Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Charity Events, Fundraising & Activism
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Knots of Hope
Last term, my geography teacher showed us a documentary about a small village in Africa where people had to walk for hours just to get clean drinking water. I was completely shocked by their daily struggle. I really wanted to do something to help them, but as a teenager, I didn’t have much money to give. After discussing a few ideas with my friends, I decided to use my favourite hobby to raise funds. I planned to make and sell hundreds of colourful friendship bracelets to help pay for a new water well.
At first, I was very enthusiastic and started making the jewellery every evening after doing my homework. However, I soon realised that producing hundreds of bracelets was a massive challenge. The design I chose required tying thousands of tiny, tight knots. After the first week, my fingers were covered in small cuts, and I started getting terrible hand cramps. The repetitive work was incredibly boring and painful. I began to wonder if I had set myself an impossible goal and thought about just asking my parents to donate some money instead of continuing.
Despite the physical pain, I refused to give up. I spent my entire weekend knotting bracelets, and my friends even came over to help me finish the last few in time. On Monday morning, we set up a small table in the school cafeteria. I was quite nervous that nobody would be interested, but the colourful designs were incredibly popular with the other students. By the end of the lunch break, we had completely sold out of every single bracelet and raised over £300 for the clean-water charity!
A few months later, the charity sent an email to our school. It included a beautiful photograph of the African villagers standing next to their brand-new well, smiling happily as clean water poured out. Looking at that picture, I forgot all about my aching hands and the boring evenings spent tying those knots. Knowing that my small effort had genuinely changed those people’s lives forever filled me with immense pride. If I ever get the chance to fundraise for them again, I will definitely say yes.
1 Why did the writer decide to make friendship bracelets?
(A) To earn some extra money for a school geography trip.
(B) To use her favourite hobby to collect money for a charity.
(C) To show her teachers how good she was at art and design.
(D) To practice a new jewellery technique she had learned.
2 How did the writer feel after the first week of making bracelets?
(A) She was excited to learn how to tie different types of knots.
(B) She was annoyed that her parents refused to help her make them.
(C) She wondered if the task she had chosen was too difficult for her.
(D) She felt proud that she had already finished hundreds of them.
3 What happened when the writer sold the bracelets at school?
(A) She was disappointed because she only managed to raise £300.
(B) She needed her friends’ help to set up the cafeteria table.
(C) She found that her classmates really liked what she had made.
(D) She felt nervous because she hadn’t made enough colourful designs.
4 Seeing the photograph from the charity made the writer
(A) realise that all her physical discomfort had been worth it.
(B) regret that she hadn’t raised enough money to build a bigger well.
(C) wish she had travelled to Africa to meet the villagers in person.
(D) decide to start a new business making and selling jewellery.
5 What would the writer write in her diary today?
(A) I can’t believe how much my hands hurt. Even though I raised some money, I’ll never make another friendship bracelet again!
(B) The charity project was so easy. My friends did most of the work, and the students bought the bracelets immediately!
(C) Making those bracelets was incredibly painful and boring, but seeing the villagers with clean water makes me so proud of my achievement.
(D) I’m so glad my parents donated the money for the well in the end. It saved me from having to tie thousands of knots!
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – The text states she “decided to use my favourite hobby to raise funds” and planned to sell them “to help pay for a new water well” (which is collecting money for a charity).
2 C – In the second paragraph, the writer states that her hands hurt and she “began to wonder if I had set myself an impossible goal”, meaning she thought the task was too difficult.
3 C – The text mentions that “the colourful designs were incredibly popular with the other students”, which means her classmates really liked what she had made.
4 A – Looking at the picture, the writer “forgot all about my aching hands” and felt “immense pride”, meaning she realised her physical pain was completely worth the result.
5 C – This option successfully captures the global meaning and emotional arc of the text: acknowledging the physical struggle and boredom, but ultimately focusing on the pride and positive impact of her actions.
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Pajamas for a Good Cause
Every year, our school organizes a charity week to collect money for a local children’s hospital. Usually, students just bake cakes or sell old books. I really wanted to do something completely different this time. While chatting with my friends, I came up with the idea of a “Pajama Day”. The concept was very simple: any student who wanted to wear their pajamas to school instead of their usual uniform would just have to pay one dollar. I imagined it would be a very funny day and a quick way to raise a lot of money.
However, things didn’t go exactly as I had planned. The next morning, I went to the school principal, Mr. Harris, to explain my exciting idea. To my surprise, he was completely against it. He looked concerned and explained that wearing pajamas would make the students too relaxed. He believed that nobody would concentrate on their lessons and that the school would just become too noisy. He politely told me to think of a different idea. I left his office feeling quite disappointed, but I refused to give up immediately.
Instead of complaining, I decided to prove that the event could actually work perfectly. I spent my whole weekend writing a detailed, step-by-step plan. I included strict rules to solve Mr. Harris’s worries. For example, I suggested that students must wear normal shoes instead of slippers so they wouldn’t have accidents in the science labs. I also recommended holding the event on a Friday, when our timetable is usually much lighter and lessons are calmer.
On Monday, I nervously returned to Mr. Harris’s office and handed him my document. He read it carefully in silence. Finally, he smiled and said that because I had thought about the safety and educational rules so well, he would allow the event to happen.
The actual “Pajama Day” was an amazing success. Almost everyone participated, raising over four hundred dollars, and the lessons were not disrupted at all. Even a few teachers wore their dressing gowns! This whole experience taught me a very valuable lesson. I realised that if you want to change someone’s mind, getting angry doesn’t help. You have to prepare carefully and negotiate with good arguments.
1 Why did the writer want to organize Pajama Day?
(A) To avoid wearing his school uniform on a Friday.
(B) To try a new, creative way of raising money for charity.
(C) To sell cakes and old books to his friends more easily.
(D) To win a prize from the local children’s hospital.
2 How did Mr. Harris react to the idea at first?
(A) He was worried it would stop students from working hard.
(B) He was angry that the writer hadn’t asked him earlier.
(C) He thought it was a funny idea but too expensive to do.
(D) He was disappointed because he wanted to sell old books.
3 What did the writer include in the detailed plan?
(A) A list of teachers who had agreed to wear pajamas.
(B) Solutions to keep the school safe and focused.
(C) A new timetable with more science lessons on Friday.
(D) A promise to clean the science labs after school.
4 What is the most important thing the writer learned from this experience?
(A) That wearing pajamas makes school lessons more enjoyable.
(B) That raising four hundred dollars is easy for a teenager.
(C) That organizing your ideas well can help you persuade others.
(D) That adults will only listen to you if you are a teacher.
5 What would the writer write in his diary that evening?
(A) I can’t believe Mr. Harris ruined my charity event. He didn’t even read the detailed plan I spent all weekend writing!
(B) My friends were right. Selling cakes is definitely the easiest way to raise money, and I shouldn’t have tried anything new.
(C) Pajama Day was a lot of fun, but the students were so noisy that the teachers had to stop the lessons early.
(D) The event was brilliant and we raised lots of money! I’m so glad I took the time to write a proper plan instead of just giving up.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – In paragraph 1, the writer states that usually students sell cakes or books, but he “really wanted to do something completely different this time” to collect money for the hospital.
2 A – In paragraph 2, the writer explains that Mr. Harris believed “nobody would concentrate on their lessons” and that students would be “too relaxed,” matching the worry that it would stop them working hard.
3 B – In paragraph 3, the writer mentions including “strict rules to solve Mr. Harris’s worries” like wearing normal shoes to prevent accidents (safety) and choosing a day when the timetable is lighter (focused).
4 C – In paragraph 5, the writer concludes that to change someone’s mind, “You have to prepare carefully and negotiate with good arguments,” which means organizing your ideas to persuade others.
5 D – This option perfectly captures the global meaning and emotional arc of the text: it acknowledges the massive success of the charity event, the amount of money raised, and the fact that his detailed preparation and refusal to give up paid off.
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Painting a Brighter Future
For several months, a large brick wall in the centre of my neighbourhood had been covered in ugly, hateful graffiti. Every time I walked past it, I felt a deep sense of sadness. Our community was usually a welcoming place, but those dark words made the street feel unsafe and unfriendly. Because I have always loved art, I decided to take matters into my own hands. My plan was to cover up the horrible messages with a bright, colourful mural of a beautiful sunset to spread some positivity.
On a hot Saturday morning, I arrived at the wall with several buckets of paint and some large brushes. However, things did not start well. As soon as I began painting over the dark letters, a few local residents came out of their houses and started shouting at me. They thought I was just another vandal adding more ugly graffiti to the neighbourhood. They angrily accused me of making a terrible mess and ruining the street even further. I felt completely misunderstood and intimidated, but I took a deep breath and continued working.
I spent the entire weekend blending bright yellows, warm oranges, and deep purples across the bricks. Slowly, the hateful words disappeared completely, replaced by a glowing, peaceful sunset. It was physically exhausting work, and my clothes were completely covered in paint, but watching the sad, grey street transform into a vibrant space kept me motivated.
By late Sunday afternoon, the mural was finally finished. As I was packing up my brushes, I heard footsteps behind me. I turned around and saw the exact same locals who had shouted at me the day before. This time, they weren’t angry at all. Instead, they were smiling warmly and handing me cold drinks to say thank you. Seeing their change in attitude was an incredibly emotional moment. It proved to me that replacing hatred with beauty can genuinely heal a fractured community and bring people together.
1 Why did the writer decide to paint the brick wall?
(A) To practice her painting skills for an upcoming art competition.
(B) To cover up hateful graffiti with a positive and beautiful image.
(C) Because the local council offered to pay her to clean the street.
(D) To annoy the local residents who lived near the neighbourhood centre.
2 How did the local residents react when the writer first started painting?
(A) They offered to help her blend the orange and purple paint.
(B) They ignored her completely and stayed inside their houses.
(C) They shouted at her because they thought she was making a mess.
(D) They called the police to report a teenager making too much noise.
3 What did the final mural look like?
(A) A glowing and peaceful sunset.
(B) A realistic portrait of the local residents.
(C) A collection of bright, positive words.
(D) A dark and moody landscape.
4 What did the locals do when the writer finished the mural?
(A) They demanded that the writer clean up the empty paint buckets.
(B) They added their own colourful paintings to the rest of the wall.
(C) They asked the writer to come back and paint their own houses.
(D) They brought her cold drinks to show their appreciation.
5 What would the writer say about her weekend experience?
(A) “I regret painting the wall because the locals were so aggressive at the start that it ruined my weekend.”
(B) “It was exhausting work, but I learned that creating beautiful art has the power to heal and unite a community.”
(C) “I realise now that hateful graffiti is impossible to cover up, so I will never try to paint a public wall again.”
(D) “The sunset mural looks great, but I think the neighbours only liked it because they wanted to be in my photographs.”
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – The text states in the first paragraph that the wall was covered in hateful graffiti, and her plan was “to cover up the horrible messages with a bright, colourful mural of a beautiful sunset to spread some positivity.”
2 C – In the second paragraph, the writer explains that a few local residents “started shouting at me. They thought I was just another vandal… They angrily accused me of making a terrible mess”.
3 A – The third paragraph describes how the hateful words were “replaced by a glowing, peaceful sunset.”
4 D – In the fourth paragraph, the text says that the locals who had shouted at her were now “smiling warmly and handing me cold drinks to say thank you.”
5 B – This option captures the global meaning and the lesson learned in the final paragraph: despite the difficult start, she realized that “replacing hatred with beauty can genuinely heal a fractured community and bring people together.”