Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Entrepreneurship & Hustle
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Smart Manager
My name is Sarah, and I have always been a very good student. Last year, I noticed that many younger students at my school were struggling with their math and science homework. Since I enjoyed explaining things and wanted to earn some extra pocket money, I decided to start my own small tutoring business. At first, it was just a few hours a week, and I felt proud to see my students improving their grades. I thought running a business was incredibly easy.
However, word quickly spread about my helpful classes, and suddenly, everyone wanted me to be their tutor. Without really thinking about it, I started saying yes to every single person who asked for help. Within a month, I was tutoring every evening after school and all through the weekend. The enjoyable hobby quickly turned into a stressful job. I was constantly exhausted, and I barely had enough energy to eat dinner before falling asleep.
Then, the worst thing possible happened. Because I was spending all my free time helping other people with their homework, I completely stopped doing my own. When I received my mid-term school report, I was shocked to see that my own grades had dropped significantly. I felt terrible. I realised that if I didn’t make a change soon, I would fail my exams. My education had to be my top priority, so I knew I couldn’t continue working like this.
Instead of simply closing the business, I came up with a better idea. I asked three other top students in my year if they wanted to earn some money. When they agreed, I passed most of my clients to them. I stopped doing all the teaching myself and took on a management role instead. I organised the schedules, matched new clients with my team of tutors, and collected a small percentage of the money.
The change was absolutely fantastic. My tutoring agency is now more successful than ever, but I finally have enough time to study and relax. My grades are back to normal, and I am much happier. I learned that you don’t have to do everything yourself to be successful, and sometimes being a good manager is the smartest choice you can make.
1 Why did Sarah start her tutoring business?
(A) She wanted to help her classmates pass their final exams.
(B) She needed to earn money to buy new math books.
(C) She enjoyed teaching and wanted to make some pocket money.
(D) Her teachers asked her to help younger students at the school.
2 How did Sarah feel when her business became very popular?
(A) She was disappointed because she didn’t get enough new clients.
(B) She felt exhausted from working every evening and weekend.
(C) She was excited to spend all her free time running the business.
(D) She was annoyed that students were asking her for too much help.
3 What happened because Sarah was tutoring so much?
(A) She started to get much worse marks in her own schoolwork.
(B) She had a huge argument with her teachers about her homework.
(C) She decided to leave school and focus completely on her business.
(D) She realised that her clients were failing their mid-term exams.
4 How did Sarah solve her problem?
(A) She asked her teachers to help her teach the younger students.
(B) She closed her business and stopped tutoring completely.
(C) She increased the amount of money she charged her clients.
(D) She got other clever students to do the teaching for her.
5 What would Sarah write in her diary about her experience?
(A) Running a business is impossible if you are still at school. Next time, I will just focus on my own homework.
(B) Trying to do everything myself was a huge mistake, but it taught me how to be a successful manager instead.
(C) My new tutors are doing a terrible job, and my clients are unhappy. I wish I hadn’t given them the work.
(D) I am so glad I stopped caring about my own grades. Building a successful agency is definitely more important.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 C – In paragraph 1, Sarah says, “Since I enjoyed explaining things and wanted to earn some extra pocket money, I decided to start my own small tutoring business.”
2 B – In paragraph 2, Sarah explains that she was tutoring every evening and weekend, stating, “I was constantly exhausted, and I barely had enough energy to eat dinner before falling asleep.”
3 A – In paragraph 3, Sarah mentions that because she was helping others, she stopped doing her own homework, and was shocked to see that “my own grades had dropped significantly.”
4 D – In paragraph 4, Sarah solves the issue by asking “three other top students in my year” if they wanted to earn money and “passed most of my clients to them,” meaning she got other clever students to teach for her.
5 B – This option best captures the global meaning and Sarah’s final reflection. She realizes that taking on too much work was a bad idea, but shifting to a management role allowed her to be successful and happy again.
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
My Digital Art Business
Ever since I got a tablet for my fourteenth birthday, I have been obsessed with digital art. I spent most of my free time drawing colourful portraits of my favourite singers and movie characters. When I started posting my artwork on social media, my friends and family left wonderful comments. Soon, people began asking if I could draw pictures for them. I thought it would be a brilliant way to earn some extra pocket money, so I announced that I was officially open for commissions. I was thrilled to turn my favourite hobby into a small business.
At first, everything went smoothly. My first few customers were classmates who wanted funny cartoons of their pets. Although it took me several hours to finish a single drawing, I loved every minute of the creative process. It felt amazing to know that people actually wanted to pay for my art. I usually asked them to pay me when I handed over the finished picture at school, and everyone was perfectly honest. I assumed that dealing with online customers would be exactly the same.
However, I soon discovered that the online world is very different. One day, a stranger sent me a message asking for a highly detailed family portrait. They wanted it quickly, so I gave up my entire weekend to finish it. I stayed up late making sure the colours and details were perfect. When I finally emailed the completed, high-quality image to the customer, I proudly asked for my payment. I waited for days, but they completely ignored my messages and never sent the money.
I felt incredibly angry and foolish. I had worked so hard, and someone had just stolen my art. For a few days, I wanted to delete my social media page and stop drawing completely. But after discussing the problem with my parents, I realised I was managing my business like a child. I researched how professional freelancers work and discovered a simple rule: always ask for a deposit.
Now, before I start any new drawing, I politely request half of the money in advance. If a customer refuses to pay the deposit, I simply do not accept the job. It was a stressful way to learn a business lesson, but my little company is much safer and more successful now.
1 Why did the writer decide to start taking commissions?
(A) To practice drawing famous movie characters.
(B) Because she wanted to earn money from her hobby.
(C) To save up for a new digital drawing tablet.
(D) Because her friends asked her to teach them art.
2 How did the writer feel about her early commissions?
(A) Annoyed that drawing pets took up too much of her time.
(B) Disappointed that her classmates didn’t pay her enough.
(C) Pleased that other people clearly valued her artwork.
(D) Worried about handing the pictures over at school.
3 What happened with the online customer?
(A) They complained that the portrait wasn’t detailed enough.
(B) They received the artwork but kept the money.
(C) They asked the writer to work on the portrait for a whole week.
(D) They emailed the writer to ask for a better quality image.
4 What does the writer do now before creating a portrait?
(A) She only accepts jobs from friends and family.
(B) She requires customers to pay part of the total cost first.
(C) She asks her parents to talk to her online customers.
(D) She demands the full payment before starting the drawing.
5 What would the writer write in her diary today?
(A) I’ve decided to stop taking online commissions entirely. People are just too dishonest, so I will only draw for fun from now on.
(B) Running a business is so easy! I love drawing pets for my friends, and I haven’t had any problems with customers yet.
(C) Losing money on that family portrait was awful, but it taught me a valuable lesson. Taking a deposit first protects my hard work.
(D) I wish I hadn’t asked for a deposit from that online customer. Now they won’t talk to me, and my business is completely ruined.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – The first paragraph states that after receiving requests, she “thought it would be a brilliant way to earn some extra pocket money”, meaning she wanted to make money from her hobby.
2 C – In the second paragraph, the writer says she “loved every minute” and it “felt amazing to know that people actually wanted to pay for my art”, showing she was pleased people valued her work.
3 B – The third paragraph explains that the writer “emailed the completed, high-quality image to the customer” but the customer “completely ignored my messages and never sent the money.”
4 B – The final paragraph details her new rule: “I politely request half of the money in advance”, which means asking for part of the total cost first (a deposit).
5 C – This option accurately captures the global narrative: acknowledging the painful experience of the stolen art, while highlighting the professional growth and important business lesson she learned about using deposits.
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Leveling Up: My E-sports Journey
I have been passionate about playing video games since I was ten years old. While I enjoyed playing online with friends, I always felt that competing in the same room with other players was much more exciting. Because of this, I decided to organise a local e-sports tournament in my town. I was so confident that hundreds of teenagers would want to take part that I used all my pocket money to rent the largest room at our local community centre. I even bought some impressive plastic cups to give out to the winners.
Unfortunately, the actual day of the tournament was a complete disaster. I had set up all the chairs and screens early, expecting a huge crowd to walk through the doors. However, only ten people actually showed up to play. We still had a fun afternoon playing games together, but I felt incredibly embarrassed. Worse still, because I had spent so much on the hall and the prizes, I ended up losing quite a lot of money. I went home that evening wondering if I should just forget the whole idea.
After a few days, I decided not to give up. I realised that my main mistake was expecting people to just know about the event without properly telling them. For my first attempt, I had only put up a few posters on the walls around my school. I knew I had to change my approach completely for the second tournament. I began searching for local gaming forums on the internet and spent weeks posting advertisements there. I also asked the original ten players to share the details on their own social media pages.
Three months later, I booked a slightly smaller room and tried again. To my absolute amazement, the tickets sold out within a week. On the day of the event, the hall was packed with over sixty enthusiastic gamers. The atmosphere was incredible, and this time, I actually made a healthy profit. Organising these tournaments is undoubtedly hard work, but seeing everyone enjoying themselves makes it completely worth it. I am already planning a third event, and I feel much more prepared for it now.
1 Why did the writer decide to organise a video game tournament?
(A) He wanted to earn enough pocket money to buy new games.
(B) He believed playing games together in person was thrilling.
(C) He was asked to do it by the local community centre.
(D) He wanted to win the impressive plastic cups he had bought.
2 How did the writer feel after his first tournament?
(A) Disappointed because the players didn’t enjoy the games.
(B) Annoyed that the community centre charged him too much.
(C) Upset because the lack of players meant he lost money.
(D) Surprised that hundreds of teenagers had actually arrived.
3 What did the writer do differently for his second event?
(A) He put up more posters on the walls around his school.
(B) He paid the original ten players to advertise it for him.
(C) He created his own social media page to sell tickets.
(D) He focused on promoting the tournament online.
4 What happened at the second tournament?
(A) It was successful enough to make the writer some money.
(B) The writer had to find a much larger room for all the players.
(C) The tickets sold out on the actual day of the event.
(D) Sixty gamers asked the writer to organise a third event.
5 What would the writer write in his blog about his experience?
(A) I’m glad my first event was so popular, but I think I’ll stop organising tournaments because it is just too much hard work.
(B) Renting a hall was a terrible mistake, so from now on, I am only going to organise e-sports events that people can play from home.
(C) My first tournament was a costly failure, but changing how I advertised taught me a great lesson and helped my next event succeed.
(D) Organising a tournament seemed easy, and I’m so proud that my social media skills made my very first event a huge financial success.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – Paragraph 1 states that the writer felt “competing in the same room with other players was much more exciting,” which matches the idea of finding in-person gaming thrilling.
2 C – In paragraph 2, the writer explains he was embarrassed and “ended up losing quite a lot of money” because “only ten people actually showed up.”
3 D – Paragraph 3 details how he changed his approach by “searching for local gaming forums on the internet and spent weeks posting advertisements there,” which means he focused on online promotion.
4 A – Paragraph 4 describes the event as packed with gamers and notes that “this time, I actually made a healthy profit,” showing he earned money from its success.
5 C – This option accurately captures the global narrative arc: starting with an embarrassing financial loss due to poor planning, learning to advertise effectively online, and turning the second attempt into a profitable success.