Arrangements for a Family Celebration
About this practice test
Read about a family preparing a small birthday celebration, including jobs, food, timing, music, and what Maya thinks matters most.
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.
What to expect:
8 questions with explanations to review after submission.
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
- Fill in the blank (text)
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.
Arrangements for a Family Celebration
On Saturday, Maya's family is planning a small celebration for her grandfather's seventieth birthday. In the morning, Maya and her brother Leo will clean the garden table and put up blue paper lanterns. Their mother will buy a chocolate cake from the bakery near the station, because Grandpa likes simple cakes with fresh fruit. Their aunt will bring juice, tea, and paper plates, while Maya's father will call the cousins and tell them to arrive by four o'clock. Maya will also water the flowers by the gate and place a few chairs in the shade. She likes how everyone has a small job. After lunch, the family will set the food on long tables in the yard. They will play quiet music first, then sing a song after the cake comes out. Maya thinks the best part will be seeing everyone together, because the celebration is not about expensive gifts. It is about sharing time, smiling, and making Grandpa feel special. She has already written a short card, and the children will help keep the yard tidy before the guests arrive. Grandpa will sit near the window and wave when the cousins come in.
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Question 1 · Fill in the blank (text)
Complete each blank with the missing word or phrase.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. Maya's family is planning a small celebration for her grandfather's ___.
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- seventieth birthday / birthday
The passage says the family is planning the celebration for her grandfather's 'seventieth birthday'. The shorter extract 'birthday' is also acceptable because it comes directly from the text and fits the sentence.
a small celebration for her grandfather's seventieth birthday
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Question 2 · Fill in the blank (text)
Complete each blank with the missing word or phrase.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. In the morning, Maya and her brother Leo will put up ___.
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- blue paper lanterns / paper lanterns
The passage says they will 'put up blue paper lanterns'. The shorter extract 'paper lanterns' is also acceptable because it is a clear phrase from the text that fits the sentence.
put up blue paper lanterns
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Question 3 · Fill in the blank (text)
Complete each blank with the missing word or phrase.
Write NO MORE THAN FOUR WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. Their mother will buy a chocolate cake from the ___.
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- bakery / bakery near the station
The passage says the cake comes from 'the bakery near the station'. The shorter answer 'bakery' is also acceptable, so both source-based phrases are allowed.
buy a chocolate cake from the bakery near the station
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Question 4 · Fill in the blank (text)
Complete each blank with the missing word or phrase.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. Grandpa likes simple cakes with ___.
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- fresh fruit
The passage says Grandpa likes simple cakes with “fresh fruit”, so this phrase completes the sentence with the required detail.
Grandpa likes simple cakes with fresh fruit
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Question 5 · Fill in the blank (text)
Complete each blank with the missing word or phrase.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. Maya's father will tell the cousins to arrive by ___.
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- four o'clock / four / 4
The passage says the cousins should 'arrive by four o'clock'. The shorter answer 'four' is also acceptable because it is a direct extract that completes the sentence.
tell them to arrive by four o'clock
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Question 6 · Fill in the blank (text)
Complete each blank with the missing word or phrase.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. After lunch, the family will set the food on ___ in the yard.
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- long tables
The passage says the family will set the food on “long tables” in the yard.
set the food on long tables in the yard
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Question 7 · Fill in the blank (text)
Complete each blank with the missing word or phrase.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. They will play ___ first.
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- quiet music
The passage says they will play “quiet music first”.
They will play quiet music first
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Question 8 · Fill in the blank (text)
Complete each blank with the missing word or phrase.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER from the passage. Maya thinks the best part will be seeing everyone together, because the celebration is not about ___.
Return to the passage, recording or visualCheck answers and explanations
- Blank 1
- expensive gifts
The passage explains that the celebration is not about “expensive gifts”; it is about sharing time and making Grandpa feel special.
the celebration is not about expensive gifts
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.