English

Test 3
Standard Format

Read the following instructions carefully:

Do not turn over the test paper until you are told to do so

The correct way to indicate your answer is either by:

writing the answer in the space provided

circling the correct option e.g. it is set in Australia

underlining the chosen word e.g. (lion, tiger, panther)

If you need to change an answer, rub out the incorrect answer and fill in the correct
answer

You may write notes on the rough paper provided if you find it helpful

You have 50 minutes to complete the test

After finishing, take a ten minute break then proceed with the Creative Writing
Section

Copyright (c) Examberry LLP 2014 V 1.1

The right of Examberry LLP to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act
1988.
All rights reserved, including translation. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or
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Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims or damages.
First published in 2014 by Examberry LLP, St Andrews Centre, Mount Park Road, London W5 2RS

Choose the best word to complete the sentence. Please underline your choice.

1.

She has (fewer/less) books than I do.

2.

This endeavour is going to take (many/much) time.

3.

It has been a long time (since/hence) I met my brother.

4.

The train stood (stationery/stationary) for a long time.

5.

Any food eaten in (access/excess) will cause indigestion.

In these sentences, there may be a spelling mistake or incorrect use of a word in one of the sections
marked A, B, C and D. Circle the letter corresponding to the section that has the mistake. If there
arent any mistakes, circle the letter N.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

Underline all the pronouns.

11. Bring that book.
12. I did all the cleaning by myself.
13. It is their only hope.
14. Where is my hat?

What part of speech is the word underlined in these sentences? Please fill in the space provided
with the correct letter.
A: Noun

B: Verb

C: Adjective

D: Adverb

E: Pronoun

15.

He handed in his assignment late.

_______

16.

The earlybirds ate most of the worms.

17.

There is a ban on selling tobacco to children in this country.

_______

18.

I forbid you to play with my mobile phone.

_______

19.

Anyone but you could fix that leak.

_______

_______

Write the plural form of the following words:

20.

Country

_____________

21.

Species

_____________

22.

Roof

_____________

23.

Giraffe

_____________

24.

Goose

_____________

25.

Bus

_____________

Match the idioms/phrases from the box to their meanings below (use the letters A to E)
A: Carry out

B: A far cry

D: A round peg in a square hole

26.

Unexpected fortune

___

27.

A bad period

___

28.

A long way off

___

29.

Execute

___

30.

A misfit

___

C: A rainy day
E: A windfall

Write the abstract nouns corresponding to these words:

31.

real

_____________

32.

accurate

_____________

33.

criticise

_____________

34.

angry

_____________

35.

generous

_____________

36.

obey

_____________

Use words from the boxto form compound words with the words below :
light

stander

37.

by

_____________

38.

hop

_____________

39.

high

_____________

40.

wheel

_____________

barrow

scotch

Write the comparative and superlative forms of these adjectives. For example, if the given word
was happy then the comparative is happier and the superlative is happiest.

Comparative

Superlative

41.

funny

______________

______________

42.

childish

______________

______________

43.

many

______________

______________

44.

dry

______________

______________

45.

brilliant

______________

______________

Read this passage and answer the questions below:

Adapted from Utopia by Sir Thomas More
Anyone who knows one of their towns knows them all as they are all the same, differing only
where the local geography compels them to differ. I will therefore describe the one I know best,
Amaurot, the principal city and seat of the Supreme Council; the town in which I lived for five
years.

It is situated on rising ground and is almost square in outline, with one edge running down the side
of a hill for two miles to the bank of the river Anider, from which point the town extends for
slightly more than two miles along the riverbank. At Amaurot, the river is half a mile across it
rises some eighty miles above the city in a small spring but is fed by other streams and grows
larger and larger until it reaches the ocean about sixty miles below Amaurot. For the first seventy
miles or so from the ocean, the river ebbs and flows every six hours with a strong current for
thirty miles the tide is so strong that the river contains nothing but salt water, the fresh water being
driven back upstream by its force and for some miles beyond that the water is brackish. However,
at Amaurot the river water is fresh and when the tide ebbs, the fresh water continues all the way to
the sea. There is a bridge over the river at Amaurot which is made, not of timber but of fine stone
with many stately arches. The bridge lies at the further end of the town from the sea so ships can
travel up the river without hindrance and tie up at quays all along the riverside.

There is likewise a second river at Amaurot which, though not so large, runs prettily through the
town from springs situated in the high ground behind, to join the Anider a short distance beyond
the city walls. The water from these springs is carried in great earthen pipes to the lower streets of
the city and provides them with drinking water. Other parts of the city get their drinking water
from rainwater which is stored in great cisterns. The citizens have fortified the springs from which
this small river arises so that, if enemies were to besiege the city, they could be prevented from
stopping the flow or poisoning the water on which the city depends.

The city is encircled by a thick high wall in which there are many towers and forts. Outside the
wall on three sides of the city there is also a dry ditch which is both deep and broad and planted
with impenetrable thorns on the fourth side, the river Anider takes the place of the ditch. The
streets within are twenty feet broad, well sheltered from the winds and very convenient for
carriages. Along the streets, the buildings are fine and so uniform that the whole side of a street
could be taken for a single building. Behind the buildings are large enclosed gardens so every
house has two doors, one opening to the street and one to the gardens behind. The doors have two
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leaves which open freely and close of their own accord so any man may enter into any house
whatsoever. There is no property amongst the citizens of Amaurot their houses are chosen by lot
every ten years.

They cultivate their gardens with great care with many vines, fruits, herbs, and flowers in them;
and all is so well ordered and so finely kept that I never saw gardens anywhere that were both so
fruitful and so beautiful as theirs. The energy they put into their gardens is kept up not simply by
the pleasure they find in the endeavour but also by the rivalry between the residents of different
streets who delight in friendly competition. Indeed, there is nothing belonging to the whole town
that is both more useful and more pleasant than their gardens. The founder of the town must have
thought the gardens were the most important part of the city.

They say, the whole scheme of the town was designed at first by Utopus, but he left the details to
those who came after, it being too much for one man to bring all things to perfection. The records
of the town and State have been carefully preserved and extend back some 1,760 years. From
these it appears that the first houses were simple cottages made of any sort of timber with mud
walls and thatched with straw. Nowadays the houses are three stories tall and faced with stone,
render or brick, with rubble between the facings of the walls. The roofs are flat and plastered with
a material which, though it costs very little is yet able to resist both fire and the worst of the winter
weather. They use great quantities of glass in their windows but they also use a thin linen cloth
which keeps out the wind but is so oiled that it is completely transparent.

46.

What makes the water in the river brackish?

a. The fish living in it
b. The tide flowing into it
c. The pollution from the neighbouring town
d. The colour of the plants growing in it

47.

What is true about the second river described in the passage?

a. It rises from a glacier on a faraway mountain
b. It joins the Anider eventually
c. It flows down a different hill from Amaurot
d. It is a very polluted river

e. How was rain water conserved in Amaurot?

a. Through earthern pipes
b. In big pits
c. In rectangular tanks
d. In large cisterns

f. What can you tell about the buildings in the streets of Amaurot?
a. Each building was unique in style and construction
b. Each building was built of a different material
c. All the buildings looked alike
d. All the buildings were built by different architects

g. Who designed the town of Amaurot?

a. Utopia
b. Utopus
c. Romus
d. Napolean

h. What materials were used for making windows?

a. Linen and metal
b. Cotton and jute
c. Linen and glass
d. Cotton and nylon

i. What was special about the roofs in the town?

a. They were plastered to resist both fire and weather conditions
b. The plastering was water resistant, but not fire resistant
c. The plastering was not weather or fire proof
d. The roofs were made out of glass

j. How can you describe the gardens in the town?

a. They were ill-kept and badly maintained
b. They were characterised by order and neatness
c. They were infested with rodents
d. They had weeds all over the place

k. Was there a concept of propertyownership in the town?

a. Yes
b. No

l. What part of speech isthe word likewise in

There is likewise a second river at Amaurot which ?
a. Adjective
b. Pronoun
c. Noun
d. Adverb

m. What is the meaning of the word fortified?

a. Weakened
b. Compelled
c. Strengthened
d. Finalised

n. What can you infer about the security of the town?

a. The town was very vulnerable to a siege
b. The town had an army of soldiers guarding around it
c. Structurally, the town had strong walls, ditches and rivers guarding it
d. Several police officers were always on duty in the town

o. What is evident from the records of the town?

a. The town had undergone a great architectural transformation
b. The town had not changed in its architecture
c. The town had never been marked by robust buildings
d. All buildings were always constructed of wood

p. Why did the town inhabitants protect the rivers fountain head?
a. For fear of a drought
b. Because they considered it sacred
c. Because they had to protect it from their enemies
d. It made better waterways

q. What is the crux of the above passage?

a. The description of a man
b. The description of lifes ups and downs
c. Theauthors biography
d. The description of a town

END OF TEST

NOW TURN OVER FOR THE CREATIVE WRITING SECTION

Creative Writing Section

(30 Minutes)

In this task you have been given a photographon which you must base a piece of creative writing.
Write a story in the first person, imagining that you are the person in the picture. You may find it
helpful to think about ideas such as the following:

What country might you be in?

Are you travelling alone or with other people? If so, who?

Would you try to climb one of the mountains? What do you imagine that would be like?

Where might you be going?

Where have you travelled from to get to the place in the picture? What was the journey like?

Do you have to carry any special equipment?

Is your adventure scary or dangerous at all? What might happen?Try and write between one and two

sides of A4 paper in the allotted half hour. Aim to spend about 5 minutes planning and 25 minutes
writing; remember that having a good plan will help your story progress while you write it. Good
luck!

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Now spend time making a plan in the space provided below.

(5 Minutes)

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