What level is this rooftop gardens reading test?

This is a B1 (intermediate) English reading test. The passage uses common connectors and a mix of simple and compound sentences, and the comprehension and vocabulary questions match the B1 CEFR level. It suits learners moving from A2 toward B2.

Does this English reading practice come with answers?

Yes. After the interactive questions, a full answer key shows the correct option for every comprehension and vocabulary question, each with a short explanation of why it is right and why the most tempting wrong answer is incorrect, so you learn from mistakes.

Is this reading comprehension exercise free?

Yes, this B1 reading comprehension exercise is completely free. You can read the passage, listen to the audio, answer the questions and check the answers and explanations without signing up or paying. More free reading tests are available for every CEFR level.

How long should a B1 reading passage take to read?

A B1 reading passage of around 200–280 words usually takes two to four minutes to read carefully. Read it once for general meaning, then read the questions and scan the passage again to find the exact part that gives each answer.

How can I improve my English reading comprehension at B1?

Read regularly at your level, guess new words from context before checking a translation, and always review why each answer is correct. Re-reading the explanation for wrong answers builds the skill faster than only checking the final score.

City Rooftop Gardens – B1 English Reading Test

Read the passage and choose the best answer.

City Rooftop Gardens – B1 Reading Practice (with Answers)

In many large cities, people are looking for new ways to use empty space. One popular solution is the rooftop garden. Instead of leaving the top of a building empty, residents, schools, and companies can turn it into a small green area with vegetables, flowers, and places to sit.

Rooftop gardens are not only beautiful. They can also make city life healthier. Plants help clean the air, reduce heat, and create a quieter place above the busy streets. In summer, a roof covered with plants can keep a building cooler, so people may use less electricity for air conditioning.

In one neighborhood, a group of volunteers started a rooftop garden on an old apartment building. At first, some residents were not sure it would work. They worried about the cost, the weight of the soil, and who would take care of the plants. However, after an engineer checked the roof and a local business donated materials, the project began.

Every Saturday morning, families meet on the roof to water plants, collect vegetables, and share breakfast. Children learn how tomatoes, lettuce, and herbs grow. Older residents enjoy having a peaceful place to talk with neighbors. The garden has become more than a place for plants; it has become a small community.

Of course, rooftop gardens are not perfect. They need planning, regular care, and safe access. Strong wind, heavy rain, and very hot weather can damage plants. Still, many city planners believe rooftop gardens will become more common in the future. As cities grow, green roofs may help people feel closer to nature without leaving the city.

What is the main idea of the passage?

Reading Comprehension Questions & Answers

All B1 reading questions for “City Rooftop Gardens – B1 Reading Practice (with Answers)”, each with the correct answer and a short explanation. Read the passage above, try the interactive exercises, then check your answers here.

Exercise 1: Reading Comprehension

1. What is the main idea of the passage?
- A. Rooftop gardens can improve city life in several ways. ✓
- B. Rooftop gardens are too expensive for most people.
- C. People should leave cities and move to the countryside.
- D. Only children can benefit from rooftop gardens.
Answer: Rooftop gardens can improve city life in several ways.
Correct. The whole passage describes the benefits, challenges and future of rooftop gardens. The other options are too narrow or negative: the text never says people should leave cities or that only children benefit.
2. Why can rooftop gardens reduce electricity use?
- A. They can make buildings cooler in summer. ✓
- B. They produce electricity from plants.
- C. They stop people from using computers.
- D. They make streets brighter at night.
Answer: They can make buildings cooler in summer.
Correct. Paragraph 2 says a roof covered with plants can keep a building cooler, so people may use less air conditioning. The passage never claims plants produce electricity.
3. What did residents worry about before the project began?
- A. The cost, the weight of the soil, and plant care. ✓
- B. The colour of the flowers.
- C. The number of children in the building.
- D. The lack of nearby restaurants.
Answer: The cost, the weight of the soil, and plant care.
Correct. These three worries are listed directly in paragraph 3. The colour of flowers and nearby restaurants are never mentioned as concerns.
4. What helped the project start?
- A. An engineer checked the roof and a business donated materials. ✓
- B. The city closed all nearby parks.
- C. The residents bought a new apartment building.
- D. A school moved onto the roof.
Answer: An engineer checked the roof and a business donated materials.
Correct. Paragraph 3 says the project began after an engineer checked the roof and a local business donated materials. The other options are not in the text.
5. What does the garden become for the residents?
- A. A small community. ✓
- B. A private restaurant.
- C. A dangerous workplace.
- D. A shopping centre.
Answer: A small community.
Correct. Paragraph 4 says the garden became more than a place for plants; it became a small community. The other options contradict the friendly, shared picture in the text.
6. Which challenge is mentioned in the final paragraph?
- A. Strong wind and heavy rain can damage plants. ✓
- B. Vegetables cannot grow in cities.
- C. People never visit rooftop gardens.
- D. Engineers do not understand roofs.
Answer: Strong wind and heavy rain can damage plants.
Correct. The final paragraph lists strong wind, heavy rain and very hot weather as problems. The passage actually shows vegetables growing and people visiting, so the other options are false.

Exercise 2: Vocabulary in Context

1. People who live in an apartment building are called _____.
- A. residents ✓
- B. engineers
- C. materials
- D. planners
Answer: residents
Residents are the people who live in a particular place.
2. Plants can help _____ heat on a roof.
- A. reduce ✓
- B. donate
- C. collect
- D. damage
Answer: reduce
To reduce means to make something smaller or less.
3. The project was started by a group of _____.
- A. volunteers ✓
- B. customers
- C. tourists
- D. drivers
Answer: volunteers
Volunteers work because they want to help, not because they are paid.

City Rooftop Gardens – B1 Reading Practice (with Answers)

What is the main idea of the passage?

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