A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 3 Test – Teens, Tasks & Money 4
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.
The school tech helper
Fifteen-year-old Finn writes about a useful job he does at his school.
Fifteen-year-old Finn loves technology and knows a lot about computers. Last month, he joined a new group at his school called the 'Tech Helpers'. The students in this group have a special and important job. They help teachers when they have problems with laptops or smart boards during their lessons. Finn was very excited to use his skills to do something useful for his school.
Last Tuesday morning, Finn was in his maths class when he got a message. Mr Davis, the history teacher, needed help immediately. Finn quickly walked down the hall to the history classroom. When he opened the door, he saw that Mr Davis was trying to show a short documentary film to his students. The video was playing beautifully on the big screen, but there was absolutely no sound.
The students in the classroom were getting tired of waiting. They started talking loudly to each other, and the room became very noisy. Mr Davis looked extremely stressed. He told Finn that he tried turning up the volume on the computer and the speakers, but nothing changed. Finn knew he had to work fast to save the history lesson.
Finn sat down at the teacher's desk and looked at the computer screen carefully. Suddenly, he saw the problem. The computer was still connected to Mr Davis's personal wireless headphones! The sound was playing inside the little headphones on the desk, not in the classroom. Finn quickly turned off the connection. Immediately, the loud sound from the video filled the room.
The class stopped talking and started watching the film. Mr Davis smiled and thanked Finn for his brilliant help. Finn felt very proud that he solved the problem so easily. Because he enjoys this job so much, Finn is planning to study computer science at college in the future.
14 Why did Finn join the 'Tech Helpers'?
A He wanted to use his abilities to assist his school.
B His teachers asked him to fix their broken laptops.
C He needed to learn how to use a new smart board.
15 What was happening in the history class when Finn arrived?
A The students were quietly watching a documentary.
B The teacher was having trouble with the audio of a video.
C Mr Davis was sending a message to Finn's maths teacher.
16 Why was Mr Davis stressed?
A The students were angry about the history lesson.
B Finn was taking a long time to fix the speakers.
C He couldn't make the sound louder on his computer.
17 What was the actual problem with the computer?
A The wireless internet in the classroom was turned off.
B It was sending the sound to the teacher's headphones.
C The large speakers on the teacher's desk were broken.
18 What is Finn planning to do in the future?
A become a history teacher like Mr Davis
B learn more about technology at college
C start a new computer club for his classmates
Answer Key & Explanations
14 A - Explanation: In the first paragraph, the text says Finn "was very excited to use his skills to do something useful for his school." Option A correctly paraphrases this. Option B uses wrong logic; the students help teachers when they have problems, but the teachers didn't specifically ask Finn to join to fix broken laptops. Option C is a wrong reference; Finn already knows a lot about computers, he isn't joining to learn how to use smart boards.
15 B - Explanation: In the second paragraph, the text states Mr Davis was "trying to show a short documentary film... but there was absolutely no sound." Option B correctly paraphrases this as having trouble with the audio of a video. Option A is wrong logic; the video was playing, but the students were not watching it quietly. Option C is a partial truth; Finn got a message while in maths class, but Mr Davis wasn't sending it when Finn actually arrived in the room.
16 C - Explanation: In the third paragraph, the text explains Mr Davis was stressed and "told Finn that he tried turning up the volume on the computer and the speakers, but nothing changed." Option C matches this meaning perfectly. Option A is wrong logic; the students were talking loudly because they were waiting, not because they were angry about the lesson. Option B is a wrong reference; Finn just arrived and knew he had to work fast, so he wasn't taking a long time yet.
17 B - Explanation: In the fourth paragraph, Finn saw that the computer was "connected to Mr Davis's personal wireless headphones" and the sound was playing inside them. Option B correctly paraphrases this. Option A is wrong logic; a connection needed to be turned off, but it was the Bluetooth/wireless connection to the headphones, not the classroom internet. Option C is a wrong reference; the sound was in the little headphones, not broken speakers.
18 B - Explanation: In the final paragraph, the text says Finn is "planning to study computer science at college in the future." Option B correctly paraphrases this as learning more about technology at college. Option A is a wrong reference; Mr Davis is the history teacher, but Finn isn't planning to become one. Option C is a partial truth; he enjoys being in the Tech Helpers group, but he isn't planning to start a new club himself.
Test 2
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Speaking to the whole school
14-year-old Gina writes about her special morning job.
Hi! I'm Gina and I'm 14 years old. This term, my teachers gave me a very special and important job at school. Every morning before lessons begin, I have to read the daily news using a microphone. My voice comes out of the speakers in all the classrooms, so everyone in the building can hear me. I am writing this blog to share my opinion about doing this unusual job.
I really believe that being the news reader is a fantastic experience. Before I started this job, I was quite a shy person. I didn't like speaking in front of my classmates, and I often felt nervous. But now, talking to hundreds of people every day feels completely easy. It is a brilliant way to build your confidence and learn how to speak clearly to a large group.
However, there are some things about the job that can be a bit scary. Sometimes, it is impossible to stop yourself from making a mistake. One morning last week, I suddenly started coughing and sneezing into the microphone while I was reading the sports news! Everyone in the school heard me do it. I felt really silly, and my friends laughed about it all day.
Because of this, I have some good advice for anyone who wants to read the school news in the future. First, you should always keep a large glass of water on the desk next to you. If your throat feels dry, you can drink something quickly. Also, you must remember that nobody is perfect. When you make a small mistake on the microphone, you just need to learn to laugh about it and keep reading!
14 What does Gina say about her new job at school?
A The students listen to her speak at the start of the day.
B She visits all the classrooms every morning to read the news.
C Her teachers asked her to write a blog about her school.
15 How has the job changed Gina?
A She is less afraid of speaking to lots of people now.
B She has found a brilliant new group of classmates.
C She speaks much more quietly than she did before.
16 What happened to Gina last week?
A She made an embarrassing noise while she was working.
B Her friends laughed at the funny sports news she read.
C She got angry with her friends for making a loud noise.
17 What is Gina's advice for future school news readers?
A Don't worry too much if things go wrong.
B Drink a large glass of water before you start reading.
C Try your best to be perfect when you use the microphone.
18 What is the best title for Gina's blog?
A The good and bad things about reading the school news
B How to stop a bad cough during your school lessons
C Why my school needs to buy some new speakers
Answer Key & Explanations
14 A - Explanation: In Paragraph 1, Gina states that "Every morning before lessons begin... everyone in the building can hear me." Option A accurately paraphrases this fact. Option B is a wrong logic trap; her voice comes out of the speakers in the classrooms, but she doesn't physically visit them. Option C is a wrong reference trap; her teachers gave her the news job, but she is writing the blog on her own to share her opinion.
15 A - Explanation: In Paragraph 2, Gina explains that she used to be shy, "But now, talking to hundreds of people every day feels completely easy." Option A perfectly matches this change in her confidence. Option B is a wrong reference trap; she mentions speaking in front of her classmates, but the text doesn't say she found new ones. Option C is wrong logic; she learned to speak "clearly to a large group," not quietly.
16 A - Explanation: In Paragraph 3, Gina explains her mistake: "I suddenly started coughing and sneezing into the microphone". Option A correctly describes this event. Option B is a wrong logic trap; her friends laughed because she coughed and sneezed, not because the sports news itself was funny. Option C is a wrong reference trap; Gina made the loud noise, not her friends, and she felt silly rather than angry.
17 A - Explanation: In Paragraph 4, Gina advises readers to "remember that nobody is perfect" and if they make a mistake, they should "learn to laugh about it and keep reading!" Option A captures this relaxed attitude accurately. Option B is a partial truth trap; she tells readers to keep water on the desk to drink if their throat feels dry, not to drink a large glass before they start. Option C is wrong logic; she explicitly says the opposite, stating "nobody is perfect".
18 A - Explanation: This is a global question. The text is an informative blog where Gina shares her opinion about her job as the school news reader, discussing both the positives (building confidence) and the negatives (the fear of embarrassing mistakes). Option A perfectly summarizes her overall topic. Option B is a partial truth trap; coughing is mentioned, but she didn't do it during a lesson, and this isn't a medical blog. Option C is a wrong logic trap; the speakers work fine (everyone heard her), she is just sharing her personal experience using them.
Test 3
Questions 14-18
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Tomato Project
How 13-year-old Harry made some money for his school.
Thirteen-year-old Harry loves spending his free time in the school garden. This year, the students worked hard and grew a lot of healthy vegetables. Last Friday afternoon, Harry picked ten kilos of beautiful red tomatoes from the plants. He decided to sell them to the students' parents at the school gate. He wanted to make some money to buy new science books for the school library.
Harry carefully carried the huge pile of tomatoes to a large table near the gate. Soon, classes finished for the day and lots of parents arrived to collect their children. The parents were very surprised and happy to see the fresh food. They thought the tomatoes looked absolutely delicious, and many of them immediately wanted to buy some to cook for their family's dinner.
However, Harry suddenly had a big problem. A mother asked to buy one kilo of tomatoes, but Harry couldn't give them to her. He completely forgot to bring any plastic shopping bags from home. The parents couldn't carry the soft tomatoes safely in their hands, and they didn't want to make their own nice bags dirty. Harry felt very worried because he couldn't sell his vegetables.
Harry told his friends to watch the table, and he quickly ran to the school canteen to find the chef. The friendly chef listened to Harry's problem and gave him lots of clean cardboard boxes for free. Harry ran back to the gate and put the parents' tomatoes inside the boxes. He sold all ten kilos very fast, and felt incredibly pleased with the money he made. Next week, Harry is going to sell the school's potatoes, but he will definitely remember to bring bags!
14 Why did Harry want to sell the tomatoes?
A to get new things to read for the school
B to give the students' parents a healthy snack
C to help the students grow more vegetables
15 What happened when the parents arrived at the school gate?
A They helped Harry carry a large table.
B They wanted to take some tomatoes home.
C They asked Harry to cook dinner for them.
16 Why did Harry feel worried?
A He didn't have anything to put the food in.
B The mother thought the tomatoes were too soft.
C The parents didn't want to buy dirty vegetables.
17 How did the chef help Harry?
A He gave Harry some money for the vegetables.
B He watched the table while Harry went home.
C He gave Harry some boxes without asking for money.
18 What is Harry planning to do next week?
A sell a different vegetable at the school gate
B buy some new bags from the supermarket
C help the chef cook a meal with potatoes
Answer Key & Explanations
14 A - Explanation: The text says he wanted to make money to buy "new science books for the school library", which matches getting new things to read for the school. Option B is wrong logic; the parents wanted to cook them for dinner, but Harry's reason was to get books, not provide a snack. Option C is wrong logic; the students already grew the vegetables, he didn't sell them to help grow more.
15 B - Explanation: The text states that many parents "wanted to buy some to cook for their family's dinner", which means taking them home. Option A is wrong reference; Harry carried the tomatoes to the table himself before the parents arrived. Option C is wrong logic; the parents wanted to cook the tomatoes themselves, they didn't ask Harry to cook.
16 A - Explanation: The text explains that Harry "forgot to bring any plastic shopping bags" and the parents couldn't carry the soft tomatoes. This matches not having anything to put the food in. Option B is wrong logic; the tomatoes were soft, but the mother wanted to buy them, she didn't complain. Option C uses wrong reference; the parents didn't want to make their own bags dirty, the vegetables themselves were not dirty.
17 C - Explanation: The text says the chef "gave him lots of clean cardboard boxes for free", which matches giving him boxes without asking for money. Option A is wrong logic; he gave him boxes, he didn't buy the vegetables. Option B is wrong reference; Harry asked his friends to watch the table, not the chef.
18 A - Explanation: The final paragraph states that next week, Harry is "going to sell the school's potatoes", which matches selling a different vegetable. Option B is wrong logic; he says he will "remember to bring bags", he doesn't say he is going to buy new ones. Option C uses wrong reference; he is going to sell potatoes, he isn't planning to help the chef cook them.