Practice English Reading Exercises for B2 – Sibling Relationships & Rivalries
Reading 1
You are going to read an extract from a short story about two brothers who sneak out at night.
For questions 1-6, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
The Secret Sibling Pact
For years, my older brother Julian and I had barely tolerated each other, separated by an unbridgeable four-year age gap. He was the confident, popular athlete; I was the quiet, introverted observer. Yet, that all changed on a humid Tuesday night. A legendary rock band was playing in a city forty miles away, and neither of us had been allowed to go. Our parents had deemed it entirely too far to travel on a school night. But Julian had quietly acquired tickets, and by midnight, we were creeping downstairs, our hearts pounding. We managed to push our mother’s old estate car out of the driveway in neutral before starting the engine, terrified that the slightest noise might wake our sleeping parents.
The concert itself was an absolute blur of flashing lights, roaring guitars, and pure adrenaline. Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with Julian in the crowded arena, I felt a sudden shift in our dynamic. For the first time, he wasn’t treating me like an annoying shadow. Instead, we were co-conspirators, sharing knowing glances whenever a favourite song began to play. I remember thinking that if we had been caught right then, the grounding would have been entirely worth it. The music was deafening, but it was the intoxicating taste of independence that truly left my ears ringing.
However, our triumphant mood evaporated roughly ten miles from home. The narrow country road was entirely deserted, illuminated only by the pale moonlight. Suddenly, the car’s engine gave a violent shudder, let out a pathetic cough, and died. Julian hastily steered us onto the grass verge. “Tell me you checked the fuel gauge,” I whispered, my voice trembling with rising panic. Julian stared blankly at it, the tiny orange needle resting firmly below the empty line. We had been so consumed by the thrill of our escape that neither of us had thought to check the petrol. If we called our parents for a rescue, we would undoubtedly be grounded for the rest of the year.
A heavy silence descended upon us, broken only by the chirping of crickets. Usually, in moments of crisis, Julian would instinctively take charge and figure out a solution while I waited passively. This time, however, he looked just as terrified as I felt. He buried his face in his hands, clearly calculating the catastrophic consequences of our actions. I realised then that waiting for a miracle wasn’t an option. “We have to push,” I stated firmly, surprising both of us with my sudden decisiveness. It was a ridiculous idea, considering the car’s weight and the uphill stretch ahead, but it was our only viable alternative to a humiliating phone call.
What followed was the most physically demanding two hours of my life. With Julian steering through the open window and pushing against the door frame, I threw my entire weight against the back bumper. Every muscle in my legs burned, and my lungs felt as though they might burst. Yet, amidst the exhaustion, something unexpected happened. Julian must have suddenly realised the sheer absurdity of the situation, because when he slipped on a patch of wet grass and nearly face-planted in the mud, he let out a loud snort of laughter. Within seconds, we were both giggling hysterically in the dark, leaning against the heavy metal of the car to support ourselves.
By the time we silently rolled the vehicle back into our driveway, the sky was already beginning to lighten with the approach of dawn. We slipped back into our beds just before our mother’s alarm clock went off. We never spoke of the incident to our parents, nor did we brag about the concert to our friends. That night remained our fiercely guarded secret. Looking back, we didn’t just push a broken-down car up a hill; we pushed past years of sibling rivalry, forging an unbreakable alliance that would last a lifetime.
1 What do we learn about the brothers’ escape in the first paragraph?
(A) They were taking part in an activity their parents had strictly forbidden.
(B) They were forced to push the car out of the driveway because it wouldn’t start.
(C) Julian had bought the tickets months in advance for a special occasion.
(D) The narrator had to convince his confident older brother to sneak out.
2 How did the narrator feel during the concert?
(A) He was terrified that their parents would catch them at the arena.
(B) He was overwhelmed by the flashing lights and roaring guitars.
(C) He appreciated the fact that his brother was treating him as an equal.
(D) He thought the music was too deafening and left his ears ringing.
3 What does the word ‘it’ refer to in the third paragraph?
(A) the grass verge
(B) the deserted road
(C) the steering wheel
(D) the fuel gauge
4 What does the narrator imply about Julian in the fourth paragraph?
(A) He was busy calculating exactly how much the heavy car weighed.
(B) He was unable to handle the crisis in his usual confident manner.
(C) He immediately came up with a viable alternative to calling their parents.
(D) He was angry with his brother for suggesting such a ridiculous idea.
5 Why did the brothers start laughing while pushing the car?
(A) They were reacting to a clumsy mishap and the ridiculous nature of their predicament.
(B) Julian was relieved that the most physically demanding two hours were finally over.
(C) They were delighted that they were finally nearing their driveway as dawn approached.
(D) They suddenly realised their parents wouldn’t be awake to catch them sneaking in.
6 What is the writer’s main point in the final paragraph?
(A) Keeping secrets from your parents is an important part of growing up.
(B) They were incredibly lucky to make it home before their mother’s alarm went off.
(C) Their sibling rivalry continued despite the physical challenges they faced that night.
(D) The shared hardship transformed their previously distant relationship into a strong bond.
Answer Key
1 A: The text states that the parents had deemed the concert “entirely too far to travel on a school night” and they “had not been allowed to go,” yet they snuck out anyway. Option B is a false match; they pushed the car so the engine noise wouldn’t wake their parents, not because it was broken. Option C is unstated; we only know Julian acquired tickets, not when. Option D contradicts the text, as Julian was the one who got the tickets and initiated the trip.
2 C: The narrator explicitly notes a “shift in our dynamic,” stating that “for the first time, he wasn’t treating me like an annoying shadow. Instead, we were co-conspirators.” Option A is incorrect because the narrator says getting caught “would have been entirely worth it.” Option B is an over-inference; he describes the sights and sounds as a “blur” but in a positive, adrenaline-fueled way. Option D is a false match; the music was deafening, but it was the “intoxicating taste of independence” that left his ears ringing.
3 D: In the sentence “Julian stared blankly at it, the tiny orange needle resting firmly below the empty line,” the pronoun ‘it’ refers back to the “fuel gauge” mentioned by the narrator in the preceding sentence. The other options are physical items or places mentioned in the paragraph, but they do not contain an orange needle indicating fuel levels.
4 B: The text says that “Usually, in moments of crisis, Julian would instinctively take charge,” but this time “he looked just as terrified as I felt” and buried his face in his hands. This implies he lost his usual confidence. Option A is a false match; he was calculating the “catastrophic consequences,” not the car’s weight. Option C contradicts the text, as it was the narrator who came up with the alternative (pushing). Option D is unstated; Julian does not express anger at the idea.
5 A: The laughter is triggered when Julian “slipped on a patch of wet grass and nearly face-planted in the mud” and realized the “sheer absurdity of the situation.” Option B is incorrect because they were still in the middle of pushing the car. Option C is a partial truth; dawn was approaching, but they hadn’t reached the driveway yet when they started laughing. Option D is unstated and incorrect, as the laughing happened on the road, long before they knew they were safe at home.
6 D: The final sentence summarizes the entire experience: “we didn’t just push a broken-down car up a hill; we pushed past years of sibling rivalry, forging an unbreakable alliance.” Option A is too general and not the specific point the writer is making about their relationship. Option B is a true statement based on the text, but it is a minor detail, not the main takeaway. Option C is the exact opposite of what the text says.
Reading 2
You are going to read a magazine article about a teenager who ruined her sister’s expensive jacket.
For questions 1-6, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
The Borrowed Jacket
My older sister, Maya, had a rule that was set in stone: her wardrobe was strictly off-limits. She had recently saved up for a vintage cream-coloured leather jacket, a garment she treated with more reverence than a museum artefact. Naturally, the moment she announced she was going to a friend’s house for the afternoon, I saw my opportunity. I was meeting my friends at a trendy new café, and I knew that jacket would be the perfect addition to my outfit. Slipping it on, I admired my reflection, feeling a surge of sneaky confidence. I convinced myself that as long as I was careful, Maya would be absolutely none the wiser.
For the first hour, everything went exactly to plan. My friends complimented my elevated sense of style, and I basked in the attention, completely forgetting the borrowed nature of my attire. However, my triumph was remarkably short-lived. As I reached across the table to grab a napkin, my elbow clipped a tall iced mocha. Time seemed to slow down as the dark, sticky liquid cascaded directly onto the pristine cream leather sleeve. A wave of heart-stopping dread washed over me. I gasped, frantically dabbing at the fabric with a napkin, but the damage was undeniable. The stain stood out like a beacon of my impending doom.
Panic set in as I rushed home, my mind racing through a catalogue of disastrous scenarios. Maya was attending a highly anticipated party that very evening, and she had made it abundantly clear that the jacket was central to her outfit. Once inside, I grabbed every cleaning product I could find under the sink and began desperately scrubbing the sleeve. Unsurprisingly, this frantic attempt only resulted in a weirdly discoloured, damp patch that looked undeniably worse. Defeated, I crept into her room and hung the jacket back in the darkest corner of her wardrobe. If the lighting in her room was dim enough, I reasoned, she might just grab it without inspecting it too closely.
My fragile hope evaporated precisely at seven o’clock. Sitting tensely in the living room, I heard a sharp intake of breath from upstairs, followed by a scream that could have shattered glass. Maya stormed down the stairs, clutching the ruined garment like a wounded animal. What followed was a massive screaming match. She accused me of being a thoughtless, selfish thief, while I, defensive and terrified, offered weak apologies that only fuelled her rage. She demanded to know how I could have been so careless, declaring that I had completely ruined her entire weekend.
Just as I braced myself for her to involve our parents, the atmosphere unexpectedly shifted. Maya stopped yelling, exhausted, and looked at me with a calculating glare. Instead of demanding cash or grounding me, she proposed a surprising compromise. “You owe me,” she stated coldly. “For the next three months, you are doing all my household chores. You will do my laundry, wash the dishes, and clean my room.” Since the alternative was facing the wrath of our parents and replacing the jacket out of my meagre pocket money, I nodded eagerly. The punishment was harsh, but it was a lifeline.
Looking back, that disastrous afternoon permanently altered our dynamic. I spent my entire summer paying off my debt through endless chores, which certainly cured me of my habit of borrowing things without asking. Interestingly, once her initial anger subsided, Maya seemed to enjoy having a personal assistant more than she had enjoyed the jacket itself. We eventually managed to laugh about the mocha incident, though the ruined leather remained a visual reminder of my crime. I learned a valuable lesson about respecting boundaries, and Maya learned that sometimes, a ruined item can be traded for a very comfortable summer.
1 Why did the narrator decide to take the leather jacket?
(A) She wanted to see if she could break a rule that was set in stone.
(B) She thought it would perfectly complete what she was wearing.
(C) She wanted to impress her friends with her recent expensive purchase.
(D) She believed Maya wouldn’t mind as long as she was extremely careful.
2 How did the narrator feel immediately after the drink was spilt?
(A) She was confident she could wipe it clean with a napkin.
(B) She felt annoyed that her triumph had been so short-lived.
(C) She was overwhelmed by a sudden, intense feeling of terror.
(D) She was worried because time seemed to be slowing down.
3 What does the phrase ‘this frantic attempt’ in paragraph 3 refer to?
(A) her efforts to wash the stain away with chemicals
(B) her rushing home in a panic to avoid her sister
(C) her mind racing through a catalogue of bad scenarios
(D) her decision to hide the jacket in a dark wardrobe
4 What was the result of the narrator’s apologies in paragraph 4?
(A) They made Maya realise how terrified the narrator was.
(B) They served to increase her older sister’s anger.
(C) They successfully kept their parents out of the argument.
(D) They proved to Maya that she was a selfish thief.
5 Why did the narrator readily accept Maya’s proposed punishment?
(A) She realised she owed Maya a massive apology for her carelessness.
(B) She didn’t have any pocket money left to replace the ruined garment.
(C) Maya was too exhausted from yelling to demand a harsher penalty.
(D) It was a better option than facing their parents and paying for the damage.
6 What is the writer’s main purpose in the final paragraph?
(A) to warn readers about the consequences of borrowing expensive clothes
(B) to complain about having to do endless household chores all summer
(C) to reflect on how a major conflict ultimately improved their relationship
(D) to explain why Maya preferred having a personal assistant to a jacket
Answer Key
1 B: The text states, “I knew that jacket would be the perfect addition to my outfit,” which matches option B. Distractor A uses the exact phrase “set in stone” but misrepresents her motive. Distractor C is incorrect because she didn’t buy the jacket. Distractor D contradicts the text; she knew Maya would mind, which is why she hoped Maya would be “none the wiser.”
2 C: The text says, “A wave of heart-stopping dread washed over me,” which paraphrases being “overwhelmed by a sudden, intense feeling of terror.” Distractor A is a partial truth; she used a napkin, but she was not confident (she knew “the damage was undeniable”). Distractor B uses exact words (“short-lived”) but misidentifies her emotion at that exact moment.
3 A: The “frantic attempt” directly refers to the sentence before it, where the narrator “grabbed every cleaning product… and began desperately scrubbing the sleeve.” Distractors B, C, and D all refer to other actions the narrator took during her panic, but not the specific attempt being described as “frantic” and resulting in a “discoloured, damp patch.”
4 B: The text explicitly states that the narrator “offered weak apologies that only fuelled her rage,” meaning they made Maya even angrier. Distractor A is incorrect; the narrator felt terrified, but the text doesn’t say the apologies made Maya realise this. Distractor C is a partial truth; the parents weren’t involved, but this was due to the compromise, not the apologies. Distractor D uses exact words from Maya’s accusation, but the apologies didn’t prove this.
5 D: The narrator accepted the deal because the “alternative was facing the wrath of our parents and replacing the jacket,” making it a preferable option (a “lifeline”). Distractor A uses the words “owe me,” but twists the meaning. Distractor B is a trap; the text says she had “meagre pocket money,” not none at all. Distractor C mixes two details: Maya was exhausted, but this wasn’t why the narrator agreed.
6 C: The final paragraph discusses how the event “permanently altered our dynamic” and led to them eventually laughing about the incident, showing how a negative event brought an unexpected positive change to their relationship. Distractor A is too general and not the primary focus. Distractor B is incorrect because she isn’t complaining; she feels she learned a “valuable lesson.” Distractor D is too specific and represents only a minor detail in the reflection.
Reading 3
You are going to read a magazine article about a boy who struggles with the arrival of a new baby sibling.
For questions 1-6, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
The Golden Era Ends
For the first ten years of my life, I was the undisputed centre of my parents’ universe. My childhood was a peaceful, highly organised existence where my school projects, football matches, and weekend hobbies dictated the entire family schedule. I never had to compete for attention or wait patiently for someone to listen to my stories. However, my perfectly structured world completely collapsed with the arrival of my baby brother, Oliver. Almost overnight, I went from being the main attraction to a forgotten extra in the background. The house, once filled with calm conversations and undivided attention, was suddenly overtaken by a chaotic whirlwind of baby bottles, nappies, and frantic whispering.
The most difficult adjustment to this new reality was the noise. Oliver possessed an astonishingly powerful set of lungs, and he seemed determined to use them exclusively between the hours of midnight and dawn. My parents, who used to be energetic and attentive, quickly transformed into exhausted, sleep-deprived zombies. They shuffled around the kitchen in the morning, too tired to ask me about my plans for the day, constantly trying to soothe the screaming infant in their arms. While I understood logically that a fragile newborn required constant care, I couldn’t help but feel incredibly frustrated. It felt as though an exceptionally demanding stranger had permanently moved in and ruined our peaceful lives.
My quiet frustration blossomed into active resentment during the final week of the summer term. I had spent a month building a complex wooden volcano for the school science fair, an achievement I was immensely proud of. My dad had promised to help me paint it that Thursday evening, but when the time came, Oliver developed a sudden fever. The painting session was instantly cancelled. I sat alone at the kitchen table, staring at my unpainted project, listening to the anxious pacing upstairs. It was a bitter pill to swallow, and I convinced myself that my parents had entirely stopped caring about anything that didn’t involve the baby.
The turning point, however, arrived the following Saturday. My mother had briefly rushed into the garden to hang out the laundry, while my dad was asleep on the sofa, thoroughly defeated by the previous night’s crying. Oliver was awake in his cot in the living room, beginning to make those familiar, fussy noises that usually preceded a full-blown tantrum. From the hallway, I watched him with a mixture of annoyance and hesitation. My immediate instinct was to turn around and hide in my bedroom until my mother returned to deal with the situation. Yet, a strange sense of responsibility kept my feet firmly glued to the floor.
Reluctantly, I stepped closer to the cot and peered over the wooden bars. Oliver was thrashing his tiny arms around, his face turning an alarming shade of red. Scowling, I slowly lowered my hand and extended my index finger, intending to gently poke his arm to distract him. Before I could pull away, his miniature hand shot out and his tiny fingers wrapped fiercely around mine. The grip was surprisingly strong. He instantly stopped crying, his wide, tear-filled eyes locking directly onto mine. In that split second, the heavy resentment I had been carrying for weeks simply evaporated.
A sudden, overwhelming rush of affection surged through me. Looking down at this tiny, helpless creature holding onto me as if I were his lifeline, I finally understood what it meant to be an older brother. The house would probably remain chaotic for the foreseeable future, and my parents would likely continue to be exhausted. There would undoubtedly be more cancelled plans and sleepless nights. But as I stood there, letting my baby brother grip my finger, I realised that losing my status as an only child wasn’t a tragedy after all; it was the beginning of a lifelong bond.
1 How did the writer feel immediately after Oliver’s arrival?
(A) He felt he had been pushed aside by the new family dynamic.
(B) He was annoyed that he had to share his favourite toys with the baby.
(C) He was worried about the chaotic whirlwind of baby items in his house.
(D) He was eager to assist his parents with their calm conversations.
2 In the second paragraph, the writer admits that he
(A) blamed his parents for acting like exhausted, sleep-deprived zombies.
(B) struggled to accept the situation despite knowing why it was happening.
(C) wanted to help his parents soothe the screaming infant in their arms.
(D) found it relatively easy to adjust to the noise of the crying newborn.
3 Why does the writer mention the wooden volcano project in the third paragraph?
(A) To complain about the amount of schoolwork he had to do over the summer.
(B) To explain the exact reason why his parents had stopped caring about him.
(C) To show how much he enjoyed spending Thursday evenings with his dad.
(D) To illustrate a specific incident that caused his anger to significantly increase.
4 What does ‘the situation’ refer to in paragraph 4?
(A) the exhausted father sleeping on the sofa
(B) the laundry being hung out in the garden
(C) the likelihood of the baby crying loudly
(D) the writer’s sudden sense of responsibility
5 What caused the writer’s resentment to finally disappear?
(A) The unexpected force of his brother’s physical grasp.
(B) The sight of his brother’s face turning an alarming shade of red.
(C) The realisation that he had successfully managed to distract the baby.
(D) The fact that he was finally able to stop his brother from crying.
6 What is the writer’s main realisation at the end of the text?
(A) He expected his home life to quickly return to how it used to be.
(B) Accepting the disruption to his life was worth it for the relationship he gained.
(C) He would have to take on much more responsibility for his exhausted parents.
(D) He needed to stop being jealous of his brother’s constant need for attention.
Answer Key
1 A: The text states that the writer went from “being the main attraction to a forgotten extra in the background,” which perfectly matches the idea of being pushed aside by the new dynamic. Option B is a false match; he mentions he never had to share toys before, not that he is sharing them now. Option C is a partial truth; the house was chaotic, but his primary feeling was a loss of his central status. Option D uses text words (“calm conversations”) but creates an opposite, unstated meaning.
2 B: The writer says, “While I understood logically that a fragile newborn required constant care, I couldn’t help but feel incredibly frustrated.” This shows an internal struggle between logic and emotion. Option A is incorrect; he observed they were like zombies, but didn’t blame them for it. Option C is unstated in this paragraph. Option D is the direct opposite of his reaction to the noise.
3 D: The volcano project is introduced right after he says his “quiet frustration blossomed into active resentment,” serving as the specific catalyst (the cancelled painting session) that worsened his feelings. Option A is unstated. Option B is a false conclusion; he convinced himself they stopped caring, but the text doesn’t present this as an objective fact. Option C is a partial truth but misses the main purpose of the anecdote.
4 C: The phrase refers back to the immediate impending problem described in the previous sentence: “Oliver was awake… beginning to make those familiar, fussy noises that usually preceded a full-blown tantrum.” The “situation” is the baby about to cry. Options A and B are details mentioned earlier but do not fit the context of what the mother needs to “deal with”. Option D is what happens after his hesitation, not the situation itself.
5 A: The writer’s resentment evaporated in the split second his brother’s “tiny fingers wrapped fiercely around mine” and he noted “The grip was surprisingly strong.” Option B happened before he reached out, while he was still scowling. Option C is incorrect because the grasp itself, not the strategic success of the distraction, caused the emotional shift. Option D is a partial truth; the crying stopped, but it was the physical connection (“eyes locking”, “grip”) that caused his feelings to change.
6 B: In the final paragraph, the writer accepts that the house will “remain chaotic” and there will be “sleepless nights,” but concludes that losing his only-child status “wasn’t a tragedy after all; it was the beginning of a lifelong bond.” Option A is the exact opposite of what he states. Option C is an over-inference; he feels a bond with his brother, but taking over parenting duties isn’t mentioned. Option D is a life lesson that may be true, but option B captures the specific realization about the trade-off he accepts.