Practice English Reading Exercises for B2 – Sibling Relationships & Rivalries
Reading 1
You are going to read a magazine article about a teenager who learns to stop comparing himself to his overachieving older sister.
For questions 1-6, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
Finding My Own Canvas
Growing up with Elena wasn’t exactly a walk in the park. She was the kind of student who effortlessly sailed through exams, captained the debate team, and spent her weekends volunteering at the local animal shelter. If she hadn’t been so naturally gifted, my childhood might not have felt quite so overshadowed. My parents tried not to make direct comparisons, but it was hard not to feel like the rough draft before the masterpiece. Whenever family friends came over, conversations inevitably revolved around Elena’s latest academic triumphs. I, on the other hand, was just Leo: the younger brother who was mostly known for having a messy bedroom and a mysterious inability to grasp advanced algebra.
The real nightmare began when I entered my third year of secondary school and found myself assigned to Mr. Harrison’s history class. He had taught Elena two years prior and evidently considered her the brightest pupil he’d ever encountered. It didn’t take long for the dreaded comparisons to start. “Your sister would have known the answer to this without hesitation,” he would sigh loudly, tapping my blank worksheet. I was constantly being measured against an impossible standard. If he hadn’t repeatedly brought up her name, I might have actually made a genuine effort. Instead, his endless reminders of her perfection planted a deep seed of bitter resentment inside me.
Eventually, my frustration mutated into a rebellious kind of apathy. If I was never going to live up to the legendary Elena, why bother trying at all? I relegated myself to the back row, ensuring my desk was as far away from Mr. Harrison as physically possible. During his lengthy lectures about the Industrial Revolution, I would completely zone out, choosing instead to cover the margins of my notebooks with elaborate sketches. My homework was frequently handed in half-finished, and whenever my parents questioned my declining grades, I simply shrugged. I had convinced myself that caring about school was a waste of energy.
However, what I initially considered mindless doodling gradually evolved into something much more substantial. One rainy Tuesday, I was adding the finishing touches to a complex charcoal drawing of a futuristic cityscape when Ms. Clarke, the school’s drama teacher, walked past my desk. I quickly moved to cover it up, assuming I was about to be told off for not paying attention to the lesson. To my absolute astonishment, she didn’t scold me. Instead, she examined the page closely and asked if I had ever considered set design. The school play was lacking a backdrop, and she desperately needed someone with a strong visual imagination.
Hesitant but intrigued, I agreed to help. Over the next month, I spent every spare moment in the school theatre, mixing paints and bringing my sketches to life on massive canvas sheets. For the first time, I was pouring my heart into a project that had absolutely nothing to do with textbooks or memorising historical facts. When opening night arrived, the audience actually gasped as the curtains parted to reveal my vibrant, towering cityscape. Standing backstage, listening to the applause, I felt an unfamiliar surge of pride. Even Mr. Harrison approached me later to say he was impressed, which I accepted with a polite smile, though his validation no longer mattered to me.
That night marked a profound shift in how I viewed myself. I realised that I had spent years trying to run a race that I was never meant to participate in. Elena possessed an analytical mind, whereas my strengths lay entirely in creativity and visual expression. We were simply wired differently. Letting go of the desperate need to step out of her shadow was incredibly liberating. I no longer had to be the ‘second-best’ sibling; I was finally free to be the best version of myself, pursuing the things that actually brought me joy.
1 How did Leo feel about his sister Elena during his childhood?
(A) He was annoyed that she constantly bragged about her academic triumphs.
(B) He felt inadequate compared to her exceptional achievements.
(C) He resented his parents because they always made direct comparisons.
(D) He admired her natural ability to easily grasp advanced algebra.
2 What does Leo suggest about Mr. Harrison in the second paragraph?
(A) He purposefully tried to make Leo angry by constantly mentioning Elena.
(B) He unfairly expected Leo to complete the blank worksheets he handed out.
(C) His critical comments actively discouraged Leo from trying to succeed.
(D) He considered Leo to be one of the brightest pupils he’d ever encountered.
3 In the third paragraph, Leo explains that his poor academic performance was a result of
(A) his inability to understand lengthy lectures about the Industrial Revolution.
(B) a deliberate choice to stop competing with his sister’s reputation.
(C) his parents constantly questioning his declining grades at home.
(D) a secret desire to be moved as far away from his teachers as possible.
4 What does the word ‘it’ refer to in the fourth paragraph?
(A) a half-finished piece of history homework
(B) the school play’s new backdrop
(C) a textbook about the Industrial Revolution
(D) a detailed sketch Leo was working on
5 How did Leo react to Mr. Harrison’s praise after the play?
(A) He was indifferent to it, despite acting politely.
(B) He felt a sudden surge of pride because of the compliment.
(C) He was relieved to have finally met the teacher’s impossible standards.
(D) He was too focused on the audience’s applause to hear what was said.
6 What is the main message of the final paragraph?
(A) Creative subjects are generally more fulfilling than analytical ones.
(B) Sibling rivalry usually disappears as you become more mature.
(C) Accepting your own distinct talents is the key to personal happiness.
(D) You should always use your hidden talents to prove your teachers wrong.
Answer Key
1 B: The text states that Leo felt like “the rough draft before the masterpiece” because of his sister’s success. Option A is a false match; the text says family friends talked about her triumphs, not that she bragged. Option C contradicts the text (“My parents tried not to make direct comparisons”). Option D is a partial truth mixed with a false match; Leo was the one who struggled with algebra, not something he admired her for.
2 C: Leo states, “If he hadn’t repeatedly brought up her name, I might have actually made a genuine effort. Instead, his endless reminders… planted a deep seed of bitter resentment.” Option A is an over-inference; the teacher was tactless, but not necessarily purposefully malicious. Option B is a partial truth; he did expect the work done, but that is not the main point of the paragraph. Option D is a false match; this describes the teacher’s view of Elena, not Leo.
3 B: Leo asks, “If I was never going to live up to the legendary Elena, why bother trying at all?” showing his apathy was a conscious choice to stop competing. Option A is incorrect; he zoned out during lectures by choice, not because he couldn’t understand them. Option C is a detail that happened after his grades dropped, not the cause. Option D is a misinterpretation; he moved his desk away, but didn’t ask to change classes.
4 D: In the sentence “I was adding the finishing touches to a complex charcoal drawing… when Ms. Clarke… walked past my desk. I quickly moved to cover it up,” the pronoun ‘it’ refers back to the drawing/sketch he had just been working on. Options A, B, and C are other items mentioned in the text but do not fit the grammatical reference in this sentence.
5 A: The text says Leo accepted the praise “with a polite smile, though his validation no longer mattered to me,” meaning he didn’t care about it anymore. Option B is a misplaced detail; the “surge of pride” came from the applause before Mr. Harrison spoke to him. Option C is the opposite of the truth, as Leo no longer cared about his standards. Option D contradicts the text, which says he heard the praise and smiled.
6 C: Leo concludes that he and his sister were “wired differently” (analytical vs. creative) and that letting go of his need to compete with her was “liberating,” allowing him to be the best version of himself. Option A is an over-inference; he says his strengths are creative, not that creativity is objectively better. Option B is too broad and not the main point. Option D is incorrect because the text explicitly states he no longer cared about his teacher’s validation.
Reading 2
You are going to read a magazine article about a teenager’s experience of sharing a bedroom with a sibling.
For questions 1-6, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
The Red Line Treaty
If anyone had told me that sharing a bedroom with my younger sister, Chloe, would eventually teach me the true meaning of diplomacy, I would have laughed out loud. We are chalk and cheese. I am someone who thrives on order; my books are colour-coded, and my clothes are neatly folded. Chloe, on the other hand, seems to genuinely believe that the floor is a giant wardrobe. When our parents announced that my grandmother was moving into our spare room, meaning Chloe and I would have to share the small upstairs bedroom, my initial reaction was pure territorial rage. I was absolutely convinced that my peaceful sanctuary was about to be permanently destroyed.
The first few weeks were every bit as disastrous as I had anticipated. Moving two vastly different personalities into a space barely large enough for two single beds was a recipe for trouble. It felt like an exhausting daily battle. I would spend my Saturday mornings meticulously tidying up, only for Chloe to breeze in and leave a trail of school bags, half-empty water bottles, and sports gear in her wake. I resented her lack of consideration, while she repeatedly accused me of being completely obsessed with perfection. The atmosphere became so incredibly tense that we would often sit in stony silence, communicating only through heavy sighs and eye rolls.
Matters came to a head one Tuesday evening. I had been studying late at the library and came home looking forward to a good night’s sleep. However, as I opened the bedroom door, I was greeted by a sight that made my blood boil. Chloe had decided to try on every outfit she owned for a party, and a mountain of garments had somehow cascaded onto my meticulously made bed. Worse still, my favourite hairbrush was tangled in a jumper on the floor. I lost my temper completely, shouting that she had absolutely no respect for my belongings. She yelled back, claiming I was suffocating her with my endless rules.
By the end of that week, we were both completely drained. The constant bickering was taking its toll on our relationship, and it must have been obvious to our parents that we were struggling, as they threatened to take away our weekend privileges. Sitting on my bed, staring at the chaotic mess on her side, I realised something had to change. If we had continued fighting at that rate, we would barely be on speaking terms today. I knew I couldn’t force Chloe to become a neat freak, but I also knew I couldn’t survive in her chaos. We desperately needed a compromise.
The solution we eventually reached was surprisingly simple, though highly unconventional. Armed with a roll of bright red masking tape, I measured the exact centre of the room and stuck a thick line straight down the middle of the floor. We drew up a silent treaty with one golden rule: neither of us was allowed to cross the line or let our possessions spill over onto the other’s territory. Chloe’s side could remain a chaotic wasteland, provided not a single sock drifted onto my pristine floorboards. In return, I promised to stop nagging her about her mess.
To my absolute amazement, the red line strategy actually worked. Having a visual boundary seemed to give Chloe the sense of freedom she craved, while providing me with the ordered sanctuary I desperately needed. Naturally, there were occasional slip-ups, but the exhausting daily battles became a thing of the past. Looking back now, that bright red strip of tape did more than just divide a room; it taught us how to tolerate our differences. We may never see eye to eye on household chores, but we have finally managed to forge a mutual respect that I never thought possible.
1 How did the writer feel upon learning she had to share a room with her sister?
(A) furious because she felt her private space was being taken away
(B) amused because she knew their personalities were like chalk and cheese
(C) annoyed because her grandmother was moving into her bedroom
(D) relieved that she wouldn’t have to sleep in the spare room anymore
2 In the second paragraph, what does the writer suggest was the main cause of the tension between the sisters?
(A) The fact that the bedroom was too small for two single beds.
(B) They both strongly disapproved of each other’s lifestyle habits.
(C) The writer spending her Saturday mornings cleaning the room.
(D) Their refusal to communicate through anything other than eye rolls.
3 When Chloe said the writer was “suffocating her” in the third paragraph, she meant that the writer was
(A) making it physically difficult for her to breathe in the room.
(B) leaving too many clothes on the bedroom floor.
(C) restricting her freedom to behave naturally in her own space.
(D) forcing her to attend parties she actively disliked.
4 What does the writer imply in the fourth paragraph about her decision to find a compromise?
(A) She was terrified of losing her weekend privileges.
(B) She wanted to protect her parents from further stress.
(C) She finally accepted that she needed to be less of a neat freak.
(D) She recognised that neither sister was going to change their basic character.
5 What was the main condition of the ‘silent treaty’ they created?
(A) The writer would ignore Chloe’s untidiness as long as it didn’t cross the red line.
(B) Chloe had to keep her side of the room completely clean at all times.
(C) The sisters were not allowed to speak to each other while inside the room.
(D) They had to divide all of their possessions equally into two halves.
6 What is the writer’s main purpose in writing this article?
(A) to advise teenagers on how to keep their bedrooms tidy
(B) to explain why siblings with different personalities always argue
(C) to show how a practical solution helped mend a difficult relationship
(D) to complain about the lack of personal space in modern family homes
Answer Key
1 A: The text states the writer’s initial reaction was “pure territorial rage” and that she was “convinced that my peaceful sanctuary was about to be permanently destroyed.” This directly paraphrases being “furious” about her “private space being taken away.” Distractor B is a false match; she mentions laughing “out loud” only in retrospect about learning diplomacy. Distractor C is a partial truth; the grandmother is moving in, but into the spare room, not the writer’s room.
2 B: The tension arose because “I resented her lack of consideration, while she repeatedly accused me of being completely obsessed with perfection,” meaning they mutually disliked each other’s habits. Distractor A is a partial truth; the room size didn’t help, but the contrasting personalities were the “recipe for trouble.” Distractor D is the result of the tension, not the cause.
3 C: In this context, “suffocating her with my endless rules” is a metaphorical phrase meaning Chloe felt trapped and restricted by her sister’s need for strict order. Distractor A is a literal trap. Distractor B is the opposite (Chloe left clothes on the floor, not the writer).
4 D: The writer states, “I knew I couldn’t force Chloe to become a neat freak, but I also knew I couldn’t survive in her chaos,” implying an acceptance that their fundamental traits weren’t going to change, hence the need for a compromise. Distractor A uses words from the text (“weekend privileges”), but this was the parents’ threat, not the writer’s internal motivation for the compromise. Distractor C is opposite to the text; she explicitly states she couldn’t survive in the chaos.
5 A: The treaty dictated that “Chloe’s side could remain a chaotic wasteland, provided not a single sock drifted onto my pristine floorboards. In return, I promised to stop nagging her.” This perfectly matches option A. Distractor B is the exact opposite of the text. Distractor C takes the word “silent treaty” too literally.
6 C: The article’s narrative arc moves from conflict to resolution, culminating in the final paragraph’s reflection that the tape “taught us how to tolerate our differences” and “forge a mutual respect.” Therefore, the primary purpose is to share how this practical solution improved their relationship. Distractor B is too general and only covers the first half of the text. Distractor A is incorrect as the text actually advocates for tolerating untidiness, not enforcing tidiness.
Reading 3
You are going to read an article about a teenager whose older brother is leaving for college.
For questions 1-6, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
The Sound of Silence
For as long as I can remember, my older brother Leo and I have been locked in a seemingly endless territorial war. Sharing a small house meant we were constantly stepping on each other’s toes, both literally and metaphorically. If he wasn’t playing his bass guitar at deafening volumes while I was trying to study, I was ‘accidentally’ deleting his carefully curated playlists from the family computer. So, when the time finally came for him to pack up his life into a set of battered suitcases and head off to university, I was convinced I would be celebrating. Sitting in the hallway, I watched him dismantle his room with a sense of triumphant satisfaction. The loud tearing of packing tape and the thud of books being thrown into boxes felt like the soundtrack to my upcoming freedom.
Our relationship had always been defined by this chaotic friction. We had spent our teenage years fighting over everything, from who got control of the television remote to who had used the last drop of hot water in the morning. I had often caught myself daydreaming about the day he would finally leave. I imagined a peaceful, serene house where my belongings wouldn’t be borrowed without permission and my opinions wouldn’t be instantly dismissed. As he stripped his walls of the posters that had hung there for years, leaving behind faded rectangular patches of paint, I firmly believed that his departure was going to be the best thing that had ever happened to me.
However, as the afternoon wore on and the mountain of boxes grew, the atmosphere in the house began to shift dramatically. Once the final suitcase was zipped shut, Leo’s bedroom was reduced to a barren, echoing space. It was completely unrecognisable. Staring at the empty desk and the stripped bed, an unexpected and heavy wave of melancholy washed over me. The chaotic noise that had always accompanied his presence was gone, replaced by a dense, oppressive silence. I realised, with a sudden lump in my throat, that the constant background hum of his existence was something I had entirely taken for granted. If he hadn’t been around to annoy me all these years, my life right now would be remarkably dull.
Wandering back downstairs, I found myself pacing aimlessly. The reality of the situation was beginning to sink in. I wasn’t just losing an annoying roommate; I was losing the only person who truly understood the bizarre dynamics of our family. Who else would exchange knowing glances with me across the dinner table when our parents started one of their familiar lectures? He had often told me that I took myself too seriously, a remark which used to infuriate me but now felt like a genuine attempt at brotherly guidance. He must have been feeling just as anxious about this massive life transition as I was, beneath his confident exterior. The prospect of facing my final years of high school entirely on my own suddenly felt incredibly daunting.
Driven by an unfamiliar urge, I returned to his room while he was downstairs saying his goodbyes. His main suitcase lay open on the floor, crammed with clothes and brand-new textbooks. I reached into my pocket and pulled out a battered, limited-edition comic book we had fiercely fought over when we were children. It was a prized possession that I had guarded jealously for years. Checking over my shoulder to ensure I was completely alone, I slipped the comic carefully between his folded jumpers. It was an entirely uncharacteristic gesture, one that required no verbal explanation. I knew that when he finally unpacked in his new dormitory, he would understand the silent message. The house would undoubtedly be too quiet from now on, but slipping that gift into his bag somehow made the silence bearable.
1 What was the writer’s initial reaction to her brother packing up his room?
(A) She felt a strong sense of joy at the prospect of having the house to herself.
(B) She was annoyed by the loud noises he was making with the packing tape.
(C) She was frustrated because he had deleted her playlists from the computer.
(D) She felt a sense of triumph because she had finally won their territorial war.
2 How did the writer view Leo’s departure during their teenage years?
(A) She believed it would put an end to their parents’ familiar lectures.
(B) She worried that her belongings would still be borrowed without permission.
(C) She eagerly anticipated the peace and quiet it would bring to her daily life.
(D) She felt regretful about the faded rectangular patches on his walls.
3 What triggered the writer’s sudden change of emotion in the third paragraph?
(A) Realising that she had always taken her own childhood for granted.
(B) Seeing the physical transformation of her brother’s room.
(C) The sudden cessation of the loud music he usually played.
(D) Forgetting to say goodbye to him before he zipped his suitcase.
4 What does the writer realise about her arguments with Leo?
(A) They were a hidden way of showing that they actually cared for each other.
(B) They were mainly caused by their parents’ strict lectures at the dinner table.
(C) They occurred because Leo was secretly anxious about leaving for university.
(D) They were the reason why she took herself too seriously as a teenager.
5 Why did the writer put the comic book in Leo’s suitcase?
(A) Because she no longer wanted to guard it jealously in her own room.
(B) To finally end a fierce argument they had started during their childhood.
(C) Because she knew he didn’t have enough brand-new textbooks for his classes.
(D) To secretly express her feelings of affection without needing to speak to him.
6 What is the main purpose of the article?
(A) To advise teenagers on how to cope with the stress of living with an older sibling.
(B) To illustrate how a sibling’s departure can completely alter one’s perspective on their relationship.
(C) To describe the emotional difficulties of moving away to a new university dormitory.
(D) To explain why younger siblings generally struggle to communicate with older ones.
Answer Key
1 A: The writer states she was “convinced I would be celebrating” and watched him dismantle his room with “triumphant satisfaction” as a “soundtrack to my upcoming freedom.” Option B is a partial truth; the tape was loud, but she wasn’t annoyed by it—she enjoyed it. Option C is information misplaced (she deleted his playlists, not the other way around). Option D is an over-inference; she didn’t win the war, he was just leaving.
2 C: The text explains that she “daydreaming about the day he would finally leave” and “imagined a peaceful, serene house”. Option A is a false match; the parents’ lectures are mentioned later in paragraph 4. Option B is the opposite; she imagined her things wouldn’t be borrowed. Option D mixes up details; she notes the faded patches of paint but doesn’t feel regretful about them in paragraph 2.
3 B: The writer notes that “Staring at the empty desk and the stripped bed, an unexpected and heavy wave of melancholy washed over me.” Option A is a partial truth trap; she took his presence for granted, not her childhood itself. Option C is too narrow; it was the visual emptiness and the overall oppressive silence, not just the lack of music. Option D is unstated.
4 A: In paragraph 4, the writer reflects that their endless arguments were “a form of communication—a disguised affection that we were both too proud to admit.” Option B is a false cause-effect trap; the parents’ lectures are mentioned as something they shared a bond over, not the cause of their fights. Options C and D mix up information from the paragraph to create false statements.
5 D: The writer explains she slipped the comic in as an “entirely uncharacteristic gesture, one that required no verbal explanation” and that he would “understand the silent message.” Option A contradicts the text; it was a “prized possession” she guarded jealously, meaning it was hard to give up. Option B is an over-inference; they fought over it as kids, but giving it wasn’t to settle an ongoing argument. Option C relies on misplaced information regarding the textbooks.
6 B: The entire text showcases the writer’s emotional arc—from wishing her brother would leave to feeling a crushing melancholy and realizing how much she loved and relied on him. Option A is too instructional. Option C focuses on the person leaving, whereas this text is about the person staying behind. Option D is too broad and sociological.