One of the most effective ways to improve your understanding of written English is simply to practise, and these exercises let you do exactly that. Reading closely and answering questions builds your vocabulary, strengthens your grammar and speeds up your reading, so you become more fluent over time. Below are ten short reading comprehension exercises, each with a solution, a ranged from easier to harder and covering a range of topics.
English Reading Comprehension
Why practise reading comprehension
Working through comprehension exercises does more than test you. It expands your vocabulary and helps you read words in context; it sharpens your eye for more complex grammatical structures and for idiomatic expressions; and it builds reading speed, which makes everything else quicker to learn. Reading well also feeds your other skills, since comprehension underpins listening, speaking and writing alike, so time spent here pays off across the board.
How to use the answer keys
Each exercise comes with a solution so you can check yourself and learn from any mistakes, this is the real value of practising with answers. Try to resist looking until you have finished, since the point is to test your own understanding. For the open questions, your wording need not match ours exactly; what matters is that the meaning is the same.
Ten reading comprehension exercises
Exercise 1 (beginner)
Read the text and answer the questions.
Text: The weather in London is often unpredictable. It can be sunny one moment and rainy the next. However, Londoners are used to this and always carry an umbrella. Despite the weather, the city is full of life. People go about their daily business, whether it is raining or shining.
Questions: 1. What is the weather in London like? 2. What do Londoners do when it rains? 3. How do people react to the weather in the city?
Solutions: 1. It is unpredictable, changing from sunny to rainy quickly. 2. They carry an umbrella. 3. They go about their daily business, whatever the weather.
Exercise 2 (beginner)
Read the text and answer the question.
Text: Elephants are the largest land animals on Earth. They are known for their large ears, long trunks and tusks. Elephants are herbivores, which means they eat plants. They live in groups called herds and are very social animals.
Question: What are some characteristics of elephants?
Solution: Elephants are the largest land animals; they have large ears, long trunks and tusks, are herbivores, and live in social groups called herds.
Exercise 3 (beginner)
Complete the sentences with words from the text.
Text: Dogs are loyal animals and are known as man's best friend. They are often kept as pets and make great companions. Dogs come in many breeds, each with its own traits, and can be
small or large, with short or long fur.
Sentences: 1. Dogs are _______ animals. 2. They are often kept as _______. 3. Dogs can have _______ or _______ fur.
Solutions: 1. loyal. 2. pets. 3. short, long.
Exercise 4 (elementary)
Read the text and answer the questions.
Text: Mount Everest is the highest mountain in the world, standing at 8,848 metres above sea level. Many people attempt to climb it every year, but the journey is difficult and dangerous. Only experienced climbers can reach the summit, and they often face extreme weather conditions.
Questions: 1. How high is Mount Everest? 2. Who can reach the summit? 3. What conditions do climbers face?
Solutions: 1. It is 8,848 metres above sea level. 2. Only experienced climbers. 3. Extreme weather conditions.
Exercise 5 (elementary)
Read the text and answer the questions.
Text: The Eiffel Tower is one of the most famous landmarks in Paris. It was built in 1889 for the World's Fair and stands about 330 metres tall. Visitors can take a lift to the top for a spectacular view of the city. The tower is made of iron and is repainted every few years to protect it from rust.
Questions: 1. When was the Eiffel Tower built? 2. How tall is it? 3. How can visitors reach the top? 4. What is it made of?
Solutions: 1. In 1889. 2. About 330 metres tall. 3. By lift. 4. Iron.
Exercise 6 (intermediate)
Read the text and choose the correct answer.
Text: The Amazon Rainforest is home to countless species of plants and animals. It is often called the "lungs of the Earth" because of the huge amount of vegetation it holds. The rainforest spreads across around nine countries in South America and covers roughly 5.5 million square kilometres.
Questions: 1. What is the Amazon Rainforest often called? a) the largest desert; b) the lungs of the Earth; c) the driest place. 2. About how many countries does it cover? a) seven; b) nine; c)
eleven.
Solutions: 1. b) the lungs of the Earth. 2. b) nine.
Exercise 7 (intermediate)
Fill in the gaps with the correct words.
Text: Sharks are known as the ________ of the ocean. They have sharp teeth and are excellent hunters. While some sharks are harmless, others are dangerous and should be avoided. Sharks play an important role in keeping the ________ of marine life, by controlling the numbers of other species.
Solutions: 1. predators. 2. balance.
Exercise 8 (intermediate)
Read the text and decide whether the statements are true or false.
Text: The Great Wall of China is one of the most famous structures in the world. It was built over many centuries, beginning as early as the 7th century BC, to help protect China from invaders. Together its sections run for more than 13,000 miles, and it is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Statements: 1. The Great Wall is only a few centuries old. 2. It was built to help protect China from invaders. 3. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Solutions: 1. False. 2. True. 3. True.
Exercise 9 (advanced)
Read the text and answer the questions.
Text: In 1969, humans first landed on the Moon. Three astronauts made up the Apollo 11 mission, led by NASA, the American space agency: Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin walked on the surface, while Michael Collins piloted the command module in orbit. Armstrong was the first person to step onto the Moon, followed by Aldrin. The event was broadcast worldwide and
watched by millions.
Questions: 1. What was the mission called? 2. Who was the first person to step onto the Moon? 3. How many astronauts were on the mission, and what did each do?
Solutions: 1. Apollo 11. 2. Neil Armstrong. 3. Three: Armstrong and Aldrin walked on the Moon, and Collins stayed in the command module in orbit.
Exercise 10 (advanced)
Choose the correct word to complete the text.
Text: The giraffe is the ________ (taller / tallest) land animal in the world. It can grow up to 5.5 metres tall. Giraffes have long ________ (necks / legs) that help them reach the high branches of trees to eat leaves. They are found in ________ (Asia / Africa), where they roam the savannah.
Solutions: 1. tallest. 2. necks. 3. Africa.
Summary
The surest way to improve your English reading is to practise, and these ten exercises, from simple descriptions to short factual texts, let you test your understanding and check it against the answers. Read closely, answer before you look, and use any mistakes to learn. Work through a few regularly and you will read English faster and more confidently, all the more so on a course with SPRACHCAFFE, where you can put your reading to use every day.
Reference
British Council LearnEnglish: https://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org
BBC Learning English: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish
EnglishClub: https://www.englishclub.com
Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org
FAQ
They build vocabulary, strengthen grammar and speed up reading by making you read closely and answer questions, so understanding written English becomes faster and more fluent over time.
Read the whole text first for the general meaning, then read the questions, and finally reread the relevant parts closely to find the answers before checking the solutions.
Start at a level where you understand most of the text with a little effort. Working just above your comfort zone builds skill fastest without being discouraging.
A little each day works best. Regular short sessions build vocabulary and reading speed more effectively than occasional long ones.
A course abroad pairs reading with speaking, so understanding becomes active use.
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