7

WORKING IT OUT
KEY LANGUAGE Speaking Part 1 Interview
Modal verbs 2 Work with a partner. Discuss the questions.
Adjectives and fixed expressions
1 Do you enjoy problem-solving activities like
Phrasal verbs of deduction and investigation escape rooms, strategy board games or
Verbs of confusion and deceit crosswords? Why / Why not?
Adjectives 2 Why do you think some people are
attracted to mysteries and solving puzzles?
3 What is the biggest real-life mystery you
IDIOMS would like explained?
Mystery 4 How can problem-solving skills drive
personal performance in the workplace?

EXAM PRACTICE 5 What puzzle-solving skills are required

when trying to glean meaning from
Reading and Use of English Parts 2, 4 & 6 something in English that you don’t
Writing Part 2 understand?
Listening Part 3
Speaking Parts 1 & 2

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 7 WORKING IT OUT
Listening Part 3 Multiple choice
1 SPEAK Look at the film posters and book covers. In groups, discuss the questions.
1 What makes these forms of entertainment exciting?
2 What techniques do you think writers and film-makers use to add excitement to
their work?

2 7.1 You will hear a discussion between a film-maker and a psychologist on the topic
of mystery and suspense. For questions 1–5, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which
fits best according to what you hear.
1 What point does Anthony make about creating suspense in a film?
A the story should unfold gradually
B the plot should give the audience a sense of uncertainty
C the audience should feel they are solving a puzzle
D the plot should portray a credible threat
2 When discussing audience exposure to suspense, Helena reveals
A it helps them feel safe in the real-world.
B it helps them develop coping strategies.
C it helps them consider similar scenarios.
D it helps them experience danger safely.
3 Anthony thinks most directors fail to provide enough suspense by
A creating characters the audience don’t care about.
B mis-timing their moments of suspense.
C making suspenseful moments too low risk.
D relying on effects over storyline.
4 What does Helena indicate is the particular reason for people’s enjoyment of
detective novels?
A They make us feel more intelligent.
B They improve our problem-solving skills.
C They play to our natural curiosity.
D They take our minds off daily life worries.
5 Helena states that the increased risk of spoilers for television shows
A has led some people to reduce their social interactions.
B is often perpetrated with malicious intent.
C is purely down to increasing social media activity.
D has created a greater impatience amongst viewers to reach the end.

3 SPEAK Work in small groups.

Choose a film or book that you
found suspenseful:
• outline the plot of the film
or book
• describe a particularly
dramatic scene and what
techniques were used to
heighten the suspense

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 Language focus Modal verbs 2
WORKING IT OUT
7
1 Complete these extracts from the listening on page 100. Write two words in each gap.
1 … know that the character end up in grave peril and
hope they don’t.
2 It’s be quite tricky to write that kind of story …
3 … the speculation of who could or been the culprit,
suddenly becomes terrifying.

2 Check your answers in the Audioscript on page 237.

3 Match sentences 1–3 in Exercise 1 with functions a–c.

a Used when speculating about a lack of possibility in the past
b Used when drawing a conclusion or expressing probability
c Used when expressing possibility in the present and future

4 Go to Ready for Grammar on page 220 to check your answers to Exercise 3 and for
further rules, explanation and practice.

5 Complete the sentences below with a modal verb from the box and the correct form
of the verb in brackets. You can use each modal verb only once. There may be more
than one answer.

could ​couldn’t ​got  ​may ​might ​must

1 ‘Thank you to the British Film Board and Midway Productions, without whom this film
. Nobody else could see our vision for this project,
so thank you for believing in us and providing the funding to bring this to life.’ (make)
2 It really interesting to study suspense and
mystery as a psychologist, but I bet it’s impossible to watch a film without
deconstructing it. (be)
3 It incredibly difficult to write a book like that with so
many unexpected twists and turns, especially in such a short time. Could you tell us
how you went about it? (be)
4 With regards to our findings from the study, from the data collected, it
that there is a strong correlation between the
release of an in-demand series and lack of productivity at home. (deduce)
5 Everybody was expecting to be watching the film through their fingers, but it
much more terrifying in my view. (be)
6 I watching that new series tonight if I get
home from work early enough. I’ve got nothing else on, I think. (start)

6 SPEAK Read the puzzle. Use the modal verbs of possibility, probability
and deduction to try and find the answer to the question.

PUZZLE
Maria and Eliza went out for drinks together. They both
ordered lemonade. Maria was really thirsty and finished
three in the time it took Eliza to drink just one. Later, it
was discovered that both of their drinks had been
poisoned, but only Eliza died. How?

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Vocabulary Phrasal verbs of deduction and investigation

1 Complete the definitions with the correct phrasal verb in the box.

keep something back ​mull something over ​stumble across something

1 – to find something unexpectedly

2 – withhold some information
3 – think deeply about something

2 Check your answers in the Audioscript on page 237.

3 Complete gaps (1–8) in the story with the correct sentence endings A–H.

Detective Santos had been trying to track (1) . He’d been staking
(2) , but there had been absolutely no
movement. No wonder really. Surely only a fool would go back to their house after A up with him
robbing a bank?! But he knew this man of old, and he was no mastermind. He’d B out his house
attempted to nose (3) , asking locals if they knew C upon a new idea
his whereabouts, but it was hard to size (4) .
D down the suspected thief
Communities like these were often closed off to giving any real information for the past 24 hours.
to the police, in fear of repercussions. This made it even harder to root
E out the other detectives
(5) in the community, like this guy. He decided
there.
to go back to the station and sound (6) .
F out any criminal elements
Maybe they’d be able to suggest some way forward in the investigation. He knew
he’d hit (7) to discover his whereabouts G up whether people were
really telling the truth.
eventually. If Detective Santos was anything, he was determined. He wouldn’t
stop until this man’s crime had caught (8) , H around the area
whether it be sooner or later.

4 Complete sentences 1–8 with the correct form of a phrasal verb from Exercises 1
and 3. Put the phrasal verb in the correct form.
1 The mayor was primarily elected because of his commitment to
corruption in the city.
2 The detectives had been the house from across
the street for over 48 hours without a sign of movement.
3 Leaving a job can impact almost every area of your life, so it’s better to
the decision carefully.
4 Despite talking a good story, the police knew he was
something
from them.
5 Every mistake he’d made in the past had suddenly
him and there was nothing he could do to stop it.
6 When the officer first the idea of scouring CCTV
footage of the area, everyone doubted it would turn up any leads.
7 It had been months since the crime had taken place, and the police still hadn’t
the perpetrators.
8 Those men had been the property, going through
rubbish and looking in windows, but nobody could call the police because they
hadn’t done anything wrong.

5 SPEAK Work in pairs. Using the words in the box, answer the questions below.

a claim ​the competition ​a person ​a problem ​a solution ​territory ​troublemakers

1 What TWO things can we root out?

2 What thing can we hit upon?
3 What TWO things can we size up?
4 What TWO things can we stake out?

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 Reading and Use of English Part 2 Open cloze
WORKING IT OUT
7
1 For questions 1–8, read the text below and think of the word which best fits
each space. There is an example at the beginning (0).

THE LIMITS OF OUR KNOWLEDGE

Given the astonishing list of discoveries and achievements
(0) MADE by modern scientists, you might think that we would
understand our own bodily processes back to front, but you’d be
surprised at the many things still (1) uncovered about
the human body. One such discovery revolves (2) why
we dream. While we can say (3) some degree of certainty
that dreaming is an essential function and vital to our health, scientists
are still at a (4) as to why memories of dreams are
random or why we dream in the first place. And as for why we yawn –
the once prevailing theory that we yawn to gain oxygen and thus keep
us awake has now been (5) into question, and some now
hypothesise that we actually yawn to cool down the brain. Finally, don’t
bank (6) laughter as just being a simple reaction to your
off the (7) humour either. Studies have shown that, in
fact, it is a social tool to form bonds rather than a reaction to anything
funny. So, the next time someone laughs at your jokes, remember, they
could just be trying to get you on (8) !

Pronunciation Chunking and asides

1 Speech is often broken up into meaningful chunks by pausing and intonation. Look at
the dialogue below and mark where you think the speaker should pause or make a
About English
change in intonation. The first one has been completed for you.
‘I had no idea / that we don’t know why we dream. I thought / science had more or less Asides, like between
wrapped up / all the mysteries of the human brain. I guess I was wrong / and there’s you and me are usually
quite a lot / of scientific research to do!’ said as a separate
chunk, and in a lower
‘Of course! The brain is an extremely complex organ. When I did my psychology course,
tone, than the other
which I had to drop out of, we learnt a great deal about the mysteries of the brain and
parts of the speech.
the limits to our scientific knowledge.’
They often give a
2 7.2 Now listen and check your answers. remark or comment on
what is happening, and
3 7.3 Listen to extracts 1–5 and identify the asides in each sentence. can even be secretive
1 One thing I’ve always been curious about is the deep sea. I’ve actually read that, in nature.
incredibly, we know less about it than we do our own solar system. Look at the examples
2 I think it’s an exciting time for scientific research and I, for one, can’t wait to see what below and identify
the next few years will bring. Immune responses has been one of the areas that has the aside:
been so hard to fathom, but science is getting there slowly but surely. 1 I’ve been working
3 One thing that truly makes me wonder is my dogs! I’d love to know what’s going on in my fingers to the
their minds and be able to speak to them. Although maybe what I love so much about bone to get this
them is that they don’t answer back, unlike my kids. project finished.
Well, not completely,
4 What has always puzzled me in regard to the human body is why we have a dominant
I had a few days off
hand. What makes it so hard for me to write with my left hand, it literally looks like a
last week. I’m so
five-year-old’s writing, and not my right?
pleased with how
5 Space has to be the ultimate mystery! The vastness of it all is unthinkable, and I’m it’s looking.
positive there must be life, of some form, on other planets.
2 Frank, unusually
4 7.4 Now listen to the sentences without the asides and note how the intonation for him, got a great
changes. mark in his end of
term report. They
5 SPEAK Work in pairs. Rewrite sentences 1–5 in Exercise 3 by using a different aside said he’s almost top
in each. Take turns to practise saying each of the phrases. Try and chunk the speech, of the class.
lower your tone for asides and consider intonation.

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7 WORKING IT OUT

Speaking Part 2 Collaborative task

1 SPEAK Work in pairs. Look at the pictures. They show people working in areas that
present some of the biggest mysteries for humankind. Take turns and talk for one
minute each about pictures 1 and 3. Discuss which of the mysteries interest you more.

2 Now look at pictures 1–4. Imagine that a college is going to have a debate about what
the most fundamentally important mystery facing mankind is. Talk together about the
importance of the different mysteries suggested by the pictures. Then choose one
other mystery that could be included in the debate.

Useful language
In the Speaking test, try to vary your language to show you can use a wide range of
vocabulary. A way to do this is to use synonyms or near synonyms to avoid repetition.
Match the synonyms in the box with these words.

baffled ​breakthrough ​ contemplate finding ​

mystified ​ponder ​revelation ​stumped ​wonder

• think about (v)

• puzzled (adj)
• discovery (n)
Discuss the slightly different ways these synonyms might be used. Use a dictionary if
necessary

Debate – mysteries
1 2

3 4

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 Word formation Adjectives
WORKING IT OUT
7
1 In 1–7 below, the following words in each line can all form an adjective with the key
suffix in bold, except one. Write the adjective forms of each word and identify the odd
one out on each line.
1 -ant hesitate vacate comply repent fraud
hesitant
2 -ent abhor reminisce decipher appear prevail

3 -ous mischief infect poison miracle convince

4 -able repel tolerate redeem regret laud

5 -ible reverse perceive access mercy discern

6 -less harm thought awe relent blame

7 -some trouble rebel fear whole irk

2 Use the word given in capitals to form a word that fits in the gap. You may need to add
prefixes.
1 The sound was so faint that it was to most of the PERCEIVE
others on the jungle expedition, but for George it was loud and clear.
2 Although the evidence against him was overwhelming, he remained
when in the dock, staring the victims in the face. REPENT
3 At first, the symptoms were in those who contracted APPEAR
the disease. It was only after three days that it became clear
something very strange was happening.
4 The scrolls discovered in the deep sea are covered in a script that
is at present, although the world’s greatest DECIPHER
cryptographers are working on it.
5 Without immediate intervention, the growing distance and tension
between the couple could be . REDEEM
6 Once the situation at work became for Anya, she TOLERATE
decided to hand in her resignation and move on.
7 What could not have been predicted is that this behaviour will have
effects on the environment. REVERSE

3 Write a gapped sentence using a word from Exercise 1. Then give your sentence
to your partner to complete.

4 Turn to the Additional materials on page 202 for further practice

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7 WORKING IT OUT

Reading and Use of English Part 6 Gapped text

1 SPEAK Skim read the article about encrypted texts and discuss the questions.
1 What do you think drives people to work so diligently to decipher the messages in
such texts?
2 What kind of information do you imagine might be learnt from these kinds of
encoded messages?

CRACKING
THE CODE
Sit on any commuter train or in any café and you are bound to
Voynich manuscript
4
spot people around you consumed by the challenge of doing a
People can make up their own mind about it, however, as
puzzle. It is a hugely popular pastime, whether in the form of a
the entire work is publicly available online for anybody to try
simple crossword or Sudoku puzzle, Wordle, an online strategy
their hand at solving, it is one of many mysterious texts now
game, or even an escape room challenge. And yet, the most
accessible to the general public and waiting to be cracked. In
formidable of puzzles can’t be found in black or white in the daily
fact, there are a plethora of enigmatic communications from
news, or behind some unassuming shopfront entrance. They are
throughout history that remain shrouded in mystery, many of
the enigmas of secret ancient texts and the keys needed to unlock
which have a fascinating background.
them have been lost in the mists of time.
5
1
But perhaps the Beale Ciphers might be of more interest to a
Usually, these kinds of communications require a ‘cipher’,
wider audience of puzzle enthusiasts. These three cryptic texts
essentially the blueprint to interpret the secret code, which should
date back to the 1880s and apparently conceal the location of
be known only to the original agents. However, the luxury of
one Thomas J Beale’s buried treasure in Virginia. Some parts of
a cipher doesn’t always exist. When trying to ‘crack a code’ that
these texts have been solved, such as what the treasure contains
doesn’t have any cipher, the cryptanalyst needs to gather as much
and that the hiding place is ‘roughly lined with stone’, making it
information as possible from the original text, so the bigger it is
all the more compelling.
the better, and then to use all the techniques in his or her arsenal
to try and unlock it. 6

2 Stories such as these often create a frenzy of excitement, but,

even if there is no monetary value in it for the solver, cracking
This, done by hand, can be a painstakingly slow, difficult, and
any secret code pays dividends when it comes to the sense of
sometimes, fruitless task. Firstly, this technique has to assume
achievement you get. After all, they were meant for only certain
what language the original code was written in, as well as that
eyes that do not include our own – who wouldn’t be interested
the original cipher has failed to hide these common patterns. It’s
in trying to find out their hidden meanings? This is why amateur
therefore a technique which relies on the cipher being simplistic,
cryptography can be such a fulfilling pursuit.
which, while true of some earlier forms of coded messaging, is
rarely the case these days. 7

3 With the sheer range of coded texts in existence however,

wherever an individual’s aptitudes lie, there will always be the
In retrospect, the flaws in this method of encryption are obvious.
very puzzle for them. The visually minded perhaps lean towards
However, there are many codes of the past that do indeed require
the Dorabella Cipher, while the linguistically focused could view
a genius to unlock their mysteries, the most famous of which is the
the Voynich Manuscript as their Everest. And for those who are
Voynich Manuscript, a 15th century book, written in an unknown
more commercially minded, the Beale Ciphers might be just
script, featuring a never-before-seen alphabet. With over 170,000
the ticket.
beautiful, looping letters as well as illustrations, this manuscript is
the pinnacle of puzzle solving, and remains a complete mystery to
professional and amateur cryptologists alike.
Dorabella cipher

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 2 Seven paragraphs have been removed from the text. Choose from the paragraphs
A–H the one which fits each gap (1–7). There is one extra paragraph that you do not
WORKING IT OUT
7
need to use.
A Simple as they may appear now, basic coded messages signalled a huge leap in
communication forms of the past. In fact, an elementary form of cryptography was Don’t forget!
practiced by Julius Ceasar who sent his generals coded messages using what is When answering a
commonly known as today as the Caesar cipher – a technique where, put simply, gapped text, do not
one letter in an original message was replaced by a another in a fixed position, worry about answering
usually three letters down the alphabet. So, for example, DON’T MOVE becomes the questions in order.
GRQW PRYH. It is better to read the
B What inspires people to design these kinds of cryptic messages, while sometimes text and complete
stemming from practicality, can in other cases be a complete mystery. One such the gaps with the
example of this is the Voynich Manuscript, where the reasons for creating such a vast paragraphs you are
important tome in a language not readily accessible seems unfathomable. most certain of first.
C The Dorabella Cipher, for example, written by composer Edward Elgar, is a message
to a family friend, consisting of simply of various squiggles oriented towards different
directions. It looks unlike any other kind of text, but to this day, nobody has been able
to decipher it, even the recipient herself. Some even believe it to not be a text at all,
but rather a coded musical composition.
D When seeking to unlock the simpler codes, frequency analysis is often considered
a useful method. This involves looking for letters that appear more frequently than
others. So, for example, if the original text is considered to be in English, then
identifying frequent occurrences of a letter or groups of letters, such as vowels or
consonant clusters, may help decode the text.
E Reasons why messages might be obscured can vary widely – whether to conceal
military plans from the enemy, create distractions or quite simply due to audacity, the
only commonality being that the message must be hidden from those who are not
the intended or worthy recipients. Within the study of Cryptography, the sender is
referred to as Alice or A, the intended recipient is Bob or B , and amongst many other
monikers, Eve or E is the eavesdropper.
F There is still debate over the purpose of the text, but the illustrations would seemingly
point to it being some sort of encyclopaedia of the natural world. Some argue that
the work is not encoded at all, but rather written in a language that died out without
record. One school of thought even considers the entire thing to be a hoax and that
the ‘writing’ is simply gibberish.
G But before, reader, you go searching through every cold, dark and dangerous cave in
the area, as many have before you, be warned that it may all just be an elaborate ruse.
After all, the texts were sold in pamphlets for a princely sum at the time, putting the
veracity of the whole story in question.
H Getting started couldn’t be easier, with a multitude of books on the subject, ranging
from titles for the beginner code breaker to more advanced works on specific
cyphers, as well as a number of websites devoted to code breaking, many with
accompanying brain teasers. Although, with more modern codes, having a good
grounding in maths and computer sciences is imperative.

3 SPEAK Understanding words from

context is another way of deciphering
meaning that is unclear. In pairs, find
the following words in the text and use
the context around the words to help
you work out the meaning.

eavesdropper ​fruitless ​gibberish
princely ​squiggles ​unfathomable

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7 WORKING IT OUT

Language focus Adjectives and fixed expressions

1 Choose the correct alternative in the following extracts from the Reading on pages
106–107.
1 In perspective / retrospect, the flaws in this method of encryption are obvious.
2 But before, reader, you go searching through every cold, dark and dangerous / dark,
dangerous and cold cave in the area, as many have before you, be warned that it may
all just be an elaborate ruse.
3 The beauty of coded texts however is that wherever an individual’s aptitudes lie,
there will always be the really / very puzzle for them.

2 Match examples 1–3 in Exercise 1 with the explanations a–c below.

a Adding detail to a sentence with a string of adjectives.
b Intensifying meaning by using a degree adjective.
c Adding focus by using a fixed expression.

3 Go to Ready for Grammar on page 220 to check your answers to Exercise 2 and for
further rules, explanations and practice.

4 Complete the story extract with the phrases in the box.

all in all ​all of a sudden ​in actual fact sure enough ​up to this point

This was thirty-two floors all reeking of business. Looking

around the place, you could tell he must’ve had quite the
fortune to call this place his company office. With
modern, understated décor, the latest technology on all
the walls and large windows looking onto killer views –
(1) , it was the kind of place
that screamed success. His secretary gestured for me to sit on
the couch. I sat there taking it all in. I knew what to expect.
In my line of work, you meet these high-flyer types all the
time. (2) , what I found when
I finally entered the office, was a man sitting slouched down
at his desk, like a schoolboy in detention. He tried to meet my
eyes, with some difficulty. ‘Mr Baresi? Please sit down.’ I took
my time, sizing him up with every step, and took a seat opposite
him. (3) , he got up and started
pacing back and forth behind his desk. ‘So, how can I help?’
I asked, stumped at what I was doing here and sick of moving
my head metronomically in his direction. ‘No police, OK? But
I want you to help me. I heard you were my best shot. I’ve got
a problem … it’s my wife, she’s missing. I came home two days
ago and she was gone. All I’ve found is this note.’ He pushed a
piece of paper over to me, his perplexed expression imploring
me for answers. It read, QRZ/LV/WKH/WLPH/OHWV/JR.
(4) , the whole scenario had
been surreal. But, as I looked at the message, it all started to make
sense. I’d seen this code before. I scribbled down some letters in
my notebook. (5) the answer
was staring me in the face and I had news for Mr Allman.

5 SPEAK Think of eight other adjectives or fixed expressions you could add to
the story.

6 SPEAK In pairs, answer the questions.

1 Can you crack the secret message?
2 Do you know what happened to the wife? How?
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 Vocabulary Verbs of confusion and deceit
WORKING IT OUT
7
1 Choose the correct verb to complete the sentences.
1 The gallery was duped / perplexed into believing that the artwork
was an authentic Picasso; it was, in fact, painted by the seller’s
brother.
2 If you think that one fifteen-minute walk a week will help you lose
weight, you’re deluding / hoodwinking yourself.
3 She knew almost nothing about the company and its products,
but she managed to bluff / hustle her way through the interview,
and was given the job.
4 The getaway driver blackmailed / double-crossed his gang by
hiding away some of the money and reporting the other gang
members to the police.
5 The defendants were accused of stumping / swindling a total of
nearly three million pounds out of hundreds of vulnerable people.
6 It sometimes can be difficult to remain objective when solving
crimes, and many new detectives tend to confound / scam
a lack of cooperation with guilt, when there could be many
reasons for it.
7 Thieves baffled / conned the security guard into letting them into
the building by disguising themselves as cleaning staff.

2 SPEAK Look at the options presented for each sentence in Exercise 1. Discuss the
difference in meaning between each of the options. Use a dictionary if necessary.

Writing Part 2 Review

1 SPEAK Work in pairs and answer the questions.
What, for you, makes a film or book particularly good? Do you generally go for
thought-provoking, intense storylines, or do you prefer more whimsical, escapist plots?

Useful Language
compelling stuff
Building more complex sentences
We can use premodifiers, postmodifiers or both to build a more complex sentence that
is rich in detail. For example:
This film revolutionised the hackneyed detective narrative.
This little-known film set on the moon revolutionised the hackneyed detective narrative. wouldn’t put my worst
(adjective + noun + reduced relative clause) enemy through it
This cult film from South Korea revolutionised the hackneyed detective narrative.
(noun modifier + prepositional/adjectival phrase)
Now try to add some complexity to the starting sentence yourself.
This film revolutionised the hackneyed detective narrative.

2 Read the writing task below. Then, look at the model answer on page 197. Underline
where the writer has added extra information to the nouns in bold.
A mystery website is asking for reviews of mystery films or books, examples of which
are brilliant instances of their genre. You decide to send in a review of a mystery book or
film to the website. Include why the film or book you have chosen is such an excellent
example of the genre and also include examples of how the writer or director has
achieved this.

3 Now, write your own answer to the task in Exercise 2. Add extra information to nouns
where appropriate. Write between 280–320 words.

4 SPEAK Swap your writing with another students’. Read and discuss where information
has been added to the nouns. Would you change anything?

For more information on writing reviews, see page 195.

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 7 REVIEW
Language focus Modal verbs 2
Choose the correct word to complete the text. Sometimes both are correct.

Who was the Babushka Lady?

Many mysteries surround the assassination of John F Kennedy, one of which is the
identification of the Babushka Lady, which confounds experts to this day. The lady, named
after her old-fashioned Russian style scarf, (1) must / may have been an unsuspecting
bystander like any other, but certain details about her appearance and manner that
fateful day, lead some to suspect that she was far from being just another member of the
public. Firstly, her headscarf concealed her appearance, and secondly, amidst what surely
(2) must / could have been a most traumatic event, she was standing calmly, photographing the
scene when everyone around her was logically scrambling and taking cover. The reaction from
the police and the public after seeing her image was natural: ‘Something (3) has got / must to
be up with this woman.’
Police at the time appealed for the woman to come forward, but nobody did until decades
later. However, many people think this claimant (4) mightn’t / couldn’t have been the
Babushka Lady. Why? Well, she would have been a tall 17-year-old at the time of the
assassination and a completely different build than the figure that appears in the photo.
Additionally, she also claimed to be have been holding a camera that wasn’t even invented
at the time. Some of the more outlandish theories that continue to surround this woman
and who she (5) could / must have been include that she (6) must / might have been a spy for
some government. But after so many decades, it (7) may / must be surmised that now, after
so much time, we (8) can / could well never really know her true identity.

Reading and Use of English

Part 4 Key word transformations
For questions 1–6, complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to
the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. You must use
between three and eight words, including the word given.
1 All exams will be held in classrooms for now.
TIME
All exams are taking being.
2 Joe is determined to be a stunt man, even though it sounds dangerous.
SET
As dangerous as it sounds, Joe is
a stuntman.
3 The rumours of the head teacher hitting the jackpot are untrue.
CONTRARY
Despite stories hit the jackpot.
4 Regardless of how difficult the exercise, you must keep trying.
ACCOUNT
Despite the difficulty of the exercise,
give up.
5 The weather will stay bad for the next few weeks.
LIKELY
The weather better any time soon.
6 We can tell from the results of carbon dating that it’s impossible Plato wrote that text.
HAVE
The carbon dating results indicate that Plato text.

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 WORKING IT OUT
7
Vocabulary Deduction and investigation | Confusion and deceit

THE LOST COLONY

One mystery that still (1) people to this day is the disappearance of an entire colony
of people in what was then referred to in Britain as the ‘New World’ – 1500s America. The Roanoke
Colony was a group of about 100 men, women and children, who were sent from England to the
New World in order to (2) the new territories by creating settlements. Early into the
colony’s establishment, the governor, John White, returned to England for more supplies, but on his
return to the colony, he was shocked to discover that all the settlers had disappeared. Try as he might
to (3) , there was simply no trace of any of the colonists. The only visual evidence he
(4) was the word ‘Croatoan’ cut into a tree – but this only served to (5)
him further. Today, theories abound over what happened to them, but once these are carefully
(6) , it becomes easy to see the flaws: if they moved on to a new place, where did they go
and why didn’t they leave a message? If they died of disease or were attacked by local tribes, where were
the bodies? If they were (7) people into believing they’d disappeared, what was the motive?

Read the text and choose the correct word (A, B or C) that best fits the space.
1 A hustles B dupes C baffles
2 A stake out B stumble across C nose around
3 A keep them back B track them down C root them out
4 A hit upon B sounded out C sized up
5 A hoodwink B delude C perplex
6 A caught up with B mulled over C rooted out
7 A confounding B hoodwinking C hustling

Writing Part 2 Article

A newspaper has asked readers to submit articles on the subject of mystery for their
special weekend supplement. The article should briefly describe a mystery, and touch
upon why it is mysterious. The article should then broaden out to discuss why people
find mysteries so captivating.

Write your article.

For more information on writing articles, see page 192.

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7 WORKING IT OUT

Idioms Mystery

Murder Mystery night at

the Grand
Central Hotel
If you’re a lover of all things mysterious, why don’t
you join us for a night of mystery and suspense at the
Grand Central Hotel, where there’s much (1) more to
this New Year’s Eve party than meets the eye .

Host and multi-millionaire, Victor Del Fuente has more

than a few (2) skeletons in his cupboard, and these
catch up with him during his star-studded bash. Having
got (3) caught red-handed in some dodgy dealing, his
business associates aren’t best pleased with him, and
his family (4) smell a rat about what he’s done with the
family investments. And who’s that mysterious woman
in the shadows who looks familiar, yet nobody can
(5) put their finger on?
With (6) red herrings aplenty, you’ll need to keep
your wits about you to stay in with a chance of solving
the murder.

1 Read the text and match the words in bold (1–6) with their meanings (a–f).
Discussing idioms
a begin to suspect deception
Discuss the differences
b to have an unpleasant secret about something you did in the past
in meaning between
these idioms: c more difficult or involved than it at first seems

• ring a bell / strike d a misleading clue

a chord e spot someone in the act of wrongdoing
• keep something f to be able to identify, or say, exactly what something is
under wraps / keep
2 SPEAK Look at the idioms in Exercise 1. Which idiom do you think is only used in a
something under
context of crime?
your hat
• be barking up the 3 Decide which idiom (a or b) best fits each gap.
wrong tree / get the 1 They’re by investigating that man, he’s got a watertight alibi and barely
wrong end of the any motive.
stick
a keeping something under wraps b barking up the wrong tree
2 Elisha and told everyone she was the murderer instead of creating a
About English cover story.
a let the cat out of the bag b rang a bell
Idiomatic language
3 Everybody at the party was and we had to try and work out the truth.
is a common feature
of English. In general, a keeping something under wraps b putting their finger on it
idioms which can be 4 We thought the man’s name and it turns out he’s the long lost brother
applied to a broader of the victim.
range of contexts are a smelt a rat b rang a bell
more common than
those with a specific 4 SPEAK In pairs, discuss the questions.
usage. For example, 1 Can any of these idioms be translated into your own language? How common are
a skeleton in the the expressions?
cupboard can only
2 What other expressions do you have in your language that have a similar meaning?
be used to in certain
situations, but many 3 Why might people want to use idiomatic language for these kinds of situations?
things can be more
than meets the eye.

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