Answer Keys
Part 1
1 D – examples. ‘Illustrations’ of art would mean visual copies of it, e.g. a photo of that art. ‘Models’ and ‘cases’ do not collocate with ‘art’.
2 A – deep. ‘Deep inside’ is the only appropriate collocation – the other three words do not make any working word
combinations. ‘Thick inside’ is unnatural, ‘log inside’ is illogical and ‘dense inside’ works for context like crowds or
forests.
3 D – such as. This expression is the only one that shows examples or introduces a list. ‘By means of’ means ‘by or using something’. ‘Apart from’ introduces an exception, e.g.: ‘Everybody apart from Tom attended the conference’. ‘As well as’ adds something to the list, e.g.: ‘The shops sold soft drinks, as well as cigarettes and frozen pizzas’.
4 A – rival. ‘Compare’ and ‘compete’ require ‘with’ in this context (e.g. ‘compete with something’). Moreover, ‘rival’
means to be as good as something or someone else, and to compete with is to try to win. ‘Oppose’ means to be against
something (negative meaning).
5 B – reach. This is the only word with the meaning ‘to arrive at a place or destination’.
6 C – details. ‘Details’ is the only word that collocates with the verb ‘to miss’. ‘Details’ are usually minor and easy to
miss, while ‘matters’ are more significant. ‘Issues’ means ‘problems or difficulties’. ‘Miss matters’ and ‘miss issues’ are
possible in other contexts but don’t fit here because the reference is to overlooked features of the cave walls.
7 B – regarded. The only option that can be followed by ‘as’. ‘Believed’ and ‘thought’ are normally followed by ‘to be’: ‘She is believed to be the best specialist in the field’.
8 D – causing. ‘Resulting’ would need ‘in’ to work. ‘Having’ doesn’t fit grammatically here. Finally, ‘making’ is fine
grammatically, but it is more forceful, implying direct pressure that is put on people. ‘Causing’ is more neutral and fitting the general academic style of the paragraph.
Part 2
9 where. A relative pronoun is needed here. Seals can often be found resting on (or near) sandbanks.
10 to. ‘Close’ is normally used with ‘to’ if we talk about physical distance, e.g. if we are so close that we can touch them. ‘Close with’ would mean connection such as friendship, which is not mentioned in this context.
11 with. ‘Equipped with’ is used when talking about articles of clothing or necessary things, in this case – a mask, a snorkel and so on.
12 out. ‘To work out’ is a synonym of ‘to find out’ – to learn the meaning or the reason of something, to discover or understand something.
13 what. A conjunction connecting two clauses. A clause is normally a subject and a verb in case you forgot! 🙂
14 Although/Though/While. A linking word used to contrast two parts of the following sentence. Remember that in your answer sheet all of the letters have to be capital, the capitalisation here is to indicate that it’s the first word of the sentence.
15 get. ‘To get used to’ means ‘to become comfortable with something new’.
16 make/have. Both words collocate with ‘contact’.
Part 3
17 satisfaction. Verb to noun transformation.
18 successful. Mind the spelling! Double ‘c’, double ‘s’, one ‘l’.
19 discover. The correct transformation to a verb that means ‘to find out, to realise’.
20 solution. Verb to noun transformation. It might not be evident that ‘solve’ and ‘solution’ are morphologically related because of all the changes you have to make during transformation.
21 improvement. Verb becomes a noun. Pay attention to the spelling.
22 scientists. Make sure to pluralise the noun, as suggested by ‘some’ at the beginning of the sentence and the following ‘argue’. Another difficult word to spell.
23 performance. Verb to noun transformation.
24 uncertain. A prefix is used to make the adjective negative – as suggested by the contrasting ‘although’ at the beginning of the sentence.
Part 4
25 speak English as well as. A comparison ‘as well as’ is hinted at by ‘as’ in the task.
26 are not supposed to cycle. Passive form of the verb is required.
27 apologised for not letting. Reporting verb with gerund is used.
28 were not able to go/get. Remember that you can’t change the given word, so ‘were unable to go/get’ can’t be used, even though it is grammatically and contextually correct.
29 came as a disappointment. ‘Come as a disappointment’ is a fixed expression. ‘Came’ matches the past tense of ‘was dissapointed’, while ‘come as’ as a structure effectively expresses the speaker’s emotional reaction. Be attentive to spell ‘disappointment’ correctly.
30 to pay so much. A comparative expression with ‘so’.
Part 5
31 C. Last sentence of the paragraph: Chloe is known for her slightly quirky sense of fashion. The opposite of A and B is said in the text. Answer D is not mentioned.
32 A. Second sentence of Paragraph Two: …the smell of fresh baking greets us. Answer B is not mentioned. The opposite of Answers C and D is stated in the text.
33 D. Last two sentences of Paragraph Three: … it was too much to take in at nineteen. If I’d stayed longer, I might have settled in better. Answers A and C are not mentioned. Answer B is incorrect as she only felt homesick at first, not ‘most of the time’ as stated in the answer.
34 B. Second sentence: ‘I’d been the typical kid, singing with a hairbrush in front of the mirror, dreaming of being a star one day,’. The opposite of other answers is stated in the text. Answer A: ‘Alongside the modelling, Chloe was also beginning to make contacts in the music business.’ – she didn’t give up modelling, she was doing both modelling and singing. Answer C: ‘She joined a girl band which “broke up before we got anywhere” ‘ – this band wasn’t successful. Then: ‘… becoming the lead singer with the band Whoosh, which features on a best-selling clubbing album ‘ – nothing is said about her leaving Whoosh, the successful band. Answer D: ‘… each of these has a distinct style.’ It clearly says that each band’s style is unique.
35 C. Paragraph Six: I fell as I climbed up the ladder and cracked three ribs.
36 B.‘… but we had so many compliments, I decided to go ahead with more’. Answer A focuses on a minor point. Answer C is not mentioned. The opposite of Answer D is said in the text.
Part 6
37 G. ‘What this meant’ refers to becoming a part of the intensive training programme.
38 B. The ‘target’ is getting to the flyweight boxing. The changes to her lifestyle are described in the next sentence: ‘I don’t go out to party anymore. Thankfully, I’m married to my boxing coach, so at least I’ve got some sort of social life!’
39 C. ‘Space-age training kit’ mentioned in sentence C is the special sports clothing from the previous sentence.
40 F. The girl’s sport means that you are unlikely to get hurt. It is implied that women are less likely to participate in sports that involve physical pain or potential injury. Moreover, Lucy points out how women’s boxing is more about skill and strategy rather that poor aggression.
41 E. ‘Those events’ from sentence E are judo and taekwondo.
42 D. ‘That mistake’ refers to thinking that female boxing is about ‘aggression and hurting your opponents’.
Part 7
43 C. … meal times are something I’ve never really got to grips with in all the years I’ve travelled alone. Having meals is the daily activity in question that one cannot enjoy as much without others. You might be tempted to choose A, but it’s incorrect – Phil mentions loneliness, but not a specific daily activity.
44 A. You can take the Oz Experience bus down the west coast, jumping off whenever you want, then catching the next bus when you’re ready to move on again. These examples showcase how flexible one’s journey can be. Be careful not to choose C – Danny mentions freedom in general, but not a concrete method of staying flexible.
45 B. The advantages of a pre-planned tour are that you can get an agency to take care of all the arrangements, which can be time-consuming to do yourself. Not having to deal with day-to-day planning allows Leile to better enjoy the travelling experience.
46 D. But I learnt to accept that some people have different attitudes to mine. Pretty self-explanatory here.
47 A. To cheer myself up, I’d sit down and write a fortnightly email home about everything I’d been up to. Keeping in touch with his friends or family helped kept Phil from feeling too lonely. Answer D is not good enough – Kerry only mentions missing home, but nothing about getting in touch of them is in the paragraph.
48 A. I remember sitting in the plane thinking to myself: ‘What have I let myself in for?’ Phil wasn’t sure whether he was really willing to go on that trip.
49 C. There’s also the wonderful freedom to do what you like, when you like, without having to convince anybody that it’s a good idea. Danny is happy with the fact that he didn’t have other people to agree where to go. The word ‘itinerary’ is key here, not knowing it could prove a bottleneck in this question. Note how Phil in answer A only mentions flexibility – no other people get mentioned.
50 B. …if someone’s chosen to do the same type of trip as you, you’ve probably got lots of ideas in common. Leila believes that you are likely to have similar interests with people you meet on your trips.
51 D. … the pressure that you’re under to make your own mind up about everything. Unlike Danny, Kerry would actually welcome some second opinions when it comes making deciding on where to go or what to do on your trip.
52 C. Another thing is stay in the nicest places your budget permits. Miserable hostels can really spoil a trip. Danny is a firm believer that you shouldn’t be cutting costs when it comes to a place to spend the night at.
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
Date back (phr) — to exist at some time in the past. Russians’ love for potatoes dates back to Peter the Great’s reign.
Inaccessible (adj) — impossible to reach or get to. I’m afraid the destination you’re interested in is inaccessible – no trains or cars go there this time of the year.
Insignificant (adj) — not large or important enough to be noticeable. Do not worry about insignificant details, concentrate on the main picture.
Humankind (n) – all humans as a group. Space exploration is thought to be one of humankind’s greatest achievements.
Part 2
Wetsuit (n) — a suit made of rubber, that is used for diving or surfing. Its main purpose is to keep you warm. Buying a good wetsuit is important if you’re serious about surfing.
Snorkel (n) — A breathing tube used for swimming face down in water, often worn with a mask.
Inquisitive (adj) — Curious, asking many questions, willing to learn more. Maria is a young, inquisitive student who is always eager to learn more about the subject.
Pup (n) — a baby of an animal. We went to the Zoo yesterday and saw some cute seal pups there!
Part 3
Workout (n) — a set of physical exercises. My daily workout consists of 20 pull-ups.
Handheld (adj) — Small and portable; designed to be held in the hand. Nintendo 3DS is the most popular handheld gaming console.
Boost (v) — to improve, to make higher or better. A good way to boost company income is to attract new clients.
Part 5
Venture (n) — an activity that is not guaranteed to be successful; a risky attempt. I’m now looking for investors to support my new business venture.
Flowerbed (n) — a small area on the ground that is used to grow flowers
Quirky (adj) — strange, attractive and interesting. This new car has a really quirky design.
Den (n) — a place where wild animals make their home. After looking for two hours straight, we finally found the wolf den.
Homesick (adj) — feeling sad or lonely because you are away from home. If you ever feel homesick, just look at your friends’ pictures, it ought to cheer you up.
Bargain (v) — if you bargain for something, you ask for it, you expect it, or you are prepared for it. Spending two years in a foreign country wasn’t what I really bargained for.
Rib (n) — Ribs are bones in your chest that protect your lungs. Mike fell from a ladder yesterday and broke two ribs.
One-off (n) — if something is a one-off, only one of this exists. This BMW supercar is a one-off model – they won’t be making another one.
Part 6
Take up (phr v) — if you take up something, you start doing it regularly. I hadn’t taken up jogging until I turned 33 years old.
Conditioning (n) — Physical training designed to improve strength and fitness. In the army, young people have to go through difficult conditioning exercising.
Shed (v) — to get rid of something you don’t want or need. My gym instructor came up with a training plan to help
me shed weight.
Whilst (conj) — during the time, at the same time. Similar to ‘while’, but used mostly in British English. Whilst you were sleeping, I ordered some pizza.
Gumshield (n) — A piece of plastic shaped after your gums that is used in fighting to protect your teeth. Tyson hit the opponent so hard that the gumshield flew out of his mouth.
Stringent (adj) — very severe and limiting. Financial regulations in this country are quite stringent.
Stamina (n) — physical and mental strength that allows you to do something for a long time. If you want to test your stamina, come trekking with us next Saturday!
Part 7
Flexible (adj) — easily changed or adjusted for current needs. Introducing a flexible timetable is what every school should consider.
Itinerary (n) — a planned route of your journey. I want to include some additional places to our planned itinerary.
Get on (phr. v) — if you get on with someone, you get along well, you are friendly to each other. I’m sorry that you didn’t get on with Susan.
Go with the flow (phr) — to do something others do; to let a situation guide you, to improvise. At first I had a carefully planned itinerary for our trip, but then I decided not to use it and just go with the flow.
Fortnightly (adv) — every two weeks. A fortnight is a period of two weeks. While you’re away, please send me letters fortnightly.
Remote (adj) — situated far away from everything, distant. He has always wanted to live a quiet life in a remote part of the world.
Substitute (n) — replacement or alternative. There is no substitute for sports – it is important to exercise if you want to live a healthy, fulfilling life.
Get to grips with (phr) — to begin to understand or deal with something that is difficult. Once you get to grips with mathematics, programming becomes much easier.
Liberating (adj) — making you feel free from restrictions. Moving out of your parents house can feel extremely liberating.
Miserable (adj) — unhappy or causing unhappiness. Walking in the rain when it’s cold can be really miserable.
Enhance (v) — to improve the quality or strength of something. To greatly enhance your quality of life, I suggest giving up smoking.
Click to download this FCE Reading and Use of English worksheet in PDF
