A2 Key for Schools (KET) Reading & Writing Part 4 Test – Land Animals & Wildlife 6
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 Zebra's Stripes
Zebras are famous wild animals that look like horses. They live in Africa and you can easily recognize them because of their black and white stripes. Scientists believe that these stripes (19)…………… an important job. The pattern makes it difficult for flying insects to bite them.
Zebras are friendly animals that prefer to live in large (20)…………… . They eat grass and spend a lot of time walking to find water. If a dangerous animal comes near, zebras run away very (21)…………… . Because they run together, their moving stripes make it hard for a lion to (22)…………… just one zebra to attack.
When a zebra is tired, it usually sleeps standing up. However, it only does this if another zebra is staying awake to (23)…………… sure it is safe. A zebra will never go to sleep if it is completely (24)…………… .
19 A make B do C have
20 A groups B crowds C teams
21 A fast B hard C strong
22 A choose B decide C agree
23 A make B get C take
24 A alone B single C lonely
Answer Key & Explanations
19 B (do): We use the verb 'do' for the collocation "do a job". We do not say "make a job" when talking about the function or purpose of something.
20 A (groups): Animals that live together live in "groups". "Crowds" is only used for a large number of people, and "teams" is used for people playing a sport or working together.
21 A (fast): We use "fast" to describe moving at a high speed. While a person might be "strong" or hit something "hard", we do not use those words to describe the speed of running.
22 A (choose): A lion needs to pick or "choose" one animal to attack. You cannot "decide" a physical object (you decide to do something), and you cannot "agree" a zebra.
23 A (make): The phrase "make sure" is a common collocation meaning to check that something is safe or correct. "Get sure" and "take sure" do not exist in English.
24 A (alone): "Alone" means being by yourself without anyone else, which fits the factual context of needing another zebra nearby. "Single" means just one in number (or not married), and "lonely" describes a sad feeling, not the physical state of having no one around to watch for danger.
Test 2
Questions 19-24
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Gorilla Families
Gorillas are large, strong animals that live in Africa. Most of them live in high mountains and deep forests.
Because they are so big, people sometimes think they eat meat. But gorillas are vegetarian. They love to eat many different (19)…………… of plants and fruit. They need a huge amount of food every day. Because of this, it (20)…………… them a long time to find enough to eat in the jungle.
Gorillas also live in big family groups. Usually, one older male gorilla leads the group. He (21)…………… after all the females and babies. He always tries to keep everyone (22)…………… from danger. The baby gorillas are very active and love to play (23)…………… in the trees.
Today, people are cutting down the forests. This is a big (24)…………… for gorillas because they need trees to survive.
19 A pieces B kinds C parts
20 A makes B takes C puts
21 A looks B sees C watches
22 A sure B well C safe
23 A alone B along C together
24 A problem B mistake C idea
Answer Key & Explanations
19 B (kinds): 'Kinds of' is a common phrase meaning types of something. 'Pieces' and 'parts' describe broken or smaller sections of a single thing, not different varieties of plants.
20 B (takes): 'Takes time' is a strong, fixed collocation in English used to describe how long an activity lasts. 'Makes' and 'puts' do not fit this grammatical structure.
21 A (looks): The phrasal verb 'look after' means to take care of someone or something. 'Sees' and 'watches' do not use the preposition 'after' to create this meaning.
22 C (safe): 'Safe' is the correct semantic fit to describe being protected from danger. 'Sure' means certain, and 'well' means healthy; neither of these words makes sense with the phrase 'from danger'.
23 C (together): 'Play together' fits the meaning of doing a fun activity as a group. 'Alone' means by yourself (which contradicts the broader context of them being social), and 'along' would require the preposition 'with'.
24 A (problem): In this broader context, cutting down the forests creates a difficult situation or 'problem' for the animals. It is not an 'idea', nor is it a 'mistake' (which usually implies an accidental error).
Test 3
Questions 19-24
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Hippos in the Water
Hippos are large, interesting animals that live in Africa. They (19)…………… most of their time living in or near rivers and lakes. Africa can get very hot during the day. To stay cool in the summer (20)……………, hippos rest in the water for many hours.
Even though they are always in the water, they are not actually very good at (21)…………… . Instead of moving their arms and legs to stay at the top, they usually walk on the bottom of the river.
When the sun goes down and it becomes cooler, hippos usually (22)…………… the water. At (23)……………, they walk on the land to look for food. They eat a large (24)…………… of grass before they return to the river in the morning. They are truly amazing animals.
19 A spend B take C make
20 A heat B fire C light
21 A swimming B washing C drinking
22 A leave B drop C miss
23 A night B evening C afternoon
24 A amount B number C group
Answer Key & Explanations
19 A (spend): This tests a very common collocation. We say "spend time" when talking about passing hours or days in a place. We do not use "take" or "make" with time in this context.
20 A (heat): This tests semantic fit. The sentence discusses staying cool, so the correct word must relate to high temperatures. "Heat" fits perfectly, whereas "fire" is a burning object and "light" does not directly make you need to cool down.
21 A (swimming): This tests broader context. The next sentence explains that hippos walk on the bottom of the river instead of moving their arms and legs to stay at the top. This clearly contrasts with "swimming". "Washing" and "drinking" do not fit this description.
22 A (leave): This tests semantic fit. The context shows that the hippos move from the water to the land to find food, so they must "leave" the water. "Drop" and "miss" do not make sense here.
23 A (night): This tests a phrase-level collocation. In English, we say "at night". For the other times of day, we use the preposition "in" (e.g., "in the evening", "in the afternoon").
24 A (amount): This tests phrase-level meaning and basic grammar. We use "a large amount of" with uncountable nouns like "grass". "Number" is only used for countable nouns (e.g., a number of apples), and "group" is used for living things or objects together.