A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 4 Test – History & Origins of Food 10
Reading » A2 Reading Tests » A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 4 Test – History & Origins of Food
Test 1
Questions 19-24
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The History of the Fork
The fork is something we use every day, but it has an interesting history. A long time ago, people did not have forks. They usually used a knife, a spoon, or just their (19)…………… to eat their meals.
When the first forks arrived in Europe, people thought they were very (20)…………… . At first, only rich people owned forks. People made them from expensive (21)…………… like gold and silver.
It took hundreds of years for ordinary people to start (22)…………… with them at home. Today, you can find forks on almost every dinner (23)…………… in the world. We use them for lots of different meals (24)…………… they are so helpful and easy to hold.
19 A hands B arms C faces
20 A unusual B afraid C worried
21 A metal B plastic C glass
22 A eating B cooking C feeding
23 A table B desk C shelf
24 A because B so C but
Answer Key & Explanations
19 A (hands): This relies on semantic fit. We hold food and eat with our 'hands'. We do not use our 'arms' or 'faces' to pick up food in this way.
20 A (unusual): This tests broader context and pronoun reference. The word 'they' refers to the new forks. An object can be 'unusual' (strange or different). Objects cannot be 'afraid' or 'worried', as these adjectives only describe human feelings.
21 A (metal): This tests semantic fit. Gold and silver are types of 'metal'. They are naturally occurring materials, whereas 'plastic' and 'glass' are completely different substances.
22 A (eating): This tests collocation and verb patterns. 'Eating' is the correct activity you do with a fork at a meal. 'Cooking' is preparing the food before the meal, and 'feeding' is usually giving food to a baby or an animal.
23 A (table): This tests a strong A2 collocation/noun phrase. 'Dinner table' is the fixed phrase for the piece of furniture where we sit to eat meals. We do not say dinner 'desk' (which is for studying) or dinner 'shelf'.
24 A (because): This tests phrase-level meaning. The conjunction 'because' is needed here to introduce the reason why we use forks (they are helpful and easy to hold). 'So' introduces a result, and 'but' introduces a contrast.
Test 2
Questions 19-24
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Origin of Lemonade
Lemonade is a very popular drink today, especially when the weather is hot. People usually make it with fresh (19)…………… , sugar, and water. But this delicious drink actually has a very long history.
In the (20)…………… , around one thousand years ago, people in Egypt made a special drink. They loved to mix lemon juice with sugar to (21)…………… a sweet drink. This clever idea soon traveled to many other countries around the world.
By the 17th century, people in France started (22)…………… lemonade on the streets to thirsty people. They carried the heavy drink in large bottles on their backs. Today, children in many countries (23)…………… a lot of time selling lemonade outside their houses. It is a fun way to earn some money during the long (24)…………… holidays before school begins again.
19 A lemons B apples C grapes
20 A past B history C time
21 A make B do C get
22 A selling B buying C paying
23 A spend B take C use
24 A summer B winter C weekend
Answer Key & Explanations
19 A (lemons): Semantically, "lemons" is the only correct factual ingredient used to make lemonade. While you can make drinks from "apples" and "grapes", they do not make lemonade.
20 A (past): "In the past" is the correct phrase-level expression used to talk about history and things that happened a long time ago. We do not say "in the history" or "in the time" without adding extra words.
21 A (make): "Make a drink" is the correct natural collocation when combining ingredients to create something new. In English, we do not "do" a drink, and you "get" a drink when someone hands it to you, not when you mix it yourself.
22 A (selling): Semantically, "selling" is the correct action because they are offering the drink to other "thirsty people". You do not "buy" things to give to thirsty people in this context, and you cannot use "paying" without the preposition "for".
23 A (spend): "Spend time" is a correct and very common fixed collocation. While you can "take time" to complete a slow task, you "spend a lot of time" doing an activity like a hobby or a job. We do not "use" time in this way.
24 A (summer): Based on the broader context of hot weather at the start of the text, "summer" is the only logical season for long holidays and selling cold lemonade. A "weekend" is only two days, so it cannot be described as "long holidays before school begins again."
Test 3
Questions 19-24
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The History of Carrots
Carrots are a very popular vegetable that people eat all over the world. Today, almost all the carrots you see in the supermarket are (19)…………… . But hundreds of years ago, this was very different.
In the past, people usually ate (20)…………… or yellow carrots. Then, in the 17th century, some clever (21)…………… in the Netherlands decided to make a change. They started (22)…………… a new kind of carrot because they wanted it to match the colour of their king's family.
The new carrots tasted sweeter and they were easier to cook. Soon, people in other countries began to buy them too. Today, we know that orange carrots help to keep us very (23)…………… . They are a great snack to (24)…………… in your lunchbox for school.
19 A orange B famous C heavy
20 A curly B purple C blonde
21 A farmers B doctors C engineers
22 A growing B building C cooking
23 A rich B healthy C careful
24 A pack B wear C draw
Answer Key & Explanations
19 A (orange): This fits the broader context. Today, carrots are naturally this colour, which contrasts with the past. 'Famous' is for well-known people or places, and 'heavy' describes weight, not the general appearance of this vegetable.
20 B (purple): This is a semantic fit. 'Purple' pairs logically with 'yellow' as another vegetable colour. We use 'curly' and 'blonde' to describe a person's hair, not a carrot.
21 A (farmers): This is a semantic fit. The people whose job is to plant and produce vegetables are 'farmers'. 'Doctors' help sick people, and 'engineers' design machines or roads.
22 A (growing): This is a strong collocation. In English, we use the verb 'growing' to describe producing plants or vegetables from the ground. You 'build' a house or machine, and 'cooking' does not fit the context of inventing a new plant.
23 B (healthy): This is a phrase-level fit. Eating good vegetables helps your body stay strong and 'healthy'. Carrots do not give you money, so you are not 'rich', and 'careful' describes how you act, not how your body feels.
24 A (pack): This is a collocation. The standard verb for putting food into a lunchbox or clothes into a bag is to 'pack'. We do not 'wear' food, and you 'draw' a picture with a pen.