Answer Keys
Part 1
1 D – involving. Taking into account, making them a part of it. ‘Enclosing’ has a more literal meaning of surrounding something or somebody. ‘Combining’ would mean putting them together.
2 B – confirm. To confirm here is to once again prove that something is true. ‘Assure’ is mostly used with people. ‘Justify’ is to prove that something is necessary to do.
3 B – aware. The only adjective that collocates with ‘of’ preposition. Please keep in mind that very often the surrounding context words help you a great deal with choosing the right option.
4 A – compared. This is another case when preposition helps us choose the right option.
5 C – suffered. ‘Caught’ and ‘experienced’ wouldn’t need a preposition. ‘Affected’ is used with ‘by’.
6 D – absent. ‘Outside of’ would have worked here. The other two options do not collocate with ‘from’ at all.
7 B – minor. This is a tough one. It is important to know what collocates well with the word ‘illness’ to make the right call.
8 A – resulting. One more time where ‘in’ dictates the right choice.
Part 2
9 what/something. ‘What/something … is …’. The verb ‘to be’ further in the sentence helps us make the right choice.
10 from. Another collocation here. Interestingly, the same one is used in #5 in the previous part!
11 among/amongst/for. Any of the given options have the meaning of happening in a particular group of people.
12 are. Passive voice is used here. It is important to stick to Present tense as the rest of the sentence uses it.
13 on. To have an effect on something/somebody.
14 be. Another instance of passive voice, make sure to stick to Present tense.
15 long. ‘As long as’ has the meaning ‘if/provided that’. In other words, it introduces a condition that has to be met.
16 which. This is a case of so-called non-restrictive clause. Basically, it is a choice between “which” and “that”.
Part 3
17 destruction. A noun is needed here. The ‘of the’ structure helps us to find the right part of speech.
18 defences/defenses. Both AmE/BrE spelling are accepted in Cambridge exams. The only difficulty here is to understand what part of speech “inland” is and what it means. It is an adjective and here it means ‘further into the land and away from the sea’.
19 creation. Another “of” structure with a noun.
20 substantial. Don’t be tempted to put a noun here because of the indefinite article before the gap – it refers to the noun after the gap.
21 ambitious. Full of ambition, grand and optimistic, this word can sometimes be used ironically.
22 massive. Make sure to keep double S in this word.
23 endangered. “Dangerous” wouldn’t work here because of the context – it wouldn’t make sense to provide safe environment for such animals!
24 unclear. “Although” introduces contrast in the sentence and help us use the negative prefix “un-“.
Part 4
25 invited Karen to her. The key here is to use “her” instead of “the” because the girl says ‘my party’. Using the definite article instead means you get only one of the two points.
26 paid no attention to. Here we can’t use “didn’t” because “paid” is given in the past, so ‘no’ has to be used to express the negative meaning.
27 was not enough/sufficient food for. The only pitfall here is to make sure to remember that “food” is used as a singular noun, not plural. Uncountable nouns in English are grammatically treated as singular.
28 only exercise Jack gets is. Make sure to stick to Present Simple here, just like in the original sentence. The general rule of FCE Part 4 is to make as few changes to the original sentence as possible.
29 gave up teaching to. “To” expresses the idea of purpose. ‘To give up’ means to stop doing something.
30 nearly as/so much noise as. ‘Far less’ requires the usage of a structure equally strong.
Part 5
31 C. In the last sentence of Paragraph 1 Jamie clearly states that the studying fees and the resulting debt is something he wanted to avoid. Other options are not mentioned or even hinted at.
32 A. Last sentence of Paragraph 2. He mentions that one of the benefits of remote learning is being able to stay with his current part-time job position.
33 D. A vocabulary question – peers are people of the same age as you are.
34 B. Last sentence of Paragraph 7 states that networking with people at work makes him “more employable” i.e. makes it easier for him to find a job in the future. An employable person is one that has the skills and experience and is therefore more desirable in the eyes of the employer.
35 D. The basic idea here is that studying from is actually much harder than it seems, so Answer A is out. It is “a substantial commitment … not only financially, but also on your time” – so Answers B and C don’t work. People have to understand why they want the degree and what kind of commitment they are making.
36 B. Other options presented are too narrow, and in some cases say the opposite of the information given by Smith. Young people should know that going to university is not their only option.
Part 6
37 E. Words like ‘subject’ and ‘topic’ help make a connection between these sentences. Later they talk about an object, i.e. something in particular, like a photo in this case.
38 C. The sentence explains why it is important not to be hasty when you get up. Then an advice is given to help you recall what has happened in your dream. “Doing so” from this sentence refers to getting up as soon as you wake up. Understanding the contextual meaning of such connector phrases is key to mastering this part of FCE Reading.
39 G. The idea here is that consciously analysing mistakes and failures puts the conscious mind under a lot of strain and stress. Therefore, it is better to let the unconscious handle it.
40 D. The sentence illustrates how approaching a problem in a different way is often the key to solving it.
41 B. Words ‘them’ and ‘monsters’ help us establish the connection with children from this sentence.
42 F. Both this and the sentence after focus on the aspect of ignoring such nightmares. They say that it is important not to do so.
Part 7
43 D. The previous owner is mentioned, so the bike was not brand-new.
44 C. The word ‘bargain’ is key here. A bargain is something that has or had a very attractive price for the buyer.
45 A. The speakers mentions their incident with the brakes and how they had to readjust them after that particular event.
46 B. A mechanic from the garage was the person who had done the repairs for the speaker.
47 A. “Kit form” is mentioned. This means a collection of components that had to be assembled before the bike could be used.
48 D. The second sentence describes the unfortunate event when somebody stole the speaker’s bicycle.
49 C. “Pedaling up steep slopes” is tough for the speaker. Steep slopes are hills or inclines that go up noticeably.
50 A. In the last two sentences the speaker expresses their regret for not having checked the bike size and how they had to make some adjustments because of this.
51 D. They had to repair a punctured tyre on the way, which naturally required them to get off the bike.
52 B. Cycling and going to the gym are the two physical activities that are compared here.
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
Teenagers really do need more sleep – not a vocabulary entry, but this is worth pointing out. Here we can see the case of using an auxiliary ‘do’ in an affirmative sentence. This is done to make the saying more convincing, to draw reader’s attention or to reinforce the point made.
Suspect (v) – to have a feeling about something bad without having proof or evidence.
Lack (n) – not having enough of something, have something in deficit.
Sleeping pattern – sleeping schedule that a person is used to or sticks to.
Part 2
Survey (n) – an act of asking people about their opinion on a particular topic for statistical purposes.
Sensation (n) – synonymous to feeling, but in a more physical sense. She had a tingling sensation in her forearm.
Remarkable (adj) – worth noticing, interesting, unusual.
Welcome (adj) – something needed, encouraged, happily accepted. Tim was a welcome addition to the marketing team.
Distract (v) – to break or take somebody’s attention away. You shouldn’t distract your deskmate at school – unlike yourself, they seem to be interested in this topic!
Part 3
Inland (adv) – located away from the sea or any other body of water.
Wetlands (n) – type of land with lots of marshes and swamps. My grandfather spent his childhood in the wetlands so he knows his way around any bog or swamp.
High tide – a periodic change in the water level when it gets to its highest point, governed by moon cycles.
Wildlife (n) – a collective word that means animals and plants.
Species (n) – various biological types of animals. This region has over twenty species of wildcats coexisting.
Bound to (v) – if something is bound to happen, it very likely will. Their team is bound to lose – their key players are out of shape or injured.
Part 5
Read (v) – (here) to attend a course, to study something academically at college or university.
Opt for (phr v) – to make a choice from several options or possibilities. Of all the resorts suggested by the travel agent’s they opted for the most luxurious and expensive.
Validate (v) – to support legally, to see or to make something valid. This course is validated by one of the most prestigious universities in the country.
Undertake (v) – to start doing something, usually something that takes time and effort. He chose to undertake this project after learning about it in more detail.
Consideration (n) – careful thinking and analysing.
Burdened (adj) – made physically or mentally uncomfortable because of the amount of work, duty or responsibility. Higher-up officials are often burdened by too many key decisions they have to make every day.
Appealing (adj) – interesting or attractive. They made him an appealing offer of vice presidency in the newly established company.
Miss out on (phr v) – not to take part or be a part of something, especially if it was desirable. Make sure not to miss out on the latest offers from our shop!
Guidance (n) – professional and informed advice on something.
Part 6
Draw on (phr v) – to use something as a source. Students are encouraged to draw on their experience when writing an essay or answering a factual question.
Convinced (adj) – to be sure, to be certain about something.
Unconscious (adj) – (here) if something is unconscious you have no direct control over it or you might not even be aware of it. The unconscious part of our mind is still largely unresearched and remains a mystery.
Sweat (v) – when you sweat you become wet because of physical activity or stress. One problem about cycling to work is that you sweat a lot.
Frightening (adj) – scary, causing fear.
Anxiety (n) – slight nervousness that may or may not have a reason.
Part 7
Set off (phr v) – to begin a journey, usually a long or difficult one.
On offer – if something is on offer it is sold at a discount for a limited period of time.
Bargain (n) – an item or a service sold an attractive price for the buyer. The car I got was a real bargain – full service history, great condition and a reasonable price.
Steep slope – a road, hill or mountain that is at such a big angle that it is difficult to travel up or down.
Mend (v) – to fix something minor, to repair a part of something rather than the whole thing.
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