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English practice, Year 1–11

Short questions and lessons for english across the UK curriculum, with explanations for every answer. Free, with an optional game mode.

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What does “bright” mean in this passage?
At school, Ava had a new book. The cover was bright blue. She could not read one long word. She asked her teacher, then tried it again.

Options: loudly celebrating · strong and easy to see · completely impossible · a kind of building

Answer: strong and easy to see

Here, “bright” means strong and easy to see.

Which word makes sense: The ___ snail moved slowly.

Options: shouted · under · tiny

Answer: tiny

Tiny can describe the size of a snail.

What does “ancient” mean in this passage?
At the museum, Aisha read the label twice. The object she had mistaken for a bowl was an ancient lamp. She compared its shape with a modern torch in the next case. Both solved the same problem in very different ways.

Options: loudly celebrating · a kind of building · completely impossible · from a very long time ago

Answer: from a very long time ago

Here, “ancient” means from a very long time ago.

Which word introduces the subordinate clause: We stayed inside because it rained?

Options: inside · we · because

Answer: because

Because introduces a clause giving the reason for staying inside.

Which quotation best supports this interpretation? She chooses a training goal over immediate competition.
At the pool, Priya let the fastest swimmer pass. The old urge to chase him flickered, then faded. Her coach had asked for an even pace, not a single frantic length. She counted her strokes and kept moving.

Options: The narrator says nothing at all. · At the pool, Priya let the fastest swimmer pass. · Her coach had asked for an even pace, not a single frantic length.

Answer: Her coach had asked for an even pace, not a single frantic length.

“Her coach had asked for an even pace, not a single frantic length.” gives direct support for the interpretation.

Which evidence most directly supports a claim that visits increased?

Options: Visitor records show a rise from 200 to 300 per week. · The sign is blue. · One visitor likes the carpet.

Answer: Visitor records show a rise from 200 to 300 per week.

Comparable visitor counts directly measure the claimed increase.

What does “account” mean in this passage?
At the ferry terminal, Adam read the departure notice for a third time. The text reduced the cancelled route to a line in a cost-saving plan. Around him, travellers discussed jobs, grandparents and weekly appointments. The figures might be correct, he thought, while the account remained incomplete.

Options: loudly celebrating · a kind of building · a description or explanation · completely impossible

Answer: a description or explanation

Here, “account” means a description or explanation.

A speaker asks Who would not want safer streets? What is the likely purpose?

Options: To invite agreement through a rhetorical question · To collect exact street measurements · To give a balanced list of every objection

Answer: To invite agreement through a rhetorical question

The phrasing encourages an expected answer and alignment with the speaker.

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