COMPRE-HENSION
* very easy (basic)
** medium (intermediate)
*** difficult (advanced)
Textreading and understanding tasks
Test your understanding skills with reading comprehension exercises! You must read a text and answer different comprehension questions about what you have read.
Reading comprehensions are often part of tests and school exams. By practicing this kind of task on YourEnglishPage.com, you will get faster and more confident, so that you'll master your next reading test without any difficulty!
You can try exercises on different levels of difficulty, and there are different test formats to choose from. There are also some links to other sites with reading comprehensions.
Please choose from the following test formats:
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- true or false (standardized format)
- multiple choice (standardized format)
- multiple matching (standardized format)
- open cloze/ gapfill/ taking notes (standardized format)
- open questions & summary writing
- read-and-write tasks (impulse writing)
- links to other reading exercises
"True or False"
In these exercises, you must read a text and then decide whether statements about the text are true or false.
This format is used in FCE exams as well as in the new standardized final exam in Austrian high schools (österreichische Zentralmatura/Standardisierte Reifeprüfung SRP).
Link-tip!
Get prepared for your English-Matura (Austrian final exam)! Practice with real reading and listening tasks that many Austrian teachers actually use in their school exams! Check out this link:
Uni Innsbruck - Standardisierte Reifeprüfung
Eight-Year-Old Boy Rescued by Crocodile *
Report about a young boy who had a dangerous experience on his holiday in Florida.
Disasters ***
Short text about Hurricane Rita that has hit the coast off Florida. True-or-false, vocabulary and impulse writing tasks.
Report about the aftermath of a huge storm that has hit the west of the US. True-or-false and impulse writing tasks.
Worksheet with various texts on the American Dream. True-or-false and impulse writing tasks.
"Multiple Choice"
For these tasks, you have to read a text and then match certain statements to find correct answers according to the text.
This format is used in FCE exams as well as in the new standardized final exam in Austrian high schools (österreichische Zentralmatura/Standardisierte Reifeprüfung SRP).
Link-tip!
Get prepared for your English-Matura (Austrian final exam)! Practice with real reading and listening tasks that many Austrian teachers actually use in their school exams! Check out this link:
Uni Innsbruck - Standardisierte Reifeprüfung
Investment ***
Read three different definitions of the term "investment", then do the multiple-choice task.
The Obama Effect ***
Text about President Barack Obama. With answer key.
"Multiple Matching"
There are several formats of multiple matching exercises. Usually, you are asked to find the correct headings or statements that best describe certain paragraphs of a text. In some cases, you might also have to match certain statements to certain persons or groups of persons, according to the text.
This format is used in FCE exams as well as in the new standardized final exam in Austrian high schools (österreichische Zentralmatura/Standardisierte Reifeprüfung SRP).
Link-tip!
Get prepared for your English-Matura (Austrian final exam)! Practice with real reading and listening tasks that many Austrian teachers actually use in their school exams! Check out this link:
Uni Innsbruck - Standardisierte Reifeprüfung
Beauty and Body Image in the Media ***
Article about the influence of the media on body image. In this task you have to fill in the correct paragraphs in a gapped text. With answer key and German translation.
Daydreaming ***
Article about the positive aspects of daydreaming. In this task you have to fill in the correct paragraphs in a gapped text. With answer key and German translation.
Text about music festivals in Britain. Find the correct headlines for each paragraph. With answer key.
Soap Operas **
Text about the popularity of soap operas in Britain. Find the correct headlines for each paragraph. With answer key.
Article about the progress of stem cell research. In this task you have to fill in the correct paragraphs in a gapped text. With answer key.
"Open Cloze"
Open cloze tasks often ask you to rephrase a part of a text in order to summarize a statement. Usually, you must use 2 - 5 words for your answer.
This format is used in FCE exams as well as in the new standardized final exam in Austrian high schools (österreichische Zentralmatura/Standardisierte Reifeprüfung SRP).
Link-tip!
Get prepared for your English-Matura (Austrian final exam)! Practice with real reading and listening tasks that many Austrian teachers actually use in their school exams! Check out this link:
Uni Innsbruck - Standardisierte Reifeprüfung
Presently, there are no tasks available in this format.
"Open Questions & Summary Writing"
Open question on a text test your general text understanding as well as your writing skills. Normally, you are asked to write a short paragraph to answer certain questions on a text. In some cases, you also have to answer all questions in one text, in order to give a summary of the main ideas. There may also be questions beyond the text.
A Forgotten Part of Los Angeles History ***
Newspaper article about an abandoned tunnel which once was part of Los Angeles' first subway system. Summary writing and impulse writing tasks.
Newspaper report about an alligator which is living in Los Angeles' sewer system. Summary writing and impulse writing tasks.
Boy Shot to Death After School **
Newspaper report about a shooting near a Los Angeles school in which an innocent boy was killed. Summary writing and impulse writing tasks.
Complaints ***
Text by a holiday maker complaining about a hotel. Summary writing, prompt writing, vocabulary and grammar tasks.
Disasters ***
Short text about Hurricane Rita that has hit the coast off Florida. True-or-false, vocabulary and impulse writing tasks.
Game Over on Global Warming ***
Article about ways to stop global warming. Open questions on the text.
Holidays With Your Parents ***
Read the four statements by teenagers about their holidays. Then answer open questions on the text and write your own statement.
Article abou the traffic situation in Los Angeles and vocabulary task.
Read four short texts about Los Angeles, then do vocabulary, open question and impulse writing tasks.
Report about two Spanish children who have been treated for mobile phone addiction. Open questions and impulse writing.
Report about plans to allow oil companies to drill for oil off the coasts of the US. Vocabulary and impulse writing tasks.
New York and Film Production ***
Text about the city's comeback as a film producing city. Summary task.
Text about the high prices for parking in L.A. Summary task and open questions.
Report about the decision to ban the purchase of SAT-questions to prevent American students from cheating at their final exams. Summary and impulse writing tasks.
Simpsons Wedding ***
Newspaper report about two Simpsons fans who got married dressed up as Homer and Marge. Summary and impulse writing tasks.
Report about the aftermath of a huge storm that has hit the west of the US. True-or-false and impulse writing tasks.
Worksheet with various texts on the American Dream. True-or-false and impulse writing tasks.
Report about how illigal immigrants cross the Mexican-American border through water tunnels. Summary and impulse writing tasks.
Worksheet about the relationship between women and men. Open questions.
Note: The reading comprehension task sheets available on this site have all been created by Bernie Zöttl, mostly based on texts taken and/or adapted from various authentic sources of written English. The original source is usually indicated on the task sheets. If you are the owner of one of the original sources and would like a task sheet removed, please contact me. All translations by Bernie Zöttl for educational purposes.
Writing and Reading exercises and tasks to improve your English!
On the englishpage you will be able to practise your reading and writing skills in many different writing and reading tasks, exercises and comprehensions. Read interesting English texts, write summaries, book reviews, articles, opinion essays, argumentative essays, formal letters and informal letters as well as letters to the editor and many other texts. Textwriting and textunderstanding are vital skills in English as a Foreign Language! EFL learners - improve your English! Extend your vocabulary!