EFSET Sample Reading Passage #2 (intermediate)

Read the passages and the sentences. For each sentence, decide if it is supported by:

• Passage A

• Passage B

• Both Passage A and Passage B

• Neither Passage

Passage A

The writer Roald Dahl was born in 1916, in Wales to Norwegian parents. When he was growing up, he used to love to listen to his mother’s stories from her home country. As a young man, he served in the British Royal Air Force during World War II. He became an expert pilot but suffered terrible injuries in a crash. However, he managed to make a full recovery and, amazingly, return to the skies. After the war, Dahl became famous by writing books for both children and adults; he became one of the world's best-selling and most influential authors. His short stories are known for their unexpected endings, and his children's books for their unsentimental, often very dark humor. Many of his stories have also been made into films, although with varying degrees of success. By the time of his death, in 1990, his talent had brought him international recognition and great wealth.

Passage B

One of my favorite authors has always been Roald Dahl, who was born in Wales almost 100 years ago. When I was a child I loved his stories for many reasons, though mainly because they could be quite frightening while also making me laugh. I think he must have enjoyed scaring children! In fact, he wrote lots of terrifying stories for adults too. As an author myself, it is always interesting to see where great writers find some of their inspiration. According to Dahl, his Norwegian mother had an amazing memory and was a great story-teller; although Dahl himself was born and brought up in the UK, he loved nothing better than listening to his mother’s stories from her homeland. Apparently, she inspired the character of the grandmother in his famous book, The Witches, which was also adapted into a successful movie. Although he died over 20 years ago, his distinctive style is still imitated in children’s literature written today.

1. The author thinks that Roald Dahl was a brave man.

1. Passage A
2. Passage B
3. Both Passages
4. Neither Passage

2. The author states that Roald Dahl’s work is funny.

1. Passage A
2. Passage B
3. Both Passages
4. Neither Passage

3. The author states that Roald Dahl used stories from Norway in his books for children.

1. Passage A
2. Passage B
3. Both Passages
4. Neither Passage

4. The author thinks Roald Dahl’s books are better than their movie adaptations.

1. Passage A
2. Passage B
3. Both Passages
4. Neither Passage

5. The author focuses on Roald Dahl’s life.

1. Passage A
2. Passage B
3. Both Passages
4. Neither Passage

6. The author focuses on Roald Dahl’s writing.

1. Passage A
2. Passage B
3. Both Passages
4. Neither Passage

Answers:

1=A

2=C

3=D

4=A

5=A

6=B