Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Digital Arts, Writing & Creative Media
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Power of Simple Words
I’ve always loved reading fantasy books, so when I saw an advertisement for a national short story competition for teenagers, I immediately decided to enter. The first prize was a brand-new laptop, but to be honest, I just wanted to see if my writing was actually good enough. I spent the weekend planning an adventure story about a brave girl who discovers a hidden magical forest. I was incredibly excited and felt confident that my idea was a winning one.
When I started writing the following week, I wanted my story to sound as professional as possible. I thought the judges would be extremely impressed by difficult words, so I spent hours looking in a dictionary to find complicated vocabulary. I replaced simple words like “walked” with “proceeded” and “scared” with “petrified.” However, by the time I finished the first draft, the story was almost impossible to read. The sentences were too long, and it didn’t sound like my voice at all.
I asked my older sister, Emma, to read it and give me some advice. She honestly told me that she couldn’t understand the plot because the language was so unnatural and confusing. At first, I felt a bit annoyed, but deep down I knew she was right. I deleted the whole document and started again. This time, I focused entirely on the characters’ feelings. I used simple, everyday words to describe the girl’s journey, which suddenly made the magical forest feel much more real and emotional.
A few weeks after I sent my final story in, I received an email from the competition organizers. I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read the message. Out of thousands of teenagers, I had won second place! They sent me a beautiful certificate and a huge collection of famous fantasy books. Although I didn’t win the laptop, I was absolutely delighted with my prize.
This whole experience taught me a very valuable lesson about writing. I finally realised that you don’t need to use complicated language to tell a great story. What really matters is connecting with the reader’s emotions and being honest in your writing. I’m already planning my next adventure story, and I’m definitely going to keep it simple!
1 Why did the writer decide to enter the short story competition?
(A) She wanted to win a new laptop for her schoolwork.
(B) She wanted to find out if she was a talented writer.
(C) She was asked to enter by the competition organizers.
(D) She had already written a story about a magical forest.
2 What problem did the writer have with her first draft?
(A) It was too short for the competition rules.
(B) The judges told her the words were too difficult.
(C) She spent too much time choosing the characters’ names.
(D) The complicated vocabulary made it difficult to understand.
3 How did the writer change her story after speaking to her sister?
(A) She concentrated more on the emotions in the story.
(B) She asked her sister to help her write the ending.
(C) She decided to write about a completely different topic.
(D) She used a dictionary to find better descriptive words.
4 How did the writer feel about the results of the competition?
(A) Disappointed that she didn’t win the first prize.
(B) Shocked that she had done so well.
(C) Annoyed that she only received a certificate.
(D) Unsure if she wanted to read the books she won.
5 What would the writer say about her experience of entering the competition?
(A) I learned that judges prefer stories with long, difficult words, so I will use a dictionary more often.
(B) I was angry with my sister’s advice at first, and I still think my original story was much better.
(C) It taught me that good writing is about sharing feelings clearly, not just using complicated vocabulary.
(D) Winning second place was great, but I’m going to stop writing fantasy stories and try something else.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – The text states in the first paragraph, “to be honest, I just wanted to see if my writing was actually good enough.”
2 D – In the second paragraph, the writer explains that she used difficult words from a dictionary, which meant “the story was almost impossible to read.”
3 A – The third paragraph mentions that after starting again, “I focused entirely on the characters’ feelings.”
4 B – In the fourth paragraph, she says, “I couldn’t believe my eyes when I read the message,” which shows she was shocked or highly surprised by her success.
5 C – This option perfectly captures the global meaning and the lesson learned in the final paragraph: “you don’t need to use complicated language to tell a great story. What really matters is connecting with the reader’s emotions.”
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Finding My YouTube Audience
I’ve always loved watching YouTube videos. Some of my favourite vloggers talk about their daily routines, and they always look like they are having so much fun. A few months ago, I decided it was time to start my own channel. I used my birthday money to buy a good camera and spent hours planning my first video. I thought that if I filmed my everyday life—going to school, doing my homework, and walking my dog—people would definitely find it interesting. I was confident I’d be famous in no time.
However, reality was quite different. Over the next month, I filmed, edited, and uploaded ten videos. I checked my channel every morning, expecting to see hundreds of views and comments. But every single time, the number of views was exactly zero. The only person watching was my mum! I felt extremely disappointed and embarrassed about the whole situation. I started to wonder if my life was just too boring for the internet. I seriously considered selling my camera and deleting my channel forever.
Before giving up completely, I asked my best friend, Alex, for some honest advice. He pointed out that millions of people already make videos about their daily lives. He suggested I focus on something I actually knew a lot about. I have a massive collection of old, unusual video games at home that nobody really plays anymore. Although I didn’t think anyone would care about them, I decided to film a short review of a weird space game from the 1990s. I uploaded it without expecting much to happen.
When I checked my phone the next day, I couldn’t believe my eyes. The video had over five hundred views and dozens of positive comments from gamers asking for more. I quickly started making more reviews of obscure games, and to my surprise, my audience slowly began to grow. Now, I have a small but very loyal group of fans who love watching my content. I haven’t become a world-famous celebrity, but I have learned that sharing your unique passions is much better than just trying to copy everyone else.
1 Why did the writer decide to start a YouTube channel?
(A) He wanted to show people how to use a new camera.
(B) He was inspired by other people who filmed their daily lives.
(C) His friends told him his daily routine was very interesting.
(D) He needed to earn some money to buy better equipment.
2 How did the writer feel after uploading his first ten videos?
(A) Surprised that his mum had left so many comments.
(B) Relieved that he didn’t have to edit any more videos.
(C) Upset because absolutely nobody was watching his content.
(D) Annoyed because his camera stopped working properly.
3 What made the writer change the topic of his videos?
(A) He realized he wanted to talk about a subject he had knowledge of.
(B) His friend Alex asked him to review a popular space game.
(C) He found a box of old games that he wanted to sell online.
(D) He noticed that millions of people were already playing weird games.
4 What does the writer think about his YouTube channel now?
(A) He hopes to eventually become a world-famous celebrity.
(B) He is unhappy that his audience is still quite small.
(C) He plans to go back to filming his daily school routine.
(D) He appreciates having a special group of people who enjoy his work.
5 What would the writer write in his blog about his YouTube experience?
(A) “It is impossible to get any views on YouTube these days, so I’ve decided to stop making videos and just play video games instead.”
(B) “I thought filming my everyday life would make me famous, but I discovered that making videos about my specific interests is much more rewarding.”
(C) “My best friend Alex completely ruined my channel by telling me to stop making daily vlogs. I wish I had never listened to his advice.”
(D) “Reviewing old video games is quite boring, but it’s the only way to get hundreds of views and become an internet celebrity.”
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – In the first paragraph, the writer mentions that he loved watching vloggers talk about their daily routines, which inspired him to start his own channel and film his “everyday life”.
2 C – In the second paragraph, the writer states that the number of views was “exactly zero” (except for his mum) and that he felt “extremely disappointed and embarrassed”.
3 A – The third paragraph explains that his friend suggested he focus on something he “actually knew a lot about,” which led him to review his collection of old, unusual video games.
4 D – In the final paragraph, the writer expresses that he has a “small but very loyal group of fans who love watching my content” and has learned that sharing his unique passions is “much better than just trying to copy everyone else.”
5 B – This option successfully captures the global narrative: the writer started by unsuccessfully trying to copy daily vloggers to get famous, but ultimately found success and happiness by pivoting to his unique niche of reviewing old video games.
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Finding Our Voice
My friend Mark and I have always been passionate about movies. We spend hours every weekend watching new releases and discussing our favorite directors. Last month, we decided to share our opinions with the world by starting our very own film podcast. Because we always have so much to say to each other, we honestly believed that making an entertaining audio show would be an easy and fun project.
For our first episode, we just turned on the microphone and started talking. We didn’t make a plan or write down any notes; we just chatted randomly about whatever came into our heads. We recorded for a whole hour and felt really proud. However, when we listened back to the recording later that evening, we were shocked. It was incredibly boring. We kept repeating ourselves, getting distracted by unrelated topics, and leaving long, awkward silences. I realized that nobody would want to listen to our messy conversations.
Mark suggested that we should just delete the file and give up, but I refused. I realized we needed a proper structure. Before recording our second attempt, we spent three days doing serious research. We divided the show into clear sections: a review of a new movie, a fun quiz, and some news about upcoming actors. We also wrote detailed notes so that we wouldn’t forget what we wanted to say.
When we sat down to record the new episode, the difference was amazing. Because we knew exactly what we were going to talk about next, there were no uncomfortable silences. We stayed focused on the topic, and our opinions made much more sense. We sounded completely confident and professional, like real radio presenters. Also, because we made fewer mistakes, editing the sound file on the computer took half the time.
We uploaded the finished episode online, and within a few days, we received dozens of positive comments from our classmates. They said the show was funny and informative. I have learned a valuable lesson from this experience. Having a lot of passion for a subject is a great start, but if you want to create something truly successful, you have to be prepared to put in the hard work and organize your ideas.
1 Why did the writer think making a podcast would be easy?
(A) He had studied audio production at his school.
(B) He and his friend always had plenty to talk about.
(C) He knew a lot of people who would listen to it.
(D) He had already written scripts for a movie project.
2 How did the writer feel when he listened to the first recording?
(A) disappointed because the audio quality was very poor
(B) worried that they had recorded the episode for too long
(C) surprised that they sounded so uninteresting to listen to
(D) embarrassed because he argued with Mark about a film
3 What did the boys do to improve their second attempt?
(A) They bought a better microphone for recording.
(B) They asked their classmates for advice on topics.
(C) They spent time preparing and organizing the content.
(D) They decided to talk about easier, shorter topics.
4 What was one benefit of using the new plan?
(A) It made the computer editing process much quicker.
(B) It helped them finish recording the show in ten minutes.
(C) It allowed them to invite real radio presenters onto the show.
(D) It meant they didn’t have to use notes while they were speaking.
5 What would the writer say in his blog about the podcast?
(A) I really enjoy talking about movies, but I’ve decided to stop podcasting because the research takes too much time.
(B) Our first recording was terrible, but I learned that planning and structure are the secrets to making a great show.
(C) If you want to start a podcast, you should just turn on the microphone and see what happens naturally.
(D) I was surprised by how much our classmates hated our first episode, but the second one was much better.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – In the first paragraph, the writer explains that they thought it would be an easy project “Because we always have so much to say to each other.”
2 C – The second paragraph says the writer was “shocked” because “It was incredibly boring… nobody would want to listen to our messy conversations.” This matches being surprised that they sounded so uninteresting.
3 C – Paragraph 3 states that they “spent three days doing serious research,” “divided the show into clear sections,” and “wrote detailed notes,” which paraphrases spending time preparing and organizing the content.
4 A – In paragraph 4, the writer states that because they made fewer mistakes with the new plan, “editing the sound file on the computer took half the time,” meaning the process was much quicker.
5 B – This captures the global meaning and the overall emotional arc of the text. They failed initially by just talking randomly, but by researching and organizing (planning and structure), they produced a successful, professional-sounding podcast.