A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 4 Test – Birds, Marine Life & Insects 6
Reading » A2 Reading Tests » A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 4 Test – Birds, Marine Life & Insects
Test 1
Questions 19-24
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Clever Sea Otters
Sea otters are amazing animals that live in the cold ocean. They have thick fur to stay warm in the water. They love to eat crabs and clams, but these have very (19)…………… shells that are difficult to open.
Because of this, sea otters use small stones to (20)…………… them break the shells. A hungry sea otter swims on its back and puts a flat stone on its stomach. Then, it hits the shell against the stone until it opens. They are one of the only sea animals that (21)…………… tools like this.
Sea otters spend almost all their time in the sea. They even sleep while they are (22)…………… on the water. They often hold hands with other otters so they do not move (23)…………… in the night. Watching these clever animals is a wonderful (24)…………… for anyone who loves nature.
19 A heavy B hard C tall
20 A help B make C let
21 A do B make C use
22 A swimming B floating C washing
23 A away B out C back
24 A habit B experience C project
Answer Key & Explanations
19 B (hard): 'Hard' is the correct adjective to describe a shell that is difficult to break. We use 'heavy' to describe how much something weighs, and 'tall' to describe height, which do not fit the meaning of the sentence.
20 A (help): 'Help' fits perfectly because the stones assist the otter in opening the shell. 'Make' means to force someone to do something, and 'let' means to give permission, neither of which makes sense for a stone.
21 C (use): 'Use tools' is a fixed English collocation. Otters do not 'make' these tools (they just find natural stones), and we never say 'do tools' in English.
22 B (floating): 'Floating' is the correct word for resting on top of the water without sinking. 'Swimming' and 'washing' are active movements, which completely contradicts the fact that the otters are trying to sleep.
23 A (away): 'Move away' means to drift apart or leave a place. The otters hold hands so the ocean water doesn't push them away from their friends. 'Move out' means leaving a house, and 'move back' means returning.
24 B (experience): 'Experience' fits the broader context of the text, meaning that seeing these animals is a memorable event. Watching an animal in the wild is not a daily 'habit' or a 'project' for a general person who loves nature.
Test 2
Questions 19-24
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Crabs on the Beach
Crabs are interesting sea animals that live on beaches all over the world. They have hard shells on their backs to (19)…………… them safe from danger. When you walk on the sand, you can often see them quickly running away.
If you watch a crab closely, you will notice something very strange. They do not walk forwards (20)…………… most other animals. Instead, they always move sideways. They do this because of the shape of their legs. Their legs only bend in one direction, so moving sideways is the fastest (21)…………… for them to travel along the beach.
Crabs also (22)…………… a lot of time looking for food. They often use their strong front legs to (23)…………… small fish or sea plants. When they are afraid, they quickly dig a hole and hide under the ground. The wet sand is the perfect (24)…………… for these amazing animals to live.
19 A keep B make C hold
20 A than B as C like
21 A way B road C path
22 A pass B spend C keep
23 A bring B take C catch
24 A space B room C place
Answer Key & Explanations
19 A (keep): 'Keep someone safe' is a standard English collocation. We do not use 'make' or 'hold' when talking about protecting an animal from danger.
20 C (like): 'Like' is the correct preposition here to mean 'similar to'. We use 'as' for jobs (work as a teacher) or with another 'as' (as big as), and 'than' is only used for comparing adjectives (bigger than).
21 A (way): 'Way' is used here to describe a method or how something is done. 'Road' and 'path' refer to actual physical routes where people walk or drive, which does not fit the meaning of the sentence.
22 B (spend): 'Spend time' is the correct English collocation to describe using your time to do something. While in some languages you 'pass' time, this is not a natural collocation in English, and 'keep' does not fit here.
23 C (catch): 'Catch' fits the meaning of hunting or grabbing a moving animal for food. 'Bring' and 'take' are used for moving objects from one place to another, not for hunting.
24 C (place): 'Place' fits the broader context of describing the wet sand as the crab's home or location. 'Space' and 'room' describe physical volume or empty areas inside something, which do not make sense in this context.
Test 3
Questions 19-24
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Busy Honeybee
Honeybees are small insects that live together in large groups. They are famous for making a sweet food that people all over the world love to eat. To make honey, bees have to (19)…………… many different flowers every day. They fly from plant to plant to find a sweet liquid called nectar.
When a bee finds a good flower, it uses its long tongue to take the nectar. It stores the liquid inside its body and then (20)…………… back to its hive. Other bees take the nectar and turn it into honey.
Bees work hard all summer long (21)…………… they can have enough food for the winter. They have to (22)…………… sure the hive stays safe and warm. A single honeybee can visit thousands of flowers every (23)…………… . Next time you eat honey on your bread, remember the amazing (24)…………… that these tiny insects do!
19 A visit B look C see
20 A takes B brings C goes
21 A so B because C but
22 A do B make C get
23 A day B hour C time
24 A job B work C business
Answer Key & Explanations
19 A (visit): "Visit" is the correct verb to use when animals or people go to a place or plant. "Look" needs the preposition "for" or "at" (look at), and "see" is about using your eyes rather than actively going somewhere.
20 C (goes): "Goes back" is the correct phrasal verb meaning to return to a place. "Takes" and "brings" need a direct object (e.g., takes something), so they do not fit here without an object.
21 A (so): "So" is used to show the result or purpose of an action (they work hard in order to have food). "Because" gives a cause rather than a result, and "but" shows a contrast, which does not fit this sentence.
22 B (make): "Make sure" is a very common fixed collocation meaning to ensure something is correct or safe. "Do sure" and "get sure" do not exist in English.
23 A (day): "Every day" is a standard time expression used to describe daily habits. "Every hour" is too short a time to visit thousands of flowers, and "every time" does not fit grammatically here.
24 B (work): "Work" is an uncountable noun used here to describe the effort and activity of the bees (amazing work). "Job" is a countable noun, so it would need an article ("an amazing job"), and "business" refers to a company or commercial activity.