Khazar University

English Language and Literature Department

Placement Test
Total 100 points
Student’s name _______________
School of _______________

I. Reading Section (20 points; each -2)

Passage 1
Chocolate is a new food, but a very old drink. About 3000 years ago, the Maya people in Honduras began
growing cacao trees. They used the seeds to make a bitter, spicy drink. They mixed the seeds, called “cocoa
beans”, with chile peppers and water and put spices in the drink. They drank chocolate on special days. It was
also a medicine for stomach problems. In Mexico, the people liked chocolate so much that used cocoa beans for
money. In the early 1500-s, Spanish explorers went to Mexico. They brought chocolate back to Europe on their
ships. It became a very popular drink for rich people in Spain. The Spanish didn’t mix the cocoa beans with
chiles. They put in other ingredients like sugar and vanilla to make it sweet. Later, the English added milk to the
drink. In London, there were “chocolate houses”. People could sit there and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate with
their friends. Today, chocolate is popular in nearly every country in the world. Every year, we eat almost 6
million tons of it! It is one of the world’s favorite foods.
Circle T for true or F for false
1. The first chocolate was a drink. T F
2. The Maya people’s chocolate had the same taste as chocolate today. T F
3. People in Mexico also used cocoa beans for money and medical purpose. T F
4. Chocolate became a popular drink for every Spanish in the early 1500-s. T F
5. People went to chocolate houses in England to drink chocolate. T F

Passage 2
Although English is called the “international language”, there are actually quite a few varieties of English that
exist around the world. English, of course, originated in England; but soon English spread to all Britain, and
different varieties began to exist. Varieties of English that are often taught to language students are British,
Canadian, Irish, Australian, and New Zealand. Native speakers of English from these countries number more
than 380 million. There is a second group of countries that have their own varieties of English. Their histories
have been directly touched by one of the English-speaking civilizations. Therefore, they use English in various
important ways within their own government and everyday life. India, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Kenya are
examples of this group. The total number of speakers in this group is more than 300 million. In a third group of
countries, English is widely used as a foreign language. However, citizens use their native language within their
own government and in everyday life. Some countries in this group are China, Russia, Japan, Korea, Egypt,
Indonesia, and the other countries of Western Europe. This changing situation of English raises many questions.
Will people continue to admire the English countries such as Britain ir the United States? Will another language
replace English as the international language? Will new varieties of English develop in other countries such as
China or Russia?
1. According to the passage, Britain, America, Canada, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand are
countries________________________.
 a. where the number of English-speakers is growing
b. whose English is often taught to language learners
c. that continue to admire the English of Britain
d. that prefer other foreign languages to English and don’t use this language in their daily life
2. Countries whose histories have been directly touched by one of the English-speaking civilizations
use English______________________.
a. in government only
b. in everyday life only
c. in both government and everyday life
d. only in social media
3. In China, Russia, English is widely used__________________.
a. in everyday life
b. in government and everyday life
c. as a foreign language
d. in Radio and TV broadcasting
4. The word “admire” could be replaced by _ _ _ _ _ _
a. delay, pause
b. dislike, neglect
c. like much, think highly of
d. distrust, suspect

5. Which information is incorrect?

a. The Philippines have their own variety of English
b. English is widely used as a foreign language in Egypt
c. There are a lot of forms of English around the world
d. English is the main language of the government of Indonesia

II. Vocabulary Section (20 points; each -2)

A. Replace the words in bold with the appropriate one.
1. My boss has given me a tough job. I can’t manage it without an assistant.
a. mild b. easy c. difficult d. calm
2. You can still get a good house for a very reasonable price.
a. valuable b. expensive c. high d. cheap
3. This book has had a terrific influence on me.
a. a fantastic b. a horrifying c. a bad d. a stressful
4. We are optimistic people, so we won’t get rid of our goal in this career.
a. cruel b. selfish c. full of hope d. envious
5. “Don’t worry, your car will be ready tomorrow,” the mechanic assured him.
a. said b. called c. promised d. told
 B. Fill in the gap with the appropriate word from the box

museums coins mummies

collection interesting

There are many fine ____________ in New York, but the most famous is the Metropolitan Museum of
Art. It is also the biggest museum in New York. There are than 3 million works of art in the Metropolitan. It is
so big that it is a good idea to try to see only one or two parts during each visit. You Can see art from all over
the world at the Metropolitan. The Egyptian _______________ is on the main floor. It contains jewelry
and_____________ from ancient Egypt. In the Greek and Roman sections, you can see statues, gold, silver,
glass, and ______________. The museum also has ______________ collections of art from North, Central, and
South America, Africa, and Asia, including a copy of a Chinese scholar’s house and garden!

III. Grammar Section (40 points; each -1)

A. Choose the correct item. (18 points; each-1)
You are standing 1)____________(on, at, in, by) a beautiful forest in Japan. The air is clean and it
2)________________(smelled, smells, smell, was smelling) like plants and flowers. There are 175
different kinds of trees, and 60 kinds of birds 3)____________(lives, lived, living, live) here. But
you are not in a rural area. You are downtown in the city of Nara, Japan, in Kasugayama Forest,
4)_____________(the oldest, old, older, elder) urban forest in the world. It 5)________________(is
started, were started, was started, have started) more than a thousand years ago, and today it’s very
popular with tourists 6)___________(and, but, whether, so) artists. Cities around the world 7)
___________(are working, works, has worked) to protect 8)_____________(there, their, theirs,
there’s) urban forests. 9)____________(Some, None, Not any, every) urban forests are parks, and
some are just streets with 10)_____________(much, little, less, a lot of) trees. But all urban forests
have many good effects 11)___________(at, in, to, on) the environment. Trees take pollution out of
the air. They also stop the noise from heavy traffic. They even make the weather
12)_____________(better, worse, the worst, the best) because they make the air 3 to 5 degrees
cooler, and they stop strong winds. In hot countries, urban forests are cool places for
13)____________(walking, walk, walks) and 14)___________(the others, another one, other, each)
healthy exercise. In England, there are now 1.3 million trees in urban forest Thames Chase, east of
London. It 15)______________(is started, has been started, had started, was started) in 1990, and it
has grown very fast. Some older cities don’t have 16)____________(any, no, some, each) space for
a big urban forest, but planting trees on the streets makes the city better. Scientists found that
commuters feel more relaxed when they 17)____________(must, ought, are obliged, can) see trees.
Planting trees today 18)___________(will make, has been made, was made, has made) our lives
better in the future.
B. Circle the correct tense. (15 points; each 1)
1. Mrs. Baker ____________(works, worked, had worked, has worked) as a sales representative for
the past 10 years.
2. I always_____________(carrying, carry, is carrying, has been carried) too many things in my bag.
3. The first chocolate candy___________(was made, is made, made, has been made) in the 1700-s.
4. Ann _____________(cooks, is cooking, was cooking, is cooked) in the kitchen right now.
 5. One day, a rich man ______________(stopped, stops, has stopped, will stop) at the inn.
6. Where_______(were you going, are you going, will you go, do you go) tonight?
7. As soon as we receive your application we _______________ (write, wrote, will write, are
writing) you a response.
8. If he (rang, ring, rings, will ring) me on the office phone, I will inform you. Don’t worry.
9. When Harry came in we _________________(were discussing, have discussed, have been
discussing, were discussed) an interview of one local chef of our city.
10. _______________you ever_______________ snails? (had eaten, have been eaten, have eaten,
did eat)
11. During the winter, my father _______________(put, puts, has put, had put) a cover on our
swimming pool.
12. Simple foods _____________(have been, are, were, will be) usually easy to make.
13. We____________(pay, will pay, are paying, paid) a lot of taxes in 2013.
14. Where are you, Mary? I_____________________(have been waiting, have waited, am waiting,
was waiting) for you for more than one hour now!
15. They _____________ (have decided, haven’t decided, don’t decide, will decide) yet where they
can travel for their holidays.
C. Match the sentences with when, while, and, after or because (7 points; each 1).

1. Bruce was an Australian …… a) after the interview he took.

2. Fred watched …… b) when I start using my computer for my
research.

3. Alan played a lot of football …… c) because he lived among people who

speak this
4. The writer thanked the …… d) because I have a lot of
interviewer for his good work
classes

5. The famous actor speaks …… e) while his kids were playing their game.
Japanese well
6. I always carry too many books …… f) when he was young.
7. I can’t figure this problem out …… g) and worked for a newspaper in Sydney.
IV. Writing Section (20 points; structure – 5, content – 5, grammar – 5, vocabulary -5)
Write a paragraph on ONE of the following topics:

 The happiest day in my life.

 My favorite actor.
 My favorite writer.

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