CAE Use of English Part 3, Test 5 – Brick and mortar

Answers and explanations

17. Plainly. An expression ‘to speak plainly’ usually introduces a simplified explanation of something complex – here we have a condensed description of the concept of the brick and mortar approach.
18. Gradual. A gradual shift is one that happens slowly over a longer period of time.
19. Irresistible. The rest of the paragraph talks about the perks of moving towards the online model. As we talk about the advantages, the ‘irresistible appeal’ is the attractiveness that is too big to resist.
20. Competitive. Competitive prices are those that are at a similar level to those that competing businesses have. This means that at this price point you are as likely to get clients as anybody else with a similar pricing strategy. Competitive is normally used positively.
21. Scalability. To scale something means to increase or decrease the size of something. Here we talk about making a business operation bigger. All we need then is to get the right noun form and spell it correctly – always check your spelling in C1 Use of English Part 3! And one more thing – do not choose ‘scaling’ as an answer; don’t be tempted to use -ing to make the words, it will normally be seen as incorrect.
22. Operation. ‘Online operation’ simply means your online platform that you use to offer goods or services.
23. Unfounded. Unfounded criticism is one that is thought not to be valid or true. If you deem something unfounded, then you believe there is no reason to believe it.
24. Comeback. Note that ‘comeback’ is a noun here. When somebody or something makes a comeback, they return after a setback or a failure they had suffered in the past.