tests the final paragraph detail (future plans). The text says, "I am going to buy my own lizard next year!" Buying a lizard matches buying an animal of his own. Option B is a partial truth trap; he enjoys looking after the teacher's iguana now, but his plan is to get his own, not look after hers again next year. Option C is wrong logic; he mentions buying a pet, not finding a new holiday job.
Test 3
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
My weekend painting job
Fifteen-year-old Rose writes a blog about helping her dad.
My name is Rose, and I am 15 years old. Today on my blog, I want to talk about my weekend. Last Saturday, I had a big responsibility at home. My dad wanted to make our living room look new again. He decided to paint all the walls white. He didn't want to pay a worker to do it because it costs a lot of money. So, he asked me to help him do the job.
At first, I was not sure if I wanted to spend my weekend working. But actually, there are some great things about painting. I really enjoyed working together with my dad. We listened to our favourite music while we used our brushes. When we finished one wall, the room immediately looked very fresh and clean. It gave me a wonderful feeling to know that my hard work helped my family.
However, painting a room is not always easy, and you have to be very careful. On Sunday morning, I made a really terrible mistake. I was holding a large pot of white paint, and I dropped it! The wet paint went all over our dark brown carpet. I felt very upset because it was so difficult to clean. My dad was not angry, but it took us hours to wash the floor.
Because of this problem, I have a very important piece of advice for anyone who wants to paint their house. Before you open any paint pots, you must cover the floor completely. You should always put thick plastic sheets everywhere in the room. If you do this, you will keep your carpets safe and you won't have to clean up a big mess!
14 Why did Rose and her dad paint the room without a worker?
A It was cheaper to do it themselves.
B The workers they knew were too busy.
C Rose asked her dad if she could do it.
15 What did Rose like about the job?
A choosing her favourite music to listen to
B working by herself to finish the walls
C making the family's house look nicer
16 What was Rose's mistake on Sunday?
A She made her dad feel very angry.
B She dropped some paint on the carpet.
C She bought the wrong colour paint.
17 What does Rose advise people to do?
A Put something over the floor to keep it safe.
B Clean the room well before opening the paint.
C Use thick plastic pots for the wet paint.
18 What is Rose's main reason for writing this blog?
A to explain how to get paint out of a carpet
B to complain about working at the weekend
C to describe her experience of decorating a room
Answer Key & Explanations
14 A - Explanation: In the first paragraph, the text states that her dad "didn't want to pay a worker to do it because it costs a lot of money," which means it was cheaper to do it themselves. Option B is wrong logic; the text doesn't say workers were too busy, just that they cost too much. Option C is wrong reference; her dad asked Rose to help, she didn't ask him to do it.
15 C - Explanation: In the second paragraph, Rose says, "It gave me a wonderful feeling to know that my hard work helped my family," after noting the room looked fresh and clean. This matches making the house look nicer. Option A is a partial truth; they listened to their favourite music, but the text doesn't say she chose it. Option B is wrong logic; she worked "together with my dad," not by herself.
16 B - Explanation: In the third paragraph, Rose explains that she dropped a large pot and the "wet paint went all over our dark brown carpet." Option A is wrong logic; the text clearly says "My dad was not angry." Option C is wrong logic; she was holding white paint, which was the correct colour for the walls, but she spilled it.
17 A - Explanation: In the final paragraph, Rose advises readers to "cover the floor completely" and "put thick plastic sheets everywhere," which matches putting something over the floor to keep it safe. Option B is wrong logic; she advises putting down sheets before opening the paint, not cleaning the room first. Option C is a partial truth; she tells people to use thick plastic sheets, not thick plastic pots.
18 C - Explanation: This is a global question. The whole text is a blog describing Rose's weekend responsibility of painting the living room, how she felt about the work, the mistake she made, and her advice for others. Option A is wrong logic; she mentions it was difficult to clean the carpet, but she does not explain how to actually do it. Option B is wrong logic; she enjoyed the work in the end and was glad to help her family, so she is not complaining.