Answer Keys

Part 1

1 B – point. If you talk about the point of something, you mean the purpose of the action or activity, why you are doing it to begin with. ‘Aim’ is about what you want to achieve – similar to purpose, but more specific. Compare: ‘our aim is to get across the country on bicycles’ and ‘The point of going by bikes is to see whether we are physically fit’. ‘Worth’ and ‘profit’ do not fit this context.
2 C – reputation. To be well-known for something. ‘Favour’ and ‘approval’ would normally need an object, e.g. ‘to win somebody’s favour’, ‘to have somebody’s approval to do something’.
3 A – bothered. If you are not bothered by something, then you do not see it as a problem. This phrase has more figurative meaning in comparison with ‘disturbed’ or ‘offended’ – both of these mean literal discomfort. ‘Interrupted’ does not make much sense in this context.
4 D – sense Yet another tricky collocation – ‘a sense of adventure’. As a foreign speaker, you might struggle with collocations because more often than not, they are formed culturally over the years and some of them might not sound very natural to you at first.
5 C – involve. We are limited by the preposition following the gap. Compare: ‘To consist OF something’ and ‘To involve something’. ‘Possess’ has the same meaning as ‘have’ (‘have’ would have worked here by the way), but it is usually not used with inanimate objects. ‘Concern’ means ‘to be about something’, but it does not collocate well with the list of words after the gap.
6 B – stick. All the words here convey the same idea, but only ‘stick’ works well in the more figurative meaning that is used here.
7 D – meet. ‘Meet’ is the only one that collocates well with ‘needs’. This is a less obvious one. When preparing, it is always a good idea to use a collocations dictionary to check yourself. I highly recommend freecollocation.com.
8 A – experience. Note the indefninite article used before the phrase. ‘An experience’ is a memorable event that you learn from. It can be both a pleasant and an unpleasant one.

Part 2

9 which. A pronoun that helps connect the ideas here. ‘On that’ is not used in a situation like this.
10 with. ‘Associated with’ means ‘connected with’ here.
11 While/whereas. In a sentence where ‘while’ is used for contrast, ‘whereas’ can be used to the same effect.
12 what. Remember that ‘what’ will not always mean a question and the associated change in word order that comes with it (verb before the subject).
13 any. ‘At any age’, but ‘at all ages’. Since ‘age’ is singular here, we go with the first option.
14 Take. The trickies gap here, it expects you to know the phrasal verb ‘to take on something’, which means ‘to accept some responsibility or duty’. To take on a new challenge means to face or accept it.
15 Such ‘Such as’ is the only way in this context to introduce a list. We never say ‘like as’, we can only use ‘like’.
16 Be. An easy case of passive voice that should not pose any problems to a B2-C1 student.

Part 3

17 fashionable. An adjective with the meaning ‘popular, trendy, in demand’.
18 pleasures. Note the plural form – it absolutely has to be used here because of ‘one of the’ structures, which suggests plurality.
19 admission/admittance. Admission (or admittance) charge is the payment you need to make in order to be allowed to go inside something like a night club or any other paid place or event.
20 beneficial. Answer ‘benefitting’ is wrong as it would imply that effects themselves benefit from something.
21 energetic/energized/energised. Even though ‘energetic’ and ‘energised’ have different meanings, both can be used here. ‘Energetic’ means having energy as a part of character; this could mean that coffee would have a long-term effect on the way a person is. ‘Energised’ simply means higher than usual levels of energy.
22 increasingly. The point of the sentence is that coffee shops were more and more seen as a place of meeting, not just somewhere to have a cup of coffee.
23 impolite. The negative meaning of the adjective is clearly suggested by context: ‘… you could be thrown out of a shop’.
24 consumption A noun is needed here. Note that -ing forms of nouns, also called gerunds (‘consuming’), are not optimal in FCE Use of English Part 3 and should not be used if there is a better alternative.

Part 4

25 a reason for the delay. ‘A delay to something’ is less common than ‘a delay for something’, but can still be used. Note the indefinite article used with ‘reason’.
26 is not as exciting as. ‘As … as …’ structure is used to make a comparison here.
27 there is no point visiting. A tricky sentence that needs two words to be ommmited (in brackets) in order to fit the required limit of five words: Maria says (that) there is no point (in) visiting the museum.
28 is looking forward to. A thing to note here is that ‘everyone’ is gramatically singular, therefore we use ‘is’ and not ‘are’.
29 able to pick up ‘To pick something up’ in relation to a skill is to learn some of it.
30 reminds me. Only two words used here, fitting the minimal possible tranformation. This is a rare, but possible situation.

Part 5

31 B. The key part here is in the middle of paragraph 1: “.. [it is] just as much about what we’ll choose to hang on to from today’s”. Answer A is not good – Architects and architecture are a minor point here. Answers C and D are not mentioned.
32 C. “Today’s” refers to today’s homes mentioned in the previous sentence.
33 B. The answer is in the last sentence of paragraph 2. Answer A does not get mentioned. Answer C is incorrect – no mentioning of super-rich people is made except for the last paragraph, where the opposite is mentioned. Answer D is wrong as the expert is mentioned to use the show and the family to run an experiment – therefore, no experimenting is done before the technology is given to this family.
34 B. To stick is an informal verb that means to remain, to stay.
35 A. The last sentence shows how they were becoming increasingly accepting of the innovations around their house. Answer B is not mentioned. Answer C is wrong as it would imply that children found it easier to adjust to the changes, however nothing is said about them. Answer D shouldn’t be chosen as the only example of ‘surprise’ is Janine’s, which is said to be understandable rather than surprising.
36 D. Last sentence has her mentioning a cup of tea and a soap opera as better ways to make her feel relax. She doesn’t suggest combining them (Answer B), says neither good nor bad things about it (Answers A and C respectively).

Part 6

37 E. An uncontested sentence here, it works great to introduce the new paragraph.
38 A. The author soon found out that the process of transporting the dog to his home country was more complicated than he had expected. The arrangements mentioned in the second part of sentence A are later referred to – starting a crowd-funding campaign.
39 D. Gobi had to stay in Beijing for three months before she could leave the country.
40 G. The second part of the paragraph focuses on Leonard’s interaction with people who were not indifferent to the situation. Right after the gap, the next paragrpah starts with ‘Leonard didn’t give in’. To give in here means to accept one’s defeat.
41 B. We need this sentence as it connects well with the beginning of the last paragraph: “When he walked into the room…”.
42 C. Another easy-to-pick sentence, the scene of two friends reunited belongs really well to the closing paragraph of the story.
NOT USED: Sentence F.

Part 7

43 C. In the very beginning of the paragraph, Franz admits that the idea of having everybody’s attention is ‘appealing’ to him – in other words, he likes it.
44 E. Johann mentions how celebrities seem to think that they themselves are ‘the only thing of importance’. Don’t be fooled into choosing C as the answer because of the word ‘focus’ in it.
45 A. The paragraph starts with the beliefs the speaker thinks are false.
46 C. First of all, ‘critical’ here means that the person disapproves (doesn’t like) the situation. The middle of the sentence mentions how celebrities are treat like they are ‘not human’, constantly disturbed by their fans as well as the press.
47 E. In second part of the first sentence, Johann says that he is not interested in the latest gossip from the glamorous world of celebrities.
48 B. Leo makes a valid points in the second part of the paragraph, saying that people might pretend to like them because they are celebrities rather than for their personal qualities. As a result, celebrities often socialise with other famous people.
49 D. Mahomet gives examples of how being famous for having contributed to society is a good thing, listing various achievements that could bring you fame.
50 E. Johann gives examples of how celebrities can get back and recover emotionally from various failures in their lives.
51 A. Stefan lists some outrageous examples, like eating bugs or living in a reality show, to make a point.
52 B.Traumatic experience in ‘early lives’ leads many of them to become famous, according to the first part of Leo’s paragraph. Be careful not to give C as the answer – even though ‘young age’ is there, it has no direct connection to the task.

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 at this level or it is too specific to be worth learning for the exam. 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

Unfamiliar (adj) – new, unknown to you.
Rigid (adj) – used figuratively here, it means without flexibility, unable to change or adapt.
Arrangements (n) – preparations for something, in this context it might include housing, food, guided tours and so on. All the arrangements were made to ensure we had a pleasant stay in the country.
Absorbing (adj) – (here) addictive, taking your attention, interesting.

Part 2

Cultivate (v) – (here) to grow in large quantities. My family has been cultivating many different crops for generations.
Worthwhile (adj) – worthy, important, something that deserves spending time on. My father doesn’t believe that art is a worthwhile career path.

Part 3, 4

Claim (v) – to state that something is true, especially if others might not believe you.
Supposedly (adv) – something that might not be necessarily true, especially if there is no clear evidence, but is said to be so. Supposedly, Mark has split with Sarah and is dating Angela now!
Sightseeing (n) – the act of looking at points of interest somewhere, especially if you are new to the place. I never get tired of going sightseeing in London, this city has so much to offer!

Part 5

Domestic (adj) – relating to home. Domestic violence is a serious issue than gets overlooked in some countries.
Hang on to (phr) – to keep something or continue doing something. You might want to hang on to that receipt if you want to get a refund for that thing you just’ve bought.
Future-proof (adj) – something that will not become obsolete (useless) in the future.
Dare (v) – to do something that can be risky and requires courage. Few climbers dared to go on top of that mountain as it was famous for its steep inclines.
CCTV cameras – CCTV stands for Closed-Circuit Television. These are the cameras that are used by both private individuals and companies to see and record what is happening on the premises of their homes, office spaces or buildings. This is usually done for security purposes.
Burst into tears – to suddenly start crying loud and hard.
Get locked out – if you get locked out of something or somewhere, you can no longer get in (or out) of it because you have lost the keys, something broke down, or for any other similar reason.

Part 6

Harsh (adj) – (here) rough and unwelcoming. Harsh climate of the region means that very few tourists choose it as their holiday destination
Set pace – to dictate how fast (or slow) something happens. Can be used both literally and figuratively. As a computer company, Apple sets the pace for the entire industry of portable devices.
Dash (v) – to run somewhere quickly and with great effort for a short period of time. Similar to sprint.
Bark (v) – the usual noise the dogs make with their mouth; to woof.
Arrangements (n) – preparations.

Part 7

Admit (v) – to accept that somtheting is true, especially if you don’t want to.
Outline (v) – to provide a rough explanation or description of something. Emma outlines her business idea and it sounded pretty impressive
Cruel (adj) – unkind, to the point of willing to hurt somebody. You would be surprised at how cruel can children be.
Key figure (n) – an important person in one’s life, usually one of the relatives.
Appealing (adj) – interesting or attractive. While the idea of working abroad sounds appealing and even romantic, things can get very difficult if this is your first time leaving your home country.
Exaggerate (v) – to make something seem more than it really is. Ben loves exaggerating whenever he talks about his experiences at work – probably because nothing exciting has really happened to him and he wants to make his stories sound more interesting.
Fed up (phr v) – if you are fed up with something, you are extremely tired of it. I’m fed up with your constant excuses for being late at work. I am going to fire you next time you don’t turn up on time.
Admiration (n) – feeling of respect and approval towards somebody or something.
Common ground – if there is common ground between two people, it means that they have something similar and it brings them closer together or makes understanding each other easier.
Merely (adv) – just, only. The joke was merely an attempt to make everybody laugh, it wasn’t meant to make you feel bad about yourself
Obsessed (adj) – to be obsessed with something is to see it as the most important thing, to think about it a lot.
Headlines (n) – the headlines here are names of various articles in newspapers and magazines.
Click to download this FCE Reading and Use of English worksheet in PDF