Local Services and the People They Help
About this practice test
Read an informative article about Brookfield’s local services and the residents who use them, including health advice, food support, library help, repairs, youth activities, and employment guidance.
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:
2 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
- B1. 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
- Matching
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.
Local Services and the People They Help
Paragraph 1On Monday mornings, the small town of Brookfield feels busy. At the community centre, several local services work side by side, so different people can get help in one place. A nurse visits twice a week to check blood pressure and give advice to older residents. Next door, the food bank gives basic groceries to families who are short of money. The town library also works as a help desk: volunteers show newcomers how to use the internet and fill in online forms. At the back of the building, a repair café fixes broken kettles, lamps and bicycles, which helps people save money and throw away less.
Paragraph 2Not all of the services are for the same people. Teenagers often go to the youth club after school because it offers a quiet place to do homework and meet friends. Parents with young children use the library’s story hour and the playground outside. The council office on the main road helps residents with bus passes and housing questions. Once a month, a careers adviser visits the community centre to talk to people looking for work.
Paragraph 3The workers say the biggest advantage is that people can solve small problems before they become large ones. Mrs. Khan, who runs the food bank, says many visitors are not looking for charity forever; they just need support for a few weeks. Ben, the library volunteer, likes helping someone who arrives nervous and leaves confident. Local services are simple, but for many families they make daily life easier and less stressful.
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Question 1 · Matching
Match each item to the correct choice.
Match each local service with what it does. Choose the correct letter, A-F.
Return to the passage, recording or visualAnswer choices
- youth club
- library help desk
- council office
- community nurse
- repair café
- food bank
Items
- gives basic groceries to families who are short of money
- checks blood pressure and gives advice to older residents
- helps people use the internet and fill in online forms
- fixes broken kettles, lamps and bicycles
- helps residents with bus passes and housing questions
Check answers and explanations
- 1. gives basic groceries to families who are short of money
- food bank
- 2. checks blood pressure and gives advice to older residents
- community nurse
- 3. helps people use the internet and fill in online forms
- library help desk
- 4. fixes broken kettles, lamps and bicycles
- repair café
- 5. helps residents with bus passes and housing questions
- council office
Match 1: The food bank gives basic groceries to families who are short of money. Match 2: The community nurse checks blood pressure and gives advice to older residents. Match 3: The library help desk shows newcomers how to use the internet and fill in online forms. Match 4: The repair café fixes broken kettles, lamps, and bicycles. Match 5: The council office helps residents with bus passes and housing questions.
A nurse visits twice a week to check blood pressure and give advice to older residents
Next door, the food bank gives basic groceries to families who are short of money
The town library also works as a help desk: volunteers show newcomers how to use the internet and fill in online forms
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Question 2 · Matching
Match each item to the correct choice.
Match each group of people with the service or place they are linked to. Choose the correct letter, A-F.
Return to the passage, recording or visualAnswer choices
- teenagers
- families who are short of money
- older residents
- people looking for work
- newcomers
- parents with young children
Items
- often go to the youth club after school
- are helped by the food bank
- are shown how to use the internet and fill in online forms
- use the library’s story hour and the playground outside
- talk to the careers adviser when they need help finding work
Check answers and explanations
- 1. often go to the youth club after school
- teenagers
- 2. are helped by the food bank
- families who are short of money
- 3. are shown how to use the internet and fill in online forms
- newcomers
- 4. use the library’s story hour and the playground outside
- parents with young children
- 5. talk to the careers adviser when they need help finding work
- people looking for work
Match 1: Teenagers often go to the youth club after school to do homework and meet friends. Match 2: Families who are short of money receive basic groceries from the food bank. Match 3: Newcomers are shown how to use the internet and fill in online forms at the library help desk. Match 4: Parents with young children use the library’s story hour and the playground. Match 5: People looking for work talk to the careers adviser at the community centre.
Teenagers often go to the youth club after school because it offers a quiet place to do homework and meet friends
Parents with young children use the library’s story hour and the playground outside
Once a month, a careers adviser visits the community centre to talk to people looking for work
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.