Practice

 ISE  II  Exam  

Task  1:  Long  reading    

Paragraph  1:  What  would  make  you  move  to  Gaza?  The  small  strip  of  land  along  the  Mediterranean  
coast  is  run  by  Hamas,  the  Islamist  group  Israel  and  the  U.S.  consider  a  terrorist  organization.  It  can  be  
difficult  to  get  into  Gaza,  and  –  if  you  are  Palestinian  –  very  difficult  to  get  the  necessary  Israeli  or  
Egyptian  permission  to  leave.  And  three  wars  between  Israel  and  Hamas  since  2008  killed  more  than  
3,000  Gazans.  But  the  al-­‐Aloul  family  was  living  elsewhere  during  all  those  wars.  In  November,  2008,  
Ihab  al-­‐Aloul  and  his  wife  Somaya  left  Gaza  City  and  took  their  six  children  to  Vancouver,  British  
Columbia.  Last  fall,  they  moved  back.  The  plan  was  a  long  summer  visit,  but  by  the  time  they  finally  
could  enter  Gaza  in  September  they  decided  to  stay.  Aloul  says  a  big  reason  was  family.  "I  miss  my  
parents,"  he  says.    

Paragraph  2:  Money,  too,  played  a  role.  Aloul  is  a  software  development  manager  and  had  his  own  
company  in  Gaza  before  moving  to  Canada.  But  he  says  despite  earning  an  MBA,  it  wasn't  so  easy  to  get  
on  his  feet  there.  Here,  his  father  helps.  "Here  my  dad  is  rich,  he  has  his  land,  he  has  business,  so  he  can  
support  me,"  Aloul  says.  His  dad  bought  land  relatively  cheaply  decades  ago.  But  with  the  population  
growing  and  the  amount  of  available  land  for  building  shrinking,  real  estate  became  a  source  of  wealth.    

Paragraph  3:  Aloul's  two  youngest  sons  are  happy  in  Gaza.  Two  other  children,  college  students,  feel  
they  have  more  freedom  in  Gaza  than  they  did  in  Canada.  Their  father,  Ihab,  didn't  like  the  influences  of  
Western  culture  on  teenagers,  concerned  they'd  drink  or  start  romantic  relationships.  But  in  Gaza,  22-­‐
year-­‐old  Ahmed  can  hang  out  with  his  cousins  in  cafés  past  midnight.  Nour,  20,  says  she  does  what  she  
wants,  too.  "My  parents,  they  gave  me  all  the  freedom  here.  I  go  out,  I  do  whatever  I  want,"  she  says.  
"You  walk  in  the  streets,  you  know  that  no  one  will  do  something  bad  for  you."    She  was  also  teased  
about  her  headscarf  in  Canadian  high  school,  but  now  says  that  “I  walk  around,  no  one  talks  about  my  
scarf."    

Paragraph  4:  But  after  10  months  in  Gaza,  it  is  14-­‐year-­‐old  Kareem,  who  started  first  grade  back  in  
Canada,  who  seems  to  struggle  with  the  blended  identity  most.  He  loves  hockey,  while  his  friends  in  
Gaza  care  only  about  football.  Just  out  of  8th  grade  now,  he  started  the  year  far  behind  his  classmates  in  
Arabic  literacy.  But  he  mostly  feels  very  different  from  his  peers  here  because  he  has  no  experience  with  
war.    

Paragraph  5:  Somaya  calls  Gaza  a  box  with  no  exit.  The  border  with  Egypt  is  mostly  closed.  Even  though  
they  are  Canadian  citizens,  each  family  member  needs  a  permit  to  leave  Gaza  through  Israel  because  of  
Israel's  security  concerns.  Ihab  wasn't  allowed  to  accompany  his  sick  father  recently  for  medical  care  in  
Jerusalem.  Additionally,  there  is  a  presumption  there  could  well  be  another  war.  If  that  happens  while  
they  are  living  in  Gaza,  they  hope  being  Canadian  would  help  them  get  out.    

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Questions  1-­‐5:    

The  text  on  page  1  has  five  paragraphs  (1–5).  Choose  the  best  title  for  each  paragraph  from  A–F  below  
and  write  the  letter  (A–F)  on  the  lines  below.  There  is  one  title  you  don’t  need.  

1. Paragraph  1  _____     A.  Stuck  in  between  two  worlds  

2. Paragraph  2  _____     B.  A  familiar  culture  makes  them  feel  comfortable  
3. Paragraph  3  _____     C.  Little  freedom  of  movement    
4. Paragraph  4  _____     D.  A  pool  can  make  all  the  difference  
5. Paragraph  5  _____     E.  Finances  can  influence  the  decision  
F.  Family  above  all  else  
Questions  6-­‐10:  

Choose  the  five  statements  from  A–H  below  that  are  TRUE  according  to  the  information  given  in  the  text  
on  page  2.  Write  the  letters  of  the  TRUE  statements  on  the  lines  below  (in  any  order).  

6. _____   A.  One  of  the  boys  is  glad  to  be  in  a  place  where  kids  love  soccer  as  much  as  he  does.      
7. _____   B.  Ihab  al-­‐Aloul  is  lucky  to  have  land  in  his  family.    
8. _____   C.  Israel  has  very  tight  security;  it  is  hard  to  leave  Gaza  through  Israel.    
9. _____   D.  In  Canada  students  were  not  used  to  headscarves.    
10. _____   E.  The  al-­‐Aloul  family  knew  in  Canada  that  they  wanted  to  move  back  permanently.    
F.  They  are  Canadian  citizens.    
G.  With  his  diploma,  it  was  easy  for  Ihab  to  find  work  in  Canada.  
H.  Israel  and  Hamas  are  involved  in  a  war.    
 

Questions  11–15  

Complete  sentences  11–15  with  a  word,  phrase  or  number  from  the  text  (maximum  three  words).  Write  
the  word,  phrase  or  number  on  the  lines  below.    

11. It  was  difficult  for  Ihab  to  find  a  job  in  the  _________________  field  when  he  moved  to  Canada.    
12. The  amount  of  land  suitable  for  construction  has  been  _____________  in  Gaza  so  property  has  
become  more  valuable.    
13. One  of  the  children  prefers  _________,  a  popular  Canadian  winter  sport,  over  football.  
14. Kareem’s  ___________  is  low,  meaning  that  he  cannot  read  or  write  as  well  as  he  should  be  able  to.  
15. It  is  very  hard  to  cross  the  ___________  between  Gaza  and  other  countries.    

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Task  2:  Multi-­‐text  reading    

In  this  section  there  are  four  short  texts  for  you  to  read  and  some  questions  for  you  to  answer.  

Questions  16–20:    

Read  questions  16–20  first  and  then  read  texts  A,  B,  C  and  D  below  the  questions.  As  you  read  each  text,  
decide  which  text  each  question  refers  to.  Choose  one  letter  —  A,  B,  C  or  D  —  and  write  it  on  the  lines  
below.  You  can  use  any  letter  more  than  once.    

Which  text…  

16. Advises  how  to  create  a  more  successful  online  profile?  ______  
17. Suggests  people  of  specific  interests  should  investigate  what  special  dating  sites  exist?  ______  
18. Compares  opinions  of  online  dating  from  the  past  to  opinions  of  more  recent  times?  ______  
19. Advises  people  to  meet  in  public  places  for  the  first  date?  ______    
20. Includes  an  explanation  of  what  “online  dating”  is?  ______  

Text  A:  (Conversation  between  Amy  and  Tim  over  Facebook)    

Amy:  My  best  friend  just  created  an  account  on  OkCupid,  the  dating  site.  I’m  not  happy.  She  should  
meet  someone  in  real  life!  I  don’t  want  her  get  involved  in  a  relationship  that’s  not  real,  that  is  only  
through  the  internet.    

Tim:  I  think  you’re  a  little  confused.  The  key  thing  is  that  OkCupid  is  not  simply  online  dating—it’s  online  
meeting  people  followed  by  in-­‐person  dating.  I  think  the  term  “online  dating”  is  part  of  the  problem  and  
makes  people  who  don’t  know  much  about  it  think  it  refers  to  people  forming  entire  relationships  online  
and  only  meeting  in  person  much  later.    

Amy:  That  makes  more  sense.  My  best  friend  doesn’t  seem  interested  in  an  online-­‐only  relationship.  But  
why  can’t  she  meet  someone  in  real  life?  The  old-­‐fashioned  way?    

Tim:  Meeting  someone  through  friends  can  work,  but  it’s  limiting  yourself  to  single  people  your  closest  
friends  and  family  happen  to  know.  There  are  lots  of  “fish  in  the  sea”  but  that  can  seem  false  when  you  
only  meet  your  friends’  friends  and  do  not  have  luck.    

Amy:  Good  point.  Now  she  has  access  to  more  single  people  who  are  interested  in  finding  love!  

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Text  B:    

   

Text  C:  (A  recent  excerpt  from  a  New  York  Times  article  called  the  Science  of  Online  Dating  )  
As  it  turns  out,  success  begins  with  picking  a  user  name.  While  men  are  drawn  to  names  linked  
to  physical  traits  (e.g.,  Cutie),  the  researchers  found,  women  prefer  ones  that  indicate  intelligence  (e.g.,  
Cultured).  Both  sexes  respond  well  to  playful  names  (e.g.  Fun2bwith)  and  shy  away  from  ones  with  
negative  connotations  (e.g.,  Bugg).    
The  most  successful  online  profiles  featured  content  divided  70:30  between  personal  
information  and  a  description  of  the  ideal  desired  partner,  the  scientists  found.  Honest,  likable  and  
succinct  profiles  written  with  a  touch  of  humor  —  particularly  those  that  did  not  self-­‐aggrandize  or  use  
rhetorical  flourishes  —  elicit  the  best  results.  Photographs  showing  the  user  smiling  and  standing  in  the  
center  of  the  frame  surrounded  by  others  work  best.  
 
Text  D:  (Transcript  from  the  show  “Dr.  Ellen”  on  American  television…)    
Dr.  Ellen:  With  so  many  online  dating  services  out  there,  picking  one  can  be  difficult.  I  advise  
people  to  do  their  homework.  Shop  around  until  you  find  one  that  best  suits  your  particular  needs.  
Narrow  your  search  by  looking  at  services  that  specialize  in  matching  people  with  similar  interests.  For  
example,  you  might  consider  a  dating  service  for  people  who  share  the  same  religious  faith,  like  
BigChurch.com,  ChristianCafe.com  or  JDate.com;  if  you're  a  sports  enthusiast,  you  might  check  out  
fitness-­‐singles.com.  The  list  goes  on...    
While  e-­‐dating  is  a  dream  come  true  for  some,  I  also  want  to  warn  you  that  an  e-­‐courtship  has  
more  dating  hazards  than  ever  —  and  they're  not  what  you  think!  You  need  to  be  good  at  
communicating  over  text,  first,  and  then  make  sure  that  you  meet  in  a  public  place  to  be  extra  safe.    

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Questions  21–25  

Choose  the  five  statements  from  A–H  below  that  are  TRUE  according  to  the  information  given  in  the  
texts  above.  Write  the  letters  of  the  TRUE  statements  on  the  lines  below  (in  any  order).    

21. _______  22.  _______  23.  ______  24.  _______  25.  _______  
 
A. Females  feel  more  harassed  on  online  dating  sites  than  men.    
B. Men  are  attracted  to  user  names  about  physical  characteristics  while  women  prefer  hints  at  
intelligence.    
C. Being  capable  of  text  communication  (email,  texting,  messaging)  is  more  important  now  than  it  
used  to  be.    
D. Amy’s  friend  does  not  want  to  meet  someone  online.    
E. There  are  different  dating  sites  for  people  with  similar  interests.    
F. In  2013,  half  of  the  population  knew  someone  who  had  used  online  dating.    
G. One  in  six  people  have  experienced  break-­‐ups  that  were  not  face-­‐to-­‐face  (instead,  it  was  
experienced  through  texting,  messaging,  etc.).    

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Questions  26–30:                                            

The  summary  notes  below  contain  information  from  the  texts  on  pages  4  and  5.  Find  a  word  or  phrase  
from  texts  A–D  to  complete  the  missing  information  in  gaps  26–30.  

Write  your  answers  on  the  lines  below.  

Summary  notes:    

Online  Dating’s  Function:  

• When  people  want  to  say  that  there  are  tons  of  people  to  fall  in  love  with,  they  use  the  
expression  “there  are  many  26.  _______________.”  However,  it  can  be  difficult  to  meet  people  
so  many  use  online  dating.    
• Thanks  to  the  invention  of  the  27.  _______,  people  from  all  over  the  world  can  instantly  
communicate.  Online  dating  has  been  a  result  of  this  new  technological  service.  

Romance  is  changing:    

• Online  dating  has  become  more  common  and  accepted.  

• Not  everyone  has  a  good  experience.  Over  40%  of  women  feel  28.  ___________  by  the  ways  
that  they  have  been  contacted.    

People  have  researched  how  to  have  more  online  dating  success:  

• It  is  best  to  be  humble  and  funny.    

• Men  like  29.  ______________  that  reference  physical  characteristics.  

There  are  many  sites  to  choose  from  

• People  can  tailor  their  search  for  romance.  

o Religious  people  can  choose  an  online  dating  service  that  connects  those  of  the  same  
_______/  beliefs.    

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Task  3:  Reading  into  writing    

Use  the  information  from  the  four  texts  you  read  in  Task  2  (pages  3-­‐4)  to  write  an  essay  (150–180  
words)  for  your  teacher,  presenting  the  advantages  and  disadvantages  of  online  dating.    

You  should  plan  your  essay  before  you  start  writing.  Think  about  what  you  want  to  say  and  make  some  
notes  to  help  you  in  this  box:  

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Task  4:  Extended  writing  

Write  an  opinion  article  (an  “op-­‐ed”)  for  your  high  school’s  magazine  with  the  title:  “Why  It’s  Important  
to  Read”.  Write  150–180  words  about  why  people  should  read,  and  how  reading  has  personally  affected  
you.    

You  should  plan  your  article  before  you  start  writing.  Think  about  what  you  want  to  say  and  make  some  
notes  to  help  you  in  this  box:  (again,  simply  use  a  piece  of  paper  because  this  is  not  an  official  exam)    

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