Practice English Reading Exercises for B2 – Modern Domesticity, Lifestyle & Household Challenges 2
Reading 1
You are going to read an extract from a short story about a teenager who discovers their family is facing financial difficulties.
For questions 1-6, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
The Unspoken Sacrifice
For as long as I could remember, my parents had been the unshakeable pillars of stability in my life. They had always provided a warm, comfortable home, ensuring that my younger brother and I never lacked anything essential. Consequently, I had grown entirely accustomed to taking our financial security for granted. This was particularly true regarding the highly anticipated school skiing trip to the Italian Alps. I had been talking about the excursion non-stop for months, and my parents had already paid the hefty initial deposit without a single complaint. However, my blissful, self-centered ignorance was abruptly shattered late one rainy Tuesday evening. Having gone downstairs to get a glass of water, I noticed the kitchen door was slightly ajar, revealing a narrow sliver of harsh yellow light.
As I crept closer, I heard a sound that instantly froze me in my tracks. It was my mother, and she was crying softly into her hands. My father was speaking in a hushed, strained voice, nervously shuffling what sounded like a thick stack of papers. Peering cautiously through the gap in the doorway, I saw them huddled over the kitchen table, which was completely covered in final demand notices and bank statements. “I just don’t see how we can possibly keep up with these mortgage repayments,” my father sighed, vigorously rubbing his tired eyes. “The credit card debt is spiralling completely out of control.” A cold, paralyzing wave of shock washed over me. They must have been concealing this mounting crisis for months, desperately trying to shield us from the harsh, terrifying reality of their situation.
Retreating silently to the safety of my bedroom, I stared blankly at the ceiling, wrestling with a chaotic mixture of genuine fear and bitter disappointment. The Italian ski trip was all my friends had discussed for weeks, and the thought of missing out on the adventure was almost unbearable to me. I felt a sudden, irrational surge of anger towards the people I loved most. If they had only managed their finances more carefully, I wouldn’t be facing the humiliating prospect of being the only person left behind. I vividly imagined the exciting, snowy slopes and the joyful evening gatherings, feeling intensely sorry for myself. It seemed profoundly unfair that I should have to suffer the consequences of adult problems I had no part in creating.
Over the next few days, the oppressive, anxious atmosphere in the house became impossible to ignore. My parents forced unconvincing, cheerful smiles during dinner, but the dark, heavy bags under their eyes told a completely different story. It was during a particularly quiet Friday evening meal that a sudden, sobering realisation dawned on me. The final installment for the ski trip was due the following week, a substantial sum that would undoubtedly put an even greater strain on their already depleted bank account. Watching my mother discreetly push her food around her plate, my childish resentment slowly began to evaporate. Giving up my place on the excursion was the only logical solution. I knew I had to do this, even if it temporarily broke my heart.
The following Monday morning, I walked straight into the headmaster’s office and officially withdrew my name from the trip. I cited a sudden, unavoidable clash with a crucial family commitment, carefully ensuring my friends wouldn’t suspect the real reason for my absence. When I handed my parents the refunded deposit cheque that evening in the living room, their initial confusion quickly gave way to overwhelming, tearful emotion. I casually explained that I had decided to focus entirely on my upcoming academic exams instead, though we all knew the unspoken truth behind my sudden change of heart.
My mother pulled me into a tight, desperate embrace, her tears soaking my shoulder, while my father looked at me with a mixture of immense pride and profound relief. Giving up the trip was undoubtedly one of the hardest things I had ever done in my short life. Yet, seeing the immediate physical weight lift from their exhausted shoulders replaced my bitter disappointment with a strange, grounding sense of maturity. I realised then that true family loyalty isn’t just about sharing the easy, joyful times; it’s about stepping up and making difficult personal sacrifices when the people you love need you the most.
1 What do we learn about the narrator’s attitude towards money in the first paragraph?
(A) They had never had reason to worry about their family’s financial situation.
(B) They felt guilty about asking their parents to pay for the Italian skiing trip.
(C) They were aware that their parents struggled to provide essential items.
(D) They were annoyed that their parents complained about paying the deposit.
2 When the narrator saw their parents in the kitchen, they realised that
(A) the bank statements and final demand notices had been left out by mistake.
(B) their father was angry with their mother for spending too much on credit cards.
(C) they would have to find a part-time job to help pay the family’s mortgage.
(D) their parents had been deliberately hiding the family’s financial problems.
3 In the third paragraph, the narrator admits to feeling
(A) worried that their friends would stop talking to them if they stayed behind.
(B) resentful because they felt they were being punished for their parents’ mistakes.
(C) anxious about being the only student going on the Italian skiing trip.
(D) guilty for being so excited about the trip while their parents suffered.
4 What does the word ‘this‘ refer to in the fourth paragraph?
(A) sacrificing the opportunity to go on the school trip
(B) paying the final installment for the skiing holiday
(C) pretending to be cheerful during family dinners
(D) ignoring the dark, heavy bags under their parents’ eyes
5 How did the narrator handle the situation at school?
(A) They admitted to their teachers that they needed to focus on upcoming exams.
(B) They demanded the headmaster immediately refund the deposit cheque.
(C) They provided a false excuse to avoid telling their friends the truth.
(D) They asked the headmaster to explain the situation to their classmates.
6 What is the writer’s main message in the final paragraph?
(A) Parents should never burden their children with complex financial problems.
(B) Financial security is ultimately more important than participating in enjoyable activities.
(C) Missing out on school trips is an inevitable and normal part of growing up.
(D) Taking responsibility during a family crisis can bring a rewarding sense of maturity.
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 A: The text states that the parents had always provided a comfortable home, so the narrator had “grown entirely accustomed to taking our financial security for granted.” Distractor B is the opposite of the text, as the narrator talked about it “non-stop”. Distractor C contradicts the text, which says they “never lacked anything essential.” Distractor D is a false match using text words; the parents paid the deposit “without a single complaint.”
2 D: The narrator concludes that “They must have been concealing this mounting crisis for months, desperately trying to shield us.” Distractor A is a partial truth; the papers were on the table, but the narrator didn’t conclude it was a mistake. Distractor B is a false match; the father was tired and sighed, but there is no evidence he was angry at the mother. Distractor C is unstated; the narrator does not mention finding a job.
3 B: The narrator thinks “If they had only managed their finances more carefully…” and feels it was “profoundly unfair that I should have to suffer the consequences of adult problems I had no part in creating.” Distractor A is unstated; friends are mentioned, but the narrator doesn’t worry about being ignored. Distractor C is the opposite of their actual feelings, which were anger and self-pity. Distractor C is a false match; they were afraid of being “the only person left behind”, not the only one going.
4 A: In the sentence “I knew I had to do this, even if it temporarily broke my heart,” the pronoun refers to the previous sentence’s concept: “Giving up my place on the excursion was the only logical solution.” The other options are actions or concepts mentioned in the paragraph, but they do not fit the grammatical or logical reference of the sentence.
5 C: The text explains that the narrator “cited a sudden, unavoidable clash with a crucial family commitment, carefully ensuring my friends wouldn’t suspect the real reason for my absence.” Distractor A is incorrect because the narrator used the exam excuse with their parents, not their teachers. Distractor B uses text words (“refund”, “headmaster”) but incorrectly assigns an aggressive tone (“demanded”). Distractor D is unstated and contradicts the fact that they kept it a secret from their friends.
6 D: The narrator reflects that the sacrifice replaced their disappointment with a “strange, grounding sense of maturity” and taught them about “stepping up” and true family loyalty. Distractor A is a plausible real-world opinion but contradicts the emotional arc of the text, which celebrates the child’s involvement. Distractor B is an overly practical takeaway that ignores the emotional lesson. Distractor C is too general and not the specific point the writer is making about family sacrifice.
Reading 2
You are going to read a magazine article about a teenager whose mother went on a household strike.
For questions 1-6, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
The Chore Strike
For as long as I can remember, my mother functioned as the invisible engine of our household. While my brother Leo and I navigated the exhausting demands of secondary school, she seamlessly managed the laundry, the cooking, and the endless tidying up. We rarely paused to consider how the fridge miraculously restocked itself or why our football kits were always crisp and clean for weekend matches. We simply took her immense efforts for granted. If we had been more observant, we might have noticed her growing frustration over the previous weeks. But we didn’t, and that all changed on a seemingly ordinary Tuesday evening. Instead of serving dinner, Mum called us into the living room, handed us a neatly typed manifesto, and calmly announced she was officially going on strike. There would be no more cooking, cleaning, or washing until further notice.
Initially, we were entirely unbothered by her declaration. In fact, my brother and I viewed it as an unexpected holiday from the usual lectures about putting our dishes in the dishwasher. We assumed her boycott would last twenty-four hours at most before she caved in to her own high standards of cleanliness. That first evening, we happily pooled our pocket money to order a large pepperoni pizza, leaving the greasy cardboard box on the kitchen island. For the next two days, we revelled in our newfound freedom. We ate cereal straight from the box, dropped wet towels on the bathroom floor, and stayed up late playing video games without anyone nagging us to tidy our rooms.
By the fourth day, however, the novelty had thoroughly worn off. The house had descended into an unimaginable state of chaotic filth. The kitchen sink was overflowing with a precarious mountain of crusty plates, mugs, and sticky utensils. A suspicious odour had begun to waft from the overflowing bin, making it unpleasant to even walk past the kitchen. Furthermore, the laundry basket had reached its absolute capacity. When I frantically searched for a clean shirt for a school trip, I realised there was absolutely nothing left in my wardrobe. It was a harsh wake-up call, demonstrating exactly what happens when the invisible engine suddenly halts.
Looking around the disastrous state of our home, a profound sense of guilt washed over me. I finally understood the sheer volume of unpaid, unappreciated labour my mother performed daily just to keep our lives running smoothly. She must have been feeling utterly exhausted for months before finally snapping. The fact that the house had become virtually uninhabitable in less than a week was entirely our fault. I realised she hadn’t been making unreasonable demands all those years; she had simply been trying to teach us basic life skills. The panic truly set in when Leo asked what we were going to do for dinner, and I realised we didn’t even have a single clean pan to boil water in. We had to fix this, and quickly.
Knowing that a simple apology wouldn’t cut it, Leo and I decided that actions would speak louder than words. We armed ourselves with rubber gloves, sponges, and an array of cleaning sprays, and tackled the disaster zone that was the kitchen. We spent three grueling hours scrubbing hardened pasta sauce off the stove, loading and unloading the dishwasher multiple times, and finally taking out the foul-smelling rubbish. It was back-breaking work, and it gave us a completely new perspective on the physical toll of domestic chores. When our mother finally returned from her afternoon walk, she walked into a gleaming kitchen.
Her strike was lifted that very evening, but the dynamics of our household were permanently altered. We no longer wait to be asked before emptying the dishwasher, and we take full responsibility for our own laundry. If she hadn’t taken such a drastic step, we would probably still be expecting her to do everything for us today. The experience was undoubtedly a shock to the system, but sometimes, it takes losing the comforts you take for granted to truly appreciate the person providing them.
1 In the first paragraph, what does the narrator admit about his and his brother’s behaviour?
(A) They were too busy with school and football to help with the household chores.
(B) They failed to appreciate the continuous effort their mother put into running the home.
(C) They noticed their mother was getting frustrated but deliberately chose to ignore it.
(D) They expected their mother to stop cooking and cleaning eventually.
2 How did the narrator and his brother initially view their mother’s strike?
(A) They welcomed it as a pleasant break from being told what to do.
(B) They were secretly worried about having to spend their own money on food.
(C) They firmly believed she would stick to her new rules for a very long time.
(D) They felt an immediate sense of guilt for making her so upset.
3 When the narrator says ‘the novelty had thoroughly worn off’ in the third paragraph, he means that
(A) the mother’s sudden change in behaviour had stopped surprising them.
(B) the house had finally become completely impossible to live in.
(C) the brothers were increasingly tired of eating the exact same food.
(D) the unusual situation they were experiencing was no longer enjoyable.
4 In the fourth paragraph, what did the narrator realise about his mother’s past behaviour?
(A) She had been secretly planning the chore strike for several years.
(B) She had made too many complex demands on them in the past.
(C) Her expectations regarding their contribution had been completely justified.
(D) She wanted to punish them for not knowing how to cook their own meals.
5 Why did the brothers decide to deep-clean the kitchen?
(A) They felt that merely saying they were sorry would be insufficient.
(B) They were desperately hungry and needed clean equipment to cook with.
(C) They wanted to prove to their mother that cleaning wasn’t as hard as she claimed.
(D) They had been ordered to do it before their mother returned from her walk.
6 What is the writer’s main purpose in writing the article?
(A) to advise other mothers on how to deal with unhelpful teenagers
(B) to share how a drastic measure led to a positive change in his family
(C) to complain about the exhausting amount of household chores teenagers have to do
(D) to express regret for failing to successfully complete a domestic challenge
ANSWER KEY & EXPLANATIONS
1 (B): The narrator admits they “rarely paused to consider” how things got done and “simply took her immense efforts for granted,” which paraphrases failing to appreciate her effort. Distractor A is a false match; football and school are mentioned, but not used as an excuse. Distractor C is incorrect because the text explicitly states, “But we didn’t [notice]”.
2 (A): The text states the brothers viewed the strike as an “unexpected holiday from the usual lectures,” which aligns with welcoming a break from being told what to do. Distractor B is incorrect because they “happily pooled” their money. Distractor C is the opposite of the text; they assumed it would last 24 hours at most.
3 (D): The phrase “the novelty had worn off” is an idiom meaning something new and unusual is no longer fun or interesting. Distractor B is a partial truth; the house was becoming unlivable, but that is the result of the novelty wearing off, not the definition of the phrase itself.
4 (C): The narrator realizes that “she hadn’t been making unreasonable demands all those years; she had simply been trying to teach us basic life skills,” proving her expectations were justified. Distractor D misinterprets her motivation; she wanted to teach them, not punish them.
5 (A): The text explicitly states they decided to clean because “Knowing that a simple apology wouldn’t cut it…” meaning saying sorry wasn’t enough. Distractor B is a partial truth; they did realize they lacked clean pans, but the driving motivation to clean the whole kitchen was to show genuine remorse through action.
6 (B): The overall text details the mother’s extreme action (the strike) and the resulting shift in the boys’ perspective and habits (taking responsibility). Distractor A is incorrect because the text is written from a teenager’s perspective to share a story, not as a parenting advice column. Distractor D is incorrect because they did successfully clean the kitchen and resolve the issue.