LEXICO – GRAMMAR and WRITING PRACTICE TEST 5

Full name: ____________________________________

LEXICO-GRAMMAR
Part 1: Choose the word or phrase that best completes each sentence. Write your answer (A, B, C,
or D) in the numbered box.
1. “You’ve got a great suntan!” – “I went away for a few days to _____ my batteries.”
A. recharge B. fulfill C. surcharge D. revitalize
2. It’s a shame to fall out so badly with your own _____.
A. heart to heart B. flesh and blood C. heart and soul D. skin and bone
3. Life’s very easy for you. You were born with a _____ spoon in your mouth.
A. silver B. golden C. bronze D. diamond
4. There has been a lot of _____ surrounding the government’s proposed scheme.
A. controversy B. consent C. conformity D. consequence
5.The youth team really ............................. themselves in the semi-final.
A. surmounted B. excelled C. beat D. exceeded
6.I personally don’t believe you can ..................... of his support.
A. count B. depend C. rely D. be sure
7.He opened the account with a(n) ......................... to running up a healthy overdraft.
A. aim B. view C. purpose D. plan
8.The ........................ feeling at the meeting was that we should go ahead.
A. predicted B. pre-eminent C. predominant D. prefabricated
9.The estate agent assured us that we could ...................... the house at any time.
A. look over B. overlook C. oversee D. see through
10.There is little doubt that your daughter has a real ..................... with animal.
A. affinity B. intuition C. aptitude D. flair
11. I’m afraid I’ve completely lost the ………… of the argument.
A. stream B. thread C. trace D. idea
12. When the teacher asked Mary what the chemical formula was, her mind was a total …………
A. void B. empty C. blank D. nothing
13. If you can win his attention …………for you.
A. the so much better B. the better so much C. so much the better D. so the much better
14. No one can function properly if he or she is ………… adequate sleep.
A. took away B. deprived of C. derived from D. got rid of
15. I was so exhausted that I went out like………….
A. a baby B. a candle C. a light D. a log
16. Most of ………… archaeologists know about prehistoric cultures is based on studies of material
remains.
A. what B. these C. which D. the
17. She ………… fainted when she heard that her child died.
A. rather than B. nothing but C. all but D. near
18. She had no chance to defend herself : the dog………… for me as soon as I opened the door.
A. ran B. went C. fell D. stood
19. John …………from social activity because he felt embarrassed with people.
A. held on B. held off C. held back D. held out
20. I’m afraid Tim doesn’t take much care over his homework. He usually does it …………
A. any how B. any old how C. how on earth D. how come
Your answers:
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20
Part 2: The passage below contains 5 mistakes. Underline the mistakes and write their correct
forms in the space provided in the column on the right. (0) has been done as an example.

Line RELAXATION 0. line 1 : are  is

1 True relaxation are most certainly not a matter of flopping on in front of 1. Line ………………
2 the television with a welcome drink. Also is it about drifting into an 2. line ……………….
3 exhausted sleep. Useful though these responses to tension and over- 3. line ……………….
4 tiredness may be, we should distinguish between them and conscious 4. line……………….
5 relaxation in spite of quality and effect. Regardless of the level of 5. line……………….
6 tiredness, real relaxation is a state of alert yet at the same time passive
7 awareness, in which our bodies are in rest while our minds are
8 awake.Moreover, it is also natural for a healthy person to be relaxed when
9 moving as resting

Part 3: Write the correct FORM of each bracketed word

1. The fact that numerous factories dumping waste into the area's rivers has led to high levels of ___________ (TOXIC)
2. As a gesture of___________, the commission tested our products, too. (PARTIAL)
3. ___________ development is the first step in rebuilding the area. (STRUCTURE)
4. Barack Obama is the first President of the United States with ___________ background. (RACE)
5. In his__________, Mike smashed all the breakable items in the kitchen. (FURIOUS)
6. ‘Have you got any ___________about the cooperation?’ ‘Oh no, I’m sure it will be successful.’ (GIVE)
7. The project went over budget because of ………..at the planning stage. (CALCULATE)
8. Next week, the Sunday mass will be held to ____________the victims of the holocaust. (MEMORY)
9. That bicycle lacks a few spokes in the wheels, but I think you can ignore such a minor ____________and buy it at the
low cost offered. (SHORT)
10. The pain became ___________ during the night, so I called the doctor. (ENDURE)
Your answers:
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10

Part 4. Fill in the blank with a suitable preposition or a particle to complete the following sentences
1. The children showed no animosity __________ her step mother.
2. If you can bear__________ me a little longer, I’ll try to explain the reasons behind my actions.
3. I was completely bowled__________ by their warm reception.
4. Do you think he could be prevailed __________ to make a speech after the presentation?
5. He was cheated __________ __________ his full holiday entitlement due to a change in company policy.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
III. READING
Part 1: Read the following passage and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap. Write
your answer in the numbered box.
The elementary means of communicating with other people is (1)…………messages by voice. This fact is widely
(2)………..and we recognize the voice as a (3)……….characterizing the identity of a person. The array of voices is
immeasurable as no two are exactly similar. They can be nasal, resonant or shrill produced in (4)………..with the
individual physical (5)………..of the throat.
One possible (6)………..of the art of voice recognition is voice profiling used by police analysts as a method of
(7)………..court evidence in trials. Every year thousands of audiotapes with recorded interviews or casual utterances
are (8)…………to the purpose to help identify the probable culprit. Specialists dealing with the voice investigation
claim that people can (9)………themselves away by their accents, inflections or other voice attributes like pitch,
intensity and loudness. A recorded sample is usually (10)………into electric pulses and later transformed into a
pictorial recording which is processed by a computer program. Very frequently voice analysts have a (11)………at
deciphering the relevant information which may be (12)………with background noise or other interfering sounds
until they (13)……….the desired results.
14…………………….hese efforts help the police detect individuals who threaten their victims by phone or
inform about bomb (15)…………..or those who make offensive calls disturbing the peace of decent citizens.
1. A. conveying B. commuting C. discharging D. informing
2. A. reassured B. declared C. acknowledged D. reckoned
3. A. matter B. feature C. token D. label
4. A. consent B. dependence C. support D. accordance
5. A. properties B. tendencies C. credentials D. assets
6. A. operation B. handling C. implementation D. treatment
7. A. facilitating B. substantiating C. pledging D. withstanding
8. A. used B. employed C. set D. put
9. A. give B. turn C. prove D. tell
10. A. reformed B. converted C. exchanged D. adjusted
11. A. stake B. stag C. stack D. stab
12. A. infused B. mingled C. abused D. intruded
13. A. attain B. manouevre C.elaborate D. succeed
14. A.Thankfully B. Luckily C. Unluckily D.Therefore
15. A. situating B. deploying C. planting D. setting
Your answers:
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15
Part 2: Fill each blank with ONE suitable word. Write your answer in the numbered box provided below
the passage
The saltwater crocodile is the largest reptile on earth. As old and as primitive as the dinosaur, this
creature is (1)………….in the oceans of Sri Lanka, India, New Guinea, Australia and in Southeast Asian
countries.
With its razor-sharp (2)………….and huge, tough body, the crocodile has always instilled fear in man.
Crocodiles can attack at any time of the year. They are particularly active, however, (3)……..the warmer
months. Contrary to popular (4)…………, the crocodile does not kill its prey by ripping (5)…………its flesh.
In fact, the crocodile (6)………chew at all. Its teeth are (7)……. only for grasping its victim firmly. The
crocodile eats by gulping off bits of flesh and swallowing them. It then (8)………..its powerful stomach to
grind the food.
Since World War Two, the demand for crocodile skin has increased greatly. To (9)………..these
demands, crocodile farms have been formed. In these farms, crocodiles are hatched and grown. They are
slaughtered when they are about five or six feet in (10)…………... The skin of the crocodile is used to
manufacture handbags, belts and shoes. In Australia the crocodile meat is even made into pies, sandwiches and
sausages!. An estimated 1.5 to 2 million crocodile skins are sold every year.
Your answers:
1 2 3 4 5
6 7 8 9 10

IV. WRITING
Part 1: Use the word(s) given in brackets and make any necessary additions to complete a new sentence
in such a way that it is as similar as possible in meaning to the original sentence. Do NOT change the
form of the given word (s).
1. I don’t want people to order me about any more. ( ENOUGH )
 ………………………………………………………………………………...
2. They will consider age and experience when they decide the salary. ( ACCOUNT)
 ………………………………………………………………………………...
3. As my roommate continues to give me a lift to work, I shan’t learn to drive. ( STOP )
 ………………………………………………………………………………….
4. Did the football team play any better last weekend? ( IN )
. ………………………………………………………………………………..
5.I need a calculator to arrive at the total. (OUT)
 ………………………………………………………………………………..

Part 2: . Chart description (20 points)

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Part 3. Write about the following topic:

In some countries, young people are encouraged to work or travel for a year between finishing high school and
starting university studies. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages for young people who decide to do this.
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
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Part 4. Summary:

Briefly describe Uncle Chin's charcoal manufacturing process. Your account, which should be
continuous, must not not be longer than 120 words.

"Have you started the fire?" shouted my mum from the kitchen. "Yes!" I replied, feeling frustrated after having
some difficulties in starting the fire with charcoal. It is the eve of the annual Dragon Boat Festival again and my
mum is busy making dumplings. She has specifically chosen to cook the dumplings with charcoal, claiming
that the rice will then be uniformly cooked and fragrant. I still prefer to use the gas cooker. "It's just more
convenient and cleaner too!" grumbling helplessly, I stared at both of my soiled hands.
Fanning the hot stove, I watched my mum lower down two strings of dumplings. "Stay put and watch over
them. Mind the time too!" She instructed sternly, knowing what a fantastic daydreamer I am. Feeling bored only
minutes after she had left, my mind starts to wonder about. Reminiscing the life back at home town, I recalled
myself popping over at Uncle Chin's charcoal manufacturing factory frequently when I was a child.
Being inquisitive, I would always ask Uncle Chin questions which sometimes were repetitive. What an
irritating kid I had been?
Charcoal was made by burning woods in a charcoal-kiln. Uncle Chin's charcoal kiln was about fifteen feet tall
and it had an arched cross-sectional opening. Clay made, the top of the kiln was always covered with attap
leaves. The daily charcoal-making work was well divided among the workers. Every morning, the workers took
turns to collect mangrove woods from the nearby swamps. Upon returning, they sawed the wood into
appropriate lengths to fit the kiln. Uncle Chin would then stack the pieces of woods vertically in the kiln. When
the kiln was full, the fire would be started and the woods were burnt from the top, downwards, just like a
burning joss stick.
Staying by the kiln, Uncle Chin would explain that the fire must not be red hot; otherwise, the wood pieces
would be reduced to ashes. Instead, a slow, greenish fire should be maintained for the wood to be
sufficiently smouldered.
"Uncle Chin, then, how do we maintain such an appropriate fire?" As usual, I would continue my endless
questions.
"It's all through experience..." With a grin on his face, Uncle Chin recalled how he was scolded by his teacher
for not being able to judge the appropriate hotness of the fire.
The aroma of the cooked dumplings brought me back to the present. "Oops! Time's up. Mum, the dumplings are
ready?" I shouted in excitement, waiting to try one of the mouth-watering dumplings.