L1 Reading and understanding quiz Level A Read the text below ‘The Bull in the Well’ by Salma Aroof. Then have a go at answering the following questions. The Bull in the Well by Salma Aroof The last time I went back to visit my village in Pakistan something dramatic happened, which affected the whole village. I was walking in my fields looking at the fruit trees and I heard some people shouting. Then we all went to see what had happened. There was a big commotion in the field because a beautiful, precious cow had fallen into the well. At that time everyone was worried about what to do and what would happen to the poor cow and everyone was giving their own advice. Several of the men tried their best three times to pull that cow out of the well using strong ropes and a tractor but three times that big heavy animal fell back into the well. There were a few men helping and waiting by the well who were very distressed because the animal was, in fact, a bull that one of the men had borrowed from another farmer. He knew that if he could not save this animal then it would be impossible for him to repay the cost of the bull to its owner because he was just an ordinary farmer with no other source of income or savings. After trying to work out how to save this poor, valuable animal, the villagers came up with an idea. They slaughtered the animal as it lay in the well and then they cut it up and sold the meat to everyone in the village. Obviously they paid the money to the man who had borrowed the bull in the first place so that he could repay its owner. This event showed me how good it is when people unite to help each other. On his own, that man would have been ruined, but with the help of his fellow villagers he was saved from ruin. (from NRDC Voices on The Page) © BBC 2011 L1 Reading and understanding quiz 1. Salma writes about her village in Pakistan. What does she mean by “my village”? A) She lives there now, but didn’t live there in the past. B) She lives there now and has always lived there. C) She used to live there but doesn’t live there now. 2. What was the order of events? A) She went walking in the fields. People started shouting. The animal fell in the well. B) She went walking in the fields. The animal fell in the well. People started shouting. C) The animal fell in the well. People started shouting. She went walking in the fields 3. What is the meaning of the word commotion in this text? A) a group of angry people B) a lot of loud noise C) a meeting place 4. The men were trying to get the animal out of the well. What did they use? A) They used strong ropes B) They used a tractor. C) They used strong ropes and a tractor. 5. Why were the men so upset about the animal in the well? A) Because it had been borrowed from another farmer B) Because it was a big heavy animal C) Because he had just bought the animal from another farmer 6. The animal was A) a cow B) a bull C) we can’t tell © BBC 2011 L1 Reading and understanding quiz 7. Which two words used to describe the animal show how much it was worth? A) beautiful and precious B) poor and valuable C) valuable and precious 8. The farmer who had borrowed the bull was able to pay back its owner A) True B) False C) we can’t tell 9. What does Salma think about what happened? A) She thinks the farmer should have looked after the bull better. B) She thinks it was a sad situation for the villagers. C) She is impressed at how well the villagers helped each other. 10. Which of these proverbs could be used as the moral of this story? A) Unity is strength B) Many hands make light work. C) Too many cooks spoil the broth © BBC 2011 L1 Reading and understanding quiz Level B Read the text below ‘Life as a stutterer is hard’ by Shamim Akhtar. Then have a go at answering the following questions. Life as a stutterer is hard By Shamim Akhtar Life as a stutterer is very hard. Stuttering is not widely understood or discussed. Its enormous effect on an individual is definitely not seen by people. Stuttering came to public eyes mainly due “pop idol” Gareth Gates. There is no cure for stuttering and one percent of the population stutters. It affects mainly men. I find it hard to talk to people that I don’t know and would get very anxious and try to avoid speaking to a group of people. I am especially nervous when I am speaking to an attractive woman as I feel I have to make a good impression and feel that I must speak in a fluent way otherwise she would have negative feelings. But because I can’t be fluent I try to avoid the embarrassment and not talk them. So I miss out on making friends and relationships. Job interviews are a nightmare. So is answering telephone calls. I’ve had people hanging up on the other end of the phone because I couldn’t get words out in time! I’ve had several job interviews and in each of them I stuttered but some interview panel members are helpful, while others seemed taken aback by my stuttering and looked embarrassed. I know I can’t compete with fluent speakers. All these greatly affect my self esteem and my outlook on life recently became a bit depressed. I feel I am socially excluded from society and that I am unable to secure a decent job, unable to make relationships and basically very frustrated at not being able say what I wanted to say or when I wanted to say it. As a result I have unwillingly become a very quiet person who does not talk to people and avoids speaking in meetings or in group discussions. As a consequence I am perceived by people around me as shy, quiet or even unfriendly - none of it is true! In fact I love talking to people but because of the sheer embarrassment of my stutter I mostly keep my mouth shut! I even left a course as I had to give a 30 minutes oral presentation. Close friends suggest that I need to overcome my embarrassment to be myself when talking to people including women, so that people can see my stutter and decide to be friends. Also they suggest that I tell people that I stutter so that they are ready for my blocks and don’t feel taken back. I will have to make the effort to speak to people and take part in society. (adapted from the BBC website) © BBC 2011 L1 Reading and understanding quiz 1. The purpose of this text is ... A) descriptive B) explanatory C) persuasive 2. Why is life hard for a stutterer? A) because people don’t understand the problems a stutterer faces B) because people do not like Gareth Gates C) because it affects mostly men 3. Shamim gives three situations where it is hard for him to talk, which one doesn’t he mention? A) talking to people he hasn’t met before B) talking to attractive women C) talking to children and young people 4. Why does Shamim find phone calls difficult? A) because he is applying for a job B) because people shout down the line at him C) because people hang up on him while he is trying to talk 5. At job interviews ... A) panel members are unhelpful B) panel members are helpful C) some panel members are helpful and some are not 6. What could be a good sub-heading for the fourth paragraph? A) Why I am a quiet person B) Social exclusion C) The difficulty of getting a job 7. Shamim gives an example of why people think he is shy, quiet and unfriendly. What example does he give? A) he left a course rather than give a presentation B) he avoids speaking in groups C) he doesn’t like speaking on the phone © BBC 2011 L1 Reading and understanding quiz 8. Shamim’s friends have given him some advice. How could you sum up this advice? A) decide to be friends with people and they will decide to be friends with you B) be open about your stutter- don’t try to hide it C) speak to more people – especially women 9. In explanatory texts writers give reasons by using certain words. What words does Shamim use to give his reasons? A) when & in fact B) so & but C) as & because 10. Most of the verbs in this text are written in a tense typical of explanatory texts. What tense is this? A) past tense B) present tense C) future tense © BBC 2011 L1 Reading and understanding quiz Level C Read the text below ‘Your baby’s emotional well-being’ taken from the BBC website. Then have a go at answering the following questions. Your baby’s emotional well-being Starting from birth, your baby has the potential to form secure attachments, and attachment theory has evolved over the past 50 years or so to explain how infants’ social and emotional needs should be met, in order to ensure normal development.