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The missed bus

Read a text, answer ten questions and learn how the evidence supports each answer.

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6reading tests
60scored questions
10–15min per text
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01On Monday, Sara left home early for her first day at a new evening course. She had checked the bus times the night before and planned to arrive twenty minutes before the lesson. At the bus stop, however, a notice said that road repairs had moved the stop to the next street. By the time she reached it, her bus was leaving.

02Sara’s first thought was to walk home. She did not want to enter a classroom late when she knew nobody. Then she looked at the course email again. It included a phone number for anyone who had difficulty finding the building. She called and explained what had happened. The receptionist told her that the teacher would spend the first fifteen minutes showing students around.

03The next bus arrived ten minutes later. During the journey, Sara wrote down two questions she wanted to ask about the course. This helped her stop worrying about the delay. When she reached the building, the class was still in the entrance area. She joined the group before the tour finished.

04After the lesson, Sara saved the new bus-stop location on her phone. She also realised that being prepared did not mean having a plan that could never change. It meant knowing where to find information and asking for help when something unexpected happened.

Skills to work on in this practice

Questions 1–5 build confidence; 6–10 check transfer and detail. Use Practice for feedback after each answer, or Test yourself to check at the end.

Practise, then understand your answers

10 questions · 10 XP per correct answer · explanations included

Answer every question to see your score.0 / 10 answered
Question 1

Why did Sara leave early?

  1. She wanted to arrive before the lesson.
  2. She wanted to avoid the lesson.
  3. She was meeting the bus driver.
Answer & explanation

She wanted to arrive before the lesson.. Paragraph 1 says she planned to arrive twenty minutes early.

Question 2

Why had the bus stop moved?

  1. The course had moved.
  2. The bus was broken.
  3. There were road repairs.
Answer & explanation

There were road repairs.. The notice in paragraph 1 gives road repairs as the reason.

Question 3

What happened when Sara reached the new stop?

  1. The receptionist was waiting.
  2. Her bus was leaving.
  3. The lesson was ending.
Answer & explanation

Her bus was leaving.. Paragraph 1 places the departing bus at the new stop.

Question 4

Why did she consider going home?

  1. She felt uncomfortable about arriving late among strangers.
  2. She had forgotten to pay.
  3. She disliked all evening courses.
Answer & explanation

She felt uncomfortable about arriving late among strangers.. Paragraph 2 says she knew nobody and did not want to enter late.

Question 5

Where did she find a useful phone number?

  1. On a classroom wall.
  2. On her bus ticket.
  3. In the course email.
Answer & explanation

In the course email.. Paragraph 2 identifies the course email.

Question 6

What would happen during the first fifteen minutes?

  1. An interview with Sara.
  2. A tour for students.
  3. A written examination.
Answer & explanation

A tour for students.. The receptionist says the teacher would show students around.

Question 7

How did Sara use the next bus journey?

  1. She prepared two questions.
  2. She wrote a complaint to the driver.
  3. She cancelled her place.
Answer & explanation

She prepared two questions.. Paragraph 3 says writing two questions helped reduce her worry.

Question 8

Did she miss the entire tour?

  1. Yes, it had finished an hour earlier.
  2. The text says there was no tour.
  3. No, she joined before it finished.
Answer & explanation

No, she joined before it finished.. Paragraph 3 explicitly says she joined before the tour finished.

Question 9

What does unexpected mean here?

  1. Impossible to change.
  2. Not predicted.
  3. Carefully arranged.
Answer & explanation

Not predicted.. The relocated stop was not part of Sara’s original plan.

Question 10

Which lesson best matches the ending?

  1. Preparation includes adapting and asking for help.
  2. Every delay means a plan has failed completely.
  3. It is always better to go home.
Answer & explanation

Preparation includes adapting and asking for help.. Paragraph 4 values information and help when plans change.

Make the reading stick

Summarise the passage in two sentences. Include the main change or argument, then explain one detail that supports it. Revisit the numbered paragraphs if an answer surprised you.

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KEEP YOUR PRACTICE GOING

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Go deeper: five reading challenges · 15–20 minutes

Use these after the quiz to practise explaining, not just choosing an answer. Write in your own notes; these tasks are self-reviewed.

  1. Summarise the main change or argument in three sentences. Compare your summary with the opening and ending.
  2. Choose two details that support the main idea. Note the paragraph for each and explain the connection.
  3. Choose an unfamiliar word. Infer its meaning from context, then use it in a new sentence.
  4. Revisit one wrong option from the quiz. Explain why the passage does not support it, using a specific detail.
  5. Write 60–80 words applying or responding to one idea from the passage. Separate what the text says from your own opinion.

Self-check: Is each claim supported by the passage? Have you explained the connection rather than copied a sentence? Have you kept your own view separate from the writer’s?

A CLEAR WAY FORWARD

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Read this passage, answer ten questions and check the evidence behind every answer.

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