Beirut Arab University

ENG 110-Fall 2020

Quiz 1
Name: _omar al aswad_______________ Date:
Oct. 5 th, 2020

Score: /10

Read the following text carefully

You Can Do It, Too

1 It isn’t difficult to find a success story these days. Every time you turn around, there’s another
article in the newspaper about a star athlete who once lived in poverty. Or perhaps there’s a news
feature on television about a businesswoman who was a victim of abandonment and grew up alone
and homeless. We always marvel at the struggle these people endure to achieve success. They grow
up in dilapidated homes that are barely standing and have almost no food to live on. Every day,
they yearn for a better life, but somehow they manage to never give in to hopelessness or misery.
2 “How do they do it?” we ask ourselves, comparing their tormented lives to our own. We might
even stop to think that we could never succeed if we were in their shoes. But I say, do not be so
sure. If I have learned anything, it is that it can be surprising what the power of a goal can do—
how self-reliance can take over by sheer will and stop you from giving up.
3 Every day, we are faced with challenges. Some are bigger than others, yet we are accountable
for how we respond to all of them. We may feel defeated at first, but for many of us that feeling
is soon replaced with the will to overcome . . . to survive . . . and yes, even to succeed. It may be a
long and laborious road we travel, but the success waiting at the end of that road makes the hardship
seem almost meager in comparison.
4 Working toward a goal is a healthy and powerful force that can push aside even the most sordid
feelings of shame or unworthiness. Sometimes, the farther you have to travel, the more you believe
in your ability to get there. As for myself, I continue to be amazed by anyone who has beat the
odds and overcome personal obstacles. However, someone’s success doesn’t make me feel
unimportant. Instead, it makes my own fight seem worthwhile because I know I can do it, too!

A. Choose the best answer.

1. What does the idiom “in their shoes” mean in paragraph 2?
a) their friend
b) helping them
c) in their position
d) standing next to them
2. What does the idiom “beat the odds” mean in paragraph 4?
a) winning a difficult game
b) getting angry with a situation
c) succeeding when it wasn’t likely
d) learning how to cheat at something
3. Which word in paragraph 4 is an antonym for the word unimportant?
a) healthy
b) amazed

1
 c) personal
d) worthwhile
4. The writer wants readers to feel that they:
a) do not have any problems
b) can overcome their obstacles
c) do not understand big problems
d) should help others who have obstacles

B. Read each statement. Write T if the statement is true or F if it is false. (1 pt.)

1. Success stories are difficult to find in modern society._F_________

2. People usually do not have to work that hard to be successful.____T_________
3. The writer believes that people have a natural urge to try to succeed.____T________
4. The writer does not like hearing success stories on the news.______F________
B. Vocabulary in context; parts of speech
Parts of Speech
1. Verbs: tell about actions
2. Nouns: tell about things, people, places, issues
3. Adjectives: Describe nouns- The lecture was very informative.
4. Adverbs: Describe verbs and adjectives
Example: He talks impatiently about the issue
The weather is extremely hot

Fill in the empty spaces with the appropriate part of speech:

Verb Noun Adjective Adverb

flex flexibility Flexible Flexibly

compensate compensation compensable X

disable disability Disabled X

estimate estimation X X

retain retention X X

benefit benefit benefitable beneficially

predict prediction predictable predictably

X anxiety Anxious anxiously

X image imaginal imaginably

sum sum X X

2
C. Write complete sentences, using the following words:

1. Retain: After the accident the doctor said that it was possible for Josh to retain his
memory.
2. Predictable: The outcome of the football match was predictable.
3. Anxious: Most introverts get anxious in the presence of many people.
4. Flexible: Steel wires used in bridge suspensions are usually flexible to be able to
withstand tremendous pressures and tensions.