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Duolingo English Test interactive reading practice

B2Reading & Writing40 questionsUpdated

Interactive reading gives you one passage and then asks several different things about it: a word-level gap-fill, comprehension questions, completing an idea and choosing a title. The Duolingo English Test builds this as a sequence, so the way you read the passage the first time decides how the whole set goes.

What this task tests

  • Reading for gist and for detail in the same pass, under time pressure.
  • Identifying the main idea of a paragraph as distinct from a supporting detail.
  • Word-level accuracy: prepositions, collocations and linking words inside the passage.
  • Distinguishing what the passage states from what it merely suggests.
  • Summarising: choosing a title that covers the whole passage, not one paragraph of it.
  • Whether you can complete an idea in a way that fits both the grammar and the argument.
  • Recognising the function of a sentence: is it a claim, an example or a concession?
  • Handling academic register — passive verbs, nominalisation and hedged statements.
  • Time management across a set of questions on a single text.
  • Holding an argument in memory well enough to answer without rereading.

How to do it

  1. Step 1:

    Read once, properly, before answering

    Resist the urge to hunt for answers. One careful read of a short passage costs about thirty seconds and makes every later question faster, because you already know where each idea sits.

  2. Step 2:

    Name the main idea in your head in six words

    Before the first question, say the passage back to yourself: ‘library hours up, borrowing flat’. That sentence answers the title question in advance and stops you choosing a title based on one striking detail.

  3. Step 3:

    For gap-fills, read past the gap to the punctuation

    Most missing words are prepositions, linkers or parts of a fixed phrase. The word that follows the gap decides the answer more often than the word before it does.

  4. Step 4:

    Answer comprehension from the text, not from what you know

    If a statement is true in the world but not supported by the passage, it is wrong here. Point at the line that proves your choice before you commit to it.

  5. Step 5:

    Leave the title until last, even if it appears first

    A title is a summary judgement. Once you have worked through the detail questions you understand the passage better, so answer the specific questions first where the order allows.

  6. Step 6:

    Watch the hedges in the passage

    ‘May’, ‘tends to’, ‘in some cases’ and ‘broadly’ are load-bearing. An option that turns a hedged claim into an absolute one is wrong, however closely its words match the text.

  7. Step 7:

    Track the function of each paragraph

    Label them silently: claim, evidence, objection, response. Four labels give you the shape of the argument, which is what idea-completion and title questions are really asking about.

  8. Step 8:

    For idea completion, finish the sentence in your head first

    Decide what the sentence needs before you read the options. Reading options first invites you to be persuaded by whichever one sounds most academic.

  9. Step 9:

    Use numbers and names as anchors

    Dates, percentages and proper nouns are the fastest things to find again. Note roughly where each one sits on the first read, and the detail questions become a one-second scan.

Mistakes that cost marks

  • Not thisChoosing a title that matches the most interesting sentence.

    ThisChoosing a title that covers every paragraph.

    A title that fits only one paragraph is a distractor by design. Test each option against the first and last paragraphs.

  • Not thisThe report draws attention **on** a gap in the research.

    ThisThe report draws attention to a gap in the research.

    ‘Draw attention to’ is fixed. Passage gap-fills lean heavily on these fixed prepositions, so learn them as whole phrases.

  • Not thisSelecting an answer because it sounds sensible.

    ThisSelecting the answer the passage actually supports.

    Distractors are usually true-sounding statements the passage never makes. The test is reading comprehension, not general knowledge.

  • Not thisRereading the passage from the start for every question.

    ThisReading once carefully, then going back only to the relevant line.

    Repeated full rereads are the main reason candidates run out of time on this task.

  • Not thisReading ‘the scheme may reduce costs’ as ‘the scheme reduces costs’.

    ThisKeeping the hedge: the passage says it might.

    Turning a possibility into a fact is the most common comprehension error at B2, and distractors are written to catch exactly that.

  • Not thisThe study **refers on** three earlier trials.

    ThisThe study refers to three earlier trials.

    Verb plus preposition pairs are fixed: refer to, insist on, result in, benefit from. Learn the pair, never the verb alone.

  • Not thisChoosing the option with the most words copied from the passage.

    ThisChoosing the option that expresses the passage’s meaning, often in different words.

    Word overlap is a trap. A correct answer is usually a paraphrase, and the closest verbal match is frequently the distractor.

Language this task keeps reusing

draw attention to
to make people notice something
depend on
to be decided or affected by something
consistent with
in agreement with; not contradicting
differ from
to be unlike something else
be aware of
to know that something exists
responsible for
having the duty to deal with something
nevertheless
in spite of that; signals contrast
broadly
generally, with some exceptions
supporting detail
a fact or example that backs up the main idea
imply
to suggest something without stating it directly
refer to
to mention or point at something
insist on
to demand something firmly
result in
to cause; to have as a consequence
namely
that is to say; introduces the specific thing meant
be concerned with
to be about a particular subject
paraphrase
the same meaning expressed in different words

Practice: interactive reading

40 original questions. The first 10 are open to everyone. Answers are checked in your browser and never sent to us, so you can share this page with a class as it is.

1Complete the sentence with one word.

The authors draw attention a gap in the existing research.
Passage: ‘The library extended its opening hours last autumn. Visits rose by a fifth, although borrowing stayed flat.’ Which statement does the passage support?

3Complete the sentence with one word.

Her whole argument depends one unusual assumption.
Decide whether each statement about interactive reading is true.
  • Several different question types are asked about the same passage.
  • A statement that is true in general is correct even if the passage does not support it.
  • One careful first read makes the later questions faster.
3 to go

5Complete the sentence with one word.

These findings are consistent earlier work on the same species.
Passage: ‘The scheme was broadly successful, though two of the six sites reported delays.’ Which paraphrase is closest?

7Complete the sentence with one word.

This result differs the one reported last year.

8A four-paragraph passage describes a city’s new cycle lanes, the fall in car journeys, the complaints from shopkeepers and the council’s decision to extend the scheme. Write a six-word summary you could use to choose a title.

A title option matches the third paragraph exactly but ignores the first two. What should you do?

10Complete the sentence with one word.

Researchers have long been aware the problem, but funding has been scarce.

Keep going

30 more questions on this page

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Frequently asked questions

How long should the first read take?

About thirty seconds for a short passage. That is time well spent: candidates who skip it end up reading the passage three or four times in fragments and run short at the end.

Are the questions always in the same order?

The set varies, but you can expect a mix of word-level and whole-passage work on the same text. Treat the passage as one job and the questions as the second job.

What makes a title option wrong?

Usually it is too narrow: it names one paragraph or one detail. Occasionally it is too broad, naming a topic the passage only touches. Check it against the opening and closing paragraphs.

Why do so many wrong options use words straight from the passage?

Because verbal overlap feels like proof. The test rewards understanding, so correct options are usually paraphrases. Treat heavy word-matching as a warning, not a confirmation.

How do I handle idea completion questions?

Finish the sentence yourself before looking at the options, then find the option closest to what you produced. It takes three seconds and stops you being persuaded by whichever option sounds most academic.

Can I take notes during the test?

Check the current rules on the official site before test day, because note-taking and what you may have on your desk are governed by the proctoring conditions. Practise without notes so you are not relying on them.