A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 3 Test – Teens, Tasks & Money 2
Reading » A2 Reading Tests » A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 3 Test – Teens, Tasks & Money
Test 1
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Zack's special Valentine's cards
Fifteen-year-old Zack writes about how a mistake became a great idea.
Fifteen-year-old Zack loves art, but painting is an expensive hobby. Last month, he needed to buy some new brushes and paints for his bedroom studio. He wanted to earn the money himself, so he decided to make and sell handmade Valentine’s cards to the students at his school. He thought it was a great way to use his skills and help his classmates at the same time.
Zack spent the whole weekend painting beautiful flowers and animals on the cards. He used high-quality, expensive paper, so the cards looked fantastic. On Monday morning, he showed them to his friends. Everyone loved them, and he quickly sold almost half of them.
However, there was a terrible problem when Zack looked closely at his ten most expensive cards. He saw that he had made a silly spelling mistake. He had written the word 'February' wrong on the front of every single one. Zack felt very unhappy. He couldn't sell them like that, and he didn't want to put such nice paper in the bin.
Then, Zack had a brilliant idea. He took his red paint and carefully drew a cute little heart over the mistake on each card. It covered the wrong letters perfectly. When he took them to school the next day, the students thought the red hearts were a beautiful new idea. In fact, those ten cards became his most popular design! Because of his success, Zack is planning to make some special cards for Mother’s Day next month.
14 Why did Zack decide to make the Valentine's cards?
A to help his classmates improve their art skills
B to earn some cash to get new art equipment
C to buy an expensive present for a friend
15 What happened on Monday morning?
A People bought a lot of the cards that Zack brought to school.
B Zack painted some beautiful flowers and animals on his cards.
C Zack's friends helped him to sell the cards to the students.
16 Why was Zack unhappy about his ten expensive cards?
A He threw the expensive paper in the bin by mistake.
B He thought the pictures on the front were too silly.
C He didn't spell a word correctly on the front of them.
17 How did Zack solve the spelling problem?
A He painted a picture to hide the wrong letters.
B He wrote the word 'February' again in red paint.
C He wrote a new word inside a little red heart.
18 What is Zack planning to do next month?
A give his mother some expensive new paints
B create more handmade cards for a different event
C teach the students how to draw his popular design
Answer Key & Explanations
14 B - Explanation: In the first paragraph, the text says Zack "needed to buy some new brushes and paints" and "wanted to earn the money himself". Option B perfectly paraphrases earning cash to get art equipment. Option A is wrong logic; he wanted to help his classmates by giving them nice cards to buy, not by teaching them art skills. Option C uses a partial truth; the text mentions the word "expensive", but his hobby is expensive, he isn't buying a present.
15 A - Explanation: In the second paragraph, the text states that on Monday morning, "Everyone loved them, and he quickly sold almost half of them." Option A is correct because selling half of them means people bought a lot of his cards. Option B is a partial truth; he painted the flowers and animals, but he did this over the "whole weekend", not on Monday morning. Option C is a wrong reference; his friends loved them, but the text doesn't say they helped him sell them.
16 C - Explanation: In the third paragraph, the text explains that Zack "made a silly spelling mistake" and "had written the word 'February' wrong on the front". Option C matches this meaning exactly. Option A is wrong logic; he specifically says he "didn't want to put such nice paper in the bin". Option B is a wrong reference; the spelling mistake was "silly", not the pictures on the front.
17 A - Explanation: In the fourth paragraph, Zack solved the problem when he "carefully drew a cute little heart over the mistake" which "covered the wrong letters perfectly." Option A correctly paraphrases drawing a heart over the mistake as painting a picture to hide the letters. Option B is wrong logic; he painted a heart, he didn't write the word again. Option C is wrong logic; he covered the mistake with a heart, he didn't write a new word inside it.
18 B - Explanation: In the final paragraph, the text says Zack is "planning to make some special cards for Mother’s Day next month." Option B correctly paraphrases this as creating cards for a different event (Mother's Day instead of Valentine's Day). Option A is a wrong reference; he is making cards for his mother, not giving her paints. Option C is wrong logic; his design was popular, but he isn't planning to teach other students how to draw it.
Test 2
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Helping a new student
16-year-old Amy writes about her special job at school.
Hello! My name is Amy, and I am 16 years old. This year, I decided to become a school prefect. A prefect is an older student who helps the teachers. My main job is to keep order in the busy corridors between lessons. Our school is very large, and hundreds of students walk through the halls at the same time. I want to make sure everyone is safe.
Last Tuesday, I was doing my job after the morning break. The corridor was almost empty because most students were already in their classrooms. Suddenly, I saw a young boy near the library. He was about 11 years old, and he was crying. I walked over to him and asked him what was wrong.
He explained that he was a new student. He was looking for his next lesson, but he had a big problem. He lost his paper timetable! A timetable is a special piece of paper that shows where all your classes are. Because he didn't have it, he didn't know which room to go to. He was worried that his teacher would be angry.
I told him not to worry. I took out my mobile phone and showed him our special school app. It has a map and a copy of everyone's timetable. I helped the boy to download the app on his own phone. He was very happy because he didn't need a piece of paper anymore.
After that, I walked with him to his science class so he wouldn't get lost again. It felt great to help someone. Because of this, I have a plan for next week. I am going to speak to the headteacher and ask him to show this app to all the new students!
14 What does Amy say about her job as a prefect?
A She helps the teachers to organise large classrooms.
B She walks around the school with hundreds of older students.
C She has to keep students safe between their lessons.
15 What was happening when Amy saw the young boy?
A There were not many students in the corridor.
B Lots of students were leaving their classrooms.
C The boy was trying to get into the library.
16 Why was the young boy crying?
A His teacher was angry with him for being late.
B He didn't know where he needed to go next.
C He left an important piece of paper in his classroom.
17 How did Amy solve the problem?
A She gave him a new piece of paper with a map on it.
B She showed him how to get his timetable on his phone.
C She used her mobile phone to call his teacher.
18 What is Amy planning to do next week?
A take all the new students to their science classes
B ask the headteacher to help her find her way around
C speak to the headteacher about sharing the app
Answer Key & Explanations
14 C - Explanation: In Paragraph 1, Amy says her job is "to keep order in the busy corridors between lessons" and that she wants "to make sure everyone is safe." Option C is a simple paraphrase of this. Option A is a partial truth trap; she helps the teachers, but she works in the corridors, not inside large classrooms. Option B is a wrong reference trap; she is an older student, but she doesn't walk with hundreds of other older students.
15 A - Explanation: In Paragraph 2, Amy states that when she saw the boy, "The corridor was almost empty". Option A accurately captures this meaning. Option B is a wrong logic trap; the text says the exact opposite, stating that most students were "already in their classrooms." Option C is a partial truth trap; the boy was standing "near the library", but the text does not say he was trying to get inside it.
16 B - Explanation: In Paragraph 3, Amy explains the boy lost his timetable and "he didn't know which room to go to." Option B perfectly matches this reason. Option A is a wrong logic trap; he was worried his teacher would be angry, but it hadn't happened yet. Option C is a wrong reference trap; he lost his piece of paper (the timetable), but the text never says he left it in a classroom.
17 B - Explanation: In Paragraph 4, Amy explains that she "helped the boy to download the app on his own phone" so he could see a copy of everyone's timetable. Option B correctly describes this action. Option A is a wrong logic trap; she showed him a digital app so he didn't need a piece of paper anymore. Option C is a partial truth trap; she took out her phone, but it was to show him the app, not to call his teacher.
18 C - Explanation: This question tests the final detail of the narrative. In Paragraph 5, Amy shares her future plan: "I am going to speak to the headteacher and ask him to show this app to all the new students!" Option C summarizes this perfectly. Option A is a wrong reference trap; she walked one boy to his science class, but she isn't going to take all new students there next week. Option B is wrong logic; she knows her way around, so she doesn't need the headteacher to help her find her way.
Test 3
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The young editor
How a computer problem didn't stop Ben's first digital magazine.
Fifteen-year-old Ben is a student who loves writing and photography. Last month, his teachers chose him to be the editor of the school's digital magazine. This magazine goes on the school website every month, and all the students and parents read it. Ben felt very proud because it is a big responsibility, but he also felt a little worried about making mistakes.
For his first magazine, Ben wanted everything to be perfect. He worked hard with his team of writers to collect interesting stories about school sports and clubs. They typed all the text into the computer and checked it carefully. Then, Ben chose a fantastic picture of the school football team for the front page.
However, the night before the magazine went online, Ben had a terrible problem. He turned on his laptop at home to look at the front page one last time. Suddenly, the computer stopped working for a minute. When it started again, the main photo of the football team was completely gone! Ben tried everything to find the picture, but it was lost.
Ben didn't know what to do because he couldn't call the football team to take another photo in the dark. Then, he remembered his mobile phone. He looked through his own photos and found a great picture of some students laughing in the school garden. He quickly put this photo on the front page instead and went to sleep.
The next morning, the magazine went online. Ben was nervous, but his teachers and classmates loved the new cover. They said the photo of the students laughing made the magazine look very friendly. Because of this success, Ben is going to ask students to send their own photos for the front page next month.
14 Why was Ben worried about his new job?
A He didn't want to do anything wrong.
B He had to read the magazine every month.
C He had too many responsibilities at school.
15 What did Ben's team do to help with the magazine?
A They took pictures of the football team.
B They entered the stories into the computer.
C They started some new school clubs.
16 What happened on the night before the magazine went online?
A Ben lost a photo on his laptop.
B Ben's computer broke and didn't start again.
C Ben forgot to look at the front page.
17 Where did Ben get the new cover photo?
A He went to the school garden to take one.
B He asked some students to send him one.
C He found one already saved on his phone.
18 What is Ben going to do for the next magazine?
A use pictures from other students in the school
B take photos of his teachers for the cover
C write some friendly stories about his classmates
Answer Key & Explanations
14 A - Explanation: The text states that Ben "felt a little worried about making mistakes", which matches not wanting to do anything wrong. Option B is wrong logic; the text says the "students and parents read it", not that Ben was worried about reading it. Option C is a partial truth; it was a "big responsibility", but he wasn't worried because he had too many, he was worried about making mistakes.
15 B - Explanation: The text says that the team of writers "typed all the text into the computer", which matches entering the stories. Option A is wrong logic; Ben "chose" a picture of the football team, but the text doesn't say the team of writers took it. Option C uses wrong logic; they wrote "about" school clubs, they didn't start them.
16 A - Explanation: The text explains that the "photo of the football team was completely gone!" and "lost", which matches losing a photo on his laptop. Option B is a partial truth; the computer stopped working, but the text says it "started again", so it wasn't broken forever. Option C is wrong logic; he turned his laptop on specifically "to look at the front page".
17 C - Explanation: The text states that Ben remembered his mobile phone and "looked through his own photos and found a great picture", which matches finding one already saved on his phone. Option A uses wrong logic; the photo was of students in the garden, but he didn't go there at night to take it. Option B is wrong logic; he couldn't call people to take another photo.
18 A - Explanation: The final paragraph says that Ben is "going to ask students to send their own photos for the front page next month", which matches using pictures from other students. Option B uses wrong reference; the teachers loved the new cover, but Ben isn't taking photos of them. Option C uses wrong logic; people said the photo made the magazine look friendly, but Ben isn't planning to write stories himself.