FCE Use of English Part 4, Test 20

Answers and explanations

1. My time is devoted to. The key thing here is to include “my” in the changed sentence. Even though it is absent from the original one, here it is essential to show whose time we are referring to. Without it, the sentence falls apart grammatically and in terms of its meaning.
2. Must be delivered to. We do a simple reorganisation of words here, with an addition of a passive voice.
3. Question the reason. A very easy mistake to make here is to answer ‘I have a question why…’. Instead, we are expected to use the word “question” as a verb. This is a common trap you will encounter in your FCE Use of English Part 4 test.
4. Wanted me to help her/Asked (me) to help her. Note that the verb ‘wanted’ requires a so-called direct object (‘me’) as we want to clarify to whom the request was addressed. ‘Asked’ however does not necessarily need an object to work in this context.
5. Is what our city is. Here we have an example of a cleft sentence – a special way to put emphasis on a particular part of the sentence. In this case, we put stress on the fact that the city is well-known for its stadium rather than something else.
6. A slower cyclist than Rick. Good answers that break the word limit are ‘A slower cyclist compared to/with Rick’. Don’t be shy to count the words before you choose the answer.
7. Is no point in changing. When there is no point in doing something, it means that the action in question is not needed. In this case, the meaning is that changing the oil so often is redundant.
8. Not aware (of the fact). Remember that your answer can be as short as two words. Using additional words in this example does not give you any additional points, so both options are equal in terms of scoring.
9. More or less the same. An answer you might want to give can go like, ‘The weather here feels/is more like in my home country’. However, it would be incorrect as it suggests some sort of comparison. There is no other place or country we can compare it with in this context.
10. Is thought to increase. An impersonal structure that does not highlight what person or group of individuals hold this opinion. Instead, it generalises the idea.