I85PREP
⌘ K
ECL Test study materials
ECL Test study resources

ECL Test practice questions

One question at a time. Build your ECL Test understanding.

First 50 of 200 questions. Each one lists the choices, the correct answer, and an explanation. The checker at the top of this page saves progress in this browser when it is available.

Continue in the practice tool above to load more questions, 50 at a time.

Question 1Reading comprehension

Many desert plants survive by storing water in thick stems. The cactus, for example, swells after rain and then lives on the stored water for months. Its leaves have become spines, which lose almost no water. What is the passage mainly about?

  1. The colours of a cactus flower
  2. How desert plants survive Correct answer.
  3. The life cycle of desert animals
  4. Why deserts receive so little rain

Explanation

Every sentence supports one central point: the ways desert plants such as the cactus store water and limit water loss. A main-idea question asks for the point that covers the whole text, not a single detail.

Question 2Reading comprehension

The town library opens at nine in the morning and closes at six. On Saturdays it closes at one. Borrowers may keep books for three weeks. How long may borrowers keep books?

  1. Nine days
  2. Six weeks
  3. Three weeks Correct answer.
  4. One week

Explanation

The final sentence states the loan period directly: three weeks. Detail questions are answered by locating the exact words in the text rather than by calculating.

Question 3Reading comprehension

The bridge was closed because engineers found a crack in one of its main supports. Repairs will take about a month. In the passage, the word "crack" is closest in meaning to:

  1. A joke
  2. A narrow break Correct answer.
  3. A sudden movement
  4. A loud noise

Explanation

The words "engineers" and "repairs" show that a physical fault in a structure is meant, so "crack" means a narrow break in the material. Context clues decide which sense of a familiar word fits.

Question 4Reading comprehension

Maria borrowed her sister's bicycle for the race. It had a loose chain, so she tightened it before setting off. What does "it" refer to in "she tightened it"?

  1. The chain Correct answer.
  2. Her sister
  3. The race
  4. The bicycle bell

Explanation

A pronoun refers back to the nearest suitable noun; here that is "a loose chain", which is also the only thing in the sentence that can be tightened. "The race" and "her sister" cannot be tightened.

Question 5Reading comprehension

First, soften the butter. Then beat it with the sugar until pale. Next add the eggs one at a time, and finally fold in the flour. What should be done immediately after beating the butter with the sugar?

  1. Add the eggs Correct answer.
  2. Fold in the flour
  3. Soften the butter
  4. Heat the oven

Explanation

The text signals order with "First ... Then ... Next ... finally". The step marked "Next" follows the beating step, and that step is adding the eggs.

Question 6Reading comprehension

A blue backpack was found in the staff car park on Friday. The owner should collect it from the security office, room 12, and bring proof of ownership. Where should the owner go to collect the bag?

  1. The main reception
  2. Room 21
  3. The staff car park
  4. The security office Correct answer.

Explanation

The notice tells the owner to collect the bag from the security office, room 12. Scanning a short notice means matching the question word (where) to the location phrase.

Question 7Reading comprehension

When Ahmed arrived at the station, the platform was empty and the departure board showed only one word: cancelled. What can be understood about Ahmed's train?

  1. It was early
  2. It was full
  3. It was not running Correct answer.
  4. It had left without him

Explanation

An empty platform and a board reading "cancelled" together mean the service will not run. Inference questions ask you to combine clues rather than find a stated fact.

Question 8Reading comprehension

To reset your password, open the settings menu, choose "Security" and follow the instructions on the screen. Do not share your new password with anyone. What is the purpose of this text?

  1. To sell a product
  2. To give instructions Correct answer.
  3. To tell a story
  4. To complain about a system

Explanation

The text lists steps to follow and adds a warning about the password, which is the pattern of instructional writing. Purpose questions ask what the writer is trying to achieve overall.

Question 9Reading comprehension

For years the village relied on a single well. When it dried up last summer, the council drilled two new ones. Since then, water has been available all day, and the queues at dawn have disappeared. What is the main idea of the passage?

  1. Queues form because people rise early.
  2. The old well was the oldest in the region.
  3. The council should build more wells.
  4. New wells solved the village's water problem. Correct answer.

Explanation

The passage contrasts the failure of the single well with the effect of the two new wells: all-day water and no queues. That cause-and-result chain is the overall point, not a single detail.

Question 10Reading comprehension

The report was deliberately vague. It described "some difficulties" and "certain delays" without naming a single cause. In the passage, "vague" most nearly means:

  1. Not specific Correct answer.
  2. Rude in tone
  3. Completely false
  4. Too long

Explanation

The second sentence explains the word: no cause is named, so the report is not specific. A definition clue often follows the unfamiliar word and restates its meaning.

Question 11Reading comprehension

Sara glanced at the clock, then at the door, and checked her phone for the fourth time in ten minutes. What does Sara's behaviour most strongly suggest?

  1. She is about to leave on a trip.
  2. She has lost her phone.
  3. She is annoyed by the clock.
  4. She is waiting for someone. Correct answer.

Explanation

Repeatedly checking the time, watching the door and looking at a phone indicate waiting for someone who has not arrived. The clues point to impatience about an arrival, not to any other cause.

Question 12Reading comprehension

The new cycle lane is a welcome addition. It is safe, well lit and used by hundreds of commuters every day. The council deserves credit for listening to residents at last. What is the writer's attitude towards the cycle lane?

  1. Doubtful
  2. Angry
  3. Favourable Correct answer.
  4. Indifferent

Explanation

Praise words such as "welcome addition" and "deserves credit" show approval of the cycle lane. Attitude questions are answered from the evaluative language the writer chooses.

Question 13Reading comprehension

Because the river had risen steadily for three days, the lower fields were under water by Friday morning, and the harvest was lost. What caused the fields to flood?

  1. The harvest was lost.
  2. The farmers worked late.
  3. The river rose steadily. Correct answer.
  4. Friday morning arrived.

Explanation

The word "Because" introduces the cause, and the flooded fields with the lost harvest are the results. Cause-and-effect questions require separating the reason from its consequences.

Question 14Reading comprehension

Unlike the older models, which needed to be plugged in for eight hours, the new device charges fully in forty minutes. How does the new device differ from the older models?

  1. It charges far faster. Correct answer.
  2. It is heavier to carry.
  3. It costs less to buy.
  4. It uses no electricity.

Explanation

The contrast is between eight hours and forty minutes of charging, and "unlike" signals exactly this comparison. Only the charging time is being compared.

Question 15Reading comprehension

Applicants must be at least 18 years old and hold a full driving licence. Experience with spreadsheets is desirable but not essential. Interviews will be held in March. Which requirement is desirable rather than essential?

  1. Being 18 or older
  2. Attending an interview
  3. Holding a driving licence
  4. Spreadsheet experience Correct answer.

Explanation

The text marks spreadsheet experience as "desirable but not essential", while age and licence are introduced by "must". Modals such as "must" signal a firm requirement.

Question 16Reading comprehension

The council rejected the developer's first plan. Its second proposal, however, was approved within a week. What does "Its" refer to?

  1. The week's
  2. The council's
  3. The residents'
  4. The developer's Correct answer.

Explanation

The pronoun links to the party that submits plans and proposals, which is the developer. The council is the body that rejects and approves, so it cannot be the owner of the proposal.

Question 17Reading comprehension

Bees visit flowers for nectar, and in doing so they carry pollen from one plant to another. Many fruit trees depend on this service; without bees, their harvests would fall sharply. Which sentence best summarises the passage?

  1. Bees pollinate fruit trees. Correct answer.
  2. Flowers attract many insects.
  3. Fruit trees need warm weather.
  4. Bees make honey from nectar.

Explanation

The passage connects the bees' movement between flowers with the fruit trees' harvests, so a summary must state that relationship. A summary keeps the central link and drops secondary detail.

Question 18Reading comprehension

The path had been washed away by the storm, and a sign at the entrance now warned walkers that the route was impassable. What will most walkers probably do?

  1. Wait for the storm
  2. Remove the sign
  3. Cross the path quickly
  4. Choose another route Correct answer.

Explanation

A warning that the way is impassable would lead walkers to avoid it and take a different route. Prediction questions ask for the most reasonable next step implied by the information.

Question 19Reading comprehension

The museum's new gallery opened in May. It contains over 300 objects. The gallery is on the ground floor. The lighting is far too dim, and the labels are impossible to read. Which sentence states an opinion?

  1. The gallery opened in May.
  2. The gallery is on the ground floor.
  3. The lighting is far too dim. Correct answer.
  4. It contains over 300 objects.

Explanation

"Far too dim" is a value judgement about lighting that different visitors could dispute, so it is an opinion. The other statements can be checked against records or observation.

Question 20Reading comprehension

"Did you manage to finish the report?" asked Tom. "I sent it last night," replied Nadia, "but I'm not sure the figures in section two are right." What does Nadia imply about the report?

  1. It may contain an error. Correct answer.
  2. Tom wrote section two.
  3. She forgot to send it.
  4. She has not started it.

Explanation

Nadia doubts whether the figures in section two are correct, which implies a possible mistake. She also says she sent the report, so the work was completed.

Question 21Reading comprehension

The committee's report runs to two hundred pages, yet it manages to say very little that has not been said before. Its recommendations, where they exist, are so cautiously worded that no one could object to them - or act on them. What is the writer's view of the report?

  1. It is too short to cover the topic.
  2. It repeats the committee's earlier errors.
  3. It recommends several bold changes.
  4. It is too cautious to be useful. Correct answer.

Explanation

The writer complains that the report says little new and that its recommendations are worded so cautiously that no one could act on them. The criticism is of excessive caution, not of length or of past mistakes.

Question 22Reading comprehension

Although the two towns lie only twenty kilometres apart, their weather could hardly be more different. One sits in a valley sheltered from the prevailing wind; the other stands exposed on the coast, where storms arrive unchecked. What explains the difference in weather between the two towns?

  1. Their positions expose them to different conditions. Correct answer.
  2. One town is much further north.
  3. They are at very different latitudes.
  4. One town keeps better weather records.

Explanation

The contrast is between a sheltered inland position and an exposed coastal one, so exposure to wind and storms explains the difference. Distance between the towns is small, so location features matter, not distance.

Question 23Reading comprehension

Solar panels are cheapest where sunlight is strongest, which is rarely where electricity is most needed. Transmission lines are expensive to build. Storage remains costly. None of this means the technology is worthless - only that its limits must be priced honestly. What is the function of the final sentence?

  1. It qualifies the criticism made earlier. Correct answer.
  2. It introduces a new argument against solar power.
  3. It repeats the opening claim word for word.
  4. It gives an example of a transmission problem.

Explanation

The final sentence concedes that the technology has value while insisting its limits be recognised, which limits and balances the criticism in the preceding sentences. "None of this means" signals a qualification rather than a new objection.

Question 24Reading comprehension

The researchers were careful to note that the sample was small and drawn from a single region. Their findings, they wrote, should be treated as a hypothesis rather than a conclusion. What does the passage suggest about the findings?

  1. They apply to the whole country.
  2. They require further testing. Correct answer.
  3. They have been confirmed by other studies.
  4. They were based on a very large sample.

Explanation

Calling the findings "a hypothesis rather than a conclusion" means they are provisional and need verification, and the small single-region sample supports that reading. The researchers themselves are limiting the claims.

Question 25Reading comprehension

Supporters of the plan argue that a new road will cut journey times and bring trade to the town. Critics accept the delay is real but point out that the road will run through the last remaining wetland in the county. Which statement best captures the disagreement?

  1. Whether faster journeys are worth the environmental cost Correct answer.
  2. Whether the town needs more shops and new trade from visitors
  3. Whether journey times through the town have actually increased
  4. Whether the remaining wetland is owned by the local council

Explanation

Both sides accept that the road saves time; they divide over whether that benefit justifies destroying the wetland. Identifying the point of actual dispute means finding what one side concedes and the other rejects.

Question 26Reading comprehension

The Linden Bookshop opens at nine every morning except Sunday, when it opens at eleven. It closes at six on weekdays and at eight on Saturdays. On which day does the Linden Bookshop open at eleven?

  1. Monday
  2. Saturday
  3. Sunday Correct answer.
  4. Wednesday

Explanation

The passage says the shop opens at nine every morning 'except Sunday, when it opens at eleven', which makes Sunday the only day with an eleven o'clock opening. The other days mentioned follow either the standard nine o'clock opening or a special closing time.

Question 27Reading comprehension

The trail was steep and the heat relentless, so the group stopped every twenty minutes to rest in the shade. As used in the passage, 'relentless' most nearly means:

  1. unceasing Correct answer.
  2. unexpected
  3. brief
  4. mild

Explanation

The word describes heat that forces the group to rest every twenty minutes, so it must convey something continuous and unyielding. 'Unceasing' carries that sense of something that does not let up.

Question 28Reading comprehension

The town's library was due to close last year. Volunteers raised funds, local businesses donated shelves and computers, and residents gave thousands of used books. The library now opens six days a week. Which sentence best states the main idea of the passage?

  1. Collecting used books is easy for most charities.
  2. Public libraries are expensive to run and maintain.
  3. Local businesses often support local charities.
  4. A community effort saved the town's library. Correct answer.

Explanation

Every sentence reports a contribution made by a different part of the community and the survival of the library as the result. The passage is organised around this collective rescue rather than around libraries or charity in general.

Question 29Reading comprehension

Maya mixed the flour and water first, then left the dough to rest for an hour. Only after that did she shape the loaves and put them in the oven. What did Maya do immediately after mixing the flour and water?

  1. She shaped the loaves.
  2. She added yeast to the dough.
  3. She put the loaves in the oven.
  4. She left the dough to rest. Correct answer.

Explanation

The passage gives a clear order: mixing comes first, and the next action is leaving the dough to rest for an hour. Shaping and baking happen only after that rest.

Question 30Reading comprehension

Engineers found cracks in two of the bridge's supports, and they warned that the bridge could not reopen until these had been repaired. In the passage, the word 'these' refers to:

  1. the bridge's deck
  2. the supports
  3. the cracks Correct answer.
  4. the engineers

Explanation

The pronoun points back to the noun phrase most recently introduced as the problem to be fixed, which is 'cracks'. Repairs are carried out on the cracks in the supports, not on the people or on an unmentioned deck.

Question 31Reading comprehension

The new swimming pool opened in June this year. It has eight lanes and a small cafe. It is the region's finest facility. The cafe serves hot drinks to swimmers. Which statement from the passage is an opinion rather than a fact?

  1. It is the region's finest facility. Correct answer.
  2. The cafe serves hot drinks to swimmers.
  3. It has eight lanes and a small cafe.
  4. The new swimming pool opened in June this year.

Explanation

A statement is an opinion when it expresses a judgement that cannot be checked against observable evidence. Calling something 'the region's finest' is an evaluation, whereas dates, lane counts and what a cafe serves can be verified.

Question 32Reading comprehension

The bakery on King Street has stopped selling sandwiches. Its owner says the shop is simply too small to prepare food safely and serve customers at the same time. Why has the bakery stopped selling sandwiches?

  1. The shop is too small to prepare food safely. Correct answer.
  2. The owner has decided to retire from the business.
  3. Sandwiches were not popular with the shop's customers.
  4. The bakery is planning to move to a new location.

Explanation

The owner gives one explicit reason: the shop lacks the space to prepare food safely while also serving customers. The question asks for the stated cause, so the answer must come directly from that explanation.

Question 33Reading comprehension

Notice: The east entrance will be locked from 6 p.m. on Friday until 7 a.m. on Monday. Please use the north entrance during this time and carry your staff card. What is the purpose of this notice?

  1. To advertise a newly opened entrance to the building
  2. To report a recent security incident at the site
  3. To direct staff to an alternative entrance Correct answer.
  4. To announce a change in the building's opening hours

Explanation

The notice explains a temporary closure and then tells readers where to go instead, which is the practical purpose of the text. Every other detail, such as the times and the staff card, supports that instruction.

Question 34Reading comprehension

Review: The hotel's setting is magnificent and the staff could not have been kinder. Unfortunately, the room was cold all weekend and the promised sea view turned out to be a view of the car park. What is the reviewer's overall attitude towards the hotel?

  1. Indifferent to the quality of the hotel.
  2. Pleased in part, disappointed in part. Correct answer.
  3. Completely negative about the whole experience.
  4. Entirely satisfied with every aspect of the stay.

Explanation

The review balances genuine praise for the setting and staff against specific complaints about the room and the view. That mixture of approval and disappointment defines the reviewer's position.

Question 35Reading comprehension

The committee's findings were described as preliminary; a final report will follow once the remaining data have been analysed. As used in the passage, 'preliminary' most nearly means:

  1. confidential
  2. provisional Correct answer.
  3. controversial
  4. final

Explanation

The sentence contrasts the findings with a 'final report' still to come, so the findings are temporary or subject to change. 'Provisional' captures exactly that sense of something not yet settled.

Question 36Reading comprehension

When the results were announced, Priya shook her head slowly, folded the sheet of paper and put it in her bag without a word. What can be inferred about Priya's results?

  1. They were worse than she had hoped. Correct answer.
  2. She did not understand them.
  3. She had not received any results at all.
  4. She was pleased with them.

Explanation

The slow shake of the head and the silent putting away of the paper suggest a reaction to disappointing news that the reader is expected to recognise. No other explanation accounts for all three actions together.

Question 37Reading comprehension

Applicants for the night-shift post must be over 21 and have their own transport. Experience in a warehouse is helpful but not essential. According to the passage, which of the following is required for the night-shift post?

  1. A reference from a previous employer
  2. Previous warehouse experience
  3. Being older than 21 Correct answer.
  4. A car of one's own

Explanation

The passage separates requirements from preferences: the age condition and own transport are stated with 'must', while warehouse experience is called 'helpful but not essential'. Only the age condition appears among the options as a stated requirement.

Question 38Reading comprehension

The coastal route is shorter, but the inland road is faster because it avoids the town centre traffic. Most delivery drivers therefore take the inland road. Why do most delivery drivers take the inland road?

  1. It is quicker even though it is longer. Correct answer.
  2. It runs through the town centre.
  3. It offers better scenery along the coast.
  4. It is shorter than the coastal route.

Explanation

The passage sets length against speed: the coastal route wins on distance, but the inland road wins on time because it bypasses traffic. Drivers choose it on speed, not distance.

Question 39Reading comprehension

The survey found that students who ate breakfast scored higher in the test. The authors stress that this does not show that breakfast improves performance, since students who eat breakfast may also sleep better. What point are the authors making?

  1. The survey should never have been carried out.
  2. Sleep matters more than breakfast does.
  3. The link may have another explanation. Correct answer.
  4. Breakfast definitely raises test scores.

Explanation

The authors accept the correlation but warn against a causal reading by naming a further difference between the groups. Their point is that the observed link could be produced by a different factor.

Question 40Reading comprehension

Far from being a minor expense, maintenance accounts for the largest share of the building's annual costs, more than heating, staffing and insurance combined. What does the author emphasise about maintenance?

  1. It is usually overlooked by managers.
  2. It is paid for by insurance.
  3. It has become much cheaper recently.
  4. It is the biggest single cost. Correct answer.

Explanation

The phrase 'the largest share' plus the comparison with heating, staffing and insurance combined makes maintenance the greatest expense. The opening words correct the assumption that it is minor.

Question 41Reading comprehension

The council has promised to plant a thousand trees this winter. But the nursery can supply only four hundred saplings, and no order has yet been placed for the rest. What does the passage suggest about the council's promise?

  1. It has already been fulfilled.
  2. It may be difficult to keep as planned. Correct answer.
  3. It concerns trees that are already planted.
  4. It was made without the nursery's agreement.

Explanation

The shortfall in supply and the absence of any order for the remaining saplings point to a practical obstacle. The word 'But' signals that the promise is in doubt rather than secure.

Question 42Reading comprehension

Some critics dismissed the novel as too long. Others, however, argued that its length was justified, since the story follows three generations of a family. In the passage, the word 'its' refers to:

  1. the novel's Correct answer.
  2. the story's
  3. the critics'
  4. the family's

Explanation

The possessive pronoun attaches to the thing whose length was criticised, which is the novel. The story and the family appear in the explanation that follows, not as the object being defended about length.

Question 43Reading comprehension

It is hard to imagine how the report took three years to produce. Its recommendations were published, in full, by a local blogger within a week of the first meeting. The tone of the passage is best described as:

  1. admiring
  2. sarcastic Correct answer.
  3. anxious
  4. neutral

Explanation

The contrast between three years of work and a week of a blogger's effort is set up to mock the report's pace. The apparent puzzlement is a vehicle for criticism rather than genuine admiration or worry.

Question 44Reading comprehension

The company announced that it would close its call centre and move all enquiries online. It added that customers who prefer to speak to someone would still be able to do so 'in exceptional circumstances'. What does the phrase in quotation marks suggest?

  1. The company has not decided yet.
  2. Most customers prefer the internet.
  3. Phone support will be expanded.
  4. Phone support will be rare. Correct answer.

Explanation

The phrase limits telephone contact to 'exceptional circumstances', which by definition are unusual cases rather than the norm. The quotation marks also hint that the writer finds the wording evasive.

Question 45Reading comprehension

Text A: The festival should move to the park; the square is too small. Text B: Moving the festival would be a mistake, since the park has no covered stage and our main act requires one. How would the author of Text B most likely respond to the proposal in Text A?

  1. By agreeing that the square is too small for it
  2. By noting a practical drawback of the park Correct answer.
  3. By proposing that a larger square be found instead
  4. By suggesting that the festival be cancelled altogether

Explanation

Text B opposes the move on a specific logistical ground: the missing covered stage. Any response from that author would therefore turn on the park's unsuitability for the main act.

Question 46Reading comprehension

For all its talk of transparency, the department has released the figures only after a court order, and then in a form that no ordinary reader could interpret. What is the author's point about the department's claims of transparency?

  1. They are difficult for ordinary readers to interpret.
  2. They are required by the court order.
  3. They are a recent change in departmental policy.
  4. They are contradicted by the way the figures were released. Correct answer.

Explanation

The phrase 'For all its talk' sets up a contrast between what the department says and what it does. The delay, the court order and the unreadable format all undercut the claim of openness.

Question 47Reading comprehension

Cheap flights have made weekend trips abroad ordinary. Yet the growth in air travel has come at a cost: the quietest corners of Europe now fill each summer with visitors, and the residents who remain find their rents rising. What is the function of the second sentence in the passage?

  1. It questions whether the first sentence is accurate.
  2. It offers a solution to a problem raised earlier.
  3. It restates the first sentence in different words.
  4. It lists the drawbacks of the development described. Correct answer.

Explanation

The word 'Yet' signals a reversal, and the colon introduces two specific harms: crowded places and rising rents. The second sentence therefore supplies the negative consequences of the trend announced in the first.

Question 48Reading comprehension

The study compared two groups of readers: those who read on paper and those who read on screen. Both groups were given the same text and the same time. The screen readers remembered fewer details, which the authors attribute to the tendency to skim when reading on a screen. Which assumption underlies the authors' explanation?

  1. Skimming reduces how much detail is remembered. Correct answer.
  2. The two groups were matched for age.
  3. Paper readers read more slowly than screen readers.
  4. Reading on screen always harms memory.

Explanation

The explanation works only if skimming is the mechanism by which detail recall falls. Without that link, attributing the result to skimming would explain nothing, so it must be assumed.

Question 49Reading comprehension

'We are delighted,' said the minister, 'that after only eleven years of campaigning, the residents of the valley have been granted a temporary footpath, open on alternate Sundays between April and September.' The writer's use of quotation marks around the word 'delighted' suggests that:

  1. the concession was a generous one
  2. the minister actually used those exact words
  3. the residents share the minister's delight
  4. the writer doubts the word fits Correct answer.

Explanation

Scare quotes around a single word signal distance: the writer is reporting a word without endorsing it. The details of the concession, eleven years for a temporary path on alternate Sundays, make 'delighted' look disproportionate.

Question 50Reading comprehension

Two arguments are often made against remote work. The first, that it reduces collaboration, is supported by some evidence, though mainly from firms whose managers were untrained in remote practice. The second, that it damages productivity, is contradicted by the last decade of output data in the sectors where it is most common. Which best summarises the author's attitude to the two arguments?

  1. The first has partial support, while the second is contradicted. Correct answer.
  2. The first is contradicted, while the second has partial support.
  3. Both arguments are equally well supported by evidence.
  4. Both arguments lack any supporting evidence at all.

Explanation

The author concedes that the collaboration argument has 'some evidence' but limits its weight, then states flatly that the productivity argument is contradicted by data. The two arguments are therefore treated differently, not equally.