English Base

Test 018

Reading Practice: Tomatoes on the Balcony

Reading Text

Three pots stand on our small balcony. My sister Nina and I grow tomatoes in them. Every morning we give the plants water from a blue can. The pots are heavy, so we move them on Saturday.

In May the plants are tall and thin. We tie every stem to a wooden stick with soft string. The leaves smell strong. When the sun is hot, we open the window. The wind can touch them, and they stay cool.

One morning in July a tomato is red. It is small and warm in my hand. I wait for Nina, and we look at it together. At dinner we cut it into pieces and eat it with bread and salad. The salad is simple, but it tastes sweet.

Comprehension Test

Question 1. Where do the three pots stand?

✗ IncorrectThe text says "Three pots stand on our small balcony", so there is no garden in the story.

✓ CorrectThe first sentence is "Three pots stand on our small balcony."

✗ IncorrectThe pots are on the balcony, not on the roof. The text never mentions a roof.

✗ IncorrectThe plants grow outside on the balcony. The kitchen is not in the text.

Question 2. Who grows the tomatoes with the writer?

✓ CorrectThe text says "My sister Nina and I grow tomatoes in them."

✗ IncorrectThe helper is his sister Nina. His mother is not named in the text.

✗ IncorrectOnly the writer and Nina take care of the plants. A teacher is not in the story.

✗ IncorrectTom does not appear in the text. The second person is Nina.

Question 3. When do they water the plants?

✗ IncorrectOn Saturday they move the heavy pots. They give water every morning.

✗ IncorrectThe text says "Every morning we give the plants water", not in the evening.

✓ CorrectThe text says "Every morning we give the plants water from a blue can."

✗ IncorrectWatering happens every day, in the morning. The text gives no "twice a month".

Question 4. Why do they move the pots only on Saturday?

✗ IncorrectThe text says "The pots are heavy", not dirty. Weight is the reason.

✓ CorrectThe text says "The pots are heavy, so we move them on Saturday."

✗ IncorrectThe balcony is small, but that is not the reason for moving the pots. The reason is their weight.

✗ IncorrectNina does not ask for this in the text. The heavy pots are the reason.

Question 5. What do they use to tie the stems?

✗ IncorrectThe text says "with soft string", not a long green rope.

✗ IncorrectThere is no paper band in the text. Soft string holds the stems.

✗ IncorrectWire is not mentioned. The text says they use soft string.

✓ CorrectThe text says "We tie every stem to a wooden stick with soft string."

Question 6. Why do they open the window?

✗ IncorrectThe text does not talk about the street. They open the window when the sun is hot.

✗ IncorrectWater comes from a blue can in the morning. The window is for the wind.

✓ CorrectThe text says "we open the window. The wind can touch them, and they stay cool."

✗ IncorrectBirds are not in the text. The open window is for the wind.

Question 7. What happens one morning in July?

✓ CorrectThe text says "One morning in July a tomato is red."

✗ IncorrectThe plants stay on their sticks. The news is a red tomato.

✗ IncorrectThe text has three pots from the start. Nobody brings new ones.

✗ IncorrectClosing the window is not in the text. The change in July is the red tomato.

Question 8. What do they do with the red tomato at dinner?

✗ IncorrectThe pot is for the plant. At dinner they cut the tomato into pieces.

✗ IncorrectNina looks at the tomato with the writer, but they eat it together.

✗ IncorrectThey eat the tomato at dinner, on the same day. Nothing is kept for Saturday.

✓ CorrectThe text says "At dinner we cut it into pieces and eat it with bread and salad."

Question 9. What do they eat with the tomato?

✗ IncorrectThe text names bread and salad. Rice and fish are not in the story.

✓ CorrectThe text says "we cut it into pieces and eat it with bread and salad."

✗ IncorrectEggs and cheese do not appear in the text. The dinner has bread and salad.

✗ IncorrectThe text says bread and salad, so soup and meat are wrong.

Question 10. How does the salad taste?

✗ IncorrectSalt is not mentioned. The last sentence says the salad "tastes sweet".

✗ IncorrectThe text does not talk about the temperature of the salad. It tastes sweet.

✓ CorrectThe text says "The salad is simple, but it tastes sweet."

✗ Incorrect"Bitter" is not in the text. The taste of the salad is sweet, not bitter.
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