Universidad Mayor de San Andrés Placement Test

Facultad de Humanidades y Ciencias de la Educación Humanities School

Carrera de Lingüística e Idiomas Reading Comprehension

DO NOT WRITE ON THIS BOOKLET

SECTION I: GRAMMAR
Instructions: Instructions: Read the questions and choose the answer that you think is
correct. Blacken the oval that corresponds to right response.

1. Where ……………. from? I’m from Russia.

a) you are b) is you c) are you d) you

2. We have …………… house in Paris.

a) the b) an c) - d) a

3. I have two ……………, a boy and a girl.

a) sons b) daughter c) children d) siblings

4. This is my brother. …………… name’s Paul.

a) her b) their c) his d) he’s

5. ....................five people in my family.

a) They are b) There is c) Are d) There are

6. How much are …………… shoes?

a) these b) this c) that d) yours

7. I don’t see my parents very often …………… they live in South America.
a) so b) but c) because d) because of

8. Are they your English friends?

a) No. it isn’t. b) No, she is. c) No, they isn’t. d) No, they aren’t.

9. …………. in La Paz, Bolivia?

a) Does work b) Does he work c) Do he work d) I work

10.The Browns live in Manchester and …………….apartment is very big.

a) ours b) their c) theirs d) his

11.She ....................dance lessons every Monday afternoon.

a) not have b) doesn’t have c) isn’t have d) don’t have

12.........................is your car? It’s the red one.

a) Which b) Whom c) What d) Who

13.My favorite sports are volleyball and soccer, but Samantha doesn’t like ……… kind of
sports.
a) some b) much c) any d) manys

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14.There aren’t.................children in the park today because it’s cold.
a) many b) a lot c) much d) few

15.She ................to New York tomorrow from Rome.

a) fly b) is flying c) flies d) flew

16.Our homework ____ very difficult yesterday, but today it ____ easy.
a) is/is b) was/is c) was/was d) is/was

17. ............... languages could they speak when they ............... teenagers?
a) Which/was b) What/were c) What/was d) How/were

18.There................a lot of snow yesterday.

a) are b) was c) is d) were

19................ do you travel for business? Almost every week

a) How long b) How often c) How far d) How many times

20. Where................that terrible and ugly dress?

a) buy b) did she buy c) does buy d) did she bought

21.They usually ……… relatives in France but this year they ……… to London for the first
time.
a) visit / are travelling b) visit /travels
c) visit / travel d) are visiting / are travelling

22. Sorry, she can’t come to the phone right now, she.............a bath.
a) has b) is having c) is has d) have

23. They don’t have ................pets.

a) some b) any c) a lot d) no

24. When would you like ...........to the cinema?

a) goes b) is going c) go d) to go

25.Mrs. Smith..............to Scotland last summer to visit her sister.

a) is going b) went c) does went d) has go

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SECTION II: READING COMPREHENSION
Read the texts below and blacken the oval that corresponds to the right answer.

TEXT 1
Instructions: You will read about hearing impaired people. Decide whether the statements
below are T (true), F (false) or N if there is no information about it in the text. Blacken the
oval that corresponds to the right response.

Hearing-impaired people cannot hear sounds. How do they "hear" words?

Many hearing-impaired people use sign language. They talk with their hands. Two hearing-
impaired people can talk to each other. They both use sign two of them language. Sometimes
a person who can hear interprets for hearing-impaired people. The person listens to someone
talking, and then he or she makes hand signs.

There are two kinds of hand signs. Some hand signs are for whole words. For example, there
is one hand all of it sign for the word love. There are hand signs for different actions, things,
and ideas. Some of the signs are very easy, for example, the signs for eat, milk, and house.
You can see what they mean. Others are more difficult, for example, the signs for star, egg,
and week.

The second kind of hand sign is fingerspelling. In fingerspelling, there is a sign for every letter
in the alphabet. For example, to fingerspell the word love, a person makes four different
signs. It is much slower to fingerspell, but it is useful for signing names and technical words.
People can use both kinds of hand signs together.

Each country has its own sign language. For example, American Sign Language (ASL) is very
different from British Sign Language. Using sign language is almost like a dance. The whole
body talks. Sign languages are beautiful.

1. Hearing-impaired people cannot hear sounds very well. T F N

2. A person who interprets for hearing-impaired people T F N
cannot hear.
3. There are more signs for whole words than for letters. T F N
4. Japanese Sign Language is the same as American Sign T F N
Language.
5. Fingerspelling is useful for names and technical words. T F N
6. It is difficult for children to learn sign language. T F N
7. The main idea of the text is: Sign language helps hearing- T F N
impaired people talk, but it is difficult to learn.
8. The main idea of the text is: There are two kinds of sign T F N
language, American sign Language and Japanese sign
Language.
9. The main idea of the text is: A sign language is an T F N
interesting language that helps hearing-impaired people
talk to others.

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TEXT 2
Instructions: You will read a text about doing business around the world. For items 10-19,
choose the right response. Blacken the oval that corresponds to the right response.

There are different customs in different parts of the world. For example, how would you say
the date 2-1-1999? Many South Americans give the answer as the second of January, 1999.
They put the day before the month. But North Americans give the answer as February the
first. They put the month before the day. When they’re in another country, business people
sometimes miss meetings because they confuse the various ways of writing dates.

If someone nods their head up and down, what does it mean to you? “No” or “yes”? Nodding
the head up and down means “yes” in Europe and the United States, but “no” in Greece and
Turkey. The difference only confuses the tourist, but to business people it sometimes means
losing a contract. To prevent misunderstandings, some business people attend classes or read
books to learn about the different manners and customs of other countries. They don’t want
to lose a contract by offending their clients.

Both classes and books show that what are good manners in one country are sometimes bad
manners in another. Even simple gestures can have different interpretations. The “thumbs-
up” sign means “excellent” in the United States, but it’s an insult in parts of Africa. Tapping
the head with the forefinger in parts of South America means “I’m thinking hard,” but in
Holland it means “that’s crazy.” To point a finger at someone is okay in Canada, but it’s rude
in Japan.

Greeting clients correctly makes good first impression. European men and women generally
shake hands when meeting for the first time, but in Arab countries men never shake hands
with women they’re not related to. In Japan, people bow to each other. People from India
place their hands together as if praying, then bow the head.

In business, entertaining is important. It’s a good idea to invite a client out to eat. However,
unless the host is careful, dining out can be a problem. There are many food taboos. Some
people are vegetarian; others don’t drink alcohol. In the West, people eat with knives and
forks; in the East, they eat with chopsticks.

Sometimes business executives are invited into the homes of their clients. It’s the custom in
most countries for the guest to take a small gift to the host. Even here there are rules. In
England giving a knife is bad luck. The Chinese refuse a gift three times before accepting it,
because they do not want to show the other person they are greedy. Some people on
southeast Asia don’t give handkerchiefs because it make them think of crying at funerals. One
of the biggest difficulties is how much to spend. If the guest spends only a little, the host
might think the gift is stingy. If the guest spends too much, the host might think the gift is a
bribe. In Malaysia and many other countries, there are strict rules against bribery.

If you ever see a worried-looking foreigner in a gift shop, he or she is probably a business
executive wondering what to buy.

10.A very expensive gift might be 11.The Chinese refuse a gift before
taken for a ………….. . they finally accept it, because they
A. business deal do not want to appear ………….. .
B. bribe A. solemn
C. funeral B. stingy
D. taboo C. greedy
D. too happy

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 12.Business people learn about the 16.In England, some people say that
customs of the country they’re giving a knife is …………….. .
going to visit, because they don’t A. bad luck
want to ………….. their clients. B. good luck
A. offend C. a bribe
B. please D. a contract
C. bribe
D. do business with 17.…………….. make people think of
funerals in some parts of southeast
13.………….. can have different Asia.
meanings in different countries. A. Knives
A. Business B. Bribes
B. Clients C. Eating with chopsticks
C. Gestures D. Handkerchiefs
D. Purchases
18.When business executives travel to
14.Tapping the head with the forefinger foreign countries, they are
means “……………” in Holland. sometimes invited into the homes of
A. That’s clever their ………………… .
B. That’s crazy A. guests
C. That’s bribe B. business people
D. I’m thinking hard C. clients
D. tourist agents
15.If you greet people politely, it
makes a good first …………….. . 19.Many people are ……………... They
A. bribe don’t eat meat.
B. difficulty A. business people
C. entertainment B. hosts
D. impression C. guests
D. vegetarians

TEXTS 3 AND 4
Instructions: For items 20-25, choose the right response. Blacken the oval that
corresponds to the right response.

In an interview yesterday Mr. Wilson was questioned about the harmful effects of horror
movies on teenagers. He argued that such effects were often exaggerated and claimed that
other types of films were far more dangerous for young people. When asked to prove this, he
pointed out that horror films were often set in unreal situations and were clearly not to be
taken seriously. In contrast, he claimed that films showing violent crime were often set in
everyday life, and were therefore more damaging.

20.In Mr. Wilson’s opinion, horror films _____

A. cost more than other kinds of films.
B. are more popular among the elderly than among the young.
C. should be banned altogether.
D. are less damaging to young people that films of violent crime.
E. have recently ceased to appeal to the young.

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 21.For Mr. Wilson the main difference between a horror film and one showing violent
crime is that the former _____
A. is mainly concerned with everyday situations.
B. is liked by the young, and the latter by the old.
C. is unrelated to real life, whereas the latter is.
D. is less expensive to produce than the latter.
E. rarely receives any attention from the young.

22.The interviewer wanted to find out whether _____

A. young people were being harmed by horror films.
B. Mr. Wilson had himself been affected by horror films.
C. Mr. Wilson preferred horror films to films of violence.
D. people were seriously objecting to horror films.
E. the effects of crime films were being exaggerated.

Never before in history have people been so aware of what is going on in the world. Television,
newspapers and radio keep us continually informed and stimulate our interest. The
sociologist’s interest in the world around him is intense, for society is his field of study. Indeed,
he needs to know what is happening in society; he wants to know what makes the social
world what it is, how it is organized, why it changes in the ways that it does. Such knowledge
is valuable not only for those who make great decisions, but also for you, since this is the
world in which you live and make your way.

23.The passage emphasizes that whatever goes on in the world today _____.
A. is quickly forgotten by the majority.
B. only concerns the sociologist.
C. first makes the headlines in the press.
D. is of great interest to everyone.
E. can easily be ignored by people in power.

24.It is pointed out in the passage that, among other things, sociologists are very much
interested in _____.
A. our reaction to their studies.
B. the effect of television on education.
C. the reasons for social change.
D. how people make a living in the world.
E. environmental problems.

25.One may conclude from the passage that the studies made by sociologists _____.
A. are extremely useful both to decision makers and to ordinary people.
B. are of little general interest.
C. receive a lot of attention from the media.
D. are primarily intended for students of sociology.
E. do not adequately reflect real conditions in the world.