Practice English Reading Exercises for B2 – Extended Family, Grandparents & Heritage 2
Reading 1
You are going to read an extract from a short story about a teenager who attends a difficult family gathering.
For questions 1-6, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
The Family Reunion Drama
Every August, the Miller family descended upon my grandparents’ sprawling countryside garden for the annual summer barbecue. For as long as I can remember, attendance has been absolutely mandatory, regardless of whatever alternative plans a teenager might prefer to make. As I sat sweating on a slightly unsteady folding chair, poking at a lukewarm potato salad, I braced myself for the predictable afternoon ahead. The event always unfolded exactly the same way: endless questions about my school grades, stories I had heard a dozen times before, and a profound sense of obligatory boredom. I honestly believed that this year’s gathering would be as uneventful as the last.
However, I had severely underestimated the growing friction between my two uncles, Arthur and Julian. They have always been polar opposites. Arthur, a retired banker with deeply traditional views, constantly complains that the world is changing too rapidly. Julian, on the other hand, is a university sociology lecturer who passionately advocates for radical social reforms. Normally, they managed to maintain a polite distance, nodding amiably from opposite ends of the patio. But this year, a sudden heavy downpour forced all fifty of us to cram into the conservatory. Being confined to such a small space must have been the catalyst, as they soon found themselves standing shoulder to shoulder near the buffet table.
The conflict ignited over something as trivial as the price of the sausages, which quickly spiralled into a heated debate about the national economy. Within minutes, the volume of their voices had risen dramatically, slicing through the cheerful background chatter like a knife. The familiar hum of family gossip ground to a complete halt, replaced by a tense, suffocating silence. Avenues of escape were entirely blocked by the sheer number of relatives packed into the room. I sank lower into my chair, wishing the floor would simply swallow me whole. The awkward discomfort was palpable, with everyone desperately avoiding eye contact.
My mother attempted to intervene, cheerfully offering them both an extra slice of chocolate cake, but her efforts were swiftly brushed aside. The uncles were now locked in a fierce ideological battle, gesturing wildly and speaking over one another. If my grandfather wasn’t such a remarkably heavy sleeper, he would undoubtedly have woken up and put an end to the nonsense immediately. Instead, the responsibility seemed to hang in the air, waiting for someone brave enough to step into the crossfire. Realising that the entire afternoon was on the verge of being ruined, I knew I had to come up with a distraction.
Suddenly, I remembered the dusty cardboard box of family keepsakes my grandmother had asked me to bring down from the attic earlier that morning. It was sitting unobtrusively on the hallway table. Slipping away unnoticed, I hurried out of the conservatory and rummaged through the box until my fingers brushed against a thick, leather-bound photo album. It was famously filled with dreadful snapshots from the 1980s, documenting the most embarrassing fashion choices our family had ever made. Armed with my secret weapon, I marched back into the tense battleground, deliberately dropping the heavy book onto the glass coffee table with a resounding crash.
Startled, both Arthur and Julian stopped mid-sentence and glared at me. Without saying a word, I flipped the album open to the middle page. There, in glorious colour, was a photograph of the two of them as teenagers, wearing matching neon tracksuits and ridiculous feathered hairstyles, performing a terrible dance routine. My younger cousin let out a sudden snort of laughter, and within seconds, the entire room erupted. Even the two warring uncles couldn’t help but crack a smile, their political grievances instantly overshadowed by shared embarrassment. The heavy tension evaporated, proving that while our opinions might divide us, our shared history will always bring us back together.
1 What does the narrator suggest about the annual family barbecue in the first paragraph?
(A) It is an unavoidable event that lacks any real excitement.
(B) It is usually ruined by the terrible food served in the garden.
(C) It is a stressful occasion because relatives ask difficult questions.
(D) It is an event that teenagers actively try to escape from every year.
2 Why did the two uncles end up arguing this year?
(A) They deliberately ignored the polite boundaries they usually kept.
(B) They had completely different opinions on traditional family values.
(C) They wanted to discuss the differences in their professional careers.
(D) They were forced into close proximity due to the bad weather.
3 What happened when the uncles’ argument escalated?
(A) The relatives attempted to leave the room to avoid the conflict.
(B) The rest of the family became extremely quiet and uncomfortable.
(C) The background chatter grew louder to cover up their voices.
(D) The family started arguing over the price of the barbecue food.
4 What does the narrator imply about their grandfather in the fourth paragraph?
(A) He possessed the necessary authority to stop the uncles from arguing.
(B) He was deliberately pretending to sleep to avoid the conflict.
(C) He usually sides with the other relatives during ideological battles.
(D) He had asked the narrator to step into the crossfire instead.
5 What does the word ‘It’ refer to in paragraph 5?
(A) the cardboard box
(B) the photo album
(C) the hallway table
(D) the secret weapon
6 What is the writer’s main conclusion about the family reunion?
(A) Emphasising that political debates should be banned at family gatherings.
(B) Highlighting that shared memories are more powerful than personal disagreements.
(C) Showing that embarrassing photographs are the best way to win an argument.
(D) Suggesting that teenagers are better at solving conflicts than adults.
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 A: The text states that attendance is “absolutely mandatory” (unavoidable) and that the narrator anticipates a “predictable afternoon” filled with “obligatory boredom” (lacking excitement). Distractor C is a False Match; while relatives do ask questions about school grades, the narrator considers this “predictable” and boring, not “stressful” or “difficult”.
2 D: The text explains that a “sudden heavy downpour forced all fifty of us to cram into the conservatory” and being confined to this small space “must have been the catalyst” for their argument. Distractor B is a Partial Truth; they do have different opinions, but this is a long-standing issue. The specific reason they argued this year was the forced physical proximity.
3 B: As the argument grew louder, the family gossip “ground to a complete halt, replaced by a tense, suffocating silence,” and “awkward discomfort was palpable.” Distractor A is the Opposite; the text specifically notes that “avenues of escape were entirely blocked” by the crowd, so they couldn’t leave.
4 A: The narrator notes that if the grandfather hadn’t been asleep, he “would undoubtedly have put an end to the nonsense immediately,” implying he is someone who commands respect and can control the uncles’ behaviour. Distractor B is an Over-Inference; the text says he is a “heavy sleeper,” but there is no evidence he was faking his sleep to avoid the fight.
5 B: The pronoun ‘It’ refers to the “thick, leather-bound photo album” mentioned in the previous sentence, which contained the dreadful snapshots from the 1980s.
6 B: In the final paragraph, the narrator reflects that the uncles’ political grievances were overshadowed by shared embarrassment, proving that “while our opinions might divide us, our shared history will always bring us back together.” Distractor D is an Over-Inference; while a teenager solved this specific conflict, the text does not make a broad, global claim that teenagers are generally better at it than adults.
Reading 2
You are going to read an extract from a short story about a bilingual teenager who accompanies his grandfather to the doctor.
For questions 1-6, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
The Translation
I had been looking forward to Saturday all week. My friends were heading to the cinema, and I had been desperate to join them. Instead, I found myself sitting in the sterile waiting room of the local health clinic, frantically refreshing my phone. As the only person in my family who was entirely fluent in English, I had long ago been designated as the unofficial translator. Whenever a utility bill needed sorting or an appointment had to be attended, I was inevitably called upon to bridge the linguistic divide. Usually, I didn’t mind helping out, but on this particular morning, a heavy sense of annoyance weighed me down. I felt it was incredibly unfair that my weekend plans had to be sacrificed for what I assumed was just a routine check-up.
My grandfather, meanwhile, sat completely unfazed beside me. He wore his best Sunday suit, a testament to how seriously he took these formal interactions. While I sighed and tapped my foot impatiently, he simply stared straight ahead, his calloused hands resting quietly on his knees. If he had known how resentful I was feeling, he would probably have told me to go and enjoy my film. But he rarely asked for help, and my mother had firmly insisted that he couldn’t navigate the complex medical system alone. “Leo,” the nurse called out, mispronouncing his name slightly, and we shuffled into the brightly lit consultation room.
Dr. Aris was a polite, fast-talking physician who immediately launched into a detailed assessment of my grandfather’s blood test results. He started using terms that completely threw me off balance. Words like ‘cardiovascular’, ‘hypertension’, and ‘statins’ flew through the air. A sudden, cold wave of anxiety washed over me. Translating basic household conversations was one thing, but conveying nuanced medical data was entirely different. I stumbled over my words, desperately trying to find the equivalent terms in our heritage language. I realised that if I made a single mistake, the consequences could be disastrous. The immense pressure of this was suddenly suffocating, and my previous annoyance evaporated, replaced by the terrifying fear of letting him down.
I nervously relayed the doctor’s instructions about reducing sodium intake and monitoring blood pressure. My grandfather listened intently, nodding slowly as I simplified the complex jargon into terms he could easily grasp. Then, Dr. Aris looked at his notes and asked, “Has he ever experienced this kind of chronic joint pain before? Perhaps from his previous occupation?” I turned to my grandfather and translated the question.
For a moment, my grandfather looked down at his hands. In a quiet, steady voice, he began to explain his early days in the country. He described the freezing winters spent working on construction sites and the back-breaking hours in factories, doing double shifts just to ensure my mother could attend a good school. As I translated his words back to the doctor, I felt a heavy lump forming in my throat. I had grown up surrounded by the comforts his labour had provided, yet I had never truly considered the physical toll it had taken on his body.
Walking back home that afternoon, the distance between us felt completely different. My friends were probably already enjoying their film, but I no longer cared about missing out. I glanced at my grandfather, whose posture remained as proud and dignified as ever. I suddenly felt a profound respect for the immense sacrifices he had made. Being his translator wasn’t an unfair chore; it was an absolute privilege. He had navigated a terrifying new world so that I wouldn’t have to, and the least I could do was help him find the right words in return.
1 Why was the writer annoyed at the beginning of the text?
(A) He felt resentful that he had to miss out on a planned social event.
(B) He disliked being the only person in his family who spoke fluent English.
(C) He found the atmosphere in the local health clinic incredibly boring.
(D) He was frustrated by his grandfather’s inability to understand utility bills.
2 How did the grandfather appear to feel while sitting in the waiting room?
(A) Guilty about forcing his grandson to miss his film.
(B) Unbothered by the environment and respectful of the occasion.
(C) Frustrated by the nurse mispronouncing his name.
(D) Anxious about navigating the complex medical system alone.
3 What does the word ‘this‘ refer to in paragraph 3?
(A) the detailed assessment of the blood test results
(B) the fast-talking nature of the physician
(C) the difficulty of speaking his heritage language
(D) the possibility of making a dangerous translation error
4 What does the writer realise when translating his grandfather’s past experiences?
(A) His grandfather had deliberately hidden his painful past from the rest of the family.
(B) The doctor was blaming his grandfather’s previous occupation for his poor diet.
(C) His grandfather’s current health issues were a direct result of providing for the family.
(D) He had misunderstood the medical jargon the doctor had used earlier in the consultation.
5 How did the writer’s attitude change by the end of the day?
(A) He viewed his role as a translator as an honour rather than a burden.
(B) He felt ashamed for prioritizing his friends over his family’s needs.
(C) He decided he would never complain about helping his relatives again.
(D) He felt proud that he had successfully navigated the terrifying new world.
6 What is the writer’s main purpose in this text?
(A) to explain the immense difficulties faced by bilingual teenagers in medical situations
(B) to describe a challenging experience that led to a newfound appreciation of a relative
(C) to highlight the physical dangers of working in heavy construction and factories
(D) to advise young people to spend more quality time with their elderly grandparents
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 A: The text states that the writer had been looking forward to Saturday all week and felt it was “incredibly unfair that my weekend plans had to be sacrificed.” Option B is a Partial Truth; he is the only fluent speaker, but he states he “usually didn’t mind helping out,” so this isn’t the root of his current annoyance. Option C is Unstated/Plausible but not supported by the text as the reason for his annoyance. Option D is a False Match; “utility bills” are mentioned generally, but not as the cause of his frustration that day.
2 B: The text describes the grandfather as “completely unfazed” and wearing his “best Sunday suit, a testament to how seriously he took these formal interactions.” Option A is the Opposite; the text says “If he had known… he would probably have told me to go.” Option C is a False Match; the nurse did mispronounce his name, but he showed no frustration. Option D is a False Match; it was the mother who insisted he couldn’t navigate the system alone; he himself sat “completely unfazed.”
3 D: The pronoun “this” refers back to the preceding sentence: “I realised that if I made a single mistake, the consequences could be disastrous. The immense pressure of this…” Options A and B are False Matches that appear in the paragraph but do not relate to the pressure he felt. Option C is a Partial Truth; he struggled to find the words, but the suffocating pressure came directly from the fear of making a mistake with those words.
4 C: The writer translates the grandfather’s stories of “back-breaking hours” done “to ensure my mother could attend a good school” and realizes he “had never truly considered the physical toll it had taken on his body.” Option A is an Over-inference; the grandfather spoke in a “quiet, steady voice,” but there is no evidence he deliberately kept it a secret before. Option B is a False Match; the doctor asked about joint pain, not a poor diet. Option D is Unstated.
5 A: In the final paragraph, the writer states, “Being his translator wasn’t an unfair chore; it was an absolute privilege.” Option B is an Over-inference; he “no longer cared about missing out,” but the text doesn’t say he felt deep shame. Option C is Too Extreme; stating he will never complain again is an absolute not found in the text. Option D is a False Match; the text says the grandfather had “navigated a terrifying new world,” not the writer.
6 B: The text follows an emotional arc where the writer begins annoyed by the chore, faces a difficult translation challenge, and ultimately gains profound respect for his grandfather. Option A is Too Specific; while medical translation is the conflict, it’s not the overarching theme. Option C is a Partial Truth/Too Specific; it is mentioned, but only to serve the main narrative of the grandfather’s sacrifice. Option D is Unstated; the text is a personal reflection, not an advisory article.