ELITE SELECTION EXAM 2020-2021

(First Round)

NQH English Team

Please record all your answers on the provided answer sheet. The test consists of 8 pages with 94 questions. You
are allowed 1 hour 30 minutes to complete the test. You may not use a dictionary during the test.

Part 1 (VOCABULARY) Fill in each blank with a suitable word from the givens. Some will not be
used.
envious additives cancerous dedication
appeal possibility prolonged permanently
prompted constantly witnessed controversial
1 Gun control is still a(n) ........................ problem in the US and many other European nations.
2 What I admire about Maria is her ........................ to her work which is both stressful and demanding.
3 He was ........................ blind after a serious accident on a motorway.
4 The young man is clearly ........................ of his brother’s success as an entrepreneur.
5 ........................ are often added to foods to make them look and taste better.
6 The anger of the populace was what ........................ the government to act so quickly.
7 The theme park lost its ........................ over the years and was closed down in 1984.
8 The people’s lives are ........................ as a result of better health care.
9 2019 ........................ the destruction of one of the world’s deadliest diseases – COVID-19.
10 She ........................ changed her mind at the meeting, which annoyed every one of us.

Part 2 (WORD FORM) Supply the correct forms of the words in bold.
11 When the cabin crew initiate an emergency ........................, all passengers should use the exit doors to
escape. EVACUATE
12 My parents used to own a house on the ........................ of the London. OUT
13 An in-depth ........................ of the statistics has revealed some surprising facts. ANALYSE
14 Brad looked ........................ in class today, I wonder what was on his mind. FOCUS
15 The adventurer was rendered speechless at the ........................ views of the mountaintop.
BREATHE
16 Beethoven was one of the most ........................ musicians in history. ACCOMPLISH
17 Animals bred in ........................ would probably not survive if they were released into the wild.
CAPTURE
18 The past few months have seen a rise in the number of hospitalisations concerning ........................
problems. RESPIRE
19 Labourers in my country are entitled to ........................ classes which will help them read and write.
REMEDY
20 Differences over these issues narrowed during the ........................ talks. PREPARE

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 Part 3 (MULTIPLE CHOICE) Choose from A, B, C or D the most suitable answer for each question.
21 People ............ home since the curfew was put into effect last week.
A had stayed B stayed C are staying D have been staying
22 Were things not to get better, we ............ you for help, I promise.
A will ask B would ask C are asking D would have asked
23 The problem with annoying students ............ that they are often unwilling to cooperate.
A are B is C has been D would be
24 Look! The lights are on. They ............ at home right now.
A must be B could have been C might have been D can’t be
25 I need someone ............ over and help me fix the bath tub.
A coming B come C to come D comes
26 The weather forecast yesterday said that there ............ thunderstorm in my city today.
A will be B is C would be D had been
27 The matter discussed is ............ great importance, so make sure no-one else knows about it.
A at B of C in D on
28 Just stay calm. I’m sure we can eventually ............ something instead of taking things to court.
A pass on B show up C turn in D work out
29 After ............ all the options, I decided to go with Henry’s plan.
A having considered B considered C considering D I have considered
30 Not until Peter has returned ............ the meeting.
A that we commence B we will commence
C will we commence D did we commence
31 In my opinion, the DC Universe is ............ the Marvel Cinematic Universe created by Stan Lee.
A the most diverse B diverser than C half diverse D nowhere near as diverse as
32 The man’s application was turned down by the interviewers, ............ saddened him greatly.
A who B that C which D whom
33 Unfortunately, there is only ............ ice-cream left, so it won’t be enough for both of you.
A a little B a few C plenty D much
34 The package ............ to your house as we speak.
A is delivered B delivers C which is delivered D is being delivered
35 He told you that Tom was in a relationship with Helen, ............?
A weren’t they B wasn’t he C didn’t he D isn’t it
36 “You have so many sweets! Could you at least give me ............?”
A one B the ones C ones D few
37 Supposed that you ............ late for work, what would you do?
A arrives B arrived C had arrived D do arrive
38 ............ dogs are considered the most loyal animals to us, hence the name “man’s best friend”.
A The B A C Much D Ø
39 Their job offer sounds very enticing. ............, I think I have to reject it because I simply don’t have
enough time.
A Therefore B Nevertheless C Despite of that D In which case
40 The man is a(n) ............ scientist who works for both NASA and the FBI.
A brightly-lit B highly-respected C short-lived D tight-fitting

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 Part 4 (GUIDED CLOZE) Choose from A, B, C or D the most suitable word or phrase to fill in each
blank.

Global warming
Few people now 41............ the reality of global warming and its effects on the world’s climate. Many
scientists 42............ the blame for recent natural disasters on the increase in the world’s temperature and
are convinced that, more than ever before, the Earth is at 43............ from the forces of the wind, rain and
sun. According to them, global warming is making extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and
droughts, even more 44............ and causing sea levels all around the world to 45............ .
Environmental groups are putting 46............ on governments to take action to reduce the amount of
carbon dioxide which is given 47............ by factories and power plants, thus attacking the problem at its
source. They are in favour of more money being spent on research into solar, wind and wave energy
devices.
Some scientists, 48............, believe that even if we stopped releasing carbon dioxide and other gases into
the atmosphere tomorrow, we would have to wait 49............ hundred years to notice the results. 50............,
they think it is safe to assume that it takes each and every one of our small actions to save the future
Earth.

41 A hesitate B question C disagree D concern

42 A give B put C take D have
43 A threat B danger C risk D harm
44 A strict B severe C strong D heavy
45 A lift B arise C raise D rise
46 A force B pressure C persuasion D encouragement
47 A off B away C up D over
48 A whereas B although C despite D however
49 A several B over C numerous D various
50 A Therefore B Moreover C However D In contrast

Part 5 (OPEN CLOZE) Read the text and fill in each blank with ONE suitable word only.

fake news story

How to spot a
There are several ways you can spot fake news stories. The first things is 51.................... check which news
site the story is from. If it 52.................... come from a source you don’t recognise, then it will probably be a
fake story. In the same 53...................., you should always check who the author is. This might be someone
you can check online to see if they 54.................... a professional life as a journalist. A very good check is to
look at the links and sources that are used or referred to – a reputable story 55.................... always link to
other reputable sites. And more than that, 56.................... the story is true, other reliable news outlets are
probably also reporting 57.................... . An easier check is to look out for questionable quotes and photos.
Common sense means you can often spot issues 58.................... these quite easily. Finally, 59....................
you be tempted to share the story, make sure you think and check 60.................... you do share it.

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Part 6 (MULTIPLE MATCHING) For questions 61-70, choose from the stories (A-D). The stories may
be chosen more than once.
Which story

• mentions the desire of some people to thank the donor in person? 61 ................
• says that everyone who saw the ‘gifts’ was positive about them? 62 ................
• mentions an unsuccessful attempt by a newspaper to identify the donor? 63 ................
• says that people did not expect the ‘gifts’ to attract so much media attention? 64 ................
• mentions speculation about the donor’s reasons for leaving the ‘gifts’? 65 ................
• says that most people did not want it to be known who the donor was? 66 ................
• mentions the donor’s recent piece of luck? 67 ................
• mentions people’s worries about possible negative consequences of the ‘gifts’? 68 ................
• mentions the appropriateness of the ‘gifts’? 69 ................
• says that one person initially mistook the intentions of the donor? 70 ................

A Book sculptures appear in Edinburgh’s cultural centres

Between March and November 2011, a total of ten sculptures, beautifully crafted from books, were
left anonymously in various cultural buildings in the city of Edinburgh. Each was accompanied by a
note, which included the words, ‘In support of libraries, books, words, ideas and festivals’. There was
unanimous approval of the intricate sculptures from all those lucky enough to view them when they
were put on display.
Each sculpture was carefully and suitably chosen: a dinosaur for the National Museum, or a tiny
cinema for the city's Filmhouse. Despite a strong suggestion in one of the notes that the donor was a
woman, a local newspaper said they believed it to be a man. They claimed they had discovered the
identity of the sculptor, but kept it quiet, given that the general view was that he or she should remain
anonymous

B New Jersey knitter decorates the town

In January 2010, residents of West Cape May in New Jersey were amused to find that colourful,
knitted scarves had mysteriously begun to appear wrapped around the trees and lamp posts in the
town’s Wilbraham Park. And the fact that the knitter preferred to remain anonymous only added to
the fun. What surprised them was the huge interest shown by newspaper and radio journalists, who
came from other US states and abroad to report on events.
While most local people reacted positively to the decorations, some residents expressed concern that
the scarves might harm the trees and become unattractive with the effects of the weather. Although
the scarf wrapping continued and spread to traffic signs and fence posts, by mid-March it was all
over. The scarves vanished overnight, as quickly and mysteriously as they had first appeared.

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 C Unseen donor gives away large sums of cash
In March 2012, the German town of Braunschweig began to capture the attention of the world's
press. An anonymous benefactor had been donating money to local good causes, each time leaving
the recipient an envelope containing €10,000 in cash. Among the beneficiaries were the victim of a
burglary, a severely disabled boy and a hospice, all of whom had appeared in the local newspaper. A
total of nearly €200,000 had been donated.
There were a number of theories to explain who the donor was and why they might have given the
cash away: an elderly person with no family to leave their money to, a criminal wanting to get rid of
stolen money or a lottery winner trying to do some good. Some of the beneficiaries wanted to meet
the donor to express their gratitude. However, the local newspaper believed in respecting the donor's
desire for anonymity and made no effort to discover their identity.

D Mystery man gives out money in supermarket

Just before Christmas 2011 a man entered a supermarket in Tiverton, England and handed out a
number of envelopes, each containing a fifty-pound note, to delighted shoppers. Also, inside the
envelopes was a message which read: ‘Happy Christmas. I have recently been fortunate enough to
come into quite a lot of money - more than I need for myself and my family. So, I thought that I would
share some of it with you.’ Believing it to be part of a marketing promotion, one beneficiary nearly
threw the blank envelope away. Another went to the bank to check that the note was genuine. The
donor's identity remains unknown, in spite of the efforts of one national daily, which asked readers to
get in contact if they knew who the mystery benefactor was.

Part 7 (ERROR IDENTIFICATION) Choose from A, B, C or D the underlined part which needs correct
the most in each question. You DO NOT need to correct the errors.
71 Most people working on this project is ready to trade it for a different one due to its impracticality.
A B C D

72 As soon as they had made the final decision, the other members became angry and left the room.
A B C D

73 The police have launched an exhausted search for the missing tourist, but so far it has been fruitless.
A B C D

74 However hard I try, my score can never be as high as Peter.

A B C D

75 The skyscraper which was recently erected in the downtown area measures up to 100 metres in high.
A B C D

76 By the time a vaccine is created, millions of people had been killed by the dangerous virus.
A B C D

77 Accessing only through the side door, the hotel has proved to be very secure for the president’s stay.
A B C D

78 In Japan, the firstborn son is expected to have inherited his father's position as head of the family.
A B C D

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 Part 8 (READING COMPREHENSION) Read the passage and choose from A, B, C or D the most
suitable answer for each question.
CHANGE PLEASE
A As anyone living in a city and endeavouring to walk
through the streets at night knows only too well, the
problems associated with people sleeping rough in
the parks, shop doorways, alleys and bridge arches
are significant. Apart from the distress caused by the
sight of people who have literally no further to fall
than the pavement beneath them, the insecurity that
passers-by feel results in some city areas becoming
complete no-go zones. In addition to this, the detritus
left behind not only disfigures public spaces, but also
raises a multitude of health concerns.
B There have been numerous efforts by various bodies
and charities to tackle the steadily rising numbers of
people on the streets over several decades, but
nothing seems to be able to stem the flow. They
range from those badly hit by changing economic
times (including those discharged from the military
with no prospects of a stable job) to the teenage
runaways who disappear because life at home is a
nightmare and end up in a nightmare that is far worse
than they could have imagined. Increasing numbers
of desperate people are being sucked into the
dangerous underbelly of our big cities.
C Charities and local authorities do their best to relieve
the pressure on the streets by providing food, safety
and shelter where they can, but it is really little more
than a holding operation. Donations flood in from the
better-off, whose social conscience is activated by
their own fears of ending up in a similar situation.
However, making a real difference and tackling the
very deep roots of the problem needs a radical
rethink.
D Homelessness has a devastating effect on self-
esteem. A simple analogy might be to view a person's
self-esteem as a table top supported by four legs:
health, work, home and emotional support. If one leg
is weak and breaks, the table falls. This shows how
frighteningly easy it is to become a homeless person
and also how devastatingly difficult and complex it is
to bring this person back into sustained employment.
Being homeless takes away the life skills that those of
us with support from family, friends and work have
never thought about and take for granted: belief in
yourself, self-awareness and the ability to structure a
day being just a few. Without these soft skills, getting
back into work and making a success of it is nearly
impossible.
E Recently another approach to helping rebuild the
table of self-esteem for homeless people has been
proving successful. There have been many social
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enterprise initiatives, set up to give the homeless
employment and develop skills such as dealing with
money and the responsibility and sense of purpose
this brings. Easily, the most successful of these
ventures to date, and the one most visible to the
public, has probably been that of The Big Issue sellers
- homeless people employed to sell a magazine on
the streets.
F Now the people behind The Big Issue have teamed up
with another social enterprise in South London, the
Old Spike Roastery, to create a ground- breaking new
brand called Change Please. Like The Big Issue, it
aims to use the power of a popular product sold on
the streets - in this case, coffee beans. Homeless
people are being trained as professional baristas to
sell the fresh coffee from pop-up carts on the streets
of London and earn the living London wage. And
business is booming. The Big Issue has done an
amazing job in bringing the problem of homelessness
to the public's attention, but Change Please is really
by far the more successful and profitable of the two
projects. The public are far more likely to pick up a
takeaway coffee on the way to their destination than
buy a magazine once a fortnight. And if the coffee is
good quality and served by a friendly team of people
working their way back into society, both the coffee
and the ethos behind the project will go down well.
G The coffee sold by Change Please is a first-class
product, essential for the venture to succeed in a
crowded marketplace, and the customers are keen to
make their contribution to helping people get back on
their feet. One of the baristas, Liam, is nineteen and
sees this as a great opportunity to move on, believing
that it will make a lasting difference to many lives. In
fact, so successful have the London pop-up carts
proved that plans are in place to introduce them in
other major UK cities such as Bristol, Manchester,
Glasgow and Edinburgh - and the faster this happens,
the better it will be for everyone.
H Not only does the project allow people like Liam to
earn a legitimate and secure income, but it also helps
them find stable accommodation and even assists in
setting up fast-track bank accounts. As well as
learning the technical skills involved in using the
machinery and all the different coffee blends, the
vendors need to interact with the public, work as a
team and develop vital time management skills. They
can move forward, equipped with the support
necessary to rebuild their confidence. Begging for
coins is a thing of the past. For them, the change is
there to stay.
79 The writer believes that people in cities are
A concerned about the dangers to those sleeping rough.
B angered by the waste people sleeping rough leave behind.
C apprehensive about their own safety.
D determined to avoid seeing the rough sleepers.

80 In paragraph B, the writer

A blames the authorities for the number of homeless people.
B criticises families’ attempts to deal with the problem.
C implies that life on the streets is often an inevitability.
D details the reasons many young people are homeless.

81 In paragraph C, the word “it” refers to

A the work the charities do.
B the stress caused on the streets.
C the money given to help resolve the problem.
D the difficulty of dealing with the issue.

82 In paragraph D, the phrase “take for granted” implies that many people
A believe we are entitled to a good life.
B accept certain aspects of their lives without question.
C learn things without being aware of it.
D are profoundly grateful for their good fortune.

83 In the writer’s opinion, the Change Please project is more successful than The Big Issue because
A the product is of better quality.
B the people who buy the coffee know the background.
C the service is practical.
D the customers appreciate the work involved.

84 In summing up the value of the project, the writer believes that

A it makes our streets safer for the public.
B it benefits the suppliers and homeless alike.
C it puts the homeless on the right side of the law.
D it provides a long-term solution to the problem.

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 Part 9 (SENTENCE TRANSFORMATION) Complete the second sentence so that its meanings stay
the same with the first sentence. Your answer has to include the word in bold with its
unchanged form. You must use between TWO and FIVE words including the word given.
85 Our team hasn’t won a trophy for five years.
TIME
→ Five years ago ……………………………………………………... our team won a trophy.

86 ‘Don’t sit in front of the computer for too long,’ our teacher told us.
WARNED
→ Our teacher ……………………………………………………... in front of the computer for too long.

87 We got lost coming home from the leisure centre.

WAY
→ We couldn’t ……………………………………………………... from the leisure centre.

88 I tried as hard as I could to keep my promise to them.

BEST
→ I ……………………………………………………... break my promise to them.

89 Mary didn’t find it difficult to pass her driving test.

DIFFICULTY
→ Mary had ……………………………………………………... her driving test.

90 I always trust Carla’s advice.

SOMEONE
→ Carla ……………………………………………………... advice I always trust.

91 We appear to have been given the wrong address.

AS
→ It ……………………………………………………... we have been given the wrong address.

92 I couldn’t understand the instructions for my new video recorder.

SENSE
→ The instructions for my new video recorder didn’t ……………………………………………………... me.

93 It’s a pity we didn’t do more sport when I was at school.

COULD
→ I wish that ……………………………………………………... more sport when I was at school.

94 He described the hotel to us in detail.

DETAILED
→ He ……………………………………………………... of the hotel.

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