Tom’s Sweet Surprise on Mother’s Day A2

This is a free A2 pre-intermediate level English reading lesson about Mother’s Day. It includes the reading and reading comprehension exercises in 4 different formats together with the answer keys and explanations.

True/False questions
Multiple choice questions
Short answer questions
Multiple choice cloze exercise

Tom’s Sweet Surprise on Mother’s Day

Tom woke up early. It was a special day. Today was Mother’s Day. He had a plan. He wanted to make his mom happy.

Tom went to the kitchen. He started to make breakfast. He could cook simple things. He made eggs and toast. He also made a cup of tea. It was his mom’s favorite.

Tom put everything on a tray. He added a small flower next to the plate. He took the tray to his mom’s room. He walked slowly and was careful.

When he opened the door, his mom was still sleeping. Tom said, ‘Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!’ His mom woke up. She saw the breakfast and smiled. ‘Thank you, Tom! This is so nice,’ she said. Tom felt happy. He made his mom’s day special.

Text Analysis

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CEFR Level Card

General Level: A2.0

Vocabulary: A1.5

Verb Form: A1.7

Clause: A1.3

Wordlist

careful ADJ A2 1

Definition (En):

exercising caution or showing care or attention
s. cautiously attentive
s. unhurried and with care and dignity
s. full of cares or anxiety

simple ADJ A2 1

Definition (En):

any herbaceous plant having medicinal properties
a. having few parts; not complex or complicated or involved
a. (botany) of leaf shapes; of leaves having no divisions or subdivisions
s. unornamented

slowly ADV A2 1

Definition (En):

without speed (`slow’ is sometimes used informally for `slowly’)

smile VERB A2 1

Definition (En):

a facial expression characterized by turning up the corners of the mouth; usually shows pleasure or amusement
v. change one’s facial expression by spreading the lips, often to signal pleasure
v. express with a smile

toast NOUN A2 1

Definition (En):

slices of bread that have been toasted
n. a celebrity who receives much acclaim and attention
v. propose a toast to

tray NOUN B2 2

Definition (En):

an open receptacle for holding or displaying or serving articles or food

Phrases and Idioms

Lemma	Sentences
wake up	· Tom woke up early. · His mom woke up.
cup of tea	· He also made a cup of tea.
go to (someone or something)	· Tom went to the kitchen.
next to	· He added a small flower next to the plate.
thank you	· ‘Thank you, Tom!

True / False

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True / False

Tom woke up late on Mother’s Day.

Tom’s plan was to make his mom sad.

Tom cooked breakfast for himself.

Eggs and toast are hard for Tom to cook.

His mom’s favorite is a cup of tea.

Tom added a small flower to make the tray prettier.

Tom was running with the tray to his mom’s room.

Tom’s mom was awake when he entered the room.

Tom’s mom was unhappy with the breakfast.

Tom made his mom’s day special by saying ‘Happy Mother’s Day’.

Multiple Choice

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Multiple Choice

1) What was Tom’s reason for waking up early?

a) Because he had a bad dream

b) Because it was Mother’s Day

c) Because he was hungry

d) Because he had to go to school

2) What did Tom want to do for his mom?

a) Buy her a gift

b) Clean the house

c) Make her happy with breakfast

d) Take her out for dinner

3) How did Tom make his mom feel?

a) Surprised

b) Sad

c) Angry

d) Happy

4) What did Tom add to the breakfast tray for a special touch?

a) A chocolate

b) A small flower

c) A gift card

d) A picture of them

5) Why did Tom walk slowly to his mom’s room?

a) He was still sleepy

b) He was trying to be careful

c) He was playing a game

d) He was looking for his mom

6) What was Tom’s reaction after his mom thanked him?

a) He felt sad

b) He felt angry

c) He felt happy

d) He felt surprised

7) What simple things could Tom cook?

a) Pancakes and juice

b) Eggs and toast

c) Cereal and milk

d) Sandwich and chips

Short Answer Questions

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Short Answer Questions

What did Tom do to make his mom happy?

What was special about the day?

What did Tom’s breakfast include?

What else did Tom make for his mom besides eggs and toast?

Why did Tom walk slowly to his mom’s room?

How did Tom’s mom feel when she saw the breakfast?

What did Tom say to his mom when he opened the door?

Multiple Choice Cloze

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Multiple Choice Cloze

Tom woke up ___1___. It was a ___2___ day. Today was Mother’s Day. He had a plan. He wanted to make his mom ___3___.

Tom went to the kitchen. He started to make ___4___. He could cook simple things. He made eggs and ___5___. He also made a cup of tea. It was ___6___ mom’s favorite.

Tom put everything on a tray. He added a ___7___ flower next to the plate. He took the tray to his mom’s room. He walked slowly and was careful.

When he opened the door, his mom was still sleeping. Tom said, ‘Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!’ His mom woke up. She saw the breakfast and smiled. ‘Thank you, Tom! This is so nice,’ she said. Tom felt happy. He made his mom’s day special.

A. early B. late C. quickly D. quietly

A. bright B. noisy C. special D. cold

A. sad B. proud C. happy D. sick

A. dinner B. lunch C. snacks D. breakfast

A. soup B. toast C. cake D. pasta

A. his B. her C. our D. their

A. big B. ugly C. small D. no

Answer Key

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True / False Answers

Answer: False

Explanation: Tom woke up early, not late.

Answer location: “Tom woke up early.”

Answer: False

Explanation: Tom wanted to make his mom happy, not sad.

Answer location: “He wanted to make his mom happy.”

Answer: False

Explanation: Tom cooked breakfast for his mom, not for himself.

Answer location: “He made eggs and toast. He also made a cup of tea. It was his mom’s favorite.”

Answer: False

Explanation: Eggs and toast are not hard for Tom to cook because he can cook simple things.

Answer location: “He could cook simple things.”

Answer: True

Explanation: The text states that a cup of tea is his mom’s favorite.

Answer location: “He also made a cup of tea. It was his mom’s favorite.”

Answer: True

Explanation: Tom did add a small flower to the tray, which is usually done to make things prettier.

Answer location: “He added a small flower next to the plate.”

Answer: False

Explanation: Tom was not running; he walked slowly and was careful.

Answer location: “He walked slowly and was careful.”

Answer: False

Explanation: Tom’s mom was still sleeping when he entered the room.

Answer location: “When he opened the door, his mom was still sleeping.”

Answer: False

Explanation: Tom’s mom was happy and thankful for the breakfast.

Answer location: “‘Thank you, Tom! This is so nice,’ she said.”

10.

Answer: True

Explanation: The text implies that Tom’s actions, including saying ‘Happy Mother’s Day’, made the day special for his mom.

Answer location: “Tom felt happy. He made his mom’s day special.”

Multiple Choice Answers

Answer: B

Explanation: The text states that Tom woke up early because it was a special day, Mother’s Day.

Answer location: “Today was Mother’s Day.”

Answer: C

Explanation: The text indicates that Tom’s plan for the special day was to make his mom happy.

Answer location: “He wanted to make his mom happy.”

Answer: D

Explanation: The text describes that Tom’s mom smiled and thanked him, indicating she was happy.

Answer location: “‘Thank you, Tom! This is so nice,’ she said.”

Answer: B

Explanation: The text mentions that Tom added a small flower to the tray, next to the plate.

Answer location: “He added a small flower next to the plate.”

Answer: B

Explanation: The text explains that Tom walked slowly and was careful, which implies he did not want to spill the breakfast.

Answer location: “He walked slowly and was careful.”

Answer: C

Explanation: The text concludes with Tom feeling happy because he succeeded in making his mom’s day special.

Answer location: “Tom felt happy. He made his mom’s day special.”

Answer: B

Explanation: According to the text, Tom could cook simple things like eggs and toast for breakfast.

Answer location: “He made eggs and toast.”

Short Answer Answers

Answer: He made breakfast.

Explanation: The text says Tom wanted to make his mom happy and then it describes him making breakfast.

Answer location: “Tom went to the kitchen. He started to make breakfast.”

Answer: It was mother’s day.

Explanation: The text indicates the day was special because it was Mother’s Day.

Answer location: “Today was Mother’s Day.”

Answer: Eggs and toast.

Explanation: The text lists that Tom made eggs and toast for breakfast.

Answer location: “He made eggs and toast.”

Answer: A cup of tea.

Explanation: The text tells us that in addition to eggs and toast, Tom also made a cup of tea.

Answer location: “He also made a cup of tea.”

Answer: He was careful.

Explanation: Tom walked slowly and was careful in order not to spill the breakfast he had prepared.

Answer location: “He walked slowly and was careful.”

Answer: She smiled.

Explanation: The text shows that Tom’s mother smiled when she saw the breakfast, indicating she was happy.

Answer location: “She saw the breakfast and smiled.”

Answer: Happy mother’s day, mom!

Explanation: The text directly quotes Tom’s greeting to his mom as ‘Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!’.

Answer location: “Tom said, ‘Happy Mother’s Day, Mom!'”

Multiple Choice Cloze Answers

Explanation: Early matches the context; Tom woke up before usual.

Explanation: Special indicates the day is not like others.

Explanation: Happy fits as Tom’s goal is positive.

Explanation: Breakfast is the first meal of the day.

Explanation: Toast is often paired with eggs for breakfast.

Explanation: Her refers to Tom’s mom.

Explanation: Small describes the size of the flower appropriately.

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Tom’s Sweet Surprise on Mother’s Day | A2