The complete Reading Practice Test 7 in the official MET structure: Grammar (20 questions), single-text reading (2 passages, 10 questions) and multiple-text reading (2 sets, 20 questions) — 50 questions in 65 minutes.
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Part 1 — Grammar (20 questions)
Each sentence has a missing word or phrase. Choose the best option to complete the sentence.
1. While the engineer _____ the circuit board, she discovered a critical design flaw.
- inspects
- has inspected
- was inspecting
- inspected
Why: Past continuous is used for an ongoing action during which a discovery occurred.
2. If the festival _____ canceled, thousands of visitors would demand refunds.
- is
- were
- had been
- will be
Why: Second conditional uses 'were' for hypothetical present/future scenarios.
3. The nominees _____ by a panel of independent judges from across the industry.
- select
- are selected
- selected
- selecting
Why: Passive voice is needed because the nominees receive the action of being chosen.
4. The witness testified that she _____ the suspect leaving the building shortly after midnight.
- sees
- has seen
- had seen
- is seeing
Why: Reported speech shifts past simple to past perfect.
5. Neither the assistant _____ the supervisor had checked the inventory before the audit.
- or
- and
- nor
- but
Why: 'Neither...nor' is the correct correlative conjunction pair.
6. There are _____ opportunities for career advancement in this sector than in manufacturing.
- less
- more
- few
- much
Why: Comparative 'more' is used with 'than' for countable plural nouns.
7. The year _____ the company went public was the most profitable in its history.
- that
- where
- when
- which
Why: 'When' is the relative adverb for time references.
8. The intern suggested _____ the meeting to accommodate colleagues in different time zones.
- to reschedule
- rescheduling
- reschedule
- rescheduled
Why: 'Suggest' is followed by a gerund.
9. This apartment is significantly _____ than the one we viewed last weekend.
- spacious
- more spacious
- most spacious
- spaciously
Why: Comparative 'more spacious' is needed with 'than'.
10. The director demanded that every cast member _____ for rehearsal by eight o'clock.
- arrives
- arrived
- arrive
- arriving
Why: Subjunctive requires the base form 'arrive' after 'demanded that'.
11. The new manager managed to _____ the team despite initial resistance from senior staff.
- win over
- win back
- win out
- win through
Why: 'Win over' is a phrasal verb meaning 'gain the support or approval of'.
12. At no point during the investigation _____ the suspect's alibi verified independently.
- had
- was
- did
- could
Why: 'At no point' triggers subject-auxiliary inversion; 'was verified' is passive.
13. By the end of this month, the team _____ the project for two full years.
- works on
- will work on
- will have been working on
- worked on
Why: Future perfect continuous expresses duration up to a future point.
14. If water _____ to 100 degrees Celsius at sea level, it boils.
- is heated
- were heated
- had been heated
- heated
Why: Zero conditional uses present simple in both clauses for scientific facts.
15. The paintings, _____ from the museum during the war, were finally recovered last year.
- stealing
- were stolen
- stolen
- had stolen
Why: Past participle 'stolen' acts as a reduced passive relative clause.
16. She wanted to know _____ the delivery had been dispatched or was still in the warehouse.
- that
- what
- which
- whether
Why: 'Whether' introduces an indirect question with alternatives.
17. The landlord threatened _____ the tenants if the rent remained unpaid.
- evicting
- evict
- to evict
- evicted
Why: 'Threaten' is followed by the infinitive form.
18. Not a single complaint _____ from customers since the new policy was implemented.
- we have received
- received we
- have we received
- we received
Why: 'Not a single...' at the start triggers subject-auxiliary inversion.
19. _____ the noise outside was deafening, she managed to concentrate on her studies.
- Even though
- Because
- For
- Despite of
Why: 'Even though' introduces a concessive clause showing contrast.
20. It is imperative that the safety protocols _____ updated before the inspection next week.
- are
- were
- be
- being
Why: Subjunctive requires the base form 'be' after 'imperative that'.
Part 2 — Single-text reading (10 questions)
In 2023, the global recorded music industry surpassed $26 billion in revenue, marking its eighth consecutive year of growth. The primary driver of this resurgence has been the explosive expansion of streaming platforms, which now account for more than sixty-seven percent of all recorded music income. Services like Spotify, Apple Music, and regional platforms such as Tencent Music in China have fundamentally reshaped how consumers access and pay for music. The subscription model has proven especially lucrative, with the number of paid streaming accounts worldwide exceeding six hundred million in 2024. Despite this prosperity at the industry level, a contentious debate persists about how streaming revenue is distributed. Independent artists and smaller labels complain that the 'pro-rata' model, which pools all subscription fees and distributes them based on total streams, disproportionately benefits major-label artists with massive play counts. A study by the Union of Musicians found that the average independent artist earns approximately four thousand dollars per million streams, a figure that many argue is unsustainable. Some platforms have begun experimenting with 'user-centric' payment models, where each subscriber's monthly fee goes directly to the artists they personally stream. Early adoption has been slow, but pressure from regulators and artist advocacy groups may accelerate the shift.
21. What is the central topic of this passage?
- The decline of the music industry
- The growth of streaming and the debate over revenue distribution
- How to become a famous musician
- The history of vinyl records
Why: The passage explains the industry's growth through streaming and the dispute over how the money reaches artists, including the move toward user-centric payment. Vinyl history and musicians' career advice play no part in it.
22. What percentage of recorded music income comes from streaming?
- Over forty-seven percent
- Over fifty-seven percent
- Over sixty-seven percent
- Over seventy-seven percent
Why: Streaming now supplies more than sixty-seven percent of recorded music income, the figure the passage gives as the driver of the industry's revival. The surrounding amounts are not used for streaming's share.
23. How much does the average independent artist earn per million streams?
- Approximately $2,000
- Approximately $4,000
- Approximately $6,000
- Approximately $8,000
Why: The study by the Union of Musicians found independent artists earn about four thousand dollars per million streams, a level the passage calls unsustainable. The other sums are not used for that calculation.
24. The word 'lucrative' in the passage is closest in meaning to:
- Unprofitable
- Profitable
- Risky
- Traditional
Why: Lucrative describes the subscription model as very profitable, supporting the point that money is flowing into the industry. Unprofitable is its direct opposite, while risky and traditional describe other features of streaming.
25. How does the user-centric payment model differ from the pro-rata model?
- It charges listeners more per song
- Each subscriber's fee goes to the artists they personally stream
- It eliminates all independent artists from payments
- It pays all artists equally regardless of streams
Why: Under the user-centric model a subscriber's monthly payment follows that person's own listening, unlike the pooled pro-rata system. Higher charges, the exclusion of independents and equal payouts are not described anywhere.
Taking a gap year — a structured break between secondary school and university — has long been common in countries like Australia and the United Kingdom. In the United States, however, the practice has only recently gained traction. Proponents argue that gap years allow students to gain maturity, work experience, and greater clarity about their academic and career goals before committing to a degree program. Research from the American Gap Association suggests that students who take a gap year graduate with higher GPAs on average and are more likely to complete their degrees within four years. However, critics raise valid concerns about equity. Structured gap year programs — which may involve overseas volunteering, language immersion, or wilderness expeditions — often cost between ten thousand and forty thousand dollars, putting them out of reach for lower-income families. Students who spend their gap year working in low-wage jobs to save for tuition, rather than traveling, may not reap the same developmental benefits. Some universities have attempted to bridge this gap by offering fully funded gap year fellowships to incoming students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Harvard, Princeton, and Tufts now have such programs, though the number of funded placements remains limited relative to demand. The challenge for educators and policymakers is to ensure that the gap year does not become yet another advantage for the already privileged.
26. What is the primary subject of this passage?
- The history of university admissions
- The benefits and equity concerns of gap years
- How to travel cheaply as a student
- The structure of degree programs in the US
Why: The passage weighs the advantages of taking a gap year against the fairness problem created by costly, structured programmes. Admissions history, travel tips and degree structures are supporting details rather than its subject.
27. According to research, what academic benefit do gap year students experience?
- They graduate earlier than all other students
- They tend to have higher GPAs and complete degrees in four years
- They receive more scholarships
- They are guaranteed admission to graduate school
Why: Research from the American Gap Association found that gap-year students graduate with higher grade averages and are more likely to finish their degrees within four years. Scholarships and guaranteed postgraduate places are never claimed.
28. How much can structured gap year programs cost?
- $5,000 to $15,000
- $10,000 to $40,000
- $20,000 to $50,000
- $1,000 to $5,000
Why: Structured programmes such as overseas volunteering, language immersion and expeditions typically cost between ten and forty thousand dollars, which the passage says places them beyond many lower-income families.
29. The word 'equity' in the passage is closest in meaning to:
- Financial profit
- Fairness and equal access
- Academic excellence
- Speed
Why: Here equity means fairness of access, because the worry is that expensive programmes favour wealthy students. Financial profit, academic excellence and speed do not fit a sentence about already privileged applicants.
30. What have some universities done to address the equity concern?
- Canceled all gap year programs
- Offered fully funded gap year fellowships for disadvantaged students
- Required all students to take a gap year
- Prohibited work during gap years
Why: Universities including Harvard, Princeton and Tufts now offer fully funded gap-year fellowships to students from disadvantaged backgrounds, though places are scarce. Cancelling, requiring or banning gap years is not discussed.
Part 3 — Multiple-text reading (20 questions)
Beach Cleanup Initiative
Our 'Coastline Guardian' program launches next Saturday at Golden Bay Beach. Volunteers are invited to join a three-hour morning cleanup of plastic waste and debris. All equipment will be provided, including gloves, bags, and grabbers. Last year, volunteers removed over two tons of waste from local beaches. Registration is open at our website.
We fully support the Coastline Guardian initiative. Clean beaches are essential for our tourism industry, which employs nearly forty percent of the local workforce. However, we are concerned by some event organizers encouraging visitors to bring their own reusable containers, as this could reduce sales at our beachfront cafes and vendors.
I've been doing the Golden Bay cleanup for three years, and the amount of plastic never seems to decrease. Last month I filled six bags in under two hours, mostly single-use packaging and discarded fishing gear. Cleaning is important, but shouldn't we be pressuring manufacturers to reduce plastic production at the source? Beach cleanups treat the symptom, not the disease.
31. What is the name of the cleanup program?
- Beach Guardian
- Coastline Guardian
- Ocean Protector
- Shoreline Saver
Why: The press release names the initiative Coastline Guardian, so the similar-sounding labels in the other answers belong to no programme mentioned. Name questions of this kind reward reading the text closely rather than guessing.
32. How long will the cleanup event last?
- One hour
- Two hours
- Three hours
- Four hours
Why: The organisers state that the clean-up runs for three hours, which is why participants are asked to arrive promptly, register at the start and stay for the full session.
33. How much waste was removed by volunteers last year?
- One ton
- Over two tons
- Over three tons
- Over four tons
Why: The press release reports that volunteers removed more than two tons of waste last year, a figure the tourism bureau also uses when describing the beach's condition and reputation.
34. What concern does the tourism bureau raise?
- The cleanup will scare away tourists
- Encouraging reusable containers could hurt beachfront vendors
- The beach is not actually dirty
- There are not enough volunteers
Why: The tourism bureau warns that promoting reusable containers and less packaging could cut sales for beachfront traders, and it stresses that tourism supports nearly forty percent of local jobs.
35. What point does the blog post make about beach cleanups?
- They should happen more frequently
- They treat the symptom rather than addressing the source of plastic pollution
- They are completely ineffective
- Only governments should organize them
Why: The blog post argues that clean-up drives remove the visible mess while leaving the flow of plastic into the sea untouched, so the underlying problem of production and consumption continues unchecked.
36. The word 'debris' in the press release is closest in meaning to:
- Marine life
- Scattered waste and fragments
- Sand and shells
- Clean water
Why: Debris in the press release means the mixed, scattered rubbish volunteers collect along the tideline, such as bottles, fragments and packaging, not living creatures, natural sand or clean water.
37. According to the tourism bureau, what portion of the local workforce does tourism employ?
- Nearly twenty percent
- Nearly thirty percent
- Nearly forty percent
- Nearly fifty percent
Why: The tourism bureau says tourism accounts for close to forty percent of local employment, which is why it wants the beach kept attractive and its vendors protected from lost trade.
38. What does the volunteer suggest as a more fundamental solution?
- Hiring professional cleaners
- Pressuring manufacturers to reduce plastic production
- Closing all beaches
- Charging tourists a cleaning fee
Why: The volunteer argues that lasting progress means pressing manufacturers to cut plastic production at source, because repeated clean-ups cannot keep pace with what is thrown away.
39. What is the relationship between the three texts?
- They are all written by the same organization
- They represent different perspectives: organizer, economic stakeholder, and volunteer critic
- They all oppose the cleanup initiative
- They are all government publications
Why: The three texts come from an event organiser, a tourism body weighing the economic stakes and a volunteer critic, so they offer different standpoints on one initiative rather than a single shared message.
40. What can be inferred about the volunteer from the blog post?
- They are participating for the first time
- They are a long-term participant who has become skeptical of the approach
- They work for the tourism industry
- They oppose any form of environmental action
Why: Writing as someone who has joined the effort many times and watched the same litter return, the blogger shows real familiarity with the event alongside growing doubt that clean-ups solve the problem.
Smart City Sensor Network
Our city is becoming smarter. We are installing environmental sensors on streetlights across all twenty-one neighborhoods to monitor air quality, noise levels, and pedestrian traffic in real time. This data will help us optimize traffic light timing, identify pollution hotspots, and deploy street maintenance crews more efficiently. The sensors do not record audio or video.
The city's claim that sensors don't record audio or video is technically true but misleading. Pedestrian traffic monitoring, even without identifying individuals, creates behavioral datasets that, when combined with other data sources, can enable sophisticated tracking. We demand a public registry of all sensors, their exact capabilities, and an independent oversight board with the power to order removal.
My street has had these sensors for six months and honestly, I haven't noticed any difference in traffic or pollution. The air still smells like exhaust during rush hour. What I have noticed is that streetlights with sensors seem to flicker more often. I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but I'd like to know who exactly has access to the data being collected outside my front door.
41. Where are the sensors being installed?
- On traffic lights
- On streetlights
- On buildings
- On park benches
Why: The brochure explains that the monitoring devices are fitted to streetlights across the pilot areas, a detail the resident later confirms by describing lights on their own road behaving oddly.
42. How many neighborhoods will receive the sensors?
- Eleven
- Fifteen
- Twenty-one
- Thirty-one
Why: The brochure states that twenty-one neighbourhoods will receive sensors, giving the programme a reach the privacy group considers too broad for the safeguards attached to it.
43. What does the brochure say the sensors will monitor?
- Individual conversations
- Air quality, noise levels, and pedestrian traffic
- Private phone calls
- Home internet usage
Why: The brochure lists air quality, noise levels and pedestrian footfall as what the devices record, while insisting that conversations and personal communications are never captured.
44. Why does the privacy group call the city's claim 'misleading'?
- The sensors actually record video
- Behavioral datasets can enable tracking when combined with other data
- The city is lying about the number of sensors
- The sensors don't work at all
Why: The privacy group argues that even anonymous behavioural data becomes identifying once combined with other datasets, which is why describing the sensors as harmless is misleading.
45. What does the privacy group demand?
- Removal of all sensors
- A public registry, capability disclosure, and independent oversight
- The mayor's resignation
- Free internet access
Why: The privacy group asks for a public registry of the devices, full disclosure of what each can detect and independent supervision, rather than demanding that every sensor be taken down.
46. For how long has the resident's street had sensors?
- Three months
- Six months
- Nine months
- Twelve months
Why: The resident notes that sensors appeared on their street six months ago, a period long enough to judge results and the basis for the complaint that nothing measurable has changed since.
47. The word 'sophisticated' in the privacy statement is closest in meaning to:
- Simple
- Highly complex and advanced
- Expensive
- Illegal
Why: Sophisticated describes the monitoring technology as advanced and capable, which is exactly why campaigners want its abilities disclosed publicly. Simple, costly and unlawful miss that technical sense of the word.
48. What observation does the resident make about the sensors?
- They have dramatically improved traffic
- The air quality has noticeably improved
- Streetlights with sensors seem to flicker more often
- They record high-quality video
Why: The resident's practical observation is that sensor-equipped streetlights seem to flicker more often, offered as evidence that the hardware may not be performing as promised.
49. What concern does the resident share with the privacy group?
- Neither has any concerns
- Both want to know who has access to the collected data
- Both demand removal of all sensors
- Both are municipal employees
Why: Both the resident's post and the privacy statement ask who can see the data collected and where it is kept, showing a shared concern about access rather than a shared demand for removal.
50. What can be inferred about the effectiveness of the sensors so far?
- They have transformed the city's infrastructure
- The resident has not noticed significant improvements in six months
- They have completely eliminated pollution
- All residents strongly support them
Why: After six months the resident reports no noticeable improvement in air quality or traffic flow, suggesting the promised benefits of the sensor programme have yet to materialise.