Skip to main content
Trace Learn

Year 4 comprehension: The library key

Read this fiction passage, then answer six questions about details, word meanings, inferences and purpose.

Before you read

Read once for the main idea, then look back for details. You can use the passage while answering.

The library key

When Amira stepped into the village library, a handwritten sign hung on the reading-room door: CLOSED UNTIL THE KEY IS FOUND. Mr Cole was searching beneath the desk nearby. The reading club was due to start in ten minutes.

Amira remembered seeing him water the plants outside. She checked the watering can, but it held only a little water. Beside it lay his gardening gloves. One glove had a strange lump near the fingertips.

“May I look inside?” she asked. Mr Cole nodded. The key slipped onto her palm.

“I put it there to keep it safe,” he said. “Then I forgot where safe was!”

Amira unlocked the reading-room door while he put the gloves away. Soon, three children hurried in with books under their arms. Mr Cole placed a small bowl beside the desk and dropped the key into it. Before the reading club began, he wrote one word on the bowl: KEYS.

Print this passage

Download the original passage, six questions and a separate answer section. The PDF includes links back to this page and the free diagnostic.

Download The library key PDF

Practise reading

Check your understanding

6 questions. Keep the passage open above and look back for evidence. This practice score stays on this page until you leave or restart. It is not an exam grade or a saved assessment.

Read all questions and answers

  1. 1. When was the reading club due to start?

    • A. In ten minutes
    • B. In an hour
    • C. The next morning
    • D. At the weekend
    Show answer 1

    In ten minutes: The first paragraph says the club was due to start in ten minutes.

  2. 2. Where did Amira find the key?

    • A. Inside a gardening glove
    • B. On the door
    • C. Under the desk
    • D. Inside the watering can
    Show answer 2

    Inside a gardening glove: The lump was in a glove, and the key slipped out when Amira looked inside.

  3. 3. Why did Amira check near the plants?

    • A. She remembered Mr Cole watering them
    • B. The sign told her to look there
    • C. A child had hidden the key there
    • D. She wanted to borrow a gardening book
    Show answer 3

    She remembered Mr Cole watering them: Her memory of Mr Cole watering the plants gave her a reason to search that area.

  4. 4. What does “lump” mean here?

    • A. A hole in the material
    • B. A raised part caused by something inside
    • C. A wet patch
    • D. A label sewn onto the glove
    Show answer 4

    A raised part caused by something inside: The key made the glove bulge near its fingertips.

  5. 5. Why did Mr Cole label the bowl?

    • A. To remind children to water the plants
    • B. To collect coins for new books
    • C. To make a clear place for the key
    • D. To store his gloves
    Show answer 5

    To make a clear place for the key: The labelled bowl gives the key an obvious home after he forgot his earlier hiding place.

  6. 6. Which sentence best sums up the story?

    • A. Children build a new library
    • B. A library closes because nobody wants to read
    • C. A child uses a remembered detail to find a missing key
    • D. A gardener loses all his tools
    Show answer 6

    A child uses a remembered detail to find a missing key: Amira connects her memory with the search and finds the key so the club can begin.

Explore comprehension skills

An original passage written for Trace Learn. Authored 2026-09-30. These are teaching questions, not a school entrance paper.

Questions parents ask

Does this practice save a score?

No. Answers are checked on this page. They are not sent to an assessment service or saved to a learner profile. Restarting or leaving clears the practice score.

Should I look back at the passage?

Yes. Find the words that support your answer. For an inference, explain how the details suggest your idea.

Choose what to practise next

Try the free diagnostic for a first look at strengths and gaps across the four 11+ subjects.

Start free diagnostic