Name: Date: Total: 100

FINAL TEST (UPSTREAM ADVANCED - LEVEL 9)

Reading 1. Read through the text and answer the questions that follow:

English as a National Foreign Language

India has two national languages for central administrative purposes: Hindi and English. Hindi is the national, official, and main link language of India. English is an associate official language. The Indian Constitution also officially approves twenty-two regional languages for official purposes. Dozens of distinctly different regional languages are spoken in India, which share many characteristics such as grammatical structure and vocabulary. Apart from these languages, Hindi is used for communication in India. The homeland of Hindi is mainly in the north of India, but it is spoken and widely understood in all urban centers of India. In the southern states of India, where people speak many different languages that are not much related to Hindi, there is more resistance to Hindi, which has allowed English to remain a lingua franca to a greater degree. Since the early 1600s, the English language has had a toehold on the Indian subcontinent, when the East India Company established settlements in Chennai, Kolkata, and Mumbai, formerly Madras, Calcutta, and Bombay respectively. The historical background of India is never far away from everyday usage of English. India has had a longer exposure to English than any other country which uses it as a second language, its distinctive words, idioms, grammar and rhetoric spreading gradually to affect all places, habits and culture. In India, English serves two purposes. First, it provides a linguistic tool for the administrative cohesiveness of the country, causing people who speak different languages to become united. Secondly, it serves as a language of wider communication, including a large variety of different people covering a vast area. It overlaps with local languages in certain spheres of influence and in public domains. Generally, English is used among Indians as a link language and it is the first language for many welleducated Indians. It is also the second language for many who speak more than one language in India. The English language is a tie that helps bind the many segments of our society together. Also, it is a linguistic bridge between the major countries of the world and India. English has special national status in India. It has a special place in the parliament, judiciary, broadcasting, journalism, and in the education system. One can see a Hindi-speaking teacher giving their students instructions during an educational tour about where to meet and when their bus would leave, but all in

English. It means that the language permeates daily life. It is unavoidable and is always expected, especially in the cities. The importance of the ability to speak or write English has recently increased significantly because English has become the de facto standard. Learning English language has become popular for business, commerce and cultural reasons and especially for internet communications throughout the world. English is a language that has become a standard not because it has been approved by any standards organization but because it is widely used by many information and technology industries and recognized as being standard. The call centre phenomenon has stimulated a huge expansion of internet-related activity, establishing the future of India as a cyber-technological super-power. Modern communications, videos, journals and newspapers on the internet use English and have made knowing English indispensable. The prevailing view seems to be that unless students learn English, they can only work in limited jobs. Those who do not have basic knowledge of English cannot obtain good quality jobs. They cannot communicate efficiently with others, and cannot have the benefit of Indias rich social and cultural life. Men and women who cannot comprehend and interpret instructions in English, even if educated, are unemployable. They cannot help with their childrens school homework everyday or decide their revenue options of the future. A positive attitude to English as a national language is essential to the integration of people into Indian society. There would appear to be virtually no disagreement in the community about the importance of English language skills. Using English you will become a citizen of the world almost naturally. English plays a dominant role in the media. It has been used as a medium for inter-state communication and broadcasting both before and since Indias independence. India is, without a doubt, committed to English as a national language. The impact of English is not only continuing but increasing.

Questions
Q1 - According to the writer, the Indian constitution recognizes 22 official languages. Hindi as the national language. 2 national, official languages. 2 national languages. Q2 - English's status as a lingua franca is helped by its status in northern India. the fact that it is widely understood in urban centres. the fact that people from the south speak languages not much related to Hindi. it shares many grammatical similarities with Hindi. Q3 - In paragraph 3, 'toehold' means that English dominated India. changed the names of some cities in India. has had a presence in India. has been in India longer than any other language. Q4 - Hindi-speaking teachers

might well be heard using English. only use English. only use English for instructions. do not use English. Q5 - In paragraph eight, it says 'the prevailing view', which suggests that the view is correct. the view is held by the majority. the view is incorrect. the view is held by the minority. Q6 - English in India is going to decrease. has decreased since independence. causes disagreement. is going to have a greater importance. Score: ____/12

2. Words often confused Underline the correct word in bold:

1. The history of my family is as far behind/beyond/back as the early 20s. 2. The rules in our school agree/apply/happen to all the students and teachers. 3. Considering the fact that this box has been in the attic with a lot of dust for many years, I can say that it is in a perfect condition/state/form. 4. A very pretty young girl gripped/caught/seized his eye, as he was standing on the street. 5. For the purpose/object/aim of learning English, you should buy a dictionary and learn vocabulary everyday. 6. Located direct/exact/right beside the post office, they have an opportunity to do some business. 7. This edition/translation/rendition of the book is the best from the series of books of that writer. I will buy it. 8. The film was a real blockbuster/box office-hit/cliff-hanger, it sold million. 9. There is a pristine/littered nature. Very few people have been there and the view is lovely. 10. The dean/prefect/curator showed the visitors the great exhibits from a very famous actor. Score: ____/10

3. Write the meaning of the Fixed Phrases in bold in these sentences:

1. I dont think there is a free room in this hotel, but we can check on the off-chance. __________________. 2. I think I will buy her a nice warm sweater. On second thoughts, I might buy her a nice fancy dress._____________________. 3. He is on his own. He lives alone and pays all the bills from his salary. _____________________. 4. Suzan did that on purpose. She is always dropping things when she is at my place. ___________________. 5. I was on duty when someone came into the building and robbed a lot of money from the safe. _________________. 6. I will help her, on condition that you torture me no more. ________________ 7. My sister spends a lot of money. She is always on a budget. __________________ 8. James is at odds with his brother. ________________________ 9. Mary goes jogging at times. ____________________ 10. The teacher ordered us to finish the project at a glance. _________ Score: ____/10

4. Complete the sentences using the Phrasal verbs which are given below. There is one extra phrasal verb which you do not need to use anywhere:
stand in for, carry out, carry off, stand out, bring over, pass away, cut off, cut in, cut back, pass out, pass over; 1. Our team, despite being weaker still managed to ________________ in the last minute by luck. 2. A lot of researches on cancer were ______________________, but nothing new was discovered yet. 3. Could you __________________ some food for the tonights party? Yes, of course. 4. Our executive manager was ill, so they sent John to ____________________ our manager for 3 days. 5. My friend is very pretty and everyone looks at her. She always _________________ when we are out. 6. He has been ______________ for the new promotion on the CD. 7. She always _______________ while Im talking. She is so rude! 8. Unfortunately, the passenger of the crashed plane ______________ one hour ago. 9. Their family ______________ because of the parents divorce. 10. The student ______________ in the sports hall because she hadnt eaten anything all day yesterday. Score: ____/10

5. Write the correct Idiom given:

foot the bill, make a killing on, fringes of society, law of a jungle, throw oneself on the mercy of the court; 1. They _______________________ selling their house and earning a lot of money. 2. In some countries there isnt any law or regulations. The police is hopeless, it is the ________________________. 3. He pleaded his guilt and by doing this he __________________. 4. They ________________ for electricity and now they have nothing else to pay. 5. They are so poor that they are on the ___________________. Score: ____/10

6. Circle the correct meaning of the words given:

1. detrimental 2. estimation 3. contention 4. insurmountable 5. affluent 6. glum 7. down in the mouth 8. out of ordinary 9. stomach-churning 10. milestone a) damaging a) examination a) sadness a) difficult to pass, overcome a) wealthy a) miserable a) unclear a) unusual a) unreal a) an important event b) precious b) assessment b) happiness b) easy to overcome b) poor b) glorious b) unsuccessful b) simple b) frightening b) unimportant Score: ____/5

7. Underline the appropriate verb in bold -Active or State:

1. Im smelling/smell the roses. They are smelling/smell marvelous. 2. She has/is having an excellent time on Ibiza. 3. I see/am seeing what you mean, but I cant help you now. I have no time. I see/am seeing my dentist. I have an appointment. 4. The soup is tasting/tastes good. Christine tastes/is tasting it now. Would you like to taste it? 5. What are you thinking/What do you think of John? He is a good boy. 6. She feels/is feeling that she wont pass her final exam. 7. John feels/is feeling sick. He must have eaten something bad last night. Score: ____/7

8. Turn the sentences from Active into Passive.

1. They used to cut this fabric by hand, but now they use a machine. _____________________________________________________________________ 2. They showed me the door. _____________________________________________________________________ 3. The police have trapped two of the murderers so far. _____________________________________________________________________ 4. Somebody had torn some pages out of her diary. _____________________________________________________________________ 5. They are pulling down the old cinema. _____________________________________________________________________ 6. We repair dishwashers. _____________________________________________________________________ 7. Somebody stabbed her when she was sleeping. _____________________________________________________________________ 8. The local authority should knock this building down. _____________________________________________________________________ Score: ____/8

Writing 9. Read the rubric and write the task in about 250 words:
You recently passed an examination after a great deal of hard work and were horrified to see the following report in a national newspaper. You have now decided to write to the editor of the newspaper expressing your views and detailing what you have to do in order to achieve your success. Read the extract below and write your letter. The success rate in this years examinations leaves me with one very clear message standards are falling. How else would so many students have passed? In days gone by, passing an exam was something that happened after a lot of hard work and no small amount of luck. Nowadays, you neither need the hard work nor the luck you just have to turn up on the day and you will pass. So, with thousands of students celebrating their achievement, I have to ask just what they have done to make them feel so proud of themselves.

Score: ____/20

Listening 10. You will hear a radio discussion about student life. For questions 1-8 complete the sentences. You will hear the recording twice.
Ms Turner feels that students will be missing out on a lot by deciding to 1) ___________ Ms Turner thinks that by cohabitating with 2) ______________ students can learn a lot. Sadie disagrees with Ms Turner that living in a university residence is so 3) _________________ Sadie believes that living at home and in residence are similar in that students are too 4) ___________________ In Sadies opinion having everything done for you will not help you become a 5)___________________ Ms Turner maintains that students need their free time after classes for doing the 6) ___________________ Ms Turner says that Sadie is a 7) ________________ because she manages to find time for practical chores and study. Sadie claims that she and her housemates are achieving 8) _______________ for their courses. Score: ____/8