Read the passage carefully before attempting Exercise 1 (Multiple Choice) and Exercise 2 (Fill in the blanks dropdown) below.
Priya had been checking her phone all morning. It was only 7:45 a.m., but she was already standing outside the glass doors of Meridian Communications in central Bristol, wearing her smartest jacket and holding a coffee she was too nervous to drink. This was her first day as a junior marketing assistant, and she had absolutely no idea what to expect.
The first morning passed quickly. Her manager, a calm woman called Diane, introduced her to the rest of the team and showed her around the open-plan office. Everyone seemed friendly enough, although Priya noticed that most people were already focused on their screens and barely looked up. She was given a desk near the window, a company laptop, and a thick folder of documents that she had to read before the end of the week. Before the end of the week? She silently counted the pages. There were over two hundred of them.
By Wednesday, things were starting to feel a little more manageable. A colleague called Roshan, who sat opposite her, had been showing her how the internal software worked. He was patient and explained things clearly, which Priya really appreciated. She had also started to learn the unwritten rules of the office — for example, that the kitchen coffee machine was strictly first-come, first-served, and that nobody spoke loudly before 9 a.m.
However, the biggest challenge came on Thursday afternoon, when Diane asked Priya to present her ideas for a new social media campaign at the following week’s team meeting. Priya felt her stomach drop. Public speaking was something she had always found difficult. That evening, she spent two hours preparing her notes and practising in front of her bedroom mirror. If she prepared well enough, she told herself, she would feel much more confident on the day.
By Friday afternoon, Priya wasn’t the same person who had stood nervously outside those glass doors just five days earlier. She still had a lot to learn, but she was beginning to feel that she genuinely belonged there. Sometimes, she thought, the hardest part of something new is simply getting through the first week.
Exercise 1
Read the passage about starting a new job carefully, then answer each question by choosing the correct option based on the information in the text.
Example: How did Maria feel on her first day at the company?
Answer: She felt nervous but excited.
Starting a New Job
Starting a new job can feel both exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time. Will your colleagues be friendly? Will you understand what is expected of you? Before you read, think about these two questions: Have you ever started a new job or joined a new school or club? How did you feel on your first day? As you read, pay attention to how Priya deals with the challenges of her first week at work.
Reading Passage: The First Week
Priya had been checking her phone all morning. It was only 7:45 a.m., but she was already standing outside the glass doors of Meridian Communications in central Bristol, wearing her smartest jacket and holding a coffee she was too nervous to drink. This was her first day as a junior marketing assistant, and she had absolutely no idea what to expect.
The first morning passed quickly. Her manager, a calm woman called Diane, introduced her to the rest of the team and showed her around the open-plan office. Everyone seemed friendly enough, although Priya noticed that most people were already focused on their screens and barely looked up. She was given a desk near the window, a company laptop, and a thick folder of documents that she had to read before the end of the week. Before the end of the week? She silently counted the pages. There were over two hundred of them.
By Wednesday, things were starting to feel a little more manageable. A colleague called Roshan, who sat opposite her, had been showing her how the internal software worked. He was patient and explained things clearly, which Priya really appreciated. She had also started to learn the unwritten rules of the office — for example, that the kitchen coffee machine was strictly first-come, first-served, and that nobody spoke loudly before 9 a.m.
However, the biggest challenge came on Thursday afternoon, when Diane asked Priya to present her ideas for a new social media campaign at the following week's team meeting. Priya felt her stomach drop. Public speaking was something she had always found difficult. That evening, she spent two hours preparing her notes and practising in front of her bedroom mirror. If she prepared well enough, she told herself, she would feel much more confident on the day.
By Friday afternoon, Priya wasn't the same person who had stood nervously outside those glass doors just five days earlier. She still had a lot to learn, but she was beginning to feel that she genuinely belonged there. Sometimes, she thought, the hardest part of something new is simply getting through the first week.
Key Vocabulary in Context
| Word / Phrase | Part of Speech | Definition | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| nerve-wracking | adjective | making you feel very anxious or worried | Giving a presentation in front of a large group can be really nerve-wracking. |
| open-plan office | noun phrase | a large workspace without walls or dividers between desks | She preferred the open-plan office because she could easily talk to her colleagues. |
| manageable | adjective | possible to deal with or control without too much difficulty | The workload seemed heavy at first, but it soon became more manageable. |
| internal software | noun phrase | computer programmes used only within a particular company | New employees usually need training on the company's internal software. |
| unwritten rules | noun phrase | social rules that are understood but not officially stated | Every office has unwritten rules that you only learn by observing other people. |
| campaign | noun | a planned series of actions to achieve a particular goal, often in marketing or advertising | The marketing team launched a successful campaign to promote the new product. |
| appreciated | verb (past simple) | felt grateful for something or someone | She really appreciated the help her new colleagues gave her during her first week. |
| genuinely | adverb | in a way that is real and sincere, not false or pretended | He genuinely enjoyed his work and looked forward to coming to the office each day. |
Reading Strategies & Comprehension Tips
Skimming for the Main Idea
Read the first and last sentences of each paragraph quickly. This will help you understand the overall story without reading every word. Ask yourself: What is this passage mainly about? It is about Priya's emotional journey during her first week at a new job — not simply a list of events.
Scanning for Specific Details
If a question asks for a specific fact — such as what Priya was asked to do on Thursday, or what Roshan helped her with — scan the text quickly for key words like names, days of the week, and numbers. These are strong clues that will take you directly to the correct part of the passage.
Understanding Implied Meaning (Inference)
Not every piece of information is stated directly. For example, the passage does not say that Priya was shy or lacked confidence, but details like "Public speaking was something she had always found difficult" and the image of her practising in front of a mirror allow you to infer this. Look for small details that suggest feelings or character traits.
Tracking Change Over Time
This passage follows Priya across an entire week. Pay attention to time words such as first morning, by Wednesday, Thursday afternoon, and by Friday afternoon. These signal important changes in how she feels and how she is coping, which is central to understanding the passage.
Common Reading Pitfalls & Traps
Confusing Facts with Feelings
Some questions may ask how Priya felt at a particular moment, while others ask what she did. Be careful not to mix these up. For example, she felt nervous on Monday morning, but she prepared her notes on Thursday evening. These are two different types of information.
Misreading Degree of Certainty
The passage uses phrases like "everyone seemed friendly enough" and "barely looked up." These suggest that people were not unfriendly, but they were also not especially warm. Do not assume colleagues were either very welcoming or rude — the reality is somewhere in between.
The Conditional Trap
The sentence "If she prepared well enough, she told herself, she would feel much more confident on the day" describes what Priya believed would happen — it does not tell us what actually happened at the meeting. Be careful not to treat a conditional sentence as a confirmed fact.
Assumptions About the Ending
The passage ends positively, but it does not say Priya's presentation was a success or that all her problems were solved. It says she was beginning to feel she belonged. Avoid choosing answers that suggest complete success or a perfect outcome — the ending is hopeful, but realistic.
Quick Summary
In this passage, we follow Priya through her first week at a new marketing job in Bristol. We see her move from anxiety and uncertainty on Monday to a growing sense of confidence and belonging by Friday. Key themes include adapting to a new workplace, learning from colleagues, and overcoming personal challenges such as public speaking. The passage uses a realistic first-person-close narrative that tracks both events and emotions across several days.
Now read the passage carefully and complete Exercise 1 (Multiple Choice) and Exercise 2 (Fill-in-the-gap dropdown) below.
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