Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Extracurricular Activities & Clubs 5
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Student Council Election
When our school announced the student council elections, I immediately decided to run for class president. I was absolutely certain I knew exactly what my classmates wanted: less homework. My plan was simple. I would promise to reduce the amount of weekend assignments, and everyone would vote for me. In my mind, I was already the winner, imagining how popular I would become. Because I was so confident, I didn’t think I needed to prepare very much for the campaign.
However, I soon realised I had some serious competition. A girl in my class named Maya was also running. While I spent my time handing out posters that said “No More Weekend Homework!”, Maya was doing something completely different. She talked to students about realistic problems. She suggested repairing the broken computers in the library and buying new equipment for the sports hall. At the time, I honestly thought her ideas were boring. I believed students only cared about having more free time.
On election day, the headteacher announced the results in the main hall. When he said Maya’s name, I was completely shocked. I felt a huge wave of disappointment. I couldn’t understand why my amazing homework plan had failed. But as I listened to the students cheering for her, the truth finally hit me. My promise was impossible because the teachers would never allow it, and my classmates knew that. They voted for Maya because she offered genuine solutions that would actually improve our daily school life.
A few days later, Maya came up to me in the corridor. Instead of boasting about her victory, she kindly asked if I wanted to join the council as an assistant. At first, my pride made me want to say no. But then I realised it was a great opportunity to actually do something useful. I agreed, and my first job was helping a team of students paint the old library walls.
Looking back, losing that election was the best thing that could have happened to me. I discovered that true leadership isn’t about making empty promises just to become popular. It is about working hard together to make a real difference in your community. I am proud to be on the student council, even if I am not the president.
1 What did the writer expect when he decided to run for president?
(A) He expected to win easily with his popular idea.
(B) He believed the teachers would help him win.
(C) He thought he would need to work hard on his campaign.
(D) He was worried that his classmates would not vote for him.
2 What did the writer think of Maya’s campaign ideas at first?
(A) He thought they were too expensive to achieve.
(B) He found them uninteresting compared to his own.
(C) He believed she had copied his plans for the library.
(D) He worried that the headteacher would prefer them.
3 Why did the writer’s classmates vote for Maya?
(A) She promised to reduce the amount of homework.
(B) She was the most popular student in the school.
(C) Her plans were realistic and could actually happen.
(D) The teachers told the students to vote for her.
4 How did the writer react when Maya asked him to join the council?
(A) He refused because he was too proud to help her.
(B) He accepted because he wanted to improve the sports hall.
(C) He hesitated but then decided it was a good chance to help.
(D) He was annoyed that she was boasting about her win.
5 What would the writer write in his diary about the election?
(A) I should have won the election. If I had promised to fix the library instead of changing the homework rules, I would be president now.
(B) Maya’s ideas were good, but I still think the student council needs a leader who focuses on giving students more free time.
(C) Losing the election taught me a lot. I realised that being a good leader means doing real work for the school, not just making popular promises.
(D) I am so disappointed that my classmates didn’t vote for me. I don’t want anything to do with the student council ever again.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 A – In the first paragraph, the writer says, “In my mind, I was already the winner… Because I was so confident, I didn’t think I needed to prepare very much,” matching the expectation of an easy win.
2 B – The second paragraph explains that he “honestly thought her ideas were boring” and believed students only cared about free time, showing he found them uninteresting.
3 C – In the third paragraph, the writer realises his classmates voted for Maya because “she offered genuine solutions that would actually improve our daily school life,” meaning her plans were realistic.
4 C – The fourth paragraph details that “At first, my pride made me want to say no. But then I realised it was a great opportunity to actually do something useful,” which shows he hesitated before accepting.
5 C – This option captures the global meaning and emotional arc of the text: moving from making empty, popular promises to win an election to understanding that true leadership requires hard work and realistic goals for the community.
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Capturing the Memories
When my teacher asked for volunteers to join the school yearbook committee, I immediately raised my hand. I have always loved photography, so I thought it would be a fun and easy way to spend my final year at school. I imagined myself taking a few nice pictures of my friends and casually attending school sports matches with my camera. Because of my hobby, the teacher gave me the important job of lead photographer, and I felt incredibly proud to accept the role.
However, I quickly realised that creating a school yearbook is much harder than it looks. My main task was to take an individual photo of every single student in the building, which turned out to be completely exhausting. Instead of relaxing with my classmates during lunch breaks, I was always running up and down the corridors trying to track people down. Some students were frequently absent, while others actually hid from me because they simply hated having their picture taken. It felt like an impossible mission.
By the time the final deadline arrived in spring, my team and I were feeling extremely stressed. I had to spend several weekends sorting through thousands of digital files on my computer, deleting bad pictures and trying to find the perfect shot of each class. Occasionally, students would complain that their hair looked messy or their eyes were closed in their photo, and I had to organise a time to take it again. There were definitely moments when I seriously regretted joining the committee and wished I had chosen an easier after-school club.
Despite all those difficult months, my attitude completely changed on the last day of the school year. The delivery truck finally arrived with hundreds of freshly printed yearbooks, and the smell of the new paper was amazing. As my team and I handed them out to the students in the main hall, I watched my classmates’ faces light up. Everywhere I looked, people were smiling, laughing, and sharing the wonderful memories we had captured. Seeing how much joy the book brought to everyone, I knew that all my stressful lunch breaks and busy weekends had been completely worth it.
1 Why did the writer want to join the yearbook committee?
(A) She wanted to become a professional sports photographer.
(B) She thought it would be a simple and enjoyable project.
(C) She was forced to take on the role by her teacher.
(D) She hoped to spend more time relaxing with her friends.
2 What did the writer find difficult about her job as lead photographer?
(A) She had to take pictures of the teachers as well as the students.
(B) The school building was too large to run around in.
(C) Some students were deliberately trying to avoid her.
(D) She didn’t have enough time to eat her lunch during breaks.
3 How did the writer feel as the spring deadline got closer?
(A) Frustrated by the amount of extra work she had to do.
(B) Upset because she had to delete so many beautiful photos.
(C) Annoyed because her computer stopped working properly.
(D) Worried that the students would complain about the printing quality.
4 What happened on the last day of the school year?
(A) The delivery truck arrived late with the printed books.
(B) The writer took photos of everyone laughing in the main hall.
(C) The students thanked the committee for their amazing memories.
(D) The writer realised that her hard work had been valuable.
5 What would the writer text her best friend after the yearbooks were handed out?
(A) I am so glad that is finally over! I spent the whole year running around after people, and the final book doesn’t even look that good.
(B) Tracking everyone down was incredibly stressful, but seeing the smiles on everyone’s faces today made the whole project so rewarding!
(C) Being lead photographer was the easiest job ever! I got to relax with my friends all year and just take a few photos at sports matches.
(D) I had to delete so many bad photos of people blinking or with messy hair. I’m just relieved my own picture looks perfect!
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – In paragraph 1, the writer states that she loved photography and “thought it would be a fun and easy way to spend my final year,” meaning she expected a simple and enjoyable project.
2 C – In paragraph 2, the writer explains the difficulty of tracking people down, noting that some students “actually hid from me because they simply hated having their picture taken.”
3 A – In paragraph 3, the writer describes feeling “extremely stressed” because she had to spend weekends sorting files and retaking photos, making her regret joining due to the high workload.
4 D – In paragraph 4, after seeing her classmates smiling and laughing, the writer concludes that “all my stressful lunch breaks and busy weekends had been completely worth it.”
5 B – This option successfully captures the global narrative and emotional arc of the text: moving from the exhaustion and stress of chasing students for photos to the ultimate feeling of reward upon seeing their joyful reactions to the final book.
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
A Different Way to Learn
I have always found maths incredibly easy. While my classmates worry about difficult tests, I usually finish my exams early with top marks. So, when my maths teacher asked me to help tutor a boy in my class named Toby, I immediately agreed. I figured it would be a very simple task. After all, if I understood the complicated equations so easily, it would surely be easy for me to explain them to someone else.
However, our first few study sessions were a complete disaster. We sat together in the school library, and I tried showing Toby how to solve the problems exactly the way I did them in my head. No matter how many times I repeated the rules, Toby just stared at the paper in confusion. I started to feel incredibly frustrated. I honestly believed he wasn’t trying hard enough, and I almost told my teacher that I wanted to stop tutoring him. Toby looked very upset, and I felt like I was failing.
That weekend, I realised that repeating the same words louder wasn’t going to magically work. I knew that Toby loved art and was brilliant at drawing. During our next session, instead of just writing numbers, I brought some coloured pens. I started drawing pictures and using visual shapes to explain the fractions and algebra. We cut up circles like pizzas and drew graphs that looked like tall buildings. Suddenly, Toby’s eyes lit up. By changing my teaching style, the numbers finally made sense to him.
A few weeks later, Toby took his maths exam and passed with a very good grade. When he showed me his test paper, he had a huge smile on his face. I felt incredibly proud of him, but I also realised how much the experience had taught me. Before this, I thought being clever simply meant knowing all the right answers. Now I understand that true communication requires a lot of patience. If someone doesn’t understand you, it isn’t always their fault; sometimes, you just need to find a completely different way to explain it.
1 Why did the writer agree to tutor Toby?
(A) Because he wanted to earn some extra pocket money.
(B) Because he thought the task would be very easy to do.
(C) Because he needed to improve his own maths skills.
(D) Because the teacher promised to give him top marks.
2 How did the writer feel during the first few study sessions?
(A) Angry because Toby was always late for the lessons in the library.
(B) Surprised because Toby was actually much better at maths than him.
(C) Annoyed because he thought Toby wasn’t making enough effort.
(D) Worried because the maths problems were too difficult to solve.
3 What did the writer do to help Toby understand the maths problems?
(A) He asked the maths teacher to explain the rules again.
(B) He bought Toby a pizza to help him relax during the session.
(C) He spoke much louder so Toby could hear the instructions clearly.
(D) He used coloured drawings and shapes to explain the numbers.
4 What did the writer learn from the tutoring experience?
(A) That you need to be very clever to pass difficult exams.
(B) That drawing pictures is the only way to learn algebra.
(C) That good communication means being patient and trying new methods.
(D) That he wants to become a professional maths teacher in the future.
5 What would the writer text to a friend about the tutoring experience?
(A) I tried my best to help Toby, but he just couldn’t understand the numbers. I told the teacher I had to stop.
(B) Tutoring Toby was so easy! I just showed him how I do the equations in my head, and he passed his exam.
(C) I thought tutoring would be simple, but Toby actually taught me that everyone learns differently and patience is key.
(D) Helping Toby pass his exam was great, but it was so frustrating that I’ll never help another classmate again.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – In the first paragraph, the writer states “I figured it would be a very simple task” because he understood equations so easily.
2 C – In paragraph 2, the writer explains that he started to feel “incredibly frustrated” and “honestly believed he wasn’t trying hard enough.”
3 D – In paragraph 3, the writer brought coloured pens and “started drawing pictures and using visual shapes to explain the fractions and algebra.”
4 C – In paragraph 4, the writer reflects on the lesson, realizing that “true communication requires a lot of patience” and finding “a completely different way to explain it.”
5 C – This option perfectly captures the global meaning and emotional arc of the text: starting out thinking the task would be simple, facing frustration, but ultimately learning a valuable lesson about patience and adapting communication styles.