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Was/were + could — Exercises with Answer Key (A2)

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📖 Reading

Last winter, Mia's family moved to a small town near the mountains. At first, Mia was not happy. She missed her old friends, and she couldn't speak the local dialect very well. 'I was so bored on weekends,' she said. 'I couldn't find anything fun to do here.' Everything changed when Mia joined the town's ski club. The instructor, Mr. Alonso, was very patient. On the first day, Mia couldn't even stand up on skis! But after a few lessons, she could go down the small hill without falling. She was really proud of herself. By the end of the winter, Mia could ski down the big mountain trail, and she could also speak much better in the local dialect. Her new friends from the ski club helped her every day. 'Before, I couldn't understand my classmates' jokes,' Mia laughed, 'but now I can understand almost everything!' Mia's parents were surprised too. Before the move, Mia couldn't cook any meals by herself, but now she could make simple dinners for the whole family. 'We were worried about the move,' her mother said, 'but Mia could adapt faster than we expected.' Mia agrees that the hardest changes often bring the best surprises.

✏️ Questions

When Maria was young, she ___ swim very fast, so she won many competitions.
The children ___ speak French and Spanish when they lived in Canada.
- a) was could
- b) could
- c) were could
- d) could to
I ___ not understand the instructions because they were written in Japanese.
My grandfather ___ play the guitar really well when he was a teenager.
- a) was could
- b) could
- c) were could
- d) was able could
Last winter, we ___ not go skiing because there wasn't enough snow.
Before she broke her leg, Anna ___ run five kilometres every morning.
- a) was could
- b) could
- c) were could
- d) did could
How did Mia feel when she first moved to the town?
- a) Excited and happy
- b) Bored and unhappy
- c) Angry with her parents
- d) Confident and relaxed
What couldn't Mia do on her first day of skiing?
- a) Speak the local dialect
- b) Cook simple dinners
- c) Stand up on skis
- d) Understand her classmates' jokes
Which sentence about Mia's progress is correct?
- a) She could ski down the big trail before she joined the club.
- b) She could ski down the big trail by the end of the winter.
- c) She still couldn't ski down the small hill.
- d) She could never learn to ski well.
In the text, what does the word 'adapt' mean?
- a) To move to a new place
- b) To become used to a new situation
- c) To feel sad about changes
- d) To teach someone a new skill
Why were Mia's parents surprised?
- a) Mia couldn't make friends at the ski club.
- b) Mia refused to learn the local dialect.
- c) Mia could cook and adjust to the new town quickly.
- d) Mia wanted to move back to her old town.
What is the best summary of this passage?
- a) A girl struggles with skiing and gives up.
- b) A girl moves to a new town and slowly learns new skills and language.
- c) A family decides not to move to the mountains.
- d) A ski instructor teaches a class of many students.

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

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Was/were + could — Exercises with Answer Key (A2)

📖 Reading

✏️ Questions

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