Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Performing Arts, Theater & Dance
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Secret of the Cards
For my fifteenth birthday, my parents bought me a book about close-up magic. I had always been fascinated by illusions, especially card tricks, and I couldn’t wait to perform them myself. I chose a trick that seemed simple but looked impossible. For three whole weeks, I stood in front of my bedroom mirror every evening. I practised the physical movements again and again until my hands were incredibly fast. I felt completely confident that nobody would ever be able to spot what I was doing.
The following weekend, I invited my best friend, Leo, to my house to test my new skills. I asked him to choose a card, and then I began the illusion. I kept my eyes firmly on the cards, concentrating hard on making the exact movements I had practised. Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned. “I can see the card hidden under your fingers,” Leo laughed. Because I was staring so closely at my own hands, Leo naturally looked exactly at the same place. The trick was ruined, and I felt extremely embarrassed.
I realised that having quick fingers simply wasn’t enough, so I went online to find out what had gone wrong. I discovered a professional magician explaining a concept called ‘misdirection’. He said that the real secret of magic is controlling where the audience is looking. If you want to hide a movement in your hands, you must make eye contact with the person and keep them talking. It was a fascinating discovery. Magic wasn’t just about physical speed; it was deeply psychological.
A few days later, I decided to try again with a group of classmates at school. This time, I didn’t just focus on the cards. While I was performing the trick, I told a funny story and asked them questions. While they were looking up at my face and laughing, I quickly did the secret move. When I finally revealed their chosen card, everyone was absolutely amazed. Nobody had seen a thing! Learning to manage the audience’s attention has made me a much better performer, and now I actually enjoy the talking part as much as the trick itself.
1 Why did Toby feel confident before his first performance?
(A) His parents had told him he was naturally talented.
(B) He had repeated the actions in his room many times.
(C) He had already performed the trick for his best friend.
(D) He had read several advanced books on close-up magic.
2 Why did Leo manage to see how the trick worked?
(A) Toby’s own focus drew his friend’s eyes to the secret.
(B) Leo already knew the psychology behind the illusion.
(C) Toby accidentally dropped the card from his fingers.
(D) Leo asked Toby a question that confused him.
3 What did Toby learn from his online research?
(A) Magicians need to move their hands faster than people expect.
(B) Professional magicians usually practise with a partner.
(C) Guiding the audience’s attention is the key to a successful trick.
(D) Playing cards are the most difficult items to use in magic.
4 When Toby performed for his classmates, he
(A) felt too nervous to tell his funny story properly.
(B) hid his actions by keeping the group entertained.
(C) showed them how the psychological trick was done.
(D) realised he preferred silent magic performances.
5 What would Toby write in his diary about his magic experience?
(A) “It was so embarrassing when my classmates caught me hiding the card. I clearly need to spend a lot more time practising in front of the mirror.”
(B) “I finally understand the psychology of magic, but I think I actually prefer doing tricks where I don’t have to speak to anyone.”
(C) “Leo ruined my trick by staring at my hands instead of my face, so I’ve decided I will only perform for strangers from now on.”
(D) “I thought magic was all about having fast hands, but using conversation to control where people look is what really makes an illusion work.”
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – The text states in the first paragraph that Toby “practised the physical movements again and again” in front of his mirror, which made him feel completely confident.
2 A – In the second paragraph, Toby explains that because he was “staring so closely at my own hands, Leo naturally looked exactly at the same place,” meaning his own focus gave the secret away.
3 C – In the third paragraph, Toby discovers ‘misdirection’, learning that “the real secret of magic is controlling where the audience is looking,” which matches the idea of guiding their attention.
4 B – The fourth paragraph describes how Toby told a funny story and asked questions so that while the classmates were “looking up at my face and laughing” (entertained), he quickly “did the secret move” (hid his actions).
5 D – This option perfectly captures the global meaning and the protagonist’s emotional arc: moving from the belief that physical speed was enough, to learning the psychological concept of misdirection and using conversation to successfully trick his audience.
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Dancing on my Toes
Since I started ballet at the age of six, I had watched the older girls dancing on their toes and dreamed of joining them. In ballet, this is called dancing ‘en pointe’. Last month, my dance teacher finally told me my feet and ankles were strong enough to try. I was absolutely thrilled. I felt like I was finally becoming a real ballerina, and I couldn’t wait to buy my first pair of special pointe shoes.
When I went to the dance shop, the shoes looked beautiful with their shiny pink ribbons. However, I soon discovered that the end of the shoe is actually made of hard glue and fabric that feels just like solid wood. When I put them on for my first lesson, the pain was terrible. After just ten minutes of standing on my toes, my feet were covered in blisters. I quickly realized that looking like a graceful dancer was going to be much harder than I had expected.
For the next few weeks, every ballet class was a huge challenge. There were days when the pain in my toes was so bad that I wanted to sit down, take the shoes off, and never put them back on. I had to spend my evenings putting bandages on my feet. But my teacher reminded me that every professional dancer goes through this, so I decided to keep trying and not give up.
Then, during a practice session last week, something amazing happened. We were practicing a pirouette, which is a fast turn on one foot. As I went up onto my toes to turn, my mind focused completely on the music and the movement instead of my feet. I completed a flawless double turn and landed perfectly. For the first time, I didn’t feel the pain; I just felt completely weightless and free.
Now, I understand that ballet is not just about looking beautiful on stage. It is about pushing through difficulties and finding the strength to keep going. My feet still hurt sometimes, but the feeling of dancing en pointe is worth every blister. I finally feel like a true dancer, and I am proud of what my body can achieve.
1 How did the writer feel when her teacher gave her permission to dance en pointe?
(A) surprised that she was chosen over the older girls
(B) delighted that she had reached an important goal
(C) nervous about buying the correct shoes at the shop
(D) worried that her ankles were not actually strong enough
2 What did the writer learn during her first lesson in pointe shoes?
(A) The shoes can break easily because they are made of wood.
(B) Tying the pink ribbons takes a lot of practice and patience.
(C) Dancing beautifully requires a lot of painful physical effort.
(D) She needed a different size of shoe for her feet to stop the pain.
3 What made the writer continue practicing despite the pain?
(A) She wanted to prove she was the best dancer in her class.
(B) Her teacher told her that the pain was a normal part of ballet.
(C) Her parents bought her special bandages to protect her feet.
(D) She knew she had an important performance coming up soon.
4 How did the writer feel while she was doing the pirouette?
(A) She was easily distracted by the pain in her toes.
(B) She was worried she would fall over after the turn.
(C) She was too focused on the music to remember the steps.
(D) She experienced a wonderful sense of lightness.
5 What would the writer say in her diary about her experience?
(A) Ballet is extremely painful, and I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone unless they want to be a professional dancer.
(B) I thought dancing on my toes would be easy, but I’ve learned that true grace requires both physical and mental strength.
(C) The shoes are far too uncomfortable, so I have decided to go back to dancing in normal ballet shoes next week.
(D) If you spend a lot of money on the right kind of pointe shoes, you can avoid getting blisters and dance perfectly.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – In paragraph 1, the writer says she “had watched the older girls… and dreamed of joining them” and was “absolutely thrilled” and felt she “was finally becoming a real ballerina” when she got permission.
2 C – In paragraph 2, the writer explains that “the pain was terrible” and “my feet were covered in blisters,” leading her to realize that “looking like a graceful dancer was going to be much harder than I had expected.”
3 B – Paragraph 3 states that she wanted to give up, “But my teacher reminded me that every professional dancer goes through this, so I decided to keep trying and not give up.”
4 D – In paragraph 4, after completing the pirouette, the writer says, “I didn’t feel the pain; I just felt completely weightless and free.”
5 B – This captures the global meaning of the text. The writer realizes that ballet is harder than she expected and that it requires “pushing through difficulties and finding the strength to keep going” (physical and mental strength) to achieve grace.
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
Saying Yes to the Scene
I have always admired comedians who can stand on a stage and make people laugh without using a script. They look so confident and quick-thinking. Because I wanted to be that confident too, I decided to sign up for a local teenage improvisation, or ‘improv’, comedy workshop. I thought it would be quite easy. I just needed to stand up, say something silly, and wait for the audience to laugh. However, I quickly learned that there is actually a lot of skill involved.
During my first few weeks, I was trying much too hard to be the funniest person in the room. Whenever I was acting in a scene and my partner made a suggestion, I would usually disagree with them. If someone said, “Look out, there’s a bear!”, I would reply, “That’s not a bear, it’s just a dog.” I thought changing the subject would make a great joke. Instead, the scene would just stop, and everyone would stand there looking confused. I was accidentally ruining the performance every single time, and it made me feel quite frustrated.
Fortunately, our teacher, Mark, noticed what was going wrong. He stopped the class and explained the golden rule of improv comedy: “Yes, and…”. He told us that you must always accept your partner’s idea—saying “yes”—and then add your own new detail to it—the “and”. Mark explained that if you say “no”, you block the story, but if you agree, the scene can go anywhere. It sounded like a very simple instruction, but I wasn’t sure if it would actually work in practice.
In the next class, I decided to test the rule. When a classmate pretended we were astronauts flying to the moon, I didn’t disagree. Instead, I said, “Yes, and I think we just forgot to bring the snacks!” Suddenly, our scene became a hilarious adventure. I stopped worrying about making the best joke and started paying attention to my classmates. Learning to accept other people’s ideas has completely opened up my creativity, and it has actually made me a much better listener in my everyday life, too.
1 Why did the writer join the improv workshop?
(A) He wanted to perform on a famous television comedy show.
(B) He wanted to learn how to write better comedy scripts.
(C) He hoped to gain the self-belief he saw in other performers.
(D) He thought it would be an easy way to meet new people.
2 What was the writer’s problem during the early classes?
(A) He didn’t understand the jokes his classmates were making.
(B) He refused to accept the ideas his acting partners offered.
(C) He was too nervous to speak loudly in front of the audience.
(D) He kept laughing at his own jokes and ruining the scene.
3 What did the teacher, Mark, explain to the students?
(A) The importance of agreeing with a partner and building on their idea.
(B) Why they should spend more time practising their jokes at home.
(C) How to make their acting partners look confused on purpose.
(D) That saying “no” is the best way to take control of a comedy story.
4 How has the workshop affected the writer recently?
(A) He now prefers writing stories about space adventures.
(B) He has become more focused on listening to what others say.
(C) He is constantly worrying about making the funniest jokes.
(D) He wants to teach his classmates how to be more creative.
5 What would the writer write in his diary?
(A) I’m so disappointed with this class. No matter what I do, my classmates just won’t listen to my funny ideas.
(B) Improv is so much harder than I thought! I keep saying “no” to everyone, and I think I’m going to quit tomorrow.
(C) I finally understand how to act without a script. Supporting my classmates’ ideas has made the scenes funnier and more creative.
(D) The golden rule of comedy is to always be the funniest person on stage. I’m glad Mark taught me how to take control of every joke.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 C – In paragraph 1, the writer mentions admiring comedians who look “confident” and states, “Because I wanted to be that confident too, I decided to sign up…” which paraphrases to hoping to gain self-belief.
2 B – In paragraph 2, the writer explains that whenever a partner made a suggestion, “I would usually disagree with them” and gives an example of changing a bear into a dog. This means he refused to accept their ideas.
3 A – Paragraph 3 details the “Yes, and…” rule, where Mark explains that “you must always accept your partner’s idea… and then add your own new detail to it”.
4 B – In paragraph 4, the writer notes that he “started paying attention to my classmates” and that the class has “actually made me a much better listener in my everyday life, too”.
5 C – This option accurately captures the global meaning and emotional arc of the text: moving from struggling to perform unscripted comedy (by blocking ideas) to discovering that agreeing with and supporting partners opens up creativity and makes the scenes successful.