English Language Placement Test

TIME ALLOWED: 45 MINUTES

Answer as many of the following as you can. It is suggested that you start from
Number 1 and work through the paper systematically. Please work on your own
as this test enables us to place you in the right group.
_________________________________________________________________________________________

A. Choose the word or phrase which best completes each sentence and mark the corresponding area on this paper.

1. Good morning. name is Tim; I am your English teacher.

A. her B. my C. their D. hers

2. That is Yuka and this is Natalya, and I am friend.

A. his B. our C. their D. my

3. Lucas, Anna and I came to NSTS for a course. want to learn English.
A. they B. we C. you D. he

4. Yulia, Miguel and Eva came to NSTS for a course. want to learn English
A. we B. you C. they D. she

5. That notebook is yours, but this one is . Look there is my name on it.
A. mine B. his C. hers D. ours

6. Every morning I a local newspaper.

A. am reading B. ll read C. was reading D. read

7. Look out! A car !

A. comes B. came C. was coming D. is coming

8. My lesson five minutes ago.

A. is starting B. started C. was starting D. has started

9. She her h o m e w o r k when the postman arrived.

A. was doing B. has been d o ing C. is doing D. has done

10. you to Valletta yet? Its a beautiful city; dont miss it.
A. are.going B. did.go C. were.going D. havebeen

11. They coffee, but they hate orange juice.

A. are liking B. will like C. like D. were liking

12. The train at 16:45.

A. leaves B. is leaving C. is going to leave D. will leave

13. I met Maria yesterday, she a baby in December.

A. is having B. is going to have C. will have D. will be having

14. I finished this test before the c o f f e e b r e a k .

A. will be B. have C. will have D. had

15. After I the letter, I went out and posted it.

A. had finished B. finish C. was finishing D. have finished

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16. The furniture in my grandparents house all very old.
A. are B. were C. have D. is

17. The babysitter looked our children while we were at the party.
A. at B. for C. on D. after

18. I ran a l l t h e w a y t o t h e o f f i c e and arrived just time for my meeting.

A. in B. at C. by D. on

19. I was very happy to see that all my guests arrived exactly time for the party.
A. at B. on C. in D. by

20. The popular singer entered the room an expensive black leather suit.
A. into B. on C. by D. in

21. The bird flew the open window and landed on my shoulder.
A. through B. off C. out D. way

22. Switzerland lies France, Germany, Italy and Austria.

A. across B. over C. through D. between

23. In Malta, you can v o t e the age of 18.

A. with B. at C. on D. by

24. She studies Oxford University but lives in London.

A. in B. close C. at D. by

25. Robinson Crusoe lived for many years a desert island.

A. in B. on C. at D. over

26. We at 7 a.m. and didnt return until midnight.

A. took off B. came away C. set out D. went up

27. The bomb at six oclock, killing ten people.

A. went off B. burst off C. blew up D. blew off

28. It was so dark, I couldnt the number on the front door of that house.
A. make up B. see through C. make out D. look at

29. My teacher was late for the lesson and so he an excuse.

A. told off B. made up C. said up D. spoke up

30. My mother me for being late for breakfast.

A. shouted.off B. shouted.away C. told.off D. told.away

31. We on 21 December for t h e C h r i s t m a s h o l i d a y s a n d g o b a c k t o s c h o o l i n t h e f i r s t w e e k o f

January.
A. leave up B. break up C. start off D. come away

32. When John lost his job, they had to entertaining because they couldnt afford it any more.
A. cut down on B. get rid of C. give away D. take off

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33. She decided to change jobs as she didnt with her boss.
A. turn on B. take on C. get on D. see along

34. It is sometimes impossible to identical twins .

A. chooseaway B. choose apart C. tell away D. tell apart

35. I forgot to put the food in the fridge and it soon ; I had to throw it all away.
A. went out B. heated up C. went off D. warmed off

Here is a list of four words, three of them have the same sound. One is pronounced differently. Find the odd words.

36. A. near B. bear C. dear D. fear

37. A. cough B. tough C. rough D. cuff
38. A. four B. board C. floor D. flour
39. A. said B. plain C. rain D. stain
40. A. clothes B. maths C. months D. lengths

In the next six sentences, three of the alternatives are correct in each sentence, and one is wrong. Pick out the wrong alternative.

41. In business we have to remember that the is always right.

A. client B. dealer C. customer D. purchaser

42. Shakespeares Macbeth is one of the worlds greatest .

A. plays B. shows C. tragedies D. dramas

43. I havent seen the film yet but Ive seen the .
A. write-ups B. trailer C. criticisms D. reviews

44. Shes going to about the current economic crisis.

A. speak B. tell C. talk D. lecture

45. His made me feel guilty even though I was innocent.

A. attitude B. tone C. dialect D. expression

46. He looked at me with a on his face and began to tell me off.

A. frown B. scowl C. gulp D. sneer

Choose the right word to complete each of the following eight sentences.

47. I am awfully sorry, I took your umbrella by .

A. mistake B. fault C. error D. defect

48. The judge conducted the in one day.

A. process B. trial C. judgement D. attempts

49. Students have to go for a medical before they register at the university.
A. enquiry B. research C. investigation D. check up

50. Diplomatic have been renewed between the two countries.

A. relations B. relationships C. terms D. attitudes

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 51. The affairs programme on TV is usually informative.
A. actual B. topical C. read D. current

52. Her pale skin is rather to strong sunlight.

A. suspicious B. susceptible C. sensitive D. sensible

53. Be and wear comfortable low-heeled shoes when you go walking.

A. sensitive B. suspicious C. susceptible D. sensible

54. Your about our language courses will be answered by email.

A. interrogation B. investigation C. questioning D. enquiry

TRAVELLERS ON A LONELY PLANET

Tony Wheeler and his wife Maureen started the (55) known as Lonely Planet after a year-long journey across Asia in 1973. It was a
very amateur, home (56) business. They were amazed to find that their friends were (57) to read their accounts of the (58), which
had taken them well off the (59) track.

It was not long before they formed a company and began publishing guides to independent travel. In their early books they (60) to
write about those destinations for which there were no existing guidebooks. Since then, theyve (61) the company and have
published more than five hundred guides, each one with a (62) the lines message that travelers should respect the planet they (63),
that cover everything from (64) exploration to more luxurious adventures. In (65) to practical information, each guide contains
concise background information on the culture and history of the countries (66) in the book. Even today, the Lonely Planet Guide to
Mongolia is the only one of its (67).

Tony says it was easier to write the first guide than later ones because they had actually done the trips they were writing about.
Nevertheless, the guides remain very popular and include information on every (68) of travelling, from what (69) of insect repellent
to use, to where to get a haircut or have your clothes washed.

The authors believe that the travelers enjoy themselves much more when they know more about the places they are visiting. They
say that travel writing is dawn to dusk hard work, always on the (70), always checking things. They still manage to (71) in several
trips each year. Tony continues to (72) a very active part in researching, writing and updating Lonely Planet guides.

Tony and Maureen are (73) of all their guides but say their favourite is the guide to India. They still (74) backpacking themselves, and
usually (75) for the Himalayas, which they love. Naturally enough, on these trips Tony and Maureen take the Lonely Planet Guide to
India with them!

Adapted from online resources and FCE Gold Plus Exam Maximiser, Pearson Longman

55. A. company B. adventure C. job D. endeavour

56. A. produced B. made C. grown D. cultivated

57. A. annoyed B. eager C. angry D. disappointed

58. A. exploration B. trek C. trip D. sojourn

59. A. known B. usual C. followed D. beaten

60. A. took off B. made for C. went in D. set out

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 61. A. broadened B. increased C. expanded D. extended

62. A. amid B. among C. between D. in

63. A. hike B. stroll C. wander D. trek

64. A. low-budget B. small-pocket C. cheap-cost D. shoe-string

65. A. advance B. addition C. detail D. fact

66. A. involved B. written C. engaged D. covered

67. A. character B. kind C. sort D. nature

68. A. subject B. matter C. aspect D. concern

69. A. group B. category C. mark D. brand

70. A. way B. move C. road D. run

71. A. take B. fill C. fit D. put

72. A. play B. have C. give D. make

73. A. pleased B. proud C. keen D. evicted

74. A. make B. do C. go D. have

75. A. fly B. go C. take D. head

C. Read the following passage carefully and then complete the sentences printed beneath.

You are going to read an article about music. For questions 76-80, choose the answer which you think fits best according to the text

Music and Theatre

Up until quite recently, I would have said that opera is first and foremost theatre. Not anymore. After a brief spell working at a
national opera house, I learned that opera is, in fact, only secondly theatre. The music comes first. Thats as it should be, of course.
But I come from a different world, the world of the theatre, where the word and the actor speaking it have primacy, where there is
nobody out front directing the action once the event is under way, and where performer and audience (mostly) speak the same
language.

At any musical performance, whether in concert hall or opera house, there will generally be a substantial minority of people who,
like me, have little technical or academic understanding of music. Some of them will be aware of, possibly even embarrassed by,
how much they dont know. Most will be awestruck by the skill of the performers Even a moderately good musician is showing us
the results of years of punishingly hard work. Being in the audience for top-class music is not unlike watching an athletics match
we know athletes are doing something broadly similar to what we do when running for a bus, but we recognise by how much it
exceeds our best efforts.

Theatre audiences by contrast, come with a different set of expectations. In the main they do not understand the nature of an
actors skill and are not particularly awed by an activity which, a lot of the time, appears to be very close to what they could do
themselves. They are not usually impressed when an actor completes a long and difficult speech (although how do you learn all
ELI Placement Test (ELI-PT) Page 5 of 6 Issue TWO (11-10-12)
those lines? is the question every actor gets asked). None of this means that theatre audiences are more generous or less
demanding than their counterparts in the concert hall; indeed quite a lot of them are the same people. What perhaps it does mean
is that audiences and performer meet on more equal terms in the theatre than elsewhere, no matter how challenging the material
or spectacular the event. The question is, does music need to learn anything from the theatre about this relationship? I would say
yes, partly because I have seen how a different approach can transform the concert-goers experience.

Music in live performance is inherently theatrical, full of passion, humour, melancholy, intimacy, grandeur; vulnerable to the
possibility that something will go unexpectedly wrong, reaching into the imagination of the listener not just as an individual but as
part of a collective. The conventions which still largely dominate music presentation, including strict dress codes and an exaggerated
deference to the status of conductors and soloists, emphasise the difference between players and listeners in a way which often
feels uncomfortably hierarchical. On the other hand, the tendency of contemporary music audiences to interrupt the momentum of
performance by applauding between movements or after a particular piece of virtuosity, while it is often a spontaneous expression
of appreciation, can also be insensitive to the dramatic integrity of the whole work.

Adapted from Cambridge Certificate of Proficiency in English 1, Exam Papers.

76. What does the writer imply in the first paragraph?

a. She has re-evaluated her view of opera.
b. She finds opera difficult to appreciate.
c. She recognises some shortcomings of the theatre.
d. She is reluctant to change her view of the theatre.

77. The writer says that a significant number of people who attend musical performances may
a. Lack her specialist knowledge.
b. Have a sense of inadequacy.
c. Be unimpressed by the musicians talent.
d. Make no attempts to engage with the music.

78. What point is exemplified by the reference to athletes in the second paragraph?
a. Audiences recognise the particular talent of the musicians.
b. Musicians have to train for longer than athletes.
c. Athletes find performing in public demanding.
d. It is harder to become an athlete than a musician.

79. What does the writer say about theatre audiences?

a. They regard the actors technique as crucial.
b. Their appraisal of performances is realistic.
c. They are less critical than concert audiences.
d. Their assumptions are different from concert audiences.

80. What is the writers attitude towards the conventions surrounding musical performance?
a. They can result in a feeling of divisiveness.
b. It is unreasonable to expect instant changes.
c. They enable the audience to show respect for the performers.
d. It is important to retain some traditions.

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