📌 A2EN

Past Simple vs Present Simple — Exercises with Answer Key (A2)

A ready-to-use A2 English lesson — reading, questions and answer key, built by teachers on TeachIn.

This lesson has 2 sections in total — including the full answer key.

Create your free account to read the whole lesson. Copying it and downloading PDF/Word is part of Starter.

📖 Reading

Every morning, Maria walks to the small bakery near her flat. She buys fresh bread and talks to Mr. Petrov, the old baker. He works there every day, and he always remembers her name. This is her normal routine, and she loves it. Last Saturday, something different happened. Maria arrived at the bakery at eight o'clock, but the door was closed. She waited for ten minutes, but nobody opened it. Then she saw a small sign in the window. It said, 'Closed today - family celebration.' Maria felt confused. Mr. Petrov never closed the bakery, not even on holidays. She walked home slowly and thought about him. Later that day, her neighbour told her the good news: Mr. Petrov's granddaughter got married on Saturday morning! The whole family celebrated together at a restaurant in the town. On Monday, Maria went back to the bakery. Mr. Petrov smiled at her and gave her a piece of wedding cake. 'My granddaughter married a wonderful man,' he said happily. 'We danced all night!' Now Maria understands why the bakery was closed, and she is happy for her friend. Every day, life in the town continues as usual, but sometimes small surprises change the routine. Maria learned that even the most reliable people need a day off sometimes, especially for a family celebration.

✏️ Questions

Every morning, my father ___ (drink) a cup of coffee before work.
Last summer, my family ___ (travel) to Portugal for two weeks.
Yesterday, Marta ___ a beautiful painting at the museum.
- a) sees
- b) saw
- c) see
- d) is seeing
Water ___ at 100 degrees Celsius.
- a) boiled
- b) boils
- c) is boiling
- d) boil
She ___ (not go) to school yesterday because she was sick.
My grandmother usually ___ dinner at seven o'clock, but last night she cooked at eight.
- a) cooked
- b) cooking
- c) cooks
- d) cook
What does Maria usually do every morning?
- a) She walks to the bakery and buys fresh bread
- b) She closes the bakery for Mr. Petrov
- c) She cooks bread at home
- d) She meets her neighbour at the restaurant
What happened when Maria arrived at the bakery last Saturday?
- a) The door was closed
- b) Mr. Petrov gave her cake
- c) She met his granddaughter
- d) The bakery had no bread
Why was the bakery closed on Saturday?
- a) Mr. Petrov's granddaughter got married
- b) Mr. Petrov was ill
- c) Mr. Petrov went on holiday
- d) There was no more bread to sell
How did Maria feel when she saw the closed bakery?
- a) Confused
- b) Angry
- c) Bored
- d) Proud
What is the closest meaning of 'reliable' in the last paragraph?
- a) Someone you can depend on
- b) Someone who is often late
- c) Someone who works too much
- d) Someone who never smiles
What is the main message of the passage?
- a) Even dependable people sometimes need a break for special occasions
- b) Bakeries should never close, even for weddings
- c) Maria stopped visiting the bakery after it closed
- d) Mr. Petrov decided to retire from baking

This lesson has 2 sections in total — including the full answer key.

See the full lesson — free Get Starter

Create your free account to read the whole lesson. Copying it and downloading PDF/Word is part of Starter.

Past Simple vs Present Simple — Exercises with Answer Key (A2)

📖 Reading

✏️ Questions

More ready-to-use lessons