Answer Keys
Part 1
Part 1
1. C – access. The only acceptable collocation here is ‘mobile access’.
2. A – come. ‘To come up’ is a phrasal verb that means to invent, to think of something useful.
3. D – carried. ‘To carry around’ means to have something on you, ready to be used.
4. A – based. If something (e.g. an idea) is based on something, it relies on it heavily in order to work.
5. B – Instead of. A replacement to the ‘usual hardware’ is suggested.
6. D – connect. ‘Sign’ and ‘log’ require ‘in’ following it. ‘Download’ doesn’t make sense in this context.
7. B – take. Take a photograph, take a picture are the common collocations.
8. A – works. ‘To work out’ is another phrasal verb with the meaning ‘to understand, to realise’.
Part 2
9. put. ‘To put thought into something’ is to give something consideration, to think about something.
10. but. The conjunction contrasts these two parts of the sentence.
11. more. ‘What is more’ is used to introduce additional information to something that has already been mentioned.
12. to. A guide to something.
13. although/though/while. Any of the three conjunctions can be used with the meaning remaining unchanged.
14. which. The determiner here is used to add extra information to the previous clause.
15. as. ‘Known as’ has the meaning of ‘called, referred to’.
16. take. ‘To take something seriously’ is to approach something with due consideration, to see something as important.
Part 3
17. incredible. Adjective to negative adjective transformation using a prefix.
18. description. Verb to noun transformation.
19. impression. Make sure to spell the noun correctly.
20. surrounding. Verb to adjective transformation.
21. farther/further. Both comparative adjectives are acceptable. Be attentive to spelling.
22. difficulty. Do not pluralise the noun.
23. beginners. This noun should be pluralised, as suggested by pronoun ‘they’ further in the sentence.
24. dangerous. Noun to adjective transformation.
Part 4
25. is unlikely to do. ‘Unlikely’ makes the rest of the sentence negative.
26. has (great) trouble getting. ‘Great’ can be omitted.
27. is such a good swimmer. Don’t forget to include the indefinite article ‘a’.
28. should be met by. Active to passive voice transformation.
29. put up with. ‘To put up with’ is to endure something, to accept something unpleasant.
30. wish I had been. Past perfect passive is used here to show two events happening.
Part 5
31. B. Third paragraph: ‘These came from the local shop. Oh it’s all right, I’ve shaken out all the dirt,’ she said as Lyn tipped up the nearest one, checking that it was empty. Answers C and D are not mentioned. Answer A is wrong as it is her mother who is going to pack the clothes.
32. A. The text starts with Lyn’s mother asking her to sort and pack her belongings. After the exchange of phrases, she agrees to do it – filling the boxes, that is.
33. D. ‘You mean Friday’s my last day at school?’ … ‘You could’ve told me,’ she said. The rest of the answers are not mentioned.
34. C. Third paragraph from the bottom: Mandy Wilson’s mother – picking things over – telling Mandy what they’d found — Mandy at school announcing importantly, ‘My mother says they’ve got cheap plates and half of them are cracked and none of their towels match.’ The image was intolerable.
35. A. Second paragraph from the bottom: Nothing’s ever straightforward with you, is it?’ she said. ‘It’s been agreed for a long time and it’s extremely kind of her to help.’, last sentence: … but there’s not room for anyone else – and she offered first.
This also addresses Answer B as being wrong.. The opposite of C is stated: … don’t doubt you’d do your best …; Answer D is not mentioned.
36. B. Last paragraph, in the middle: But what really struck Lyn most were the rectangles of lighter-coloured paint on the wall where pictures had once hung. It was as if they had been atomised by a ray gun. ‘What really struck’ is the key to choosing the correct answer here. ‘Somebody had done a thorough job.’ could relate to answer D, but it is only a minor point.
Part 6
37. D. Certain destinations are mentioned where celebrities are most likely to come from.
38. C. ‘One of them’ refers to the ground and security staff representatives who can give a tip on a celebrity planned to arrive.
39. A. Last sentence of Paragraph Three: I guess that’s because they can see the value of it. ‘It’ refers to the attention they receive, mentioned in Sentence A.
40. F. ‘Duck and dive’ of Sentence F is the leap mentioned in the sentence following the gap.
41. G. The topic of this paragraph is how unpredictable celebrities’ reaction can be, illustrated by Naomi Campbell.
42. B. ‘Them’ refers to the two babies carried by the Duchess of York.
Part 7
43. C. I’ve got two helmets, a summer and a winter version but I still get too hot on really sunny days. Still, you can’t really do without one, can you?
44. A. I’d say to anyone thinking of getting a bike, make sure the saddle’s right before you part with your money. If you’re going to use it a lot, you don’t want to get sore.
45. D. He reckoned it had once belonged to a professional cycling champion, but I think he was making it up.
46. C. It’s a red and black cruiser with a burger-shaped bell — some of my friends think that’s a bit uncool, but I don’t really go along with that idea.
47. B. I use it every day and tend to wear everyday clothes and try and dodge the showers.
48. B. I cycle all over the city because it’s much quicker than walking and you don’t get snarled up in the traffic, which can be a pain in a motor vehicle.
49. C. I cycle down to college in no time at all, but the uphill trek home takes me around thirty-five minutes.
50. A. I’ve always thought that the bike was a good reflection of the real me actually…
51. D. It did get stolen on one occasion, but then later that week I saw someone riding it up my street. I grabbed him and gave him his taxi fare home so that I could take it back.
52. B. I worked briefly as a cycle courier — delivering letters and stuff. It was fun, but I wouldn’t recommend making a career out of it!
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
Gesture (n) — a movement that you make with your hands or head to express some idea or information. He likes using gestures a lot, although I don’t understand what he really means by them.
Hardware (n) — (here) any piece of (electronic) equipment, a gadget. His computer is loaded with the latest, most expensive hardware.
Interpret (v) — to explain or to give your own understanding of something. His gestures can be hard to interpret sometimes.
Part 2
Ensure (v) —to make sure or certain. Before you leave, please ensure that all the doors are locked.
Enhance (v) — Improve, make larger in size or quantity. To enhance your experience of the tour, the company provides your with a free booklet.
Crucial (adj) — very important or necessary. Lectures are a crucial part of studying at university and missing them is frowned upon.
Part 3
Thunder (v) — to make a very loud noise as the one made by the skies when there’s a storm. A yellow racecar thundered past us, smelling of petrol.
Rapids (n) — a fast-flowing part of the river, sometimes narrow. Kate is really into dangerous stuff – taking a boat down rapids is something she does on a regular basis.
Relative (adj) — measured when compared to something else. So many things in the world are relative – you are not very rich by this country’s standards, but you would be considered a wealthy man somewhere in Africa.
Stray (v) — lose one’s way or move away from the original route. If it is your first time in the woods, it is better to stick to the path and not stray from it.
Part 5
Assorted (adj) — mixed, different. The bowl was filled with assorted sweets – big and small and of all colours.
Match (v) — to have the same style, shape or colour. Fashion enthusiasts believe that your sunglasses should match your shoes in colour.
Harassed (adj) — tired or annoyed because you have a lot to do. With three more subjects to revise for the exam, he already had harassed expression on his face.
Wrap up — to fully cover with a protective wrap so it doesn’t get damaged. Before moving into a new flat, it is a good idea to wrap up your furniture to prevent scratches.
Atomised (adj) — turned into atoms (the smallest possible parts in the universe), destroyed.
Object (v) — to be openly against something. I didn’t object to your idea of moving abroad.
Part 6
Commission (v) — to pay someone to do some work. The difference from ‘hire’ is that commissioning is a one-time arrangement. I commissioned an illustrator to make some pictures for my book.
Established (adj) — approved, successful and respected, existing for a long time. It took Salvador Dali a while to become an established artist.
Take to (phr) — start doing or get used to something. He didn’t take to smoking until he turned 16.
Whilst (conj) — similar to ‘while’, but more formal and old-fashioned. Whilst you were away, we have done all the work.
Pillar (n) — a column that is used to support the structure of a building. The architecture of Ancient Greece is famous for its extensive use of pillars.
Sophisticated (adj) — (about equipment) technologically developed, complex. I have to use a number of sophisticated gadgets to achieve good results.
Label (v) — put a sticky piece of paper on something with a description of what it is or who it belongs to. Please label those boxes so that we would know what is inside them.
Part 7
Frustrating (adj) — annoying or irritating because you can do nothing about it. It is frustrating how young people nowadays are not grateful for what they have.
Victim (n) — a person who is hurt, killed or has otherwise suffered from actions or other people, illness or an accident. She has been robbery victim twice in her life.
Flashy (adj) — bright, attracting attention, often in a vulgar way. She wore a yellow cocktail dress which I thought to be too flashy for that kind of party.
Turn up (phr v) — show up, come or appear. Only a handful of people turned up for the opening ceremony.
Sore (adj) — feeling pain; hurt. My throat is sore, I think I’m going to get ill again!
Snarled up — stuck, not able to make any progress. I hate it when my studying gets snarled up by telephone calls.
Fluorescent (adj) — if something is fluorescent, it reflects light that is directed at it, as if it shines. Her place is pretty cool with lots of fluorescent paint on the walls that makes everything look surreal.
Overdressed (adj) — wearing clothes that are too formal or expensive for the occasion. I came to the party wearing a tuxedo, and I was clearly overdressed as everybody else was wearing just jeans and t-shirts.