Practice English Reading Exercises for B2 – Friendships, Peer Pressure & Social Circles 5
Reading 1
You are going to read an extract from a short story about a teenager who steps in to defend a friend.
For questions 1-6, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
Stepping Out of the Shadows
Toby and I had been inseparable since primary school, a partnership built on a mutual appreciation for quiet observation rather than loud participation. Toby was the kind of person who seemed to actively try to take up as little space as possible. He spoke in soft, hesitant sentences and constantly apologised for things that weren’t his fault. I, on the other hand, was equally unassuming, but primarily because of my height. Being significantly shorter than almost everyone in our year meant I had mastered the art of blending into the background. We were a pair of invisible teenagers, perfectly content to navigate the chaotic environment of secondary school entirely unnoticed by the more boisterous crowds.
However, our strategy of invisibility dramatically failed one damp Tuesday afternoon in November. We were walking across the bleak concrete expanse behind the sports hall, a known shortcut to the bus stop, when three older boys suddenly blocked Toby’s path. They were Year Eleven students, towering over us with broad shoulders and an air of intimidating arrogance. I had paused a few metres behind to tie my shoelace, so I watched with growing alarm as they closed in around Toby like a pack of predatory animals. One of them snatched Toby’s backpack, tossing it casually to his friend while Toby stood there, his shoulders slumped in familiar defeat.
A cold knot of genuine terror tightened in my stomach. Logic dictated that I should immediately sprint back into the main building and find a teacher, or simply remain hidden behind the sports equipment shed until they grew bored and left. If I approached them, I would undoubtedly become their next target. I was painfully aware of my own physical limitations; I lacked the strength to win a fight against one of them, let alone three. For a fleeting second, self-preservation urged me to turn around and quietly slip away, pretending I hadn’t seen anything.
But then, the tallest of the group shoved Toby hard against the brick wall. The sound of his jacket scraping against the rough surface echoed across the empty yard. In that precise moment, my paralyzing fear was entirely consumed by a sudden, intense surge of righteous anger. It was as though a switch had been flipped inside my brain. The prospect of getting hurt abruptly ceased to matter. A wave of adrenaline, hot and trembling, coursed through my veins, compelling my legs to move forward before I could even formulate a coherent plan.
I marched directly towards the group, my heart hammering violently against my ribs. “Give him his bag back,” I demanded. My voice was surprisingly loud and steady, cutting sharply through the damp air. The three boys turned to stare at me in absolute bewilderment. They clearly hadn’t anticipated any resistance, especially not from someone who barely reached their chests. Before they could recover from their shock, I wedged myself firmly between Toby and the tallest boy, using my small frame to physically break their intimidating circle. I grabbed the strap of the backpack from the boy’s loose grip, pulling it back with a forceful tug.
“Come on, Toby. We’re leaving,” I said, handing him the bag and keeping my eyes locked fiercely on the older boys. For a tense second, nobody moved. Then, perhaps amused by my unexpected bravery or simply deciding it wasn’t worth the hassle, the leader scoffed and muttered an insult, signalling for his friends to back off. We walked away in stiff, deliberate silence until we rounded the corner to the safety of the main road. Once the immediate danger had passed, my legs finally turned to jelly, but as Toby looked at me with a profound expression of gratitude, I knew that stepping out of the shadows had been entirely worth it.
1 What is established about the narrator and Toby in the first paragraph?
(A) They deliberately hid from the popular students to avoid trouble.
(B) They shared a mutual desire to remain unobtrusive at school.
(C) They both felt deeply insecure about their physical appearance.
(D) They were constantly apologising for their lack of confidence.
2 When the older students confronted Toby, the narrator
(A) dropped his bag in a panic while trying to tie his shoelace.
(B) attempted to run towards the bus stop to seek help.
(C) was observing the situation with mounting concern.
(D) realised the boys had been waiting to attack them.
3 In the third paragraph, what does the narrator admit?
(A) He was frustrated by his inability to physically defend himself.
(B) He briefly considered abandoning his friend to protect himself.
(C) He knew the older boys would quickly leave if he stayed hidden.
(D) He realised that fetching a teacher would take far too much time.
4 What does the phrase “a switch had been flipped” in the fourth paragraph describe?
(A) the immediate replacement of the narrator’s fear with intense anger
(B) the sudden formulation of a coherent and successful rescue plan
(C) the narrator’s sudden physical reaction to the cold autumn air
(D) the shocking sound of Toby being pushed against the brick wall
5 The narrator’s intervention was effective primarily because
(A) he used his small size to easily defeat the tallest boy.
(B) he forcefully shouted a warning that intimidated the group.
(C) he managed to break the strap of Toby’s stolen backpack.
(D) his actions were completely unanticipated by the older students.
6 How does the narrator feel by the end of the story?
(A) relieved that the bullies will never bother them again
(B) physically weak but certain he made the right choice
(C) determined to stop blending into the background from now on
(D) surprised that his legs were trembling so violently
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 B: The text states that they had a “mutual appreciation for quiet observation” and were “perfectly content to navigate the chaotic environment of secondary school entirely unnoticed.” This paraphrases a desire to remain unobtrusive. Option A is an over-inference; they blended into the background but didn’t actively “hide”. Option C is a partial truth; only the narrator mentions his physical appearance (height). Option D is information misplaced; only Toby constantly apologised.
2 C: The text says the narrator “watched with growing alarm as they closed in around Toby,” which matches observing the situation with mounting concern. Option A is a false match; he was tying his shoelace, but he didn’t drop his bag. Option B is incorrect; the bus stop was where they were originally heading, not where he ran for help. Option D is unstated in the text.
3 B: The narrator admits that “For a fleeting second, self-preservation urged me to turn around and quietly slip away, pretending I hadn’t seen anything.” This matches considering abandoning his friend to protect himself. Option A is incorrect; he was “aware” of his limitations, but the text doesn’t say he was frustrated by them. Option C is a false match; he thought about staying hidden until they left, but didn’t know they would leave quickly. Option D is an unstated inference.
4 A: The phrase refers back to the previous sentence: “my paralyzing fear was entirely consumed by a sudden, intense surge of righteous anger.” Option B is the opposite of the text, which states he moved “before I could even formulate a coherent plan.” Options C and D refer to details in the text that are not connected to the “switch” metaphor.
5 D: The text explicitly states that the older boys “turned to stare at me in absolute bewilderment” and “clearly hadn’t anticipated any resistance.” This matches his actions being unanticipated. Option A is false; he didn’t defeat the boy, he just wedged himself between them. Option B is a partial truth; his voice was loud, but he didn’t shout a threat/warning. Option D is a false match; he grabbed the strap, he didn’t break it.
6 B: In the final paragraph, the narrator states his “legs finally turned to jelly” (physically weak) but after seeing Toby’s gratitude, he “knew that stepping out of the shadows had been entirely worth it” (certain he made the right choice). Option A is an over-inference not supported by the text. Option C is plausible in the real world but is never stated in the text. Option D is a false focus; he mentions his legs turning to jelly, but his main feeling is that the action was “worth it.”
Reading 2
You are going to read an extract from a short story about two former best friends reconnecting after a bitter falling out.
For questions 1-6, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
Bridging the Gap
The small bell above the door of the coffee shop chimed, sending a jolt of apprehension through my chest. For twenty minutes, I had been nervously peeling the cardboard sleeve off my cappuccino, regretting my decision to suggest this meeting. It had been exactly five years since Jamie and I last spoke. We had been completely inseparable throughout secondary school. However, our bond had been violently severed over a foolish misunderstanding that we had both been too stubborn to resolve. As I watched the rain trickling down the window, I wondered if attempting to reconnect after such a bitter falling out was a terrible mistake.
Suddenly, the door swung open again, and there he was. Jamie had barely changed, though he was wearing a smart coat I didn’t recognise. When he spotted me in the corner booth, he hesitated for a fraction of a second before walking over. Our greeting was painfully awkward; we exchanged a stiff handshake that felt entirely unnatural for two people who used to be so close. As he sat down opposite me, we immediately launched into safe, meaningless small talk. We discussed the terrible weather and our current jobs, both of us carefully tiptoeing around the enormous elephant in the room.
The defensive stiffness between us was almost suffocating. Jamie kept crossing his arms and avoiding direct eye contact, a classic sign that he was just as uncomfortable as I was. We were desperately pretending that the past five years of silence hadn’t happened. I knew that if one of us didn’t address the underlying issue soon, we would simply finish our drinks, say a polite goodbye, and likely never see each other again. It was a daunting prospect that filled me with a sudden sense of urgency. The argument that had torn us apart now seemed incredibly trivial.
Taking a deep breath, I decided it was time to drop the ego. I leaned forward, resting my hands flat on the wooden table. “Jamie, we need to talk about what happened,” I said, my voice trembling slightly. He froze, his coffee cup hovering halfway to his mouth. “I know we were both to blame,” I continued, pushing past my own reluctance, “but I want to apologise for the things I said. I was angry and I let my pride ruin our friendship. I’m truly sorry.” Revealing my vulnerability was terrifying, as I had no idea how he would react.
For a moment, the café around us seemed to go completely silent. Jamie stared at me, his expression unreadable. Then, gradually, the rigid tension in his shoulders seemed to melt away. He carefully placed his cup back onto the saucer and let out a long, heavy sigh. “I’m sorry too, Alex,” he admitted, a genuine look of regret washing over his face. “I should have reached out years ago. I’ve missed hanging out with you.” Hearing those words was like stepping into a warm room after being out in the freezing cold. The invisible barrier was finally broken.
With the air finally cleared, the atmosphere shifted dramatically. The awkwardness evaporated, replaced by a comfortable familiarity that I hadn’t felt in years. We spent the next two hours reminiscing about our disastrous camping trips and the terrible band we had tried to start. By the time we eventually left the café, the rain had stopped. As we made plans to meet up again the following week, a wave of nostalgic warmth washed over me. I realised that while friendships might bend under the weight of stubbornness, the truly valuable ones are always worth rescuing.
1 Why was the narrator experiencing feelings of regret in the first paragraph?
(A) He was annoyed about waiting twenty minutes while peeling the cardboard sleeve.
(B) He doubted whether trying to repair their broken relationship was a wise idea.
(C) He realised they had both been far too stubborn to resolve their previous issues.
(D) He disliked the coffee shop because the rain was trickling down the window.
2 How did the narrator feel about the greeting between him and Jamie?
(A) He found it unusually formal given their previous close relationship.
(B) He was surprised that Jamie’s appearance had barely changed at all.
(C) He thought Jamie’s smart coat made him seem arrogant and unapproachable.
(D) He was pleased they managed to easily launch into safe, meaningless small talk.
3 What does the word ‘It‘ refer to in the third paragraph?
(A) The defensive stiffness between them.
(B) The underlying issue they had to discuss.
(C) The argument that had torn them apart.
(D) The possibility of losing touch permanently.
4 What is implied about the narrator’s decision to apologise in the fourth paragraph?
(A) He only did it because Jamie’s coffee cup was hovering near his mouth.
(B) He believed he was the only one to blame for the friendship ending.
(C) He was completely confident that Jamie would accept it immediately.
(D) He needed a significant amount of courage to overcome his own pride.
5 How did Jamie react after the narrator apologised?
(A) He stared at the narrator with an unreadable expression for a long time.
(B) He visibly relaxed his posture and expressed his own remorse.
(C) He complained about the feeling of being out in the freezing cold.
(D) He angrily placed his cup back onto the saucer before speaking.
6 What is the writer’s main message in the final paragraph?
(A) It is important to reminisce about disastrous memories to move forward.
(B) Making plans for the following week is the best way to clear the air.
(C) Meaningful connections deserve the effort required to fix them.
(D) Friendships that suffer from stubbornness are rarely the same again.
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 B: The text states the narrator was “wondered if attempting to reconnect after such a bitter falling out was a terrible mistake.” This paraphrases his doubt about whether repairing the relationship was a wise idea. Distractor C is a partial truth; they were stubborn, but this isn’t why he is regretting the meeting in that specific moment. Distractor A uses exact words from the text (“twenty minutes,” “cardboard sleeve”) but falsely connects them to his regret.
2 A: The narrator describes the greeting as “painfully awkward” and “a stiff handshake that felt entirely unnatural for two people who used to be so close.” Distractor D is a false match; they did make small talk, but the narrator wasn’t “pleased” by the stiffness of the greeting itself. Distractor B is a true detail from the text but does not answer the question about how he felt about the greeting.
3 D: In the previous sentence, the narrator states that if they didn’t speak up, they would “likely never see each other again.” The pronoun “It” substitutes for this specific “daunting prospect”. Distractors A, B, and C are all concepts mentioned in the paragraph but do not fit the grammatical or logical reference of what the specific “daunting prospect” was.
4 D: The text states he had to “drop the ego”, push past his “own reluctance”, and that revealing vulnerability was “terrifying”. This implies it took a lot of courage to swallow his pride. Distractor B is directly contradicted by the text (“I know we were both to blame”). Distractor C is an opposite meaning distractor; he was terrified because he had “no idea how he would react”.
5 B: The text notes that “the rigid tension in his shoulders seemed to melt away” (relaxed posture) and he admitted “I’m sorry too” with a “genuine look of regret” (expressed remorse). Distractor A is a partial truth; he did stare with an unreadable expression initially, but his reaction to the apology culminated in relaxing and speaking. Distractor C is a literal misinterpretation of a metaphor used in the text. Distractor D contradicts the text, which says he “carefully” placed his cup down, not angrily.
6 C: The final sentence serves as the thematic takeaway: “the truly valuable ones [friendships] are always worth rescuing.” Distractor D is an opposite meaning distractor; the text emphasizes that they did find a “comfortable familiarity,” showing it can be the same again. Distractor A is too specific and misses the global point. Distractor B is a minor detail from the text masquerading as the main idea.