Examination Card 13 Form 11

Task 1 Reading

You are going to read a story about the famous Portland Vase, taken from The World’s Greatest Trials.
Paragraphs of the text are mixed up. Put the paragraphs (A-G) into the correct order.

A Smashing Case.

A It happened at 3.45pm on 7 February 1845. A number of visitors wandering around the Hamiltonian
Room at the museum suddenly heard an ear- shattering crash. Everyone rushed to the ante- room where the
vase normally stood in a display case mounted on an octagonal table. But the case was not there- it was
scattered in a hundred fragments on the floor. A Detective Novel?

B As it happened, Lloyd only had ninepence on him at the time, and so was hauled off to prison. But he
had served less than a week of his two- month sentence before an anonymous donor sent $ 5 to pay the fine.
The vandal was freed and having made his brief, ignominious bow in the spot light of history, vanished
backstage forever.

C The world’s most valuable item of glassware, everyone agrees is the famous Portland Vase, made in
Italy at the around the time of Christ, and on display at the British Museum.

D The vase, however, was painstakingly restored in the months that followed, and was not long before
Parliament passed a special Act to protect works of art from similar outrages.

E Existing Wilful Damage Act only provided for deliberate damage done to property worth art up to $ 5;
the penalties were a $5 fine or two months’ imprisonment. Now, however hard it was to gauge the price of
the Portland Vase, it was certainly worth more than $5. But the defect in the law was such that Lloyd could
not be directed to pay anything for shattering the Portland Vase; instead, he was ordered to pay $5 for the
glass case in which it had stood!

F Barely 10 inches high, the piece is, quite literally, priceless; so completely unique that no sum can be
quoted in valuation. And looking at this most delicate of the world’s art treasures, it is hard to believe that,
more than a hundred years ago it was smashed to smithereens.

G The doors were immediately closed and a Mr Hawkins, the superintendent, questioned the horrified
visitors. Eventually he got round to one William Lloyd, theatrical scene painter from Dublin. “Alone I did
it!” the miscreant proudly roared. He had taken aim with a small item of sculpture picked up nearby, and
when taken to Bow Street Police Station excused himself on the grounds of ‘delirium arising from habitual
intemperance.’ That is to say he was drunk as usual. The amazing feature of the incident, though, was that
the law was almost powerless against the vandal.

Tim Healeu: The World’s Greatest Trails

Task 2 Use of English
For questions 1-12,read the text below and decide which answer A, B, C, or D best fits each space. There
is an example at the beginning (0).

A Guardian of History
At first (0)…B….., the city centre of Cardiff seems an unlikely place to find a castle. Situated in the
South of Wales, this capital is a (1)………city, busy with traffic and bustling with people. Yet, in the middle
of all this, stands a monument to Welsh history: Cardiff Castle. Some people (2)…….that the castle is not a
true castle-that it has been constructed too recently to be taken seriously. It is true that in the 19 th century, the
Marquess of Bute and his architect (3)……..significant alterations to the castle which (4)
………..dramatically with the earlier stonework. But Cardiff Castle is indeed a(n) (5)……… castle. If one
looks (6)………, one can still see the (7)…….of the original castle. And, as one approaches the (8)
……..entrance, remains of the Roman period are still (9)…….visible. you can also still see the moat-the
water-filled ditch surrounding and (10)……….the castle-which is of 13th century Norman (11)…… .
All in all, Cardiff Castle is an impressive relic to Wales’s past. Despite the changes made to it, it is a
remarkable tribute to all those who (12)……..and dreamed inside the castle walls.

0 A sight B glance C eye D look

1 A typical B distinguishing C character D featured
2 A demand B claim C ask D request
3 A built B did C made D caused
4 A contrasted B distinctive C compared D opposed
5 A valid B reliable C authentic D accurate
6 A slowly B heavily C closely D nearly
7 A crumbs B remains C leftovers D scraps
8 A special B direct C particular D main
9 A openly B brightly C clearly D surely
1 A supporting B keeping C caring D protecting
0
1 A origin B beginning C creation D start
1
1 A occupied B survived C lived D were
2

Task 3 Writing

You have known that a literary contest entitled “What makes people famous?” has been organized by your
school magazine in which

 tell him/ her who your favourite personality is and explain why;
 say where you usually get information about this person;
 express your thoughts if you would like/ would not like to be famous and why/ why not.
Write a letter of at least 100 words. Do not write your own name, any dates, addresses or other personal
information.