ASSORTED PRACTICE TEST 1

PART I: PHONETICS
a. Choose the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from that of the others.
1. A. blubber B. blurt C. crud D.
juxtaposition
2. A. paranoia B. saffron C. travail D. papist
3. A. unwonted B. trampoline C. trinitrotoluene D. trousseau
b. Choose the word whose main stressed syllable is placed differently from that of the others.
4. A. overnight B. outpatient C. overarm D. outplacement
5. A. volcano B. dynamo C. concerto D. tornado

PART II: LEXICO-GRAMMAR

a. Choose the best answer A, B, C, or D.
1. The police ________________ off the street where the bomb had gone off.
A. Cordoned B. Battened C. Fastened D. Shuttered
2. The hooligan _________the money out of my hand and ran away.
A. Snatched B. Gripped C. Clutched D. Withdrew
3. The tutorial system at Oxford and Cambridge is the_______ of many universities.
A. sorrow B. jealousy C. regret D. envy
4. Having planned our weekends to watch football, we found the news of the home team’s players’ strike
most ____________.
A. disconcerting B. refreshing C. activating D. debilitating
5. The puppy was..................so much I nearly dropped him.
A. sniggering B. wriggling C. chuckling D. giggling
6. The walls of your bathroom were wet with _________ after my shower so I opened the window.
A. vapour B. condensation C. mould D. dew
7. The old man led a _________ existence after she left and refused even to see his children.
A. reclusive B. deserted C. remote D. vacant
8. _______ their heads in his direction, he knew they were interested.
A. Seeing them both turn B. On seeing they both turn
C. When he saw them both to turn D. After seeing them both to have turned
9. One of the areas of multimedia that is growing quickly _______________ is sound.
A. yet is easily overlooked B. is easily overlooked
C. it is easily overlooked D. that is easily overlooked
10. If she wins the prize again this year, it’ll be a real _________in her cap.
A. nutshell B. gemstone C. feather D. landmark
11. Don’t call Pam just now. Something has gone wrong with the computer; she’s _________ because she
can’t get the data she needs.
A. in a stew B. out of a rut C. in the swim D. under the sink
12. Many people have written to the newspaper to show their ______________ of such behavior.
A. antipathy B. abhorrence C. aversion D. animosity
13. The regular appearance of sex and violence on television undoubtedly has a ____________ influence
on teenagers.
A. pernicious B. parsimonious C. precipitous D. propitious
14. From this year on, under-fives will get travel _____________, which certainly makes huge savings for
family trips.
A. consolations B. concessions C. contortions D. constrictions
15. The couple tied the knot two months after they met – it was indubitably a _________ romance.
A. typhoon B. hurricane C. whirlwind D. cyclone
b. Complete these sentences, using the suitable form of the words in capitals.
1. My friends started going out late to nightclubs so I decided to _______________ myself from the group.
(SOCIAL).
2. New immigrants have been successfully _______________ into the community. (SIMILAR)
3. He doesn’t conform to the _______________ image of the businessman with a dark suit and briefcase.
(TYPE)
4. The sports association accepted the inevitability of a(n) _______________ by the elite clubs. (BREAK)
5. Although the drug is very effective, it does have some unpleasant _______________. (EFFECT).
6. Very soon, ‘Third World’ came to _______________ poverty. (NOTE)
7. The complexity of these ‘simplest’ forms of life is _______________. (WILD)
8. According to the report, human activities are _______________ to blame for the temperature rise.
(VOCAL)
9. The government’s policy to soothe the anger among people was ___________. It should have happened
earlier. (CHRONOLOGY)
10. Bob is a(n) ___________ of an intelligent student. (TYPE)
c. Complete the sentences with the correct form of a verb in A, and a preposition/ particle in B.
There is one extra verb and one preposition that you do not need to use.
A B
mull snap hinge put lark Out about into over
pack weed weasel potter out of down on up in

1. The first round of interviews only really serves to ______________ the very weakest of applicants.
2. They will need time to ______________ the proposals we have submitted.
3. James kept trying to ______________ his duties, but his manager told him if he didn’t start taking
responsibility for his work he would have to leave the company.
4. The man in the market was selling leather coats very cheaply: they were such bargains that were soon
______________ .
5. Because of the controversy, he ______________ his job.
6. He likes nothing better than to spend his Sunday mornings ______________ in the gardens.
7. The success of our project ______________ Mike’s ability persuade the locals to move to the
renewal quarter.
8. I’m going to ______________ my head ______________ for a while as I feel very tired.
d. For each set, think of one word which can be used appropriately in all three sentences.
1. _________________
 Though the movie was widely________across the country, the sales were a disappointment for the
studio.
• For a woman to get______in the business world seems to be a tall order in a predominantly male
environment.
• This web site was shut down soon after the Internet provider realized it ________ extreme views inciting
violence.
2. ______________
• I’m absolutely_____ the horse will win the race. There’s no doubt about it.
• It came as a shock to her husband when she tested______for a sexually transmitted disease.
• The guru stresses the power of_____ thinking in his lectures, saying it helps to overcome problems and
reduce strain.
3. ______________
 There is free _____ to all the museums on our tour which might be good news for budget conscious
visitors.
• His resignation was instantly interpreted as an _____ of failure. Despite frantic efforts to revive the
company, it recorded losses for the third time in a row.
• Because Liam was completely drunk, he was refused ______ to the disco and had to go home.
4. ______________
 It _____to be seen whether they will bring oil prices down, but I doubt it.
 I admit Susan’s made a few mistakes dealing with our customers, but she ______ your superior. I trust
her completely.
 The explorers were delighted when they’d stumbled across the ______of this forgotten ancient city
closely guarded by the rainforest.
5. ______________
 There was credible intelligence information that the chemical______ might be targeted by
environmental groups.
 Their efforts to _______a bomb 0X1 a transatlantic flight were thwarted by the SWAT team.
 In an attempt to boost the town’s image as the greenest town in the region they intend to ___________
2,000 seedlings in the centre.
e. Complete the following passage by filling each blank with ONE suitable word.
Beavers are the most accomplished engineers of all the mammals, apart from man. They live in a lodge,
half-submerged in the center or on the banks of a lake, and if no lake is at (1) ......................., they create
one by building a dam across a steam or river. These dams can be made entirely of mud, but are usually
felled trees and branched weighed down with stones and plastered with mud. An adult beaver can fell a
tree, 120mm (5 inches) in diameter, in (2) ...................... than half an hour using its strong teeth as chisels.
They also cut tall trees into shorter lengths and float them down canals where they have dug specially for
that (3) .....................
However, beaver dams also serve as a pantry during the hard winter months when the lake is frozen.
Beavers feed (4) ..................... on woody maple, aspen and willow stems, and cut extra branches to store
underwater in the mud. The water acts as a refrigerator, keeping the wood at a temperature just above 0
degree and (5) ................ its nutritional value. These under water larders allow beavers to stay away from
land and their predators for long stretches.

PART III: READING

a. Read the passage below and choose the best answer (A, B, C or D) to complete the passage. Write
your answers in the corresponding numbered boxes provided.
A NEW LOOK AT THE MIDDLE AGES
The Institute for Medieval Studies is holding a series of lectures to generate interest in a period of history
which is all too often (1)__________. It is hoped that these lectures will (2)______________ some of the
misconceptions that persist to this day about the long and eventful span of time between the crowning of
Charlemagne and the Renaissance.
It is true that Europe was (3) ________________ by the plague in the latter part of the fourteenth century,
while the terrors of the Inquisition cast a grim shadow over the continent. Living conditions for the majority
of people were appalling by modern standards, and life expectancy was low. The peasants suffered under a
brutal feudal system and the(4) ___________of learning was open only to the clergy and the small minority
who were literate.
However, these (5) ____________negative aspects of medieval life cannot be properly evaluated unless
they are viewed in the broader (6) ____________.The Middle Ages saw the construction of the magnificent
cathedrals that grace so many European cities and the (7)____________ of a middle class. Many
institutions we think of as modern were an integral part of medieval life. Progress was being made in
science and technology, and artists were forging styles that had a powerful and (8) ____________influence
on subsequent centuries.
1. A neglected B. abandoned C. subdued D. deserted
2. A respond B. refuse C. rectify D. revive
3. A. injured B. eliminated C. wounded D. ravaged
4. A pursuit B. chase C. desire D. quest
5. A comprehensively B. admittedly C. dubiously D. potentially
6. A background B. setting C. context D. environment
7. A. debut B. invention C. introduction D. rise
8. A. maintaining B. enduring C. remaining D. sustaining
b. Read the following passage
For questions 1-13, answer by choosing from the sections of the article, A-H
Some of the sections may be required more than once.
Note: When more than one answer is required, these may be given in any order.
Which section refers to
passengers who frequently fly on the same airline? 1 ………….. 2 …………..

ways of avoiding airline rules? 3 …………..

variations in the layout of aircraft? 4 ………......

checking an airline's legal obligations? 5 …………..

promises made by airlines? 6 ………….. 7 …………..

bargains for people not travelling alone? 8 …………..

relaxing surroundings before a flight? 9 …………..

travel from the airport after landing? 10 ...……….

efforts to ensure there is room on planes for certain people? 11 ...……….

changing to a better seat? 12 ...……….

unpleasant conditions during a flight? 13 ...……….

TIPS FOR AIR TRAVELLERS

A
Membership of an airline loyalty club will guarantee you a seat on a flight, even when that flight is fully
booked for normal passengers'. Air France, KLM, Scandinavian Air-lines and Singapore Airlines are just four
carriers offering this facility to their very best customers. Others, like British Airways, Lufthansa and
Swissair, are not quite so bold with their claims but all will move heaven and earth to secure a seat for their
club members.
B
First-class and business-class passengers get the pick of the seating, “up front”, away from all the engine
noise and vibration. Economy passengers are invariably seated in the noisier back rows of the aircraft,
where the air is usually staler. There are exceptions, however, and airline seating plans (displayed in
timetables) enable you to choose the best seat.
C
Travelling with overweight baggage can cost you dearly. On long-haul flights, the airlines give you a free
baggage allowance of between 20 and kilos, depending on the class of travel and the route. Every excess
kilo is charged at one per cent of the first-class fare. One way round this is to hand over your baggage to an
excess baggage company, which can save you as much as 70 per cent on airline fees. Your luggage will then
travel to your destination unaccompanied, and you can either collect it from the airport or have t delivered
to your destination address. lt won't usually arrive the same day, though.
D
Booking a first-class or business-class ticket usually entitles you to use the more peaceful airline executive
lounge at the airport. Regular passengers with an airline can also use the lounges, even when flying on cut-
price economy tickets.
E
The unthinkable has happened. You have arrived overseas but your luggage has not appeared on the
airport baggage carousel. Keep calm. In most cases your bags will turn up, eventually. But, before you leave
the airport, contact a member of staff and complete a Baggage Irregularity Report, which ensures that you
will receive compensation. However, airlines pay out pitiful compensation, so do read the small print on
your ticket, and it's essential to take out adequate insurance beforehand.
F
Securing an upgrade is easier than ever before. Canadian Airlines will now seat some transatlantic
passengers who have paid the economy fare in business class, while business-class passengers bound for
New York, Toronto, Delhi or Bombay are automatically upgraded to first-class if they have paid the full
business-class fare. In addition, large companies are increasingly negotiating an automatic upgrade with
airlines.
G
Several airlines are prepared to chauffeur their first-class and business-class passengers to the airport free
of charge. These transfers, usually within a 120-kilometre radius, are offered by numerous airlines,
including Air Canada, Canadian Airlines, Emirates, Japan's ANA, North-west, Qantas and Virgin Atlantic.
Some carriers will also provide transport on arrival.
H
Taking a companion along and combining business with pleasure costs less than you might think. Many
airlines grant a 50 per cent discount for a partner in business class while a few - Singapore Airlines and JAL,
for example – provide two tickets for the price of one, either for use together or at a later date. European,
fliers staying over a Saturday qualify for excursion fares, which enable two to travel for less than the price
of one business-class ticket.
c. Read the following passage and do the task that follows.
Timing a talk
When people groan that they have been to a dreadful talk, the most common reason they give for their
misery is ‘he went on and on and on’. A poorly presented subject can be suffered, for the sake of the topic
itself, if it keeps to time. But a talk which is both boring and drones on for endless minutes after the clock
shows that the finishing time is passed, is a torture. Even an interesting, well presented talk which goes on
for too long is remembered with little pleasure. The timing of a talk is, then, extremely important.
14. _________________________

Why does it matter so much? It is a question which I have thought about a great deal. It is quite obvious
that speakers don't think it matters greatly. It is equally obvious, both from listening to others, and from
observing one's own reactions when trapped in the audience for a talk which goes on far too long, that to
the audience timing is vital.
15. _________________________

The first is the different adrenalin levels in speakers and listeners. Put quite simply, they perceive time
differently. The excitement and fear produced by speaking causes adrenalin to flush into the veins in large
quantities The result is that speakers have a stamina, a resistance to tiring, an endurance, which is
superhuman. They can go on all day.
16. _________________________

Speakers, then, are in an abnormal state. They are indifferent to time and tiredness and while they are
speaking they feel as if they could go on all day. But the audience is in quite the opposite state. Sitting
down and having nothing to do but listen actually reduces adrenalin below its normal level.
17. _________________________

The second reason is that audience and speaker probably have different emotional concerns about the
subject. The speaker has been working on the topic for some time, preparing the talk. It is quite common
for the effort of preparing a talk about a subject to produce a quite profound interest in the topic.
18. _________________________

The audience, as usual, feels quite differently. Their interest in the subject of the talk is unlikely to be so
great. They may have no more than a polite interest in it. They may have no interest at all in it and may
have come to listen in the hope that the speaker will arouse an interest.
19. _________________________

The third reason for the different attitudes between speaker and audience is contractual. The timing of
your talk is in effect a contract with the audience. You were invited to talk for a specific time and you have
agreed to talk for this time. The power of this contract is extraordinary. If you have been invited to give a
ten-minute presentation, the audience will become disastrously restless after thirty minutes. They will feel
that the talk was disgraceful and that the speaker is guilty of some great social crime.
20. _________________________
Of these two mistakes there is no doubt that to over-run the agreed time is more disastrous then to under-
run it. The explanation seem to be that the audience is quietly looking forward to the end of the talk. If that
time comes and passes and the speaker is still industriously talking away, the listeners have lost their
security.

For questions 14-20, you must choose which of the paragraphs A-H below fit into the gaps in the following
extract from a book. There is one extra paragraph which does not fit in any of the gaps. Indicate your
answers on the separate answer sheet.
A. It is physically inactive; even the mental activity of talking to others is stopped. The audience, then, is at
the other end of the scale from the speaker. This goes a long way to explain why they have such different
views on the passage of time
B. On the other hand, if you end early, the audience feel cheated. What you say may be no different on
both occasions, the organization and effectiveness of what you say may not have changed, but that
commitment that you made has not been honoured.
C. Why is there this difference? I have evolved three explanations for it which can be briefly summarized.
Let me outline them.
D. However, this kind of behaviour occurs because the average person’s span of attention is limited. The
simple fact is that about five to ten minutes is as long as most people can listen without a short day-dream.
After a brief holiday to catch up with all the other thoughts floating round their head, people come back to
a talk.
E. Worst of all, they may be there because they have to be, because they want to be seen there or because
someone else (such as a boss) demands they should be. Even if they are keen, they are unlikely to feel as
strongly as the speaker. They may enjoy listening for a reasonable length of time, but then will want to do
something else, like have a break or simply stretch and relax. They will certainly not have the overbearing
enthusiasm speakers often feel.
F. No other aspect of the presentation can do as much damage to the way the audience thinks of the talk.
No other aspect is so easy to control, since it is a simple mechanical matter of looking at a clock face. And
no other aspect is so easy to get wrong. Many people seem to have a casual attitude to the timing of a talk
and this can be fatal.
G. I have seen this new-found concern develop in novice speakers who had difficulty choosing what to talk
about for a practice presentation but who suddenly became passionate advocates for what they finally
settled on and started button-holing people at coffee breaks and meal times to talk more about it. Speaker
become deeply involved in what they are talking about.
H. It is this effect, too, which produces the strange pattern of elation and tiredness when you give a talk.
Typically, you feel keyed-up and ready to go before the talk and are totally unaware of growing tiredness
during it. The body’s responses are artificially heightened. You draw on a physical overdraft of energy. After
the talk, this must be paid back and you suddenly feel worn out.

PART IV: WRITING

a. For each of the question below, complete the second sentence so that it is similar in meaning to the
original sentence
1. Going to and fro with all the cases is what I can’t stand about holidays.
=> It’s all…………………………………………………………………………..….........................................................................
2. This door is an emergency exit and must never be locked for any reason.
=> On ............................................................................................be locked because it is an emergency exit.
3. His recent behaviors are outrageous.
=> The way ..............................................................................………………......................................... ordinary.
4. My salary is half what I would be in the job I was offered in January.
=> If ….................................................................................……………….............................................................
5. Whatever the methods used to obtain the result, drugs were definitely not involved.
=> There was no question ….................................................................................………………..........................
b. For each of the questions below, write the second sentence so that it is similar in meaning to the
original sentence, using the given word.
1. Frankly speaking, I do not think that nature and nurture are of equal significance. SUBSCRIBE.
=> To put….................................................................................……………….....................................................
2. She was concentrating so hard on her work that she didn’t notice when I came in. UP
=> She …………………………………………………………………………………………..………......................................................
3. Tom’s presence at parties adds to everyone’s enjoyment. SOUL
→ Tom ….................................................................................………………........................................... parties.
4. In the area, Thailand is much better than all other countries in football. SHOULDERS
=>Thailand ….................................................................................…………………...............................................
5. Although the manager is sluggish, he is a smooth speaker. GIFT
=> Sluggish …........................................................………..................................................................………………
6. The politician tried to find people who were willing to back his campaign to help the homeless. DRUM
=> The politician …..………................................................................................................................………………
7. Martin cannot go higher in his career. REACHED
=> Martin ………............................................….................................................................................………………
8. Digging in the garden gives me an outlet for my frustrations. VENT
=> Digging …...……….........................................................................................................................………………