ANATOLIA COLLEGE

Language & Testing Office

______________________________________________________________________________

EXAMINATION
FOR
THE MICHIGAN CERTIFICATE
OF
PROFICIENCY IN ENGLISH

ECPE
Practice Preliminary Tests
(with KEY)
Volume 5
Prepared by

Rodney A Coules

PRELIMINARY TEST FOR THE ECPE

INSTRUCTIONS AND EXAMPLES
This set of five practice tests has been produced to help candidates to familiarize themselves with the new
format of the preliminary test to be introduced for the first time on 29 November, 2003.
In the test there are 35 problems: 10 grammar problems, 10 multiple choice cloze problems, 10
vocabulary problems, and 5 questions about a reading passage. Candidates will have 30 minutes to answer
all 35 problems.
Below are examples of each of the different types of problems with the correct answer indicated with an
asterisk (*).
GRAMMAR: Choose the word or phrase which best completes the conversation.
What is that thing?
That ____ a spider.
a. to call
b. for calling
c. be called
*d. is called
CLOZE: Read the passage, then select the word that best fills the blank in both grammar and
meaning.
Long ago roads were only trails for people
and animals to walk on, but today roads
must be made for cars, trucks, and buses.
The most modern ____ is often called a
superhighway.

a. way
*b. road

c. travel
d. superhighway

VOCABULARY: Choose the word that most appropriately completes the sentence.
The first things we study in school are very _____.
a. sturdy
b. shifty
c. trusty
*d. elementary
READING : Read the passage, then answer the questions following it according to the information
given in the passage.
While I was getting ready to go to town one morning last week, my wife handed me a
little piece of red cloth and asked me if I would have time during the day to buy her
two yards of cloth like that.
The person telling the story is.
a. a married lady
b. an unmarried lady
* c. a married man
d. an unmarried man

ANATOLIA
COLLEGE
LANGUAGE & TESTING OFFICE
P. O. BOX 21021,
PYLEA 55510 THESSALONIKI
Email: alto@ac.anatolia.edu.gr

Practice Test 1
GRAMMAR
1. Are you going to Beths party?
_____ I wouldnt miss it for anything!
a. Youve got to be joking!
b. Fancy that!
c. Whod have thought it!
d. You bet!

6. _____, she went straight into the kitchen

to prepare dinner.
a. Arriving home from work
b. She arrived home from work
c. Soon she arrived home from work
d. Her arriving home from work

2. My boss is always the first person

_____ at work.
a. to arrive
b. who he arrives
c. which arrives
d. hes arriving

7. Do you know _____ with my

calculator?
a. whats John done
b. what has done John
c. what has John to do
d. what Johns done

3. Had you spent less last month, you

_____ in the red now.
a. wont be
b. wouldnt be
c. wouldnt have been
d. havent been

8. The police _____ criticism over their

handling of spectator violence.
a. has come into
b. is facing
c. has received
d. have come in for

4. Johns math teacher has suggested

_____ a course in computers.
a. that he took
b. him to take
c. he take
d. he is taking

9. Shall I wear my blue suit to the party?

Id rather you ____ something casual.
a. to wear
b. wearing
c. wore
d. have worn

5. The _____ on my TV has been rather

poor this past week.
a. receiver
b. reception
c. receptor
d. receipt

10. Those books have to be returned

_____ the library immediately.
a. at
b. in
c. to
d. into

CLOZE
(11) a. sense
c. sensitivity
b. senselessness d. sensation

That burning __ (11)__ on the thighs may

become a thing of the __(12)__ for laptop
computer users.

Sandia National Laboratories

researcher Michael Rightley has devised a(n)

__(13)__ to pipe computer heat out the side. He
developed "smart" heat pipes, made from 60micron-deep channels etched in copper. The selfcontained system relies __(14)__ methanol in the
tiny tubes. Heat from a chip or circuit board turns
the liquid __(15)__ gas, which moves warmth to
the laptop edge, away from the lap. Once the gas
__(16)__, it condenses and travels back to its start
point via capillary action. Rightley expects the
method to replace laptop heat sinks, __(17)__ are
chunks of metal, affixed next to the __(18)__, that
can handle up to 100 watts of heat __(19)__
square centimeter.

Today's circuits throw off

about half as much, but future chips will run

hotter and may __(20)__ liquid cooling.

(12) a. future
b. present

c. past
d. history

(13) a. solution
b. answer

c. way
d. idea

(14) a. on
b. from

c. to
d. with

(15) a. in
b. to

c. from
d. without

(16) a. will cool

b. cools

c. cooled
d. cooling

(17) a. that
b. these

c. which
d. whose

(18) a. chunks
b. root

c. sinks
d. source

(19) a. the
b. one

c. per
d. for

(20) a. require
b. consider

c. deem
d. propose

VOCABULARY
21. Everyone was shocked to hear that a
politician of his _____ would stoop so low.
a. credence
b. stature
c. guile
d. affinity

26. The abandoned warehouse was used by

smugglers to hide _____.
a. merchandise
b. spoils
c. fodder
d. contraband

22. She opened a window to allow the smoke

from the burnt meal to _____.
a. debilitate
b. extricate
c. dissipate
d. evaporate

27. The Baileys have made _____ plans for a

vacation in August; nothing is certain yet.
a. tentative
b. culpable
c. sagacious
d. exemplary

23. Her young daughter is really _____; one

would think shes twice her age.
a. incongruous
b. extraneous
c. superfluous
d. precocious

28. The new butcher is a most _____ individual;

he never stops talking!
a. equivocal
b. magnanimous
c. garrulous
d. meticulous

24. The firemen who died while battling the

forest fire were honored _____.
a. posthumously
b. ostensibly
c. laboriously
d. expressly

29. He decided to withdraw from the powerboat

race as he had a(n) _____ of danger.
a. interim
b. foreboding
c. dearth
d. prediction

25. The board of directors will _____ next

Tuesday to discuss the matter.
a. concur
b. convene
c. contrive
d. confer

30. I hope Tom wont _____ what I said and be

upset about my not asking for his help.
a. rectify
b. oversee
c. misconstrue
d. deem

READING COMPREHENSION
31. What does the text tell us about the
microorganisms in question?
a. They produce valuable nutrients
for the rice plants.
b. They create aerobic conditions.
c. They help flooded conditions to
prevail.
d. They obtain food from the roots
of the rice plants

This passage was taken from Natural

History, February 2003.
Nearly every day, more than half the
people on Earth eat rice, a dietary staple
grown mostly in flooded fields.
Unfortunately, the roots of rice plants are a
source of nutrients for microorganisms
that, under the anaerobic conditions
prevailing in flooded ground, generate
substantial amounts of methane gas. After
carbon dioxide, methane is the second
most damaging greenhouse gas in the
atmosphere.
Not only is more methane released in
the rainy season than in the dry season, as
one would expect, but greater amounts of
methane come from rice paddies with
lower-than-average yields of grain. A
team of Dutch and Filipino biologists, led
by Hugo Denier van der Gon of
Wageningen
University
in
the
Netherlands, thought they knew why. The
level of methane production, they
suggested, could depend on how much
carbon is available to the microorganisms
once the plant has used up to whatever
carbon it needs to make its grains of rice.
During the wet season, as well as in
unproductive fields, each plant makes
fewer grains, so more carbon could be
making its way to the microorganisms
near the roots, and more methane would
be produced.
The biologists tested their idea by
removing part of the stems where the rice
grains develop; as predicted, the larger the
segment removed, the more methane was
released.
And when they boosted
photosynthesis -and therefore carbon
production -by adding nitrogen, even
more methane was given off.
The
investigators also noted an ancillary
advantage, implied by their findings, of
developing new rice varieties able to bear
more grains per unit biomass: more food
per plant goes hand in hand with less
greenhouse methane.

32. The microorganisms in question are

said to
a. reduce the amount of methane in
the atmosphere.
b. increase the level of greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere.
c. contribute to the flooding of the
ground.
d. damage greenhouse gases.
33. Rice paddies which have lower-thanaverage yields
a. have the rainy season to blame
for their poor yields.
b. are a greater threat to the
environment.
c. have the dry season to blame for
their low yields.
d. cause less of an environmental
problem in the rainy season.
34. The tests conducted by the biologists
a. produced the expected results.
b. required the removal of the part
of the stem closest to the roots.
c. showed that production of the
methane decreased when a larger
segment of the plant stem was
removed.
d. were inconclusive.
35. The findings of the biologists indicated
that
a. hand-grown varieties of rice were
superior.
b. biomass played no part in rice
production.
c. there was a need to develop more
productive varieties of rice.
d. less greenhouse methane in the
atmosphere
increased
rice
production.

Practice Test 2
GRAMMAR
1. _____ I use your phone to give my mum
a call?
a. Would
b. May
c. Ought
d. Need

6. Dave is not _____ of person who will

double-cross you.
a. a kind
b. one kind
c. the kind
d. this kind

2. Ive lost my mobile phone, Mum.

Its time _____ to be more careful!
a. your learning
b. you learned
c. you have to learn
d. you learn

7. _____ it may seem strange, I have

decided to retire and take up painting.
a. Though
b. However
c. Despite
d. But

3.

8. _____, you wouldnt have found the test

that difficult.
a. Had you been studying
b. If you were studying
c. Were you studying
d. To have been studying

_____ I had a lot of studying to do, I

didnt go to the concert with them.
a. Nevertheless
b. Since
c. However
d. Whereas

4. Our team has won eight _____ games

since the start of the season.
a. succession
b. successful
c. successive
d. succeeding

9. You can do it! All you need is to have

more confidence _____.
a. in you
b. for yourself
c. yourself
d. in yourself

5. Providing _____ good care of it, you can

use my tennis racket.
a. you will take
b. you take
c. you taking
d. you would take

10. Under no circumstances _____ to leave

early.
a. you will be allowed
b. you are allowed
c. will you be allowed
d. you are to be allowed

CLOZE

Ice may seem an unlikely fire starter, but John

(11)

a. change
b. differ

c. disagree
d. object

(12)

a. aggressive
b. energetic

c. active
d. occupied

(13)

a. that
b. and

c. they
d. who

(14)

a. Devoid
b. Free

c. Because
d. Without

(15)

a. in
b. from

c. with
d. of

(16)

a. complete
b. tough

c. solid
d. substance

(17)

a. thaw
b. melt

c. liquefy
d. condense

(18)

a. their
b. some

c. whose
d. all

(19)

a. lava
b. sheet

c. flow
d. crust

(20)

a. jump
b. hop

c. bound
d. skip

Maclennan of the Paris Geophysical Institute and

his colleagues beg to __(11)__. They say that
ancient volcanoes in Iceland suddenly became
more __(12)__ because of the abrupt meltdown of
kilometer-thick ice sheets __(13)__ covered the
island until about 10,000 years ago. __(14)__ of
the ice's weight, the land popped up and relaxed
pressure on the hot mantle rocks below.

The

team's analysis __(15)__ massive lava flows from

that period provides the first __(16)__ evidence
that this pressure drop could cause mantle rocks to
__(17)__ and rise to the surface.

The flows,

__(18)__ compositions indicate that they came

from the mantle rather than the shallower
__(19)__, reveal a 30- to 100-fold __(20)__ in
eruption rates for the 1,500 years following the
deglaciation.

VOCABULARY
21. Several fans have claimed that they were
_____ by security guards.
a. inundated
b. manhandled
c. acquiesced
d. cloaked

26. The old brick wall at the end of the garden

has become rather _____.
a. unseemly
b. unsightly
c. unsound
d. unscathed

22. The _____ with which she approached the

routine test was quite uncalled for.
a. trepidation
b. composure
c. terrain
d. overture

27. _____ are electronic outlaws who tamper

with other peoples electronic information.
a. Programmers
b. Hackers
c. Viruses
d. Icons

23. Mother Nature has provided the small island

with a _____ supply of natural resources.
a. vociferous
b. viable
c. gregarious
d. bountiful

28. Mr. Pitt _____ his neighbors claim that he

had threatened him with bodily harm.
a. earmarked
b. sought
c. repudiated
d. rendered

24. His _____ attitude gets him into one quarrel

after another.
a. benign
b. belligerent
c. impeccable
d. gullible

29. The air crew remained _____ calm during

the emergency landing.
a. knowingly
b. relentlessly
c. remotely
d. remarkably

25. When his grandfather passed away, he

received a _____ estimated at over $2M.
a. potency
b. heritage
c. legacy
d. tenure

30. In court, the secretary claimed that her boss

had made a _____ at her.
a. move
b. pass
c. point
d. fun

READING COMPREHENSION
This passage was taken from Discover, April
2002.
Some people hit the gym running in the morning
while others groggily slam the snooze button.
Neuroscientist Jeanne Duffy of Boston's Brigham
and Women's Hospital believes much of the
difference is rooted in biology - specifically, in
the innate sleep-wake cycle known as the
circadian rhythm.
Duffy and her colleagues studied sleep patterns
among 17 men who lived in a controlled
laboratory setting for one month. On average the
period of the circadian rhythm is around 24 hours,
but it varies from person to person.
The
researchers isolated the subjects from all cues that
could indicate the time of day in order to bring out
the natural circadian rhythm. Duffy then noticed
an eye-opening pattern: The circadian periods of
self-described "morning people" are consistently
shorter than those of the "night people." These
results bolster an earlier study, in which the same
team found that evening types awake at or shortly
after their peak hour of sleepiness, a stage in the
circadian cycle marked by grogginess, low body
temperature, and high levels of the hormone
melatonin in the bloodstream. Morning types, in
contrast, tend to wake well past the peak
sleepiness phase, even though they get up earlier
in the day.
"This explains why morning types are perkier
and feel more alert when they first get up.
Evening types are waking right when their
alertness is at its absolute worst," Duffy says.
These and other findings may elucidate why
people's sleep patterns become generally more
morninglike as they age, causing them to tire
early. She also hopes her work will illuminate the
mechanism behind delayed sleep phase syndrome,
which causes mild insomnia that can lead to
learning problems among many high-school
students.

10

31.

Which of the following would not have been

a clue that the subjects were isolated from?
a. A view of the sky.
b. A television program.
c. Sounds from the garden.
d. Contents of the refrigerator.

32.

The researchers found

a. no difference in the length of the
circadian periods of "morning
people" and "night people".
b. shorter circadian periods for
"morning people".
c. an occasional shorter circadian
period for self-described
"morning" people.
d. several "morning people" with
noticeably longer circadian
periods.

33.

The word "bolster" in paragraph 2 is used to

indicate that the recent findings
a. support earlier findings by the
researchers.
b. contradict the findings of an
earlier study.
c. replace findings of an earlier
study.
d. throw doubt on the findings of an
earlier study.

34.

Which of the following is often experienced

by "evening types" soon after they awake?
a. An inability to think clearly
b. Reduced levels of melatonin
c. Normal body temperature
d. Alertness

35.

The researchers have found that

a. people do not lose the circadian
rhythms they possessed when
they were high-school students.
b. insomnia leads to learning
problems.
c. people usually evolve into
"morning types" as they age
d. most people develop into
"evening types".

Practice Test 3
GRAMMAR
1. Where are you from?
I was born in Paris, ___ till I was forty.
a. which I lived
b. where I lived
c. that I lived in
d. where I lived in

6. I have so much work to do nowadays that

I have _____ time for anything else.
a. a little
b. a few
c. few
d. little

2. Sue has been nominated for the award.

I cant think of a more ____ candidate.
a. deserved
b. deserving
c. deserves
d. deservedly

7. Are you ready for your holiday?

I just need _____.
a. to have renewed my passport
b. having my passport renewed
c. to have my passport renewed
d. renewing my passport

3. Why did Toms boss ask to see him?

He told him it was necessary_____.
a. that Tom obtain a driving license
b. Tom to obtain a driving license
c. Tom must obtain a driving license
d. Tom obtaining a driving license

8. Fancy meeting Trevor at the party!

Did you know ___after leaving school?
a. where did he go
b. where was he going
c. where he went
d. where hed gone

4. Unless Mark ____ his grades, hes going

to fail the course.
a. will improve
b. doesnt improve
c. improves
d. to improve

9. She has been staying out late these last

couple of weeks, _____ her parents.
a. which worries
b. that it worries
c. which it worries
d. worrying

5. Never before _____ so many orders for

summer clothes this early in the year.
a. we have received
b. we received
c. we did receive
d. have we received

10. By the time we _____ to the cinema,

the film will have started.
a. are getting
b. get
c. will get
d. are going to get

11

CLOZE
A ten-inch-wide bronze disk, looted in

(11)

a. location
b. position

c. setting
d. site

(12)

a. thesaurus
b. treasure

c. loot
d. artifact

(13)

a. features
b. feature

c. featuring
d. featured

(14)

a. clutch
b. chest

c. cache
d. carcass

(15)

a. substantially
b. consequently

c. subsequently
d. frequently

(16)

a. extrications
b. excavations

c. extractions
d. excretions

(17)

a. sets
b. is setting

c. to set
d. setting

(18)

a. during
b. when

c. while
d. over

(19)

a. indicate
b. point

c. assure
d. suppose

(20)

a. which
b. that

c. what
d. it

Germany and seized by police in Switzerland, has

led archaeologists to mainland Europe's oldestknown astronomical observatory.
The __(11)__ near Nebra, 100 miles southwest
of Berlin, was looted four years ago by __(12)__
hunters who made off with 3,600-year-old axes,
jewelry, and the disk, which __(13)__ the earliestknown depiction of the night sky. The __(14)__
was seized by Swiss police in a sting operation
last February, and the looters __(15)__ led
archaeologists to the site.
Recent __(16)__ suggest that the observatory
was a wooden structure circled by a ditch. From
its location, the sun is seen __(17)__ behind the
highest mountain of the Harz range __(18)__ the
summer solstice. Artifacts from the site __(19)__
that it was in use for more than a millennium.
The disk, which scholars believe shows the
seven-star Pleiades constellation, along with
__(20)__ may be a "solar boat," thought to carry
the sun across the sky, is on display at the State
Museum for Prehistory in Halle.

12

VOCABULARY
21. He is one of the most _____ writers on this
subject.
a. clandestine
b. captivated
c. prolific
d. majestic

26. _____ pressure influences members of a

group to behave in the same way.
a. Counterpart
b. Mate
c. Peer
d. Colleague

22. The IOC has chosen Oslo as the _____

for their next meeting.
a. venue
b. locality
c. plot
d. site

27. Tired of being used as a _____ in her partys

political schemes, Sue resigned as secretary.
a. clown
b. pawn
c. pivot
d. bigot

23. When a heated iron rod is allowed to cool, it

_____.
a. expands
b. dilates
c. recedes
d. contracts

28. The UN has been forced to implement

economic _____ against that country.
a. sanctions
b. purges
c. boosts
d. recessions

24. My neighbor has made every effort to _____

my plans to keep the area clean and tidy.
a. fumigate
b. frustrate
c. accommodate
d. illuminate

29. Dave _____ most of his rivals and rightly

won top honors.
a. outfitted
b. outgrew
c. outnumbered
d. outclassed

25. Teachers should always try to establish good

_____ with their students.
a. rapport
b. reprisal
c. recompense
d. retaliation

30. There is a(n) _____ resemblance between the

two friends.
a. disquieting
b. sinister
c. uncanny
d. forthright

13

READING COMPREHENSION
This passage was taken from Natural History,
December 2002 - January 2003.
The chocoholics among us won't be surprised
to learn that people were sipping decoctions of
cacao a millennium earlier than archaeologists had
previously thought. All too often when ancient
ceramics are found, their well-meaning finders
give them a good wash - one of the worst things
that can happen to a piece of archaeological
evidence. But the spouts of some of the ceramic
vessels unearthed at a Preclassic (600 B.C A.D.
250) Maya site in northern Belize are long and
narrow - a shape that generally defies efforts at
cleaning - and so food and beverage residues from
the insides of those spouts remained intact. There,
W. Jeffrey Hurst of the Hershey Foods Technical
Center in Pennsylvania and his colleagues from
the University of Texas at Austin found traces of
theobromine, a relative of caffeine and a smoking
gun for an extract of the tree Theobroma cacao chocolate. Before Hurst's discovery, the oldest
known cacao residue had come from artifacts at
an Early Classic (A.D. 460-480) Maya site in
northeastern Guatemala.
According to documents from the time of the
Spanish Conquest, the Maya and Aztecs loved
chocolate froth even more than chocolate liquid,
and they created the prized foam by pouring the
liquid back and forth from one container to
another. The same froth, suggest the researchers,
could have been made in the earlier vessels by
blowing air through the spouts - a bit like the way
cappuccino is made today.

31. The finders of ancient ceramics are described

as "well-meaning" to show
a. that they want to help
archaeologists by reducing the
work they have to do.
b. that they are aware of what
happens to unwashed
archaeological evidence.
c. they consider they are doing the
best thing in the circumstances.
d. they are proud of the role they
play in archaeological research.
32. The long narrow spouts of ceramic vessels
like those which were unearthed indicate that
they
a. are never meant to be cleaned.
b. purposely trap residues of food
and beverages.
c. make them impossible to clean.
d. are designed to keep food and
beverages intact.
33. The traces of theobromine found by the
researchers are described as "a smoking gun"
to show that
a. they are conclusive evidence the vessels
once contained chocolate.
b. the cacao trade was jealously protected
by the Mayas.
c. the trade in cacao was dangerous.
d. firearms were used for extracting
theobromine.
34. Hurst's discovery would appear to
a. confirm what was previously
thought about cacao.
b. prove the Early Classic Maya
were the first to consume cacao.
c. have been made in Guatemala.
d. indicate the earliest consumption of
cacao took place in Belize.
35. The Maya appear to have
a. prized cappuccino more than
cacao.
b. given prizes for the best
chocolate produced.
c. had spouts on earlier vessels.
d. preferred chocolate froth to chocolate
liquid.

14

Practice Test 4
GRAMMAR
1. What did you get Sue for Christmas?
I bought her two _____.
a. French, small crystal vases
b. small, French crystal vases
c. crystal, French small vases
d. small, crystal French vases

6. The gold pocket watch _____ Dad for

his birthday is an antique.
a. which I got it
b. I got
c. that I got it
d. what I got

2. Little _____ what he is letting himself

into.
a. he realizes
b. his realizing
c. does he realize
d. he has to realize

7. Once you _____ how to operate this

computer, youll feel more confident.
a. will learn
b. will have learned
c. have learned
d. are going to learn

3. The student asked his classmates to tell

him _____.
a. what meant the word veritable
b. what did mean the word veritable'
c. what meant veritable
d. what veritable meant

8. Why are you looking so worried?

I forgot to ask George _____.
a. where I was to meet him for lunch
b. where was I to meet him for lunch
c. where was I meeting him for lunch
d. where was our meeting for lunch

4. Johns advice was that his sister

_____ a course in bookkeeping.
a. take
b. will take
c. taking
d. had taken

9. The climb to the top of the mountain

was tough, but _____.
a. it had worth
b. it was worthy
c. it had worth in it
d. it was worth it

5. He had an electrician _____ at the TV

set.
a. looking
b. look
c. to look
d. would look

10. How was I to know youd be upset?

Well, _____ is apologize!
a. the least you can do
b. the least to do
c. that the least you do
d. no less to do

15

CLOZE
Mysterious diseases have been striking reefbuilding corals worldwide.

(11)

a. remaining
b. returning

c. leaving
d. depositing

(12)

a. nominated
b. called

c. designated
d. named

(13)

a. thin
b. surface

c. shallow
d. shady

(14)

a. shores
b. reefs

c. beaches
d. shoals

(15)

a. scattered
b. spread

c. dispersed
d. contracted

(16)

a. freely
b. free

c. freed
d. freeing

(17)

a. raises
b. rises

c. arises
d. arouses

(18)

a. helping
b. donating

c. contributing
d. increasing

(19)

a. world
b. planetary

c. universal
d. global

(20)

a. link
b. bond

c. tie
d. joint

One of the most

serious is white pox, an ailment that kills coral

tissue, __(11)__ behind the irregular white lesions
for which the disease is __(12)__. Its victim is the
elkhorn coral (Acropora plamata), an important
Caribbean species that provides most of the reef
structure in __(13)__ water. Between 1996 and
1999 a team of biologists led by Kathryn L.
Patterson of the University of Georgia in Athens
documented, on average, an 85 percent loss of
elkhorn coral on Florida __(14)__. Moreover, the
workers observed, the disease __(15)__ among
neighboring elkhorns, suggesting the culprit was
an infectious agent.
Patterson and her colleagues have identified
the agent as Serratia marcescens, a bacterium that
can live __(16)__ in water but is also common in
the intestines of various animals, including
people.

The finding __(17)__ the specter that

untreated sewage dumped into the sea may be

__(18)__ to coral loss. And __(19)__ warming
will not help matters: the investigators have also
reported a __(20)__ between infection and water
temperature. The immediate future for elkhorn
coral could be bleak indeed.

16

VOCABULARY
21. Once again towns on the coast of Florida
have been _____ by a hurricane.
a. breached
b. battered
c. swayed
d. scattered

26. The meeting had to be cancelled as there

wasnt a(n) ___ for business to be transacted.
a. quorum
b. assortment
c. medley
d. quota

22. No teacher is prepared to _____ any kind of

disrespectful behavior.
a. moderate
b. malign
c. countenance
d. incur

27. The clubs efforts at protecting the

environment are truly _____.
a. plausible
b. laudable
c. lamentable
d. feasible

23. The defense counsel reminded the jury of the

_____ circumstances surrounding the case.
a. extenuating
b. forgiving
c. weakening
d. reducing

28. The political activist was tried on charges of

_____.
a. sedition
b. seduction
c. induction
d. reduction

24. The organization is certain to find a _____ to

take the blame for the fiasco.
a. lame duck
b. dark horse
c. red herring
d. scapegoat

29. The yellowish _____ on the bottom of our

pool proved to be harmless.
a. sediment
b. soot
c. scum
d. foam

25. The old woman sat motionless _____ the loss

of all her earthly possessions.
a. groaning
b. growling
c. grumbling
d. grieving

30. As the town grew, buildings began to _____

on the nearby forest land.
a. deplete
b. splurge
c. encroach
d. plague

17

READING COMPREHENSION
31. Nature has given many orchids the
ability described
a. to assist them in ensuring that
pollination of their flowers takes
place.
b. to attract wasps to build nests
c. to trap wasps for food.
d. to prevent the wasp population
from getting too large.

This passage was taken from Natural History,

December 2002-January 2003.
Many orchids have flower parts that mimic the
shape and scent of female wasps. Male wasps,
beguiled and bamboozled by the impersonators,
land on the flowers, unwittingly pick up pollen,
and carry it to the next floral mimic - a classic
example of how natural selection can make
stooges of its protagonists, to the general
amusement of biology students everywhere. But
new research shows that the orchids' trick may not
be so harmless as a simple practical joke, and that
it is mostly the imitated females who pay the
price.
Bob B.M. Wong of the Australian National
University in Canberra and Florian P. Schiestl of
the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in
Zurich measured how often male thynnine wasps
visited patches of wasp-mimicking Chiloglottis
orchids, compared with how often males visited
genuine female thynnines, both inside and outside
the orchid patches. The biologists observed that
the males' visits to orchid sites decreased with
time, suggesting that unrewarded males learned to
avoid areas where the flowers proved deceptive.
But for the females - which are wingless and
cannot readily change location - the stakes were
much higher. As the males learned to avoid the
orchids, female wasps outside the flower patches
soon had many suitors approaching them.
Females within the suddenly unpopular patches,
however, had few or no visits; in their case, a
gorgeous surrounding was no thing of beauty.

32. The findings of the research were

obtained by
a. comparing Chiloglottis orchids.
b. mimicking wasp behavior.
c. observing the frequency of certain
behavior of male wasps.
d. visiting orchid patches.
33. A male wasp would carry the pollen to
the next floral mimic
a. to beguile other wasps.
b. in the hope that it would be able to
mate.
c. to deposit the pollen it had picked
up.
d. to collect more pollen.
34. It is suggested that the male wasps
being observed made fewer and fewer
visits to the orchid patches because
a. they had collected all available
pollen.
b. they were trying to deceive the
biologists.
c. they accompanied the females
when they flew outside the patches.
d. their attempts to mate had
not been entirely successful in
those areas.
35. The text implies that the female wasps
in the orchid patches
a. were at a disadvantage when
compared with those outside the
patches.
b. never ever mated.
c. mated more often than those living
outside the patches.
d. learned to avoid the males.

18

Practice Test 5

GRAMMAR
1. Had you done as you were told, _____
in this dreadful situation now.
a. you wouldnt have been
b. you werent
c. you hadnt been
d. you wouldnt be

6. Either some dogs or a fox _____ the

farmers chickens.
a. is attacking
b. has been attacking
c. are attacking
d. has attacked

2. _____ marriages are still a part of many

Eastern cultures.
a. Arranging
b. Arranged
c. Arrangement
d. Arranger

7. _____ the bad weather, they have

decided to call off the festival.
a. Despite
b. Because
c. Owing to
d. A result of

3. My neighbor is really annoying. He

_____ his rubbish by our front gate!
a. he has always to leave
b. is always leaving
c. leaves always
d. always has left

8. Thats my favorite meal you can smell

_____.
a. is cooking
b. cooking
c. is being cooked
d. cooked

4. The process is very tricky and involves

_____ the broken bone with a metal rod.
a. to replace
b. replacing
c. you replace
d. the replacing

9. _____ , he would be one of the best

students in class.
a. He tried harder
b. Were he to try harder
c. Did he try harder
d. The harder he tried

5. Is anything the matter?

_____ that I wont be able to manage.
a. Im afraid
b. I have fear
c. Im fearful
d. I am fearsome

10. The gymnast_____ a large part of her

success to the efforts of her coach.
a. owing
b. is owing
c. has owed
d. owes

19

CLOZE
Recently

discovered

artifacts

plaque

(11)

a. remainder
b. remnants

c. rest
d. leftovers

(12)

a. belong
b. belonged

c. belonging
d. belongs

(13)

a. uncovers
b. reveals

c. shows
d. demonstrates

(14)

a. if
b. why

c. that
d. how

(15)

a. inventors
b. founders

c. creators
d. discoverers

(16)

a. also
b. likewise

c. and
d. both

(17)

a. predates
b. advances

c. projects
d. delays

(18)

a. base
b. basics

c. basement
d. basis

(19)

a. comprising
b. consisting

c. including
d. enveloping

(20)

a. disagree
b. argue

c. protest
d. object

fragments and a seal - contain intriguing scripts

that may be __(11)__ of the first written language
in the New World. The pieces, found near the
Gulf coast of Tabasco, Mexico, __(12)__ to the
Olmec people and date to 650 B.C.

The

cylindrical seal __(13)__ a bird with symbol

coming out of its beak, suggesting __(14)__ the
glyphs were spoken. The __(15)__ of the artifacts
think the bird is saying "King 3 Ajaw":

the

Olmec used "3 Ajaw" to refer __(16)__ to a day

of the sacred, 260-day calendar and to the king
born on that day.

The script __(17)__ other

Mesoamerican writing by at least 250 years and is

the __(18)__ for subsequent Mesoamerican
writing,

__(19)__

that

of

the

Maya,

the

researchers say. Other anthropologists, however,

__(20)__ that the symbols could simply be
drawings, rather than representations of speech.

20

VOCABULARY
21. A concerted effort must be made to collect
the rubbish _____ along most highways.
a. littered
b. strayed
c. strewn
d. polluted

26. Parents often observe that a childs interest in

a new toy begins to _____ after a few days.
a. weaken
b. evolve
c. subdue
d. pall

22. The mining company has discovered a rich

_____ of silver .
a. vein
b. strain
c. channel
d. streak

27. A total of 87 beauty queens will _____ for

the title of Miss Universe.
a. vie
b. rival
c. contest
d. feud

23. Most cities around the world are brightly

decorated for the _____ season in December.
a. joyful
b. festive
c. celebrated
d. frolicking

28. Work at the factory came to a(n) _____ when

workers went on strike.
a. stalemate
b. impediment
c. standstill
d. impasse

24. The couple are seldom apart as they have so

many _____ interests.
a. dual
b. reciprocal
c. mutual
d. rebounding

29. The new tax was made more _____ after

urban development plans were announced.
a. savory
b. palatable
c. tasteful
d. edible

25. She likes variety and regularly changes the

_____ on her computer.
a. fonts
b. cursors
c. softwares
d. windows

30. The sad news he delivered _____ the spirits

of all the party guests.
a. sprayed
b. moistened
c. sprinkled
d. dampened

21

READING COMPREHENSION
This passage was taken from Archaeology,
January/February 2003.
Peruvian archaeologists have reconstructed the
scene of a grisly sacrifice that took place some
seven centuries ago on a beach 120 miles north of
Lima.
The remains of 187 men have been uncovered;
most were found with rope still tied around their
wrists and ankles. They had been kneeling when
they were stabbed through the heart and fell
forward or on their sides into the sand. "Field
investigations showed that the sacrificed bodies
weren't buried," says Hector Walde, chief
archaeologist. "Many of them were covered by
only an inch of sand and some had their heels
exposed." Larvae found in the hair of the
cadavers came from several generations of flies,
indicating that the bodies were watched over for
several days to keep away carrion-eating animals
and to allow them to be covered naturally by sand.
A large fishing net, ropes, fishing weights, and
ceramic vessels with food, found at the other end
of the beach, were associated with the victims.
It's believed that surviving family members placed
these objects there so that the men, presumably
fishermen, could continue their labors in the
afterlife.
Textiles covering the faces of some of the
victims helped archaeologists affiliate them with
the Chimu civilization, which began a military
campaign in the area at the end of the fourteenth
century. Researchers believe the fishermen were
sacrificed by order of the Chimu emperor
Minchancaman in gratitude to the sea god, Ni, for
success in battle.
Archaeologists first identified textiles and bits
of bleached bones on the beach at Punta Lobos in
1997 during an archaeological impact study for a
mining company that planned to build port
facilities in the area.

31. The 187 men whose bodies were recovered

a. had been taken prisoner in battle.
b. had fallen to their deaths.
c. were tied with rope after being killed.
d. had been killed with a sharp implement.
32. Evidence indicates that the bodies
a. were covered by sand as time passed.
b. had had a small amount of sand scattered
over them.
c. were placed on their sides after death.
d. provided food for carrion-eating animals.
33. It appears that the families of the 187 men
believed they would remain occupied in the
afterlife with
a. fishing.
b. pottery.
c. food cultivation.
d. rope-making.
34. Ni, the sea god of the Chimu, is believed to
have given the emperor, Minchancaman
a. control of the Chimu civilization.
b. an order to sacrifice the fishermen.
c. military success.
d. bountiful catches of fish.
35. The archaeological finds were made
a. after archaeologists had followed
important clues.
b. during preliminary work being conducted
by a mining company in the area.
c. after building of a port had begun.
d. before pieces of textiles and bleached
bones were found.

22

ANSWER KEY
Practice Test 1
1. d
2. a
3. b
4. c
5. b
6. a
7. d
8. d
9. c
10.c
11.d
12.c
13.c
14.a
15.b
16.b
17.c
18.c
19.c
20.a
21.b
22.c
23.d
24.a
25.b
26.d
27.a
28.c
29.b
30.c
31.d
32.b
33.b
34.a
35.c

Practice Test 2
1. b
2. b
3. b
4. c
5. b
6. c
7. a
8. a
9. d
10.c
11.b
12.c
13.a
14.b
15.d
16.c
17.b
18.c
19.d
20.a
21.b
22.a
23.d
24.b
25.c
26.b
27.b
28.c
29.d
30.b
31.d
32.b
33.a
34.a
35.c

Practice Test 3
1. b
2. b
3. a
4. c
5. d
6. d
7. c
8. d
9. a
10.b
11.d
12.b
13.a
14.c
15.c
16.b
17.d
18.a
19.a
20.c
21.c
22.a
23.d
24.b
25.a
26.c
27.b
28.a
29.d
30.c
31.c
32.c
33.a
34.d
35.d

23

Practice Test 4
1. b
2. c
3. d
4. a
5. b
6. b
7. c
8. a
9. d
10.a
11.c
12.d
13.c
14.b
15.b
16.a
17.a
18.c
19.d
20.a
21.b
22.c
23.a
24.d
25.d
26.a
27.b
28.a
29.a
30.c
31.a
32.c
33.b
34.d
35.a

Practice Test 5
1. d
2. b
3. b
4. b
5. a
6. a
7. c
8. b
9. b
10.d
11.b
12.b
13.c
14.c
15.d
16.d
17.a
18.d
19.c
20.b
21.c
22.a
23.b
24.c
25.a
26.d
27.a
28.c
29.b
30.d
31.d
32.a
33.a
34.c
35.b