Answer Keys

Part 1

1. D – fulfilled. ‘To fulfil an ambition’ is the only correct collocation here.
2. A – estimated. The only verb that can be used in passive form correctly. ‘Guess’ means coming up with something without evidence. ‘Counted’ is not the best word for the mentioned number (five thousand whales).
3. A – according. The only word that can be used with the preposition ‘to’. ‘Depending’ and ‘relying’ both need the preposition ‘on’, ‘agreeing’ takes ‘with’.
4. B – tendency. Answers A and D do not fit contextually as they have different meaning. ‘Habit’ can’t be used because it should be followed by a gerund: ‘be in the habit of doing something’.
5. D – further. ‘Further out’ is the only correct collocation of the four – it means at a greater distance from the shore.
6. C – Whichever. The only determiner that can be used with a noun here – we are referring to seasons, so ‘whoever’ doesn’t work. ‘However’ is more about the way you do something. ‘Whenever’ would fit if the sentence went like ‘Whenever you choose to go on your trip’.
7. A – head. ‘To head for’ means ‘to go in a certain direction’. ‘To set off’ is a phrasal verb with the same meaning, but there is no participle ‘off’ for it to work.
8. C – pursuit. ‘In pursuit of something’ means ‘seeking, chasing something’. Other nouns do not fit ‘in … of something’ construction.
   

   Part 2

9. come. ‘Come as a surprise’ is a set expression – note the indefinite article. If something comes as a surprise to you, then you do not expect it, you do not see it coming.
10. is. ‘The strange thing … is that‘. We rearrange words in the sentence for dramatic effect or to stress a particular part of it.
11. more. ‘Even more’ is used for contrast. Another case of an emphatic structure.
12. ago. A time in the past is mentioned. Be careful not to answer ‘later’ – as the word requires a reference point, e.g. ‘he got interested in music and two years later he started making it’.
13. from. ‘To get inspiration from something or someone’ – this is when somebody inspires you do to something.
14. would/could. Both modals are acceptable here – with both meanings fitting the context.
15. so. ‘So that’ is the phrase that means possibility to do something, a shorter version of ‘in order to be able to do something’
16. how. They talk about the skill of Kieron’s drawing. We can see an example of an inverted sentence here – here we use an auxiliary verb (did) in a positive sentence for dramatic effect.
    

    Part 3

17. truth. A very straightforward adjective to noun transformation.
18. relationship. Do not pluralise the noun, otherwise it won’t be counted as correct here – after all, only there is only one relationship in the sentence – one of feeling cold and catching a cold.
19. unsuitable. Note the negative prefix suggested by the context of the sentence. We talk about the kind of clothing that would (or wouldn’t) work in colder environments.
20. absence. Adjective to noun transformation. Make sure to spell the word with ‘c’. ‘In the absence of something’ means when something isn’t there, especially if normally it should be present.
21. inappropriate. Similar case to Question 19, a negative prefix is needed. Spelling is a bit tricky, with the double ‘p’.
22. scientists. The plural forms is what we need here, as suggested by ‘think’ – the verb that the subject has to agree with.
23. Unfortunately. Attacks from viruses is something undesirable, so a negative prefix should be used.
24. easily. A comparative ‘more’ modifies the adverb that we get, transforming the adjective ‘easy’.
    

    Part 4

25. has been/is three years since. Both variants are acceptable. ‘Since’ as the keyword means that a perfect tense would fit well here.
26. buy everything except. Note how changing ‘forgot’ to ‘remembered’ alters the sentence – a positive to negative transformation takes place.
27. had arrived on time. Past perfect is used to show how one thing happened after the other. A third conditional sentence here shows the unreal result of an unreal action.
28. not used to wearing. Use gerund after ‘used to’. If you are not used to doing something, it means it is new to you, you are not accustomed to it.
29. accused Jennifer of breaking. Accuse of somebody of something. Naturally, ‘accuse’ only works with negative actions, when you blame somebody for something.
30. (really) looking forward to using. Both variants can be used here. To look forward to something means that you are really excited about it happening in the future.
    

    Part 5

31. C. …the news that he was in hospital shook me all the same. The opposite of A, B and D is mentioned.
32. C. Last sentence of Paragraph Three: … I’d darted into the doorway of a closed shop to avoid coming face to face with him. The opposite of A and D is mentioned. Nothing relating to Answer B is stated.
33. B. ‘He was looking round but his attention was on the call. Suddenly, he brought it to an abrupt end’. ‘It’ refers to the call, or the conversation as the answer puts it.
34. D. Paragraph Six: ‘I’d no idea what my hair looked like or if I’d got a spot on my chin‘. Answers A and C are not mentioned. Answer B shouldn’t be chosen as Ashe is only guessing whether Tyler had noticed her earlier.
35. B. Last but one paragraph: I wondered what he was doing. I pictured the funny brown glasses he’d worn to read with and wondered if he still read books by George Orwell. Answer A is not mentioned. Answer C is wrong – she felt sorry about turning down the invitation, not guilty. The opposite of Answer D is in the text.
36. A. To draw a blank means to get nothing, to get no result. This refers to Beth not calling or sending a message about her being late. Other answer are not relevant to the phrase.
    

    Part 6

37. E. This answers the question posed in the previous sentence.
38. B. An advice is given in the previous sentence, and then more explanation is presented in Sentence B
39. G. A range of occupations is talked about in the paragraph, and Sentence G presents additional examples of such spheres of work.
40. D. The question in the previous sentence asks for qualities of potential candidates and Sentence D gives the answer – what the employer is looking for in people they want to hire for a job involving a lot of travelling.
41. F. Sentence F contrasts the previous sentences about companies that care about their employees and the sentence after the gap that asked their workers to move on a very short notice.
42. C. This paragraph gives tips, including the warning in Sentence C about not wanting to travel for the rest of your life.
    

    Part 7

43. B. I think his greatest gift has been his general unwavering belief in me.
44. D. He made me realise that if you just stick at something, no matter how hard things get, then your time will come.
45. A. ‘Drive it like you stole it and keep it on the black stuff!’ … those were my dad’s jokey words of wisdom.
46. D. He used his catchphrase and explained that if you don’t put sufficient effort in, you’ll never get anything out of whatever it is you’re doing.
47. C. He tried to teach me a lot of things – how much I’ve taken on board is another matter.
48. A. … he never said it was my fault.
49. B. … but my brother and I have done other things, and we’re back with Dad again because we want to be. He left the decision to us.
50. A. I used to drive a Porsche 924 and pretty much every single race something would break, but Dad would just say: ‘Don’t worry about the car, we can always fix it.’
51. C. Dad also taught me valuable skills like how to change the oil in my car, how to play tennis and ski…
52. B. Since I was about fourteen, he’s given me the opportunity to input ideas and have my say about the bands we work with or the equipment we use, which is amazing.

Vocabulary

The vocabulary below is meant to help you with the more difficult words. If the word isn’t on the list then you are either supposed to know it or it is too specific to be worth learning and you don’t have to know it to answer the question. Symbols in brackets mean part of speech(see bottom of the list). Sentences in italics give examples of usage for some more complex words and phrases.

And remember — you are not given a vocabulary list (or a dictionary) at your real exam.

Part 1

Natural habitat — the area and conditions where an animal usually lives. This TV-show gives us a chance to see bears in their natural habitat.
Inlet (n) — a narrow strip of water that goes into the land, for example between islands.
Shoal (n) — a group of fish swimming together. The water was crystal clear and we could see shoals of fish at the sea bottom.
Herring (n) – silver-coloured fish, usually found in large groups. This island is most famous for its herring fishing.

Part 2

Landscape (n) — large area of land and the way it looks. Icelandic countries are known for their rocky landscapes and cliffs.
Depict (v) — to show or present in a form of a picture or a story. In this book the author depicts the hard life of harbour workers.
Sketchpad (n) — sheets of paper joined together used for drawing. Sketchpad is an affordable gift for a kid who is into drawing.

Part 3

Pass down (phr) — to give something to someone who is younger or not as important as you. This knowledge is passed down from one generation to another.
Convince (v) — to make someone change their mind, to persuade someone. Try to convince your boss to give you a raise – you’ve been working for the company for two years now.
Blood vessel (v) — the tubes that carry blood in your body. If a blood vessel comes open, you better use a bandage to avoid intense bleeding.

Part 5

Lad (n) — a boy, a guy or a young man. Those lads look like trouble; don’t spend too much time around them.
Dart (v) — move somewhere quickly and suddenly. I could hear a crash, and a small boy darting out of the room right after.
Peek out (phr v) — to look out of something in a secret way in order not to be seen. I was too scared to peek out and see if they were still there.
Cropped (adj) — cut to be made shorter. His cropped hair didn’t look that good – I liked him better the old way.
Dismay (n) — feeling lost and disappointed. To my dismay, nobody turned up for my birthday party.
Gig (n) — a music concert, especially pop or rock. We didn’t have anything planned, so we went to a rock gig with a couple of her friends.
Fancy (v) — (v) if you fancy something, you’d like or want to have it. I didn’t fancy going to the movies that night, so instead we went to a pub.
Hoot (v) — (here) to use a car’s horn signal. There was a huge traffic jam downtown, drivers hooting impatiently at each other.

Part 6

Cite (v) — quote, bring up as an example. You could cite some well-known scientists to make your argument sound more convincing.
Seasoned (adj) — experienced and knowledgeable. A seasoned adventurer like you shouldn’t be afraid of spending a night in the woods.
Burn out (phr) — if you burn out, you stop liking something because you’ve had too much of it. I’m afraid to burn out on my favourite TV-series so I only watch one episode a week.
Appraisal (n) — examination of something to judge how good or bad it is. They are going to appraise your professional performance tomorrow.
Fondly (adv) — in a way that you like or enjoy. I remember the moments from my childhood fondly.
Prospects (n) — how likely something good is to happen in the future. This company’s financial prospects are pretty good – it will probably triple the money it has by the end of next year.
Outlook (n) — the likely situation in the future. The outlook for the university is not so great, especially after the recent scandal!

Part 7

Light-hearted (adj) — careless, happy and not serious. Nancy’s light-hearted attitude made her very popular at school.
Reassure (v) — to make someone less worried by telling them something comforting. There was nobody around to reassure Stacy when the crisis struck.
Jokey (adj) — not serious, funny. Bill is a jokey fellow, and he likes to be known for that.
Circuit (n) — a closed road that is used for racing. Suzuka is the most famous racing circuit in Japan.
Role model (n) — a person you respect, admire and want to be similar to. Fathers often become role models for their sons.
Impart (v) — to share information with someone, to communicate a message. The words of wisdom that he would sometimes impart were going to affect my whole life.
Unwavering(n) — never stopping or becoming weaker. An unwavering desire to make money is something every businessperson could benefit from.
Unruly (adj) — hard to control, independent, not obeying the rules. Joshua is an unruly employee who never follows company dress code.
Catchphrase (n) — something that is used often by a person and a company and becomes associated with them. ‘Don’t give up, no matter what’ came to be my football coach catchphrase.
Stick at smth — continue doing something hard or difficult. If you won’t stick at it, you will never become a good actor.

Click to download this FCE Reading and Use of English worksheet in PDF