PRACTICE TEST 6

I. Choose the word (A, B, C or D) whose underlined part is different from the others
1. A. explanation B. adventure C. acronym D. addition
2. A. choir B. chill C. chief D. charge
3. A. colony B. company C. colorful D. covering
4. A. throughout B. smooth C. threaten D. thunder
5. A. played B. transformed C. vaporised D. attached
II.Choose the word (A, B, C or D) whose stress pattern is different from the others
6. A. contrast B. compel C. standard D. contact
7. A. chemistry B. passenger C. examine D. comedy
8. A. terrific B. surprising C. crockery D. successful
9. A. agency B. exchanging C. complicate D. bankuptcy
10. A. accountancy B. category C. customary D. monetary
III. Read the following passage and choosethe best answer (A, B, C or D) to each
question.
Federal Express is a company that specializes in rapid overnight delivery of high-
priority packages. The first company of its type, Federal Express was founded by the
youthful Fred Smith in 1971, when he was only 28 years old. Smith had actually developed
the idea for the rapid delivery service in a term paper for an economics class when he was a
student at Yale University. The term paper reputedly received a less-than stellar grade
because of the infeasibility of the project that Smith had outline. The model that Smith
proposed had never been tried; it was a model that was efficient to operate but at the same
time was very difficult to institute.
Smith achieved efficiency in his model by designing a system that was separate from
the passenger system and could, therefore, focus on how to deliver packages most efficiently.
His strategy was to own his own planes so that he could create his own schedules and to ship
all packages through the hub city of Memphis, a set-up which resembles the spokes on the
wheel of a bicycle. With this combination of his own planes and hub set-up, he could get
packages anywhere in the United States overnight.
What made Smith`s idea difficult to institute was the fact that the entire system had to be
created before the company could begin operations. He needed a fleet of aircraft to collect
packages from airports every night and deliver them to Memphis, where they were
immediately sorted and flown out to their new destinations; he needed a fleet of trucks to
deliver packages to and from the various airports: he needed facilities and trained staff all in
place to handle the operation. Smith had a $4 million inheritance from his father, and he
managed to raise an additional $91 million dollars from venture capitalists to get the
company operating.
When Federal Express began service in 1973 in 25 cities, the company was not an
immediate success did come within a relatively short period of time. The company lost $29
million in the first 26 months of operations. However, the tide was to turn relatively quickly.
By late 1976, Federal Express was carrying an average of 19,000 packages per night and had
made a profit of $3.6 million.
11. The most appropriate title for this passage is …
A. The Problems and Frustrations of a Business Student
B. The Importance of Business Studies
C. The Capitalization of Federal Express
D. The Implementation of a Successful Business
12. The word developed in paragraph 1 could be replaced by
A. come up with B. come about C. come across D. come into
13. What is stated in the passage about Smith’s term paper?
A. Smith submitted it through a delivery service
B. It was written by a student of Smith’s
C. Its grade was mediocre
D. The professor thought it had great potential
14. What was a key idea of Smith’s?
A. That he should focus on passenger service.
B. That package delivery should be separate from passenger service.
C. That packages could be delivered on other companies’ planes.
D. That passenger service had to be efficient.
15. A ‘hub city’ in paragraph 2 is …
A. a large city with small cities as destinations.
B. a city that is the final destination for many routes.
C. a city where many bicycle routes begin.
D. a centralized city with destinations emanating from it.
16. It can be inferred from the passage that Smith selected Memphis as his hub city because
it …
A. was near the middle of the country.
B. had a large number of passenger aircraft
C. already had a large package delivery service.
D. was a favorite passenger airport.
17. The pronoun “they” in paragraph 3 refers to …
A. aircraft B. packages C. airports D. destinations
18. It is NOT mentioned in the passage that, in order to set up his company, Smith needed …
A. airplanes B. trucks C. personnel D. faculty
19. How long did it take Federal Express to become profitable?
A. two months B. one year C. three years D. six years
20. The tone of the passage in describing Smith’s accomplishments is …
A. unflattering B. sincere C. unconvincing D. snobbish
IV.Read the following passage and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each
numbered space.
HOLIDAYS IN SOUTH CAROLINA
Roaring across the bay in a motorised rubber boat, we were told by the captain to
keep our eyes open. With the engine off , it wasn't long before half a dozen dolphins
came swimming around us. Eventually, two came up (21) … beside the boat and
popped their heads out of the water to give us a wide grin.
Dolphin watching is just one of the many unexpected attractions of a holiday in
South Carolina, in the USA. The state has long been popular with golfers and, with
dozens of courses in the area, it is (22) … a golfer's paradise. But even the keenest
golfer needs other diversions and we soon found the resorts had plenty to (23) …
In fact, Charleston, which is midway along the (24) ..., is one of the most
interesting cities in Americaand is where the first shots in the Civil War were (25) ....
Taking a guided horse and carriage tour through the quiet back streets you get a real
(26) … of the city's past. Strict regulations (27) ...to buildings so thatoriginal features are
preserved.
To the South of Charleston lies Hilton Head, an island resort about 18 km long and
(28) … like a foot. It has a fantastic sandy beach (29) ... the length of the island and
this is perfect for all manner of water sports. Alternatively,if you feel like doing
nothing, hire a chair and umbrella, head for an open (30) ... and just sit back and watch
the pelicans diving for fish.
21. A. direct B. right C. precise D. exact
22. A. fully B. truly C. honestly D. purely
23. A. show B. provide C. offer D. supply
24. A. beach B. coast C. sea D. shore
25. A. thrown B. aimed C. pulled D. fired
26. A. significance B. meaning C. sense D. comprehension
27. A. apply B. happen C. agree D. occur
28. A. formed B. shaped C. made D. moulded
29. A. lying B. running C. going D. following
30. A. space B. room C. gap D. place
V. Choose the word/phrase (A, B, C or D) that best completes each of the following
sentences.
31. … it rain tomorrow, we would have to put off going to Grass Ski.
A. Were B. Should C. Would D. Will
32. You should write … ink, not … your pencil
A. in/ with B. with/ in C. by/ with D. with/ with
33. Six novels a year, you say? He is a … writer.
A. virile B. prolific C. fruitful D. fertile
34. Not until Kentucky’s Mammoth Cave had been completely explored in 1972 …
A. when was its full extent realized
B. the realization of its full extent
C. was its full extent realized
D. that its full extent was realized
35. “Did Jane pass her exam?” – “Yes, but it was … . The pass mark was forty-five
and she got forty-six”
A. a narrow escape B. a close thing
C. a clear cut D. a tight spot
36. I’m not sure but… I know there will be a new director in our company soon
A. as long as B. as far as C. according D. on the whole
37. Many children who get into trouble in their early teens go on to become …
offenders.
A. consistent B. resistant C. insistent D. persistent
38. My cousin obviously didn’t … much of an impression on you if you can’t
remember meeting her.
A. create B. do C. make D. build
39. He has even broken the door! Look, the handle has … off.
A. come B. parted C. burst D. split
40. He escaped by …
A. a hair’s breadth B. the hair’s breadth
C. the breadth of a hair D. a breadth of a hair
VI. Use the words given in the brackets to form a word that fits in each of the spaces in
the following passage.
Lichens are a unique group of complex, flowerless plants (41. GROW) ………………
on rocks and trees. There are thousands kinds of lichens, which come in a wide (42.
VARIOUS) ………… of colors. They are composed of algae and fungi which (43. UNITY)
………………… to satisfy the needs of lichens.
The autotrophic green algae produce all their food through a process called
photosynthesis and provide the lichen with (44. NUTRITION) ………….. elements. On the
other hand, the heterotrophic fungus, which depends on other elements to provide its food,
not only (45. ABSORPTION) …………… and stores water for the plant, but also helps
protect it. This union by which two (46. SIMILARITY) ………………. organisms live
together is called “symbiosis”. This sharing (47. ABLE) ………………. lichens to resist the
most adverse environmental conditions found on earth .They can be found in some very (48.
LIKE) ……………… places such as the (49. POLE) …………… ice caps as well as in
tropical zones, in dry areas as well as in wet ones, on mountain peaks and along (50.
COAST) …………………. areas.
VII. Insert in each of the blank with ONE suitable word to complete the following
passage.
To many people, their friends are the most important thing in their life. Really, good
friends share the good times and the bad times, help you when you’ve got problems, never
judge you and never (51) ……….. their backs on you. Your best friend may be someone
you’ve (52) ……………. all your life, someone you’ve grown up with and been through lots
of ups and downs with.
There are all sorts of things that can bring about this special (53) ………. . It may be
the result of enjoying the same activities, (54) …………….. the same outlook on life, or
sharing similar experiences. Most of us have met someone that we’ve immediately felt
relaxed with, as (55) ……………….. we’ve known them for years. But usually it really does
take years to get to know someone well (56) ………………. to consider them your “best
friend”.
To the majority of us this is someone we trust completely (57) ……………… who
understands us better than anyone else. It’s the person you can turn to (58) ……………….
impartial advice and a shoulder to cry on when life lets you down. You know that no matter
what (59) ………….. problem or what time of day or night it is, your best friend will drop
everything and put you (60) …………… . No relationship is more important than the one
with your best friend.
VIII. Complete the second sentence so that it has similar meaning to the first one, using
the word in bracket. You must use between TWO and FIVE words, including the word
given. Do not change the word given.
61. We won’t get to the airport in less than 30 minutes LEAST
It will ……………………………………………. 30 minutes to get to the airport.
62. Everyone must have noticed the change in temperature. FAILED
No one ………………………………………………..the change in temperature.
63. I promised him that the situation would not be repeated in the future. WORD
I ……………………….…. would be no repetition of the situation in the future.
64. You didn’t think carefully enough before you decided. OUGHT
You ………………………………………..…. more carefully before you decided.
65. They decided to build a new supermarket immediately. SHOULD
They decided that a ………………………………………..…………immediately.
66. He had a very traditional upbringing, didn’t he? TRADITIONALLY
He ………………………………………….…………………………., wasn’t he?
67. Anthony wasn’t at all discouraged by this bad experience. PUT
This bad experience ………………………………………………..…. in the least.
68. I had trouble in following the instructions. DIFFICULT
I found ………………………………………………….………. the instructions.
69. My parents were always what to do when I was small. BEING
I ………………………………………………………….to do when I was small.
70. She seemed quite unhappy when I saw her last week. LOOK
When I saw her last week, ……………………………………………….…. at all.
IX. Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it means exactly the same
as the sentence printed before it, beginning with the word(s) given.
71. I wasn’t a bit surprised to hear that Karen had changed her job.
It came ……………………………………………………………………………..
72. Why were you absent from the meeting yesterday?
What was …………………………………………………………………………..
73. This problem cannot be solved instantly.
There is …………………………………………………………………………….
74. My friends persuaded me to go to the party in fancy dress.
My friends talked ………………………………………………………………….
75. The painting is thought to have been stolen by one of the attendants.
One of the attendants ……………………………………………………………….
76. Only when I got home did I realize I had left the parcel behind.
It was not …………………………………………………………………………..
77. The customer couldn’t have understood the instructions of the device.
Maybe, ……………………………………………………………………………..
78. The garden party won’t take place if the weather doesn’t improve.
Unless ………………………………………………………………………………
79. You think that fat people are always jolly, but you are wrong.
Contrary …………………………………………………………………………….
80. It’s likely that he will pass the entrance exam.
He’s …………………………………………………………………………………
X. (81-100) Write a paragraph of about 100 - 150 words on the following topic.
Rural life is more enjoyable than urban life.
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