PRACTICE TEST

TEST DATE: 26/10/2024

I - Choose the best answer (A, B, C or D) to complete each sentence below.

1. The authorities have ________ their original decision to allow development of this rural area.

A. dispensed B. detached C. refrained D. revoked

2. He had his money ________ in a secure bank account.

A. hammered away at B. slaved away C. jabbered about D. squirreled away

3. One of the organization’s aims is to ________ information about the disease so that more people know of is
symptoms.

A. disentangle B. disseminate C. dwindle D. deride

4. A new generation of performers, ________ those who by now had become a household name, honed their
skills before following the same path onto television.

A. no less talented than B. together with talented as

C. along with talented as D. having been more talented than

5. Because of the nature of the pain, nobody seemed to be able to put their ________ on the cause.

A. finger B. mark C. word D. name

6. The chemicals spilled over the road and left drivers ________ for breath.

A. suffocating B. gasping C. inhaling D. wheezing

7. Last time, we were within a hair’s ________ of defeating the Auckland team.

A. length B. depth C. width D. breadth

8. Dealing with ________ refusal from an employee is easier than dealing with false compliance.

A. an offset B. a remedial C. an outright D. an agile

9. Facing a difficult arithmetic question, the student ________ plucked a random figure out of the air and it was
unexpectedly correct.

A. naively B. plain C. slyly D. belligerently

10. Labour unions and the company ________ in a confrontation over plans to curb benefits.

A. caught up B. faced off C. carried away D. showed up

11. If you want to have a good flat in London, you have to pay through the ________ for it.

A. nose B. mouth C. eye D. head

12. The thieves are waiting for the ________ moment to break into the mansion.

A. adroit B. pivotal C. astrological D. psychological

13. I can’t help thinking he offered his apology with a ________ of irony.
 A. torrent B. spot C. touch D. dash

14. After living together for six years, Janet and Matt have finally decided to ________.

A. feel the pinch B. pull a few strings C. tie the knot D. be up and about

15. The professor’s speech lay ________ the scope of what we were studying.

A. above B. beyond C. over D. down

II - Identify one mistake in each of the following sentences and correct the mistake.

1. Public health campaigns often focus on reducing the take-in of processed foods and sugars to combat obesity.

2. The teacher’s complementary remarks about the student’s progress served as a motivation for him to
work even harder.

3. The fireman’s daring rescue of those trapped in the burning was a credible deed.

4. Thomas A. Edison, inventor of the phonograph, said than an idea was ninety-nine percent perspiration and
one percent aspiration.

5. There will be numerous parades and displays of the fireworks in observation of Independence Day.

III - Complete the following sentences with the correct form of the word given in parentheses

1. Health care was ___________ in ancient time. There was no hospital or doctor then. (EXIST)

2. His contribution to the development of sports makes him a(n) ___________ figure. (REPLACE)

3. Katherine Hepburn won four Oscar ___________ in the category of Best Actress in a Leading Role. (STATUE)

4. She offered cordial ___________ to the family over his so unexpected premature death. (MISERY)

5. If this theory is correct, then it is ___________ that we will be able to cure all diseases in the foreseeable
future. (VISION)

6. You should avoid those journalists. They are just ___________, only distressing and prying into your private
life. (CHIEF)

7. The decision to close the local hospital caused such a public ___________ that the authorities decided to re-
examine their options and keep it open. (CRY)

8. You should stop using that ___________ tone of voice when conversing with elders. (DESCEND)

9. It’s annoying that the operator answered the phone with a ___________ greeting, as if she didn’t want to help
me at all. (FUNCTION)

10. The temperature in ___________ regions remains high throughout the year. (EQUATOR)

IV - Read the following passage and choose the letter A, B, C, or D that best fits each blank in the
passage.

The ability to weep is a uniquely human form of emotional response. Some scientists have suggested that human
tears are evidence of an aquatic past - but this does not seem very likely. We cry from the moment we enter this
(1) _______ for a number of reasons. Helpless babies cry to (2) _______ their parents that they are ill, hungry or
uncomfortable. As they (3) _______, they will also cry just to attract parental attention and will often stop when
they get it.
 The idea that having a good cry can do you (4) _______ is a very old one and now it has scientific validity since
recent research into tears has shown that they contain a natural painkiller called enkaphalin. By (5) _______ sorrow
and pain, this chemical helps you to feel better. Weeping can increase the quantities of enkaphalin you (6) _______.

Unfortunately, in our society we impose restrictions (7) _______ this naturally healing activity. Because some
people still regard it as a (8) _______ of weakness in men, boys in particular are admonished when they cry. This
kind of repression can only increase stress, both emotionally and physically.

Tears of emotion also help the body (9) _______ itself of toxic chemical waste, for there is more protein in them
than in tears resulting (10) _______ cold winds or other irritants. Crying comforts, calms people and can be very
enjoyable- consider the popularity of the highly emotional films which are commonly called weepies. It seems that
people enjoy crying together almost as much as laughing together.

(Source: https://www.coursehero.com/file/p6q8vkig/Part-4)

1. A. world B. place C. earth D. space

2. A. inform B. communicate C. persuade D. demonstrate

3. A. evolve B. develop C. alter D. change

4. A. good B. fine C. better D. well

5. A. struggling B. fighting C. opposing D. striking

6. A. construct B. achieve C. provide D. produce

7. A. for B. to C. about D. upon

8. A. hint B. feature C. sign D. symbol

9. A. expel B. escape C. release D. rid

10. A. in B. from C. by D. to

V - Fill each of the following numbered blanks with ONE suitable word.

WHERE HAVE ALL THE GOOD CARTOONS GONE?

Childhood will never be the same again. Remember Saturday mornings spent lounging on the sofa, hour
(1)________ hour, watching your favourite cartoons? (2)________ there have been a better reward for the long
school week that had had to be endured? Bugs Bunny, Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse brought virtually live into
(3)________ living rooms. Back then, they were in black and white, and back then, they were meant to amuse, to
entertain.

It seems this has changed – and definitely (4)________ the worse. Now when you turn on the television on a
Saturday or Sunday morning, you do (5)________ at your own risk! Be prepared to confront violence in all its
animated glory: exploding bombs, falling buildings, blazing weapons, and bad guy after bad guy. I don’t see
(6)________ is funny about this warped vision of our times and our society. Nor do I see what’s worth watching on
these programmes with (7)________ gruesome caricatures of good and evil. Who is responsible for children’s
programming these days?

It cannot be good for today’s youth to be exposed (8)________ this type of entertainment. (9)________ best,
they are missing out on the humour, sensitivity and moral lessons that were to be had from the cartoons of old. At
worst, their childish brains are (10)________ filled with scenes of non-stop violence and ideas that are morally
corrupt. Childhood should be a time of innocence, short-lived as it may be in these turbulent times in which we live.
Perhaps we should bear this in mind the next time we see our child glued to the TV on a Saturday morning.

VI - Read the following passage and choose the best answer (A, B, C or D) according to the text.
 Archaeological records-paintings, drawings and carvings of humans engaged in activities involving the use of
hands-indicate that humans have been predominantly right-handed for than 5,000 years. In ancient Egyptian
artwork, for example, the right hand is depicted as the dominant one in about 90 percent of the examples.
Frustructure or wear patterns on tools also indicate that a majority of ancient people were right-handed.

Cro-Magnon cave paintings some 27,000 years old commonly show outlines of human hands made by placing
one hand against the cave wall and applying paint with the other. Children today make similar outlines of their hands
with clayons on paper. With few exceptions, left hands of Cro-Magnons are displayed on cave walls, indicating that
the paintings were usually done by right-handers. Anthological evidence pushes the record of handedness in early
human ancestors back to at least 1.4 million years ago. One important line of evidence comes from flaking patterns
of stone cores used in toolmaking: implements flaked with a clockwise motion (indicating a right-handed toolmaker)
can be distinguished from those flaked with a counter-clockwise rotation (indicating a left-handed toolmaker).

Even scratches found on fossil human teeth offer clues. Ancient humans are thought to have cut meat into strips
by holding it between their teeth and slicing it with stone knives, as do the present-day Inuit. Occasionally the knives
slip and leave scratches on the users’ teeth. Scatches made with a left-to-right stroke direction (by right-handers)
are more common than scratches in the opposite direction (made by left-handers)

Still other evidence comes from cranial morphology: scientists think that physical differences between the right
and the left sides of the interior of the skull indicate subtle physical differences between the two sides of the brain.
The variation between the hemispheres corresponds to which side of the body is used to perform specific activities.
Such studies, as well as studies of tool use, indicate that right – or left – sided dominance is not exclusive to modern
Homo Sapiens. Populations of Neanderthals, such as Homo erectus and Homo habilis, seem to have been
predominantly right-handed, as we are.

1. What is the main idea of the passage?

A. Human ancestors become predominantly right-handed when they began to use tools.

B. It is difficult to interpret the significance of anthropological evidence concerning tool use.

C. Humans and their ancestors have been predominantly right-handed for over a million years.

D. Human ancestors were more skilled at using both hands than modern humans.

2. What does the author say about Cro-Magnon paintings of hands?

A. Some are not very old B. It is unusual to see such paintings

C. Many were made by children D. The artists were mostly right-handed.

3. The word “depicted” in line 4 is closest in meaning to ________

A. written B. portrayed C. referred D. mentioned

4. When compared with implements “flaked with a counter-clockwise rotation”, it can be inferred that “implements
flaked with a clockwise motion” are ________

A. more common B. larger C. more sophisticated D. older

5. The word “cranial morphology” in line 23 is closest in meaning to ________

A. the form of crane B. the form of body

C. the study of physical bodies D. the study of skulls

6. The fact that the Inuit cut meat by holding it between their teeth is significant because ________

A. the relationship between handedness and scratches on fossil human teeth can be verified.

B. it emphasizes the differences between contemporary humans and their ancestors