A New Assistant at the Bakery
About this practice test
Read about Marta’s first days working at a small bakery, including her tasks, customer service, and growing confidence.
What you’ll practice
Finding detail
Locate specific information and evidence.
Interpreting ideas
Connect main points and inferences.
Evaluating arguments
Assess claims, evidence, and limitations.
Study the questions and tasks
Work through the material below, or start the interactive practice above to complete an attempt. Try the exercises before opening any answer or transcript sections, then use them to review your work.
- Practice level
- A2. Try this level if you can follow the instructions and understand most of the language; choose an earlier level if you need more support.
- Question formats
- Single choice
How to approach this practice
Read the passage for its main idea, then return to the relevant sentence or paragraph for each question. Base answers on the passage.
A New Assistant at the Bakery
On Monday, Marta started work at Sunny Bread, a small bakery near the bus station. The manager, Leo, showed her the shelves, the oven, and the order book. Marta’s first job was to put fresh rolls in the front basket and check that the labels were clear. She also learned how to greet customers and wrap cakes in paper. He also showed her where the paper bags were kept and told her to ask questions if she was unsure. Leo said the shop was busiest before eight in the morning, so Marta listened carefully and wrote notes in her pocket notebook. By Wednesday, Marta felt more confident. She arrived early, tied on her apron, and helped make the counters look tidy. When a child asked for a sweet bun, Marta smiled and chose the softest one. At the end of the day, Leo thanked her because she worked quickly and was careful with the prices. Marta was tired, but she was happy to be part of the team.
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Question 1 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
Where is Sunny Bread?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Inside the town hall
- Near the bus station
- Next to a school
- In the train station
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Near the bus station
The passage says the bakery is "near the bus station." The other places are not mentioned.
a small bakery near the bus station
Inside the town hall: The passage does not say this.
Near the bus station: This matches the passage.
Next to a school: The passage does not mention a school.
In the train station: The passage does not say this.
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Question 2 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
What was Marta's first job at the bakery?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Putting rolls in the front basket and checking labels
- Greeting customers and wrapping cakes
- Making the counters tidy
- Writing prices in the order book
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Putting rolls in the front basket and checking labels
Marta’s first job was putting fresh rolls in the front basket and checking the labels. The other tasks happened later or are not described as her first job.
Marta’s first job was to put fresh rolls in the front basket and check that the labels were clear.
Putting rolls in the front basket and checking labels: This is what Marta did first.
Greeting customers and wrapping cakes: She learned these tasks, but they were not her first job.
Making the counters tidy: She did this on Wednesday, not at first.
Writing prices in the order book: The order book was shown to her, but this job is not mentioned.
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Question 3 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
What did Marta do after Leo told her when the shop was busiest?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- She listened carefully and wrote notes
- She put rolls in the front basket
- She wrapped a cake for a customer
- She helped tidy the counters
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- She listened carefully and wrote notes
After Leo gave her this information, Marta listened carefully and wrote notes in her pocket notebook. The other actions happened at different times or are not mentioned.
so Marta listened carefully and wrote notes in her pocket notebook.
She listened carefully and wrote notes: This is what Marta did after hearing Leo.
She put rolls in the front basket: This was her first job, before this information was given.
She wrapped a cake for a customer: The passage says she learned this task, but not that she did it then.
She helped tidy the counters: She did this on Wednesday, not immediately after the conversation.
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Question 4 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
What did Marta do before helping to tidy the counters on Wednesday?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- She asked to leave early
- She arrived early and tied on her apron
- She forgot her apron at home
- She took a long lunch break
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- She arrived early and tied on her apron
Before helping to tidy the counters, Marta arrived early and tied on her apron. The passage gives these actions in this order.
She arrived early, tied on her apron, and helped make the counters look tidy.
She asked to leave early: The passage says she arrived early, not that she left early.
She arrived early and tied on her apron: This matches the passage.
She forgot her apron at home: The passage says she tied on her apron.
She took a long lunch break: This is not mentioned.
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Question 5 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
What did the child ask for?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- A cup of tea
- A sweet bun
- A loaf of bread
- A slice of pie
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- A sweet bun
The child asked for "a sweet bun." The other foods are not part of the story.
When a child asked for a sweet bun
A cup of tea: The passage does not mention tea.
A sweet bun: This is the correct answer.
A loaf of bread: The child asked for a sweet bun, not bread.
A slice of pie: The passage does not mention pie.
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Question 6 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
Why did Leo thank Marta at the end of the day?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Because she worked quickly and checked prices
- Because she served every customer before noon
- Because she kept the cakes for herself
- Because she cleaned the shop before opening
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Because she worked quickly and checked prices
Leo thanked Marta because she worked quickly and handled the prices carefully. The other choices describe actions that the passage does not mention.
Leo thanked her because she worked quickly and was careful with the prices.
Because she worked quickly and checked prices: This matches the reason Leo thanked Marta.
Because she served every customer before noon: The passage does not say she served every customer.
Because she kept the cakes for herself: This is not mentioned in the passage.
Because she cleaned the shop before opening: The passage says she helped tidy the counters, but not this.
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Question 7 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
What positive feeling did Marta have at the end of the story?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Bored with her new work
- Ready to leave the team
- Angry about checking prices
- Happy to join the bakery team
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Happy to join the bakery team
At the end, Marta felt happy to be part of the team, although she was also tired. The other feelings are not supported by the passage.
Marta was tired, but she was happy to be part of the team.
Bored with her new work: The passage does not suggest that Marta was bored.
Ready to leave the team: The passage says she was happy to be part of the team.
Angry about checking prices: The passage does not say she was angry.
Happy to join the bakery team: This matches Marta’s positive feeling at the end.
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Question 8 · Single choice
Choose one answer.
In the sentence "Marta felt more confident," what does "confident" mean?
Return to the passage, recording or visual- Tired after work
- Slow at her job
- Sure of herself
- Ready to leave
Check answers and explanations
- Answer
- Sure of herself
In this workplace context, "confident" means feeling sure of yourself. Marta showed this by arriving early and helping keep the counters tidy; being tired later is a different idea.
By Wednesday, Marta felt more confident.
She arrived early, tied on her apron, and helped make the counters look tidy.
Tired after work: She was tired later, but that is not the meaning of confident.
Slow at her job: The passage says she worked quickly, so this is wrong.
Sure of herself: This is the correct meaning in the passage.
Ready to leave: The passage says she was happy to be part of the team.
What to review next
Find the words that support each answer. For a mistake, compare the question with the evidence and identify the detail or inference you missed.
A focused practice result shows how you did on these tasks. Use several activities across skills to decide what to study next; one practice score does not certify an overall CEFR level.
Before you practise: a worked example
Look for evidence in the text. Separate what the writer says from what you already know about the topic.
The library normally closes at six, but on Fridays it stays open until eight. When does it close on Friday?
The answer is eight. But introduces an exception to the normal closing time, so the first time mentioned is not the answer.
This teaching example is separate from the scored questions. After your test, compare any mistakes with the explanation and revisit the topic before trying again.