Unit 5: Exercise 1

Match the words with the definitions.

Abdicate constitution coronation emperor monarchy president

Reign throne

1. a country that has a king or queen:

2. a special chair used by a ruler, especially a king or queen:
3. a ceremony at which a person is made king or queen:
4. to rule as king or queen of a country:
5. to make a formal statement that you no longer wish to be king or queen:
6. the ruler of an empire:
7. the person who has the highest political position in a republic:
8. a set of political principles or laws by which a state or organisation is governed:

Unit 5: Exercise 2
Read the information. Then correct the underlined mistakes.

abdicate: to make a formal statement that you no longer wish to be king or queen

constitution: a set of political principles by which a state or organisation is governed

coronation: a ceremony at which a person is made king or queen

emperor: the ruler of an empire

monarchy: a country that has a king or queen

president: the person who has the highest political position in a republic

reign: period of time ruling as king or queen of a country

throne: a special chair used by a ruler, especially a king or queen

1. Clause 7 of the throne states that people should pay taxes to the government.
2. he date of the princess’s monarchy will be Saturday 12 April.
3. The king announced on the news that he intended to reign with immediate effect.
4. Nelson Mandela became monarch of the Republic of South Africa on 10 May 1994.
5. Julius Caesar is probably one of the most famous Roman monarchs.
 6. The queen sat on her constitution throughout the coronation ceremony.

Unit 5: Exercise 3
Read the information. Then choose the correct sentences to match the types of
conditional shown in bold.

Type of conditional If clause (situation) Result clause

Second (hypothetical present situation with If + past simple / past
would + verb
hypothetical present or future result) continuous
Third (hypothetical past situation with If + past perfect / past would have + past
hypothetical past result) perfect continuous participle
Mixed 1 (hypothetical past situation with If + past perfect / past
would + verb
present result) perfect continuous
Mixed 2 (hypothetical present situation with If + past simple / past would have + past
past result) continuous participle

Remember:

 Would can be replaced by could or might.

 There are some possible variations on the if clause. For example, we might use an
inversion (If he had known = Had he known) or express the if clause with a paraphrase
(Without his rule = If he had not ruled).

1. THIRD CONDITIONAL
o If he had become president, he would completely reform the tax system.
o If he had become president, he would have completely reformed the tax
system.
2. THIRD CONDITIONAL
o There won’t have been a constitutional crisis if he hadn’t abdicated without
warning.
o There wouldn’t have been a constitutional crisis if he hadn’t abdicated without
warning.
3. SECOND CONDITIONAL
o If everyone paid their taxes, the country would have a stronger economy.
o If everyone pays their taxes, the country will have a stronger economy.
4. THIRD CONDITIONAL
o If Queen Joanna of Castile hadn’t been declared mad, she might have
continued to rule Spain until her death in 1555.
o If Queen Joanna of Castile wasn’t declared mad, she might have continued to
rule Spain until her death in 1555.
 5. THIRD CONDITIONAL
o Had the emperor spared the prisoners’ lives, they would have become loyal
citizens.
o Would the emperor have spared the prisoners’ lives, they had become loyal
citizens.
6. SECOND CONDITIONAL
o The legal system would be fairer if judges came from a wider cross-section of
society.
o The legal system would be fairer if judges come from a wider cross-section of
society.
7. SECOND CONDITIONAL
o The approach of officials would change if the government made them more
accountable for their actions.
o The approach of officials would have changed if the government made them
more accountable for their actions.
8. MIXED CONDITIONAL 1 (PAST SITUATION WITH PRESENT RESULT)
o Had the prime minister resigned sooner, the country wouldn’t be in an
economic crisis.
o Had the prime minister resigned sooner, the country wouldn’t have been in an
economic crisis.

Unit 5: Exercise 4
Complete the sentences with the types of conditional shown in bold. Use the
verbs in brackets.

1. If she had lived two years longer, she _____________________ (reign) for 60
years. THIRD CONDITIONAL
2. They could build a new palace for the monarchy if they
_________________________ (increase) taxes. SECOND CONDITIONAL
3. There wouldn’t have been a constitutional crisis if the king
________________________ (abdicate) without warning. THIRD
CONDITIONAL
4. If the government _____________________________ (improve) the country’s
economy, there would be less unemployment. SECOND CONDITIONAL
5. Had the French king treated his subjects better, the revolution probably
__________________________ (not happen) when it did. THIRD
CONDITIONAL
6. If I had my camera, I _______________________ (take) a photo of the queen from
the palace gates. SECOND CONDITIONAL
7. Without the support of the government, the emperor _________________________
(force – passive) to abdicate. THIRD CONDITIONAL
8. Germany might be a very different country today if the Berlin Wall
__________________________ (come down) in 1989. MIXED CONDITIONAL
Unit 5: Exercise 5
Read the information. Then read the first sentences. Complete the rewritten
sentences using the verbs in brackets. Sometimes more than one answer is
correct.

Second, third and mixed conditionals are used to talk about hypothetical situations in the
present and the past and are often used to imagine an alternative situation that differs from
reality. For example:

Second conditional
Reality: I don’t know about ancient history. As a result, I can’t help my son with his
homework.
Hypothetical alternative: If I knew about ancient history, I could help my son with his
homework.

Third conditional
Reality: The Romans invaded Britain. They founded the city of London.
Hypothetical alternative: If the Romans hadn’t invaded Britain, they wouldn’t have founded
the city of London.

Mixed conditional
Reality: The Berlin Wall came down in 1989. As a result, Germany is now one of the most
prosperous countries in Europe.
Hypothetical alternative: If the Berlin Wall hadn’t come down in 1989, Germany wouldn’t
now be one of the most prosperous countries in Europe.

1. The princess doesn’t speak French, so she couldn’t speak to the president without an
interpreter when he visited last week.

If the princess spoke French, she ______________________ (speak) to the president

without an interpreter when he visited last week.

2. The government didn’t vote on the issue last week, so there isn’t a trade deal in place
at the moment.

If the government had voted on the issue last week, there

________________________ (be) a trade deal in place now.

3. The expedition led by the explorer Robert Scott in 1912 never reached the South
Pole because the weather conditions got worse.

The expedition led by the explorer Robert Scott in 1912 would have reached the
South Pole if the weather conditions ___________________________ (get) worse.

4. Many Egyptian treasures were stolen from the pyramids, because the robbers knew
how to break into the secret burial chambers.
 If the robbers hadn’t known how to break into the secret burial chambers, they
_____________________ (steal) the Egyptian treasures.

5. The prince doesn’t play Australian Rules football, so he didn’t accept the invitation to
take part in a friendly match during the royal tour of Australia.

If the prince _______________________ (play) Australian Rules football, he could

have accepted the invitation to take part in a friendly match during the royal tour of
Australia.

6. The king’s sister carries out many official royal duties, but last month she didn’t
attend the opening of parliament, because she broke her leg in a skiing accident.

If the king’s sister hadn’t broken her leg in a skiing accident, she
________________________ (attend) the opening of parliament.

Unit 5: Exercise 6
Read the information. Then add the words in the box to the correct groups of
expressions.

Some IELTS Reading and Listening tasks test your ability to understand the attitude of the
writer or speaker. The attitude is often expressed by synonyms or paraphrases of the words
and ideas in the questions.

It can be useful when you are learning new vocabulary to group words and expressions which
have similar meanings. Knowing a number of ways of expressing an idea can also help you in
some IELTS Speaking and Writing tasks because it helps you to avoid repeating the same
vocabulary. This will help improve your Lexical Resource mark.

difficult furious happy impressive satisfactory shocked

1 I was up in
I lost my temper. outraged angry --------------------
arms.
2 It blew me
Extraordinary remarkable striking --------------------
away.
3 My head was It left me
amazed stunned --------------------
spinning. speechless.
4 tough tricky challenging demanding --------------------
5 acceptable sufficient adequate up to scratch --------------------
6 It made my
pleased delighted ecstatic --------------------
day.
Unit 5: Exercise 7
Read the comments made by different speakers. Choose the correct words to match the
speakers’ attitudes.

1. I have no idea why the government would change that law. It’s beyond me to explain
it.

o Angry
o Confused
o fascinated

2. When my tutor told me that I had failed my history test, I was lost for words. In fact, I
went bright red and couldn’t look her in the eye.

o Bored
o Embarrassed
o worried

3. I can’t believe she let me down again. I have put my trust in her so many times, but
she always fails to live up to my expectations.

o Delighted
o Disappointed
o sympathetic

4. Wow! That new history exhibition is something else. Whoever made it deserves a
round of applause.

o Confused
o Impressed
o stressed

5. Thank goodness for that! I really thought that history test was going to be incredibly
difficult, but it wasn’t as tough as I imagined.

o Confused
o Relieved
o shocked

6. Oh you poor thing! That must have been terrible.

o Angry
o Disappointed
o sympathetic
Unit 5: Exercise 8
Choose the correct prepositions or time phrases to complete the sentences
about history.

1. At/ During/On the reign of Queen Victoria, Britain became a world power.
2. In the beginning/early/end twentieth century, many people living in large cities in
Britain suffered from poor health.
3. The Stonehenge monument in the west of England was built in the elderly/old/
prehistoric period.
4. Over the latest/past/recent 30 years, there has been a huge amount of change in
people’s living standards.
5. At/In/On the fifties and sixties, there were massive social changes affecting all aspects
of life around the world.
6. The Titanic sank during the dynasty/realm/regin of King George V.
7. At/Before/Since 2000, there has been a massive increase in the use of mobile
technology globally.
8. The 1960s was the century/ decade/ millennia that saw humans first explore outer
space.

Unit 5: Exercise 9
Complete the table with the phrases in the box.

Certainly. Possibly. There may be some truth in that, but …

That’s exactly how I feel. Definitely not. There are two ways of looking at this.

No way! Not at all. I am sitting on the fence. Of course. Not necessarily.

I’d say the exact opposite is true. It’s hard to say. Without a doubt. Absolutely.

Not really. Sure. To some extent.

agree neither agree nor disagree disagree

Unit 5: Exercise 10
Read the extract from a seminar discussion between a history professor and two
of his students. Complete the sentences with the expressions in the box.

I’m sitting on the fence absolutely hadn’t left not necessarily

would be speaking would have continued would have increased

would have introduced would have succeeded

Professor Browning: We discussed the importance of speculation at our last seminar, and as

a follow-up I asked you to consider what might have happened if the Romans
______________________________ Britain in the fourth century AD. But firstly, I’d like to
ask you both if you agree that speculation can help us better interpret history or at least
understand it better. What do you think, Jane? Did you find it a useful approach to looking at
Roman history?

Jane: _______________________________ ! It really helped me think about how empires

are built.

Tom: For the time being, _______________________________ . I haven’t decided how

useful it might be.

Professor Browning: OK. Jane, would you like to start off with the task I set you and then
we can discuss the approach based on some historical information?

Jane: Well, it seems obvious to me that if the Romans hadn’t left Britain at that time, they

_______________________________ developing the network of roads. Additionally, they

_______________________________ the number of bridges and aqueducts. I am also pretty
sure that the Romans ____________________________ a new and comprehensive legal
system, and that perhaps now we all _________________________ a Latin dialect instead of
English!

Tom:_________________________ . For a start, I seriously doubt that the Romans

_______________________ in imposing their language on the Britons!

Professor Browning: Interesting. Let’s go through some of those other points you raised,
Jane ...