Placement test

22.10.2014

Time: 1 hour

Scoring: Grammar and Vocabulary - 50 points

Grammar

1 ________ at school yesterday? a Was you b Were youc Did youd Is you

2 Is your family large? ________a Yes, it isb Yes, they are.c No, it not. d No, they isn’t.

3 What ____ he want?a doesb doc haved was

4 ____ do you have dinner?a When time b What timec What kind ofd What for

5 He ____ to go home. a wantb didc didn’t wantd didn’t wanted

6 Where ____ to school?a did you gob went youc did you wentd did go

7 Latin ____ compulsory in Irish schools. a used to beb would bec hasd has been

8 The boy ____ cake when his mother came into the room.a was eatb eatsc was eatingd has eating

9 There ____ milk for my breakfast.a isn’t someb isn’t anyc anyd ─

10 ____ people from Poland went to Scotland in the 20th century. a Many ofb Manyc Some ofd ─

11 There are __________ French speakers in Montreal. a too muchb a lot ofc a littled not much

12 She ____ with her friends on Facebook™ everydaya is communicatingb communicatesc will communicatingd ─

13 More and more people ____ divorced every year. a are wantingb wantingc gettingd are getting

14 Many, but not all, people ____ get married in a church. . a want tob are wanting toc wanting tod used to want

15 Would you like ____ to the theatre tonight?a gob to goc goingd to going

16 I ____ to Peru on holiday next month.a am flying b flyingc am go flyingd will flying

17 Oh! It ____. I’ll take an umbrella with me. a rainingb will rainingc rainsd ’s raining

18 Do you have any plans for tonight? Yes, we ____ to the cinema.a will gob goingc god are going

19 I plan to ____ two weeks by the beach. a bring b spendc spendingd making

20 The fast food restaurant was _____ dirty. We didn’t eat there. a extremeb extremelyc bitd very much

21 This restaurant is ____ the one over there. a traditionalb traditionalerc more traditional thand traditionaler than

22 My coffee was ____ yours. I almost burned by mouth. a hotter thanb more hot thanc hotter asd as hot

23 The ____ coffee in the world comes from indonesia.a expensiveb expensivestc more expensived most expensive

24 I ____ sushi. a eatenb have eatc have ever eatend have never eaten

25 She has ____ finished this week’s report. .a yet b alreadyc ever d never

26 I don’t think you ____ them.a should to emailb should emailc should emailingd ─

27 In the future there ____ cures to the world’s worst diseases. a might beb is going to beingc will beingd might have

28 The space tourists ___ certainly need to be very fit.a won’tb willc ─d going to

29 If my new company is successful, I ____ employ people to help me. a willb be able toc will be able tod will able to

30 The first reality TV show ____ in Sweden in 1997. a showed b shownc is shownd was shown

31 The film Avatar was directed ____ James Cameron. a byb fromc ford with

32 I’ve had my cat ____ 4 years. a sinceb forc withd it

33 Her horse is lovely. She _____ it since she was a teenager. a had b has hadc hadd is had

34 I’ve received 33 emails ____ .a on Fridayb yesterdayc two days agod this week

35 How often have you been to the doctor ______ a one year ago?b in the last twelve months?c yesterday?d last week?

36 I was saving up ____ a new computer. a for buying b to buyc to buyingd ─

37 You ____ wear a suit to work, but you can if you want. a mustb mustn’tc couldd don’t have to

38 I had to ____ a uniform to school when I was younger. a haveb wearingc weard having

39 Cecilia knows someone ____ went to the carnival in Rio de Janeiro.a whob which c shed where

40 Oxfam is a charity ____ tries to find lasting solutions to poverty.a whob whichc itd ─

Vocabulary

41 A lot of ____ came to Ireland in the 1990s.a immigrantsb emigrantsc invadersd colonies

42 There was a nice meal and a band at the wedding ____a ceremonyb reception

c speechd group

43 I mostly ____ my friends via email. a get on well withb have in commn c keep in touch withd see each other

44 Bob has had a very interesting ___ . He has had jobs in many countries and industries. a carrierb jobc careerd work

45 She’s very successful. Her ___ has risen a lot in the past few years. a moneyb salaryc jobd earnings

46 I am very ___ in old cars. a keenb interestingc interestedd fond

47 He ___ his exam because he didn’t study.a failedb passedc missedd fell

48 The house will look cleaner when you have finished the ____.a homeb housewifec houseworkd homework

49 Stress is not an illness, but it can ___ to many illnesses. a getb celebratec contributed affect

50 He ____ off his holiday until after the winter.a took b putc calledd logged

READING:

Read the text below. For questions 1 to 5, choose the best answer (a, b, c or d).‘Heavier than air flying machines are impossible,’ said the well-known scientist Lord Kelvin in 1895. Thomas Watson, the chairman of IBM in 1943, was wrong too when he said that he thought there would be a world market for only five or so computers.

Predictions can, of course, be wrong, and it is very difficult to predict what the world will be like in 100, 50, or even 20 years from now. But this is something that scientists

and politicians often do. They do so because they invent things and make decisions that shape the future of the world that we live in.

In the past they didn’t have to think too much about the impact that their decisions had on the natural world. But that is now changing. An increasing number of people believe that we should live within the rules set by nature. In other words, they think that in a world of fixed and limited resources, what is used today will not be there for our children. We must therefore look at each human activity and try to change it or create alternatives if it is not sustainable. The rules for this are set by nature, not by man.

(1) What was Lord Kelvin suggesting?a) It is difficult to make accurate predictions. b) It would be possible for people to fly.c) It would be impossible for people to fly.d) There would only be a few computers.

(2) According to the text, which of the following statements is TRUE?a) Lord Kelvin and Thomas Watson were good friends.b) The world does not have unlimited natural resources.c) Our children will not make predictions about the future.d) It is easy to predict what the world will be like 20 years from now.

(3) shape (line 6) is closest in meaning to:a) dob) createc) look atd) move

(4) The article suggests we should live in a _____ way.a) selfishb) sustainablec) predictabled) scientific

(5) Choose the best title for the article.a) Predictions and more predictions!b) Politicians and scientistsc) A sustainable future for our childrend) New inventions

WRITING:In the space below, write about yourself. Say where you come from, where you live, and give a little bit of information about your family and friends as well as your hobbies and interests. Finally, say where, when and how long you have been learning English. Also say how and why you would like to improve your English.

and politicians often do. They do so because they invent things and make decisions that shape the future of the world that we live in.

In the past they didn’t have to think too much about the impact that their decisions had on the natural world. But that is now changing. An increasing number of people believe that we should live within the rules set by nature. In other words, they think that in a world of fixed and limited resources, what is used today will not be there for our children. We must therefore look at each human activity and try to change it or create alternatives if it is not sustainable. The rules for this are set by nature, not by man.

(1) What was Lord Kelvin suggesting?a) It is difficult to make accurate predictions. b) It would be possible for people to fly.c) It would be impossible for people to fly.d) There would only be a few computers.

(2) According to the text, which of the following statements is TRUE?a) Lord Kelvin and Thomas Watson were good friends.b) The world does not have unlimited natural resources.c) Our children will not make predictions about the future.d) It is easy to predict what the world will be like 20 years from now.

(3) shape (line 6) is closest in meaning to:a) dob) createc) look atd) move

(4) The article suggests we should live in a _____ way.a) selfishb) sustainablec) predictabled) scientific

(5) Choose the best title for the article.a) Predictions and more predictions!b) Politicians and scientistsc) A sustainable future for our childrend) New inventions

WRITING:In the space below, write about yourself. Say where you come from, where you live, and give a little bit of information about your family and friends as well as your hobbies and interests. Finally, say where, when and how long you have been learning English. Also say how and why you would like to improve your English.