V Exam practice 2

1 Circle a letter A, B, C or D that best fills each

numbered gap.
A popular character in the nation's top television soap is .......... (1) for
something of which she was probably innocent. Having been ........... (2)
guilty of a series of fraudulent acts, she contemplates months of
incarceration. A good story-line, but wait! Within hours the television station
is being ........... (3) with calls of protest. A national newspaper soon ...........
(4) up a campaign to have her freed. Thousands of T-shirts are printed with
slogans ........... (5) for her release. Offices and factory floors ........... (6) to
the sounds of animated debate. It is even mentioned in Parliament. It's
easy to .......... (7) off such idiocies as 'a bit of fun', but there's surely a more
serious side. A fair proportion of viewers were obviously ........... (8) in by
the story to such an extent that their perception of fact and fiction was
clearly ............ (9). Everywhere, millions will ........ (10) over their 7-day TV
guide to get a preview of the week's soaps. If a character is ........... (11) to
be past his or her sell-by date, and the decision has been taken to ...........
(12) him or her out, possibly to have them ........... (13) off in spectacular
fashion, viewing figures are likely to soar by up to 25%. A life-threatening
fire can be ........... (14) upon to add millions to the ratings. A major wedding
can find half of Britain sitting ........... (15) to the screen! It's all very strange.
1 A jailed B prisoned C sentenced D charge
2 A arrested B called C found D discovered
3 A bombed B attacked C streamed D inundated
4 A opens B starts C puts D establishes
5 A demanding B calling C insisting D sounding
6 A echo B ring C fill D deafen
7 A laugh B smile C take D put
8 A thrown B carried C indulged D taken
9 A blurred B hampered C tampered D glossed
10 A flick B go C pore D sit
11 A decided B resolved C deemed D suspected
12 A write B cast C sort D work
13 A ridden B taken C driven D killed
14 A leaned B construed C relied D improved
15 A swamped B stuck C paralysed D glued

2 Fill each of the numbered blanks in the passage with

one suitable word.
After living under (1) the threat of extinction for more than 30 years, the
national bird of the United States has been (2) granted an official reprieve,
as the bald eagle and twenty-eight other animal and plant species have
been earmarked for (3) removal from America's list of endangered species.
The bald eagle, also known (4) as the white headed sea eagle, took pride
of place at the top of a list of species likely to be (5) taken off the
endangered register in the coming years. The proposed 'delistings' are
being (6) promoted by (7) the US interior secretary to counter a growing
feeling among Republicans that endangered-species laws do not work.
Charges of ineffectiveness have been leveled (8) against these laws
before, but more recently it has even (9) been suggested that the situation
may actually have been made (10) worse by them. The recovery of the
bald eagle follows thirty-one years on the critical list. Its numbers had been
reduced (11) to fewer than five hundred through (12) the use of pesticides
that reacted adversely with (13) its reproductive system. The number of
nesting pairs is now estimated at (14) five thousand. The interior secretary
claims that the new list was a vindication of the legislation under which the
eagle, a national symbol taken (15) originally from the Indians, and more
than a thousand other species were (16) protected. (A spokesperson
denied that it was simply a publicity stunt timed to coincide with (17) the
swearing in (18) of the president for his second term.) Until now, few
species have ever (19) been removed from the list. When they were (20), it
was usually because they had become extinct.

3 Finish each of the following sentences in such a way

that it is as similar as possible in meaning to the
sentence above it.
a Do not switch off unless the screen shows 'Ready for Shutdown'.
→ This machine is only to be switched off it the screen shows “Ready for
Shutdown”.
b It's over a year since anyone saw William.
→ William hasn’t been seen for over a year.
c It's too early to send anything off to shareholders.
→ Nothing can be sent off to shareholders yet
d The calculation would have baffled me completely if it had not been for
your help.
→ I would have been completely baffled by the calculation if it had not been
for your help.
e We want justice and we need to see it carried out.
→Justice must not only be done, it must also be seen to be done.
f I'd never let anyone use a photograph of my children in an advertisement.
→ I'd never have
g The driver was fined especially heavily because of his several previous
convictions.
→ Having been convicted several times previously, the driver was fined
especially heavily.
h The manageress often made us stay behind after closing time to do extra
work.
→ We were often made to stay behind after closing time by the
manageress to do extra work.
i The investigators think a fault in the fuel lines caused the crash.
→ A fault in the fuel lines is thought be the investigators to have caused the
crash.
j They've had to fax the insurance company three times for a decision.
→ The insurance company had had to be faxed three times for a decision.

4 Fill each of the blanks with a suitable word or

phrase.
a The origins of the tribe are shrouded in mystery.
b Everyone was taken aback by the public reaction to the news about the
President.
c It's six months since the tests, and she still hasn’t been given the all-clear
by her consultant.
d Mr Bennett's office has been called 'the torture chamber' by his staff.
e In my family, a lot of furniture gets handed down from generation to
generation.
f Look - it's all over the papers. You should never have allowed yourself to
be photographed in such a compromising situation.

5 For each of the sentences below, write a new

sentence as similar as possible in meaning to the
original sentence, but using the word given. This word
must not be altered in any way.
a The accused became very emotional. (overcome)
→ The accused was overcome with emotion.
b Naturally, they will deduct points if you arrive late.(penalised)
→ Naturally, you will be penalised by having points deducted if arrive late.
c The model's clothes lay all over the floor. (strewn)
→ The model's clothes were strewn all over the floor.
d Our new Director wants you to call her 'Madam'. (addressed)
→ Our new Director wants to be addressed as “Madam”.
e I can't say I enjoy it when people tear my writing to pieces in front of me.
(having)
→ I can't say I enjoy having my writing torn to to pieces in front of me.
f We'll have to make up our minds by the end of the week, won't we? (be)
→ A decision will be made by the end of the week, won’t it?
g It's just possible the hotel may need more staff in the summer. (ruled)
→ The possibility of the hotel needing new staff in the summer can’t be
ruled out.
h Surely nobody likes it when people make fun of them in public. (being)
→ Surely nobody likes being make fun of in public
i Never forget that the customer is always right. (borne)
→ It should be borne in mind that the customer is always right.
j This school-leaver's qualifications are not adequate for such a demanding
job, are they? (sufficiently)
→ This school-leaver isn’t sufficiently qualified for such a demanding job, is
he?