Practice English Reading Exercises for B1 – Visual Arts, Crafts & Making Things
Reading 1
For each question, choose the correct answer.
The Art of Rolling Paper
I’ve always been someone who loves making things by hand. Recently, I wanted to find a creative hobby that didn’t require too much space or expensive equipment. While browsing the internet, I came across an article about paper quilling. This is an old art form where you roll very thin strips of colourful paper into tiny coils to create 3D pictures. The photos of beautiful paper flowers looked absolutely amazing. I immediately ordered a basic quilling kit with a special rolling tool and a pack of bright paper strips, feeling excited to start my first project.
When the kit arrived, I decided to make a large, vibrant flower for my mother’s birthday. I sat down at my desk and started rolling the first few strips. At first, it was quite enjoyable. However, I soon realised just how much work was involved. A single flower required hundreds of tiny, tight coils. After an hour of holding the small metal tool and spinning the thin paper, my fingers started to cramp terribly. My hands ached, and I had only finished the centre of the flower. I seriously began to wonder if I had chosen the wrong hobby.
Despite the physical discomfort, I really wanted to give my mother a special gift. I decided I couldn’t quit. Instead of trying to finish everything in one afternoon, I started taking regular breaks to rest my hands. Over the next few days, I slowly built up a collection of red, orange, and green paper coils. Finally, it was time to stick them all together. As I carefully glued the textured pieces onto a thick piece of card, I watched my messy pile of paper slowly turn into a delicate, three-dimensional shape.
When I glued down the final green leaf, I stepped back to look at my work. The quilled flower looked absolutely fantastic, full of vibrant colours and amazing textures. My mother was completely shocked when I gave it to her, and she immediately hung it on the living room wall. Overcoming the difficult process gave me a massive sense of achievement. I learned that creating something truly beautiful takes time and patience, but the final result is definitely worth the effort. Now, my fingers have stopped hurting, and I’m already planning a larger quilled picture for my bedroom!
1 Why did the writer start doing paper quilling?
(A) He wanted an activity that was cheap and didn’t need much room.
(B) His mother asked him to make a 3D picture for her birthday.
(C) He needed to complete a creative art project for school.
(D) He wanted to learn how to manufacture his own paper strips.
2 What unexpected problem did the writer have in the beginning?
(A) The paper strips he ordered were not bright enough for his flower.
(B) He lost the special metal rolling tool from his new quilling kit.
(C) Making the tiny paper coils caused him a lot of physical pain.
(D) He didn’t have enough paper strips to finish the centre of the flower.
3 How did the writer deal with the difficult process?
(A) He decided to make a much smaller, simpler flower instead.
(B) He asked his mother to help him glue the pieces together.
(C) He pushed himself to finish all the rolling in one afternoon.
(D) He rested his hands frequently over a period of several days.
4 How did the writer feel at the end of the project?
(A) Relieved that he wouldn’t have to do any more quilling.
(B) Very proud of the complicated piece of art he had produced.
(C) Annoyed that his mother didn’t like the flower’s unusual texture.
(D) Disappointed that the colours were not as vibrant as he expected.
5 What would the writer write in his diary today?
(A) Paper quilling is just too painful. I gave my mother her birthday gift, but I’m throwing away the rest of my tools tomorrow.
(B) Making my first quilled flower was physically tough and required lots of patience, but the incredible final result made me feel so proud!
(C) I finished rolling all the paper in a single afternoon! It was much easier than I thought, and my mother loved the beautiful design.
(D) I wanted to find a cheap hobby, but buying hundreds of ready-made coils was quite expensive. At least the final 3D picture looked nice.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 A – The first paragraph states he “wanted to find a creative hobby that didn’t require too much space or expensive equipment,” which matches option A.
2 C – In the second paragraph, the writer explains that after holding the tool and spinning the paper, “my fingers started to cramp terribly. My hands ached,” meaning it caused him physical pain.
3 D – The third paragraph describes how, “Instead of trying to finish everything in one afternoon, I started taking regular breaks to rest my hands,” and did this “Over the next few days.”
4 B – The fourth paragraph details that “Overcoming the difficult process gave me a massive sense of achievement,” showing he was extremely proud of the complex work he completed.
5 B – This option successfully captures the global narrative: acknowledging the physical pain (cramping) and the patience required, while celebrating the successful, vibrant outcome and the immense sense of achievement he felt.
Reading 2
For each question, choose the correct answer.
My Tie-Dye Fashion Adventure
I’ve always loved wearing colourful clothes, but buying new outfits for the summer can be surprisingly expensive. A few weeks ago, I was looking at some fashion websites and noticed that brightly coloured tie-dye t-shirts were becoming incredibly popular. I suddenly realised I could easily make my own. I went to a local craft shop, bought a cheap kit with several bottles of dye, and found three plain white t-shirts in my cupboard. I couldn’t wait to start designing my own unique fashion items.
The following Saturday, I set up a workspace in the garden. I took my first shirt, folded it casually, and squeezed pink, green, and yellow dye all over the fabric. I tied a few rubber bands around it, but I didn’t pull them very tight because I was in such a hurry. After leaving it in the sun for a few hours, I washed the fabric. Unfortunately, instead of a beautiful pattern, the colours had completely mixed together. The shirt was now a horrible, messy brown colour. I felt so disappointed that I almost threw the whole kit in the bin.
However, I decided to find out exactly what had gone wrong. After watching a few helpful online tutorials, I discovered the importance of basic colour theory. The videos explained that if you mix contrasting colours, like red and green, you will always end up with a muddy brown mess. Furthermore, the teacher in the video advised wrapping the rubber bands as tightly as possible. This stops the wet liquid from bleeding across the fabric and creates sharp, clear white lines in the pattern.
Armed with this new knowledge, I decided to try again the next day. This time, I carefully chose colours that blend well together, like blue and purple. I twisted the shirt firmly and pulled the rubber bands so tightly that my fingers hurt. When I finally unfolded the wet fabric, I was amazed. I had created a brilliant, bright spiral pattern that looked incredibly professional! Wearing my handmade shirt to school the next day made me feel extremely proud. Turning my initial failure into a beautiful piece of art taught me that getting things right simply requires a little extra patience and research.
1 Why did the writer want to make her own tie-dye shirts?
(A) To save money on buying new summer clothes.
(B) She needed to finish a fashion project for her art class.
(C) Her friends asked her to copy some popular designs for them.
(D) She wanted to sell handmade clothing on fashion websites.
2 What mistake did the writer make during her first attempt?
(A) She left the wet shirt in the garden for too many hours.
(B) She didn’t tie the rubber bands around the material tightly enough.
(C) She used the wrong type of plain white fabric.
(D) She forgot to add enough water to the bottles of dye.
3 What did the online tutorials teach the writer?
(A) How to make her own colourful dye using natural materials.
(B) Which colours should be kept away from each other to prevent a brown mess.
(C) Why the rubber bands need to be completely white to create a pattern.
(D) How to quickly remove ugly brown stains from her old clothes.
4 How did the writer feel after her second attempt?
(A) Annoyed because her fingers still hurt from wrapping the tight bands.
(B) Proud that her new skills had produced such a successful result.
(C) Surprised that the blue and purple colours had washed out completely.
(D) Worried that her friends wouldn’t like the new spiral design.
5 What would the writer write in her diary about her experience?
(A) I can’t believe how easy tie-dye is! My very first shirt was absolutely perfect, and I didn’t even need to watch any instructions.
(B) I wish I hadn’t spent my pocket money on that dye kit. The colours just mix together and ruin your clothes no matter what you do.
(C) Learning about colours and tying the bands tightly changed everything. I managed to turn an ugly disaster into a cool piece of clothing!
(D) The online videos were interesting, but I prefer my own messy style. The blue and purple spiral is a bit too neat and boring for my taste.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 A – The first paragraph states that “buying new outfits for the summer can be surprisingly expensive,” which motivated her to buy a “cheap kit” and make her own to save money.
2 B – In the second paragraph, the writer explains that she “didn’t pull them very tight because I was in such a hurry,” which caused the colors to mix together.
3 B – The third paragraph explains that the tutorials taught her colour theory, showing that mixing contrasting colours “like red and green” results in a “muddy brown mess.”
4 B – The fourth paragraph details how she was “amazed” by the “incredibly professional” spiral pattern and felt “extremely proud” wearing it to school, showing she was proud of the successful result.
5 C – This option accurately captures the global meaning and emotional arc of the passage: acknowledging the initial brown mess, the lessons learned from the tutorials, and the ultimate pride in creating a brilliant spiral pattern.
Reading 3
For each question, choose the correct answer.
My Frozen Masterpiece
Every year, my town holds a huge winter festival when the lake freezes over. I usually just go for the hot chocolate and ice skating, but this time, something else caught my attention. In the centre of the park, artists were turning enormous, boring blocks of ice into magical creatures. I watched them for ages and thought it looked incredibly satisfying. When I saw a sign for a teenager’s beginner workshop the following afternoon, I immediately asked my parents if I could sign up. I couldn’t wait to create my own frozen masterpiece.
When I arrived at the workshop, the instructor showed us the tools. He explained that professionals often use chainsaws to remove large pieces of ice quickly. He offered us some small ones to try, but as soon as I picked one up, I realised it was much too heavy for me to hold safely. The loud noise also made me quite nervous. Instead, I decided to stick to the traditional hand tools, like metal chisels and small hammers. It meant the work would take longer, but I felt much more in control.
Getting started was much harder than it looked. My chosen design was a swan, but the ice was extremely tough. Every time I hit the chisel, sharp ice chips flew everywhere, hitting my face and covering my thick winter coat. My hands were freezing, even inside my double layers of gloves, and my arms soon began to ache. However, I didn’t stop. I had to pay close attention to ensure I didn’t hit the ice too hard, as one wrong move could crack the whole block and ruin the swan’s long neck.
After two hours of hard work, I stepped back to look at what I had done. The rough, square block had disappeared, and in its place was a beautiful, crystal-clear swan. When the afternoon sun shone through it, it looked like diamonds. Despite the cold and the aching muscles, I felt amazing, as if I had actually managed to tame winter itself. I am already looking forward to next year’s festival, where I hope to sculpt something even bigger!
1 Why did the writer decide to sign up for the workshop?
(A) She wanted to learn how to make hot chocolate.
(B) She was fascinated by the artists making ice creatures.
(C) Her parents suggested she try a new winter sport.
(D) She needed a project for a school art competition.
2 Why did the writer choose to use hand tools?
(A) The instructor didn’t have enough chainsaws for everyone.
(B) She wanted to finish her sculpture much more slowly.
(C) The chainsaw felt too heavy and frightening to use.
(D) The hand tools were much sharper than the chainsaw.
3 What does the writer say about the process of making her swan?
(A) She had to remove her gloves to hold the chisel properly.
(B) She was worried that hitting the ice too hard would destroy her work.
(C) She was frustrated because the ice chips ruined her thick winter coat.
(D) She decided to change her design because the ice was too tough.
4 How did the writer feel at the end of the workshop?
(A) Disappointed that her swan didn’t look like real diamonds.
(B) Annoyed that her muscles ached so much after just two hours.
(C) Surprised that the sun melted her crystal-clear swan so quickly.
(D) Proud of her beautiful creation despite the physical discomfort.
5 What would the writer write in her diary that evening?
(A) I tried ice sculpting today. It was fun at first, but using a heavy chainsaw was too dangerous and I completely ruined my swan.
(B) Today I made an amazing ice swan! It was freezing, messy work, but shaping that tough ice made me feel really powerful.
(C) The winter festival was great. I loved watching the professional artists, but I’ve decided I’m definitely not patient enough to try it myself.
(D) I spent hours working on an ice block today. Unfortunately, I hit it too hard and it cracked, so I’ll just go ice skating next year.
Answer Key & Explanations
1 B – In the first paragraph, the writer states that “artists were turning enormous, boring blocks of ice into magical creatures,” she “watched them for ages,” and immediately signed up afterwards.
2 C – In the second paragraph, the writer explains that when she picked up a chainsaw, she “realised it was much too heavy for me to hold safely” and that the noise “made me quite nervous.”
3 B – In the third paragraph, she notes that she “had to pay close attention to ensure I didn’t hit the ice too hard, as one wrong move could crack the whole block and ruin the swan’s long neck.”
4 D – In the fourth paragraph, the writer says, “Despite the cold and the aching muscles, I felt amazing” looking at her completed swan.
5 B – This option successfully captures the global narrative arc: the challenging, messy reality of the activity (freezing, tough ice), the successful result (amazing ice swan), and the ultimate feeling of empowerment (“tame winter itself” / feel really powerful).