Ôn thi tốt nghiệp THPT môn Tiếng Anh: Đề số 21 năm 2026 có đáp án chi tiết

This practice test was prepared for revision and is not an official examination paper.

English Graduation Practice Test – Test 21

Suggested time: 50 minutes. Questions: 40 multiple-choice items. Choose one answer, A, B, C or D, for each item.

Format reference: the Ministry of Education and Training’s 2025 graduation exam format for English uses 40 multiple-choice items and a 50-minute duration. This practice paper is not an official exam. Official format notice.

Questions 1–6. Read the notice and choose the best option for each blank.

Schoolyard Tree Survey
The geography club is mapping trees around the school. Volunteers should (1) ______ their names to the sign-up sheet by Monday. On Wednesday, each pair will mark tree locations (2) ______ a printed plan. If a label is missing, tell the teacher (3) ______ trying to guess the tree’s name. Please ask the caretaker (4) ______ moving any marker. The class will share its map and method (5) ______ on the school noticeboard. Keep your field (6) ______ from the original map so that the records can be checked later.

1. 1. A. receive   B. raise   C. collect   D. add
2. 2. A. on   B. at   C. by   D. through
3. 3. A. because of   B. despite   C. instead of   D. during
4. 4. A. while   B. before   C. unless   D. although
5. 5. A. private   B. privately   C. privacy   D. publicly
6. 6. A. separate   B. separately   C. separation   D. separating

Questions 7–12. Choose the best option.

1. 7. “The label on this tree is too faded to read.”
   A. The map is in the office.   B. I have two notebooks.   C. Let’s note its location and ask the caretaker to identify it.   D. The survey ends next week.
2. 8. Arrange the sentences to make a coherent email. (a) Could you explain how we should mark trees beside the boundary? (b) Dear Mr Pham, (c) Our class is preparing a map of the schoolyard. (d) We want to follow the site plan accurately. (e) Kind regards, An
   A. c–b–a–d–e   B. b–c–a–d–e   C. b–a–d–e–c   D. a–b–c–e–d
3. 9. The team repeated the measurement to make sure that one unusual reading was not a ______.
   A. routine   B. location   C. method   D. mistake
4. 10. The list of tree names, together with the map, ______ in the project folder.
   A. is   B. are   C. have been   D. were
5. 11. The students used the same measuring tape ______ the results would be easier to compare.
   A. whereas   B. unless   C. so that   D. despite
6. 12. “We have only checked the western side of the school.”
   A. Then every tree in town has been recorded.   B. Let’s state the area covered in our report.   C. The trees are all the same height.   D. We should remove the map.

Questions 13–20. Choose the best option to complete each sentence.

1. 13. The group took clear photographs to make later ______ easier.
   A. identify   B. identifying   C. identified   D. identification
2. 14. By the time the rain started, the class ______ the first section of the path.
   A. had mapped   B. maps   C. has mapped   D. will map
3. 15. This path is ______ than the one beside the sports hall.
   A. narrow   B. narrowest   C. narrower   D. more narrowest
4. 16. A volunteer ______ recorded the tree’s position also wrote down its label number.
   A. where   B. who   C. which   D. whose it
5. 17. “Observe” is closest in meaning to ______ in the sentence “Students observed the site before drawing the map.”
   A. forget   B. borrow   C. replace   D. watch carefully
6. 18. The map should be updated ______ a new tree is planted.
   A. whenever   B. because of   C. in spite of   D. even though
7. 19. Choose the sentence closest in meaning to: “The class did not measure every tree.”
   A. Every tree was measured by the class.   B. The class has measured every tree.   C. Some trees were not measured by the class.   D. No tree could be measured.
8. 20. The teacher asked the students ______ their working sheets with the map.
   A. compare   B. to compare   C. comparing   D. compared

Questions 21–26. Read the passage and choose the best option for each blank.

The geography club chose four points along a path and recorded how much shade each point had at two times of day. The students marked the locations (21) ______ a simple plan and used the same description scale at both visits. Each observation was (22) ______ with the date and time, because shade can change as the sun moves. The club did not assume that a tree caused every cool patch; a nearby building could also block sunlight. To make the comparison fair, the group returned on another day with similar weather and tried (23) ______ the same positions. The report explains the method (24) ______ readers can judge what the small survey shows. It calls the results a useful starting point, not a complete account of every part of the school. Keeping these limits clear makes the summary more (25) ______. The students plan to repeat the survey next term (26) ______ changes over time.

1. 21. A. on   B. from   C. between   D. among
2. 22. A. record   B. recording   C. recorded   D. records
3. 23. A. measure   B. measured   C. measures   D. to measure
4. 24. A. unless   B. so that   C. whereas   D. despite
5. 25. A. reliable   B. reliability   C. reliably   D. rely
6. 26. A. comparing   B. compare   C. to compare   D. compared

Questions 27–32. Read the passage and answer the questions.

Students at Hoa Binh High School wanted to find out whether the new courtyard benches were comfortable in hot weather. Their first idea was to ask classmates to rate the benches at the end of the day. The science teacher pointed out that students who stayed late might use the courtyard differently from those who left after lessons. The group revised its plan and invited pupils from several year groups to take part during lunch.

They asked each participant to choose a seat and rate its comfort from one to five. A student also recorded whether the seat was in sun or shade at that time. The group did not tell participants which bench the school planned to replace, because that information might affect their ratings. After collecting the forms, the students compared responses by seat and by shade condition.

The shaded benches received higher ratings in this small survey. The class reported that result but did not claim that shade alone explained the difference. The benches also differed in age and distance from the canteen. The students recommended that the school gather more responses before making a final decision.

1. 27. Why did the group change its first plan?
   A. The teacher wanted the class to stop the project.   B. Students who stayed late might not represent all courtyard users.   C. The benches could not be found at lunchtime.   D. The school had already replaced every seat.
2. 28. What did the group record in addition to each comfort rating?
   A. The participant’s home address.   B. The age of every participant.   C. The price of each bench.   D. Whether the seat was in sun or shade.
3. 29. Why did the group not tell participants which bench might be replaced?
   A. To reduce the chance that this information would influence ratings.   B. To make the questionnaire longer.   C. To hide the number of seats.   D. To prevent the teacher from seeing the results.
4. 30. Which conclusion did the students report?
   A. Shade was the only factor that affected comfort.   B. Every student preferred the same bench.   C. Shaded benches received higher ratings in this small survey.   D. The school should remove all benches near the canteen.
5. 31. What other factors differed among the benches?
   A. Their colour and the number of students.   B. Their age and distance from the canteen.   C. Their owners and opening hours.   D. Their price and classroom location.
6. 32. What did the class recommend?
   A. Decide immediately without collecting more opinions.   B. Ask only students who stay late.   C. Tell participants which result the school prefers.   D. Gather more responses before making the final decision.

Questions 33–40. Read the passage and answer the questions.

A youth group in Nam Son is helping residents map places where rainwater collects after heavy showers. Volunteers walk along selected streets and mark locations on a shared digital map. They record the date, approximate size of the puddle and whether the drain nearby appears blocked. A photograph may be added, but the group avoids including people’s faces or house numbers.

The map is intended to help the neighbourhood describe what volunteers observed and decide which locations to discuss with local maintenance staff. It is not an engineering inspection. A puddle can form for several reasons, and a single visit cannot show how often a place floods. The group therefore asks volunteers to report what they saw rather than diagnose the cause.

After the first month, the group noticed that most marks came from two streets. One member suggested that those streets had the worst drainage. Another pointed out that the volunteers had walked there more often because the route started near their youth centre. They added the number of visits to the map notes and planned to cover more streets before comparing locations.

The project has prompted residents to share observations, but the group says its map represents the places volunteers have visited so far. It hopes the clearer record will help people ask more precise questions at the next neighbourhood meeting.

1. 33. What information do volunteers record?
   A. The cost of repairing each drain.   B. The names of all residents on the street.   C. The date, puddle size and apparent condition of a nearby drain.   D. A technical diagnosis for every location.
2. 34. Why does the group avoid including faces or house numbers in photographs?
   A. To avoid identifying people or homes unnecessarily.   B. To make the puddles look larger.   C. To prevent maintenance staff from using the map.   D. To keep the date off the record.
3. 35. Why can one visit not show how often a place floods?
   A. The map has too many street names.   B. Volunteers cannot take photographs.   C. Every drain is checked by an engineer.   D. A single observation gives no record of frequency over time.
4. 36. What alternative explanation was offered for the two streets having more marks?
   A. They had no drains.   B. Volunteers visited them more often because they were near the starting point.   C. The puddles were always larger there.   D. Maintenance staff had closed the other streets.
5. 37. What change did the group make to its notes?
   A. It removed the dates of all visits.   B. It replaced observations with diagnoses.   C. It added the number of visits to each area.   D. It deleted the streets near the centre.
6. 38. The word “selected” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ______.
   A. chosen   B. flooded   C. repaired   D. hidden
7. 39. What does the group hope the map will help residents do?
   A. Prove the cause of every puddle.   B. Replace all local maintenance work.   C. Avoid future neighbourhood meetings.   D. Ask more precise questions using a clearer record.
8. 40. Which statement best expresses the main point?
   A. A digital map can diagnose drainage problems after one visit.   B. A community map records observations, but its coverage and limits matter.   C. Volunteers should record every house number.   D. The two most-visited streets always have the worst drainage.

Answer key and explanations

1. 1. D. “Add your name to the sign-up sheet” is the usual expression for registering.
2. 2. A. Locations are marked “on” a printed plan.
3. 3. C. “Instead of trying to guess” means report the missing label rather than guess.
4. 4. B. The caretaker should be asked before a marker is moved.
5. 5. D. The map and method are to be shared openly on the noticeboard, so “publicly” fits.
6. 6. A. “Keep your field notes separate from” the original map is the correct adjective pattern.
7. 7. C. Noting the location and asking the caretaker is a practical response to an unreadable label.
8. 8. B. The email follows the order greeting, context, request, reason and closing.
9. 9. D. Repeating a measurement can help determine whether an unusual reading was a mistake.
10. 10. A. The subject is the singular noun “list”; the phrase “together with the map” does not change the verb agreement.
11. 11. C. One measuring tape keeps the results comparable across students.
12. 12. B. Stating the surveyed area prevents readers from assuming the map covers the whole school.
13. 13. D. The noun “identification” follows “make later.”
14. 14. A. The mapping was completed before the rain started, so the past perfect is appropriate.
15. 15. C. “Narrower than” is the comparative form used to compare two paths.
16. 16. B. “Who” refers to a person and introduces the clause describing the volunteer.
17. 17. D. In this context, “observe” means watch or examine carefully.
18. 18. A. “Whenever” means each time a new tree is planted.
19. 19. C. If the class did not measure every tree, some trees were not measured by the class.
20. 20. B. “Ask someone to do something” takes a to-infinitive: “asked the students to compare.”
21. 21. A. “On a plan” is the preposition used for marking locations on a map or diagram.
22. 22. C. The observation “was recorded” with its date and time, so the passive past participle is required.
23. 23. D. After “tried,” the to-infinitive expresses the group’s attempt to measure the same positions.
24. 24. B. The method is explained so that readers can judge the scope of the findings.
25. 25. A. “Reliable” is an adjective describing the summary.
26. 26. C. “Plan to repeat” is followed by the to-infinitive “to compare.”
27. 27. B. The teacher noted that late-staying pupils might differ from pupils who left after lessons.
28. 28. D. The students recorded whether each seat was in sun or shade.
29. 29. A. Withholding the planned replacement information reduced the risk that it would affect ratings.
30. 30. C. The reported result was that shaded benches scored higher in this limited survey.
31. 31. B. The passage names age and distance from the canteen as differences among benches.
32. 32. D. The class recommended collecting additional responses before a final decision.
33. 33. C. Volunteers record the date, approximate puddle size and whether a nearby drain seems blocked.
34. 34. A. Leaving out faces and house numbers avoids identifying people or homes unnecessarily.
35. 35. D. Frequency requires observations over time; one visit records only one occasion.
36. 36. B. The route began near the youth centre, so those streets may have been visited more often.
37. 37. C. The group added visit counts to make differences in coverage visible.
38. 38. A. “Selected streets” are streets that were chosen.
39. 39. D. The group hopes the record will help residents raise more precise questions at a meeting.
40. 40. B. The passage explains both what the community map records and why its coverage must be considered.