Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Social Dynamics & Personal Growth 5
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The School Food Petition
Since I started secondary school, I have always bought my lunch in the cafeteria. At first, eating burgers, fried chicken, and pizza every day seemed like a dream. However, by my third year, I was completely tired of the unhealthy menu. I noticed that after eating a heavy, greasy meal, I felt incredibly sleepy during my afternoon lessons. There were rarely any fresh vegetables or fruit available. Instead of just complaining to my parents, I decided it was time to take action and demand better food for the students.
I created a formal document asking the school to provide healthier lunch options, and I started collecting signatures. I honestly thought getting people to sign my petition would be the easiest part of the process, but I was wrong. While my close friends supported me immediately, many other students just laughed. They told me that the school would never change the menu and that I was wasting my free time. I spent three weeks standing in the freezing corridors every morning before classes to finally get two hundred names on my list.
With my completed petition in my hand, I arranged a meeting with our headteacher, Mrs. Jenkins. When I sat down in her office, my heart was beating so fast. I explained how the unhealthy food was affecting our concentration in class. Rather than being annoyed, Mrs. Jenkins listened carefully. She explained that providing fresh food was quite expensive, which was the main reason for the current menu. Despite the strict budget, she promised she would discuss my ideas with the school’s kitchen staff.
For a long time, nothing happened, and I assumed my hard work had been ignored. Then, on the first day of the spring term, we walked into the cafeteria and saw a brand new salad bar. There were also fresh sandwiches and fruit bowls next to the hot food. The new choices were surprisingly popular with everyone. Looking back, I feel incredibly proud of what I achieved. I learned that students actually have a powerful voice, provided we are willing to stand up for what we believe in.
1 Why did the writer decide to take action about the school food?
(A) He wanted to stop eating lunch with his parents.
(B) He noticed the meals were negatively affecting his energy.
(C) He was asked to do a project on healthy eating.
(D) He wanted to try cooking his own burgers and pizza.
2 What does the writer say about collecting signatures for his petition?
(A) It was a much more difficult task than he had expected.
(B) He managed to get two hundred names in just a few days.
(C) His close friends refused to sign the document at first.
(D) The school staff told him to stop standing in the corridors.
3 How did Mrs. Jenkins react during the meeting?
(A) She was annoyed that the writer was complaining about the kitchen staff.
(B) She promised to give the school kitchen a much bigger budget.
(C) She paid close attention to the writer’s arguments about concentration.
(D) She completely agreed to change the menu the very next day.
4 How does the writer feel about the final result?
(A) Disappointed because students still prefer the hot food.
(B) Surprised that the new salad bar was so expensive.
(C) Frustrated that it took so long to change the cafeteria.
(D) Satisfied that his effort successfully made a real difference.
5 What would the writer write in his diary today?
(A) The headteacher finally listened to me, but I wish my friends had helped me collect signatures in the corridors.
(B) It took a lot of effort and courage, but seeing everyone eating from the new salad bar proves that we can create real change.
(C) I am so glad I don’t have to eat burgers anymore, even though the new fresh sandwiches are very expensive.
(D) Nobody believed the school would change the menu, so I am going to organize another petition for better classrooms.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – In the first paragraph, the writer explains that after eating the heavy meals, he “felt incredibly sleepy during my afternoon lessons,” which matches noticing the food negatively affected his energy.
2 A – The second paragraph states that the writer thought getting signatures “would be the easiest part of the process, but I was wrong,” showing it was much harder than expected.
3 C – In the third paragraph, the writer mentions explaining how the food affected their concentration, and notes that “Rather than being annoyed, Mrs. Jenkins listened carefully.”
4 D – The final paragraph reveals that the writer feels “incredibly proud of what I achieved” and has learned that students “actually have a powerful voice,” indicating deep satisfaction with making a difference.
5 B – This option successfully captures the global meaning and emotional arc of the text: moving from the difficult effort of starting the petition to the immense pride in seeing the successful, tangible result of a salad bar in the cafeteria.
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Making a difficult choice about a friend
For as long as I can remember, Liam and I have been best friends. We grew up on the same street, played on the same football team, and always sat next to each other in class. I honestly thought we would be best friends forever. However, when we started our third year of secondary school, Liam’s behaviour suddenly began to change. He stopped doing his homework and started hanging around with a different group of older teenagers who never seemed to care about their education.
At first, I just ignored the changes. But then, Liam started skipping lessons completely. Instead of going to maths or science, he would hide behind the sports hall or walk to the local park. The worst part was that he constantly pressured me to join him. He would call me boring and say that missing one or two lessons wouldn’t hurt my grades. I felt incredibly torn. I wanted to be loyal to my best friend, but I also cared deeply about my education and wanted to do well in my exams.
The situation finally reached a breaking point last month. We had a very important history test, and I had spent the whole weekend studying for it. Just before the lesson, Liam told me to leave the school with him. When I politely refused and said I needed to take the test, he got really angry and walked away without me. Sitting in the classroom, I felt terrible, but I suddenly realised something important. A true friend should support your goals, not try to make you fail. Liam had become a bad influence.
Since that day, I have made the difficult decision to spend less time with Liam. It has been incredibly painful to distance myself from someone I have known for so long, and I really miss the fun times we used to share. However, I know I have made the right choice for my future. My grades have already improved, and I have started studying with classmates who actually want to succeed. Losing a friend is hard, but protecting my own future is much more important.
1 What does the writer say about Liam in the first paragraph?
(A) He started spending time with people who didn’t care about school.
(B) He decided to join a new football team with older teenagers.
(C) He stopped talking to the writer at the beginning of the year.
(D) He wanted to change schools to be with his new friends.
2 How did the writer feel when Liam asked him to skip lessons?
(A) He was excited to visit the local park with his friend.
(B) He was annoyed because Liam was getting better grades than him.
(C) He was conflicted because he wanted to be a good friend but also pass his exams.
(D) He was confused about which subjects they were supposed to attend.
3 What happened on the day of the history test?
(A) Liam failed the test because he hadn’t studied at the weekend.
(B) The writer realised that Liam was not acting like a real friend.
(C) The writer followed Liam out of the school and missed the lesson.
(D) Liam apologised for getting angry with the writer.
4 How does the writer feel about his situation now?
(A) He hopes Liam will help him improve his grades soon.
(B) He regrets his decision to stop spending time with Liam.
(C) He accepts that staying away from Liam is best for his education.
(D) He finds it easy to make new friends who want to succeed.
5 What would the writer write in his diary?
(A) I’m so angry that Liam failed his history test. I tried to help him study, but he just wanted to go to the park instead.
(B) It hurts to lose my best friend, but I had to walk away. I can’t let anyone stop me from doing well at school.
(C) Liam and I had a big fight today, but I’m sure we’ll be best friends again tomorrow because we’ve known each other forever.
(D) I finally decided to skip a class with Liam today. It was fun, but I hope my new friends don’t find out.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 (A) – In paragraph 1, the text says Liam “started hanging around with a different group of older teenagers who never seemed to care about their education.” Option B uses “football team” and “older teenagers” as distractors, but the facts are incorrect.
2 (C) – Paragraph 2 explains that the writer “felt incredibly torn” because he “wanted to be loyal to my best friend, but I also cared deeply about my education,” which matches being conflicted.
3 (B) – In paragraph 3, after Liam gets angry and leaves, the writer states, “I suddenly realised something important. A true friend should support your goals, not try to make you fail,” showing he realized Liam wasn’t acting like a real friend.
4 (C) – Paragraph 4 details that although it is painful, the writer knows “I have made the right choice for my future” and that “protecting my own future is much more important,” showing acceptance of the difficult choice.
5 (B) – This diary entry perfectly captures the global meaning and the writer’s narrative arc: acknowledging the emotional pain of losing a childhood friend, while recognizing the necessity of the decision in order to protect his education and future.
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Power of a Mentor
For a long time, I never really understood why some students cared so much about school. During my second year of secondary school, I felt completely unmotivated. I spent most of my lessons staring out of the window, waiting for the bell to ring. My grades were slowly dropping, but I wasn’t worried. I just thought I wasn’t a clever person, especially in history, which seemed to be a long list of boring dates to memorise for exams.
Everything changed when Mr. Barnes joined our school as the new history teacher. One afternoon, he asked me to stay behind after the lesson. I immediately assumed I was going to be punished for not paying attention. Instead, he placed a thick, old book on my desk. It wasn’t a textbook, but a true story about ancient explorers. He told me he had noticed my potential, and he believed I would enjoy reading something more challenging than our usual classwork.
I took the book home, expecting to read only a few pages. However, the story was absolutely fascinating, and I finished it in three days, staying awake late into the night. When I returned it, we had a long discussion about the characters. After that, he started giving me different historical books every week. Some of them were quite difficult to understand, but he always spent time explaining the complicated parts to me during break times.
The fact that a teacher was giving me so much of his own time made a huge difference to my confidence. Because Mr. Barnes believed in me, I wanted to prove him right by putting maximum effort into my assignments. I started studying harder, not just for history, but for all my subjects. My teachers were amazed by my sudden progress. If I hadn’t received that extra encouragement, I would still be staring out of the window.
Today, I am proud to be one of the top achievers in my year group. I have even decided to study history at university next year, which is something I never would have imagined. I now realise that having a mentor who sees your abilities can completely change your life.
1 How did the writer feel about her education in her second year?
(A) She was anxious because her marks were getting worse.
(B) She lacked interest and believed she was not very smart.
(C) She enjoyed history but hated memorising long lists of dates.
(D) She was frustrated that her school lessons lasted for so long.
2 When Mr. Barnes asked the writer to stay after class, she
(A) expected him to give her extra homework to do.
(B) thought he was going to tell her off for her behaviour.
(C) was excited to receive a book about ancient explorers.
(D) assumed he wanted to ask her an interesting question.
3 What does the writer say about the books Mr. Barnes gave her?
(A) They were fascinating, but she rarely had time to finish them.
(B) They were standard school textbooks about historical characters.
(C) They were sometimes hard, but the teacher helped her understand them.
(D) They were too complicated, so she only ever read a few pages.
4 Why did the writer start studying harder in all her subjects?
(A) She wanted to get better grades than the rest of her class.
(B) She wanted to show Mr. Barnes that his belief in her was justified.
(C) She realised that history was closely connected to her other subjects.
(D) She was told to put maximum effort into all of her new assignments.
5 What would the writer write in her diary today?
(A) I am so happy I am a top student now. I just wish Mr. Barnes hadn’t given me so many difficult books to read.
(B) School is still quite boring, but at least my grades are better. I hope I find a mentor when I go to university.
(C) I’ve decided to study history at university because it’s an easy subject, and I won’t have to memorise any dates.
(D) Mr. Barnes completely changed my attitude to learning. His extra support and belief in me helped me succeed.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – The text states in paragraph 1 that the writer felt “completely unmotivated” and “thought I wasn’t a clever person”, which maps to lacking interest and believing she was not very smart.
2 B – Paragraph 2 explains that she “immediately assumed I was going to be punished for not paying attention”, which paraphrases to thinking he was going to tell her off for her behaviour.
3 C – In paragraph 3, the writer notes that “Some of them were quite difficult to understand, but he always spent time explaining the complicated parts”, meaning they were hard but she received help.
4 B – Paragraph 4 details how she “wanted to prove him right” because he believed in her, meaning she wanted to show that his belief in her was justified.
5 D – This option accurately captures the global meaning and emotional arc of the text: moving from an unmotivated student to a top achiever thanks to a mentor’s belief and extra time.