A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 4 Test – Land Animals & Wildlife 2
Reading » A2 Reading Tests » A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 4 Test – Land Animals & Wildlife
Test 1
Questions 19-24
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Sleepy Koala
Koalas are famous Australian animals that look a bit like small bears. However, they are not bears at all. They live in eucalyptus trees and (19)…………… most of their time high up in the branches.
Koalas are famous for sleeping a lot. In fact, they can sleep for up to 22 (20)…………… a day! They do this because their food, eucalyptus leaves, gives them very little energy. It (21)…………… a long time for their bodies to get energy from these leaves, so resting helps them.
When a koala is awake, it usually eats or moves slowly to another branch. You will almost never see a koala on the ground. It only goes down there to (22)…………… another tree. They also have special hands and feet to (23)…………… them hold onto branches while they sleep. This means they never (24)…………… out of the tree, even when it is very windy.
19 A spend B keep C stay
20 A minutes B hours C times
21 A takes B makes C gives
22 A find B catch C pick
23 A help B let C make
24 A fall B drop C jump
Answer Key & Explanations
19 A (spend): We use the verb 'spend' when talking about using time (e.g., "spend time"). 'Keep' and 'stay' do not collocate with 'time' in this way.
20 B (hours): The text says koalas are famous for sleeping "a lot", making 'hours' the only logical choice for a daily duration. 'Minutes' is far too short, and 'times' refers to frequency, not duration.
21 A (takes): We use the set phrase "it takes a long time" to describe how much time is needed to complete a process. 'Makes' and 'gives' are the wrong verbs for this collocation.
22 A (find): Koalas go to the ground to search for and 'find' a new home. You cannot 'catch' a stationary tree, and 'pick' usually refers to taking a small flower, piece of fruit, or making a choice from a group.
23 A (help): The koala's feet assist or 'help' them to safely hold on. 'Let' means to give permission, and 'make' implies forcing them, neither of which fits the factual meaning of a body part assisting an animal.
24 A (fall): 'Fall' means to drop down accidentally, which matches the context of being asleep in a windy tree. 'Jump' is a deliberate, awake action, and we typically use 'drop' when letting go of an object, not a person or animal moving downwards.
Test 2
Questions 19-24
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Polar Bears
Polar bears live in the Arctic, one of the coldest places in the world. They have thick white hair and fat under their skin to keep them warm. Their white colour is very useful when they want to hide in the (19)…………… snow.
These large animals (20)…………… a lot of time on the ice looking for food. They are very (21)…………… swimmers and travel for many hours in the freezing water. A polar bear often waits quietly next to a hole in the ice to catch a seal. Sometimes, it cannot (22)…………… anything to eat for days.
Today, the ice in the Arctic is getting smaller because the world is getting warmer. This makes it (23)…………… for polar bears to get enough food. People around the world must work (24)…………… to protect these amazing animals.
19 A deep B tall C high
20 A take B spend C make
21 A large B heavy C strong
22 A find B look C hold
23 A hard B bad C poor
24 A along B alone C together
Answer Key & Explanations
19 A (deep): 'Deep' is the correct adjective to describe thick snow that covers the ground. 'Tall' and 'high' are used for buildings, mountains, or people, not snow.
20 B (spend): 'Spend time' is a strong, fixed collocation in English. While you can 'take time' to do something slowly, 'spend' is the only correct verb here to describe how they pass their hours.
21 C (strong): 'Strong' is the correct semantic fit to describe someone who is good at swimming for a long time. 'Large' and 'heavy' describe the bear's body, but do not naturally describe their swimming ability.
22 A (find): 'Find' fits the phrase-level meaning of discovering or getting food. 'Look' would require the preposition 'for' (look for anything), and 'hold' does not make sense in this context.
23 A (hard): In this broader context, the melting ice causes a problem, making it 'hard' (difficult) for bears to eat. 'Bad' and 'poor' do not fit the grammatical structure of "makes it [adjective] for [someone]".
24 C (together): 'Work together' is a common collocation meaning to cooperate as a group. 'Along' does not fit without 'with', and 'alone' means by yourself, which contradicts the broader message of global teamwork.
Test 3
Questions 19-24
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Diet of the Red Panda
Red pandas are beautiful animals that live in the high forests of Asia. They are not very big. In fact, they are about the same (19)…………… as a large cat. They have thick tails that help them stay warm when the weather is cold.
Red pandas spend most of their time in trees, and their favourite food is bamboo. They eat the leaves and soft parts of the plant. A red panda can eat a very (20)…………… number of bamboo leaves in one day! Sometimes, they also (21)…………… for fruit or insects to eat.
Because they need lots of food, they spend many hours finding it. Sadly, the forests where they live are getting smaller. This means it is becoming (22)…………… for them to find enough bamboo. We must work together to (23)…………… these animals safe. They need our (24)…………… to live in the wild.
19 A size B age C shape
20 A heavy B large C tall
21 A watch B see C look
22 A late B hard C busy
23 A keep B hold C bring
24 A help B idea C wish
Answer Key & Explanations
19 A (size): 'Size' fits perfectly here as the text is comparing how big the red panda is to a large cat. 'Age' and 'shape' do not make sense when comparing how big two different animals are.
20 B (large): We use 'large' to describe a high number or amount of something (a large number of). We cannot say a 'heavy' number or a 'tall' number.
21 C (look): 'Look' is correct because it pairs with the preposition 'for' to mean searching for something. 'Watch' and 'see' do not use 'for' in this way.
22 B (hard): In this context, 'hard' means difficult. Because the forests are getting smaller, finding food is becoming difficult. 'Late' and 'busy' do not fit the meaning of this sentence.
23 A (keep): 'Keep someone safe' is a very common English collocation. We do not use 'hold' or 'bring' to describe protecting an animal from danger.
24 A (help): 'Help' fits the broader context of the paragraph. Because the red pandas are losing their forests and having a hard time finding food, they require human assistance to survive. 'Idea' and 'wish' do not make sense in this context.