A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 4 Test – History & Origins of Food 5
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 Origin of French Fries
French fries are a very popular food all over the world today. But where did they come from? Many people think they started in Belgium a long time ago. People in Belgium loved to catch small fish in the river and cook them for dinner.
However, during the cold (19)…………… , the river sometimes had thick ice on it. The people could not catch any fish, so they had to eat something else. They decided to use (20)…………… instead. They started (21)…………… them into long, thin pieces so they looked like small fish.
Next, they cooked the pieces in a pan of very hot (22)…………… . People call this way of cooking (23)…………… , and it makes the food taste fantastic. Today, French fries are famous everywhere. You can easily (24)…………… them in almost every town and enjoy them with your friends!
19 A summer B autumn C winter
20 A potatoes B carrots C bananas
21 A breaking B cutting C pulling
22 A water B juice C oil
23 A baking B boiling C frying
24 A find B look C meet
Answer Key & Explanations
19 C (winter): "Winter" fits the broader context of the paragraph because it is the only season cold enough to put "thick ice" on a river. "Summer" and "autumn" do not fit this weather description.
20 A (potatoes): "Potatoes" is the correct semantic fit for the factual ingredient used to make French fries. "Carrots" and "bananas" are incorrect foods for this famous dish.
21 B (cutting): "Cutting" is the correct verb collocation for dividing vegetables into "long, thin pieces" using a knife. "Breaking" and "pulling" do not describe this neat, controlled action.
22 C (oil): "Oil" is the correct semantic fit for the hot liquid you use in a pan to make fries. "Water" is used for boiling, and sweet "juice" is for drinking, not cooking vegetables.
23 C (frying): "Frying" fits the phrase-level meaning of the sentence, as it is the specific word for cooking food in hot oil. "Baking" happens inside an oven, and "boiling" happens in hot water.
24 A (find): "Find" forms the correct grammatical collocation and meaning to describe locating or buying the food in a town. "Look" requires the preposition "for" (look for), and "meet" is only used for people, not food.
Test 2
Questions 19-24
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The History of Bread
Bread is one of the most important foods in the world. People first made it thousands of years ago, so it is a very (19)…………… type of food. To make bread, you need to mix water with (20)…………… . Today, we buy this white powder in bags from the supermarket. However, in the past, farmers had to use a large, heavy (21)…………… to break small seeds and make it themselves.
After mixing everything together, they cooked the bread. Because there were no cookers or ovens, people had to (22)…………… a hot fire outside.
Today, there are many different kinds of bread. People love (23)…………… it with things like cheese, meat, or a warm bowl of soup. Making your own bread at home is also a fun activity. You can (24)…………… a really great time baking it with your family.
19 A old B early C late
20 A flour B sugar C salt
21 A stone B wood C glass
22 A make B do C get
23 A eating B tasting C trying
24 A have B spend C keep
Answer Key & Explanations
19 A (old): We use the adjective "old" to describe something that has existed for a very long time in history. We use "early" and "late" to talk about times in a day or in a specific period, not to describe the age of a food.
20 A (flour): To make bread, the main white powder you need is "flour". While you might add a little "sugar" or "salt", they are not the main ingredient you mix with water to create the bread itself.
21 A (stone): In the past, people used a hard, heavy rock or "stone" to hit and break seeds. "Wood" is often too soft or light for this, and "glass" would break easily.
22 A (make): The correct collocation for creating a fire to cook with is to "make a fire". We do not say "do a fire" or "get a fire" in English.
23 A (eating): When you have bread as part of a normal meal with cheese or soup, you are "eating" it. We use "tasting" or "trying" when we only have a small piece of something for the first time to see if we like the flavour.
24 A (have): The common fixed phrase for enjoying yourself is to "have a great time". We can use the verb "spend" with the word time (e.g., "spend time with family"), but we do not say "spend a great time".
Test 3
Questions 19-24
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Discovery of Honey
People love eating honey on bread or putting it in tea. But did you know that honey is one of the oldest foods in the world? In (19)…………… times, there were no supermarkets, so people had to look for their own food in nature. They walked through the (20)…………… and watched where the small flying creatures went.
These hard-working creatures were (21)…………… . They lived high up in tall trees or inside rocks. People soon learned that these creatures made something very delicious. The people started (22)…………… the honey to eat with their families.
Before they found honey, everyday food was sometimes a bit boring. This amazing new discovery added a very (23)…………… taste to their meals. Today, we still enjoy this healthy natural food. It is always a great (24)…………… to have a little honey with your breakfast!
19 A ancient B old C past
20 A forest B park C garden
21 A flies B butterflies C bees
22 A picking B collecting C growing
23 A sweet B soft C bright
24 A thought B idea C mind
Answer Key & Explanations
19 A (ancient): "Ancient times" is the correct natural English collocation to describe a period in history from a very long time ago. We do not usually say "old times" (we say "the old days"), and "past" does not collocate with "times" in this specific way.
20 A (forest): This fits the broader context of ancient people looking for wild food in nature. A "park" and a "garden" are places built and looked after by people, which does not fit the historical context.
21 C (bees): This is the correct phrase-level meaning because the text is talking about the specific flying creatures that make honey. "Flies" and "butterflies" are also flying insects, but they do not make honey.
22 B (collecting): "Collecting" is the correct semantic fit for gathering a liquid or substance from nature. You "pick" solid things like flowers or fruit, and you "grow" plants or vegetables, not honey.
23 A (sweet): "Sweet" is the correct semantic fit to describe the sugary, delicious taste of honey. "Soft" describes how something feels when you touch it, and "bright" describes light or colours.
24 B (idea): "A great idea" is the correct natural collocation when giving advice or making a good suggestion. You cannot say "a great mind" or "a great thought" in this grammatical structure.