Skills Test Unit 7 Test A

Name: ___________________________________________

Phrases for speculating

1 Complete the dialogue with phrases for speculating. Use the words in brackets in the
correct form. Use three words in each gap.
Mike So, what do you think Guernica is supposed to represent? It’s a huge painting crowded
with animals, some of them injured, as well as people in a state of fear, including a
grieving woman holding a child and another carrying a lamp. I’m
1
_______________________________________ (hazard) that it has something to do
with war – the horror of war, perhaps.
Emma I think so, yes. 2_______________________________________ (probable), the
painting depicts a real event that Picasso had read about, given the turbulent period he
was living through at the time.
Dan Well, yes, it 3_______________________________________ (bound) have some
connection with what was happening in Europe at that time. I remember that Picasso
was living in Paris in the 1930s, though he had come from Spain. Guernica’s a Spanish
town, isn’t it?
Emma Yes, I think so. There’s 4_______________________________________ (distinct) that
Picasso was drawing his inspiration from the Spanish Civil War, and in 1937 many in
Europe had the sense that the continent was perhaps headed towards the outbreak of
war.
Mike Indeed. I 5_______________________________________ (think) that no artist could
avoid being influenced by the events of that period.

Mark: ___ / 5

1
Listening
2  Listen to the interview and circle the correct answers (a–d).
1 What do we find out about the art exhibition Human in the presenter’s introduction?
a It is the first exhibition to be hosted at the Belvedere Fort.
b Both earlier and later works of Antony Gormley can be seen there.
c After much anticipation in the art world, it has just opened.
d It is considered one of Florence’s more highbrow exhibitions.
2 How is the art exhibition Human likely to differ from most previous exhibitions of Gormley’s art?
a The figures are unlike those shown in earlier exhibitions.
b All of the exhibits are going to be placed indoors.
c The choice of setting for Gormley’s figures is not typical.
d It is on a larger scale to most of his previous exhibitions.
3 How does Julia Reckitt describe the appearance of the figures in the art exhibition Human?
a The majority are to be placed together in groups.
b They all have organic, life-like human forms.
c A few of them are about the same size as an actual human.
d They are all made up of blocks, like in a cubist painting.
4 Which of the following is stated as a fact?
a The Belvedere Fort exhibition will not change the way we see Gormley’s figures.
b Some of the figures in the exhibition are made up of blocks of different sizes.
c The size of the figures included in the exhibition will surprise some viewers.
d The figures are arranged so that they achieve a certain effect on the viewer.
5 What does Julia say about how the viewer might respond to the pixelated figures?
a The viewer will respond to all the pixelated figures in the same way.
b The individual figures will evoke the sorrow and suffering of humanity as a whole.
c Some of the figures will make viewers think about humans as individuals.
d The pixelated figures will suggest more powerful emotions than the organic ones.

Mark: ___ / 10

2
Reading
Watching the audience
Like me, I’m sure you must have found yourself sitting through a long, dreary, impenetrable film
wishing it would just get a move on, or found yourself gripping your seat hoping that the tension
would let up. 1_______ That, however, may all be about to change. Composer and filmmaker Alexis
Kirke is hoping to transform the way we watch films, making it an interactive experience, and one in
which our reactions can actually alter the course of the narrative. In the future, films may strike the
right note with their audiences by responding to how people are feeling as they watch.
Plymouth University has a good reputation for computer music research. Based at the School of
Humanities and Performing Arts, Kirke has devoted his time to developing sensors to detect the state
of mind and emotional response of individuals to visual or audio stimuli. Using this technology, he
aims to measure the reactions of audience members to a film he has produced and directed called
Many Worlds. 2_______ As it unfolds, and the audience members become increasingly immersed in
the plot and the plight of the central character, the film will move to different scenes depending on
how the four human guinea pigs respond. 3_______ Each will be monitored differently. So, while one
of the four might be checked for heart rate, another will be measured for muscle tension, and while
one will wear a device that looks at brain waves, another may have his or her rate of perspiration
measured. It’s an ingenious way for a filmmaker to make sure his film isn’t wide of the mark at any
point.
Although unlikely to win any major awards, Kirke’s simple movie gently pokes fun at the experiment
itself, telling the story of two students who arrive at a friend’s house to celebrate her birthday, only to
find themselves involved in a bizarre scientific experiment. The plot, though, isn’t half as ingenious
as the technology. Depending on the reactions of the participants in the audience, the film’s storyline
will change, becoming either tenser or less tense. 4_______ As a result, on any given day, the film
might play out very differently to the previous time it was screened, and may end in a completely
different way.
Naturally, Many Worlds is only an experiment, and the days of interactive film-going are still a long
way off. However, it is the start of a long road which may lead to changes in the film industry. Not
only might Hollywood start releasing novelty interactive films which branch off in all sorts of
intriguing directions, but it may also choose to use Kirke’s technology in the way it measures
audience reactions. Currently, a new potential blockbuster goes through an enormous number of test
screenings before a studio decides on a final version. 5_______ Potentially, it might even be
dispensed with altogether. Filmmakers could release new films, and allow early audiences to decide
how best their film should end, only coming to a final, definitive version once the data from those
early screenings has been analyzed. Many in the film industry will be taking an interest in Kirke’s
experiment. It could be the start of a new way of making films.

3
3 Complete the text with sentences A–G. There are two sentences you do not need.
A It might switch to a tense scene, just as the audience starts to get bored, or to a more relaxing
scene, just as the tension gets too much for the wired-up volunteers to bear.
B By wiring up audiences, this process could be speeded up.
C Kirke is already planning at least one other experimental film, which should be released later in
the year.
D The idea is to attach sensors to four film-goers before the film begins.
E However, neither solution is likely to be implemented because of the way that the film industry
works.
F Effectively, the filmmaker has made four alternative versions of some sections of Many Worlds,
each of which may be put together and viewed in a variety of sequences.
G In most film-going experiences, there’s not much we can do in moments of mind-numbing tedium
or excruciating stress, short of picking up our popcorn and marching out of the multiplex.

Mark: ___ / 5

4 Are the statements true (T), false (F) or not given (NG)?
1 The writer mentions more than one scenario during the progress of a film in which Alexis Kirke’s
innovation might be of use to improve an audience’s enjoyment. ___
2 Kirke plans to measure the heart rate and brain waves of four different viewers during his
experimental showing of Many Worlds. ___
3 The writer says that the two main protagonists in Kirke’s film will both act differently depending
on feedback from audience members. ___
4 The writer finds the characters in the film too unappealing for typical cinema audiences to be
able to engage with. ___
5 The writer suggests that considerable changes in the film industry may soon take place thanks to
Kirke’s innovative ideas. ___

Mark: ___ / 5

4
Writing
5 Write a review of one of the following.
 An exhibition that gathered a lot of publicity in your country.

 A cultural event that happened at your school.

 A meeting or staged event that has a specific fan base (e.g. a sci-fi convention).

Follow the plan:

Paragraph 1: Introduction. Name the event or exhibition, and describe its appeal in an interesting
way.
Paragraph 2: Describe the event or exhibition.
Paragraph 3: Your opinion. Say what you like and dislike, and say why it is worth going to the event
or exhibition.
Paragraph 4: Conclusion. Summarize your opinion and / or give a recommendation.

Mark: ___ / 15
TOTAL MARKS: ___ / 40

5
Challenge!
6 Complete the text with the correct words (a–d).
Antony Gormley
Antony Gormley has been at the 1________ of British art and one of the UK’s most prominent
sculptors for over thirty years. There have been major works of his on display in places as far-flung
as Alaska and Australia, in the far north of Norway and at 2,000 metres above sea level in the
sublime surroundings of the Austrian Alps. He has figures standing on the tops of high buildings,
looking 2________ gods, as well as figures standing on lonely seashores with only seagulls for
company, stock still, ignoring the 3________ cries of the aggressive birds as they scrap for food.
And then there’s the Angel of the North, a huge, unmissable statue of a human figure with what
appear to be enormous aeroplane wings attached to its back. Situated right next to a motorway in the
north-east of England, and 4________ controversial when first erected, it 5________ by millions of
motorists over the last seventeen years. It is loved by locals and tourists alike because it is 6________
of both heavy industry and wild nature, two admired aspects of north-east England. For this reason,
despite its immense size, consisting as it does of two hundred tonnes of steel and five hundred tonnes
of concrete foundations, it 7________ in the landscape. Indeed, for many, it is a 8________ conceived
sculpture which has become an archetypal symbol of the region.

1 a forefront b backdrop c predate d superstructure

2 a though b as c like d if
3 a raucous b lilting c mellow d ambling
4 a simply b eagerly c lavishly d highly
5 a must have been seen b should be seen c can have been seen d might be seen
6 a enchanting b provocative c impenetrable d evocative
7 a hits the nail on the head b barks up the wrong tree
c strikes the right note d backs the wrong horse
8 a hugely b brilliantly c intensely d utterly