AP® Chinese Reading Practice: 35 Questions in the 2027 Exam Format, with Answers

By the end you can

• Know how the 2027 AP® Chinese reading section works. 30 questions in six sets of five, in 40 minutes, so about 6 minutes a set. Read the five questions first, then the text, and scan for the part each question asks about.
  这篇文章主要说什么？ · Zhè piān wénzhāng zhǔyào shuō shénme? · What is this text mainly about?
• Tell the paraphrase from the trap. The right option usually gives the text's idea in other words, while a wrong one copies a word from the text and changes its meaning. The key explains why each wrong option is wrong.
  她每天下课以后都去咖啡馆打工。 · Tā měi tiān xià kè yǐhòu dōu qù kāfēiguǎn dǎgōng. · Every day after class she goes to her part-time job at a café.
• Read an article, and an article with a table. A library that lends tents and tool boxes, where the real point comes after 可是, and a survey on phones after nine at night, where you work with two numbers from the table.
• Work out why an email was written and what it asks. Mrs Wang's email to Emma before her stay in Chengdu changes the airport plan, gives advice on clothes and asks a question about food. Questions ask for its purpose and its tone.
  作者为什么写这封信？ · Zuòzhě wèishénme xiě zhè fēng xìn? · Why did the writer write this letter?
• Follow feelings in a story and details in a flyer. A short story about a delivery rider and an umbrella, where 原来 and 却 carry the meaning, and a flyer for an old phone collection day that asks who can do what, when and where.
• Spot the signpost words for contrast, cause, purpose and opinion. One reference page with 虽然……但是……, 不是……而是……, 由于, 为了, 对……来说 and 总的来说. A why question sends you to 因为 or 由于, and a question about a view to 我认为.
  我同意，因为很有道理。 · Wǒ tóngyì, yīnwèi hěn yǒu dàoli. · I agree, because it makes sense.
• Sum up a text aloud in 40 seconds. Two mixed sets, a blog post on winter customs after a move and a news report on teens teaching older people to use phones, then a summary in four steps: the topic, the problem, what they did and the result.
  我在第二段找到了答案。 · Wǒ zài dì-èr duàn zhǎodào le dá'àn. · I found the answer in the second paragraph.

What’s inside

• The section: The AP® Reading Section
• Set 1: Set 1: A Library That Lends More
• Set 2: Set 2: Phones After Nine
• Set 3: Set 3: An Email from a Host Family
• Set 4: Set 4: The Umbrella
• Set 5: Set 5: Old Phone Recycling Day
• More sets: Mixed Set 1: Two Hometowns · Mixed Set 2: Teens Teach Phones
• Words: Signpost Words for Reading
• Review: Sum It Up in 40 Seconds
• Plan: A 6-Week Reading Plan

How to use this book

One set for each of the five set types, two mixed sets on other course units, signpost words, a review and a plan. Give each set 6 minutes, check with the key and read every explanation, then read the text aloud with the free audio.

1. Before you start: Learn the six sets. Page 3: how the section works and how a right option says the text's idea in other words. Say its three lines with the audio.
2. Week 1: Sets 1 and 2. 6 minutes each. Check with the key and read every explanation, even for the questions you got right.
3. Week 2: Sets 3 and 4. Copy five new words from each text and read both texts aloud with the audio.
4. Week 3: Set 5 and Mixed Set 1. Learn the signpost words on page 11 and circle every one in the text before you answer.
5. Week 4: Mixed Set 2 and a redo. Do Mixed Set 2, then redo your two weakest sets on a new sheet.
6. Weeks 5 and 6: Short texts, then a timed run. One short Chinese text a day, summed up aloud in 40 seconds, then the 12-minute timed run on page 12 before exam day on 13 May 2027.

Who it’s for

Students preparing for the reading section of the AP® Chinese Language and Culture exam in the 2027 format, and teachers who want timed reading sets with explained answers for class.

Before you start: Chinese at about HSK 3-4. The texts are in simplified characters, with questions and options in English. Every text is on the free audio, and the key at the back explains every answer.

Frequently asked questions

How many questions are there, and what format are they in?

35 multiple-choice questions with options A to D, five for each set. The book follows the published structure of the 2027 AP® Chinese reading section: article, article and chart, correspondence, literary text and promotional material. SayMei wrote every text and question.

Does it use simplified or traditional characters?

The book prints simplified characters. On exam day you can switch the texts between simplified and traditional on screen, so choose the one you read best before you start.

Are the answers explained?

Yes. The key at the back gives each answer with the line from the text that holds it, and often says why a wrong option is a trap, for example when it copies a word from the text.

Is this workbook free?

Yes. The whole 17-page PDF is free, and you can look through its pages here before you download. There's no card and nothing to pay.

Do I need a SayMei account?

Yes, to download the PDF, and the account is free: sign up with Google, Apple or your email address. With it we email you a copy of the workbook, keep every workbook you download on your account on all your devices, save your place in the free online practice, and you can practise speaking with Mei Lin, SayMei's AI tutor.

How do I print it?

The PDF is US Letter size. On A4 paper, choose "Fit to page" (or "Scale to fit") in the print dialog so nothing is cut off. Print the whole workbook or only the pages you need; colour looks best, and black and white works too.

Can I print copies for my class?

Yes. Print as many copies as you like for your own class or family. To share it, send this page: everyone can download their own copy.

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