UNIVERSIDAD SANTA MARIA LA ANTIGUA

ONLINE ENGLISH COURSE – LEVEL 9

FINAL EXAM

NAME: _______________________ I.D. No. __________________ DATE: _______________

READING.

STARTING A NEW TRADITION

Shantelle Davis is a nine-year-old girl in New York. On a cold night in December, her
family is standing around the kitchen table while she lights a candle. The table is
decorated with baskets of fruit and vegetables and ears of corn for Santelle and her two
brothers.

“This candle represents umoja, an African word that means being together.” Shantelle
says, “That is the most important thing for a family.”

More than 5 million African Americans celebrate Kwanzaa every year from December 26
until January 1. It is a time when they get together with their families to think about
their history and their ancestors in Africa.

Kwanza is very unusual because it was started by one man. In 1966, an American
named Maulana Karenga wanted a holiday for African Americans to honor their culture
and traditions. So he used words and customs from Africa to create a new celebration.
He took the name Kwanzaa from the words for “first fruits” in Swahili, an African
language. At first, only a few families had celebrations. Now, there are Kwanzaa events
in schools and public places, and Kwanzaa has even spread to other countries, like
Canada and Jamaica.

The main symbol of Kwanzaa is a candleholder with seven candles, one for each of the
principles of Kwanzaa. Each night, a family member lights one of the candles and talks
about the idea it represents: being together, being yourself, helping each other, sharing,
having a goal, creating and believing. The candles are red, black, and green, the colors of
Kwanzaa. The parents also pour drinks to honor family members who have died. On
the last night of Kwanzaa, there is a big dinner with African food, and children receive
small presents.

Today, people can buy Kwanzaa greeting cards and special Kwanzaa clothes. Stores sell
Kwanzaa candles and candleholders. Some people do not believe that Kwanzaa is as
important as other holidays because it is so new. But other people say that Kwanzaa
shows what is important in people’s lives.
Candleholder: candelabro ear of corn: mazorca de maíz
Light a candle: encender una vela share: compartir
Pour drinks: servir bebidas

Write T for true, F for false or NI for no information

1. Kwanzaa is celebrated at the end of the year. __________

2. Kwanzaa is a holiday for African Americans. ___________
3. Kwanzaa is a very old holiday. ___________
4. People in Africa celebrate Kwanzaa. ___________
5. People spend a lot of time with their families during Kwanzaa. ___________
6. Everyone thinks Kwanzaa is an important holiday. ___________
7. Children receive presents at the end of Kwanzaa. ___________

Find this information in the reading:

8. The number of people who celebrate Kwanzaa now _________________

9. The dates of Kwanzaa _______________________
10. Three countries where people celebrate Kwanzaa ___________________

GRAMMAR.

used to + infinitive

Complete the sentences with used to or didn’t use to plus the verb in parentheses.

1. James _____________(drink) a lot of coffee every morning. Now he has only one
cup.

2. We ________________(drive) to school, but now we take the bus.

3. Our class is in the evening. But it ____________ (be) in the afternoon.

Complete the paragraph with used to or didn’t use to + the verb in parentheses.

People (1) _____________ (take) photos with cameras that used film. Now most people take
photos with their phones or a digital camera. But not so long ago it (2)________________
(be) necessary to buy a film and load it in the camera. Film was expensive, and also had
to be developed. This meant people (3) ______________ (bring) a used roll of film to store
that did developing, and they (4) _________________(wait) –sometimes hours or days for the
pictures. Photos (5)______________(not be) instant!
Underline the correct choice.

a) That is a good idea. We (should / had better) invite them to the party.
b) We can / have to get up early to catch our flight.
c) I really should / can call my mother. It’s her birthday today.
d) Lisa loves to bake cakes. She knows anything / everything about making cakes.
e) Somebody /anybody stole Mary’s cell phone!
f) A person must not / can’t drive a car without a driver’s license.
g) This passport expired. You must not / must use it again.
h) Does anybody/ anything want to do this training program?
i) Is anyone/anywhere going to the meeting?
j) Anyone/everyone is satisfied with the salary increase. No one /everyone
complained. They are all happy about it.

Complete the sentences with modals should, ought to or shouldn’t.

1. You ______________________ read the directions before doing the assignment.

2. This is not a good book. You ________________ read it.
3. There is hot water. You __________________ prepare tea.
4. That is not a good idea. You ________________ ask for an explanation.
5. It might rain today. You _________________take an umbrella.

Comparisons with as…as

Fill in the comparison with as… as and complete the sentence in your own words.

1. Veteran’s Day is (important) ____________________________Memorial Day.

2. July 4 in the US / is / exciting / September 18 in Chile.
__________________________.
3. Summer vacations /are / popular / winter vacations
________________________________.

Would rather …. than

Write three sentences using would rather... than. The sentences must be about a
preference you have among alternatives.
1._________________________________________

2. ________________________________________

3. ________________________________________

PASSIVE VOICE

Change the following sentences from the past active voice to the past passive
voice.

1. Genghis Khan ruled Mongolia. __________________________________

2. Genghis Khan destroyed many cities and kingdoms. _____________________________
3. For example, Khan’s army destroyed the city of Samarkand. ______________________
4. Many people respected Genghis Khan. _______________________________
5. His soldiers burned his tomb. ________________________

VOCABULARY

Choose the correct word to complete the sentences.

Tools weapons buildings travel agent sightseeing

itinerary employee qualifications boss colorful
Volunteer owner training crowd well-known

1. In carnival festivities, women use to wear very _________________dresses.

2. There is always a big ________________in the stadium.
3. The carnival celebration in Brazil is very _______________ by everybody.
4. The _____________________is waiting for you in the airport.
5. It is prohibited to bring _________________________to the university.
6. Those _______________________ were designed by my father.
7. The new ___________________ started working yesterday.
8. It’s ________________work, so Mary doesn’t get paid.
9. The _________________began last week. I am late!
10. The _____________________tour is too expensive.
11. We need information about the ___________________ in Punta Pacífica.
12. Mrs. Helen is our new ___________________.
13. I like this restaurant! Who is the ________________?
14. His _________________________for the job are enough for the position.
15. Our __________________seems to be very complete.
WRITING. (10 lines as a minimum)

Write about your dream job. Think about the jobs you would enjoy the most and
write a paragraph about it. You can use the following words or different words to
write your paragraph:

Interesting sales representative information technology specialist lawyer

Career university studies qualifications training experience
advantages and disadvantages of a career boss assistant owner
employee family assistant
_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________________

VOCABULARY II

Airline agent - baggage claim - boarding pass - carry-on bag. - online check-in - gate
- security check - terminal. - check in

Complete the paragraph with the words from the box.

When you get to the airport, the first thing you have to do is go to the right (1)__________.
Then, you need to find the (2) ___________desk where an (3) _______________ will help
you. They will check your passport and give you your (4) ___________________, which
has your flight information. If you have a large bag or suitcase, you have to check it there.
If you only have a (5) ________________you can take it to the plane with you. If you did
(6)___________________ you already have your boarding pass, so you can go straight to the
(7) _________________in the departure area. You will have to go through a (8)
___________________ to make sure you don’t have anything dangerous. Finally, when you
get to your destination, you can pick up your checked bag from (9). ___________________.