Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Digital Arts, Writing & Creative Media
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Truth Behind the History
I’ve always been fascinated by the strange and unusual sides of the past. Last year, I decided to start a history blog called “Weird But True History” to share these stories with other teenagers. At first, it was just a fun hobby, but soon I started caring more about how many people were reading my posts. I realised that articles with shocking titles got the most attention, so I began searching for the craziest historical stories I could find, even if they seemed a bit unbelievable.
One evening, I found an incredibly strange story online about a famous 18th-century inventor. The website claimed he had built a completely wooden submarine that actually flew in the air. I was so excited by this bizarre idea that I didn’t even bother to check if it was actually true. I quickly wrote a post with a very dramatic headline, imagining all the shares and likes it would get. When I published it, the number of visitors to my blog immediately went up, and I felt quite proud of my success.
However, my excitement didn’t last very long. A few days later, I received a long comment from someone who introduced herself as Mrs. Higgins, a high school history teacher. Instead of just telling me I was wrong, she politely provided links to real historical documents and museum records. She explained that the inventor had only drawn a picture of a wooden boat, and it definitely never flew. As I read her evidence, my face turned red with embarrassment. I had shared a completely false rumour just to get more clicks.
I knew I had to fix my mistake immediately. Rather than deleting the post, I wrote a large update at the top, explaining the real facts and thanking Mrs. Higgins for her help. To my surprise, my readers actually loved the honest update. They left comments saying the real story was still fascinating. This experience completely changed how I run my blog. I now spend hours researching and checking facts before I write anything. I’ve learned that sharing accurate history is actually much more rewarding than posting made-up stories for attention.
1 Why did the writer start searching for crazy historical stories?
(A) He wanted to attract more readers to his blog.
(B) He was asked to do it for a school history project.
(C) He wanted to prove that history wasn’t a boring subject.
(D) He enjoyed making up his own unbelievable stories.
2 How did the writer feel immediately after posting the story about the inventor?
(A) Worried that the information might be false.
(B) Pleased because it made his blog more popular.
(C) Disappointed that nobody shared or liked it.
(D) Anxious about what his teachers would think.
3 What did Mrs. Higgins do in her comment?
(A) She told the writer to delete his blog immediately.
(B) She asked the writer to send her more historical documents.
(C) She showed the writer the proof that his story was incorrect.
(D) She made fun of the writer for believing a silly rumour.
4 What was the result of the writer updating his blog post?
(A) He lost most of his blog’s followers.
(B) His readers appreciated his honesty.
(C) He decided to stop writing about history completely.
(D) Mrs. Higgins offered to write his blog for him.
5 What would the writer say about his experience as a history blogger?
(A) I’ve learned that the only way to get people to read about history is to use shocking and dramatic headlines.
(B) Although it was embarrassing to be corrected, it taught me that researching the truth is the most important part of writing.
(C) It is impossible to know what really happened in the past, so it doesn’t matter if you post rumours or facts.
(D) I regret starting my blog because dealing with angry teachers and internet comments is just too stressful.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 A – The text states in the first paragraph that he started “caring more about how many people were reading my posts” and “articles with shocking titles got the most attention,” so he began searching for crazy stories.
2 B – In the second paragraph, the writer explains that when he published it, “the number of visitors to my blog immediately went up, and I felt quite proud of my success.”
3 C – The third paragraph mentions that Mrs. Higgins “politely provided links to real historical documents” and “explained that the inventor had only drawn a picture of a wooden boat,” proving the story was false.
4 B – In the fourth paragraph, the text says, “To my surprise, my readers actually loved the honest update” and left positive comments.
5 B – This option captures the global meaning and the lesson learned in the final paragraph: despite the initial embarrassment of being wrong, the writer realized that researching and sharing accurate history is much more rewarding than posting clickbait.
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Leading My Digital Community
I have always been a massive fan of the ‘Shadow Knight’ fantasy book series. Because none of my friends at school read them, I had nobody to discuss the exciting plots with. Last year, I decided to fix this problem by creating my own chat server on an app called Discord. I wanted to build a friendly digital space where fans from all over the world could share their theories, artwork, and favourite quotes. I spent a whole weekend designing the different chat channels, feeling incredibly optimistic about my new online club.
For the first month, the server was wonderful. We had about fifty active members, and the conversations were always polite and interesting. However, one Friday evening, everything changed. A group of internet trolls discovered a link to the server and joined all at once. Suddenly, the chat screens were flooded with hundreds of rude and inappropriate messages. Genuine fans couldn’t communicate, and several people immediately left the group. Watching my peaceful community turn into a chaotic mess made me feel completely helpless. I seriously considered pressing the ‘delete server’ button right then.
Instead of giving up, I realised I needed to take control of the situation. I spent the next day reading articles about online community management. I discovered that I could add automated computer programmes, known as bots, to the server. I spent a few hours programming a bot to instantly delete any messages containing bad words. Furthermore, I wrote a strict list of community rules and asked two responsible members to help me act as moderators. If anyone broke the rules, we could immediately remove them from the chat.
These changes made a massive difference. The trolls quickly realised they couldn’t ruin our chats anymore and left us alone. Slowly, the server returned to being a safe and cheerful environment for everyone. Our community has now grown to over five hundred members. Running this group requires daily effort, but it has taught me so much about digital leadership and protecting others online. I am no longer just a teenager reading books in my bedroom; I am the proud manager of a global community.
1 Why did the writer decide to create the Discord server?
(A) He wanted to teach his school friends how to use a new app.
(B) He wanted to find people who shared his interest in a book series.
(C) He hoped to share his own fantasy stories with a global audience.
(D) He needed to complete a weekend project about digital technology.
2 How did the writer feel when the trolls invaded the server?
(A) Annoyed that his friends didn’t help him stop them.
(B) Relieved that the active members managed the problem.
(C) Overwhelmed and tempted to shut the whole group down.
(D) Surprised that people were sharing so many messages at once.
3 What step did the writer take to fix the problem?
(A) He asked the app developers to delete the trolls’ accounts.
(B) He programmed the server to block all new members from joining.
(C) He paid two responsible adults to work as moderators for him.
(D) He used software tools to automatically remove unacceptable words.
4 What does the writer think about his experience now?
(A) He wishes he didn’t have to check the server every single day.
(B) He is proud of the valuable management skills he has gained.
(C) He believes the server is too big for him to manage properly now.
(D) He plans to hand over the management to the other moderators soon.
5 What would the writer write in his diary about his server?
(A) “My chat server got ruined by trolls today. I’ve deleted the whole app because managing an online community is impossible.”
(B) “The automated bots I installed are great, but I’m quite disappointed that my server only has fifty members left.”
(C) “I started a server just to chat about books, but saving it from internet trolls actually taught me how to be a strong online leader.”
(D) “It was quite stressful when my school friends spammed the server, but writing a new list of rules finally stopped them.”
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – In the first paragraph, the writer explains that because he had “nobody to discuss the exciting plots with,” he created the space where “fans from all over the world could share their theories,” meaning he wanted to find people with shared interests.
2 C – In the second paragraph, the writer says watching the mess made him feel “completely helpless” (overwhelmed) and he “seriously considered pressing the ‘delete server’ button” (tempted to shut it down).
3 D – In the third paragraph, the writer details how he added automated bots to “instantly delete any messages containing bad words,” matching the use of software tools to remove unacceptable words.
4 B – In the final paragraph, the writer reflects that the experience “taught me so much about digital leadership” and that he is the “proud manager of a global community.”
5 C – This option perfectly synthesizes the global narrative: the initial innocent goal of discussing books, the conflict with the trolls, and the positive outcome of learning digital leadership and management skills.
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Perfect Mistake
At the beginning of the school year, my teacher asked me to direct our very first weekly video newscast. I have always been interested in media, so I was thrilled. My job was to film two students, Sarah and Tom, while they read the school announcements, and then edit the video for everyone to watch on Friday mornings. I wanted our show to look exactly like a professional television news program.
However, our first few episodes were a complete failure. Because I told Sarah and Tom to act like serious journalists, they sat perfectly still and read the news in very flat, boring voices. They looked incredibly uncomfortable. As a result, the other students found the show terribly dull, and nobody paid attention when it was played in classrooms. I tried asking the presenters to smile more, but it just looked unnatural. I felt disappointed and worried that the teacher would cancel the project.
One evening, I was sitting at my computer editing the latest episode. I was watching the extra footage that we usually throw away. There were several clips where Tom accidentally dropped his papers, and another where Sarah couldn’t stop sneezing. In these ruined moments, they were laughing together and looking completely relaxed. Suddenly, I had an idea. Instead of just deleting these mistakes, I decided to cut them together and add a short, funny video at the very end of our serious news broadcast.
When the episode was shown at school the next day, the reaction was amazing. During the main news, the students were quiet, but when the funny mistakes played at the end, the whole classroom burst into laughter. Suddenly, everyone was talking about the newscast. The students realized that Sarah and Tom were just normal, fun teenagers, not boring robots.
By the end of the term, our weekly newscast was the most popular thing in school. The presenters are actually much more relaxed now during the serious news, too. This experience taught me something important about media. You don’t always have to be perfect to keep an audience’s attention. Sometimes, showing your mistakes is the best way to connect with people.
1 What was the writer’s original aim for the school newscast?
(A) He wanted to become a famous television director.
(B) He hoped to make a program that looked completely professional.
(C) He wanted to prove to his teacher that he was good at editing.
(D) He planned to create a funny show about the presenters.
2 Why did the other students dislike the first few episodes?
(A) The news stories were too complicated to understand.
(B) The video editing was very poor quality.
(C) The presenters spoke in a very boring and unnatural way.
(D) The presenters smiled too much during serious announcements.
3 What did the writer notice while editing the extra footage?
(A) The presenters were much more relaxed when they made mistakes.
(B) The cameras had stopped working during the most important news.
(C) Tom and Sarah were arguing about who should read the papers.
(D) He had accidentally deleted the best parts of the broadcast.
4 How did the audience feel about the changed episode?
(A) They were annoyed that the serious news was interrupted.
(B) They were glad that the boring presenters were finally replaced.
(C) They thought the presenters should practice reading the news more.
(D) They liked discovering that the presenters were relatable teenagers.
5 What would the writer say about his experience of directing the newscast?
(A) Producing a video is easy if you tell your presenters exactly what to do.
(B) I thought everything had to be perfect, but sharing our funny errors actually saved the show.
(C) The show was cancelled because the students didn’t respect our hard work.
(D) I regret adding the extra footage because it made the school news look like a joke.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – In the first paragraph, the writer states, “I wanted our show to look exactly like a professional television news program,” which matches hoping to make it look completely professional.
2 C – The second paragraph says the presenters “read the news in very flat, boring voices” and “looked incredibly uncomfortable,” which is why the students found the show “terribly dull.”
3 A – Paragraph 3 explains that in the clips where they made mistakes (dropping papers, sneezing), the presenters “were laughing together and looking completely relaxed.”
4 D – In the fourth paragraph, the writer explains that the students laughed and “realized that Sarah and Tom were just normal, fun teenagers, not boring robots.”
5 B – This captures the global meaning and the lesson learned in the final paragraph. The writer realized that “You don’t always have to be perfect” and that “showing your mistakes is the best way to connect with people,” which is what saved the show.