A Volunteer’s First Morning

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

Cloze (dropdown)

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.

1. Question 1 · Cloze (dropdown)

   Choose the correct option for each blank.

   Complete the summary. Choose ONE option for each gap. Leila arrived early, and Mr. Khan gave her a blue 1___ and showed her the 2___. She sorted donated clothes first and then checked the 3___ before visitors came in. When older neighbours arrived for breakfast, she served 4___ and bread.

   Return to the passage, recording or visual

   Choices for blank 1

   1. paper bag
   2. red badge
   3. bus ticket
   4. name sticker

   Choices for blank 2

   1. garden
   2. office
   3. hall
   4. kitchen

   Choices for blank 3

   1. coat rack
   2. tea station
   3. water bottle
   4. front room

   Choices for blank 4

   1. tea
   2. clothes
   3. water
   4. soup
   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   name sticker

   Blank 2

   kitchen

   Blank 3

   tea station

   Blank 4

   soup

   Gap 1: The answer is name sticker because Mr. Khan gave Leila “a blue name sticker.” Gap 2: The answer is kitchen because Mr. Khan “showed her the kitchen.” Gap 3: The answer is tea station because she “checked the tea station” before visitors came in. Gap 4: The answer is soup because Leila “served soup and bread.”

   The volunteer coordinator, Mr. Khan, gave her a blue name sticker and showed her the kitchen.

   Then she checked the tea station and filled the cups before visitors came in.

   so Leila served soup and bread and listened to their stories.

   paper bag: Incorrect: a paper bag is not mentioned.

   red badge: Incorrect: the passage says name sticker, not badge.

   bus ticket: Incorrect: the passage does not mention a bus ticket.

   name sticker: Correct: the passage says she received a blue name sticker.

   garden: Incorrect: the hall has a kitchen, not a garden here.

   office: Incorrect: the passage does not mention an office.

   hall: Incorrect: she arrived at the hall, but he showed her the kitchen.

   kitchen: Correct: Mr. Khan showed her the kitchen.

   coat rack: Incorrect: a coat rack is not the place she checked.

   tea station: Correct: she checked the tea station before visitors came in.

   water bottle: Incorrect: she carried a bottle, but did not check it.

   front room: Incorrect: the front room appears later in the passage.

   tea: Incorrect: the passage says soup, not tea, for breakfast.

   clothes: Incorrect: clothes were sorted, not served.

   water: Incorrect: water is mentioned earlier, not as the food served.

   soup: Correct: she served soup and bread.

2. Question 2 · Cloze (dropdown)

   Choose the correct option for each blank.

   Complete the summary. Choose ONE option for each gap. Later, Leila wiped the tables in the front room. The work was 1___, but the team was kind and 2___ each other. Before she left, Mr. Khan thanked her. Leila went home tired but 3___, and she planned to come back 4___.

   Return to the passage, recording or visual

   Choices for blank 1

   1. late
   2. quiet
   3. easy
   4. busy

   Choices for blank 2

   1. ignored
   2. helped
   3. watched
   4. followed

   Choices for blank 3

   1. sleepy
   2. proud
   3. angry
   4. worried

   Choices for blank 4

   1. one day
   2. the next day
   3. next Saturday
   4. after lunch
   Check answers and explanations

   Blank 1

   busy

   Blank 2

   helped

   Blank 3

   proud

   Blank 4

   next Saturday

   Gap 1: The answer is busy because “The work was busy.” Gap 2: The answer is helped because the team “helped each other.” Gap 3: The answer is proud because “she felt proud” when she walked home. Gap 4: The answer is next Saturday because she “planned to come back next Saturday.”

   The work was busy, but the team spoke kindly and helped each other.

   Leila walked home tired, but she felt proud.

   she planned to come back next Saturday.

   late: Incorrect: late does not describe the work in the passage.

   quiet: Incorrect: the passage says busy, not quiet.

   easy: Incorrect: the passage says the work was busy, not easy.

   busy: Correct: the passage says the work was busy.

   ignored: Incorrect: the team did not ignore each other.

   helped: Correct: the team helped each other.

   watched: Incorrect: they did more than watch.

   followed: Incorrect: followed does not fit the meaning here.

   sleepy: Incorrect: she was tired, but the feeling named is proud.

   proud: Correct: Leila felt proud when she went home.

   angry: Incorrect: there is no anger in the passage.

   worried: Incorrect: the passage says proud, not worried.

   one day: Incorrect: the passage gives a specific time, next Saturday.

   the next day: Incorrect: the passage says next Saturday.

   next Saturday: Correct: she planned to come back next Saturday.

   after lunch: Incorrect: the return time was not after lunch.

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.