SCUOLA DI SCIENZE UMANISTICHE

LETTORATO DI INGLESE

Laurea Triennale

SELECTED TEXTS
Upper Intermediate – Intermediate – Lower Intermediate
2021/2022
 LETTORATO DI INGLESE: 2021/22
Lower Intermediate Texts:
Dummett, Hughes & Stephenson, Life Pre-Intermediate Pack 2nd edition
ISBN: 9788853625144
Murphy, English Grammar in Use (Intermediate), 5th edition with answers, Cambridge UP
ISBN: 9781108457651 (edizione senza e-book) oppure 9781108586627 (edizione con e-book)
“Selected Texts 2021-22” (handout pack)
Intermediate Texts:
Dummett, Hughes & Stephenson, Life Intermediate Pack 2nd edition
ISBN: 9788853625151
Vince, Macmillan English Grammar in Context: Intermediate with key, Macmillan
ISBN: 9781405071437
“Selected Texts 2021-22” (handout pack)
Upper Intermediate Texts:
Dummett, Hughes & Stephenson, Life Upper-Intermediate Pack 2nd edition
ISBN: 9788853625168
“Selected Texts 2021-22” (handout pack)
The handout pack “Selected Texts” is available at Torino Copy, Via Roero di Cortanze.
The textbooks are available at www.ilpiacerediapprendere.it with a 15% discount for Unito
students (discount code: Harry15)

Course/Exam Topics:
1. Consumer Issues & Media Studies
2. Culture: Food & Customs
3. Education
4. Crime & Conflict
5. Gender Studies
6. Work & Economics
7. The Arts
8. Geography & Tourism

Grammar Topics:
1. simple present/present continuous
2. past simple/past continuous/past perfect, used to/would
3. present perfect
4. future forms: be going to/will
5. modal verbs
6. –ing vs. infinitive
7. conditionals
8. reported speech
9. passive
10. nouns (countable/uncountable), determiners, quantifiers
11. adjectives, comparative/superlative
12. linking words
13. relative clauses
The Lettorato Exam:

The Lingua e Traduzione inglese (LT) exam is divided into two parts, the lettorato exam (called
Prova di Lettorato or Lettorato Inglese Prima Annualità) and an exam in translation (done at a
different time with Profs. Borgogni, Sanità or Piovaz), and the final mark is the average of these
two exams.

Starting in February 2022, the lettorato exam will be done in class in a computer lab using
the eLearning Moodle platform. If the University is forced to suspend in-class exams, then
only in that case will a remote version be offered.
It is recommended that students read the ‘Avvisi’ section on the campusnet Lettorato di
Inglese page
https://culture.campusnet.unito.it/do/corsi.pl/Show?_id=3bmz
one month before their exam session for further details.

Students with disabilities or language disorders (DSA) need to contact Prof Metzger
(kathy.metzger@unito.it) at least one month before taking the lettorato exam to discuss
their special needs.

When you decide to take the final exam, you will need to sign up on the university website.
Online exam enrolment can be very confusing; for this reason, before enrolling in an exam,
please check the dates in the notice posted on Lettorato di Inglese approximately one month
before the exam session.

To take the lettorato exam, you must have it in your piano carriera. Only the following students
may take the exam without having it in their piano carriera:
- students who have attended the lettorato course and received the Attendance Point
- students who have one of the following certificates: PET with Distinction (not PET or
PET with Merit), FCE, CAE , IELTS minimum 5.5 or TOEFL iBT minimum 72

The lettorato exam is made up of 4 parts: a) Dictation, b) Grammar, Vocabulary and Verbs, c)
Reading Comprehension and d) Writing. Students may use one dictionary (either mono- or
bilingual) for all parts of the exam except the dictation. On the following pages, you will find
an example of the lettorato exam.

The exercises contained in this handout pack all come from real exams. There will be some
modifications to the exam starting in February 2022, and the exercises entitled “Test Practice” are
based on the new shortened format. You can practice doing these exercises online if you click on
the link below (or copy it into your browser) and select “Exercises from Selected Texts
Triennale”: https://elearning.unito.it/scienzeumanistiche/course/view.php?id=1981
The exercises entitled “Extra practice” are taken from the previous, longer version of the exam
but are still very good practice!
Some Practical Guidelines for Composition Writing

At the exam, you will be asked to write a composition of 120-150 words. You will have three
choices and must choose one of them. Some possible questions are:
1. Do you consider yourself a ‘shopaholic’? Why/why not?
2. What kind of sales tactics do stores use to get customers to buy products?
3. Describe a recent ‘nightmare’ shopping experience.

Once you have chosen which question you are going to write about, you should write a rough
copy on one of the back pages of the exam. You also have to invent a title for your composition.
For example: “What the Consumer Doesn’t Know” (Question 2)

There are certain things that are very important when you write a composition in English. In
addition to using correct grammar and vocabulary, you need to express your ideas in a clear and
structured way. Here are some guidelines:

Organization
First of all, you need to organize your composition into three general parts.
Introduction: Here, you make it clear to the reader what your composition is about.

Body: Here, you give specific information or examples about what you have mentioned in
your introduction.

Conclusion: Here, you need to give your composition an appropriate ending. It might be a
brief summary of what you have stated in your composition or something that makes your
composition sound complete.

The general rule is that you do NOT want to have single-sentence paragraphs, especially in the
body of your composition. Remember, a paragraph should express a complete thought, and for
that reason it should have at least two sentences.

Paragraphing
In English, you need to show the reader where one paragraph ends and where the next one
begins. There are two ways to do this:
1. Indented paragraphs: Indenting simply means that you leave a small space at the
beginning of each new paragraph (see Composition 1).
2. Block paragraphs: In block paragraphs, you start at the margin and leave a blank line
between each paragraph (see Composition 2).

Using paragraphs make it is easier for the reader to follow your various thoughts. It also forces
you to organize your thoughts in a logical order.

It is also very useful to use linking words (in addition, for example, therefore, however, etc.).
This makes your sentences sound more natural and more connected.
Punctuation
There are various differences between English and Italian when it comes to punctuation,
especially in composition writing.
1. Commas (,)
In English, a comma is not strong enough to join two clauses (proposizioni). You can either use a
comma with a conjunction (and, but, or, so, etc.), use a semi-colon (;) or use a full stop (.).
For example:
Yesterday I worked all day at the mall, and/so I was tired.
Yesterday I worked all day at the mall; I was tired.
Yesterday I worked all day at the mall. I was tired.
NOT: Yesterday I worked all day at the mall, I was tired.
2. Colons ( : )
It is very uncommon to use a colon in composition writing because it makes your composition
sound too much like a shopping list. Instead, you can use a dash (--), a full stop (.) or a semi-
colon (;).
3. Points of ellipsis (...) / etc.
Instead of using points of ellipsis or etc./ecc. it is much better to use expressions like such as, for
example or like.
For example:
Department stores are convenient because there you can find many different products, such as
clothes, sports equipment and kitchen goods.
NOT: Department stores are convenient because there you can find clothes, sports equipment,
kitchen goods, etc.

Sample Compositions
Below are two acceptable compositions regarding Question 2 above. Note the use of indents to
separate each paragraph.

Composition 1: “What the Consumer Doesn’t Know”

Superstores use many different sales tactics to get customers to purchase items.
Unfortunately, the methods are not always obvious to the shopper.
One strategy involves the way products are displayed. For example, store label items are
shelved where people will see them first. Research also shows that large, well-stocked displays
sell more products.
Another method involves the amount of lighting that is used around the store. While
bright lights are very effective at the cosmetics counter, soft lighting in the liquor aisle will
produce better sales.
A third tactic is to keep superstores open on Sundays. Sunday trading makes it possible to
sell produce that would otherwise be thrown away.
These are just a few of the many strategies used by stores today. Victims of this ‘hidden
persuasion’, consumers often buy things that they might not need or be able to afford.
(148 words)
Composition 2:
“What the Consumer Doesn’t Know”

Superstores use many different sales tactics to get customers to purchase items. Unfortunately,
the methods are not always obvious to the shopper.

One strategy involves the way products are displayed. For example, store label items are shelved
where people will see them first. Research also shows that large, well-stocked displays sell more
products. Another method involves the amount of lighting that is used around the store. While
bright lights are very effective at the cosmetics counter, soft lighting in the liquor aisle will
produce better sales. A third tactic is to keep superstores open on Sundays. Sunday trading makes
it possible to sell produce that would otherwise be thrown away.

These are just a few of the many strategies used by stores today. Victims of this ‘hidden
persuasion’, consumers often buy things that they might not need or be able to afford.
(148 words)

Composition 3:
What is wrong with the following composition?
In this text, the author discusses the sales tactics used by superstores to get customers to purchase
items.
One strategy is to shelve products where people will see them first; in fact, research shows that
products located at eye-level are selected more often than those on the bottom shelf.
Another method is to use a certain kind of lighting depending on the type of merchandise being
sold; for example, soft lights in the wine section increase sales.
Still another tactic is to keep superstores open on Sundays in order to sell produce that would
otherwise be thrown away.
As a result of these forms of ‘hidden persuasion’, consumers unfortunately buy things that they
might not need or be able to afford. (121 words)
Writing: Your Voice

When writing a composition it is essential that you have something to say. The best writing tells
its reader about the writer’s experiences; what (s)he knows about the subject. The worst tells us
nothing.

I. Look at this example:

“I think travelling is a lot of fun and interesting. When you travel you meet people from many
different countries and learn about their ways of life. You can also try to speak different
languages.”
Does this paragraph tell you what the writer knows?

The reader then asked the writer about his ideas, but read what he actually said:
Reader: When did you last travel?
Writer: In August. We went to France and Spain.
Reader: Did you speak any foreign languages?
Writer: No, I went with a group of my friends, so we usually just spoke Italian.
Reader: Oh, I guess that’s too bad. So did you have a good time?
Writer: Oh, yes except when we went out to see the sights there were a lot of boys that followed
us around, and wouldn’t leave us alone. We didn’t feel free to go where we wanted to go.
Reader: But you said in the composition that you liked travelling because you could meet
foreigners and speak their language…?
Writer: Oh, well, you know, just something to say…

Ideas: Where can you get ideas from?

Most of us do have something to say, so say it! Don’t bore your reader with “hot air”.

Daily life – family, friends, your workplace, school

Your own direct experience – what have you seen, heard, where have you been
News/world event –your knowledge of the world from reading, talking, studying
Books and magazines
TV/films

Finally, Tell about your experience and attitude, take a stand. What do you think about the topic?
Give examples and illustrations – real examples from your life. Compare your opinion, life
experiences and knowledge with that of others, the past/future, other places.
Rack your brain, and then choose those ideas which might go together to form a composition.

II. Write. Now it’s your turn. Here is a very open topic. Your purpose is to find something you
really want to say about it and write a composition (120-150 words) in which we can hear your
voice speaking.

Television
Even if you already have some ideas, spend some time and rack you brain. Remember: the aim is
to find something you want to say – not to fill up a piece of paper.
Choose one good main idea from the ones you have generated. Obviously it should include
several of the other points you have thought of, but forget the ones that may not be relevant. You
could try to decide on the ending before you begin writing to help direct your thoughts.

III. Post writing check:

Does the composition follow the presentation requirements?
Is it laid out in paragraphs?
How many ideas are there? (Count them)
Is the writing accurate?
Is it correctly punctuated?
Does it use vocabulary specific to the subject (television)?
Is it interesting?

IV. Read. Now you can read a short article on television.

1. What is Nickelodeon?
2. Who is this TV station for?
3. Why will Nickelodeon stop transmitting TV programs from 12.00 to 3.00pm?
4. Who is Kenderick?
5. How has Nickelodeon’s program helped him?

What is the main idea in this article?

How is this idea developed? What is described first, second, etc.

How does it end? Do you like the way it ends? Could you find a better ending?

Look at the vocabulary in the text. There are two main lexical areas. What are they?

Compile a list of the words specific for each one.

1. __________ :

2. __________ :
Nickelodeon: Hey you kids, turn off the TV
LOS ANGELES, California (AP) -- When its television screens go blank on Saturday, the
Nickelodeon cable network is advising its viewers not to fiddle with the buttons -- but to go
outside and play.The three hours of dead air the children's network will begin broadcasting at
noon (EDT/PDT) are part of its fourth annual worldwide day of play, an encouragement to kids
to get outside and work on getting in shape.

Later that day, any kids who have gotten the exercise bug might tune into the network's "Let's
Just Play Go Healthy Challenge" (6 p.m. EDT/PDT) and compare what they did with other kids
whose exercise regimens have been spotlighted on the show. If they have been following the
program, an effort of the network and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation, they'll see that one
of those kids has made some impressive gains.

The 13-year-old, identified only as Kenderick from Little Rock, Arkansas, was a chubby youth
and self-described "couch potato who played video games and didn't go outside much" when he
joined the program in April.

Since then, he says he has dropped 40 pounds and learned to swim and ride a bike. "I could have
learned to swim before, but I was really scared of the water," he told The Associated Press
recently. "I got a bike for Christmas. I touched it once, fell off and never rode it again." Over the
past several months, however, he overcame those fears and got in good enough shape to take part
in a triathlon in which he swam 100 yards, biked four miles and ran one mile.

Kenderick, whose family has a history of heart disease and diabetes, said he hopes he might have
been an inspiration to some of the 750,000 kids the network says made a promise on its Web site
to do their part to fight childhood obesity.

In the meantime, he still has some goals he wants to achieve. "I still want to lose weight but I
want to work on my muscles now," he said. "I want to get ripped now."
Guidelines for Dictation

In any dictation exercise the text will be dictated with instructions on punctuation and layout. So
it is important to know the English terms concerned.

1. Punctuation

Make sure that you know the following terms:

, comma
. full stop
: colon
; semi-colon
– dash
? question mark
! exclamation mark
“” inverted commas
() brackets

Note the instructions for a word or phrase in inverted commas or brackets.

“Yes” is dictated as follows: open inverted commas, Yes, close inverted commas.

(always) is dictated as follows: open brackets, always, close brackets.

2. Layout

Make sure that you know the following expression:

New paragraph.

This means that you must start a new line and indent. To ‘indent’ is to begin the line not at the
left-hand margin but a short distance in from it (about two centimetres is usually sufficient). The
purpose of this is to help the reader identify where a new paragraph begins.

In English it is usual to begin every paragraph by indenting, especially in handwritten texts, so

you will be expected to do so in a dictation. Note that the first paragraph must also be
indented, even though you will not hear an instruction to indent at the beginning of the dictation.

Do not make the mistake of starting a new paragraph afer every full stop. At a full stop you
should only create a new paragraph if you hear the instruction ‘New paragaph’.
Indenting can be illustrated by the following examples:

(i) The recommended layout: indented paragraphs

The following paragraphs are indented. This is the layout you are recommended to use in a
dictation.

No state of the US has stronger connections with Britain than Virginia. The 400th anniversary of the founding link
makes it an ideal time to visit this beautiful and diverse region, which is the historic heartland of the US: 60 per cent of 10,000-
plus Civil War battles were fought on Virginian soil. And besides a depth of antiquity not found elsewhere in America, Virginia
has some spectacular scenery and excellent opportunities for exploring the great outdoors. There is a sombre mood in the state,
after the appalling shootings on the campus of Virginia Tech in the far west. This is an area into which visitors rarely stray, with
most places of historic interest located in the east.
This month marks four centuries since the first permanent English settlement in North America took place. On 13 May
1607, 104 adventurers arrived in three ships and landed on a wooded peninsula in Chesapeake Bay. The establishment of this
settlement, named Jamestown, is being commemorated by year-long celebrations and special events in Virginia and elsewhere. A
highlight this weekend, which the Queen is witnessing, is the re-enactment of the colonists' arrival using replica ships.
A succession of special events organised by the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation takes place throughout the year at
Jamestown Settlement and Yorktown Victory Centre. For example, The World of 1607 exhibition has just opened at Jamestown
Settlement (until the end of 2008; open daily 9am-5pm; combined admission $17.75/£9.90). A replica of the Godspeed - one of
the three ships - will sail to Alexandria for an eight-day visit to the Old Town Waterfront from 27 May, where she will be open to
visitors.

(ii) An alternative layout: not indenting but leaving a line between paragraphs

Not indenting paragraphs may be acceptable, but only if a blank line is left between the
paragraphs. If this is done, the blank line will make the distinction between the different
paragraphs sufficiently clear.

However, this kind of layout is more common in business letters or other texts written with a
computer, rather than by hand, so it is not recommended for handwritten dictations.

The following paragraphs are of this kind – not indented but distinguished by a blank line
between paragraphs.

No state of the US has stronger connections with Britain than Virginia. The 400th anniversary of the founding link makes it an
ideal time to visit this beautiful and diverse region, which is the historic heartland of the US: 60 per cent of 10,000-plus Civil War
battles were fought on Virginian soil. And besides a depth of antiquity not found elsewhere in America, Virginia has some
spectacular scenery and excellent opportunities for exploring the great outdoors. There is a sombre mood in the state, after the
appalling shootings on the campus of Virginia Tech in the far west. This is an area into which visitors rarely stray, with most
places of historic interest located in the east.

This month marks four centuries since the first permanent English settlement in North America took place. On 13 May 1607, 104
adventurers arrived in three ships and landed on a wooded peninsula in Chesapeake Bay. The establishment of this settlement,
named Jamestown, is being commemorated by year-long celebrations and special events in Virginia and elsewhere. A highlight
this weekend, which the Queen is witnessing, is the re-enactment of the colonists' arrival using replica ships.

A succession of special events organised by the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation takes place throughout the year at Jamestown
Settlement and Yorktown Victory Centre. For example, The World of 1607 exhibition has just opened at Jamestown Settlement
(until the end of 2008; open daily 9am-5pm; combined admission $17.75/£9.90). A replica of the Godspeed - one of the three
ships - will sail to Alexandria for an eight-day visit to the Old Town Waterfront from 27 May, where she will be open to visitors.
(iii) An unacceptable layout: with no indentation and no blank line between paragraphs

The following paragraphs are not clearly distinguished from each other either by indenting or by
a blank line. This kind of layout is normally regarded as incorrect in English.

No state of the US has stronger connections with Britain than Virginia. The 400th anniversary of the founding link makes it an
ideal time to visit this beautiful and diverse region, which is the historic heartland of the US: 60 per cent of 10,000-plus Civil War
battles were fought on Virginian soil. And besides a depth of antiquity not found elsewhere in America, Virginia has some
spectacular scenery and excellent opportunities for exploring the great outdoors. There is a sombre mood in the state, after the
appalling shootings on the campus of Virginia Tech in the far west. This is an area into which visitors rarely stray, with most
places of historic interest located in the east.
This month marks four centuries since the first permanent English settlement in North America took place. On 13 May 1607, 104
adventurers arrived in three ships and landed on a wooded peninsula in Chesapeake Bay. The establishment of this settlement,
named Jamestown, is being commemorated by year-long celebrations and special events in Virginia and elsewhere. A highlight
this weekend, which the Queen is witnessing, is the re-enactment of the colonists' arrival using replica ships.
A succession of special events organised by the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation takes place throughout the year at Jamestown
Settlement and Yorktown Victory Centre. For example, The World of 1607 exhibition has just opened at Jamestown Settlement
(until the end of 2008; open daily 9am-5pm; combined admission $17.75/£9.90). A replica of the Godspeed - one of the three
ships - will sail to Alexandria for an eight-day visit to the Old Town Waterfront from 27 May, where she will be open to visitors.

3. Some advice on handwriting

It is in your own interest to write as clearly as possible. Write in cursive or in unconnected lower-
case letters; don’t write all in capitals.

Make sure that lower-case letters are clearly distinguishable from capitals. If they are not, you
will be penalized, because one of the purposes of a dictation is to test your knowledge of
capitalization in English.

4. Capitalization

Be careful about the differences in capitalization between Italian and English. Remember that the
following are capitalized in English: 

 days of the week 

 months of the year 
 adjectives and nouns of nationality (Italian, British, American, Spanish; an Italian, a
Briton, an American, a Spaniard, etc)

In titles of books, films, etc, it is not just the first word that is capitalized, but all important words
(nouns, pronouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, and subordinating conjunctions - e.g. as, because,
although). The following kinds of word are not capitalized: to as part of an infinitive, articles,
prepositions and co-ordinating conjunctions (and, but, or)

Examples:

Pride and Prejudice, The Name of the Rose, If Not Now, When?, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom
of the Crystal Skull, The Last of the Mohicans, Fly Me to the Moon, The Way We Live Now
1. CONSUMER ISSUES & MEDIA STUDIES
Test Practice
For a digital version of this exercise, see Exercises from Selected Texts Triennale on
https://elearning.unito.it/scienzeumanistiche/course/view.php?id=1981

Grammar, Vocabulary and Verbs (10 points): The History of Love

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

I took the bus uptown. I told myself I (1) {can – could – might – have} not go to my
son’s funeral in a wrinkled suit. I didn’t want to embarrass him. More (2) {than – then – of – as}
that, I wanted him to be proud. I stopped at Madison Avenue and walked along, (3) {looked –
looking – I looked – was looking} in the windows. I didn’t know where to go. Finally, I just
chose a store that looked nice. I fingered the material on a jacket. A giant in a shiny beige suit
and cowboy boots approached me. I thought he was going to tell me to leave. I’m just feeling the
fabric, I said. You want to try it (4) {to – on – in – over} ? he asked. I was flattered. He asked me
my (5) {dimension – measure – cut – size} . I didn’t know. He looked me over, showed me into
a changing room, and hung the suit on the hook. I took my clothes off. There were three mirrors.
I was exposed to parts of myself I (6) {hadn’t seen – hasn’t seen – no see – wasn’t seen} for
years. I took a moment to examine them. Then I put on the suit. The pants were stiff and narrow
and the jacket practically came down to my knees. I looked just (7) {how – as – why – like} a
clown. The shop assistant ripped aside the curtain with a smile. Fits you perfectly, he announced.
(8) {So – If – Do – Until} you wanted, he said, pinching some material at the back, we could
take it in a drop here. (9) {Although – Despite – But – However} , you don’t need it. Seems
like it was (10) {constructed – finished – made – done} for you. I thought: What do I know
about fashion? I asked him the price. He reached into the back of my pants. This one’s. . .a
thousand, he announced. I looked at him. A thousand what? I said. He laughed politely.
[Adapted from N. Krauss, The History of Love]
Test Practice
For a digital version of this exercise, see Exercises from Selected Texts Triennale on
https://elearning.unito.it/scienzeumanistiche/course/view.php?id=1981

Grammar, Vocabulary and Verbs (10 points): In an Antique Land

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

A few minutes later while I (1) {have bargained – was bargaining – was being
bargained – bargaining} over a bunch of grapes with a travelling fruit-vendor from Damanhour,
I (2) {took – have taken – was taken – was being taken} by surprise to hear Busaina’s voice,
shouting angrily over my shoulder.
‘Say that again,’ she challenged the fruit vendor. ‘I want to hear you say that again. Fifty
piastres for that rotten bunch - is that what you want to charge him?’
The vendor stood his ground, (3) {but – however – despite – nevertheless} a sheepish
look came over him as he began to explain that it wasn’t his fault, things were getting (4) {more
and more expensive – expensiver – less expensive – more than expensive} day by day, and he
had to come all the way from Damanhour in his donkey-cart. ‘And besides,’ he ended lamely, his
voice (5) {arising – rising – rose – arisen} to a high-pitched whine, ‘they’re good grapes, just
try them and see. I am not asking too much - that’s exactly (6) {what – that – much – how} it
costs.’
‘I go to the market (7) {everyday – each day – all the days – some day} ,’ said Busaina.
‘Don’t try to fool me. I know, you’re having fun at his expense.’
‘But he’s from the city,’ the vendor protested. ‘ (8) {Because – Why – For what – Why
not} shouldn’t he pay city prices - since he’ll only take them back with him?’
‘He lives here now,’ said Busaina, ‘he’s not in the city any more.’ She snatched the grapes
out of my hand and thrust them back on to his cart. ‘Thirty piastres, not a girsh more.’
‘Never!’ shouted the vendor, with an outraged yell. ‘Never, never - I (9) {would rather
divorce – would have rather divorced – will rather divorce – rather divorce} my wife!’
‘You’ll see,” said Busaina, “she (10) {did clap – will clap – clapping – going to clap}
her hands and cry “Praise God”.’
[A. Ghosh, In an Antique Land]
Extra Practice

Verbs (10 points): The Independent

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

A culture in which people are more willing (1)_____ for overpriced coffee than for a
newspaper ensured the downfall of the Independent papers after three decades in print, a senior
executive has declared. Lisa Markwell, editor of the Independent on Sunday, argued that the news
industry must try to find a sustainable way of doing business in a changing media environment.
“We have always found it terribly depressing that people (2)_____ £3.70 on an appalling coffee
from a takeaway and yet they won’t pay £1.60 or £2.20 on a Sunday for what is in effect a
novel’s worth of terrific writing,” Markwell (3)_____ BBC Radio 4’s Today programme on
Saturday. “But that’s where we are, and I think all news organisations (4)_____ to accept that
that’s the way things are going. We are in a real state of flux, because even newspapers with huge
online presences like the Guardian (5)_____ any money. So I think organisations (6)_____ look
carefully at what people are prepared to pay for.”
Evgeny Lebedev, the owner of the newspaper, (7)_____ on Friday that the Independent
will cease printing in late March and will henceforth only produce an online edition. It is thought
that about 110 staff will lose their jobs, although that number (8)_____, as 25 new roles are being
created to boost the website, independent.co.uk. Lebedev attempted to present the closure of the
Independent as a bold transition to a digital-only future and has spoken of “huge, global
ambitions for our website”. Despite the different challenges of online journalism, Markwell is
confident that staff (9)_____ to make the transition from print to digital.
However, one Independent journalist said that colleagues on the paper were sceptical
about an online-only future and what that (10)_____ for the organisation’s journalistic standards.
The journalist said: “Whereas the paper focuses on quality, the web leans towards quantity, and
has far less original journalism.” [The Guardian, February 2016]

1. A. of paying B. paying C. to pay D. pay

2. A. happily spends B. will happily spend C. happily spending
D. to happily spend
3. A. argued B. told C. insisted D. said
4. A. have B. should C. can D. must
5. A. aren’t made B. not made C. weren’t made D. haven’t made
6. A. are going to B. need C. have D. are
7. A. has confirmed B. confirming C. confirmed D. confirm
8. A. be reduced B. being reduced C. reduced D. could be reduced
9. A. may B. will C. will be able D. can
10. A. mean B. would mean C. meaning D. to mean
Test Practice
For a digital version of this exercise, see Exercises from Selected Texts Triennale on
https://elearning.unito.it/scienzeumanistiche/course/view.php?id=1981

Reading / Writing (10 + 10 points): Leather

Read the following text and answer the questions.
Vocabulary (2 points): Choose the definition or synonym that corresponds best to the word in italics as it is
used in the text.
Text Organization (2 points): Choose the most appropriate missing sentence.
1 Whether or not you choose to wear leather usually depends on your position towards meat, be it vegetarian
or carnivore. The issue of whether or not you approve of the practices of the meat industry is one for your own
conscience: this column { text organized vertically -- article in a newspaper -- support – post}
aims merely to provide some facts in an area where there is frequent misconception.
2 Many people happily wear leather because they believe that it is a byproduct of meat production and
therefore a form of recycling. But is leather really a byproduct? It's very difficult to get any statistics because the big
meat companies are under no obligation to publish figures, but the selling of animal skins can certainly be very
profitable. You could therefore argue that by buying leather, you are supporting the meat industry. Meat companies
don't sell hides out of the kindness of their hearts or from a desire to minimise waste. They are in a moneymaking
business and need to maximise profits, and the leather industry is worth billions, if not trillions, of dollars annually.
3 MISSING SENTENCE *A: {But if it makes you feel a bit uncomfortable, you should consider
reducing your leather purchases. // Yes, and they're increasing all the time. // A section on ethical shopping in
Goldsmith’s book advises us to buy organic products. // The profit depends on the animal used.} While cows,
of course, provide most of the leather we use, there's an increasing demand for more exotic varieties. For example, in
South Africa, ostrich farms are a developing industry. But there, the conventional picture is reversed: the skins
account for about 80% of the bird's value, and it is the meat that is sold as a byproduct. Again, if the bird's death
doesn't bother you, there's no moral problem, but don't fool yourself that the leather would have gone to waste if
someone didn't buy it.
4 The softest, most luxurious leather comes from the skin of newborn or even unborn calves. Sometimes it is
from the same veal calves whose lives of misery are well documented. Many committed {illegal -- sick – dedicated
-- convince} carnivores refuse to eat veal for this reason: why then wear calfskin? As I have tried to emphasise, if
none of this troubles you, then buying leather goods poses no problem. Clearly, it would be hypocritical to happily
eat a piece of veal but refuse to buy a soft leather bag.
5 The usual method of processing leather is incredibly toxic and results in carcinogenic chromium (VI) being
released into the water system. While most factories in Europe and America now have to adhere to environmental
regulations, the same is not true for the vast leather industry in China, where many bags, jackets, and shoes begin
life. While leather can be processed using non-toxic vegetable dyes, chrome processing is faster and produces a
flexible leather that's better for luxury bags and coats, so there's no incentive for factories to change.
6 So are there any alternatives? MISSING SENTENCE *B: {But if it makes you feel a bit uncomfortable,
you should consider reducing your leather purchases. // Yes, and they're increasing all the time. // A section on
ethical shopping in Goldsmith’s book advises us to buy organic products. // The profit depends on the animal
used.} Vegetable-tanned or recycled leather is used to make Terra Plana's ethical shoes, which also have natural
rubber soles. And if you're hunting for accessories rather than shoes, look no further than Matt & Nat, a fantastic
company that will provide you with gorgeous bags, purses and wallets. Of course, some plastics used in leather
alternatives have environmental problems of their own, which I will talk about in future columns, but many ethical
companies, including Bourgeois Boheme, avoid these by using a mix of recycled or biodegradable elements.
[Kate Carter, The Guardian, 27/8/08]
True or False (4 points)
Choose True or False, based on what is written in the text.
1. __________ Leather can be processed in various ways, some of which are more toxic than others, such as chrome-
based processing.
2. __________ Environmental regulations regarding leather processing are respected throughout the world.
3. __________ Both Bourgeois Boheme and Matt & Nat are ethical companies.
4. __________ Nowadays, more ostrich leather is sold than cow leather.
Main idea and Text type (2 points)
Choose the best answer.
1. What is the best title for this text?
{ “Vegetarians live healthier lives than meat-eaters” -- “Don’t hide from the truth about leather” -- “Leather
considered best material by leading designers” -- “Ethical shops replace traditional stores in Britain”}

2. What is this text?

{ an obituary -- a journal extract -- an opinionated newspaper article -- an advertisement -- a fashion review}

WRITING (10 POINTS)

Write a 120-150-word composition on ONE of the following topics. It is possible to use ideas and expressions
from the text, but you cannot not copy more than three consecutive words. Your composition must be
organized into separate paragraphs and you must adhere to the word limit. You also need to invent an
appropriate title for your composition.

1. Discuss some of the things you consider important when buying a product (food, clothes, etc.).
2. Talk about a book, film or news article that deals with animal or human rights.
3. Describe an unusual meal you have had.
Extra Practice
Reading / Writing: The Printer of Venice
Read the following text and answer the questions.
1 Among the narrow cobbled sidewalks and winding canals of Venice’s Sant’Agostin neighbourhood is a pretty yellow
palazzo. Amid the ornate windows and lush flower boxes, it’s easy to miss a small plaque commemorating one of the most
important men in publishing history. This was the home of Aldus Manutius, says the plaque, and it was from here that “the light
of Greek letters returned to shine upon civilized peoples.” The palazzo, now divided into rental apartments and gift shops, is
where Aldus forever changed printing more than half a millennium ago. He introduced curved italic type, which replaced the
cumbersome square Gothic print used at the time, and helped standardize punctuation, defining the rules of use for the comma and
semicolon. He also was the first to print small, secular books that could be carried around for study and pleasure—the precursors
to paperbacks and e-readers today. “He was very much like the Steve Jobs of his era,” says Sandro Berra, managing director of
the Tipoteca Italiana museum of typography outside of Venice. *A*
2 Fuelling his risk-taking were fervent views on spreading knowledge to a broader audience. Before Aldus, books were
extremely precious items, held in private collections or monasteries, and they were inaccessible even to many scholars. Books,
Aldus believed, provide an antidote to barbarous times and should not be hoarded by the privileged few. “I do hope that, if there
should be people of such spirit that they are against the sharing of literature as a common good, they may either burst with envy or
hang themselves,” he wrote in the preface of one of his volumes.
3 The 500-year anniversary of his death is being celebrated in New York and Venice and other cities where books are
cherished. Early this year, he was honoured with a far-reaching exhibition called “Aldus Manutius: A Legacy More Lasting Than
Bronze” at the Grolier Club in Manhattan, where 150 of his antique volumes were on display. A series of memorial initiatives in
Italy, where he is known as Aldo Manuzio, include a full calendar of “Manuzio 500” events in Venice, featuring readings and
exhibits of his libelli portatiles (Latin for “portable books”), as well as demonstrations of the printing techniques he introduced.
4 Aldus was a complicated man. His legacy is anchored in Venice, but he was born in a village south of Rome. He came
of age shortly after the final demise of the Eastern Roman Empire, which had long been in decline but fully collapsed after the fall
of Constantinople to the Ottomans in 1453. He was a humanist, one of a small but growing number who studied ancient Greek
and Latin texts at a time when most had all but given up on the classics, and a pioneer in the wave of Renaissance thinkers who
helped salvage and eventually encourage a reawakening of the region’s intellectual class.
5 In 1490, at the age of 40—in what might have been a midlife crisis—he moved to Venice. The city then was a humming
capital of commerce, open to outsiders with fresh ideas. Aldus opened his own publishing house, the Aldine Press. His first book,
Constantine Lascaris’s Erotemata, was followed by more than 130 other titles, including works by both Aristotle and
Theophrastus. Much of what made Venice a cultural hub in the 15th century remains intact today, albeit often hidden and
protected from outsiders. It is possible to find a bar or café along a lonely canal where modern Venetians meet to share readings
and discuss their views on everything from theology to ancient history. “Aldus’s Venice is still here,” says Berra. *B* Yet the
purple sunsets and elegant palazzi along the Grand Canal haven’t changed much since Aldus’s time, and those remain open to all.
6 The techniques Aldus introduced were quickly copied across Italy, and later more broadly around Europe, with hardly
any credit given to the original printer. In 1502, when he printed Dante’s Divine Comedy, he introduced to the Aldine Press the
emblem of a dolphin wrapped around an anchor, inspired by the Latin motto festina lente. The emblem is still used by Doubleday
Books.
7 *C* In recent years, he has been the subject of two novels: The Rule of Four, by Ian Caldwell and Dustin Thomason,
published in 2004, and Robin Sloan’s 2012 best seller, Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore. The Rule of Four is a page-turner in
the style of The Da Vinci Code; the Sloan novel features a secret society of bibliophiles and code-breakers that, as imagined by
the author, originated with Aldus. In Italy today, his name has more mundane associations. “If you ask people who he was, they
might recognize his name as [that] of a street or their favourite restaurant or bar,” says Berra, but they wouldn’t be able to tell you
much more. “That is because historically typography is mistakenly considered a technique, not an art, but in reality it is as much
an art as many other Italian treasures.” In Aldus’s time, it also had a profound purpose: to promote reading as a more common
pursuit, and to spread knowledge as widely as possible. [2015]

Text Organization
Three of the five sentences below have been removed from the text and replaced by an asterisk and the letters
A, B and C, whereas the other two are from different sources. Identify which two sentences do not belong in
the text and write D in the space provided. Identify where the other three sentences belong (at *A, *B or *C)
and write the appopriate letter in the space provided.

1. ______ However, the giant software company, Aldus Corporation, is named in his honour.
2.______ Berra laments the fact that Aldus is appreciated more outside of Italy than he is at home.
3. ______ “But the Venetians keep it to themselves, far away from the tourists”.
4. ______ He was the type who knew the difference between fearing God and fearing the church.
5. ______ “He made the book an accessible vehicle of thought and communication”.
Comprehension: True or False
Choose True or False, based on what is written in the text.
6 __________ Few events have been dedicated to Aldus Manutius in Venice in the 500 th anniversary of his death.
7 __________ It is not certain why Aldus Manutius abandoned his birth town for Venice in the late 15 th century.
8 __________ Various books have been written about Aldus Manutius, including a biography by Robin Sloan.
9 __________ Aldus Manutius’ house is now a museum that can be visited by the public.
10 __________ Thanks to Aldus Manutius’ efforts, books became available to a much greater audience.

Comprehension: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
11. Which is the best title for the text?
A. New York celebrates an Italian icon
B. A visit to the typography museum of Venice
C. The man who changed reading forever
D. Literary culture is alive and well in Venice

12. What is this text?

A. a review B. a journal entry C. an interview
D. a magazine article E. an obituary

Vocabulary
Choose the definition or synonym that corresponds best to the word as it is used in the text.
13. miss (¶ 1)
A. fail to attend B. overlook C. misunderstand D. forget

14. views (¶ 2)
A. opinions B. sights C. considers D. scenes

15. eventually (¶ 4)
A. lately B perhaps C. possibly D. in the end

16. features (¶ 7)
A. depicts B. talks C. appears D. characters

Reference
What do the following words in the text refer to? Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
Example: This (¶ 1) = yellow palazzo
17. they (¶ 2) =
A. views B. books C. items D. monasteries

18. those (¶ 5) =
A. sunsets and palazzi B. Aldus’s Venice C. views D. Grand Canal

19. original printer (¶ 6) =

A. Doubleday Books B. Dante’s Divine Comedy C. Aldine Press emblem D. Aldus

20. That (¶ 7) =
A. mundane associations B the fact that few know who Aldus Manutius was
C. the fact that restaurants are named after Aldus Manutius D. if you ask people

WRITING (10 POINTS)

Write a 120-150-word composition on ONE of the following topics. It is possible to use ideas and expressions
from the text, but you cannot not copy more than three consecutive words. Your composition must be
organized into separate paragraphs and you must adhere to the word limit. You also need to invent an
appropriate title for your composition.
1. Discuss a book that you think everyone should read in their lifetime.

2. Explain some of the effects that technology has had on the way in which you read books.
3. Describe a city outside Italy that is renowned for its cultural heritage.

2. CULTURE: FOOD, LANGUAGE & CUSTOMS

Test Practice
For a digital version of this exercise, see Exercises from Selected Texts Triennale on
https://elearning.unito.it/scienzeumanistiche/course/view.php?id=1981

Grammar, Vocabulary and Verbs (10 points): Rosewater and Soda Bread
Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

Bahar Aminpour covered her head with the veil. She turned to the tarnished mirror in the
bedroom above the café. In this dim light, and with (1) {the – his – her – its} face concealed, her
profile took on entirely new dimensions; she could be anybody. Under this veil she (2) {was –
had – did – have} sixteen again, young and full of adventure. (…)
Suddenly she felt (3) {so – as – same – like} Scheherazade, that exotic princess with the
gift of tales, donning a servant’s chador to sneak out of her nightmarish palace. Just as
Scheherazade had done, Bahar had also covered herself. In fact, that morning when she slipped
out of the apartment she shared with her Iranian husband, she vowed she (4) {wouldn’t never
put – wouldn’t ever put – wouldn’t have ever put – would never have put} on another chador
or veil. (5) {Although – But – Despite – However} here she was, placing one on her own head.
Stranger things (6) {might to happen – happens – have happened – are happened} Bahar told
herself.
(7) {She having turned away – Had turned away – She turned away – Turning away}
from her reflection, she shuffled softly to the bedroom door; she had locked it as an extra
precaution. (8) {No-one – None – Anyone – Anybody} was with her; she was safe for at least
another quarter of an hour. Layla (9) {probably read – was probably reading – has probably
been reading – was probably been reading} …. And Marjan was in the kitchen.
Bahar held the dress up to her body and studied her reflection. Yes, everything had
changed once again; now she was happy to be alone, happy to (10) {try in – dress – put – wear}
a veil again.
[Adapted from M. Mehran, Rosewater and Soda Bread]
Test Practice

For a digital version of this exercise, see Exercises from Selected Texts Triennale on
https://elearning.unito.it/scienzeumanistiche/course/view.php?id=1981

Grammar, Vocabulary and Verbs (10 points): Nicotine

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
            German writer Gregor Hens smoked his first cigarette when he was five. His mother gave
it to him. It was New Year’s Eve. As Hens (1){tells~recounts~narrates~says} us in his memoir,
“Nicotine”, this experience eventually landed him with an addiction to nicotine. It also, he
believes, gave him the beginnings of a personality: “I became myself for the first time.” In any
case, it is by association with nicotine that Hens shows us (2){whatsoever~which~what~that}
he wants us to know about his life. People (3){going to connect~is connecting~will be
connected~will connect} his book with Aldous Huxley’s “Doors of Perception,” and I’m sure
Hens had that volume in mind, (4){contrary~yet~however~nevertheless} if “Nicotine” has a
literary progenitor I would say that it is “In Search of Lost Time,” in which Proust (5){was
making~ made~make~has made} the material of seven volumes bloom out of one French
cookie dunked in a cup of tea. “Nicotine” is (6) {bit~much~more~very} shorter, but Hens uses a
similar alchemy to transform the things of his world into a true poetic force.
            For example, Hens describes how he worked on his mother for months so he  (7){able to
stay up~ought to stay up~must stay up~could stay up} for New Year’s Eve. She insisted he
(8){will take~had to take~can take~must to take} a nap before the fireworks, which he did,
and then she came in to tenderly wake him at eleven-thirty. In this scene he allows himself to
cherish being mamma’s little boy, yet as the book progresses his mother turns out to be a mixed
business. She had problems with depression. Gregor grieves for her, but this does not prevent him
from (9) {have let~to let~letting~let}  us know the difficulties her illness created for (10)
{its~hers~their~her} sons. 
Test Practice
For a digital version of this exercise, see Exercises from Selected Texts Triennale on
https://elearning.unito.it/scienzeumanistiche/course/view.php?id=1981

Grammar, Vocabulary and Verbs (10 points): Cooking Club

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
            Texas cattle, Turkey Red Wheat and Pizza Hut have all helped build Wichita, Kansas, a
city on the Plains. And in its own quiet way, so has the Thursday Afternoon Cooking Club. (1)
{On~Since~For~From} the last 124 years, its members (2)  {had cooked~has cooked~have
cooked~are cooked} through generations of culinary trends both excellent and unfortunate,
holding together the oldest operating club devoted to the exchange of ideas in cooking and
domestic science.
            The club (3) {has~should~needs~ought} “stand for the higher and better things in life,”
its founder wrote, (4) {although~but~however~nevertheless} always honor practical cooking.
“What you are talking about is a live version of a community cookbook,”
(5) {asked~told~write~said} the journalist Laura Shapiro, who wrote about women who cooked
at the turn of the century in her book Perfection Salad. “The fundamental thing going on there,”
she added, “is very personal cooking with huge emotional value.”
            The recipes the cooking club codified may best be categorized as food that fed middle-
class America, reflecting both the nation’s penchant for fads and shortcuts, as well as  the
delicious power of a pork roast (6) {did~was~had~made} by someone who cares. The recipes
— (7) {example~such~like~as} chicken Florentine phyllo pie seasoned with curry powder, or
orange-scented muffins baked in extra-small tins — (8){will have debuted~may
debuted~might have debuted~can have debuted} in a traditional women’s magazine or a
mass-market cookbook, yet they had enough appeal to be prepared over and over again.
            The weight of all that history hovers over (9) {every~single~all~only} luncheon. Sure,
the members know a ladies’ cooking club is anachronistic; nonetheless, they feel like members of
a baseball team on a historic winning streak. No one wants to mess it up. So they follow the rules
as they (10) {wrote~are written~were written~have written}  in 1891.
Test Practice
For a digital version of this exercise, see Exercises from Selected Texts Triennale on
https://elearning.unito.it/scienzeumanistiche/course/view.php?id=1981

Grammar, Vocabulary and Verbs (10 points): Is the US a Christian Nation?

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
            Like counterfeit currency, once falsehoods begin to circulate they (1){would be~can to
be~must have been~able to be} surprisingly tenacious (2) {too~besides~even~just} when
there’s no backing for them. The only thing that matters is that people think they are true. Then,
just (3){so~when~as~like}   bad coins do, they surface again and again. One counterfeit idea
circulating with frustrating stubbornness is the claim that America (4){originated~were
originated~was originated~have originated}   as a Christian nation. It’s one of the Christian
Right’s mantras and a favorite talking point for televangelists, religious bloggers, lobbyists, and
pulpit preachers. Consider WallBuilders, a “national pro-family organization” founded by David
Barton. Called “America’s historian” by his admirers, Barton is a prolific writer of popular books
that push his Christian version of American history. And then there’s the Reverend Peter
Marshall. Before his death in 2010, he did everything he (5) {was able~could~can~may} to
“bring America back to its traditional moral and spiritual foundations,” as his still-active website
reports, by (6) {to say~asking~saying~telling} us the truth about “America’s Christian
heritage.” 
            And (7){in spite of~although~nonetheless~despite} many may not accept some of the
crazier evangelical claims, in recent years Americans (8) {has come~come~have come~is
come} to believe that their country was founded as a Christian nation mainly because the
Christian Right is selling its message effectively. A 2007 First Amendment Center poll reported
that over half of the population believes this intention is declared explicitly somewhere in the
Constitution. Conservative politicians are careful to echo the sentiment, even if they’re not
particularly religious themselves. John McCain, who usually left the Bible-thumping to his
running mate Sarah Palin, endorsed this belief during his 2008 bid for the presidency. So the
notion that America was founded as a Christian nation is widespread. In the currency of ideas,
it’s the ubiquitous penny. But like an actual penny, it doesn't have a lot of value. That so
(9) {lots~many~a lot~much} people think it does is largely because they don’t stop (10){for to
consider~considering~consider~to consider} what “founded as a Christian nation” might
signify. 
Test Practice
For a digital version of this exercise, see Exercises from Selected Texts Triennale on
https://elearning.unito.it/scienzeumanistiche/course/view.php?id=1981

Grammar, Vocabulary and Verbs (10 points): The Lowlands: The house
Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
                  The layout of the house was disorienting. The whitewash was (1)
{so~very~much~such} fresh that it rubbed off on his hand when he touched the walls. (2)
{Although~In spite of~Because~Even if} the new construction, the house felt unwelcoming.
There was more space (3){for withdraw~for to withdraw~to withdraw~withdrawing} to, to
sleep in, to be alone in. But no place (4){has designated~ had been designated~designated~is
designated} to gather together or  to accommodate guests.
              The terrace on the top floor was where his parents preferred to sit, the only part of the
house they seemed fully to possess. It was here that, after (5){returned~having returned~he
returning~was returned} from work, his father took the evening tea with them, on a pair of
simple wooden chairs. At that height the mosquitoes were (6){fewer~lesser~least~less}, and
when the current failed there was (7){again~however~yet~still} some breeze. His father didn’t
bother to unfold the newspaper. (8){His~Her~Him~Their} mother’s hands held no sewing.
Until it (9){hadn't grown~didn't grow~grew~grew not} dark, through the pattern of the trefoil
grill, they looked out at the neighbourhood; this seemed to be their only pastime. If the houseboy
was out on an errand, Gauri (10){was serving~will serve~would have served~would serve} tea.
But she never joined them. After her morning chores she kept to her own rooms, on the second
floor of the house. He noticed that his parents did not talk to her; that they scarcely acknowledged
her presence when she came into view.
Test Practice
For a digital version of this exercise, see Exercises from Selected Texts Triennale on
https://elearning.unito.it/scienzeumanistiche/course/view.php?id=1981

Grammar, Vocabulary and Verbs (10 points): The Lowlands: Bela

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
                  When he lived in Calcutta, Subhash’s life left almost (1){none~a~any~no} trace. He
could have put everything belonging to him into a single (2)
{grocer~grocerys'~grocery's~grocery} bag. When he was growing up in his parents’ house,
what had been his? His toothbrush, the cigarettes he and his brother Udayan (3){have
smoked~used to smoke~was smoking~were used to smoke} in secret. A few articles of
clothing. Until he (4){go~went not~went~didn't go} to America he had belonged to his parents
and to Udayan, and they to him. That was all.
              Here he had been quietly successful, (5){founded~which he found~finding~he
found} work, and had had the means to send Bela to college. It had been enough. But he was still
too weak to (6){say~tell~talk~recount} Bela what she deserved to know. He (7){has still been
pretending~was still pretending~was still pretended~still pretends} to be her father. Udayan
had been right in calling him self-serving. The need to reveal the truth terrified him. It was the (8)
{more great~greater~most great~greatest} unfinished business of his life. Bela was strong
enough to handle it, and yet,  because she was all he loved, he could not muster the strength…
One day he would die, (9){like~as~how~such as} Richard, leaving other people to puzzle over
his things. Already his brain had stopped holding on to information he would (10){every
time~no~ever~never} need again. So much of what occupied his mind was negligible. There
was only one thing, the story of Udayan, that he wanted to lay bare.   
Extra Practice

Grammar and Vocabulary (10 points): Three Men in a Boat

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

We roamed about Sonning (1)… an hour or so and then we decided to go back to one of the
Shiplake islands, and put up there for the night. It was (2)… early when we got settled, and
George said that (3)… we had plenty of time, it would be a splendid opportunity to make a good
supper. He suggested that with the vegetables and general odds and ends we (4)… make an Irish
stew.
It seemed a fascinating idea. George gathered wood and (5)… a fire, and Harris and I
started to peel the potatoes. I should never have thought that peeling potatoes was such an
undertaking. The job turned out to be the biggest thing of its kind I have (6)… been in. The more
we peeled, the more peel there seemed to be left on; by the time we had got all the peel off, there
was no potato left – at (7)… none worth speaking of. […]
I forget the other ingredients, but I know (8)… was wasted, and I remember that towards
the end, Montmorency, who had shown great interest in what was going on, went away and then
reappeared a few minutes (9)… with a dead water-rat in his mouth, (10)… he evidently wished to
present as his contribution to the dinner.
[Jerome K. Jerome, Three Men in a Boat]
1. A. since B. from C. for D. until
2. A. ever B. still C. already D. just
3. A. so B. why C. like D. as
4. A. can B. have C. should D. ought
5. A. put B. did C. made D. constructed
6. A. ever B. never C. no D. always
7. A. late B. least C. last D. later
8. A. no-one B. nothing C. anything D. someone
9. A. after all B. late C. later D. then
10. A. where B. whose C. that D. which
Extra Practice

Grammar and Vocabulary (10 points): A Crazy Tale

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

It is incredible, but true, that a young man sat _1_ of me in a restaurant and _2_ me the
story recorded here.
He was a tall man, _3_ a formal coat and silk hat. His tone was low and casual, his
manner simple and very slow, and his bleak blue eyes did not _4_ change. Anyone just __5__
metres away would have supposed he was describing, in a rather leisurely way, an opera or a
cycling tour. I was the only one who _6_ to the words. _7_ that day on I have gone about ready
for the Apocalypse, expecting the news of some incalculable revolution in human affairs, _8_ I
know that we have reached a new era in history: the creation of a second Adam.
He spoke as follows, between the puffs of a cigar: “I can expect _9_ to believe this story.
Only in some wild hour of a windy night, when we could believe anything, when the craziest of
old wives is more intelligent _10_ all the schools of reason, when we could see the apple-tree
grow lemons, and the cow lay eggs; then, in the ear and coarsely, let this tale be told.
[Adapted from Gilbert Keith Chesterton; A Crazy Tale]

1. A. contrary B. next C. opposite D. in front

2. A. spoke B. asked C. told D. said
3. A. dressing B. dressed C. wearing D. clothing
4. A. always B. no C. ever D. never
5. A. a little B. a few C. few D. little
6. A. waited B. felt C. heard D. listened
7. A. From B. On C. For D. After
8. A. viewing B. although C. since D. while
9. A. somebody B. one C. anyone D. no one
10. A. than B. then C. from D. of
Extra Practice

Grammar and Vocabulary (10 points): The God of Small Things

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

Mammachi had started making pickles commercially soon _1_ Pappachi retired from
Government service in Delhi and came to live in Ayemenem. The Kottayam Bible Society was
having a fair and asked Mammachi to make _2_ of her famous banana jam and tender mango
pickle. It sold quickly, and Mammachi found that she had _3_orders than she could cope with.
Thrilled with her success, she decided to persist with the pickles and jam, and soon found herself
busy all year round. Pappachi, for his part, was having _4_ coping with the ignominy of
retirement. He was seventeen years older than Mammachi, and realized with a shock that he was
an old man when his wife was _5_ in her prime.
_6_ Mammachi had conical corneas and was already practically blind, Pappachi would
not help her with the pickle-making, because he did not consider pickle-making a suitable_7_ for
a high-ranking ex-Government official. He slouched around the compound in his immaculately
tailored _8_, weaving sullen circles around mounds of red chillies and freshly powdered yellow
turmeric, _9_ Mammachi as she supervised the buying, the weighing, the salting and drying, of
limes and tender mangoes. Every night he beat her with a brass flower vase. _10_ night Pappachi
even broke the bow of Mammachi’s violin.

1. A. afterwards B. after C. later D. late

2. A. few B. any C. some D. one
3. A. much B. most C. many D. more
4. A. disturb B. trouble C. difficult D. problem
5. A. however B. even C. yet D. still
6. A. In spite of B. Despite C. Though D. Regardless
7. A. job B. work C. labour D. tasks
8. A. clothes B. dresses C. cloth D. customs
9. A. viewing B. waiting C. watching D. looking
10. A. Some B. A C. The D. One
Extra Practice

Verbs (10 points): Food Revolution

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

On the shop shelves, in canteens and, most importantly, in homes, a quiet revolution
(1)_____. People have started to eat more healthily.
Market research shows that a sharp divide (2)_____ between the sales of healthy and
unhealthy foods. In a new initiative, government advisers recommended yesterday that chocolates,
sweets and fizzy drinks ought (3)_____ from all school vending machines. The recommendations
come from the School Food Trust, which (4)_____ by ministers after Jamie Oliver’s Channel 4
series about school dinners last year.
A recent survey of 3,000 Britons paints a picture of rising consumption of fresh produce and
more home cooking. Where once people (5)_____ have eaten crisps, they now snack on dried fruit.
Paul Moody, head of Britvic, which makes drinks such as Tango and 7Up, (6)_____ to
reporters in an interview in February: “The decline this year has been more severe than anything in
the past.” The soft drinks company (7)_____ £136m in share value yesterday. McDonald’s was
another casualty this week when it revealed that falling UK sales (8)_____ global profits.
With makers of unhealthy foods (9)_____ tens of millions of pounds, a race has begun in the
food industry to reformulate products to appeal to health-conscious shoppers. It is too early to say
whether the changes (10)_____ health, but the healthy eating trend appears to be well underway.
[The Independent, 3/3/06]

1. A. is now happened B. now happens C. now happened D. is now happening

2. A. opening up B. opens up C. has opened up D. is opened up

3. A. to be removed B. remove C. be removed D. are removed

4. A. founded B. was founded C. was found D. found

5. A. had to B. might C. can D. should

6. A. has said B. told C. has asked D. explained

7. A. is dropped B. has dropped C. drop D. dropped

8. A. are damaged B. had damage C. were damaging D. would have damaged

9. A. losing B. lose C. lost D. have lost

10.A. is improving B. are improved C. will be improved D. are going to improve

Extra Practice

Verbs (10 points): Caffè Al Bicerin

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

If you (1)_____ through the doorway of Caffè Al Bicerin on your next trip to Turin, Italy,
you will enter a sanctuary of sweets. Shelves behind the counter hold dozens of glass jars full of
rainbow-colored candies. This wondrous space (2)_____ best of all for its version of the city’s
beloved bicerin, a beverage (3)_____ chocolate, cream, and espresso. Although a café (4)_____
on these premises in 1763, Al Bicerin took its current name a half century or so later, when the
drink (5)_____ popular. While there (6)_____ be some debate among Turinese about which café
first created bicerin, all agree that it is descended from the warm 17th-century brew called
bavareisa, a blend of coffee, chocolate, and milk. In contrast, the revised concoction was
carefully composed of discrete layers – its ingredients poured separately into a small clear glass
called a bicerin.
During the 1800s, cafés were primarily the province of men, but that changed when
women took over the operation of Al Bicerin and made it one of the few places in town civilized
enough for unaccompanied females. It was a place (7)_____ chocolate, nibble on spoonfuls of
zabaione, or, most daringly, enjoy a glass of vermouth. Over the centuries, the café (8)_____ a
long line of artists and intellectuals, such as the Count of Cavour, Alexandre Dumas, Friedrich
Nietzsche, and Italo Calvino. “If you are a very famous person, you can sit there and read, and
nobody (9)_____ you,” the owner, Alberto Landi, (10)_____ of the café as he prepares yet
another bicerin. [Afar, 7/11]

1 A. to step B. would step C. will step D. step

2 A. is known B. knows C. has known D. known
3 A. containedB. contains C. is containing D. containing
4 A. had originally opened B. has originally opening
C. is originally opened D. was originally to open
5 A. become B. became C. is become D. used to become
6 A. can’t B. ought C. may D. would have
7 A. drink B. for to drink C. to drink D. drinking
8 A. also attracts B. has also attracted C. is also attracted D. was also attracted
9 A. has disturbed B. disturb C. disturbs D. is disturbing
10 A. spoke B. tell C. says D. asks
Extra Practice

Verbs (10 points): Medieval Diet

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

Life in the middle ages, we (1)_____ , was nasty, brutish and short. But now one
pharmacy chain would have us believe that there are lifestyle lessons (2)_____ from medieval
England. Our ancestors may have died from smallpox and pestilence, but they did so, it seems,
with athletic figures and clean arteries. Research (3)_____ the average medieval diet was a model
for healthy living: low in saturated fats, high in vegetables, and supplemented by a working life
of invigorating outdoor exercise.
So (4)_____ we all be following the Medieval Diet? Well, yes and no. We could do a lot
worse than model ourselves on a medieval farmer, (5)_____ pulses and wholegrains, home-
grown fruit and vegetables, a little meat and fish, and no refined sugar, the whole lot (6)_____
with weak ale (safer than drinking dirty water).
The diet of the average aristocrat, however, was more alarming. Conspicuous
consumption was the order of the day; the wealthy (7)_____ vegetables in favour of gigantic
quantities of meat and fish (often salted, thanks to the fact that fridges (8)_____ ), followed by
elaborate sugary confections and creamy custards. And they cultivated a taste for expensive
wines on top of their usual daily allowance of eight pints of beer.
That, of course, raises the interesting question of how much of world history (9)_____ by
the ruling classes being drunk all the time. As for the medieval diet, the real lesson is of global
importance: the rich (10)_____ too much meat, salt and sugar, leaving the poor uncertain of being
able to eat at all.
[Adapted from an article by Helen Castor in The Guardian, 19/12/07]

1. A. are usually told B. usually telling C. are usually say D. are usually said

2. A. that learning B. for learn C. of learn D. to be learned

3. A. will show B. shows C. is shown D. showing

4. A. have B. should C. ought D. will

5. A. who has eaten B. who eat C. eating D. that eating

6. A. washed down B. to washing down C. wash down D. be washed down

7. A. were reject B. have rejected C. rejected D. is rejecting

8. A. were yet been invented B. weren’t yet be invented

C. haven’t yet been invented D. hadn’t yet been invented

9. A. can be explained B. may explaining C. may to be explain D. can explain

10.A. did always eaten B. have always eaten C. has always eat D. used always eat
Extra Practice

Verbs (10 points): Languages in New York City

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

The chances of __1__ a conversation in Vlashki, a variant of Istro-Romanian, are greater

in Queens than in the remote mountain villages in Croatia. At a Roman Catholic church in the
Bronx, Mass __2__once a month in Garifuna, an Arawakan language that originated with
descendants of African slaves shipwrecked in the Caribbean and later exiled to Central America.
Today, Garifuna is virtually as common in the Bronx and in Brooklyn as in Honduras and Belize.
And Rego Park, Queens, is home to Husni Husain, who __3__ the only person in New
York who speaks Mamuju, the Austronesian language he learned growing up in the Indonesian
province of West Sulawesi. Mr. Husain, 67, has nobody to talk to, not even his wife or children.
“My wife is from Java, and my children __4__ in Jakarta — they __5__ with the Mamuju,” he
said. “I only speak Mamuju when I go back or when I talk to my brother on the telephone.”
These are just some of the languages that make New York the most linguistically diverse
city in the world. They are part of a remarkable treasure of endangered tongues that __6__ in
New York in recent years. With as many as 800 languages spoken in New York now, the city
__7__ ways to keep these endangered languages alive.
Daniel Kaufman, an adjunct professor of linguistics at the Graduate Center of the City
University of New York __8__ reporters: “We’re sitting in a hot spot where we are surrounded
by languages that __9__ around even in 20 or 30 years.” In an effort to keep those voices alive,
Professor Kaufman has helped start a project, the Endangered Language Alliance, __10__ and
record dying languages. New York has become a Babel in reverse. (Sam Roberts,
NYTimes 5/2010)

1 A. overhear B. to overhear C. overhearing D. for overhear

2 A. has said B. is said C. says D. has been said
3 A. might be B. can be C. ought to be D. doesn’t have to be
4 A. born B. are born C. were born D. have been born
5 A. don’t ever socialize B. no ever socialize C. aren’t ever socializing D. not ever socializing
6 A. take root B. have taken root C. were taken root D. taking root
7 A. would look for B. looked for C. looks for D. is looking for
8 A. told B. explained C. said D. asked
9 A. are not being B. will not be C. are not to be D. not going to be
10 A. to identify B. for to identify C. to identifying D. identifies
Extra Practice

Verbs (10 points): Debaptism

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

For many of us in Western nations, it's our first 'public' appearance, a landmark event in
our infancy, but one that we __1__ remember nothing about. Of course, I’m referring to infant
baptism. Later, in adult life, however, this routine acknowledgement of faith __2__ seen as an
imposition and some want to formally cancel it out in an act of debaptism.
This is exactly what John Smith, a 56 year-old nurse from South London, __3__ in 2009,
in a landmark case which brought the term debaptism into the media, raising general awareness.
Smith argued that, as a baby, he had no say in the fact that he __4__ into Christianity; Smith
wanted his baptism to be 'undone' because he __5__ God since early adolescence. Becoming
debaptised proved more difficult than expecteD. Although Roman Catholic law today, which
__6__ a person's baptism as membership of the church, allows debaptism, __7__ it a 'formal act
of defection' from the faith, the Church of England __8__ debaptism. His diocese __9__ him that
the best way to renounce his baptism was to make a statement in the London Gazette, an official
journal dating back to the 17th century. With the assistance of the UK's National Secular Society,
he managed __10__ a debaptism certificate. (NYTIMES 19/12/09)

1 A. should B. must C. can D. could

2 A. may be B. may C. may have been D. are
3 A. has done B. did C. is done D. was doing
4 A. had initiated B. is initiated C. has been initiated D. was initiated
5 A. has rejected B. rejects C. is rejecting D. is rejected
6 A. has viewed B. is viewed C. is viewing D. views
7 A. for calling B. calling C. to call D. for to be called
8 A. will register not B. will not register C. not going to register D. are not registered
9 A. told B. said C. explained D. questioned
10 A. for acquire B. acquiring C. acquire D. to acquire
Extra Practice

Verbs (10 points): Roosevelt and Coffee

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
Theodore Roosevelt famously possessed such formidable natural energy that he __1__ at
Harvard as a “locomotive in human pants.” Indeed, as a sickly child, he had received strong cups
of coffee __2__ his terrible asthma attacks. So perhaps it’s no surprise to learn that his children
opened a chain of coffeehouses in New York City. Long before Starbucks, the Brazilian Coffee
House __3__ quality coffee and a sociable public space to New Yorkers.
The siblings were part of a tight-knit group. Their 43-year-old father, the youngest
president to date, not only tolerated his six children’s antics but frequently encouraged them.
__4__ of their plan to “attack” the White House, he sent the children an ultimatum through the
War Department.
It was Kermit Roosevelt, then 29, who first presented the idea of the coffeehouse to his
brothers and sisters. He __5__ a few years in South America visiting the region’s coffeehouses,
which not only served up fresh-ground beans but also had a much more leisurely pace than those
in the States.
At the time, the idea of __6__ customers to linger was virtually unheard of in the US, as
was using premium, fresh-ground coffee. Most coffee __7__ in restaurants or at home was instant
—a habit dating back to World War I soldiers who __8__ with coffee powder.
The Roosevelts’ Brazilian Coffee House opened in November 1919. Each table had a
compartment furnished with ink, envelopes and paper, and customers __9__ dictionaries and
encyclopedias (the free Internet of the day) there. “What we desire to do,” Philip Roosevelt
__10__ a reporter, “is to provide a place for people to come, where they can talk, write letters, eat
sandwiches and cake, and above all, drink real coffee.” (December 2014)

1 A. knew B. known C. has known D. was known

2 A. to ease B. ease C. for to ease D. easing
3 A. brings B. brought C. has been brought D. was brought
4 A. Heard B. Having heard C. Had heard D. Was heard
5 A. had recently spent B. recently spent C. was recently spending D. has recently spent
6 A. encouraged B. to encourage C. encourage D. encouraging
7 A. been served B. serving C. served D. was served
8 A. were been supplied B. supplied C. was supplied D. had been supplied
9 A. should consult B. could consult C. can consult D. may consult
10 A. spoke B. replied C. told D. said
Extra Practice

Verbs (10 points): The Future of Languages

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
Science fiction visions of the future focus on soaring skylines and flying cars, but the
world in 100 years (1)_____ not only look different, but sound different too. While more than
6,000 languages (2)_____ globally at present, less than 600 are likely to endure in 2115, and they
could be simplified versions of what we recognise today, one linguist (3)_____.
Dr John McWhorter considers that a sci-fi reality where everyone on Earth speaks a
single, universally understood language is ‘impossible’, also (4)_____ a Tower of Babel-like
scenario. ‘A language is not just a collection of words and rules; it's part of a culture, learned
early, used with kids, the vehicle of the most intimate and warm feelings,’ he (5)_____. ‘When it
comes to large, solid cultures, it's hard to imagine that Italian parents, for example, would start
using English with their children and reading to them in English. ‘The only way this would
happen is if population movements (6)_____ so rampant that a critical mass of people broke
away from their cultural milieu. ‘That is unlikely. So, 6000 languages? No. Four languages?
Equally impossible.’
Dr McWhorter thinks the languages people will speak in 100 years’ time will be less
complicated. In his opinion, the process of simplification started when people decided (7)_____
to different parts of the planet, so that adults started to learn new languages that were useful for
them – usually neglecting the details. The second wave of simplification happened when African
slaves (8)_____ to plantations and adults (9)_____ learn a new language extremely fast. Because
they typically learnt a few hundred words and a very basic sentence structure, slaves often
invented their own language to fill in gaps of meaning, resulting in Creole languages. Now
modern population movements (10)_____ a third wave of language streamlining.
[January 2015]

1. A. can B. does C. must D. may

2. A. speaking B. are spoken C. spoken D. being spoken
3. A. claim B. has claimed C. claiming D. is claimed
4. A. ruling out B. ruled out C. rules out D. will rule out
5. A. tells B. explains C. denies D. replies
6. A. are B. will be C. were D. would be
7. A. travelling B. travel C. travelled D. to travel
8. A. taken B. taking C. were taken D. are taken
9. A. had to B. have to C. must D. ought
10. A. to create B. creating C. are created D. are creating
Test Practice
For a digital version of this exercise, see Exercises from Selected Texts Triennale on
https://elearning.unito.it/scienzeumanistiche/course/view.php?id=1981
Reading/Writing (10 + 10 points): Anglo-Indians
Read the following text and answer the questions.
Vocabulary (2 points): Choose the definition or synonym that corresponds best to the word in italics as it is
used in the text.
Text Organization (2 points): Choose the most appropriate missing sentence.
1            Southall, in west London, contains the first pub in Britain to accept rupees. Its railway station signs are written in English
and Punjabi, and its main streets are alive all year with street food stalls, colourful saris and Bhangra music. It's the country's most
concentrated population of Indians. MISSING SENTENCE A: {Other typical dishes include Country Captain Chicken and
Railway Lamb Curry - a memory of the subcontinent's railways on which many Anglo-Indians worked. // Indeed, I was
the only white person on my avenue in the years before I left. // Most of the Anglo-Indians were more ‘Anglo’ than
‘Indian’. // According to the Anglo-Indians who have settled in Australia, integration has for the most part not been
difficult. } My mother is Anglo-Indian, raised  {promoted~lifted~increased~brought up} in Jamshedpur, near Calcutta, before
moving eventually to London's own ‘Little India’. After she married a Welshman, I and my siblings were born fair with blue eyes.
We are symptomatic of the biggest problem facing the global Anglo-Indian community - it is dying out.
2            The definition of Anglo-Indian has become looser  {unsuccessful~less widely used~more general~more negative} in
recent decades. It can now denote any mixed British-Indian parentage, but for many its primary meaning refers to people of
longstanding mixed lineage, dating back up to 300 years into the subcontinent's colonial past. In the 18th century, the British East
India Company followed previous Dutch and Portuguese settlers in encouraging employees to marry native women and plant
roots. By the late 19th century, however, after the Suez Canal's construction had made the long journey shorter, British women
were arriving in greater numbers, and mixed marriages dwindled.
3            When the British finally departed in 1947, they left behind a Westernised mixed-race subpopulation of about 300,000,
who weren't necessarily glad to see them leave. ‘The Anglo-Indians, left in a twilight zone of uncertainty, felt a bitter sense of
betrayal,’ explains Margaret Deefholts, the author of two books on Anglo-Indians. ‘And dismay at the fact that Britain made no
effort to offer them any hospitality in the land of their forefathers.’   MISSING SENTENCE B: {Other typical dishes include
Country Captain Chicken and Railway Lamb Curry - a memory of the subcontinent's railways on which many Anglo-
Indians worked. // Indeed, I was the only white person on my avenue in the years before I left. // Most of the Anglo-Indians
were more ‘Anglo’ than ‘Indian’. // According to the Anglo-Indians who have settled in Australia, integration has for the
most part not been difficult. } Only darker complexions betrayed their origins. Otherwise, they dressed like the British, their
mother tongue was English, with an accentual twang of Indian, and they were Christians. The unique hybrid culture behind the
Anglo-Indian identity is expiring, diluted through intermarriage. ‘I'm part of that culture now rapidly disappearing as the younger
generations merge - as they should - into the mainstream of their adopted countries,’ says Deefholts, who left India for Canada.
4            It's uncertain how many Anglo-Indians remain in India, uncounted since a 1941 census. But the estimated 125,000, living
mostly in Calcutta and Madras, are enacting the same assimilation.  ‘Previously, the community was too Anglicised - clinging to
English traditions and customs,’ explains Philomena Eaton, leader of the Calcutta Anglo-Indian Service Society. ‘But today it's
clearly visible that they are much more integrated into society in customs, language, clothing, social interactions, etc. Many
Anglos today can easily converse in Hindi and Bengali.’ It's a significant turnaround for the community in India, which rarely
married Indians before 1947. After that date, they saw employment opportunities diminished by their inability to speak local
languages. 
5            I will be meeting hundreds more Anglo-Indians at what might be one of the last triennial Anglo-Indian Reunions in
Calcutta in January. Soon all that might remain of Britain's human legacy in India are these memories and faded photos.              
True or False (4 points): Base your answers on what is written in the text.
1 __________ The last count of Anglo-Indians conducted in India took place nearly 80 years ago.
2 __________ Margaret Deefholts disapproves of the fact that young Anglo-Indians today blend in with the identity of the
country where they live.
3 __________ When the British left India, they made no special arrangements to resettle Anglo-Indians in Britain.
4 __________ Intermarriage between Britons and Indians decreased in India prior to the building of the Suez Canal.
Main idea and text type (2 points)
1. Which is the best title for the text? {An Anglo-Indian family’s journey from India to the United Kingdom~Anglo-Indians:
Is their culture dying out?~The lasting effects of the British Empire on India~A family reunion in India}
2. Which newspaper section did this article appear in?{education~book reviews~the economy~obituaries~world culture}
WRITING (10 POINTS)
Write a 120-150-word composition on ONE of the following topics. It is possible to use ideas and expressions from the text,
but you cannot not copy more than three consecutive words. Your composition must be organized into separate
paragraphs and you must adhere to the word limit. You also need to invent an appropriate title for your composition.
1. Discuss why you think it is important or not for immigrants to conserve their culture in their new country. Give examples.
2. How much do you know about your family’s history? What have you inherited from it? Be specific.
3. How have immigrants to Italy contributed to social change?
Extra Practice
Reading / Writing: Gene Smith and Tibetan Culture
Read the following text and answer the questions.
1 Gene Smith, who died on December 16 aged 74, was long regarded as the most knowledgeable of all Western scholars
of Tibet and as the person who almost single-handedly ensured the survival of Tibetan literature after the Chinese invasion in
1950.
2 Smith had travelled to India in 1965 to carry out research for a doctoral thesis on Tibetan literature, one of the most
complex and extensive written cultures in the world. But by the time he arrived many dpe cha – the long, rectangular woodblock
prints wrapped in cloth that are Tibetan books – had been lost or annihilated following the Chinese invasion of Tibet 15 years
earlier. *A
3 At the time of his arrival in the region, Communist Party zealots were roaming the Tibetan countryside, destroying the
monasteries that served as Tibet's libraries, printing presses and schools. Six years previously, however, the Dalai Lama and
80,000 other Tibetans had fled across the Himalayas to the safety of India and Nepal, carrying with them dpe cha that in many
cases they regarded as their most precious possessions. Smith took it upon himself to trace copies of whatever works of Tibetan
literature remained. He was armed with a list of the most important works in the Tibetan corpus, given to him before he left the
United States by a famous Tibetan lama-scholar, Deshung Rinpoche, who had been brought by the Rockefeller Foundation to
Seattle in 1959 to help in the teaching of Tibetan there.
4 In India, Smith learnt of other crucial texts from exiled lamas and scholars and gradually was able to locate rare and
precious manuscripts. By 1985, when he left India, he had amassed a collection of some 12,000 volumes, widely considered the
largest and most important of its kind in the world outside China. But Smith was not interested in collecting: what mattered to him
was the distribution of knowledge. He found his solution in an arcane project run by the Library of Congress known as the Public
Law 480 programme, through which the American government dispensed excess grain supplies to India and received notional
payment in the form of culture, such as books.
5 In 1968 he joined the New Delhi office of the Library of Congress as a consultant, and by 1980 had risen to become
Field Director of its South Asia office. The programme allowed him to purchase Tibetan books from the refugees and to print
copies – usually 20 or so – which he and his team then shipped to research institutions in the United States. The texts covered not
just religion and philosophy, but also art, medicine, astronomy, history and biography. This more than anything made possible the
flourishing of advanced Tibetan studies in the United States and the world beyond. Leonard van der Kuijp, professor of Tibetan
studies at Harvard, described Smith as having "single-handedly put Tibetan studies on the map... Tibetan literary culture was one
of the most prodigious in the world."
6 Ellis Gene Smith was born at Ogden, Utah, on August 10 1936. *B He was formidably intelligent as well as
enterprising, and went on to study at small colleges in the north-west of the United States and at the University of Utah before
turning to Asian studies at the University of Washington in Seattle in 1960. In 1964 he travelled to Leiden in Holland for
advanced studies in Sanskrit and Pali (the language of the earliest Buddhist scriptures).
7 Professionally, Smith was a librarian, and after leaving the New Delhi office of the Library of Congress in 1985, he
went on to serve with it in Jakarta (1985-94) and in Cairo (1994-97), becoming expert in Indonesian and Egyptian cultures too (he
was said to have been able to read in 32 languages). He took early retirement in 1996 and returned to the United States, where he
worked as acquisitions editor for a Buddhist publishing company. But with his customary insistence on doing one job in the
daytime and several others in the early hours, he had already started a project in 1999 which would again revolutionise Tibetan
studies. Called the Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center, it was to repeat digitally what he had achieved on paper 30 years before.
Smith devoted the rest of his life to adding to his 12,000 volumes, scanning them, and placing them online. By the time of his
death he and his team of 12 had scanned seven million pages of text. The online database (www.tbrC.org) contains information
on all Tibetan literary works and authors and is searchable in English, Tibetan and Chinese. *C
8 Gene Smith received many awards, but perhaps the most moving accolade came in January 2010, when representatives
of more than 300 Tibetan Buddhist monasteries in Tibet, India, Nepal and Bhutan unanimously nominated him for a lifetime
achievement award. The ceremony was held in Bodhgaya, Bihar, India, where the Buddha gained enlightenment some 2,550
years ago. (Jan. 2011)
Text Organization
Three of the five sentences below have been removed from the text and replaced by an asterisk and the letters
A, B and C, whereas the other two are from different sources. Identify which two sentences do not belong in
the text and write D in the space provided. Identify where the other three sentences belong (at *A, *B or *C)
and write the appopriate letter in the space provided.
1. ______ He showed early signs of initiative by selling fudge ice lollies while still at school.
2. ______ So, instead of writing a dissertation about the Tibetan corpus, Gene Smith devoted his life to recovering it,
one volume at a time.
3. ______ It is used by some 3,000 people a day and has become the premier site for Tibetological research in the
United States, and perhaps the world.
4. ______ She has been instrumental in keeping it alive.
5. ______ A year later, he won the fellowship from the Ford Foundation which enabled him to go to India.
Comprehension: True or False
Choose True or False, based on what is written in the text.
6. __________ Smith was highly regarded both by Western scholars and Tibetan monks.
7. __________ Many Tibetans, including the Dalai Lama, escaped to India and Nepal in the early 1950s.
8. __________ After a long career spent abroad, Smith decided to retire and return to the US, where he practised
Buddhism.
9. __________ Smith’s first trip abroad was to India in 1965.
10. __________ The Tibetan dpe cha included texts dealing with both humanistic and scientific subjects.

Comprehension: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
11. Which statement best summarizes the text?
A. A librarian who dedicated his life to preserving Tibetan heritage has passed away.
B. A Western Buddhist has made Tibet and its culture accessible to everyone.
C. Thanks to Tibetan monks, many ancient texts were saved from being destroyed during the Chinese invasion.
D. Many Tibetan documents are now available online.

12. Where did this text most likely appear?

A. in a dictionary B. in a journal
C. in a university catalogue D. in a travel brochure E. in a daily

Vocabulary
Choose the definition or synonym that corresponds best to the word as it is used in the text.
13. doctoral (¶ 2)
A. special B. Ph.D. C. degree D. medical
14. trace (¶ 3)
A. copy B. tracks C. discover D. look
15. run (¶ 4)
A. organized B. raced C. manager D. course
16. scanned (¶ 7)
A. observed B. studied C. examined D. copied

Reference
What do the following words in the text refer to? Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
Example: who (¶ 1) = Gene Smith
17. there (¶ 3)
A. in the United States B. in Seattle C. in Tibet D. in India and Nepal
18. its (¶ 4)
A. volumes B. Smith C. kind D. collection
19. This (¶ 5)
A. texts B. the fact that Smith shipped many texts to research institutions
C. Smith D. the flourishing of advanced Tibetan studies
20. it (¶ 7)
A. Library of Congress B. New Delhi office C. expert in Indonesian and Egyptian cultures D.Jakarta and Cairo

WRITING (10 POINTS)

Write a 120-150-word composition on ONE of the following topics. It is possible to use ideas and expressions
from the text, but you cannot not copy more than three consecutive words. Your composition must be
organized into separate paragraphs and you must adhere to the word limit. You also need to invent an
appropriate title for your composition.

1. Describe a memorable experience you have had as a university student.

2. Talk about a literary work that has left a mark on you.
3. Imagine you had to abandon your country for ever. Talk about one personal item that you would take with you.
Extra Practice
Reading / Writing: The Columbian Exchange
Read the following text and answer the questions.
1 At his home in rural Massachusetts, Charles C. Mann likes to eat food that has traveled directly from his own garden:
heirloom tomatoes, eggplant, bell peppers, kale, chard, lettuce and other foods for his table. He and his family belong to a farm-
share program in which they advance money each year to a farmer a few miles away in return for the farm’s crops. He loves local
food, but he knows too much about it to be a truly devout ‘locavore’, that is, someone who only eats produce grown locally.
2 Mr. Mann realizes that even though these foods are growing close to his home, most of the plant species are not native
to Eastern North America. They grow there today only because they were brought there from other parts of the world, many years
ago. While today’s locavores worry about the sustainability of the globalized modern system of agriculture, Mr. Mann sees
today’s food system as nothing new. The foods we consider local are results of a globalization process that has been in operation
for more than five centuries, ever since Columbus landed in the New World. Suddenly all the continents were linked, mixing
plants and animals that had evolved separately for millenia.
3 What resulted, Mr. Mann argues in his fascinating new book, “1493: Uncovering the New World Columbus Created,”
was a new epoch in human life, the Homogenocene. For the first time, crops, worms, parasites and people traveled among Europe,
the Americas, Africa and Asia — the Columbian Exchange, as it was dubbed by the geographer Alfred W. Crosby. “The
Columbian Exchange,” Mr. Mann writes, “is the reason there are tomatoes in Italy, oranges in the United States, chocolates in
Switzerland and chili peppers in Thailand. To ecologists, the Columbian Exchange is arguably the most important event since the
death of the dinosaurs.”
4 The consequences were devastating for many ecosystems and people conquered by Europeans. Prior to Columbus,
nearly all the large cities were in warm regions outside Europe. *A After the Columbian Exchange, the cities of Europe became
the planet’s boom towns, and it wasn’t just because of the Europeans’ culture and guns. Europeans prevailed by changing
ecosystems, often in inadvertent ways that have only recently been measured by scientists. The earthworms that traveled with the
English settlers to Jamestown destroyed the forests and the crops of the Indians. The island of Hispaniola was overrun by fire ants
after the Spanish arrived. Throughout the Americas, the settlers introduced organisms that spread horrific epidemics like malaria,
yellow fever and smallpox. Meanwhile people in Europe were gaining nutritional benefits from the Columbian Exchange. *B
5 Mr. Mann has come to sympathize with both sides in the debate over globalization. The opponents of globalization
correctly realize that trade produces unpredictable and destructive consequences, he says, but globalization also leads to more and
better food, better health, longer life and other benefits that affluent Western locavores take for granted. “The lesson of history is
that the costs are high — and higher than the advocates of free trade often admit — but the gains are higher still,” he said in an
interview.
6 That lesson, though, has always run counter to the intuition of people all over the world. Like today’s locavores,
monarchs in Spain and China during the 16th century were deeply suspicious of becoming dependent on foreign food. *C
“People in Brazil still talk bitterly about the Brits stealing their rubber seeds and planting them in Asia,” Mr. Mann said.
“Brazilians will denounce this horrible ‘bio-piracy’ while they’re standing in front of fields of bananas and coffee – plants that
originated in Africa.” Two other leading crops in Brazil, soybeans and sugar, he noted, are from Asia. “There’s no way the
Industrial Revolution could have occurred so quickly and so widely if the world had depended solely on Brazilian rubber trees,”
Mr. Mann said. Indeed, the Asian plantations proved crucial when Brazilian trees were struck by disease.
7 “On the whole, there are lots more winners than losers from the Columbian Exchange,” Mr. Mann said. “I don’t want to
tell Italians they can’t have tomatoes, or people in Sichuan they can’t have peppers. I know nothing in my garden is native, but I
still have this idiotic feeling that it’s my home.” How does he reconcile this feeling with this book? What’s a locavore to do? Mr.
Mann doesn’t presume to dictate anyone’s food preferences, but he does offer one tip for locavores: go easy on the preaching.
“I’m willing to pay more to get fresh vegetables grown by nice people farming nearby,” he said. “But if your concern is
to produce the maximum amount of food possible for the lowest cost, which is a serious concern around the world for people who
aren’t middle-class foodies like me, this seems like a crazy luxury. It doesn’t make sense for my aesthetic preference to be
elevated to a moral imperative.” By J. Tierney
Text Organization
Three of the five sentences below have been removed from the text and replaced by an asterisk and the letters
A, B and C, whereas the other two are from different sources. Identify which two sentences do not belong in
the text and write D in the space provided. Identify where the other three sentences belong (at *A, *B or *C)
and write the appopriate letter in the space provided.
1. ______ For example, Europeans’ diets improved radically from the introduction of potatoes.
2. ______ Despite being half a world apart, the two gardens grow many of the same plants, hardly any of which are
native to either place.
3. ______ We cannot have one without the other.
4. ______ For this reason, Columbus was seeking a new route to Asia because the economies were more advanced
there.
5. ______ They also resented losing their own crops, a feeling that persists today.
Comprehension: True or False
Choose True or False, based on what is written in the text.
6. __________ The writer of this text finds Mann’s book to be fairly dull.
7. __________ Mann sees a contradiction in Brazil’s position on ‘bio-piracy’.
8. __________ Mann is a confirmed locavore who refuses to accept globalization.
9. __________ The Columbian Exchange refers to the mixing that takes place exclusively between North American
and European plants and animals.
10. __________ The Columbian Exchange was accompanied by a growth in European cities.

Comprehension: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
11. Which is the best title for the text?
A. “Battle against globalization continues 5 centuries later”
B. “Fresh and direct from the garden an ocean away”
C. “Tomatoes are not native to Europe”
D. “Man(n) prefers locally grown products”

12. What is this text?

A. an advert B. a history lecture
C. a journal extract D. an interview E. a newspaper report

Vocabulary
Choose the definition or synonym that corresponds best to the word as it is used in the text.
13. produce (¶ 1)
A. fruit and vegetables B. make C. items D. productions
14. dubbed (¶ 3)
A.spoken B. title C. invented D. named
15. Prior to (¶ 4)
A. Above all B. First C. Precedent D. Before
16. advocates (¶ 5)
A. lawyers B.supporters C. believes D. businesspeople

Reference
What do the following words in the text refer to? Choose the correct answer.
Example: his (¶ 1) = Charles Mann(’s)
17. they (¶ 1)
A. farm share program B. crops C. Mann and his family D. farmer
18. their (¶ 6)
A. Brazilians(’) B. rubber seeds C. monarchs D. locavores
19. I (¶ 7)
A. J. Tierney B. Columbian Exchange C. someone D. Charles Mann
20. which (¶ 9)
A. vegetables B. cost C. producing the maximum amount of food for the lowest cost D.luxury

WRITING (10 POINTS)

Write a 120-150-word composition on ONE of the following topics. It is possible to use ideas and expressions
from the text, but you cannot not copy more than three consecutive words. Your composition must be
organized into separate paragraphs and you must adhere to the word limit. You also need to invent an
appropriate title for your composition.

1. Discuss at least one food movement that is popular today.

2. Write about a nonfiction book that you have read recently.
3. Describe a form of cultural exchange that you have participated in.
Extra Practice
Reading / Writing: Winemaking in the UK
Read the following text and answer the questions.
1 Last month it was announced that the British Government is giving £1.6 million to fund wine courses for our growing
wine industry. Although many are not aware of this, British wine-makers have been producing wine at a rapidly increasing rate:
an estimated three million bottles this year alone. Despite this rapid increase in production, however, expertise has not kept pace.
*A Hence the classes, which will be held at Plumpton College in Sussex. Here students learn not only how to make and taste
wine but how to plant, pick and prune as well, for Plumpton has ten hectares of vineyards and its own winery. Once they have
finished their degrees, the majority will go on to work in the English wine industry. The numbers doing so are increasing each
year.
2 The courses, which will be 90 per cent subsidised by government money, will deliver intense shots of knowledge to
workers from the wine industry in day-long sessions. They will learn everything from how to fertilize and plant vines to grape
processing, bottling and label design. It is hoped that the students will learn as much from each other as from their teachers.
“English winemakers are all quite scattered and don’t often get to talk to each other,” explains the head of the college, Chris Foss.
“These courses will act as a sort of forum, enabling them to come together and to discuss their problems and their experiences
with their fellow winemakers.”
3 I decide to visit the college to see how the courses work. Chris escorts me to the classroom. *B Each has several
glasses of wine in front of them, which they taste, sniff and then spit into buckets. “Wine-tasting,” explains Chris sternly, “is a
very important part of all the courses here. It’s not recreational.” Nonetheless, I take my seat with enthusiasm. The lecturer,
Matthew Hudson, begins by producing a bottle wrapped in a purple cloth. Having poured a glass for himself, he passes the bottle
among the pupils. “You are going to identify this wine,” he says. The lesson has begun. The aim of the exercise is to guess the
wine, whose identity has been hidden behind the purple cloth. “Colour?” demands Matthew. We pupils study our glasses intently.
“A green tinge?” ventures one. Matthew nods. “And taste?” Here the students really blossom. “Camomile,” says one. “Seaweed,”
says another. “Iodine,” says a third. Matthew looks pleased.
4 Next there is a session in the winery, which is full of bottles and vats. The students bustle about, pouring grapes into the
grape crusher. *C Overseeing the process is Richard Cohen, a second-year student who already, at the tender age of 28, owns
his own bar in Soho. He joined the wine course for personal and business reasons. Since coming on the course Richard has started
to run his own training courses. “I can educate my staff so much better, which means that they are more knowledgeable and
interested. And that, ultimately, makes my business more profitable.” Which is just the sort of dissemination that, according to
Foss, the industry badly needs.
5 It would be wrong, however, to exaggerate the difficulties faced by English wine production. As a whole, the industry is
doing extremely well. Unlike French winemakers, who are suffering from chronic overproduction, English winemakers are
struggling to meet demand. Several factors are going in their favour. First, the small-scale regional production typical of English
wine is very much in vogue. Second, its lighter floral flavours go well with more modern styles of cooking. And perhaps most
significantly, in these days of health-conscious drinking, English wine has a very low alcohol content: around 11 to 12 per cent, as
opposed to the 14 to 15 per cent of many other wines.
6 International competitions are now recognising its quality and in recent years English wine has won numerous silvers
and bronzes in the International Wine Challenge. If current climate patterns continue, it is likely to get even better, and perhaps
surpass the quality of French wine in some areas. For while the appellations of France might be contrôlées, their weather is not.
“Though they won’t acknowledge it yet, I think the French are already having problems with the changing weather,” says Foss.
“The styles of their wines have changed tremendously in recent years.” The temperature increases that are causing French
winemakers such difficulty are actually helping us. It is rumoured that French champagne makers are currently buying up
tranches of the South Coast of England to migrate to. Soon Shoreham might be making better champagne than Champagne. As
Foss says: “It’s really quite exciting. It’s generally agreed that, if the climate keeps changing in this way, then our wine has a great
future.” So English wines are now becoming excellent less in spite of and more because of our infamous weather.
Catherine Nixey, The Times, November 12, 2009
Text Organization
Three of the five sentences below have been removed from the text and replaced by an asterisk and the letters
A, B and C, whereas the other two are from different sources. Identify which two sentences do not belong in
the text and write D in the space provided. Identify where the other three sentences belong (at *A, *B or *C)
and write the appopriate letter in the space provided.
1. ______ “Running a bar can become pretty repetitive,” he says.
2. ______ As a result, many workers in the British wine industry are still lacking in basic knowledge.
3. ______ Though few would phrase it with such economy, many winemakers would agree.
4. ______ Inside, students sit at illuminated laboratory benches.
5. ______ Nowadays, apparently, they are not crushed by the feet of merry peasants but in a sterile drum.
Comprehension: True or False
Choose True or False, based on what is written in the text.
6. __________ The writer of the article was pleased to attend the lesson on wine-tasting.
7. __________ The taste of English wine is suited to modern types of cuisine.
8. __________ Most of the money for the courses at Plumpton College is provided by the British government.
9. __________ English wine-makers come from a single area and are always in close contact with each other.
10. __________ Changes in the climate mean that English wine will get worse in the future.

Comprehension: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
11. Which is the best title for the text?
A. A wine-making school and the future of English wine
B. A visit to a wine-making factory
C. The effect of the weather on wine production
D. The differences between French and English wine-making

12. Which section of the newspaper did this article appear in?
A. life and style B. weather
C. science D. world news E. politics

Vocabulary
Choose the definition or synonym that corresponds best to the word as it is used in the text.
13. head (¶ 2)
A. brain B. director C. score D. lead
14. ventures (¶ 3)
A. travels B. possibilities C. suggests D. risks
15. run (¶ 4)
A. flow B. organize C. race D. melt
16. currently (¶ 6)
A. continually B. in fact C. actually D. now

Reference
What do the following words in the text refer to? Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
Example: his (¶ 4) = Richard Cohen’s.
17. the majority (¶ 1)
A. students B. degrees C. English wine industry D. numbers
18. It (¶ 3)
A. courses B. important part C. wine-tasting D. Chris
19. their (¶ 5 )
A. factors B. English winemakers(’) C. French winemakers(’) D. overproduction
20. it (¶ 6)
A. international competitions B. English wine C. French wine D. International Wine Challenge

WRITING (10 POINTS)

Write a 120-150-word composition on ONE of the following topics. It is possible to use ideas and expressions
from the text, but you cannot not copy more than three consecutive words. Your composition must be
organized into separate paragraphs and you must adhere to the word limit. You also need to invent an
appropriate title for your composition.

1. How careful are you about what you eat and drink?
2. Do you prefer eating at home or in a restaurant? Explain why.
3. Describe an enjoyable meal you have had together with friends or family.
Extra Practice
Reading / Writing: Chinese Leadership and Confucius
1. Ever since China’s President, Xi Jinping, first began to claim the reins of power in Beijing nearly two years
ago, China watchers have speculated on where he would take the budding superpower. Initially, it was widely held
that Xi was more of a “man of the people” than his aloof and expressionless predecessor, Hu Jintao, and that he
would be a bolder, more liberal reformer.
2. To date, though, those assumptions have proved off the mark. He has cracked down severely on social media
and dissent, with the apparent aim of strengthening the Communist Party’s grip on society. On the economic front,
he announced a sweeping program of liberalization, but hasn’t yet implemented it, and the hand of the state rests as
heavily on business as before. That has left China analysts trying desperately to decipher Xi’s vision for China’s
political future.
3 However, a picture of Xi’s agenda is beginning to emerge through the usual haze of secrecy surrounding
communist leaders, and it features a man who lived 2,500 years ago: Confucius, the most influential of history’s
Chinese philosophers. Simply, Xi is turning to China’s glorious past to provide an ideological foundation to his
21st century rule.
4 Though Xi has also invoked other faces from Chinese history — from philosophers of competing schools to
more modern personalities like Mao Zedong — the President seems to take special interest in Confucianism. * A
* Earlier in the year, he extolled the wonders of benevolent rule in an address to party cadres with another, well-
known passage from the Analects, the most authoritative text on Confucius’ teachings. Last year, Xi, like so many
Emperors of old, visited Qufu, Confucius’ hometown. 5 There is, of course, great irony here. For the first 30
years of communist rule in China, the party of Mao Zedong had tried to uproot Confucian influence from society,
seeing the enduring legacy of Confucius as an impediment to socialism and modernization. During the tumultuous
Cultural Revolution, launched by Mao in the mid-1960s, Red Guards rampaged through Qufu, smashing relics and
defacing the old Confucian temple. * B *
6 Since the early days of reform in the 1980s, however, the party’s leaders have been slowly resurrecting
Confucius and his ideas. Beijing’s successful program to introduce capitalism — or what it prefers to call
“socialism with Chinese characteristics” — made the government’s Marxist rhetoric sound especially hollow,
leaving the communists to return to Confucius instead. The sage’s ideas about harmony and deference to authority,
they believe, offer an authentic Chinese doctrine that can support the political status quo (and deflect Western
ideals of liberal democracy). Much as the imperial emperors did for centuries on end, China’s new communist
leaders are attempting to cloak themselves in Confucian principles to lend credibility to their tightfisted tendencies.
7 Xi appears to be employing Confucius as part of a broader program to remake the Communist Party and
realign the power structure within it. Over the past year, Xi has launched an aggressive campaign against
government corruption, probably engineered to both eliminate political enemies and clean up an out-of-control
bureaucracy that had lost the trust of the populace.
8 Confucius is part of Xi’s reform team. For 2,000 years, Confucius’ doctrine laid down the code of ethics for
proper behavior in China and now Xi is trying to recreate those Confucian standards through persistent exhortation.
Xi also apparently believes that Confucius can bolster his own standing in the country. Confucius’ ideal
government was topped by a “sage-king” — a person who was so learned, benevolent and upright that his virtuous
rule would bring peace and order to society and uplift the Chinese masses both spiritually and materially.
Confucius made little progress in achieving this vision during his own lifetime. * C * Since becoming President,
he has been chipping away at the government by committee that had prevailed for two decades, in the process
centralizing more power in his hands than any communist leader since Mao. By combining one-man rule with the
morality of Chinese antiquity, he appears to be painting himself up as an all-commanding figure who will bring in
a new epoch of prosperity.
9 But resurrecting Confucius remains a big risk. Confucius held his sage-king to the strictest principles of virtue
and righteousness. The true sage-king was so benevolent that laws and jails would become unnecessary — the
people would willingly follow his lead. By quoting and honoring Confucius, Xi is also potentially holding himself
to the sage’s unobtainable moral precepts. However, Xi does not seem willing to implement other aspects of
Confucian government. Kings were not supposed to be autocrats in his teachings. Ministers and other officials
were bound by duty to oppose policies they considered misguided to keep the Emperor on the proper path.
Government was not to tread heavily into the lives of ordinary people. Xi, however, does not appear interested in
accepting any challenges to or limitations on his authority. Confucius, if he were alive today, would not approve.
(2014)
Text Organization
Three of the five sentences below have been removed from the text and replaced by an asterisk and the letters
A, B and C, whereas the other two are from different sources. Identify which two sentences do not belong in
the text and write D in the space provided. Identify where the other three sentences belong (at *A, *B or *C)
and write the appopriate letter in the space provided.
1. ______“Do not impose on others what you yourself do not desire,” he said in a September speech, quoting one of Confucius’s
most-famous sayings.
2.______ The higher the Confucian pedestal on which Xi places himself, the farther he has to fall.
3. ______ “Like other schools of thought, Confucianism has evolved over time”.
4.______ But Xi seems to be resurrecting the idea.
5. ______ In communist propaganda, Confucius was vilified as a feudal leftover responsible for the oppression of the common
man.
Comprehension: True or False
Choose True or False, based on what is written in the text.
6 __________ According to Confucian teaching, the emperor’s power could be questioned by officials in order to
avoid an autocratic government.
7 __________ According to the author of this text, Xi Jinping has not made as many reforms as originally expected.
8 __________ Xi Jinping’s reaction to social media reflects his acceptance of Confucian teaching.
9 __________ The current Chinese President is openly critical of some of Confucius’ teachings.
10 __________ Though the ‘sage-king’ was a successful model in Confucius’ time, the author of this text does not
think it will be applied today.

Comprehension: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
11. Which best summarizes the text?
A. Xi Jinping is turning to China’s ancient philosopher to reshape the country’s political future
B. Xi Jinping has been consolidating power over the past two years.
C. Confucian philosophy was censured during the Cultural Revolution.
D. It is difficult to predict what decisions Xi Jinping will take during his presidency.

12. Where is this text from?

A. a dictionary B. a brochure C. a journal
D. a travel guide E. a magazine

Vocabulary
Choose the definition or synonym that corresponds best to the word as it is used in the text.
13. To date (¶ 2)
A. Furthermore B. So far C. Nowadays D. Immediately
14. On the economic front (¶ 2)
A. Before speaking of economics B. To face economics C. In the economics field D. Opposed to economics
15. an address (¶ 4)
A. a lecture B. a position C. a focus D. speak
16. employing (¶ 7)
A. asking B. hiring C. exploiting D. occupying

Reference
What do the following words in the text refer to? Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
Example: he (¶1)= Xi Jinping
17. it (¶ 2) =
A. grip on society B. Communist party C. business D. program of liberalization
18. they (¶ 6) =
A. government’s B. ideas C. communists D. harmony and deference
19. his (¶ 8) =
A. Xi Jinping’s B. China’s C. Confucius’ D. standing
20. they (¶ 9) =
A. teachings B. ministers and other officials C. policies D. kings

WRITING (10 points)

Write a 120-150-word composition on ONE of the following topics. It is possible to use ideas and expressions
from the text, but you cannot not copy more than three consecutive words. Your composition must be
organized into separate paragraphs and you must adhere to the word limit. You also need to invent an
appropriate title for your composition.
1. Write about a world political leader who has had a positive impact.
2. Describe an aspect of Chinese culture that appeals to you.
3. Discuss the main features of an artistic, cultural or political movement that influenced European thought in the
past.
3. EDUCATION
Test Practice
For a digital version of this exercise, see Exercises from Selected Texts Triennale on
https://elearning.unito.it/scienzeumanistiche/course/view.php?id=1981

Grammar, Vocabulary and Verbs (10 points): Cognitive Skills

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
     Most readers of The New York Times probably (1) {subscribe~is subscribed~are
subscribing~subscribes}  to what Paul Tough calls “the cognitive hypothesis”; namely, the
belief “that success today depends primarily (2) {of~on~to~in} cognitive skills — the kind of
intelligence that  is measured on  I.Q. tests, including the abilities to recognize letters and words,
to calculate, to detect patterns — and that the best way (3) {to develop~to
developing~develop~for to develop} these skills is to practice them as much as possible,
beginning as early as possible.” In his new book, “How Children Succeed,” Tough sets out to
replace this assumption with what (4) {might be~ought be~must to be~have to be} called the
character hypothesis, or the notion that noncognitive skills, (5) {simliarly~like~such~as}
persistence, self-control, curiosity, conscientiousness, grit and self-confidence, are more crucial
than sheer brainpower to achieving success.
     "Psychologists and neuroscientists have learned a lot over the past few decades about where
these skills come from and how they are developed,” Tough writes, and (6)
{how~which~what~that} they’ve discovered can be summed up in a sentence: Character is
created by  (7) {is  overcoming~overcome~overcame~overcoming}  failure. In this absorbing
and important book, Tough (8) {narrates~tells~asks~says} that American children from both
ends of the socioeconomic spectrum are missing out on these essential experiences. In
researching this study, he observed how affluent parents, from the very start, insulated their
offspring from adversity with their baby-proofed nurseries, leaving them little opportunity to
stand on their own two feet. On the other hand, poor children faced no end of challenges — from
inadequate nutrition and medical care to dysfunctional schools and neighborhoods — and often
(9)  {finded~finds~found~founded} little support to help them turn these omnipresent obstacles
into character-enhancing triumphs. The book illuminates the extremes of American childhood:
for rich kids, a safety net drawn  (10) {very~so~much~as} tight it’s a harness; for poor kids,
almost nothing to break their fall. 
Extra Practice
Grammar and Vocabulary (10 points): The British Museum is Falling Down
Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

Adam weaved his way to the row of desks where he and Camel usually worked, and
noted the familiar figures at (1)_____ sides he had worked since the day he had begun his thesis,
without (2)_____ exchanging a word with them: earnest, efficient Americans, working more
smoothly (3)_____ dynamos, powered by Guggenheim grants; turbanned Sikhs, all called Mr
Singh, and all studying the links between India and English literature; pimply, bespectacled
women smiling cruelly (4)_____ they noted an error in somebody’s footnote; and then the
Museum characters – the gentleman with the beard that reached to his feet, the lady in shorts, the
man (5)_____ odd shoes and a yachting cap reading a Gaelic newspaper with a one-stringed lute
propped up on his desk, the constantly sniffing woman. Adam recognized Camel’s coat and
briefcase at one of the desks, (6)_____ the seat was unoccupied.
Eventually he discovered Camel in the North Library. This was used especially for
consulting rare and valuable books, and there (7)_____ also several seats reserved for the
exclusive use of eminent scholars, (8)_____ enjoyed the privilege of leaving their books on their
desks (9)_____ indefinite periods. These desks were usually occupied only (10)_____ piles of
books and cards bearing distinguished names, and they seemed to Adam like a waxworks from
which all the exhibits had been withdrawn for renovation.
[David Lodge, The British Museum is Falling Down]

1. A. who B. which C. whose D. where

2. A. yet B. soon C. never D. ever
3. A. that B. of C. then D. than
4. A. as B. like C. during D. whereas
5. A. carrying B. wearing C. dressing D. taking
6. A. in contrast B. however C. but D. in spite
7. A. had B. was C. were D. did
8. A. they B. who C. their D. them
9. A. for B. since C. long D. to
10.A. from B. by C. of D. at
Extra Practice

Grammar and Vocabulary (10 points): Lucky Jim

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

‘They slipped up rather ____1____ , though,’ the Professor of History said, and his smile,
____2____ Dixon watched, gradually faded. ‘After the interval we did a ____3____ piece by
Dowland – for recorder and keyboard, you know. I played the recorder, of course, and young
Johns...’ He paused; it was as if ____4____ different man had momentarily taken his place; then
he went on again: ‘... young Johns played the piano. He’s a very versatile musician; the oboe is
____5____ best instrument, really. Well, anyway, the reporter ____6____ have been listening,
because there it was in the Post: Dowland, yes, they’d got him right; Messrs Welch and Johns,
yes; but what do you think came after that?’
Dixon shook his head, ‘I don’t know, Professor,’ he said. How Welch loved ____7____
called Professor, he thought.
‘Flute and piano.’ ‘Oh?’ said Dixon.
‘Flute and piano; not recorder and piano.’ Welch laughed. ‘Now a recorder, you know, is
different ____8____ a flute, though it’s the flute’s immediate ancestor, of course. ____9____ the
first place, it’s played what they call à bec, that’s to say you blow into it, you see. A present-day
flute’s played what’s known as traverso, which means you blow across a hole instead of...’ As
Welch again paused, walking even ____10___ slowly, Dixon relaxed at his side.
[K. Amis, Lucky Jim]
1. A. badly B. bad C. more bad D. worst
2. A. whereas B. as C. during D. like
3. A. many B. lot C. little D. few
4. A. an B. one C. some D. each
5. A. her B. its C. his D. it’s
6. A. must B. could C. may D. can’t
7. A. be B. being C. having D. have
8. A. from B. then C. of D. to
9. A. on B. in C. at D. for
10.A. more B. a lot C. most D. very
Extra Practice

Grammar and Vocabulary (10 points): Rotter’s Club

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

One clear night (1)_____ Berlin in the year 2003, two young people sat down to dinner.
(2)_____ names were Sophie and Patrick. (3)_____ two people hadn’t seen each other before
today. For a short period, Patrick’s father had been infatuated with Sophie’s mother (4)_____
they were still at school. But they hadn’t spoken to each other (5)_____ 1974.
“Does your father talk (6)_____ about his schooldays?’ Sophie asked.
“Well, it’s funny. He never used to. (7)_____ some of the people he knew back then have
reappeared recently,” Patrick said.
“I’ve heard the story from my mother. She has perfect recall of that period,” said Sophie.
She poured sparkling mineral water into her glass and said, “Come with me, then, Patrick. Let’s
go back in time to a country that neither you (8)_____ I would recognize. Britain, 1973.”
“Was it really that different, do you think?” asked Patrick.
“Just think of it! A world without mobiles or videos or Playstations. There were three
television channels back then. And the unions were so powerful that if they wanted to, they
(9)_____ close one of the TV stations down for a (10)_____ night. Imagine!”
[Adapted from J. Coe, The Rotter’s Club]
1. A. at B. in C. to D. on
2. A. They B. Their C. Theirs D. Of them
3. A. A B. That C. These D. This
4. A. whereas B. during C. before D. while
5. A. since B. for C. from D. in
6. A. many B. lot C. much D. none
7. A. But B. However C. Despite D. In spite
8. A. but B. or C. and D. nor
9. A. ought B. could C. will D.can
10 A. every B. entire C. all D. whole
Extra Practice

Verbs (10 points): New College of the Humanities

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

A new private university in London employing some of the world's most famous
academics ___1___ degrees in the humanities, economics and law from 2012 at a cost of £18,000
a year, double the normal rate. The Oxbridge-style university college intends ___2___ a new
British elite with compulsory teaching in science literacy, critical thinking, ethics and
professional skills on top of degree subjects ___3___ in one-to-one tutorials. New College of the
Humanities, based in Bloomsbury, ___4___by private funding and will aim to make a profit. Its
first master will be the philosopher AC Grayling, and top lecturers from Harvard, Princeton,
Oxford and Cambridge ___5___ to work there.
Grayling, one of the founders, ___6___ he was motivated in part by the fear that
government cuts to humanities and arts courses in universities ___7___leave “society poorer as a
result”. “Society needs us to be thoughtful voters, good neighbours, loving parents and
responsible citizens,” he added. “___8___ and inspire the next generation of lawyers, journalists,
financiers, politicians, civil servants, writers, artists and teachers, we must educate to the highest
standards and with imagination, breadth and depth.” Some critics, however, argue that if others
___9___ this example, the result will be the creation of two classes of university: private ones
with rich students who are guaranteed a good career, and public ones which ___10___ too poor
even to provide a basic education.
[Robert Booth, The Guardian, 5 June 2011]

1 A. offer B. offering C. should offer D. is going to offer

2 A. to educate B. is educating C. will educate D. educate
3 A. are taught B. taught C. teaching D. have been taught
4 A. is being backed B. is backing C. backing D. backed
5 A. will invite B. are inviting C. have been invited D. being invited
6 A. told B. said C. is said D. is told
7 A. can B. could C. ought D. must
8 A. discovering B. discover C. for to discover D. to discover
9 A. follow B. would follow C. will follow D. are followed
10 A. are B. being C. has been D. to be
Extra Practice

Verbs (10 points): Gifted Students

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

When the kindergartners at the Brooklyn School of Inquiry, one of New York City’s
schools for gifted students, __1__ neat boy-girl rows for the start of playtime, the lines of girls
well outnumber the lines of boys. A similar imbalance exists at gifted schools in East Harlem,
where almost three-fifths of the students are girls. When asked about the boy-girl ratio in his class
Alec Kulakowski, a seventh grade boy at New Explorations in Science and Technology and
Math, __2__ us, “It’s kind of weird to have so few boys in the class” . Weird or not, similar
programs across the city __3__ problems balancing the gender makeup: though the school
system over all is 51 percent male, generally gifted classrooms can expect __4__ more girls.
Around the city, the current group of gifted kindergartners, for example, is 56 percent girls, and
in the 2008-9 year, 55 percent were girls.
Educators and experts __5__ for many years now that not as many boys as girls graduate
from high school or enrol in college, but now they __6__ that the disparity is also visible at the
very beginning of the school experience. Why more girls than boys enter the programs is
unclear, though there are some theories. Among the most popular is the idea that young girls
__7__ by the standardized tests the city uses to determine admission to gifted programs, because
they tend to be more verbal and socially mature at ages 4 and 5 when they sit for the exam.
In 2008, the city’s Department of Education __8__ the use of Dr. Bracken’s test. Before
that, individual schools and districts each __9__ its own. In the future the city __10__ the gender
of those who took and passed the test in order to monitor the situation more thoroughly.
(Sharon Otterman, NYTimes 5/2010)

1 A. form B. are formed C. is forming D. forms

2 A. asked B. said C. told D. explained
3 A. are to have B. are having C. has D. having
4 A. of comprising B. comprising C. to comprise D. for to comprise
5 A. have known B. are known C. known D. know
6 A. have concerned B. concerned C. are concerned D. concern
7 A. might be favoured B. ought to be favoured C. can favour D. should be favoured
8 A. was ordered B. was ordering C. has ordered D. ordered
9 A. has devised B. had devised C. was devised D. was devising
10 A. will record B. is recording C. records D. going to record
Extra Practice

Verbs (10 points): Dropouts

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

About twenty percent of American high school students __1__ out nowadays, and in some
schools students have only a 50-50 chance __2___ a diploma. Recent enquiries before the House
education committee suggest that if Congress wants to solve this problem, federal, state and local
governments __3__ intensely on the schools that ___4____ a majority of the nation’s dropouts.
The country __5__ much further along the road to dealing with this true educational
crisis, but the Bush administration’s supervision of the 2002 law “No Child Left Behind” was
terrible. This law __6__ that schools needed to report dropout rates annually. Yet, too many
states falsified those statistics.
A change in the law __7__ last year requiring the states to keep track of students from the
time they enter high school to the day they get their diplomas — or leave school without one.
If there is any good news here, it is that the problem is localized. According to Robert
Balfanz, of Johns Hopkins University’s Everyone Graduates Center, half of the country’s
dropouts come from just 12 percent of the nation’s 20,000 high schools. If the government __8__
on these high schools, the country would have a good chance of keeping in school millions of
potential drop outs.
Several states and localities __9__ dropout rates significantly already by providing help to
students and the schools they attend. In order__10__ “dropout factories” into productive schools,
public money must go into prevention programs that keep children in school.
[NYTimes, May 19 2009]

1 A. are dropping B. has dropped C. are going to drop D. dropped

2 A. receiving B. receive C. for to receive D. of receiving
3 A. must focus B. must to focus C. had to focus D. has to focus
4 A. creating B. create C. has created D. creates
5 A. can be B. be C. will be D. would be
6. A. promised B. told C. said D. asked
7. A. issued B. was issued C. has been issued D. is issued
8 A. focus B. would focus C. focused D. will focus
9 A. have lowered B. had lowered C. are lowered D. were lowered
10 A. making B. to make C. doing D. to do
Extra Practice

Verbs (10 points): Reading Workshop

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

For years Lorrie McNeill__1__ “To Kill a Mockingbird,” an American classic. However,
for the first time, after 15 years, “Mockingbird” - or any novel for that matter - __2__ on her
reading list. Instead she decided her seventh- and eighth-grade students __3__ which books to
read in her English classes at Jonesboro Middle School in Atlanta.
Ms. McNeill’s approach is part of a movement to revolutionize the way American schools
teach literature. While there is no clear consensus among English teachers, the reading workshop,
a variation on the approach, __4__ popular.
In New York City many elementary schools and some middle schools already employ
versions of reading workshops. In September Seattle’s middle schools will allow students __5__
most of their own books. And in Chicago a pilot program has been in place since 2006 in 31 of
its 483 elementary schools to give students in grades 6, 7 and 8 more control over what they read.
In the more traditional English class students read a novel together and __6__ the themes
and literary technique. That tradition, proponents hold, is the best way to prepare students for
standardized tests. Yet fans of the reading workshop __7__ that when students choose their own
books they build a lifelong love of reading. Nevertheless, Joan Dabrowski, director of literacy for
Boston’s public schools, says teachers __8__ to give students some choices; however, a core
curriculum __9__ specific books for 6th grade and up. Many schools, in fact, take a combination
approach, __10__ some titles while allowing students to select others.
NY Times August 2009

1 A. is loving teaching B. has loved teaching C. was loved teaching D. loves teaching
2 A. not been B. were not C. didn’t be D. was not
3 A. was able to choose B. could to choose C. could choose D. is able to choose
4 A. is becoming B. becomes C. are becoming D. become
5 A. to select B. for to select C. selecting D. for selecting
6 A. examining B. have examined C. are examining D. examine
7 A. say B. reply C. tell D. ask
8 A. will urge B. are urging C. will be urged D. be urged
9 A. going to designate B. will designate C. designate D. is designating
10 A. dictate B. are dictating C. to dictate D. dictating
Test Practice
For a digital version of this exercise, see Exercises from Selected Texts Triennale on
https://elearning.unito.it/scienzeumanistiche/course/view.php?id=1981

Reading/Writing (10 + 10 points): Dealing with Sensitive Issues on Campus

Read the following text and answer the questions.
Vocabulary (2 points): Choose the definition or synonym that corresponds best to the word in italics as it is
used in the text.
Text Organization (2 points): Choose the most appropriate missing sentence.
1.         In the name of emotional well-being, American college students are increasingly demanding protection from words and
ideas they don’t like and that is disastrous for education—and mental health.  In fact, a movement is
arising, driven {generated~lead~guide~accompanied}  largely by students, to scrub campuses clean of words and ideas that
might cause discomfort or give offense.
2.         Two terms have risen quickly from obscurity into common campus parlance. “Microaggressions “are small actions or
word choices that seem to have no malicious intent but that are thought of as a kind of violence nonetheless. For example, by
some campus guidelines, it is a microaggression to ask an Asian American “Where were you born?,” because this implies that he
or she is not a real American. The second, “trigger warnings”, are alerts that professors are expected to issue if something in a
course might cause a strong emotional response. For example, some students have called for warnings that F. Scott
Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby portrays misogyny and physical abuse, so that students who have been previously victimized by
domestic violence can choose to avoid this work.
3.         The press has typically described these developments as a resurgence of political correctness.  That’s partly right, although
there are important differences between what’s happening now and what happened in the 1980s and ’90s. While that movement
sought to restrict speech, it also challenged the literary, philosophical, and historical canon, seeking to widen it by including more-
diverse perspectives. The current  {electricity~flow~present~actual} movement is largely about emotional well-being. More
than the last, it presumes an extraordinary fragility of the collegiate psyche, and therefore elevates the goal of protecting students
from psychological harm. There’s a saying common in education circles: Don’t teach students what to think; teach them how to
think. MISSING SENTENCE A: { This institution will be based on the illimitable freedom of the human mind. //
Microaggression helps to protect a student’s ability to think critically. // The idea goes back at least as far as Socrates. //
She wants to change the way students think.}
It is a way of teaching that fosters critical thinking, in part by encouraging students to question their own unexamined beliefs, as
well as the received wisdom of those around them. Such questioning sometimes leads to discomfort, and even to anger, on the
way to understanding.
4.         But vindictive protectiveness teaches students to think in a very different way, preparing poorly for professional life,
which demands intellectual engagement with people and ideas one might find uncongenial or wrong. The harm may be more
immediate, too. A campus culture devoted to regulating speech is likely to engender patterns of thought that are surprisingly
similar to those {protectiveness~patterns of thought~people~therapists} long identified by cognitive behavioral therapists as
causes of depression and anxiety. Thus, perhaps  universities truly need to  commit to a greater commitment to formal, public
debate on campus and to the assembly of a more politically diverse faculty. Thomas Jefferson, upon founding the University of
Virginia, said: “ MISSING SENTENCE B: {This institution will be based on the illimitable freedom of the human mind. //
Microaggression helps to protect a student’s ability to think critically. // The idea goes back at least as far as Socrates. //
She wants to change the way students think.} For here we are not afraid to follow truth wherever it may lead, nor to tolerate
any error so long as reason is left free to combat it.” We believe that this is still the best attitude for American universities.

True or False (4 points): Write True or False, basing your answers on what is written in the text.
1 __________ According to cognitive behavioural therapists, the new protectiveness of  campus culture teaches thought patterns
that should limit depression and anxiety.
2 __________ Universities today may tell professors teaching The Great Gatsby to warn students of its content.
3  __________ Thomas Jefferson believed that a university ought to be a place where all ideas, right or wrong, should be debated.
4 __________ The protectiveness of universities today leads to an engaging future professional life.

Main idea and text type (2 points)

1. Which is the best title of the text? {Thomas Jefferson and the New University~New University Mentality Creates More
Sensitive Students~ The Cost of Overprotecting the American Mind~ No More Comedians at American Universities} 

2. Which section of the newspaper did this article appear in?  {Environment~Media~Arts and
Entertainment~Culture~World}
WRITING (10 POINTS)
Write a 120-150-word composition on ONE of the following topics. It is possible to use ideas and expressions
from the text, but you cannot not copy more than three consecutive words. Your composition must be
organized into separate paragraphs and you must adhere to the word limit. You also need to invent an
appropriate title for your composition.
1. Have you ever felt uncomfortable with a topic discussed during lessons? If so, describe the situation and how you
reacted.
2. How important is it to be politically correct? Describe a situation that supports your point of view.
3. Where have you encountered prejudice? Describe what happened.
Extra Practice
Reading/Writing: Sammy Gitau
Read the following text and answer the questions.
1 When Sammy Gitau, a child of one of Nairobi's most notorious slums, discovered an information pack about
Manchester University in the rubbish, he kept it as a reminder of what life could be like. Like thousands of other poor children in
the Kenyan capital's oldest slum, there seemed to be no means of escape. But today, at the age of 30, Mr Gitau is to become the
English university's most remarkable graduate.
2 Although Gitau only had two years of formal education in Nairobi, he has completed an advanced degree in
international development project management (IDPM) at Manchester, and even received a merit for his dissertation, which
focused on his community projects in Nairobi. "It feels amazing as a personal achievement but also as a message to everyone –
that it is possible to succeed, even when you are from a community that nobody thought anything good could come from," he
said. Mr Gitau's programme director at Manchester University, Dr Pete Mann, said he had never heard of someone from a
background of such adversity attending the university. *A
3 Attracted by the colourful picture on the cover of the booklet, and the name – which reminded him of one of the city's
football clubs, Manchester United – Mr Gitau could never have dreamt that one day he would actually go to the university. Given
Mr Gitau's education thus far, it would have been remarkable for him even to reach high school. For the two years when he was in
school, his time was divided between the family business, which sold illegal liquor, and his books. *B "I ended up sleeping in
lessons, because I was up so late, and I couldn't concentrate on work", he explained.
4 With very little education behind him, Mr Gitau became the family's main money-earner at 13, when his father was
murdered in a gang attack. After his father died, the young boy turned to drug dealing and theft to bring money home for his
mother and 10 siblings. However, Mr Gitau turned his life around in 1997, after a nearly fatal cocaine overdose. When he
recovered, he said he felt a duty to change, and decided to begin helping slum children who were going through the same
struggles.
5 Mr Gitau’s projects, which were helping 20,000 children to find a way out of poverty, caught the attention of other
organisations in the area. His community resource centres for young slum children addicted to drugs cost just £50 a month to run.
When Monica Quince, the wife of the EU's head of delegation in Nairobi, and a colleague, Alex Walford, took an interest in his
projects, they provided not only resources but the vital advice that led to Mr Gitau's Manchester adventure. It was during a chat
with Mr Walford about his aspirations that Mr Gitau began to tell him about the course of his dreams. After looking up
Manchester University on the internet, Mr Walford found details of the course, and started helping him.
6 Mr Gitau's vast practical experience caught the eye of the university’s course directors, who quickly understood how
much others could learn from his success as a project manager. The university paid his fees, but he still needed a way to pay for
his living costs. "I had nothing to cover my accommodation or survival," he said. "So I contacted people who had visited my
project in Kenya. *C I could not have done it without them."
7 However, that was not the end of his problems. In 2005, immigration officials refused him a visa because, as they saw
it, he could not be a serious university candidate because of his lack of previous education. But eventually, Mr Gitau arrived in
Britain, visa in hand and abroad for the first time, to start the course that he had dreamed of for so many years. While his spoken
English was good, he had no experience of essays or research, so a tutor was brought in to support him.
8 Today, Mr Walford will be among the proud spectators as Mr Gitau receives that longed-for certificate. The Kenyan
said: "For the past few days I haven't been able to sleep – I've been too excited. So many doors had been shut in my face because I
didn't have this or that. Now, finally, I can think big. Now I can go back to my projects in Kenya and make sure they do well."
(Dec. 2007)

Text Organization
Three of the five sentences below have been removed from the text and replaced by an asterisk and the letters
A, B and C, whereas the other two are from different sources. Identify which two sentences do not belong in
the text and write D in the space provided. Identify where the other three sentences belong (at *A, *B or *C)
and write the appopriate letter in the space provided.
1. ______ So many came back to me and donated really generously.
2. ______ Quietly, he says "I think maybe we'll live like this forever."
3. ______ They have more than 9,200 rooms available, most of which are within two or three miles (5km) of the
University campus.
4. ______ "I don't think we have ever taken someone without even high-school education; so it's a massive
accomplishment," he said.
5. ______ He would try to do homework on the same table where customers drank the illegal alcohol.
Comprehension: True or False
Choose True or False, based on what is written in the text.
6. __________ It was Gitau’s practical experience and not so much his educational record that got him accepted to
Manchester University.
7. __________ It took Gitau many years to complete his studies in England.
8. __________ When the text was written, Sammy Gitau had already taken part in the graduation ceremony at
Manchester University.
9. __________ Although Gitau’s community projects for young drug addicts cost a lot, they were noticed by other
organizations.
10. __________ In Africa, Gitau’s education was limited by the need to support his large family.

Comprehension: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
11. What is the best title for this text?
A. “Drugs and theft on the increase in Nairobi”
B. “Gitau opens new community centre for young Africans”
C. “Adversity doesn’t stop student from reaching his goal”
D. “Manchester University welcomes new students”

12. What is this text?

A. an essay B. a text based on interviews
C. a journal entry D. an interview with an African student E. a text from a teaching manual

Vocabulary
Choose the definition or synonym that corresponds best to the word as it is used in the text.
13. degree (¶ 2)
A. grade B. prize C. measurement D. university certificate
14. background (¶ 2)
A. history B. passed C. story D. behind
15. visa (¶ 7)
A. money B. sight C. entry permit D. credit card
16. eventually (¶ 7)
A. perhaps B. probably C. in the end D. at least

Reference
What do the following words in the text refer to? Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
Example: he (¶ 1) = Sammy Gitau
17. which (¶ 2)
A. merit B.IDPM C. dissertation D. community projects
18. they (¶ 5)
A. Quince and the delegation B. Walford and Gitau C. Quince and Walford D. projects
19. them (¶ 6)
A. people who had visited Gitau’s project in Kenya B. Gitau’s project C.course directors D. accommodation or survival
20. him (¶ 7)
A. Walford B. research C. tutor D. Gitau

WRITING (10 POINTS)

Write a 120-150-word composition on ONE of the following topics. It is possible to use ideas and expressions
from the text, but you cannot not copy more than three consecutive words. Your composition must be
organized into separate paragraphs and you must adhere to the word limit. You also need to invent an
appropriate title for your composition.

1. Describe a memorable experience you have of high school.

2. Describe a personal achievement that you are proud of.
3. Discuss some of your plans or ambitions after graduation
Extra Practice
Reading/Writing : Frederick Douglass
Read the following text and answer the questions.
1. In a speech delivered at the 1894 dedication of the Manassas Industrial School for Colored Youth, founded to provide
technical education for African Americans, Frederick Douglass argued that learning and liberty went hand in hand. He underlined
the importance of education as part of a process of realizing human potential, furthering justice, and achieving freedom:
"Education…means emancipation," he said. As a former slave, Douglass well understood the weight of chains and the yearning to
break free; he also believed in the value of vocational training that increased students’ economic potential. Yet, as Douglass
demonstrated, the emancipation that comes from studying is not confined to economic empowerment.
2. Douglass’s example offers a helpful corrective to the tendency of contemporary education debates to fixate on economic
questions. Both sides assume that public education’s principal goal is to teach students marketable skills so that they can become
productive economic actors, thus making education policy an economic issue. Just look at the White House’s website on
education: "To prepare Americans for the jobs of the future," it reads, "we have to out-educate the world and that starts with a
strong school system." In a similar vein, states across the country are deliberating over whether the liberal arts still have a role in
education. Although producing students who are able to succeed in the workforce is a worthy goal, vocational skills need to be
enriched by a more holistic perspective. Since their early formalization in the ancient world, the liberal arts have helped develop
this perspective. Again, the liberal arts and vocational skills are not diametrically opposed—the kind of critical thinking
encouraged by the former can be useful in any profession. But the liberal arts offer more than indirect economic benefits. They
can, for example, nurture the thoughtfulness important in a free society.
3. In an 1853 letter to Harriet Beecher Stowe that exemplified his interest in vocational education, Douglass didn’t call for
the creation of new colleges to serve African Americans. Instead, he sought schools that would teach "agriculture and the
mechanic arts." *A* A prosperous, upwardly mobile African-American working class would, he thought, offer a profound
refutation of many pro-slavery arguments, which held that African Americans were incapable of economic self-sufficiency.
Douglass’s interest in practical training is in harmony with the thinking behind contemporary efforts to expand economic
opportunity by promoting vocational programs and targeted enterprises. But his memoirs demonstrate that practical training is
hardly enough. In his 1845 autobiography, the Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave, he chronicles his
efforts to fashion an identity as a free man, offering a bracing portrait not only of the physical hardships of slavery but also of its
psychological torments.*B*.
4. Crucial to these efforts was gaining knowledge. While the American slavery system depended on physical force, it also
relied on a web of mental and spiritual coercion. Early in his life, then, Douglass saw that enforced ignorance was a key tool of
slavery. For example, one of Douglass’s owners became enraged when he found out his wife was teaching him how to read,
declaring, according to Douglass, that a slave "should know nothing but to obey his master—to do as he is told to do." The
master’s threats failed to dissuade Douglass, who eventually taught himself literacy and later described his experience of reading
the anthology The Columbian Orator as a turning point in his life. Reflecting on some of the anthology’s works, he wrote, "They
gave tongue to interesting thoughts of my own soul, which had frequently flashed through my mind, and died away for want of
utterance ...*C*." In defiance of the imperative that a slave must be an uncritical instrument of his master’s will, Douglass’s
encounter with The Columbian Orator and other works encouraged the exploration of his humanity. The more Douglass read, the
more dissatisfied he became with his condition and the deeper he yearned for freedom. He became better able to articulate a
conceptual challenge to the reigning ideology of slavery.
5. Even Douglass’s advocacy in favor of vocational training indicates the importance of a liberal education. His letter to
Stowe argued that colleges would soon become important for the progress of African Americans. In fact, the Manassas Industrial
School, which lasted as a private institution until the 1930s, placed a major emphasis upon the liberal arts, too, instructing
students in literature, history, and the sciences on top of topics such as sewing and carpentry.
6. Since the founding of the United States, many public figures have emphasized the civic benefits of a liberal education.
A republic is more than an economy, and realizing the promise of the American Declaration’s "life, liberty, and the pursuit of
happiness" involves more than economic growth. The Columbian Orator did not directly train Douglass to be a better farmer or
mechanic or order-follower. Instead, it enriched his intellectual and ethical perspective. In short, it helped him become a free man.
(April 2015)
Text Organization
Three of the five sentences below have been removed from the text and replaced by an asterisk and the letters
A, B and C, whereas the other two are from different sources. Identify which two sentences do not belong in
the text and write D in the space provided. Identify where the other three sentences belong (at *A, *B or *C)
and write the appopriate letter in the space provided.
1. ______ Douglass wanted to convince her that teaching vocational skills to African Americans would help them rise from slave
to integrated freeman.
2. ______ Her life testified to the ability of the liberal arts to inspire internal emancipation as well.  
3.______ The reading of these documents enabled me to utter my thoughts and to meet the arguments brought forward to sustain
slavery.
4. ______ Douglass holds that studying liberal arts risks obscuring important aims.
5. ______ "You have seen how a man was made a slave; you shall see how a slave was made a man," Douglass wrote.
Comprehension: True or False
Choose True or False, based on what is written in the text.
6 __________ The Manassas Industrial School for Colored Youth offered both a vocational and a liberal arts
education.
7 __________ Douglass believed vocational training alone was necessary to make people free because freedom
depended upon economic self-sufficiency.
8 __________ Today, as in the past, education is often defined in economic terms.
9 __________Thanks to The Colombian Orator Douglass became a better farmer.
10 __________ The wife of Douglass’s owner was allowed to teach the slaves to read.

Comprehension: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
11. Which statement best summarizes the text?
A. Frederick Douglass was pro vocational training.
B. Frederick Douglass suffered the pains of slavery.
C. Only a liberal arts education truly frees man from his shackles.
D. Everyone needs to read.

12. Which section of the newspaper is this text from?

A. culture C. obituaries E. finance
B. leisure D. local news

Vocabulary
Choose the definition or synonym that corresponds best to the word as it is used in the text.
13. issue (¶ 2)
A. publication B. release C. concern D. edition
14. fashion (¶ 3)
A. mode B. fad C.shape D. way
15. eventually (¶ 4)
A. likely B. future C. probably D.in time
16. articulate (¶ 4)
A. express B divide C. organize D. bend

Reference
What do the following words in the text refer to? Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
Example: he (¶ 1) = Frederick Douglass
17. it (¶ 2) = A. Americans B. education C. White House D. website
18. country (¶ 2) = A. USA B. Wisconsin C. middle-class D. states
19. which (¶ 3) = A. arguments B. African American C. working class D. refutation
20. it (¶ 4) = A. efforts B. force C. slavery system D. knowledge

WRITING (10 POINTS)

Write a 120-150-word composition on ONE of the following topics. It is possible to use ideas and expressions
from the text, but you cannot not copy more than three consecutive words. Your composition must be
organized into separate paragraphs and you must adhere to the word limit. You also need to invent an
appropriate title for your composition.

1. How will being a liberal arts graduate affect your career choices?
2. What kind of education do you think is most profitable nowadays?
3. Discuss what you think is the most important aspect of education.
Extra Practice
Reading/Writing : Higher Education in Prisons
1 Separated by eight years, a dozen subway stops and a vast socioeconomic distance, Erica Mateo and Max Kenner had
one thing in common growing up: they were no one’s candidates for most likely to succeed. Mateo was raised by her
grandmother in one of Brooklyn’s roughest neighborhoods, dropped out of school when she was 14 and ended up in a juvenile
correctional facility. Kenner’s handicap was to grow up among artists and left-wing intellectuals in 1980s SoHo, an environment
that did not exactly promote a rigorous academic work ethic.
2 They met in prison, at the Bayview Correctional Facility in Manhattan, where in 2006 Mateo, 19, was serving a three- to
nine-year sentence for assault. Kenner was there speaking to inmates about the Bard Prison Initiative (BPI)—a programme he had
created while still an undergraduate at Bard, the forward-thinking college in Annandale-on-Hudson, New York. The programme’s
purpose was to provide a Bard education and degree to inmates at some of New York State’s toughest prisons. The meeting with
Mateo did not go well at first. “Why are you talking about liberal arts?” demanded Mateo. *A* Kenner patiently explained that
the humanities encouraged critical thinking and self-discipline. Mateo applied and was accepted. In one of her first classes she
encountered a line in a poem about the “yellow fog that rubs its back upon the window-panes”—and was jolted into awareness of
the awesome power of a metaphor.
3 The idea came to Kenner in 1999, but he can’t recall just when or how. He just knew that a few years earlier Congress
had decreed that prisoners were no longer eligible for federal tuition grants, putting a stop to most prison education programmes.
Having recently discovered for himself the thrill of serious intellectual enterprise, he decided to attempt to bring the same
experience to some of the 71,000 inmates in New York State’s penal system. Kenner spent the next two years meeting with
prison officials, convincing Bard faculty to participate and gaining support from philanthropists. *B* In 2001, they matriculated
their first class, 18 inmates at Eastern New York Correctional Facility, a maximum-security prison.
4 Admission to the Bard prison programme is very competitive, involving a written essay followed by an intensive
interview. Kenner looks for imagination, passion and intellectual curiosity. *C* About 300 prisoners have received Bard
degrees since 2001, and most of them are still behind bars. Among graduates who have been released, only a tiny fraction, less
than 2 percent, have been rearrested, according to Kenner’s figures. By comparison, a 2010 study by the Justice Department,
covering 30 states, found that more than 70 percent of state prison inmates were re-incarcerated within five years of release.
5 Kenner will cite these figures when necessary, but he believes that the Bard programme is less about prison reform than
education. This runs counter to the current fashion for evaluating college education in terms of future earning potential, but
Kenner doesn’t care. There may be countless liberal arts graduates unemployed and living in their parents’ homes, but Kenner
holds to his conviction that exposing criminals to the Federalist Papers or Kafka is a stronger defense against future malfeasance
than teaching them welding. Each graduate must produce a senior thesis of original research—no small task for students who do
not have easy access to a library, cannot call people they wish to interview, or even use the Internet.
6 The poet who so electrified Mateo was T.S. Eliot. Later, in an anthropology class, she was assigned a book of
ethnography, Never in Anger. “It changed my whole trajectory in life,” she recalls. “I read it and said, This is what I’ve always
been looking for—and it was about Eskimos.” Anthropology also captivated Dorell Smallwood, who joined BPI in 2004, halfway
through a 20-year sentence behind bars for homicide. After earning his degree, Smallwood had to wait another three years for his
freedom, on May 8, 2013. He then got a job at Brooklyn Defender Services, counseling teenage defendants. From his desk in the
public defender’s office, Smallwood looks down on the building below, once Loew’s Metropolitan movie theater, where he was
shot five times. Recovering in the hospital, he was arrested and later convicted of an unrelated homicide. “That was my last night
on the street, until I got out,” he says thoughtfully. “And I never would have imagined that I’d be here someday looking down on
it.”
7 Mateo, who is now 28, was dressed the day I interviewed her in a tan skirt and sweater, with short nails, loose brown
hair and no lipstick—an executive look. But she looks like an executive because she is one: director of community initiatives for
the Brownsville Community Justice Center, where she oversees a six-figure budget and a staff of counselors and social workers
who combat violence in the very neighborhood where she grew up. She credits her prison education and Kenner, who convinced
her to send an application to the main Bard campus when she was released from prison before earning her degree. She still
marvels at how quietly influential Kenner has been. “He pushes you to ask questions,” Mateo says. “It frustrated me at the time. I
was 19, I was looking for answers.” But Kenner thinks the questions are what matters. (November 2014)
Text Organization
Three of the five sentences below have been removed from the text and replaced by an asterisk and the letters
A, B and C, whereas the other two are from different sources. Identify which two sentences do not belong in
the text and write D in the space provided. Identify where the other three sentences belong (at *A, *B or *C)
and write the appopriate letter in the space provided.
1. ______ Initially, the programme received funding from the Ford and Soros foundations, and it is now budgeted at around $2.5
million annually.
2. ______ He knows no one who was incarcerated.
3.______ She says she is still amazed at how far she has come from the streets.
4. ______ An applicant’s criminal record and release date are not considered; often, Kenner doesn’t even know, or want to know.
5. ______ “How is that going to help me get a job when I get out?”
Comprehension: True or False
Choose True or False, based on what is written in the text.
6 __________Only inmates who have committed non-violent crimes are allowed to participate in the BPI
programme.
7 __________ Mateo and Smallwood, who both studied in the BPI programme, are currently employed.
8 __________ Despite her limited education, Mateo appreciated her first literature lessons.
9 __________ According to recent statistics, a significant number of inmates eventually return to prison, but this is
not the case with BPI graduates.
10 __________ Kenner was still attending university when he began to organize his prison education programme.

Comprehension: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
11. Which best summarizes the text?
A. Max Kenner’s BPI programme has been in existence for about 10 years.
B. An innovative prison programme opens up new horizons for inmates.
C. Erica Mateo has worked hard to get where she is now.
D. Some are critical about Bard’s active interest in the New York prison system.

12. Where is this text from?

A. a journal B. a brochure C. a daily newspaper
D. a textbook E. a notice

Vocabulary
Choose the definition or synonym that corresponds best to the word as it is used in the text.
13. dropped out of (¶ 1)
A. fell out of B. abandon C. left D. went down
14. degree (¶ 2)
A. course B. teaching C. qualification D. mark
15. convicted (¶ 6)
A. offended B. found guilty C. sentence D. processed
16. application (¶ 7)
A. written request B. demand C. module D. question

Reference
What do the following words in the text refer to? Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
Example: they (¶1)= Mateo and Kenner
17. himself (¶ 3) =
A. intellectual enterprise B. Kenner C. Mateo D. prisoners
18. their (¶ 5) =
A. parents B. homes C. graduates D. Kenner
19. here (¶ 6) =
A. in the defender’s office B. in the building below
C. in the hospital D. in prison
20. one (¶ 7) =
A. Mateo B. director of community initiatives
C. an executive D. counselor

WRITING (10 POINTS)

Write a 120-150-word composition on ONE of the following topics. It is possible to use ideas and expressions
from the text, but you cannot not copy more than three consecutive words. Your composition must be
organized into separate paragraphs and you must adhere to the word limit. You also need to invent an
appropriate title for your composition.
1. Discuss some of the reasons that led you to choose a degree in the humanities.
2. Describe an innovative social programme you have participated in or heard about.
3. Describe a book that has had a profound effect on you.
4. CRIME & CONFLICT
Test Practice
For a digital version of this exercise, see Exercises from Selected Texts Triennale on
https://elearning.unito.it/scienzeumanistiche/course/view.php?id=1981

Grammar, Vocabulary and Verbs (10 points): The Book Thief

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
A group of five boys, some lanky, a few short and lean, stood waiting. There were a few
such groups in Molching at the time, some with members (1) {the youngest~more
young~younger~as young} as six. The leader was an agreeable (2) {fifteen-
years'~fifteen~fifteen-year~fifteen-years}-old criminal named Arthur Berg. He (3)
{saw~looked~watched~observed} around and saw Rudy and Liesel behind them. “And?” he
asked.
“I’m hungry.” Rudy replied. “And he’s fast, ” (4){demanded~said~asked~told} Liesel.
Berg glanced at her.” I don’t recall (5) {have asked~ask~to ask~asking }for your opinion.” He
was teenage tall and had a long neck. Pimples (6) {gather~are gathered~were gathered~have
gathered} in groups on his face. “But I like you.” He was friendly, in a smart-mouth adolescent
way. “Isn’t this the one (7) {who~which~what~how} beat your brother up?” he asked a boy
named Aderl. Word had certainly made its way around. A good beating transcends the divides of
age.
(8) {An~Some~Another~Other} boy with shaggy blond hair and ice-coloured skin,
looked over. “I think so.” Rudy confirmed it. “It is”. Andy Schmeikl walked across and studied
Liesel, up and down, his face pensive before smiling. ”Great work, kid.” And to congratulate her,
he even (9) {would slap~slap~slapped~has slapped} her back, catching a sharp piece of
shoulder-blade. “I’d get whipped for it if I (10) {did~will do~would do~do} it myself.” They
were in.
Extra Practice

Grammar and Vocabulary (10 points): The Empire of the Sun

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

Jim was glad to be left (1)_____ himself. After the Japanese soldier had knocked him
from his bicycle, Jim had barely been able to return to the Maxteds’ house, and he slept on
Patrick’s bed for (2)_____ of the day. The bruise on his cheek had begun to subside, leaving his
face thinner (3)_____ he remembered it, his mouth a tighter and older shape. Looking at himself
in the mirror of Patrick’s bathroom, at his dusty shirt, he wondered if his mother and father
(4)_____ recognize him. (5)_____ , Jim realized that there were certain advantages in being poor.
He didn’t have to be worried about somebody trying to cut off his hands to steal his watch.
The Maxteds’ pantry was filled with cases of whisky and gin, but there were only a
(6)_____ jars of olives and a tin of cocktail biscuits. Jim ate a modest breakfast at the dining-
room table, and after a (7)_____ he set about repairing his bicycle. He needed the machine to get
himself around Shanghai, to find his parents and surrender to the Japanese. A peculiar space was
opening around him, (8)_____ separated him from the secure world he had known before the
war. At (9)_____ he had been able to cope with the disappearance of his parents, while now he
felt nervous and slightly cold all the time, even in the mild December weather. He dropped and
broke things in a way that he hadn’t (10)_____ done before, and found it difficult to concentrate
on anything. [Adapted from J. G. Ballard, The Empire of the Sun]

1. A. from B. by C. with D. at
2. A. more B. most C. many D. lot
3. A. than B. then C. of D. that
4. A. ought B. can C. must D. would
5. A. Despite B. Although C. Nevertheless D. Whereas
6. A. some B. many C. little D. few
7. A. during B. whereas C. while D. long
8. A. which B. who C. whose D. whom
9. A. beginning B. first C. start D. early
10.A. never B. ever C. yet D. again
Extra Practice

Verbs (10 points): 2 XL Programme

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

Dexter Padmore ___1__ in Brixton, south London, and couldn’t stay out of trouble. At
primary school he might have been a good student, but there was little, if any, support at home.
When he refused to attend his first few weeks of secondary school, he was handed over to a pupil
referral unit, an alternative form of education for children who__2__ from school.
At 15 he became a member of a local gang and __3__ a life of petty crime, including car
theft and street robbery. He had already been to court many times. Then he heard about the 2 XL
programme, an initiative the local government had set up __4__ the growing problem of gang
culture in the Brixton area. For Padmore, the programme offered a chance to rewrite his future.
The programme, led by local youth workers, centres around peer support. Ira Campbell,
youth support manager,__5__ , "At that time we knew that a grey-haired, middle-class social
worker __6__ anything in troubled neighbourhoods while seeing other young people transform
their lives might." Launched after 21-year-old Adrian Marriott was shot dead by a gang in
Brixton in 2004, the programme __7__ young people to change their lifestyle by __8__ peer
counselling and support, leadership training and one-to-one therapy.
Now 19, Padmore __9__ an access course at college and __10__ to study criminal law at
university. In the meantime, he volunteers on the 2 XL project.: "Like a lot of young people”, he
told us, “I got involved in a gang because I wanted to feel like a leader. Now I'm a leader in a
positive way.” The Guardian June 2009

1 A. growed up B. grown up C. grew up D. have grown up

2 A. have been excluded B. are been excluded C. have excluded D. excluded
3 A. is leading B. was leading C. leads D. has led
4 A. for to deal with B. for deal with C. to deal with D. deal with
5 A. says B. tells C. asks D. replies
6 A. hadn’t to change B. won’t have changed C. wouldn’t change D. mustn’t change
7 a .have encouraged B. encourage C. to encourage D. encourages
8 A. for combining B. to combine C. combined D. combining
9 a .will start B. starting C. going to start D. are starting
10 A. had decided B. has decided C. decided D. decides
Extra Practice
Verbs (10 points): Ginetta Sagan
Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

Ginetta Sagan, the “Topolino” or “Little Mouse” who was imprisoned, raped and tortured
by Italian fascists during World War II but survived to help (1)_____ Amnesty International, has
died. She was 75.
Born in Milan to a Jewish mother and Catholic father who were both physicians and anti-
fascists as Benito Mussolini came to power, Sagan (2)_____ working for the northern Italian
Resistance as a teenager.
(3)_____ by an infiltrator, Sagan was captured in 1945 by Mussolini’s Black Brigade, and
imprisoned, raped and tortured for 45 days. At one point, a loaf of bread (4)_____ into her cell.
When she tore it apart she found a matchbox (5)_____ a tiny slip of paper with a single word
scrawled on it: coraggio, Italian for ‘courage’.
“My greatest fear, greater even than the fear of death, which seemed almost a certainty,”
she (6)_____ in an article published in The Times in 1996, “was that I (7)_____ my comrades to
the Black Brigade. But to all the torturers’ questions I managed to say, ‘I don’t know, I don’t
know,’ even after the Black Brigade ‘nurse’ (8)_____ me with Sodium Pentothal.”
Another surprise occurred one night while Sagan (9)_____ at a villa in Sondrio, Italy.
Two German soldiers made her Italian fascist guards release Sagan to them for their own
questioning. They put her into a waiting car and sped toward what she assumed would be her
execution.
“It was a beautiful night with a lot of stars,” she recalled. “I thought, I (10)_____ another
aurora (Italian for ‘dawn’).”
The ‘Germans’, who turned out to be working with the Resistance, delivered her to a
hospital run by Catholic nuns. She was free and safe.

1. A. to building B. building C. build D. built

2. A. has begun B. began C. was begun D. was beginning
3. A. Betrayed B. Betraying C. Having betrayed D. Was betrayed
4. A. is thrown B. has been thrown C. was throwing D. was thrown
5. A. has contained B. contain C. containing D. was containing
6. A. told B. said C. complained D. asked
7. A. would have betrayed B. would betray C. betraying D. will betray
8. A. had injected B. would inject C. has injected D. should inject
9. A. was interrogating B. had been interrogated C. was being interrogated D. interrogated
10.A. will never have seen B. will never see C. must never see D. am never seeing
Test Practice
For a digital version of this exercise, see Exercises from Selected Texts Triennale on
https://elearning.unito.it/scienzeumanistiche/course/view.php?id=1981
Reading/Writing (10 + 10 points): Flannery O’Connor
Read the following text and answer the questions.
Vocabulary (2 points): Choose the definition or synonym that corresponds best to the word in italics as it is
used in the text.
Text Organization (2 points): Choose the most appropriate missing sentence.
1 The deed is done. A week after its decision, Loyola University Maryland removed Flannery O’Connor’s name from the
dormitory now formerly {already~before~previously~old} known as Flannery O’Connor Hall. The unnaming was anticlimactic.
The campus is empty because it is high summer and because of COVID-19. So, when students arrive back on campus, whenever
that might be, few are likely to notice the change because most undergraduates don't know who Flannery O’Connor was. She
meant little to them before, and will mean less than little after this.
2 But to many people, Flannery O’Connor means a great deal. This has never been more evident than now. In the wake of
the message issued by the Jesuit university’s president, explaining that O’Connor’s name would be removed because she does not
“reflect Loyola’s Jesuit values,” hundreds of scholars and readers of O’Connor’s work have expressed their shock to see her
repudiated.  Many have posed the question: “How is it possible that O’Connor, a devout Catholic who embraced her vocation as a
Catholic as passionately as she embraced her vocation as a writer, could be ‘cancelled’?” 
3 This question is easier to answer than one might suppose. It’s possible because of an essay published in the June
22 issue {number~circulation~controversy~question} of the New Yorker written by Catholic critic and biographer Paul Elie.
In the provocative essay, “How Racist Was Flannery O’Connor,” Elie replicates passages from a recent book on Flannery
O’Connor and race, using them to prove that O’Connor was a racist.
4 Elie searches the book for  “nasty” passages, removes them from the historical and personal context, and presents them
to the New Yorker readership with little explanation, all as evidence of O’Connor’s American sin of racism. MISSING
SENTENCE *A: { O’Connor is the perfect writer for our moment. // She was 39 years old, the author of two novels and a
book of stories. // The problems with his essay are many. // Last year, Fordham University hosted a symposium on
O’Connor and race.} It is confusing, irresponsible, and an attempt to make the erroneous claim that only he has ever dealt
frankly with O’Connor’s complex attitude toward race. Actually, critics have been wrestling with this since the early 1970s.
5 Elie’s essay has caused a great deal of damage. As soon as it was online, Twitter lit up with denunciations of O’Connor
and former admirers swearing they would never read—or teach—her books again. Conversely, admirers of O’Connor, who know
something about the reality of her life and the pernicious presence of racism in the mid-twentieth-century South, lamented Elie’s
careless treatment of this complex subject. But the most concrete expression of that damage came from a Loyola University
Maryland student who initiated an inaccurately worded petition at change.org to have Flannery O’Connor’s name removed from
one of the buildings on campus. She was horrified to read that O’Connor was a racist and lamented the “hate” she had expressed
toward African Americans. (It is important to note that this is a word O’Connor never uses to describe her attitude toward African
Americans, either in the passages quoted in the New Yorker or otherwise.)  
6 She was mistaken in her understanding of O’Connor’s writing and O’Connor was valuable precisely because of her
experiential knowledge of racism. Her stories actually reveal and repudiate racism, and her ambivalence about race uncovers
O’Connor’s inner war between her anti-racist self and her racist self, which is the same war fought by all white people born into
and (mal)formed by a racist culture. MISSING SENTENCE *B: { O’Connor is the perfect writer for our moment. // She was
39 years old, the author of two novels and a book of stories. // The problems with his essay are many. // Last year,
Fordham University hosted a symposium on O’Connor and race.}
True or False (4 points): Base your answers on what is written in the text.
1. __________ Although Elie claimed to be the first scholar to really discuss and condemn O'Connor's racist writings, in reality he
wasn't. 
2. __________ The petition requesting the cancellation of O'Connor's name from a dormitory on campus talked about O'Connor's
hatred for Afro-Americans.
3. __________ According to the author of this text, scholars and readers of O'Connor who understood her works agreed with the
removal of her name from the university building.
4. __________ Unlike Elie, the article's author believes that all white people have a lot to learn from O'Connor's ambivalent
attitudes towards race.
Main idea and text type (2 points)
1. Which is the best title for the text? {O'Connor's Popularity Falls~Elie, A Dangerous Type of Critic~Students Want
O'Connor Removed from the University Grounds~O'Connor: A Misunderstood Reading Spells Repudiation}

2. What is this text? {local news~an opinion~a biography~an obituary}

WRITING (10 POINTS)
Write a 120-150-word composition on ONE of the following topics. It is possible to use ideas and expressions
from the text, but you cannot not copy more than three consecutive words. Your composition must be
organized into separate paragraphs and you must adhere to the word limit. You also need to invent an
appropriate title for your composition.
1. Have you ever experienced discrimination? Describe what happened.
2. Describe a book that might be considered racist? What was your reaction to it?
3. Do you think that the destruction of monuments or art can be justified if they celebrate important figures who
accepted racism?
Extra Practice

Reading / Writing: Counterfeit paintings

Read the following text and answer the questions.

1 His expertise at imitating the style of great masters using ordinary house paint fooled art experts around the
world and earned him millions of pounds before he was put in jail. Now the man believed to be the world’s most
prolific art forger, John Myatt, is holding an exhibition of his latest paintings created after he succeeded in producing
some of the most audacious art frauds of the 20 th century. Myatt, 60, whose paintings now go for anywhere from
£850 to £4,700, is exhibiting more than 100 works at St. Paul’s Gallery, in Birmingham, from 12 May. *A
2 From 1987 to 1994, Mr Myatt produced counterfeit works that were presented as authentic originals and
sold to auction houses such as Sotheby’s and Christie’s. Yesterday he recounted the extraordinary story – soon to be
made into a film starring Michael Douglas – that saw him sell about 200 works painted “in the style of” Picasso, Van
Gogh, Chagall and Giacometti as originals to art collectors across the world. Then an art teacher, he moved towards
forgery after placing an advertisement in Private Eye for his painting services. “I got quite a lot of customers, so I
was actually able to make a living from home. Some would give me a family portrait and want me to paint them in
the style of Gainsborough or Reynolds,” he said.
3 One such customer, John Drew, who claimed to be a physics professor, kept coming back for more
paintings, until one day he told Mr Myatt he had sold a painting in the style of German Cubist painter, Albert
Gleizes, for £25,000. “He gave me half the money. It was as much money as I earned as a teacher in a year. I just
couldn’t believe it. It was not even painted in oil. As more were sold, I couldn’t believe that experts could not tell the
difference,” he said. Although Myatt had recently separated from his wife and was having to bring up their young
son and daughter alone, he does not wish to make excuses. *B He began by producing imitation Giacomettis; he
would drive to Liverpool to see an exhibition of the Swiss surrealist's work and then rush back to his home in
Staffordshire to make the first brush stroke. Around 80 of Myatt’s fakes are still believed to be in circulation with
owners unaware that they have been the victim of a fraud, which has been estimated to be worth more than several
million pounds.
4 Myatt was caught in 1995 when Drew's wife went to the police (they were going through a bitter separation)
and Scotland Yard searched Myatt's house. At first he denied everything, but when the officers discovered an
unposted letter to Drew in his briefcase saying that he wanted to stop, Myatt realised that it was over. "The letter was
basically a signed confession. The police were very nice about it. We ended up sitting round the kitchen table
discussing art." Mr Myatt served four months in Brixton Prison, where he was affectionately known as “Picasso” for
his portraits of fellow inmates, commissioned in exchange for phone-cards. On his release, he resolved never to paint
again, but then he got a phone call from the officer who had arrested him, asking for a portrait of his family. This
was followed by a commission of a Giacometti from a member of the prosecution team at his trial and a version of
Dufy's Casino at Nice for the Bar Council.
5 In the past decade, his “genuine fakes” have received critical acclaim, and he set up his company, Genuine
Fakes Limited, four years ago. His paintings are works by the very same artists he used to imitate when he was a
criminal, and they even come with the master’s signature. The only difference is that on the back of the canvas is a
computer chip and the legend “Genuine fake” written in indelible ink. Myatt said, “I’m not copying a painting, I’m
making a new painting that someone such as Picasso may have painted in, say, 1911.*C ”
[A. Akbar, The Independent, 29/4/06]
Text Organization
Three of the five sentences below have been removed from the text and replaced by an asterisk and the letters
A, B and C, whereas the other two are from different sources. Identify which two sentences do not belong in
the text and write D in the space provided. Identify where the other three sentences belong (at *A, *B or *C)
and write the appopriate letter in the space provided.

1. ______ So I study everything he was producing in that year, read as much as I can about him, and then begin.
2. ______ The exhibition includes previously unseen paintings in the style of Joan Miro, Monet and Gigliani.
3. ______ His work includes the bestselling novel, The Crimson Petal and the White.
4. ______ But critics also understand that they must keep a low profile.
5. ______ The truth, he says, is that he also enjoyed it.
Comprehension: True or False
Choose True or False, based on what is written in the text.
6. __________ Art critics have shown appreciation for Myatt’s work.
7. __________ While in prison, Myatt continued to make a lot of money by painting.
8. __________ Myatt still imitates the style of famous artists like Picasso, but now he cannot sell his paintings.
9. __________ It was Drew’s idea to pretend that Myatt’s paintings were authentic originals by famous artists.
10. __________ After painting illegally for nearly 10 years, Myatt was arrested when his partner confessed their
crime to the police.

Comprehension: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
11. What is the best title for this text?
A. “Exhibition honours the forger who fooled”
B. “Michael Douglas steals the show in art fraud film”
C. “Life goes on after prison”
D. “John Myatt and his new company Genuine Fakes”

12. Which section of the British newspaper The Independent did this article appear in?
A. Obituaries B. Business C. Opinion
D. Arts and Entertainment E. International News

Vocabulary
Choose the definition or synonym that corresponds best to the word as it is used in the text.
13. masters (¶ 1)
A. owners B. paints C. artists D. masterpieces
14. actually(¶ 2)
A. currently B. in fact C. now D. reality
15. bring up (¶ 3)
A. look at B. take place C. care for D. mention
16. commission (¶ 4)
A. official group B. bonus C. money D. request

Reference
What do the following words in the text refer to? Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
Example: he (¶ 1) = John Myatt
17. Some (¶ 2)
A. painting services B. customers C. advertisement D. painting services
18. It (¶ 3)
A. Gleizes B. the painting C. German Cubist painter D. Drew
19. which (¶ 3 )
A. owners B. victim C. fakes D. fraud
20. his (¶ 5)
A. Myatt(’s) B. Genuine Fakes Ltd. C. Bar Council D. critical acclaim

WRITING (10 POINTS)

Write a 120-150-word composition on ONE of the following topics. It is possible to use ideas and expressions
from the text, but you cannot not copy more than three consecutive words. Your composition must be
organized into separate paragraphs and you must adhere to the word limit. You also need to invent an
appropriate title for your composition.

1. Discuss the most common crime/s in your town or neighbourhood.

2. Whose life story would you like to see made into a film?
3. Describe a recent visit to an art exhibition or museum.
Extra Practice

Reading / Writing: Dith Pran and the Killing Fields in Cambodia

Read the following text and answer the questions.
1 Dith Pran, the Cambodian-born photographer, journalist and interpreter whose extraordinary personal story was the
inspiration for the 1984 film, “The Killing Fields”, has died in the United States at the age of 65 from pancreatic cancer.
2 The film, which was directed by Roland Joffé and won three Oscars, told the true-life story of Dith’s friendship with the
American journalist Sydney Schanberg, and his survival through the four years of Khmer Rouge rule in Cambodia, during which
between 1.5 million and 2 million people died. After surviving unimaginable horrors, Dith was reunited with Schanberg, who
helped him settle in the US and make a new life with his family as a photographer on the New York Times.
3 Dith was born during the years of Cambodia’s Japanese occupation, in the northern town of Siem Rep. His father was a
public works official, first in the occupation government, and then in the French colonial administration that returned at the end of
the second world war in 1945. It was subsequently replaced in 1953 by a constitutional monarchy under King Sihanouk.
4 After graduation from high school, in 1960 Dith started working as a translator of English and French with the military.
Later, in 1972 he began working for the New York Times, specifically as a translator and helpmate for the paper’s correspondent,
Schanberg. Then in April 1975, the Khmer Rouge, a communist guerrilla group, came to power and renamed the country the
Democratic People’s Republic of Kampuchea. The first act of the Khmer Rouge government was to make people leave the main
cities. Some 60% of Cambodia’s 5 million people were forced out to work in the countryside. *A
5 During their investigations, Dith and Schanberg visited a hospital in Phnom Penh with a group of other western
reporters, including the British journalist Jon Swain. They were surrounded by soldiers and threatened with arrest. At great risk to
his own life, Dith managed to convince the soldiers not to shoot the foreigners dead. In the end, they were released, but he was
taken away in a military vehicle.
6 As later portrayed in “The Killing Fields”, Dith was forced to return to a village in the infamous northern zone of
Cambodia, where many of the mass murders took place. *B During this period, he also managed to return to his childhood home
to look for his family: his father had starved to death, four of his siblings had been killed and there were skulls and bones covering
the fields.
7 The Khmer Rouge, under the French-educated Saloth Sar (better known as Pol Pot) reduced Cambodia to a slave society
for four years. Then, in January 1979, the Vietnamese invaded Cambodia, and sent the Khmer Rouge leadership into exile. That
July, Dith Pran, who had been one of the few intellectuals to survive the Khmer Rouge years, escaped to Thailand. Three months
later, in October, he was dramatically reunited with Schanberg, who had been circulating photographs of his missing friend in the
border region in the hope of getting news.
8 Schanberg’s Pulitzer-prizewinning article “The Death and Life of Dith Pran” in 1980 was to be the inspiration for the
film, in which Schanberg was played by Sam Waterston, and Haing S Ngor, a fellow survivor of what had come to be called the
Cambodian killing fields, played Dith. *C
9 For the rest of his life, Dith continued working to inform people about the tremendous and tragic effects that Khmer
Rouge rule had had on Cambodia, writing numerous articles and books. His best-known work is Children of Cambodia’s Killing
Fields (1997). Like many survivors, Dith wanted to see justice brought to the remaining leaders of the Khmer Rouge regime,
although the main perpetrator, Pol Pot, was to die from natural causes in 1998, after a long period of refuge in the Thai-Cambodia
border area. The recent UN trials for the few leaders still living were only the most partial attempts to deliver justice. Dith’s story,
and his inspiration for “The Killing Fields”, ensured that awareness of this terrible story reached a wide audience.
10 He is survived by his companion Bette, three sons and a daughter.
(Kerry Brown, 1 April 2008)

Text Organization
Three of the five sentences below have been removed from the text and replaced by an asterisk and the letters
A, B and C, whereas the other two are from different sources. Identify which two sentences do not belong in
the text and write D in the space provided. Identify where the other three sentences belong (at *A, *B or *C)
and write the appopriate letter in the space provided.

1. ______ Pol Pot officially resigned from the party in 1975.

2. ______ Dith managed to get his wife, Ser Moeun, and four children out of Cambodia on a US truck, but he
decided to stay behind to observe the events first-hand.
3. ______ In this scene, Schanberg calls Pran’s family with the news that Pran is alive and safe.
4. ______ He was to win an Academy award as best supporting actor.
5. ______ There, his diet at one point was reduced to a single spoonful of rice a day.
Comprehension: True or False
Choose True or False, based on what is written in the text.
6. __________ Both Dith Pran and Haing S. Ngor experienced life under the Khmer Rouge first-hand.
7. __________ One of Dith Pran’s happiest memories was when Pol Pot, the leader of the Khmer Rouge, was finally
convicted.
8. __________ Dith Pran experienced various types of governments while growing up in Cambodia.
9. __________ Dith Pran was able to prevent Khmer Rouge soldiers from killing a group of journalists.
10. __________ Dith Pran, the father of four sons, died in his 60s from pancreatic cancer.

Comprehension: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
11. What is the best title for this text?
A. “NY Times honours Cambodian journalist and photographer”
B. “‘Killing Fields’ survivor loses battle to cancer”
C. “Cambodia devastated by Khmer Rouge regime”
D. “Justice comes late for Cambodia”

12. What is this text?

A. a journal entry B. a review C. an obituary D. an interview
E. an excerpt from a history textbook

Vocabulary
Choose the definition or synonym that corresponds best to the word as it is used in the text.
13. rule (¶ 2)
A. regulation B. govern C. control D. political
14. helpmate (¶ 4)
A. assist B. aide C. dependent D. employer
15. infamous (¶ 6)
A. unknown B. celebrated C. notorious D. knew
16. work (¶ 9)
A. composition B. opera C. test D. job

Reference
What do the following words in the text refer to? Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
Example: whose (¶ 1) = Dith Pran
17. who (¶ 2)
A. photographer B. New York Times C. Schanberg D. Dith Pran
18. It (¶ 3)
A. French colonial administration B. second world war C. occupation government D. Pran’s father
19. the country (¶ 4)
A. Khmer Rouge B. Cambodia C. Democratic People’s Republic of Kampuchea D. communist guerrilla group
20. their (¶ 5)
A. hospital B. Western reporters C. investigations D. Pran and Schanberg(’s)

WRITING (10 POINTS)

Write a 120-150-word composition on ONE of the following topics. It is possible to use ideas and expressions
from the text, but you cannot not copy more than three consecutive words. Your composition must be
organized into separate paragraphs and you must adhere to the word limit. You also need to invent an
appropriate title for your composition.

1. Discuss an important world event you have heard about in the news recently.
2. Talk about a film or book that has had an important effect on you.
3. Describe a difficult situation you have had to deal with.
Extra Practice
Reading / Writing (10 + 10 points): Auschwitz Painter
Read the following text and answer the questions.
1 At 83, Dina Gottliebova Babbitt still recalls the easel where in 1944, under orders from the infamous Nazi doctor Josef
Mengele, she painted watercolors of the tired faces of Gypsy prisoners. But her memories of the Auschwitz concentration camp,
vivid though they are, aren’t enough for Mrs. Babbitt. Seven of the 11 portraits that saved Mrs. Babbitt and her mother remain not
far from where she created them, on display at the Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial and Museum in Poland.
2 “*A They belong to me, my soul is in them, and without these paintings I wouldn’t be alive, my children and
grandchildren wouldn’t be alive,” Mrs. Babbitt said with a Czech accent as she served schnitzel in her cottage here in the hills
outside Santa Cruz, California. “I created them. Who else’s could they be?”
3 Her three-decade effort to retrieve them, which has stagnated for years, is drawing renewed interest this summer as a heart
problem threatening Mrs. Babbitt’s health reinvigorates her supporters’ efforts to resolve the dispute. Recently, a letter to the
Auschwitz museum was signed by 13 artists, art dealers and museum curators, including a former executive director of the United
States Holocaust Memorial Museum. “Reuniting Mrs. Babbitt with her paintings would be a sign of the museum’s dedication not
only to history but also to humanity,” said the letter.
4 The Auschwitz museum, which considers the watercolors to be its property, has argued that they are rare artifacts and
important evidence of the Nazi genocide, part of the cultural heritage of the world. Teresa Swiebocka, the museum’s deputy
director, wrote by e-mail that the portraits “serve important documentary and educational functions as a part of the permanent
exhibition” about the murder of thousands of Gypsy, or Roma, victims. Mrs. Babbitt’s case is unusual among the property
disputes to emerge from the Holocaust because it involves artwork created under the pressure of Nazis, not property confiscated
by the Nazis.
5 Dina Gottliebova was a 19-year-old art student in Prague in 1942 when she first went to a concentration camp. In
September 1943 she and her mother, Johanna, were moved to Auschwitz, where she tried to cheer the imprisoned children by
painting a mural of a Swiss mountainside and “Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.” The work drew the attention of Mengele,
whose experiments focused on finding scientific evidence to support Nazi racial theories. *B Mengele came up to her, Mrs.
Babbitt recalled, in March 1944, on a day when thousands of other prisoners were being taken to be exterminated. She said that
she demanded of Mengele that he also spare her mother or she would commit suicide by touching an electrified fence. Her first
subject was a Gypsy woman named Celine. Celine is shown with a scarf covering her shaved head and one ear protruding, Mrs.
Babbitt said, because Mengele linked the shape of Gypsy ears to inferiority.
6 After this, Mrs. Babbitt and her mother were imprisoned in two more concentration camps before liberation in May 1945.
Following the war she found work as an animator in Paris and was hired by the American who would become her husband, Art
Babbitt. They married, moved to California and had two daughters. The Babbitts divorced in 1962, and Mrs. Babbitt returned to
animation, working on characters like Tweety Bird, Wile E. Coyote and Cap’n Crunch.
7 In 1973 the Auschwitz museum told her that the watercolors had survived. The artist borrowed money to fly to Poland to
authenticate the work, carrying a briefcase that she planned to use to take the watercolors home. When museum officials refused
to give them to her, the long-running dispute began. The museum insists that it respects Mrs. Babbitt’s position, informing her
regularly about the status of the material and asking her permission whenever the works are to be reproduced or published. *C
8 Displayed on an easel in her cottage is her attempt to repaint the Gypsy woman Celine as the young woman might have
wanted to be painted — with longer hair and without her ear protruding from her scarf.
9 “Every single thing, including our underwear, was taken away from us,” Mrs. Babbitt said. “Everything we owned. My
dog, our furniture, our clothes. And now, finally, something is found that I created, that belongs to me. And they refuse to give it
to me. This is why I feel the same helplessness as I did then.”
[S. Friess, The New York Times, 30/8/06]

Text Organization
Three of the five sentences below have been removed from the text and replaced by an asterisk and the letters
A, B and C, whereas the other two are from different sources. Identify which two sentences do not belong in
the text and write D in the space provided. Identify where the other three sentences belong (at *A, *B or *C)
and write the appopriate letter in the space provided.

1. ______ Watercolor proponents prize it as a studio medium for its lack of odor.
2. ______ Frustrated that photographs did not accurately depict Gypsy skin color, he wanted her to paint them.
3. ______ Babbitt is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and he is also a Fellow of the
American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
4. ______ They are definitely my own paintings.
5. ______ To Babbitt, this is an acknowledgment that the museum recognizes that the works belong to her.
Comprehension: True or False
Choose True or False, based on what is written in the text.
6. __________ After World War II, Ms Babbitt found work using her artistic talent.
7. __________ For the last fifty years, Ms Babbitt has been involved in a legal battle to get her portraits back.
8. __________ Ms Babbitt and her mother were sent to various concentration camps before they were finally
released in 1945.
9. __________ The portrait of the Gypsy woman in Ms Babbitt’s house is identical to the one she painted at
Auschwitz.
10. __________ Ms Babbitt has very vague memories of her experience at Auschwitz.

Comprehension: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
11. Which statement best summarizes the text?
A. Dina Babbitt has finally been reunited with the portraits she painted at Auschwitz.
B. Dina Babbitt’s poor health is linked to her years of suffering in concentration camps.
C. Dina Babbitt continues in her struggle to get back the portraits she painted in Auschwitz.
D. Many Gypsy prisoners were killed while Dina Babbitt was at Auschwitz.

12. What is this text?

A. an historical document B. a newspaper article based on an interview
C. a journal article D. an interview E. an obituary

Vocabulary
Choose the definition or synonym that corresponds best to the word as it is used in the text.
13. infamous (¶ 1)
A. celebrated B. notorious C. unknown D. knew
14. former (¶ 3)
A. previous B. first C. young D. passed
15. animator (¶ 6)
A. artistic B. entertainer C. design D. cartoonist
16. watercolors (¶ 7)
A. paintings B. subjects C. paints D. depicts

Reference
What do the following words in the text refer to? Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
Example: she (¶ 1) = Dina Babbitt
17. it (¶ 4) =
A. Holocaust B. artwork C. Mrs Babbit’s case D. property disputes
18. where (¶ 5) =
A. September 1942 B. Auschwitz C. Swiss mountainside D. Prague
19. her (¶ 8 ) =
A. Gypsy woman’s B. Mrs Babbit’s C. Celine’s D. young woman’s
20. us (¶ 9) =
A. Mrs Babbit’s mother B. Gypsy women C. Mrs Babbit D. Mrs Babbit and other prisoners

WRITING (10 POINTS)

Write a 120-150-word composition on ONE of the following topics. It is possible to use ideas and expressions
from the text, but you cannot not copy more than three consecutive words. Your composition must be
organized into separate paragraphs and you must adhere to the word limit. You also need to invent an
appropriate title for your composition.

1. Explain who you think should get the paintings, Dina Babbitt or the Auschwitz Museum.
2. Discuss a painter or a work of art that you admire.
3. Describe a situation involving racism that you have experienced or witnessed in Italy or abroad.
Extra Practice

Reading / Writing: Dorothy Height and the Civil Rights Movement

Read the following text and answer the questions.
1 If Rosa Parks was the mother of the modern US civil-rights movement, Dorothy Height was its queen. Parks's refusal to
give up her seat on a segregated bus in the southern state of Alabama one December day in 1955 caught the attention of the world,
an unforgettable gesture of defiance against the evil of racism. *A Yet for more than 60 years Height fought on two fronts at the
highest level of the movement, not just for the equality of black Americans, but for the equality of women as well.
2 As an activist, Height started taking part in protests in Harlem during the 1930s. She had dealings with the
administrations of every president from Franklin Roosevelt to George W. Bush, who awarded her the Congressional Gold Medal,
the country's highest civilian award, in 2004. Height was a close adviser to Martin Luther King, and was with him on the platform
on the Washington Mall when he delivered his "I have a dream" speech on 28 August 1963. Yet, typically, she was sitting to one
side, scarcely noticed. *B The only female voice heard belonged to the gospel singer Mahalia Jackson, who performed an old
negro spiritual.
3 By then, Height was already president of the NCNW, the National Council of Negro Women, a post she held until 1997
when she was 85 years old. At the end of her long career, as at its beginning, she was elegant, dignified and quietly commanding.
4 Dorothy Height grew up in Rankin, Pennsylvania, a suburb of Pittsburgh where the schools were integrated. In 1929
she won a student contest for public speaking, along with a university scholarship. After her victory, she was admitted to the
prestigious Barnard College in New York City, but was then denied entry to this university because Barnard had already filled the
two places it gave each year to African Americans.
5 After graduating from New York University she was first trained as a social worker, before turning her attentions to the
emerging struggle for civil rights. Her mentors were Adam Clayton Powell, minister at the Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem,
and then his son, the Reverend Adam Clayton Powell Jr, who would later represent Harlem in the House of Representatives in
Washington. Her most important alliance, however, was with Mary McLeod Bethune, the educator and civil-rights advocate who
founded the NCNW in 1935 and became Franklin Roosevelt's Adviser for Minority Affairs. Height took over her role, specifically
as head of the National Council and more generally as the pre-eminent female figure in the struggle for racial equality.
6 Apart from her leadership of the NCNW, her most visible function was as an administrator of the women’s organization
YWCA, whose desegregation she helped secure in the 1940s. In the 1960s, at the height of the civil-rights struggle, Height also
ran the "Wednesdays in Mississippi" group, bringing black and white women together to promote understanding between the
races. But her most important role was backstage, as an adviser, mediator and quiet counsellor to King and the other male giants
of the civil-rights movement. "We were a group of peers," she told an interviewer in the 1990s. "There were times when the men
differed with each other and I could help bridge the gap. Yes, when the pictures were taken, I was at the end of the row, and
sometimes cut out. But I had great respect for those men. *C "
7 In fact, it was Dorothy Height whom King asked to go to Birmingham, Alabama to comfort the families of the four little
girls killed when the 16th Street Baptist Church was bombed by the Ku Klux Klan, less than three weeks after the epochal march
in Washington. That outrage helped shock the Kennedy administration into action. But even when the civil-rights acts of the
1960s had been signed into law by Lyndon Johnson, Height believed black Americans would have to fight to exercise the new
rights that were now theirs on paper. Gradually she came around to the notion of more militant "black power", saying: "White
power in the system in which we live is a reality. Simply talking about bettering race relations without changing the power
relations will get us nowhere."
8 Today the most imposing physical monument to Height is the handsome headquarters of the NCNW, on Pennsylvania
Avenue in the heart of monumental Washington, on the site of an old slave market, almost in the shadow of the Washington
Capitol, where on 20 January 2009 she occupied a place of honour at the inauguration of America's first black president.
9 Her views, however, never changed. The country, Dorothy Height continued to insist, had still not removed
institutional racism. "We must keep on struggling for jobs and freedom. We have to make the laws work."
Dorothy Irene Height, civil-rights activist: born Richmond, Virginia 24 March 1912; President, National Council of Negro
Women 1957-1997; died Washington DC 20 April 2010. [Rupert Cornwell, April 2010]

Text Organization
Three of the five sentences below have been removed from the text and replaced by an asterisk and the letters
A, B and C, whereas the other two are from different sources. Identify which two sentences do not belong in
the text and write D in the space provided. Identify where the other three sentences belong (at *A, *B or *C)
and write the appopriate letter in the space provided.
1. ______ The funeral service at the Washington National Cathedral was attended by President and Mrs Obama.
2. ______ To her enduring regret, neither she nor any other woman was on the programme as a speaker.
3. ______ By contrast, few people knew Height's name.
4. ______ We are not going to get there by talking alone.
5. ______ You may ask why I didn't step forward – but who steps ahead of Martin Luther King in a march?
Comprehension: True or False
Choose True or False, based on what is written in the text.
6. __________ Height died nearly a year after witnessing the inauguration of the first black American president.
7. __________ Height began her protest work in the Thirties.
8. __________ Height stepped down as president of the National Council of Negro Women to work for the YWCA.
9. __________ Height often complained that she was always kept in the shadows by male civil rights activists.
10. __________ Height studied at Barnard College and New York University.

Comprehension: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
11. Which is the best title for the text?
A. “Civil rights activist passes away”
B. “Dorothy Height: a living legend”
C. “Black feminist has just achieved her highest goal”
D. “Martin Luther King’s dream finally comes true”

12. What is this text?

A. an encyclopedia entry B. a text from the Barnard College homepage
C. a journal extract D. an interview E. a commemorative article

Vocabulary
Choose the definition or synonym that corresponds best to the word as it is used in the text.
answer.
13. spiritual (¶ 2)
A. sacred B. holy dance C. song D. religion
14. scholarship (¶ 4)
A. grant B. academic C. learning D. degree
15. advocate (¶ 5)
A. activity B. barrister C. supporter D. legal
16. secure (¶ 6)
A. safety B. obtain C. protected D. buy

Reference
What do the following words in the text refer to? Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
Example: its (¶ 1) = modern US civil rights movement
17. who (¶ 2) =
A. Height B. Roosevelt C. administrations D. Bush
18. We (¶ 6) =
A. Height, King and other activists B. Height C. peers D. King and the other male giants
19. theirs (¶ 7) =
A. new rights B. black Americans C. civil rights acts D. Johnson and Height
20. The country (¶ 9) =
A. Pennsylvania B. rural areas C. the US D. Washington

WRITING (10 POINTS)

Write a 120-150-word composition on ONE of the following topics. It is possible to use ideas and expressions
from the text, but you cannot not copy more than three consecutive words. Your composition must be
organized into separate paragraphs and you must adhere to the word limit. You also need to invent an
appropriate title for your composition.

1. Talk about an important event that has occurred in your country in the last 100 years.
2. Describe a situation in which you think you were treated unfairly.
3. Talk about a personal achievement you are proud of.
Extra Practice
Reading/Writing: Rwanda
Read the following text and answer the questions.
1 The man who wanted to kill Immaculée Ilibagiza never knew exactly how close he had come to finding her.
He was a member of the Interahamwe, the Hutu death squads of Rwanda during the country's brutal genocide.
2 Ms Ilibagiza was hiding. For 91 days she and seven other Tutsi women sat in a tiny bathroom as the country
experienced a bloody wave of violence in 1994. The only thing stopping the Interahamwe killers from finding them
was a wardrobe that had been placed in front of the door to the toilet. “I heard a guy saying he'd already killed 499
Tutsis and that he was determined to make me the 500th,” says Ms Ilibagiza, now 37. She has since moved to New
York and has two of her own children. “He was standing just behind the door when he said it. *A ”
3 Her story is the Rwandan equivalent of The Diary of Anne Frank - a remarkable account of how people can
survive in the most inhumane conditions as the violence of man destroys everything around them. But unlike the
young German-Jewish author, who was eventually found by the Nazis and died in the Bergen-Belsen concentration
camp just weeks before its liberation, Ms Ilibagiza has lived to tell her tale. Her book, Left to Tell: Discovering God
Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust, has gone on to sell more than 250,000 copies around the world. But what makes Ms
Ilibagiza's experience truly stand out is the way she has learnt to forgive the people that destroyed her family and
country. Now the story of her agonising three months in hiding has been made into a one-woman play and this week
it is showing at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as part of a world tour.
4 For 100 terrible days in the spring of 1994, Rwanda experienced a genocide of unimaginable savagery. On 6
April 1994, an aeroplane carrying Rwanda's Hutu President, Juvénal Habyarimana, was shot down. *B “Within 10
minutes [of Habyarimana's death] the whole country changed,” recalls Ms Ilibagiza. “Everyone hid in their houses
just listening to the radio.” The violence began almost immediately. The international community looked away as
more than one million Tutsis and pro-Tutsi Hutus were exterminated.
5 Fearing that his daughter would be killed if caught by Hutu militiamen, Ms Ilibagiza's father sent her to hide
in a nearby house owned by Simeon Nzabahimana who, despite being a Hutu, risked his life to hide her and seven
other women. “It was a room measuring three feet by four feet, a small bathroom really,” says Ms Ilibagiza. “It didn't
even have a sink, just a toilet sunk into the ground. There was a door on to the next room and at night we could
sometimes go there to lie down. But only at night.” For the next three months the women sat in terror as the
Interahamwe went from house to house butchering the Tutsi population. The only immediate relative of Ms Ilibagiza
to survive the genocide other than herself was her third brother, Aimable, who was studying in Senegal at the time of
the genocide. *C
6 By the time the women left their hiding place and arrived in a refugee camp that was run by French
peacekeepers, Ms Ilibagiza's weight had dropped from 52 kg to just under 30 kg. By late summer the killing had
finally stopped and Ms Ilibagiza decided to test how far her forgiveness could go. She found her father's killer in a
nearby prison. The tables had been turned. Now he was imprisoned, filthy and terrified but the first words he heard
from the woman who had come to see him were: “I forgive you.”
7 This ability to forgive such atrocities was what inspired Leslie Lewis Sword, an American actress who came
to know Ms Ilibagiza after attending one of her lectures, to dramatise her life. “Her message is forgiveness,” Sword
said earlier this week. The play itself, Miracle in Rwanda, in which Sword plays all the parts including Ms Ilibagiza,
her family and an Interahamwe leader, has received great praise in the US press and is currently making a world
tour. Her performances at Edinburgh have sold out each night. [11/8/07]
Text Organization
Three of the five sentences below have been removed from the text and replaced by an asterisk and the letters
A, B and C, whereas the other two are from different sources. Identify which two sentences do not belong in
the text and write D in the space provided. Identify where the other three sentences belong (at *A, *B or *C)
and write the appopriate letter in the space provided.
1. ______ His death gave the Hutu extremists a pretext for starting a highly organised, systematic campaign against
the Tutsis.
2. ______ Immaculée Ilibagiza is a Rwandan author and inspirational speaker.
3. ______ Most Rwandans speak Kinyarwanda, and before the arrival of European colonists, there was no written
history.
4. ______ He has chosen to remain in his country of birth and now works as a veterinarian.
5. ______ These people were our neighbours, people who just weeks earlier used to be our friends.
Comprehension: True or False
Choose True or False, based on what is written in the text.
6. __________ Ms Ilibagiza has written an opera based on her experience in Rwanda.
7. __________ The international community did very little to stop the violence in Rwanda during the spring of 1994.
8. __________ Although Miracle in Rwanda was well-received in the US, it has not been very successful in the U.K.
9. __________ Ms Ilibagiza’s experience was especially difficult because she had to stay in a very small room all by
herself.
10. __________ Aimable Ilibagiza, Immaculée Ilibagiza’s brother, was studying abroad at the time of the 1994
killings.

Comprehension: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
11. Which statement best summarizes the text?
A. The international community is to blame for the genocide in Rwanda.
B. A Rwandan refugee’s incredible story is now being performed onstage in Edinburgh.
C. Ms Ilibagiza refuses to forgive the Hutus who killed her family.
D. Leslie Lewis Sword greatly admires Ms Ilibagiza.

12. What is this text?

A. an obituary B. a review
C. an article from a legal journal D. an interview
E. a newspaper article based on interviews

Vocabulary
Choose the definition or synonym that corresponds best to the word as it is used in the text.
13. account (¶ 3)
A. bill B. balance C. review D. story
14. relative (¶ 5)
A. family member B. parent C. relationship D. comparative
15. plays (¶ 7)
A. games B. amuses C. performs D. interpretations
16. currently (¶ 7)
A. often B. actually C. usually D. now

Reference
What do the following words in the text refer to? Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
Example: she (¶ 2) = Ms Ilibagiza
17. them (¶ 2) =
A. killers B. Ms Ilibagiza C. 8 Tutsi women D. 499 Tutsi
18. who (¶ 3) =
A. Ms Ilibagiza B. Anne Frank C. Bergen-Belsen D. Nazis
19. it (¶ 3) =
A. Fringe Festival B. world tour C. play D. story’s
20. her (¶ 7) =
A. Ms Ilibagiza’s B. Ms Ilibagiza’s lectures C. American actress’ D. Ms Sword’s

WRITING (10 POINTS)

Write a 120-150-word composition on ONE of the following topics. It is possible to use ideas and expressions
from the text, but you cannot not copy more than three consecutive words. Your composition must be
organized into separate paragraphs and you must adhere to the word limit. You also need to invent an
appropriate title for your composition.

1. Do you know anyone who has lived through a war? Describe his or her experience.
2. Which genre of books do you prefer reading (novels, autobiographies, short stories, etc.)? Explain why.
3. Describe a recent experience you have had at the theatre.
5. GENDER ISSUES
Test Practice
For a digital version of this exercise, see Exercises from Selected Texts Triennale on
https://elearning.unito.it/scienzeumanistiche/course/view.php?id=1981

Grammar, Vocabulary and Verbs (10 points): Women’s Suffrage

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
Leggete il seguente testo e scegliete l’ espressione che completa correttamente la frase. 

The first British woman suffrage committee (1){ has been set up~was set up~set up~
has set up} in Manchester in 1865. In 1866 Elizabeth Garrett, a physician, collected over 1,500
petition signatures demanding the right to vote for women.
Women’s suffrage (2){ took~went~did~ made} progress at the municipal level in the (3){
last~final~end~ late}19th century. Since it was believed that mothers should take an interest in
their children's education and in local charities, local suffrage was more acceptable (4)
{ than~of~as~that} national suffrage.
The national movement became more active around 1905. It engaged in mass public
demonstrations that generated publicity and attracted the interest not only of educated middle-
class women but also of women textile workers and poor women, notably in the East End of
London. The moderate National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies, led (5){ at~by~of~from}
Millicent Garrett Fawcett, expanded membership, organized speaking tours, and distributed a
journal.
Emmeline Pankhurst and her two daughters, Christabel and Sylvia, (6){ founded~used to
find~found~were founded} the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) in 1903. In
response to government inaction and police violence, the WSPU turned from nonviolent protest
to destruction of property and many (7){ otherwise~other~another~others} militant tactics in
1907. WSPU militants cut telegraph wires, broke windows on Regent Street in London, set
buildings on fire and burned letter boxes. Suffragist militants--(8){ that are called~called~were
called~they called} by the press "suffragettes"--provoked arrest. In prison they went on hunger
strikes and were forcibly fed. (9){ Although~Despite~However~While} , when World War I
broke out, Pankhurst, Fawcett, and many of their followers stopped suffrage activities and
committed themselves wholeheartedly to the war effort. While the war (10){ was going on~had
gone on~gone on~go on} , women drove ambulances, helped the victims, and worked in
munitions factories. After the war, public attitudes toward suffrage for women were more
favorable. In 1918, women over 30 won the right to vote. A decade later, women were granted
the vote on the same basis as men.
Extra Practice
True or False. If the statements are false, please explain why.

1. _____ Women textile workers showed little interest in extending the right to vote to women.

2. _____ Members of the suffrage movement responded to police brutality by destroying property.

3. _____ During World War I, women were granted the right to vote.

4. _____ ‘Suffragettes’ were members of the press who wrote about the military.

5. _____ It was not until 1928 that men and women had the same voting rights.
Extra Practice

Grammar and Vocabulary (10 points): Wild Swans

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

All the women in my father’s family were Buddhists and one of (1)___ sisters was
particularly devout. […] My father’s sisters were very (2)___ to my mother. (3)___ her initial
formality, my grandmother was extremely relaxed and easygoing. She seldom passed judgment,
and was (4)____ critical. Aunt Jun-ying’s round face was marked by the smallpox disease, but
her eyes were (5)____ gentle that anyone could see she was a kind person, (6)___ they could feel
safe with. […] Aunt Jun-ying cooked delicious spicy Sichuan food, which is (7)___ different
from the bland food of northern China. The dishes had exotic names (8)___ my mother loved.
My mother went to the house often and would eat with the family, looking out at the (9)___ trees
in the garden. She found a warm, welcoming atmosphere in the Chang family, and felt loved by
each (10)___ in the house. [Adapted from J. Chang, Wild Swans]

1. A. her B. hers C. his D. theirs

2. A. kindest B. kinder C. kinds D. kind
3. A. Despite B. Nevertheless C. Although D. In spite
4. A. yet B. ever C. rare D. never
5. A. so much B. so C. such D. as
6. A. anyone B. someone C. no-one D. none
7. A. lot B. much C. quite D. quiet
8. A. that B. who C. whose D. to which
9. A. fruit B. fruit’s C. fruits’ D. fruits
10.A. women B. people C. sisters D. woman
Extra Practice

Grammar and Vocabulary (10 points): Women Workers’ Rights

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

Women led some of the greatest battles in the early struggle for workers’ rights in Britain
in the nineteenth century. One strike involved matchgirls at the Bryant & May factory, (1)___
walked out in protest when (2)___ colleagues were dismissed as punishment for being the
sources for an article by Annie Besant, a journalist. (3)___ accounts of the oppressive regime
operated (4)___ the factory owners became a cause célèbre. The women worked twelve hours
(5)____ day for a weekly wage of five shillings in appalling conditions. They were poisoned by
the phosphorus that was used for (6)____ the matches and punished for lateness or talking at
work.
The matchgirls won, thanks to Ms Besant. (7)____, women were largely excluded from
the early union movement and had to form their own associations, (8)___ the Women’s
Protective and Provident League, founded (9)____ 1874. Sadly, the momentum generated by the
early women labour leaders and the women’s suffrage movement did not continue. Even though
female union membership has grown, women do not figure prominently in leadership. In fact,
women union leaders are less common (10)____ female chief executives.

1. A. they B. who C. that D. which

2. A. no B. any C. some D. a lot
3. A. She B. Its C. Hers D. Her
4. A. at B. from C. of D. by
5. A. a B. at C. at the D. the
6. A. making B. doing C. building D. having
7. A. Although B. However C. But D. Despite
8. A. as if B. such C. as D. like
9. A. on B. at C. in D. since
10.A. of B. then C. than D. that
Test Practice
For a digital version of this exercise, see Exercises from Selected Texts Triennale on
https://elearning.unito.it/scienzeumanistiche/course/view.php?id=1981
Reading/Writing (10 + 10 points): Spanish Riding School
Read the following text and answer the questions.
Vocabulary (2 points): Choose the definition or synonym that corresponds best to the word in italics as it is
used in the text.
Text Organization (2 points): Choose the most appropriate missing sentence.
1             Dressed up in the traditional 19th-century-style uniform worn by pupils at the world's oldest riding school,
Sojurner Morell, a 17-year-old British horsewoman, looks very much like a young man. She and her 21-year-old
Austrian colleague, Hannah Zeitlhofer, have become the first women to be accepted to Vienna's elite, internationally
renowned and male-dominated Spanish Riding School, a 481-year-old institution. But being the first women to enter
one of the last men-only bastions in Europe has had its sartorial price: "I guess they haven't got round to designing a
uniform for women yet," admitted Sojurner. "Let's face it, it hasn't exactly been an issue  { a result~a problem~an
argument~a review} at the school for about four hundred years."
2             Sojurner doesn't seem very much like a militant feminist activist. She adored horses as a child. She vividly
remembers riding around on the back of ponies behind the family home in Saratoga Springs, New York, aged two.
Her father comes from Birmingham, but the family moved to America when she was a child. "When you grow up
with horses, you get to know about the Spanish Riding School almost automatically," she said. "For me it was
always an ideal, the ultimate goal for anyone who loves horses."
3             She first visited the Riding School two years ago while on a tour of Europe with her mother. She was so
impressed by the place and by the elaborate performances of the school’s legendary Lipizzaner horses that she sent a
letter of application in September last year just to see what would happen. She was delighted when she received a
reply inviting her to attend an interview. Only four candidates were accepted and she, along with Ms Zeitlhofer, who
recently obtained a degree in equestrian science, were among them.
4            MISSING SENTENCE *A* { She sees the decision to admit women as an entirely natural
process.~The rest of the working day is spent cleaning stables and grooming the horses.~However, the Spanish
Riding School was shown in a very recent Austrian euro coin. ~Horse riding is an activity in which women
have been involved for centuries.}  It seems extraordinary, therefore, that an institution like the Spanish Riding
School has had a ban on women for so long. This shows that some of the clichés about the Teutonic world being
behind the Anglo-Saxons are actually true. Laws guaranteeing women equal rights only came into force in Germany
in 1957 and it took until 1972 for the Swiss to give women the right to vote.
5             Vienna's Spanish Riding School reflected such conservatism for centuries. Founded back in 1527, its roots
are in the military traditions in ancient Greece and the horsemanship of the post-medieval age. The school is
described as Spanish because of the Spanish horses that Austria's ruling Hapsburg family imported in the 16th
century. Even today, riders dressed in period {historical~point~stop~time} uniforms and immaculately clean boots
salute in front of a portrait of the Austrian emperor, Charles VI, before performing on their white Lipizzaner
stallions.
6             It has taken a female manager from Vienna to break the school's male exclusivity. Early last year Elisabeth
Gürtler was named general director. An experienced businesswoman, she took over when the school was close to
bankruptcy. Part of Ms Gürtler's responsibility has been to modernise the school and "make it more
open". MISSING SENTENCE *B { The rest of the working day is spent cleaning stables and grooming the
horses.~Horse riding is an activity in which women have been involved for centuries.~However, the Spanish
Riding School was shown in a very recent Austrian euro coin. ~She sees the decision to admit women as an
entirely natural process.}  Andreas Hausberger, 43, a chief rider, says he is thrilled to have women at the school:
"Thank God we are not living in the Middle Ages any more."                                                                 [T. Paterson,
11/12/08]
True or False (4 points): Write True or False in the space provided. Base your answers on what is written in
the text.
1. _____ Although Ms Gürtler is an experienced businesswoman, she has caused financial problems at the school.
2. _____ Though British by birth, Sojurner Morell grew up in the U.S.
3. _____ A male rider at the school has said he is afraid of the recent changes.
4. _____ When Sojurner Morell sent in her application, she didn’t expect to be admitted to the school.
Main idea and text type (2 points)
1. Which statement best summarizes the text? { Austria is a conservative country that has only now begun to
recognise women’s rights.~ A young woman has seen her childhood dream come true. ~Sojurner Morell has
been around horses all her life.~ The Spanish Riding School is famous for its Lipizzaner stallions.}
2. This text was most likely taken from { a brochure~a daily newspaper~a school annual~an Austrian tourist
board website~a journal}.

WRITING (10 POINTS)

Write a 120-150-word composition on ONE of the following topics. It is possible to use ideas and expressions
from the text, but you cannot not copy more than three consecutive words. Your composition must be
organized into separate paragraphs and you must adhere to the word limit. You also need to invent an
appropriate title for your composition.

1. Describe a special achievement in your life that you are proud of.
2. Talk about a woman who has played an important role in history or in your life.
3. Discuss an important change that has taken place in your country recently.
Extra Practice
Reading/Writing : Women Film Directors
Read the following text and answer the questions.
1 For Vanity Fair's annual Hollywood issue a few years back, photographer Annie Leibovitz created a classic image of a
film director at work. Posing beneath a stormy sky, George Clooney stood with his shirt open and his arms outstretched. His crew
were a crowd of female models in flesh-coloured lingerie -- not the obvious costume for a camera operator. This was the auteur as
masculine genius, a warrior in a sea of passive women. This has long been the archetype of the film director, but over the last few
months many women have been looking for a change.
2 So, is this a new era for female film-makers? *A In a study published last year, Professor Martha Lauzen of San Diego
State University found that only 9% of Hollywood directors in 2008 were women – the same figure she had recorded in 1998. If
Bigelow is nominated for the best directing Oscar in March, it will be only the fourth time a woman has been nominated, out of
more than 400 director nominations altogether (the other three were Lina Wertmüller in 1976, Jane Campion in 1993, and Sofia
Coppola in 2003). No woman has ever won.
3 Once, the lack of women directors could be traced to the small numbers entering film school. However, Lauzen says
women are now well represented in US film schools, and Neil Peplow, of the UK training organisation Skillset, says women
make up around 34% of directing students in Britain. That translates into a large number of female graduates making short films,
but few moving on to features.
4 Over the years, this failure to progress has often been blamed on a chauvinist culture; and certainly, talking to
established directors, it's easy to uncover tales of overt sexism. The British film director Antonia Bird ( Priest, Mad Love) says that
on her first directing job, "I was the only woman there, and all the guys just assumed I was the producer's personal assistant."
However, there are signs that this culture is changing. A 2009 report – carried out by the UK networking organisation Women in
Film and Television (WFTV) and Skillset – found that while "a number of older participants reported direct experience of overt
sexism, none of the younger participants [did]".
5 More subtle reasons have been mentioned to explain the absence of women at the top. One suggestion I heard is that
women are brought up to negotiate in very different ways from men, which is problematic in a male-dominated environment.
Director Martha Coolidge doesn't agree with this -- "there are plenty of women who are good negotiators" – but Kate Kinninmont
of WFTV says she has noticed that while "women are brilliant at promoting somebody else, they are not often good at promoting
themselves". *B
6 There is also the simple fact that if there are fewer women at the top, there will be fewer role models and mentors; those
women who do move ahead often talk of having to actively ignore the figures. British director Beeban Kidron ( Bridget Jones:
The Edge of Reason) says that when she was making her first film, she had "a phone call from a journalist who said, 'Do you
know you're only the third woman ever to make a feature film in Britain?' And I said, 'Oh, please don't tell me,' and put the phone
down, because I didn't want the pressure."
7 It's true that men have directed the great majority of highly-profitable films over the last decade. The website
indiewire.com recently reported that, of the 241 films that had made profits of $100m or more in the US over the last 10 years,
only seven were directed by women (Shrek, Shark Tale, Twilight, What Women Want, The Proposal, Mamma Mia!, and
Something's Gotta Give). But a closer look at the figures reveals that women film-makers aren't a bigger financial risk. In 2008,
Lauzen conducted a study called Women@the Box Office, which found that the key to big profits wasn't the gender of the film-
maker, but the budget. *C
8 I ask Lauzen whether she thinks female film careers are interrupted by motherhood, and she says no, as do Kinninmont
and Coolidge. Kidron, however, says that motherhood has affected her career "more than gender". Bird agrees. "Film directing is
more than a full-time job. Trying to have children and being a film director is virtually impossible unless you're rich." Bird doesn't
have children: "If I look deep down inside myself," she says, "I'm quite sure that I never did it because I never really had time."
9 The problems facing female directors are structural and systemic, a mix of sexism, cultural differences between men and
women and maternity issues; in this, they mirror the problems affecting many women in male-dominated workplaces. Thankfully,
many women are prepared to fight. [By Kira Cochrane, January 2010]
Text Organization
Three of the five sentences below have been removed from the text and replaced by an asterisk and the letters
A, B and C, whereas the other two are from different sources. Identify which two sentences do not belong in
the text and write D in the space provided. Identify where the other three sentences belong (at *A, *B or *C)
and write the appopriate letter in the space provided.
1. ______ "When women and men have similar budgets," she wrote, "the resulting box office profits are
also similar."
2. ______ Filmmaking takes place all over the world, he said.
3. ______ I've heard people say that the kind of films they want to make are too difficult for a female director.
4. ______ Lauzen says reporters have told her that when they talk to a man, they can't shut him up, but when they
talk to a woman, it's the opposite.
5. ______ Unfortunately, the numbers suggest otherwise.
Comprehension: True or False
Choose True or False, based on what is written in the text.
6. __________ All the women directors in this text find it impossible to have a career in directing and be a mother.
7. __________ Martha Lauzen has been examining statistics on female directors for almost 10 years.
8. __________ Kidron is excited and happy that there are so few women directors in her country.
9. __________ According to a recent study in the UK, there now seems to be less overt sexism toward women
directors than in the past.
10. __________ Mamma Mia! is an example of a financially successful film directed by a woman.

Comprehension: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
11. Which is the best title for the text?
A. “Should women work in male-dominated fields like the film industry?”
B. “Why are there so few female film-makers?”
C. “How can women directors be mothers?”
D. “Who are better film directors, men or women?”

12. What is this text?

A. an excerpt from a film school brochure B. an obituary
C. a journal extract D. an interview E. a newspaper report

Vocabulary
Choose the definition or synonym that corresponds best to the word as it is used in the text.
13. once (¶ 3)
A. only one time B. in the past C. often D. while
14. make up (¶ 3)
A. represent B. look attractive C. compensate D. increase
15. assumed (¶ 4)
A. belief B. hired C. knew D. thought
16. issues (¶ 9)
A. arguments B. gives C. questions D. copies

Reference
What do the following words in the text refer to? Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
Example: his (¶ 1) = George Clooney
17. she (¶ 2)
A. women B. Bigelow C. female film-makers D. Prof. Lauzen
18. few (¶ 3)
A. female graduates B. short films C. features D. large number
19. they (¶ 5)
A. Kate Kinninmont B. negotiators C. women D. men
20. I (¶ 8)
A. Lauzen B. K. Cochrane C. the reader D. Coolidge

WRITING (10 POINTS)

Write a 120-150-word composition on ONE of the following topics. It is possible to use ideas and expressions
from the text, but you cannot not copy more than three consecutive words. Your composition must be
organized into separate paragraphs and you must adhere to the word limit. You also need to invent an
appropriate title for your composition.

1. Is there a job that you think a woman could do better than a man (or vice versa)? Explain.
2. Is there a film genre that you like in particular? Explain.
3. Why do you think there are so few successful women directors and so many successful women writers?
Extra Practice
Reading/Writing: Anne Scott-James
Read the following text and answer the questions.

1 Anne Scott-James was one of the first top-level women journalists to cross the barrier between writing principally for
and about women to more universal topics. From 1960 to 1968 she wrote a widely-read column in the Daily Mail, a precursor of
the group of opinionated female columnists who now proliferate in the national press. After leaving the column, she started a new
career as a writer on gardens, so successfully that she was invited to join the Council of the Royal Horticultural Society.
2 When she quit Oxford University in 1933, two years before she would have taken her finals, journalism was not a
realistic career choice for a woman of 20. It was rare for women of her generation and class – her father was a reasonably
prosperous writer and critic – to think about taking a job; but she was determined not to do what was expected of her by playing
the role of contented wife and mother, or at least not until she had started to make her way in some kind of satisfying
employment. *A In fact, it took her six months to find her first permanent post, on the fashion magazine Vogue, as assistant to
the managing director.
3 In 1938 she made a further gesture of independence by buying a small cottage that she had always admired on the
Berkshire Downs. It was one of the most important acts of her life, and it also fuelled the enthusiasm for gardening that marked
the second half of her career.
4 She was still working for Vogue when the Second World War began. It was then, too, that she married Derek
Verschoyle, the literary editor of The Spectator. In her 1993 memoir, “Sketches from a Life”, she recalled: “The marriage lasted
just a few months and later, when we were divorced, it was as though it had never happened.” A year after the start of the war she
wrote to the editor of Picture Post, the first British weekly magazine devoted to photojournalism, suggesting that he should
commission an article about Vogue. He agreed, and she wrote and organised the text that accompanied the pictures. The following
year Picture Post’s new editor, Tom Hopkinson, asked her to join his staff as women’s editor. It was a period when women were
taking over many of the jobs left by men who had gone to fight in the war, and much of her work for the magazine reflected that.
*B It was on Picture Post that she met her second husband, Macdonald Hastings. Yet although the marriage lasted 18 years,
Anne confessed in her memoir that it had been effectively loveless: “The truth is that we were two decent people […] but were
totally incompatible. Mac was very right-wing, I am a convinced liberal. His ideal holiday was deer-hunting in Scotland, mine
was church-crawling in France.”
5 A few weeks before the end of the war she left Picture Post to become editor of Harper’s Bazaar, a women’s magazine
in direct competition with Vogue. Soon afterwards, however, she was invited to join the Sunday Express as women’s editor, and
was given her own weekly column – the Anne Scott-James page. She travelled to some of the world’s major troublespots in the
1950s, notably the Soviet Union and the eastern bloc countries. Then, in 1960 she moved to the Daily Mail and soon began
writing a weekly comment column that attracted a wide following for her astute comments on issues of the day. She much
enjoyed the atmosphere and was especially gratified to be welcomed into the company of some of the big names of journalism –
nearly all of them men.
6 Five years later she married Sir Osbert Lancaster, the cartoonist, writer and designer. Soon after that third marriage, she
gave up her Mail column and began her second career as a freelance garden writer, as a result of an invitation to do a series on
gardens and gardeners for Queen magazine. In later life she was never sure whether she had made the right decision: certainly she
missed the excitement of the newspaper and its camaraderie.
7 In 1978, to her surprise, she was appointed to the Council of the Royal Horticultural Society for a four-year term. *C
But she took to it enthusiastically and for many years afterwards was a perceptive judge at RHS shows, including Chelsea. She
was a regular at the Chelsea show until the last few years of her life, when she could not get about except in a wheelchair.
Anne Scott-James, writer and journalist: born 5 April 1913; married 1939 Derek Verschoyle (marriage dissolved), 1944
Macdonald Hastings (marriage dissolved, one son, one daughter), 1967 Sir Osbert Lancaster (died 1986); died 13 May 2009.
[Michael Leapman, 18/5/09]

Text Organization
Three of the five sentences below have been removed from the text and replaced by an asterisk and the letters
A, B and C, whereas the other two are from different sources. Identify which two sentences do not belong in
the text and write D in the space provided. Identify where the other three sentences belong (at *A, *B or *C)
and write the appopriate letter in the space provided.

1. ______ For one article, she and other female journalists spent a few days experiencing this new way of life for
working women.
2. ______ Although friends and relatives offered to take her there, she declined.
3. ______ She left the magazine to write a book on the fashion industry.
4. ______ In the middle of the Depression, that was not an easy aim to fulfil.
5. ______ She believed that the principal reason for the appointment was to get female representation on the Council.
Comprehension: True or False
Choose True or False, based on what is written in the text.
6. __________ Scott-James and her second husband had few things in common, but they stayed together for many
years.
7. __________ Important male journalists at the Daily Mail refused to accept Scott-James into their group because she
was a woman.
8. __________ Scott-James never graduated from university.
9. __________ For many years, Scott-James tried to become part of the Royal Horticulture Society.
10. __________ As a journalist for the Daily Mail, Scott-James focused on topics for women and gardening.

Comprehension: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
11. Which statement best summarizes the text?
A. A female journalist wins an award for gardening and fashion.
B. Discrimination against female journalists still occurs today.
C. An eclectic female journalist has passed away.
D. Scott-James demands better working conditions for women.

12. This text was most likely taken from

A. a book review supplement B. a journal
C. a daily newspaper D. a brochure E. a script

Vocabulary
Choose the definition or synonym that corresponds best to the word as it is used in the text.
13. columnists (¶ 1)
A. journalists B. writes C. supporters D. critic
14. memoir (¶ 4)
A. souvenir B. remember C. thought D. autobiography
15. right-wing (¶ 4)
A. directed B. conservative C. just D. tradition
16. gave up (¶ 6)
A. raised B. left C. continued D. suspension

Reference
What do the following words in the text refer to? Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
Example: she (¶ 1) = Anne Scott-James
17.that (¶ 3) =
A. Berkshire Downs B. cottage C. gesture D. independence
18. then (¶ 4) =
A. while she was working for Vogue B. in 1993 C. she married Verschoyle D. just a few months
19. it (¶ 4) =
A. memoir B. second husband C. Picture Post D. marriage
20. its (¶ 6) =
A. camaraderie’s B. newspaper’s C. excitement D. later life

WRITING (10 POINTS)

Write a 120-150-word composition on ONE of the following topics. It is possible to use ideas and expressions
from the text, but you cannot not copy more than three consecutive words. Your composition must be
organized into separate paragraphs and you must adhere to the word limit. You also need to invent an
appropriate title for your composition.

1. Discuss a recent news event.

2. Do you think women and men have the same work opportunities nowadays? Explain why/why not.
3. Talk about why you have chosen to get a university degree.
6. WORK AND ECONOMICS
Test Practice

Grammar and Vocabulary (10 points): Boy

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

During my last year at Repton Public School, my mother (1) {has spoken~has
explained~ said ~ told} to me, ‘Do you want to go to Oxford or Cambridge when you leave
school?’ In those days it was not difficult to get into such great universities as (2) {soon~ long
~well~ much} as you could pay.
‘No, thank you,’ I said. ‘I want to go straight from school to work for a company that (3)
{will send~is sending~going to send~ send} me to wonderful faraway places like Africa or
China.’
You (4) {have~must~can~should} to remember that there was hardly (5)
{none~any~some~no} air travel in the early 1930s. Africa was two weeks away from England
(6){with~by~on~in} boat and it took you about five weeks (7){reaching~for to reach~reach~to
reach} China. They were distant and magic lands and nobody went to them just for a holiday.
You went there to work. Nowadays you can go anywhere in the world in a short time and nothing
is fabulous anymore. (8) {Whereas~Even though~Despite~However} , it was a very different
matter in 1933. So when the time came, I applied for a (9) {interview~jobs~work~post} only to
companies that (10) {will have been~will be~would be~would have been} sure to send me
abroad.                                           [Adapted from Roald Dahl, Boy]       
Extra Practice

Grammar and Vocabulary (10 points): Sea of Poppies

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

___1___ Deeti and Kalua had tried to find employment; ___2___ , work was hard to get
in Chhapra. The town was filled with impoverished transients, many of whom were willing to
sweat themselves half to death for a little rice. Food was so hard to find that people were happy to
drink the starchy water in ___3___ rice had been boiled. Sometimes, when they were lucky,
Kalua ___4___ a little money by working on the riverfront.
As a river port, Chhapra was visited ___5___ many vessels, and a ___6___ coins could
sometimes be earned by loading or unloading boats. When they were not begging at the temple, it
was there that Deeti and Kalua ___7___ much of their time. In the evenings, the riverfront was
much cooler ___8___ the town’s congested interior; once the rains came, they would have to find
___9___ spot, but for now this was ___10___ good a place as any. [Adapted
from A. Ghosh, Sea of Poppies]
1. A. Neither B. Both C. Either D. And
2. A. even though B. in spite C. but D. however
3. A. that B. where C. which D. who
4. A. achieved B. won C. made D. did
5. A. by B. from C. at D. to
6. A. lot B. little C. some D. few
7. A. did B. took C. spent D. past
8. A. that B. than C. of D. then
9. A. another B. other C. one another D. others
10.A. so B. as C. most D. more
Extra Practice
Grammar and Vocabulary (10 points): The Professor
Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

The September sunsets were at their reddest the week the Professor decided to visit Aïn
Tadouirt, located in the warm country. He came down out of the high, flat region in the evening
(1)_____ bus, with two small overnight bags full of maps, sun lotion and medicine. Ten years
ago he had been in the village (2)_____ three days; (3)_____ it was long enough to establish a
fairly strong friendship with the café-keeper, who had written him (4)_____ times during the first
year after his visit. He closed (5)_____ eyes happily and lived for an instant in a purely olfactory
world. The distant past returned – what part of it, he (6)_____ not decide.
The chauffeur, whose seat the Professor shared, spoke to him without taking his eyes
from the road. “Vous êtes géologue?”
“A geologist? Ah,no! I (7)_____ a linguist.”
“There aren’t (8)_____ languages here. Only dialects.”
“Exactly. I’m making a survey of variations on Moghrebi.”
“Keep on going south,” the chauffeur (9)_____. “You’ll find some languages you
haven’t (10)_____ heard of before.”
[Adapted from P. Bowles, “A Distant Episode”]

1. A. in B. on C. by D. at
2. A. since B. for C. from D. until
3. A. but B. although C. in spite D. whereas
4. A. much B. several C. plenty D. a lot
5. A. their B. its C. his D. the
6. A. may B. should C. can D. could
7. A. make B. do C. work D. am
8. A. none B. any C. some D. many
9. A. told B. explained him C. said D. demanded
10.A. still B. ever C. never D. already
Extra Practice

Grammar and Vocabulary (10 points): Dreams of my Father

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

I flew out of Heathrow Airport under stormy skies. Once we were in the air, the young man
sitting next to me asked where I was going, (1)__ I told him I was traveling (2)__ Nairobi to visit
my family. He was going to Johannesburg, (3)__ the government had arranged for him and his
classmates to work with mining companies for a year as part of (4)__ university degree program
in geology. “They don’t have (5)__ skilled people in Johannesburg, and if we’re lucky we’ll get
permanent (6)__. It’s the best chance we have for a decent wage - unless you want to freeze on
some terrible North Sea oil rig.” I mentioned that if they could, most black South (7)__ students
would love to have similar training. The young man replied, “That’s a question of politics. I try to
stay out of politics if I (8)__, you know. It’s the same thing at home. Everybody’s unemployed,
and the old men in Parliament are always repeating the same old thing. The best thing to (9)__ is
to ignore it.” He found his headphones and put them over his ears. “Wake me up when (10)__
bring the food, will you,” he said before leaning back in his seat for a nap.
[B.Obama, Dreams from My Father, 1995]

1. A. since B. because C. so D. such

2. A. in B. to C. at D. for
3. A. where B. which C. there D. whose
4. A. one B. an C. her D. a
5. A. much B. many C. lot D. plenty
6. A. job B. works C. positions D. assumptions
7. A. African B. Africa’s C. Africans D. Africa
8. A. can B. could C. should D. would
9. A. have B. be C. make D.do
10 A. we B. she C. them D. they
Extra Practice

Grammar and Vocabulary (10 points): Temping

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

____1____ people ask me why I do temping work rather than get a permanent job with
one company. I guess it’s partly because of my father. He was a computer programmer
for___2___ enormous multinational company. Working was __3____important to him.
____4___the long hours he worked, he often got home after nine o’clock pm, and naturally, we
children were already___5___ bed. Sometimes I only saw him at weekends. ____6_____ his
successful career, I don’t think he was really happy doing what he was doing. Then when he
retired he didn’t know what to do and was even more unhappy. I don’t___7____ want to be like
that.
Temping means I don’t have to work every day, and when I work I always do different
things and see different people. I have been with the same agency___8____ 1998 and they know
that I am a reliable worker, so I can choose the jobs I want. There is ___9____ one negative
aspect: I am not paid when I don’t work. Consequently, if I am sick or want a holiday I don’t get
___10____ money.

1. A. Lot B. Any C. Much D. Some

2. A. an B. the C. a D. most
3. A. much B. too C. very much D. very
4. A. Since B. Due to C. Given to D. Because
5. A. on B. at C. in D. to
6. A. Although B. Instead C. Whereas D. Despite
7. A. ever B. never C. still D. already
8. A. ever from B. ever since C. for D. in
9. A. unique B. alone C. just D.solo
10 A. no-one B. none C. no D. any
Extra Practice

Grammar and Vocabulary (10 points): The Goldfinch

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

From this point on, I began trying (1)_____ to be a good guest and to do everything I
knew my mother (2)_____ want me to do. Unfortunately, the Barbours didn’t exactly have the
kind of household where you could show your appreciation by babysitting or helping with the
dishes. Between the woman who came to take care of the plants – a depressing job, (3)_____
there was almost no light in the apartment and the plants mostly died – and Mrs Barbour’s
assistant, who had many (4)_____, such as rearranging the closets and the china collection – they
(5)_____ eight people working for them. (6)_____ nothing was required of me, still the effort to
be a part of their polished and complicated household was an immense strain. I was desperate to
vanish into the background – to become invisible among the Chinoiserie (7)_____ a fish in a
coral reef – and yet it seemed I drew unwanted attention to myself (8)_____ of times each day.
Luckily, Andy’s parents were around (9)_____ little that my presence didn’t seem to
inconvenience them very much. Most of the time, Mrs Barbour was out of the apartment from
about eleven a.m. and then not home again until we were in bed. I saw Mr. Barbour even
(10)_____ , except on weekends. [Adapted from D. Tartt, The Goldfinch]
1. A. very hardly B. especially hard C. hardly D. very much hard
2. A.may B. would C. can D. will
3. A. as if B. like C. so D. since
4. A. work B. tasks C. job D. works
5. A. had B. lived C. were D. went
6. A. Nonetheless B. Instead C. Even if D. Yet
7. A. like B. similar C. so D. as
8. A. many B. lot C. hundreds D. much
9. A. very much B. such C. so D. too much
10. A. least B. less than C. less of D. less
Extra Practice

Grammar and Vocabulary (10 points): The Circle

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

One sunny Monday in June, Mae stopped (1)_____ to the main door of the Circle, the
most influential company in the world, standing below the logo etched into the glass above.
(2)_____ the company was just six years old, its name and logo were among the best-known in
the world. There were more (3)_____ ten thousand employees on the main campus, but the Circle
had offices all over the globe and was hiring hundreds of gifted young minds every week.
Mae wouldn’t have thought she had a chance to work at (4)_____ a unique place if it
hadn’t been for Annie. She and Annie had lived together (5)_____ three semesters during
college, in an ugly building (6)_____ inhabitable by their extraordinary bond. They were so
close, they seemed (7)_____ sisters or cousins. While Mae was (8)_____ working on her degree
in psychology without (9)_____ plans to go further in the field, Annie had graduated, received
her Master’s from Stanford University and was recruited at the Circle. Now she had some lofty
title and had urged Mae to apply for a (10)_____. A million people wanted to be where Mae was
at this moment, entering this atrium, on her first day working for the Circle.
[adapted from D. Egger, The Circle]
1. A. in front B. beside C. outside D. next
2. A. However B. Though C. Despite D. Even
3. A. than B. that C. of D. then
4. A. so B. that C. such D. this
5. A. from B. for C. since D. by
6. A. made B. done C. become D. lived
7. A. how B. as C. such D. like
8. A. yet B. still C. ever D. longer
9. A. some B. no C. any D. not
10. A. employment B. post C. work D. labour
Extra Practice

Verbs (10 points): Work/Study Programme

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

While they study for a university degree, students (1) ______ work at their schools in an
attempt to encourage those from low-income homes into higher education. The pioneering project
(2) _______ four years ago at Monkseaton High School, in North Tyneside and will soon be
offered to schools, colleges and employers nationwide.
Students in this scheme (3) ___________ as laboratory technicians, classroom assistants
or computer software managers at schools, (4) _______ up to £6,000 a year. Some believe this
major innovation (5) ______ young people from disadvantaged communities, as it offers the
chance to earn and learn, rather than leave school for a job. Those employed in the project are
limited to working for 20 to 25 hours a week to give them enough time for their studies. Jimmy
Baldwin, 20, who has been studying for a science degree under the scheme, (6)_______ us: "This
is the perfect way to study – you (7) ______ money and getting an education at the same time.
My parents aren't super rich. I've got their support but not financially.”
Suzanne Watson, who also (8) ______ 20, hopes to become a teacher through the scheme.
After her school-leaving exams she took a round-the-world trip but returned to study for a degree
in English. Next year she needs to take some courses (9) ______ a teaching certificate. "My
fiancé is at university and (10)______ through the traditional route. To finance his studies he has
a job outside the university,” she said. [Independent, 3/3/08]

1 A. are being given B. have given C. is given D. give

2 A. begun B. began C. has begun D. is begun
3 A. has to work B. must to work C. can work D. can to work
4 A. earned B. are earning C. earn D. earning
5 A. attract B. attracting C. will attract D. are attracting
6 A. said B. told C. asked D. declared
7 a . are earning B. have earned C. is earning D. earning
8 A. is being B. has C. have D. is
9 A. gets B. for getting C. to get D. for to get
10 A. has been studying B. was studying C. studying D. have been studying
Extra Practice
Reading/Writing: Child Labour
Read the following text and answer the questions.
1 Work starts early for the people of the Guatemalan countryside, sometimes as early as 5 or 6. Not the time,
the age. Guatemalan children shine shoes and make bricks. They cut trees and clean floors. At some factories
exporting to the United States, they sew and sort and chop, often in conditions so onerous they violate even
Guatemala’s very loose labor laws.
2 “They like us young people because we don’t say anything when they yell at us,” said Alma de los Ángeles
Zambrano, 15, who recently quit after 18 months at a food processing plant to work part time for an organization that
is trying to improve conditions for young workers. This country’s young workers, most of them poor indigenous
people, say they often feel that nobody cares about them: not their parents, who send them off to the work force; not
their bosses, who treat them like adults; not the dysfunctional government off in Guatemala City. “It’s a major
concern,” said Manuel Manrique, Unicef’s representative in Guatemala. “Child labor keeps children out of school.
The numbers are very high and there’s a social acceptance in this country that child labor is O.K.”
3 *A In some cases, though, the government can provide work permits to even younger children. Children
under 14, who require parental permission to work, are supposed to do work appropriate for their age. Economic
necessity in the family must also be shown, which is not a problem in this country where 80 percent of the
population lives in poverty and two-thirds of that number, or 7.6 million people, live in extreme poverty. But with
little enforcement of labor laws, those conditions are routinely violated. Guatemalan workplaces can resemble
elementary schools, with adult supervisors standing over little laborers like the strictest of teachers. “Children have
more energy and they don’t complain or know anything about unions,” said Carlos Toledo, whose Asociacíon
Nuestros Derechos aids child laborers. *B
4 An independent study of the situation estimated that about a million Guatemalan children under age 18 are
working. The child workers are people like María, 16, who lamented her four years in the labor force but at the same
time insisted that she not be fully identified so as not to endanger a job that is helping to support her parents and four
brothers and sisters. “My father hits me and tells me I can’t study,” she said, tears running down her cheeks. “ He
stays home and drinks and I have to go to the factory.” She studies, but her parents don’t know this. On Sundays, her
only day off, she goes to special classes for young laborers offered by the Center for Study and Support for Local
Development, a small group known by its Spanish initials, Ceadel. Despite having worked at a factory since she was
12 and at home for years before that, María has now completed the equivalent of her third year at elementary school.
She hopes that she will eventually complete her studies. “I can be so tired, so exhausted, but I feel so good when I
come home and read,” she said, her tears stopping and her face lighting up.
5 To draw attention to the issue of child labor, the National Labor Committee, an organization based in New
York that has investigated severe labor violations worldwide, interviewed child workers in the area. The group
focused on Legumex, a factory that exports broccoli, melons and other fruits and vegetables to the United States. *C
Charles Kernaghan, director of the labor group, traced the food exports to American food service companies that
distribute to schools, hospitals, restaurants and the military. “It is very possible that children in the U.S. may actually
be eating broccoli processed by other children in Guatemala,” Mr. Kernaghan said in a statement.
6 But at Legumex, executives interviewed about child labor in general insisted that they were respecting labor
laws. They said they paid low, but legal, wages because of the low prices paid for their products in the United States.
“We’re a developing country,” said Hermann Peterson, the company’s spokesperson. “We can’t have the same
conditions as factories in the United States.”
[The New York Times, 12/3/07]
Text Organization
Three of the five sentences below have been removed from the text and replaced by an asterisk and the letters
A, B and C, whereas the other two are from different sources. Identify which two sentences do not belong in
the text and write D in the space provided. Identify where the other three sentences belong (at *A, *B or *C)
and write the appopriate letter in the space provided.
1. ______ In a report to be issued on Monday, they accuse Legumex of violating various labor laws, including
employing children, some as young as 13, for shifts longer than permitted.
2. ______ “If you walk away from your place once more, we're going to mark you absent for the day!”
3. ______ “The workers in this Legumex factory have never even heard of a union.”
4. ______ Guatemala’s labor code sets the minimum age for employment at 14.
5. ______ “For a company, they are perfect.”
Comprehension: True or False
Choose True or False, based on what is written in the text.
6. __________ María, a 16-year-old from Guatemala, works six days a week in a factory.
7. __________ Both the Asociacion Nuestros Derechos and the National Labor Committee are organizations that
have taken an interest in child labour rights in Guatemala.
8. __________ Some factories have strict teachers who give lessons to young workers.
9. __________ Most of the population in Guatemala lives below the poverty line.
10. __________ Mr Kernaghan and Hermann Peterson have similar opinions regarding child labour at Legumex.

Comprehension: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
11. What is the best title for this text?
A. “Legumex makes children suffer in Guatemala”
B. “Overworked, underpaid and underage in Guatemala”
C. “Guatemalan children go on strike against poor working conditions”
D. “Economy flourishes in Guatemala”

12. Which section of the American newspaper The New York Times did this article appear in?
A. Obituaries B. Job Opportunities C. Opinion
D. Local News E. World News

Vocabulary
Choose the definition or synonym that corresponds best to the word as it is used in the text.
13. loose (¶ 1)
A. not strict B. not find C. liberated D. immoral
14. unions (¶ 3)
A. marriages B. joins together C. workers’ associations D. nations
15. eventually (¶ 4)
A. most likely B. probably C. in the end D. lately
16. issue (¶ 5)
A. argument B. publication C. preoccupation D. question

Reference
What do the following words in the text refer to? Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
Example: They (¶ 1) = Guatemalan children
17. They (¶ 2)
A. labor laws B. young people C. factory D. employers
18. which (¶ 3)
A. problem B. work permits C. showing economic necessity D. population
19. He (¶ 4 )
A. Maria’s father B. Maria’s family C. Maria’s brothers and sisters D. Maria’s mother
20. The group (¶ 5)
A. factory B. National Labor Committee C. Legumex D. an organization

WRITING (10 POINTS)

Write a 120-150-word composition on ONE of the following topics. It is possible to use ideas and expressions
from the text, but you cannot not copy more than three consecutive words. Your composition must be
organized into separate paragraphs and you must adhere to the word limit. You also need to invent an
appropriate title for your composition.

1. Describe a work experience that has had an effect on your life.

2. Describe a job that you would NOT like to do. Explain why.
3. Discuss the factors that are important to you when buying a product.
7. THE ARTS
Test Practice
For a digital version of this exercise, see Exercises from Selected Texts Triennale on
https://elearning.unito.it/scienzeumanistiche/course/view.php?id=1981

Grammar and Vocabulary (10 points): The Fenice

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

            Shortly before nine o'clock in the winter of 1996, Archimede Seguso sat down to dinner.
Before (1) {had joined~she has joined~joining~joined} him, his wife went into the living room
to lower the curtains, (2) {which~that~who~where}  was her long-standing evening ritual.
Signora Seguso knew that the neighbours could not see in, but it was a habit she had (3)
{anymore~always~already~ever}  had.
            (4) {However~But~Despite~Although} Signor Seguso was 86 years old, he looked
much younger. His hands were large and muscular, the hands of a true artisan. Throughout his
life, Signor Seguso had stood in front of a hot glassworks furnace for up to eighteen hours (5) {at
the~a~all~at}  day.
            Men in the Seguso family (6) {had been~were been~are~has been} glassmakers for
hundreds of years, (7) {in~for~ever from~since} the fourteenth century. Archimede Seguso no
longer had the stamina to work eighteen- (8) {hours'~hour's~hour~hours} days, but he loved to
go in regularly. On this particular day, in fact, he had gone in at 4:30 A.M., (9) {convincing~
convinced~he convinced~was convinced} as always that the pieces he was going to make would
be more beautiful than any he had ever made before.
            The living room window looked onto the Fenice Opera House. While she was lowering
the curtain, Signora Seguso saw a flash. She thought it was lightning. (10) {After
then~Then~Than~After}  she saw one more flash, and this time she knew it was fire. "Papà!"
she cried out. "The Fenice is on fire!"      [Adapted from J. Berendt, The City of Falling Angels]
Test Practice
For a digital version of this exercise, see Exercises from Selected Texts Triennale on
https://elearning.unito.it/scienzeumanistiche/course/view.php?id=1981

Verbs (10 points): Berthe Morisot

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

            Berthe Morisot was a founding member of the Impressionists.  She (1) {1:was
participating~has participated~participated~participates}  in seven of their eight exhibits,
from 1874 to 1886, and her critical reviews, (2) {1:so~also~too~as well as}  her prices,
sometimes surpassed those of her more famous cohorts – Monet, Degas, Renoir, Pissarro, Sisley. 
But after her death in 1895, she slipped into semi-oblivion.
            Now, in a retrospective show – the first in Europe since 1961 – Morisot is being given her
long-deserved due.  Currently at Lille’s Palais des Beaux-Arts, “Berthe Morisot 1841-1895”
(3) {1:would~will~is going~is}  reopen at the Pierre Gianadda Foundation in Martigny,
Switzerland on June 20.  (4) {1:Much of~Few~Lot of~Many of} the pictures have not been seen
in Europe since the 1890s.
            (5) {1:Is born~Born~Been born~Was born} into a wealthy bourgeois family, Morisot
was hardly destined for life in the avant-garde, but by the time she was 15 she (6) {1:had
decided~decides~used to decide~has decided} on an artistic career.  She and her sister Edma
took lessons with the academic painter Joseph Guichard, and eventually with Camille Corot.  In
1868, while copying at the Louvre, the Morisot sisters were introduced to the decade-older
Manet.  Manet promptly portrayed Berthe (7) {1:how~ as~like~such as} the central figure in Le
Balcon, and during the next six years he painted 14 further portraits of her.
Although Manet (8) {1:has considered~was considering~considered~was considered} by
many to be the leader of the ‘new painters’, he always refused to show in (9)
{1:it's~its~their~theirs} exhibits.  But Morisot instinctively gravitated toward the open-air
immediacy of Impressionism, gradually developing her own distinctive style.  In (10)
{1:1870's~the 1870s~1870s~the 1870} , she was perhaps the most literally ‘impressionistic’ of
them all, trying not so much to capture light as to stop time.  “I want to paint fleeting moments,”
she said to her friends, “before they disappear forever”.                                       [Time, 6/6/2002]
Extra Practice

Grammar and Vocabulary (10 points): Flaubert’s Parrot 1

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

I first met Ed Winterton when he put his hand on (1)_____ in the Europa Hotel. It was at a
provincial booksellers’ fair and I had reached a little more quickly (2)_____ he for the same copy of
Turgenev’s Literary Reminiscences. The conjunction induced embarrassed apologies from both of
us. Ed murmured,
‘Step outside and (3)_____ discuss it.’
Over an indifferent pot of tea we revealed our separate paths (4)_____ the same book. I
explained about my love of Flaubert; he announced his interest in the nineteenth-century English
writer Edmund Gosse. I meet (5)_____ American academics, and was pleasantly surprised that this
one was bored by Bloomsbury. He was the sort of foreigner who (6)_____ wears a mackintosh in
London because he knows that in this city rain falls out of a clear sky.
At one point, (7)_____ discussing the improbability of his Gosse biography ever being
finished, let alone published, he paused and dropped his voice:
‘But in any case I sometimes wonder if Mr Gosse would have approved of (8)_____ I’m
doing.’ ‘You mean…’, I said. I knew little of Gosse, and my widened eyes hinted perhaps (9)_____
clearly at scandal. ‘Oh no, no, no,’ he said. ‘Just the thought of writing about him. He (10)_____
think it was a bit of a…low blow.’
[Adapted from Julian Barnes, Flaubert’s Parrot]
1. A. mine B. my C. our D. its
2. A. then B. than C. of D. that
3. A. will B. we C. let’s D. shall
4. A. at B. to C. in D. on
5. A. few B. little C. a lot D. much
6. A. ever B. always C. everyday D. rare
7. A. how B. whereas C. when D. during
8. A. those B. that C. what D. which
9. A. much B. too much C. too D. very much
10.A. have to B. ought C. can D. might
Extra Practice

Grammar and Vocabulary (10 points): Poetry

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
What poets have to say in their poetry is just as important (most people would say even
more important) (1)_____ the way it is said. This (2)_____ seem an obvious thing to state, but
often discussion of a poem becomes an analysis of poetic technique that is divorced from the
poem as a (3)_____ . It is important to stress early on in this part of the book that (4)_____
rhythm, language, form and other elements of the poet's technique will be discussed as aspects of
poetry, these poetic elements should always be seen as integral parts of the total meaning and
impact of the poetry, rather (5)_____ as features to be considered in their own right.
Two things that people often think about poetry are that it is usually difficult to
understand and that it is divorced from real life. However, poetry need not be difficult to
understand, (6)_____ the following poem will show. As for the statement that poetry is usually
divorced from real life, there is (7)_____ a huge body of poetry dealing with burning issues and
people's real concerns that this argument can easily be disposed of.
The following (8)_____ , "If he let us go now", deals very directly with an emotional
situation faced by (9)_____ people. The poet is a black American woman and the idiom reflects
Afro-American culture and language. Its theme is the woman's fear of losing the father of her
child. The poet treats the theme in terms of an incident when the mother and child are about to
leave on a car (10)_____ ; we follow the thoughts of the woman and we hear the words the man
expresses to the woman. [D. Shiach, The Critical Eye]
1. A. so B. than C. as D. so much
2. A. may B. ought C. cannot D. perhaps
3. A. together B. entirety C. whole D. all
4. A. despite B. however C. though D. instead
5. A. than B. that C. if D. of
6. A. so B. as C. like D. such as
7. A. very B. so C. very much D. such
8. A. poet B. poem C. poetry D. poetic
9. A. lots B. many C. much D.a lot
10 A. destination B. travel C. voyage D. trip
Extra Practice

Grammar and Vocabulary (10 points): The Picture of Dorian Gray

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

"My dear Harry, my dear Basil, you both (1)_____ to congratulate me!" said Dorian,
shaking each of his friends by the hand in turn. "I haven’t (2)_____ been so happy in my life."
"There is really not (3)_____ to tell," cried Dorian as they took their seats at the small
round table. " (4)_____ I left you last night, Harry, I went down at eight o'clock to the theatre.
Sibyl was playing Rosalind. Of course, the scenery was terrible and the Orlando absurd. But
Sibyl! When she came on in her boy's (5)_____ , she was perfectly wonderful. [...] Her hair
clustered round her face (6)_____ dark leaves round a pale rose. She is simply a born artist. [...]
After the performance was over, I went behind and spoke to her. As we were sitting together,
suddenly there came into her eyes a look that I had never seen there (7)_____ . My lips moved
towards hers. We kissed each other. [...] I feel that I should not tell you all this, (8)_____ I can't
help it. Of course, our engagement is a secret. She has not (9)_____ told her own mother. [...] I
shall be of age in less (10)_____ a year, and then I can do what I like. I have been right, Basil,
haven't I, to take my love out of poetry and to find my wife in Shakespeare's masterpieces?"
[Adapted from O. Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray]

1. A. should B. must C. can D. have

2. A. already B. ever C. still D. never
3. A. any B. much C. many D. very
4. A. After B. Afterward C. After that D. After all
5. A. habits B. dresses C. clothes D. customs
6. A. like B. so C. as D. as if
7. A. at the time B. then C. previous D. before
8. A. however B. but C. in spite D. despite
9. A. even B. just C. at all D.also
10 A. of B. then C. than D. that
Extra Practice

Grammar and Vocabulary (10 points): Flaubert’s Parrot 2

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
(1)_____ my third day in Rouen I walked to the Hotel-Dieu, where Gustave Flaubert’s
father had been head surgeon, now a museum. I was admitted by a curator (2)_____ white
doctor’s coat puzzled me. He explained that the museum was devoted partly to Flaubert and
partly to medical (3)_____. I was shown the room where Gustave was born. The other rooms
contained medical instruments of the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Medicine then must
have been (4)_____ an exciting, desperate, violent business; nowadays it is all pills and
bureaucracy. Or is it just (5)_____ the past always seems to contain more local colour than the
present?
The conjunction of these two museums seemed odd at first. It (6)_____ sense when I
remembered Lemot’s famous cartoon of Flaubert dissecting Emma Bovary. It shows the novelist
flourishing his heroine’s dripping heart on the end of a large fork. The writer portrayed (7)_____
butcher, or sensitive brute.
Then I saw the parrot, in a small alcove, bright green and perky-eyed. The inscription
said: ‘Parrot borrowed (8)_____ G. Flaubert from the Museum of Rouen and placed on his work-
table during the writing of A Simple Heart, where.it is called Loulou, the parrot of Félicité, the
(9)_____ character in the tale.’ A xeroxed letter from Flaubert confirmed that the parrot had been
on his desk (10)_____ three weeks, and the sight of it was beginning to irritate him.
[adapt. J. Barnes, Flaubert’s Parrot]

1. A. At B. In C. To D. On
2. A. his B. with C. in D. whose
3. A. subject B. history C. visit D. story
4. A. such B. so C. very D. too
5. A. for B. that C. to D. in
6. A. was B. did C. made D. brought
7. A. as B. be C. to D. like
8. A. to B. of C. away D. by
9. A. most B. main C. high D. protagonist
10. A. since B. from C. for D. now
Extra Practice

Grammar and Vocabulary (10 points): Hurry on Down

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

Froulish was having one of his bad spells. When Charles arrived he was on (1)_____
knees beside the stove, tearing sheets of paper into long strips. When he had made about fifty
strips he set fire to them, one (2)_____ a time, and burnt them down till the flame almost touched
his fingers. The loft was full of smoke.
‘How often have I got to warn you against setting the place on fire?’Charles said gruffly,
(3)_____ he passed him on the way to his own room.
‘I’ve told you,’ said the frustrated novelist, ‘when I get stuck, I have to go back and find
the obstruction (4)_____ blocks the flow of inspiration. The smoke from its funeral pyre is the
only thing that enables me to replace the dead matter.’
The flame caressed his fingers, (5)_____ with a curse he flung a blazing scrap of paper onto the
floor. Charles stepped aside to stamp it out. While he packed his tiny stock of spare (6)_____ into
a bag, he felt sad at the thought that Froulish was, after (7)_____, his nearest approach to an old
friend, and that (8)_____ parting must come at once.
‘I won’t be long,’ he said, hating (9)_____, as he clambered down the ladder. ‘I’ve got to
go round to (10)_____.’ [John Wain, Hurry on Down, adapted]

1. A. the B. a C. his D. each

2. A. by B. for C. to D. at
3. A. despite B. as C. during D. how
4. A. who B. ever C. that D. when
5. A. and B. however C. also D. immediately
6. A. clothing B. garment C. dress D. habit
7. A. every B. before C. all D. each
8. A. them B. their C. they D. theirs
9. A. oneself B. himself C. self D. itself
10. A. house of Dave B. at Dave C. Dave’s D. by Dave
Extra Practice

Verbs (10 points): Classical Music

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

One of Britain's leading composers (1)_____ fellow classical musicians to drop the stuffy
conventions that surround the concert hall and to adopt new and "blasphemous" ideas, such as
amplifying the sound. Jonathan Harvey (2)_____ that British youth are alienated by the traditions
that still dictate that classical music should be played to rows of silent, seated listeners. "Young
people don't like concert halls and normally (3)_____ to one except for amplified music," he
(4)_____ in a radio interview to be broadcast today. "There is a big divide between amplified and
non-amplified music. The future (5)_____ things that are considered blasphemous, like
amplifying classical music in an atmosphere where people can come and go, and even perhaps
leave in the middle of a movement if they (6)_____ like it."
Harvey, 71, is one of the senior figures of classical music in Britain. A visiting professor
of music at Oxford University and at Imperial College London, in his long life he (7)_____ four
string quartets, three operas and choral and orchestral works. Last weekend he (8)_____ fears that
if orchestras and conductors hang on to the orthodox method of performance they will end up
playing to empty halls.
"Nobody (9)_____ of classical music, least of all by silly conventions," he said.
Other classical musicians disagree. Julian Lloyd Webber, the cellist, argues: "You can
pick up an idea of the music while you're walking around and I think that does introduce it to a
new audience. But if you (10)_____ people to come and go in a concert hall, you would change
the nature of the whole experience. And to amplify music is to lose all sense of nuance, and that
is a large part of what this kind of music is about.” [Vanessa Thorpe, in The Guardian]

1. A. is calling on B. is called on C. call on D. calling on

2. A. concerns B. has concerned C. is concerned D. concerning
3. A. hadn’t gone B. aren’t gone C. wouldn’t go D. will go
4. A. says B. asks C. tells D. introduces
5. A. have brought B. will to bring C. bringing D. must bring
6. A. will feel B. feel C. would feel D. have felt
7. A. was composing B. has composed C. used to compose D. composed
8. A. voiced B. would voice C. has voiced D. had been voiced
9. A. ought to deprive B. must deprive C. needs deprive D. should be deprived
10. A. let B. conceded C. allowed D. permit
Extra Practice

Verbs (10 points): Rubens

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

Biographers (1)_____ the great northern European painter Rubens as handsome, erudite,
vigorous, charismatic and self-confident. Rubens (2)_____ an international celebrity by the time
he was 35. He (3)_____ allegories, religious scenes, portraits and landscapes. In 1615 he
helped (4)_____ a church while building an Italian-style palazzo next to his Antwerp house. On
Sundays he often did book illustrations as relaxation. He (5)_____ : “My talents are such that
(6)_____ without courage to undertake any design, however vast in size or diversified in
subject.”
His love of family shines through the many portraits he made of his children. Some of
his thousands and thousands of spectacular sketches, studies and drawings (7)_____ in Peter
Paul Rubens: The Drawings, currently at New York’s Metropolitan Museum. At the exhibit’s
core there are 30 masterpieces from the Albertina in Vienna, (8)_____ his famous, delightful
study of his young son, “Nicolaas Rubens wearing a Coral Necklace”
For a 17th-century artist, drawings were precious, private and indispensable, the equivalent
of modern research prototypes. The show’s curator is Anne-Marie Logan. (9)_____ “It’s almost
certain Rubens would never have allowed his drawings to be shown in an exhibition such as
this!” she (10)_____.

1. A. describes B. have described C. must describe D. were used to describe

2. A. was become B. had become C. must become D. did become
3. A. was paint B. is paint C. was painter D. painted
4. A. with to decorate B. decorates C. in decorate D. decorate
5. A. could to declare B. could to declaring C. could declare D. could declares
6. A. never I have been B. never I been C. I have never been D. been I never
7. A. can be seenB. is being seen C. can being seen D. are be seen
8. A. including B. included C. it includes D. they include
9. A. Logan has studied Rubens’ drawings since 20 years B. Logan has studied Rubens’ drawings for 20 years
C. It is for 20 years Logan studies Rubens’ drawings D. Logan, since 20 years, studied Rubens’ drawings.
10. A. tells B. says C. tells to us D. says us
Extra Practice

Verbs (10 points): Ang Lee

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

He is one of Taiwan’s greatest film directors. Yet Ang Lee, whose accolades include an
Oscar for his gay love story, Brokeback Mountain, yesterday __________ (1) that he found it
difficult to direct his current comedy, Taking Woodstock, after 13 years of __________ (2)
serious dramas.
Speaking about his film, which is a light-hearted story about the 1969 rock festival,
Woodstock, he said it was a challenge for him. “Since my first movie, The Ice Storm, I
__________ (3) six tragedies in a row over 13 years. I wanted to make a comedy without
cynicism, and after 13 years, I have earned the right to do so. I was very happy but it was nerve-
wracking at the same time. In comedy, if people __________ (4), you have failed. At least in
drama you __________ (5) say they didn’t understand it,” he said.
He thought of the idea while __________ (6) to appear on a San Francisco talk show to
discuss his film Lust, Caution in 2007. There he met Elliot Tiber, a writer who was on the show
to discuss his memoir on which Lee’s film __________ (7). Mr Tiber had written about his
attempt to save his parents’ motel business by hiring out rooms to the New York organisers of the
summer festival.
The film __________ (8) an R classification in America for its graphic nudity and
psychedelic scenes of drug taking. The British actress, Imelda Staunton, who is cast as Mr
Tiber’s uptight Jewish mother, spoke of her “surprise” at being picked for the part and admitted
her role __________ (9) a difficult one to master.
Lee’s film is in contention at the Cannes festival with 19 others, including Ken Loach’s
Looking for Eric, which __________ (10) tomorrow. [A. Akbar]

1 A. was revealed B. revealed C. reveal D. has revealed

2 A. make B. to make C. making D. made
3 A. directed B. is directing C. have directed D. direct
4 A. doesn’t laugh B. don’t laugh C. not laugh D. not laughing
5 A. can B. could to C. must D. need
6 A. has waited B. waiting C. was waiting D. to wait
7 A. basing B. based C. is based D. bases
8 A. has been given B. given C. gave D. has given
9 A. is been B. had been C. has be D. was been
10 A. is show B. will be shown C. going to show D. have to show
Extra Practice

Verbs (10 points): Playwright Sarah Kane

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

Five years ago this week the playwright Sarah Kane (1)___ suicide. She was 28. The shock of her
death is still (2)___. No postwar British playwright became famous – or in her case, notorious – as fast as
she did, only for her promising career to crash-land after just four years. She hanged herself while in
hospital under treatment for depression. Those who were close to her weren’t (3)___. Her history of
depression was well-known, and her plays, especially the last two, Crave and 4.48 Psychosis, clearly
reflected her own mental troubles.
When her dramas were first produced in Britain, (4)___ by many critics, and since her death the
British theatre community (5)___ generous to Kane. Director Matt Peover (6)___: “Kane reaches into the
dark places. She ignores the need to entertain and asks questions about theatre, about form.” Outside the
UK, by contrast, the reception of Kane’s work borders on adulation. Before she died, a production of
Blasted opened in Italy. Other plays have been produced in America, Italy, Germany, Brazil and Mexico.
In Berlin, they (7)___ her play Crave this spring.
In fact, it is especially in Germany that Kane is popular and I asked several leading directors there
(8)___. According to Peter Zadek, “A young writer like Kane is always searching, and he or she (9)___
one really good thing and then not do so for years. Kane never gave herself the chance.”
Kane produced only five plays and it is right (10)___ suspicious that her elevation to sainthood in
Germany may partly be the result of her romantically short life and conflicts with a hostile UK
establishment.. [The Finanicial Times. 19/2/04]
1. A. committed B. commits C. had committed D. used to commit
2. A. be feeling B. been felt C. being felt D. feeling
3. A. surprise B. surprised C. surprises D. surprising
4. A. she attacked B. she was attacked C. she was attacking D. was attacked
5. A. is not being B. is not C. has not been D. was not
6. A. answers B. asks C. says D. tells
7. A. are produce B. are going to produce C. produce D. do produce
8. A. for the why B. why is this so C. why this was so D. why was this
9. A. might write B. ought to write C. should write D. write
10.A. be B. being C. to be D. we are being
Extra Practice

Verbs (10 points): Science Plays

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
In recent decades there (1)_____ a surge of interest in the representation of scientific ideas on the
stage. Just this year two new “science plays” have been put on. Tom Stoppard’s The Hard Problem,
(2)_____ in a brain research institute, (3)_____ at the National Theatre in January, and a few months later
Tom Morton-Smith’s play Oppenheimer had a run in the West End. It (4)_____ for the way it merges
“real” science, biography and history and does not dumb down the scientific ideas it depicts.
In contrast, several films on scientific subjects like The Imitation Game, (5)_____ Alan Turing’s
code-breaking efforts in the Second World War, or the Stephen Hawking biopic The Theory of Everything,
have actually contained very little science, focusing instead on biography. This (6)_____ frequently when
cinema gets involved with science. A Beautiful Mind was a fascinating film, for instance, but it was more
about mental health issues than about mathematics – the nearest it got to dealing with maths was when
Russell Crowe appeared (7)_____ equations on shiny surfaces.
Recently, Marcus du Sautoy noted that too often science plays actually shy away from the science
they (8)_____ to be presenting, or else get the science wrong. These are the complaints scientists
frequently make about films and plays that seem to discuss science. In fact in “science plays”, it is usually
the history that is the contentious issue, not the accuracy of the science that is shown. Many scientists
praised Michael Frayn’s Copenhagen for its accurate representation of nuclear physics and quantum
mechanics. It wasn’t the science that provoked debate but the way the physicist Heisenberg (9)_____, as
some historians felt that Frayn (10)_____ him too sympathetic. (May 2015)

1. A. used to be B. should be C. are being D. has been

2. A. to set B. set C. setting D. is set
3. A. opened B. opening C. was open D. is opened
4. A. has praised B. has been praised C. was praising D. praised
5. A. depict B. depicts C. depicted D. depicting
6. A. happened B. is happening C. happens D. happen
7. A. scribble B. to scribble C. would scribble D. has scribbled
8. A. are supposed B. must C. should D. think
9. A. portrayed B. portraying C. was portrayed D. portray
10. A. had made B. making C. make D. would make
Extra Practice

Verbs (10 points): A Series of Unfortunate Events

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

In 1990 A Series of Unfortunate Events, a tragicomic 13-book series, made its debut, _1_
the plight of the three Baudelaire orphans. After the death of their parents in a mysterious fire
they _2_ to face accidental dismemberment, death by leeches, serial arsonists, and child abuse as
part of their normal life scenario. This series _3_to descend directly from Grimm's Fairy Tales.
The tragicomic 13-book series_4_ on the literary scene 15 years ago and to date _5_ over 60
million copies internationally. A year after the series began, I received a copy of the first novel
The Bad Beginning for Christmas. I fell in love—partly because of the absurdist storyline and the
likable but unlucky young trio: Violet, Klaus, and Sunny. I remained a devoted follower until the
final book, The End, _6_ in 2006, but it wasn’t until several years later that I _7_ how the series
transcended its popular children’s book context: Unfortunate Events was my first introduction to
postmodern literature.
Even before this series, postmodernism’s influence was already widely present throughout
children’s picture book literature; Unfortunate Events _8_ that trend to chapter books.
Postmodern literary techniques _9_ appeal to young readers because the distinction between fact
and fiction slips away, getting lost in the series’ story-within-a-story-within-a-story. Early in the
series, I found myself believing the Baudelaire children might actually be real. Plus, the books
will continue to offer a wellspring of sound advice: “When trouble strikes, head to the library.”
Either you _10_ to solve the problem, or you will simply have something to read as the world
crashes down around you. (October 2014)

1 A. chronicled B. to chronicle C. chronicling D. is chronicling

2 A. was forced B. are forced C. force D. had forced
3 A. seems B. seem C. had seemed D. is seeming
4 A. has appeared B. was appearing C. appeared D. appears
5. A. sells B. sold C. have been sold D. has sold
6 A. has been released B has released C. was released D. released
7 A. realize B. will realize C. was realizing D. would realize
8 A. will just extend B. just extending C. has just extended D. just extend
9. A. have B. must to C. might D. ought
10 A. are being able B. going to be able C. will be able D. able
Extra Practice

Verbs (10 points): Nigerian Photographer

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

By the late 19th century, the British __1__ control of Benin City in Nigeria and brought with
them their photographic traditions. Portraits were rigid and British photographers depicted locals
through a colonialist lens. That changed when S. O. Alonge __2__ the first indigenous royal
court photographer. An exhibition on Alonge’s life and the history of photography in the region
__3__ next week at the African Art Museum.
Alonge first learned photography in the 1920s, and he __4__ to take the court
photographer position around 1933. Alonge documented rituals and pageants, while also __5__ a
portrait studio for the local people. “He was important in terms of the ceremonial aspects of
Benin culture, but also just the everyday, social history of Benin,” __6__ the archivist and
exhibition curator Amy Staples. Alonge __7__ for his mastery of “editing” techniques, such as
hand-coloring prints.
Alonge helped introduce an era of Nigerians representing themselves and acting as
keepers of their own history. “Before, the British were the only ones who__8__ the camera”,
Staples explains. “And what he allowed the subjects__9__ was to present themselves in a way
that they considered dignified.”
The exhibition includes Alonge’s photographs, as well as artefacts related to his life and
Nigerian history and culture. Staples travelled to Benin City as preparation for the exhibition. She
tracked down and interviewed subjects from Alonge’s photographs, some of whom are now in
their 70s and 80s but remember __10__ as children or teenagers. (September 2014)

1 A. had takenB. have taken C. taken D. were taking

2 A. becomes B. was become C. is become D. became
3 A. will open B. going to open C. open D. opening
4 A. could B. ought C. must D. was able
5. A. to operate B. was operating C. operated D. operating
6 A. tells B. says C. explain D. speaks
7 A. also known B. has also known C. was also known D. also knew
8 A. were holding B. were held C. holding D. hold
9 A. do B. to do C. for to do D. doing
10 A. had posed B. posed C. to pose D. having posed
Extra Practice

Verbs (10 points): The Temporary Museum

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
In 2010, Latif Mukasa, an artist and gay rights activist from Uganda, went into hiding
after his name and photograph __1__ in a newspaper article on “Uganda’s 100 Top Homos”
entitled “Hang Them.” When the police __2__ a warrant for his arrest, he escaped. He made it to
the Netherlands, where he was offered asylum-seeker housing — in a former prison complex. It
was not ideal, but he was happy to be safe. Last week, Mr. Mukasa, 33, who is both an artist and
a refugee, __3__ a group of visitors through the Temporary Museum, a pop-up exhibition inside
the Bijlmerbajes in Amsterdam, another former prison that is now a center for asylum seekers,
and where those who fled __4__ works that help the public __5__ their migrant experience.
The Temporary Museum, which opened on June 28 and __6__ inside the building until
Jan. 1, aims to present new perspectives on migrants, an effort to break the isolation that
newcomers often __7__. “This whole migrant situation — what they call a crisis — is for me
much more than an article in a newspaper or an item on television,” __8__Nathalie Faber,
director and curator of the Temporary Museum. “It’s all about people, and when you __9__ to
people it’s so completely different. We __10__ so much about how to talk and work with each
other just by doing it.” (July 2017)

1. A. have printed B. was printed C. were printed D. printed

2. A. have issued B. issued C. had issued D. were issued
3. A. was guiding B. has been guiding C. guiding D. has guided
4. A. presenting B. presents C. are presenting D. were presenting
5. A. understands B. to understanding C. understanding D. understand
6. A. going to remain B. will remain C. is remaining D. would remain
7. A. feeling B. feel C. has felt D. would have felt
8. A. has told B. asked C. told D. said
9. A. talked B. talk C. will talk D. talking
10. A. have learned B. are learned C. learning D. had learned
Extra Practice

Verbs (10 points): Cinecittà

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

Inside the Cinecittà film studios, originally __1__ by Mussolini in part for fascist
propaganda, a catapult is parked beside Soundstage 13. It __2__ in the remake of the 1959 epic,
“Ben-Hur”. The recent arrival of Hollywood is in part because Rome is one of the most visually
alluring and historically resonant cities in the world. But it is also about money. Having watched
different countries use financial incentives __3__ lucrative Hollywood productions, Italy’s
Ministry of Culture __4__ the tax credits for foreign movie companies.
It was during the 1950s and 1960s that Hollywood filmmaking in Rome reached its apex.
To many Americans, the defining film was “Roman Holiday” (1953), which depicted Audrey
Hepburn and Gregory Peck while __5__ a scooter around Rome. A small museum chronicles the
era of Hollywood on the Tiber and the Spaghetti Westerns that were filmed in Italy in the mid-
1960s and that made a star of Clint Eastwood. According to Antonio Monda, a film professor at
New York University, the Hollywood-Rome connection gradually __6__ in the 1960s for various
reasons. Foreign films continued to come to Italy, but countries such as Bulgaria, Romania and
the Czech Republic began offering low-cost alternatives. “If you __7__ a law that helps, even the
most beautiful locations in the world will become less appealing,” said Professor Monda.
Thanks to the policy, last year alone Italy generated €167 million from 53 foreign films
which __8__ there. “We hope it __9__ to improve,” __10__ Dario Franceschini, the culture
minister. “The country has now become competitive.”

1 A. build B. built C. were built D. building

2 A. is being used B. is using C. has been using D. were used
3 A. attracting B. attract C. for to attract D. to attract
4 A. are increased B. has increased C. has been increased D. will to increase
5. A. rode B. were riding C. riding D. are riding
6 A. declined B. was declined C. has declined D. had been declined
7 A. not make B. won’t do C. don’t make D. will not do
8 A. has been filmed B. were been filmed C. being filmed D. had been filmed
9 A. going to continue B. will continue C. continue D. is continuing
10 A. spoke B. replied C. said D. told
Test Practice
For a digital version of this exercise, see Exercises from Selected Texts Triennale on
https://elearning.unito.it/scienzeumanistiche/course/view.php?id=1981
Reading/Writing (10 + 10 points): Refugees and Art
Read the following text and answer the questions.
Vocabulary (2 points): Choose the definition or synonym that corresponds best to the word in italics as it is
used in the text.
Text Organization (2 points): Choose the most appropriate missing sentence.
1.         Khadim Ali remembers receiving death threats in his hometown of Quetta, Pakistan. “You are the infidel artist,” they said.
“It was then I decided to find a safer place for myself,” says Ali. “Because of my ethnicity I was a constant target.” In 2009 Ali –
whose art has been collected by the Victoria and Albert Museum in London and the Guggenheim in New York – moved to
Australia permanently. His mother and father, exiled Hazaras whose own parents had fled persecution in Afghanistan, joined him
as refugees in 2012. MISSING SENTENCE *A: { Since they don’t have art materials available to them at the centre, some
pieces are done using instant coffee powder mixed in water as a form of paint. // Their house in Quetta old town had been
bombed in a car suicide attack that left them seriously injured, their home destroyed, and 14 dead. // He became almost
unable to express himself. // We all left together, thank goodness.}
“I feel we have a peaceful life here,” says Ali, 38. “My parents are
not concerned  {interested~regarded~worried~caring} about me leaving home.”
2.         Ali’s artwork is on show in the exhibition Refugees at Sydney’s Casula Powerhouse, opening this month. The 22
renowned artists are all connected by a refugee background. “Art has the power to move us,” says the curator, Ms Toni Bailey.
“I’m hoping these artists can change misconceptions about refugees and asylum seekers,”
3.         New South Wales will resettle half of the 12,000 refugees the Australian government has pledged to take in this
year. Many will live in western Sydney, near Casula Powerhouse – an area in which 40% of the population are born overseas. The
show is a chance to tell “very human stories”, says Bailey. Artists include German Max Ernst, who escaped arrest by the Gestapo
and fled to America with the aid of Peggy Guggenheim, and Vietnamese Dinh Q Lê, who emigrated to the US to escape the
clutches of the invading Khmer Rouge.
4.         One contribution by Lê, entitled Erasure, was made in response to the drowning of more than 50 asylum seekers. The
piece channels his own journey to freedom and is a reminder that Australia is a nation invaded and colonised by “boat people”.
Fearmongering about a flood of immigrants is also commonplace. Yet Australia actually receives less than 1% of the world’s
refugees. Meanwhile, more than 90% of people arriving by boat are found to be escaping war and persecution.
5.         Most eventually  {ultimately~after~possible~probably} end up in detention centres. In 2013, 26-year-old refugee
Ahmad Ali Jafari died in Sydney’s infamous Villawood immigration detention centre. Jafari had told the officer in charge he was
suffering severe chest pains; rather than help, he said, guards mocked him. Jafari’s story is relayed in a harrowing tribute zine, a
non-commercial, non professional publication, on display in Telling Tales – Excursions in Narrative Form, a major exhibition at
the Museum of Contemporary Art on until October. One section is devoted to the Refugee Art Project, founded in 2010 by the
male artist and academic Safdar Ahmed, which features drawings by asylum seekers trapped in limbo at Villawood. MISSING
SENTENCE *B: { Since they don’t have art materials available to them at the centre, some pieces are done using instant
coffee powder mixed in water as a form of paint. // Their house in Quetta old town had been bombed in a car suicide
attack that left them seriously injured, their home destroyed, and 14 dead. // He became almost unable to express
himself. // We all left together, thank goodness.}
25. ____ “I want to address unjust misconceptions and face up to ugly truths,” she says with force.
 Most of the artists in the Refugee Art Project have little prior experience as artists. A major challenge at Villawood is visiting
restrictions: all volunteers had to sign a contract stipulating not to speak publicly about what they saw in the facility and no video
or photography is allowed. Ahmed’s zine Villawood: Notes From an Immigration Detention Centre is a particularly powerful
testament. Its comic-book style only serves to reinforce the horror.

True or False (4 points): Base your answers on what is written in the text.

1. ______ In Western Sydney many people come from other countries.
2. ______ Khadim Ali was persecuted because he was an artist.
3. ______ Most boat people arriving in Australia are not really refugees.
4. ______ Ms Bailey, the curator, wants to help people reconsider their attitudes towards refugees.

Main idea and text type (2 points)

1. Which is the best title for the text? {Cruel Detention Centres Damage Artistic Ambitions~Chased Away from His
Home~Boat People: an illegal reality?~Telling an Important Story through Art} 

2. Where is this text from?  {a journal~a diary~a newspaper~an encyclopedia~a textbook} 

WRITING (10 POINTS)
Write a 120-150-word composition on ONE of the following topics. It is possible to use ideas and expressions
from the text, but you cannot not copy more than three consecutive words. Your composition must be
organized into separate paragraphs and you must adhere to the word limit. You also need to invent an
appropriate title for your composition.
1. Describe some commonplace ideas Italians have of refugees and discuss why you believe them to be true or not.
2. If you had to flee your country, what would you expect your host country to provide?
3. Describe a work of art that you found thought-provoking and explain why.
Test Practice
For a digital version of this exercise, see Exercises from Selected Texts Triennale on
https://elearning.unito.it/scienzeumanistiche/course/view.php?id=1981
Reading/Writing (10 + 10 points) : Confucius
Read the following text and answer the questions.
Vocabulary (2 points): Choose the definition or synonym that corresponds best to the word in italics as it is
used in the text.
Text Organization (2 points): Choose the most appropriate missing sentence.
1             For years, Barbara Fei heard rumours  {voices~ gossip ~noises~ advice } about a lost masterpiece by her
father, the late Chinese film director Fei Mu. Produced in Shanghai during the Japanese occupation, the film, a
historical drama about the Chinese philosopher Confucius, was well-received at its premiere in 1940. However, in
the chaos of the following decades, all known prints of the film vanished.
2             “It seemed nobody knew where it was or what happened to it,” said Ms Fei, a retired classical singer who
now lives in Hong Kong. Then, in 2001, Ms Fei received an intriguing call from the Hong Kong Film Archive,
which collects and preserves artefacts from the city’s rich film history. A cache of film-related material had been
discovered in a home and the anonymous owner wished to donate it. After years of careful restoration, the archive
premiered a partially reassembled “Confucius” during April’s Hong Kong International Film Festival.
3             “ ‘Confucius’ has always been considered a lost film,” Mr Ho, the archive's programmer said. “It’s always
been a major missing piece in the puzzle of the cinema of Fei, because of the time it was made and his aesthetic
development as an artist.” Though relatively few of his films have survived physically the passage of time, Fei is
revered by fans of classic Chinese cinema.
4             “Confucius” dates from a particularly tumultuous period in both Fei’s career and China’s history. With the
outbreak of the Sino-Japanese war in 1937, Fei, along with thousands of others, fled Shanghai for Hong Kong.
There, he met a group of aspiring young movie producers. Together, they came up with the idea of making a film
biography of Confucius; it was a political gesture at a time when Chinese culture seemed under attack from all sides.
Serena Jin, a Hong Kong professor of literary translation, said that the filmmakers were inspired more by patriotism
than the prospect of making money. FRASE DA INSERIRE *A: {Ms Fei phoned old friends in the film
industry, hoping to find a surviving copy of the film.~Her father, she said, put almost his entire family fortune
into the production.~But Fei was so unhappy with the changes that he took out an ad in a Shanghai
newspaper denouncing the new version.~In a process that is as much detective work as cinema, archive
historians are now reintegrating the missing scenes. }  “He was such a nice man,” Ms Jin said, “but he was a
hopeless romantic.”
5             Ms Fei remembers her father as a quiet, scholarly gentleman who nevertheless demanded perfection on
the set  {pair~establish~hold~film location}. Perhaps predictably, Fei’s ambitious biography of Confucius quickly
overran its modest budget, eventually costing more than five times the producers’ original projection and taking an
entire year to complete. Ms Fei recalled that while her father was away at work on the film, his family often spent
their days beneath a table for fear of the Japanese bombers flying over Shanghai.
6             “Confucius” generated great excitement among the city’s cultural elite when it premiered in December
1940. In 1948, the film was re-cut and re-released by another studio. FRASE DA INSERIRE *B: {Ms Fei phoned
old friends in the film industry, hoping to find a surviving copy of the film.~Her father, she said, put almost
his entire family fortune into the production. ~In a process that is as much detective work as cinema, archive
historians are now reintegrating the missing scenes.~But Fei was so unhappy with the changes that he took
out an ad in a Shanghai newspaper denouncing the new version.}  Subsequently, however, it was left to languish
in film studio warehouses, and prints of the movie simply disintegrated. And Fei’s reputation was certainly not
helped by the fact that, after the Communist takeover of China in 1949, anything associated with Confucianism was
considered to be counterrevolutionary.
7             By the time the nitrate negative was rediscovered in Hong Kong, time had very nearly destroyed it as well.
To salvage what remained, the film was sent to L’Immagine Ritrovata, a renowned film restoration lab in Italy.       
[P. Ritter, 28/8/09]
True or False (4 punti): Indicate True se le seguenti frasi sono vere e False se sono false secondo ciò che è
scritto nel testo. 
1. _______ Fei’s film was badly damaged and had to be sent abroad to be restored.
2. _______  “Confucius” was filmed while China and Japan were at war.
3. _______ Fei’s film “Confucius” was especially popular during the Communist revolution in China.
4. _______ Like her father, Barbara Fei chose a career in the arts.
Main idea and text type (2 points)
1. Which is the best title for the text? {“New film about Confucius soon to be shown in cinemas”~“Barbara Fei
reunited with father’s lost autobiography”~“Hong Kong International Film Festival is a big success”~“A lost
‘Confucius’ returns to the silver screen”} 
2. What is this text?   {an interview~an article from a magazine ~an editorial~an extract from a philosophy
textbook~a film review }      

WRITING (10 POINTS)

Write a 120-150-word composition on ONE of the following topics. It is possible to use ideas and expressions
from the text, but you cannot not copy more than three consecutive words. Your composition must be
organized into separate paragraphs and you must adhere to the word limit. You also need to invent an
appropriate title for your composition.

1. Talk about a filmmaker you admire.

2. Do you prefer seeing films at the cinema or watching them on TV? Explain.
3. Describe a recent cultural event you have enjoyed.
Extra Practice
Reading/Writing : Cézanne and Picasso
Read the following text and answer the questions.
1 Ochre earth, twisted silvery olive trees, blue skies, red roofs and sunflowers... Our visual image of the south of France
has been defined by the artists who have painted there since the end of the 19th century, drawn by the fierce light of the Midi.
Today the south of France must be the best place in the world to appreciate the landscapes that inspired the masters – Cézanne,
Renoir, Van Gogh, Matisse, Picasso and a host of others – and to see their work in several world-class museums. "The Midi fires
the senses: makes your hand more agile, your eye sharper, your brain clearer," wrote Van Gogh. But Cézanne was the first, a
native of the Midi, born in Aix-en-Provence. After several periods in Paris and the north of France he returned home, to the strong
light and dramatic shadows of his native land. His exploration of the underlying forms of nature was to inspire many artists after
him, notably Picasso, who called Cézanne "the father of us all".
2 Now a major new exhibition at the Musée Granet in Aix-en-Provence will bring the two together, with around 100
works by both artists. It shows how Cézanne and Picasso used similar subjects, such as the still lifes of fruit and tablecloths, the
harlequins and the naked bathers, how both struggled against the constraints of classical painting, and how Cézanne's experiments
– his dogged attempts to explore all aspects of a subject – led eventually to the simplified geometric forms and fractured angles of
Cubism.
3 You can combine a visit to the exhibition with time spent exploring Cézanne's own country, paying homage to Mont
Sainte-Victoire, the sacred mountain of the region, which Cézanne painted obsessively (87 times). You can visit his studio, Les
Lauves, just outside Aix, kept in reverent homage with his palette, brushes, and still-life objects, though the view the artist painted
is now somewhat blighted by modern development. You can also tour the Jas de Bouffan, the house where he lived and painted
for 40 years, the labyrinthine Bibémus quarries he painted (a Cubist inspiration if ever there was one) and do a circuit of
viewpoints for Cézanne's paintings.
4 Picasso stayed faithful to Cézanne, buying several of his paintings for his personal collection, and eventually acquiring
the 17th-century turreted chateau of Vauvenargues on the northern slopes of Sainte-Victoire itself. *A Picasso moved here from
the Riviera and stayed from 1958-1965 with Jacqueline Roque, his second wife and protective companion for the last 20 years of
his life. He produced many fine paintings here, in muted colours, influenced by the austere mountain terrain.
5 Though he died in his villa in Mougins, in 1973 aged 92, it was at Vauvenargues that he chose to be buried. Now the
owner of the chateau, the daughter of Jacqueline, has agreed to open the chateau to visitors. For the duration of the exhibition
small groups of visitors will be permitted to see Picasso's studio - preserved with brushes, paints and still-life arrangements – and
his bedroom, with its furniture and a mandolin that appears in several of his paintings. *B And there is his tomb, adorned with
his sculpture, Woman with a Vase, and now shared with Jacqueline, who committed suicide in 1986. The Aix exhibition includes
intimate photos by veteran photojournalist David Douglas Duncan of the couple at Vauvenargues.
6 Access to Mont Sainte-Victoire itself is restricted in summer – it was ravaged by forest fires in 1989 – and a further
threat has just appeared, with a proposal to run the new high-speed railway line from Marseille to Toulon at the foot of the
mountain. Protest has been vociferous – from local wine-growers and olive farmers, and from those who want to protect the
artistic heritage of the land. Ironically, one of the first pictures of Mont Sainte-Victoire painted by Cézanne, a fierce opponent of
modern progress, was a protest against the proposed Aix-Rognac railway line, which would cut through the family estate.
Nevertheless, the Provençal landscape that inspired these artists remains essentially unchanged: the exhibition will be a wonderful
opportunity to see it all through their eyes and appreciate what Cézanne called his "promised land".
7 The exhibition runs until September 27, but see it before mid-June if you can – that way, you can visit Provence’s other
Picasso show, on the coast at Antibes. Unfortunately, it will be closing on June 14, but it’s a lovely exhibition all the same,
devoted to the fertile period after the second world war, when the artist spent a couple of months working in the Château
Grimaldi, in Antibes. Perched on top of a cliff, with one foot in the azure waters of the Med, it’s a stunning spot. In fact, it’s
probably even more beautiful than Aix. *C

Text Organization
Three of the five sentences below have been removed from the text and replaced by an asterisk and the letters
A, B and C, whereas the other two are from different sources. Identify which two sentences do not belong in
the text and write D in the space provided. Identify where the other three sentences belong (at *A, *B or *C)
and write the appopriate letter in the space provided.
1. ______ By 1905 Picasso became a favorite of the American art collectors Leo and Gertrude Stein.
2. ______ "I have just bought myself Cézanne's mountains," he said.
3. ______ But I’ll leave you to decide, over a glass of chilled Provençal rosé, as the sun begins to set.
4. ______ Cézanne was 42 years older than Picasso, and never met his disciple.
5. ______ A mural by the artist over the bathtub remains untouched.
Comprehension: True or False
Choose True or False, based on what is written in the text.
6. __________ The railways have completely transformed the Provencal landscape since the time of Cezanne.
7. __________ If you travel to Provence in August you will not be able to see the second exhibition of Picasso’s
works, on the coast.
8. __________ Picasso’s tomb is adorned with a sculpture by Cézanne.
9. __________ The present owner of the Chateau de Vauvenargues is the daughter of Picasso’s second wife
Jacqueline.
10. __________ The south of France inspired many great artists to go to the museums.

Comprehension: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
11. Which is the best title for the text?
A. Cézanne, the father of Cubism.
B. Two Picasso exhibitions in Aix en Provence.
C. See France through artists’ eyes.
D. A chance to visit Cézanne’s home.

12. What is this text?

A. a review B. a journal entry C. a newspaper article
D. part of a guidebook E. a chapter from a book on the history of art

Vocabulary
Choose the definition or synonym that corresponds best to the word as it is used in the text.
13. drawn (¶ 1)
A. attracted B. depicted C.sketched D. tired
14. eventually (¶ 2)
A. perhaps B. at present C. in the end D. chance
15. view (¶ 3)
A. scene B. watch C. opinion D. look at
16. run (¶ 6)
A. organized B. hurry C. flow D. put

Reference (4 points/)
What do the following words in the text refer to? Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
Example: he (¶ 1) = Cézanne.
17. there (¶ 1)
A. end of the 19th century B. in the south of France
C. ochre earth, olive trees and blue skies D. in Aix-en-Provence
18. his (¶ 4)
A. Cézanne B. Picasso C. personal collection D. chateau
19. the couple (¶ 5 )
A. Picasso and Roque B. Picasso and Cézanne C. Duncan and Vauvenargues D. Picasso and Duncan
20. it (¶ 6)
A. summer B. high speed railway line C. Mont Sainte-Victoire D. Vauvenargues

WRITING (10 POINTS)

Write a 120-150-word composition on ONE of the following topics. It is possible to use ideas and expressions
from the text, but you cannot not copy more than three consecutive words. Your composition must be
organized into separate paragraphs and you must adhere to the word limit. You also need to invent an
appropriate title for your composition.

1. What influences you most in your choice of holiday: books, television or what people tell you?
2. What kind of museum/art gallery do you prefer going to? Explain why.
3. Describe a holiday you have been on which had a strong cultural component.
Extra Practice
Reading/Writing : Music for the Homeless
1 Just three blocks from Lincoln Center, they arrived at the concert on Thursday night by shelter bus, not taxi or
limousine. They took their seats around round folding tables. The menu was chicken curry and rice served on paper plates. These
concertgoers were eight tired, homeless men who had been taken to the Holy Trinity Lutheran Church shelter for the night. They
listened to the latest performance by Kelly Hall-Tompkins, a professional violinist who has been playing in shelters for five years
for the organization Music Kitchen.
2 Ms. Hall-Tompkins is not the only do-gooder in the classical music world. Orchestras nationwide took part in a food
drive this autumn, and Classical Action raises money for AIDS programs through concerts and other activities . *A But most
classical music institutions — orchestras, opera houses and conservatories — pour their philanthropic efforts into large-scale
music education for children, supported by hefty fund-raising and marketing associations.
3 Music Kitchen has a catchy motto (“Food for the Soul”), T-shirts with a logo and a pool of donors. But the operation is
essentially Ms. Hall-Tompkins, 38, an ambitious New York freelancer who plays in the New Jersey Symphony and has a mid-
level solo and chamber music career. *B
She invites musician friends to play and uses her networking skills to persuade prominent soloists to join. Ms. Hall-Tompkins
asked Emanuel Ax , the pianist, to take part when he was playing a concerto with the New Jersey Symphony, and she invited
Albrech Mayer, a principal oboist of the Berlin Symphony Orchesta, in a Tokyo hotel hallway while both were on tour.
4 The concerts have an air of authenticity and directness that sometimes does not exist in concert halls. Not all the
listeners are new to classical music. One woman at a concert said the experience had been bittersweet because it brought back
memories of working at the Boston Symphony Orchestra and “how much my life has changed since.” For the performers, it can
also be bittersweet. But the benefit is mutual. “The artists, I find, are just as moved as the people we’re actually trying to help.”
5 Music Kitchen concerts mainly occur at the Antonio G. Olivieri Drop-in Center for Homeless Women and at Holy
Trinity. Ms. Hall-Tompkins’s first concert was in 2004, when her husband, Joe Tompkins, a percussionist who volunteered as a
cook at Holy Trinity, suggested she play for the men there. Ms. Hall-Tompkins creates programs of beloved pieces that most
string players know well, like the Schubert String Quintet, and she uses the concerts as dress rehearsals for works scheduled for
more public performances.
6 On Thursday Ms. Hall-Tompkins had managed to snare a prominent player, Mark O’Connor, the fiddler and composer,
who came with his manager, personal assistant and public relations man. She and Mr. O’Connor — who has played at shelters
around the country — are planning to play together, including a Sept. 11 performance with the Evansville Philharmonic, in
Indiana. Shortly before 8 p.m., the men quietly filtered into the basement of the church, at 65th Street and Central Park West, and
picked out their bedding. They wheeled folding beds over to a wall and opened them. They took their seats around the tables
under neon lights.
7 Ms. Hall-Tompkins introduced herself and Mr. O’Connor. “You have here one of the great violinists of our generation,”
she said. “This is a guy who fills concert halls all over the place.” They plunged into a duet by Mr. O’Connor, “Appalachia
Waltz.” As the two violins played nostalgic, homespun lines, the men watched intently, not touching their food. Next Mr.
O’Connor took over with a medley of traditional American tunes, like “Boil the Cabbage Down” and “Arkansas Traveler,” a
journey through blue grass, jazz and blues country.
8 “You guys are fantastic,” one of the men interjected. The audience members applauded politely between each number
and finished their food. Afterward, Ms. Hall-Tompkins opened a discussion. “How in the world did you end up playing the
violin?” asked a man in a black watch cap. Ms. Hall-Tompkins said she was shaped by a visit to her local orchestra as a child in
Greenville, S.C.; by the music of Bach in her Lutheran church; and by Warner Brothers cartoons.
9 One asked about the musicians’ feelings about pop music. “I’m a rock girl,” Ms. Hall-Tompkins said. The shelter
coordinator, Omowale Adewale, said he rarely saw the men so lively. *C Mr. O’Connor said he was struck by how the men
opened up after hearing the two violins in dialogue. “Maybe through this music there’s healing,” he said. One man, who identified
himself by his nickname, Cleveland, said music helped him relax. Joseph Rucco said the music evoked childhood memories.
“Classic music will never die,” he said. “I’m not stable right now. To hear them play, it motivates me to do what I have to do in
the future.”
10 Ms. Hall-Tompkins scrupulously memorializes each concert. “I get a crazy kind of pleasure documenting the whole
thing,” she said. In one card from Thursday night, a man named, Daryl, wrote: “It touched my heart to hear such nice tunes,”
adding, “I will keep you in my prayers.” (NYTimes Dec. 2009)
Text Organization
Three of the five sentences below have been removed from the text and replaced by an asterisk and the letters
A, B and C, whereas the other two are from different sources. Identify which two sentences do not belong in
the text and write D in the space provided. Identify where the other three sentences belong (at *A, *B or *C)
and write the appopriate letter in the space provided.
1.______ Hospital Audiences brings musicians and other performers into wards.
2. ______ Music programs are not always effective ways to help the homeless.
3.______ Often they collapse with exhaustion after eating. Some even skip the meal.
4. ______ “I like sharing music with people, and they have zero access to it,” Ms. Hall-Tompkins said of her homeless audiences.
5. ______ The homeless only want to hear rock music and soul.
Comprehension: True or False
Choose True or False, based on what is written in the text.
6. __________ Kelly Hall-Tompkins’ audience enjoyed her concert in a famous music hall.
7. __________ The Music Kitchen’s motto is easy to remember.
8. __________ After playing as a percussionist at Holy Trinity Ms. Tompkins’s husband suggested she play there as
well.
9. __________ While Ms. Tompkins and Mr. O’Connor played their duet the men were too interested to eat.
10. __________ Cartoons influenced Ms. Tompkins’ choice to play the violin.

Comprehension: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
11. Which statement best summarizes this article?
A. Eight homeless men listen to violin duets.
B. Music Kitchen gets important musicians involved in their concerts.
C. Ms. Tompkins enjoys her concerts for the homeless.
D. Music Kitchen concerts help fill a void in the life of the homeless

12. In which section of the New York Times did this text appear?
A. Health B. Obituaries
C. Opinion D. Employment Opportunities
E. The Arts

Vocabulary
Choose the definition or synonym that corresponds best to the word as it is used in the text.
13. drive (¶ 2)
A. energy B. campaign C. go by car D .conduct
14. hefty (¶ 2)
A. heavy B . robust C. gross D. large
15. snare (¶ 6)
A. catch B deceive C. trick D. noose
16. tunes (¶ 7)
A. harmony B. operas C. songs D. tone

Reference
What do the following words in the text refer to? Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
Example: they (¶ 1) = these concertgoers
17. the operation (¶ 3) =
A. Food for the Soul B. Ms Hall-Tompkins C. Music Kitchen D. New York freelancer
18. who (¶ 3) =
A. Ms Hall-Tompkins B. Music Kitchen C. New York D. New Jersey Symphony
19. that (¶ 4) =
A. concert halls B. concerts C. air of authenticity and directness D. classical music
20. it (¶ 4) =
A. benefit B. experience C. Boston Symphony Orchestra D. performers

WRITING (10 POINTS)

Write a 120-150-word composition on ONE of the following topics. It is possible to use ideas and expressions
from the text, but you cannot not copy more than three consecutive words. Your composition must be
organized into separate paragraphs and you must adhere to the word limit. You also need to invent an
appropriate title for your composition.

1. What role does music play in your life?

2. Describe a charity group you think is worth supporting.
3. Discuss an experience you have had or would like to have as a volunteer worker.
Extra Practice
Reading/Writing : Rubens and His Legacy
Read the following text and answer the questions.
1 Sir Peter Paul Rubens’s status as one of the all-time greats of Western art has never slipped. Yet he has never been
fashionable – or certainly not over the past two hundred years. Unlike Titian, Michelangelo or Rembrandt, he has never become a
cool name for modernists to drop. In an era that favoured the marginal, the fragmentary, and the elliptical, the baroque master of
colour, movement, violence and blatant eroticism seemed too head-on, too rampantly male, too wedded to the culture of mega-
power and mega-wealth. But from Rembrandt, Watteau and Delacroix to Cezanne and Picasso, the Rubenesque sensibility runs
strong and deep through Western art.
2 The new exhibition Rubens and His Legacy, at the Royal Academy in London, is arranged thematically, progressing
through poetry, portraiture, religion, violence and lust, all the while confirming the belief of the early 20th-century connoisseur
Bernard Berenson that “Rubens was an Italian”. *A* He imported the proto-baroque painting of Titian and Michelangelo and
the gritty realism of Caravaggio into Northern Europe, fusing them into a physically gigantic, sensually overloaded, triumphantly
Catholic art that is the polar antithesis of the general perception of the art of the Low Countries as cool, sceptical, earthily
democratic and modest in scale. Rubens believed his hand revealed the divinely ordained nature of the universe, while
functioning in the real world around him with a worldliness and pragmatism that puts contemporary businessmen-artists like
Koons and Hirst to shame.
3 In the room titled Poetry, Rubens is presented as having invented the tradition of the Fêtes Gallantes, the sentimental,
bucolic idylls celebrated by 18th-century French painters such as Watteau and Lancret – in just one painting, The Garden of Love.
In this al fresco picnic, large numbers of decolletée, Rubenesque ladies, all very similar-looking with their oddly round, dark eyes
and pointy noses, lie around a classical pavilion with their men friends. *B*
4 In every room, Rubens overwhelms the artists who appear beside him. The astonishing Portrait of Maria Grimaldi and
her Dwarf dominates the room on portraiture, the beautiful young aristocrat with her enormous ruff, looking knowingly out at us
while the large, and frankly sinister, dwarf eyeballs us from over her shoulder. A more austere portrait of another Genoese
noblewoman hangs beside it, by Rubens’s pupil Anthony van Dyck, who spent much of his career in Britain, demonstrating, by
implication, how Rubens’s influence fed into the classic 18th-century British portraiture of Joshua Reynolds and Thomas
Lawrence.
5 Rubens's great religious works, such as the enormous altarpieces in Antwerp Cathedral, can’t travel. *C* We are
shown two of Rubens's devotional paintings, including a rare triptych of Christ on the Straw, but they barely hint at the operatic
scale and muscular intensity of his greatest religious works.
6 We only get the full visceral force of large-scale Rubens in the spectacular Tiger, Lion and Leopard Hunt of 1617, with
its ferocious, anatomically correct tiger sinking his teeth into a startled rider as another prepares to slice into him with a sword
from behind. The impact of the swirling, headlong movement with every interlocking element in furious animation – and all in
vibrant, unadulterated hues that would have made Matisse green with envy – must have been quite overwhelming at the time.
Indeed, the juxtaposition with a painting of a Moroccan lion hunt by Delacroix makes a claim for Rubens as the originator of yet
another genre – Orientalism – two centuries before the event. At the same time engravings of other Rubens hunting scenes, with
their slavering beasts and perspective-defying leaping horses, leave you hungry for more of the real thing.
7 The exhibition’s strength is to make Rubens’s influence abundantly apparent simply by juxtaposing paintings, without
resorting to reams of explanatory text. By the time of Impressionism, Rubens was hopelessly out of fashion, but by placing his
striding naked beauty Fortuna beside Renoir’s fetchingly soft-focus Bather with Long Hair, we are convinced that for some artists
at least Rubens’s influence remained inescapable. We could wish for more large-scale Rubens paintings. Even paintings that
appear to be obviously the work of the master, sometimes turn out not to be, such as van Dyck’s darkly lascivious Jupiter and
Antiope; though the delirious bacchanal Drunken Silenus is convincingly represented as a “branded” Rubens work, whereas it was
actually painted by van Dyck when he worked as the great man’s assistant. This is a fascinating exhibition that demonstrates
Rubens’s protean reach into just about every area of art over the past four centuries. [By Mark
Hudson, January 2015]
Text Organization
Three of the five sentences below have been removed from the text and replaced by an asterisk and the letters
A, B and C, whereas the other two are from different sources. Identify which two sentences do not belong in
the text and write D in the space provided. Identify where the other three sentences belong (at *A, *B or *C)
and write the appopriate letter in the space provided.
1. ______ The scale and vitality of Rubens’s painting, the richness of its colour and brushwork make Watteau’s The
Pleasures of the Ball, which hangs beside it, look rather pale in comparison.
2. ______ I really don’t see any possible similarity between Rubens and Warhol.
3.______ That is scarcely news, since he was his assistant.
4. ______ They are represented here by a large Gainsborough oil sketch of the Descent from the Cross, and a
Rembrandt etching of his variant on the same painting, which show how much he owed to Rubens.
5. ______ If that seems an odd observation to make of a blue-eyed boy from Antwerp, Rubens, born a Protestant, but
raised a Catholic, spent eight years in Italy from the age of 23, absorbing a vast range of art.
Comprehension: True or False
Choose True or False, based on what is written in the text.
6 __________ The exhibition discussed in the article contains few large-scale works by Rubens.
7 __________ According to Mark Hudson, Matisse envied Rubens’s power as an artist.
8 __________ In addition to his gifts as an artist, Rubens was also a good businessman.
9 __________ A striking feature of the exhibition is the long textual commentary that is provided on the works of
art.
10 __________ Though he has had a strong influence on many artists, Rubens has not generally been fashionable in
the modern period.

Comprehension: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
11. Which is the best title for this text?
A. The religious art of Rubens.
B. Four centuries of Rubens’s influence.
C. A painter of hunting scenes.
D. An artist dwarfed by his successors.

12. What is this text?

A. an obituary B. a magazine C. a review D. a news report E. a journal entry

Vocabulary
Choose the definition or synonym that corresponds best to the word as it is used in the text.
13. drop (¶ 1)
A. forget B. leave C. lower D. mention
14. hand (¶ 2)
A. help B. art C. welcome D. workman
15. hungry (¶ 6)
A. weak B. eager C. deprived D. thin
16. actually (¶ 7)
A. really B. recently C. actively D. now

Reference
What do the following words in the text refer to? Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
Example: he (¶1)= Rubens
17. their (¶ 3) =
A. the Fêtes Gallantes B. 18-century French painters C. the Rubenesque ladies D. the bucolic idylls
18. her (¶ 4) =
A. the other Genoese noblewoman’s B. Maria Grimaldi’s C. the dwarf’s D. the artist’s
19. at the time (¶ 6) =
A. in Matisse’s lifetime B. when the tiger attacked C. when it was painted, in 1617 D. as another prepared
20. he (¶ 7) =
A. Rubens B. Jupiter C. Silenus D. van Dyck

WRITING (10 POINTS)

Write a 120-150-word composition on ONE of the following topics. It is possible to use ideas and expressions
from the text, but you cannot not copy more than three consecutive words. Your composition must be
organized into separate paragraphs and you must adhere to the word limit. You also need to invent an
appropriate title for your composition.

1. Describe a visit to an art exhibition which changed the way you thought about the artist in question.
2. Discuss one or two ways in which you think art affects the life of ordinary people today.
3. Discuss an artist, writer or other public figure who has had a strong influence on you.
Extra Practice
Reading/Writing : Whiplash
Read the following text and answer the questions.
1. The ending of Whiplash offers one of the most electrifying movie moments of 2014. Centred on a moving musical
performance given by the film’s protagonist Andrew (Miles Teller), the scene is filmed and presented as a triumph, if a costly
one. That's a daring choice from young director and writer Damien Chazelle, because Andrew, a student drummer, has been
subjected to elite jazz-training hell by tyrannical instructor Fletcher (J.K. Simmons) over the previous 100 minutes. At the end of
the film, Fletcher clearly thinks Andrew's success is due to his approach of teaching-as-psychological warfare. He would
undoubtedly exit the film and congratulate himself on a job well done. *A*
2. In Whiplash, jazz drummer Andrew endures a brutal, sustained campaign of bullying and abuse, both psychological and
physical, at the hands of Fletcher, the conductor of his conservatory's prestigious studio band. Eventually he succumbs to the
extreme pressure and, at the urging of his concerned father, anonymously gets Fletcher fired for abuse. In the final scene, Andrew
ends up at Carnegie Hall substituting for Fletcher's concert band. It's a final cruel trick orchestrated by Fletcher, who wants to
humiliate Andrew publicly by setting him up to play the wrong music. But then Andrew inverts the situation. He leads Fletcher's
band into an incredible rendition of the song he was prepared to play. It's a powerful moment, despite the pressure the audience
(and Andrew) has endured the whole movie. But there's also no question, as the audience watches its hero furiously bang out
Fletcher's perfect tempo, that Andrew’s spirit is broken. At the beginning of the film, he's obsessively driven and introverted, but
relatably so; he finds the courage to talk to a girl he has a crush on, and kindles a brief if awkward relationship with her. He
struggles with dinner party conversation. But as Fletcher begins to undermine his confidence and sanity, Andrew withdraws
further, breaking up with his girlfriend and behaving more erratically until suffering a mini-nervous breakdown.
3. Fletcher is a terrifying, commanding figure throughout the film. He is always clad in a tight black t-shirt that emphasizes
his build; when we first see him conducting the studio band, he raises a hand in the air and the camera swings around him, as if at
his command. Director Chazelle often shoots Andrew as an isolated figure surrounded by negative space, emphasizing his
enforced solitude, but Fletcher is far more dynamic. Simmons’ interpretation keeps you hanging onto Fletcher's every word, even
when you know his goal is to destroy Andrew's self-assurance. There's a scene later on in the film where he clearly explains his
(predictable) modus operandi to Andrew: Fletcher believes great musicians can only be forged in fear and torment, and says he’s
just trying to get the best out of the best.
4. In an interview with the movie magazine The Dissolve, Chazelle says some of the inspiration for Fletcher came from his
own high-school music instructor, and while he explicitly states that he himself doesn't share Fletcher’s mentality, he concedes, "I
do believe in pushing yourself. If every single thing is enjoyable, then you’re not pushing yourself hard enough, is probably how I
feel," he explains. *B* That's perhaps where the problem lies for the movie’s critics. "We're supposed to leave our seats feeling
just a little admiration for Fletcher and his alleged standards, because perversely, they really do bring out some greatness in
Andrew," another journalist, Stephanie Zacharek wrote in The Village Voice. "But Fletcher's tactics have nothing to do with
talent, or greatness, or even just the complicated dynamics of playing music. He's just a cartoon bad guy masquerading as a
complex one." To others like film critic Adam Woodward, the implications of the final scene’s triumphant tone were less
disturbing and instead flat-out comedic. *C*
5. Whiplash raises the age-old question of representation equalling endorsement. Just because Fletcher screams
homophobic insults into Andrew's ear and throws chairs at him while he's drumming doesn't mean Chazelle finds him remotely
sympathetic, even if his behaviour produces results. The audience spends the whole film wincing at Fletcher's tactics. Despite
Fletcher’s claims that his abuse is in the name of making Andrew a great jazz artist, his hypocrisy is apparent. In the final concert
scene, Fletcher is not trying to get Andrew to rise to his challenge—he just wants to humiliate him. When Andrew leaves behind
the nightmare of being given the wrong music and playing out of sync with the band, it surprises Fletcher as much as anyone.
6. But that bravura ending—a hyper-masculine celebration of punishing dedication and success in a great battle of wills—
is impossible to forget. As much as we've regarded Fletcher with horror throughout the movie, Andrew's ultimate achievement is
that he finally impresses him. Andrew is tragically wasting his effort on this sociopathic void of a man, but you can't help but be
inspired by his superhuman effort all the same. Whiplash walks that uncomfortable line as tightly as possible and leaves the
audience feeling a little uneasy for admiring Andrew's hard fought but, perhaps, hollow victory. (October 2014)
Text Organization
Three of the five sentences below have been removed from the text and replaced by an asterisk and the letters
A, B and C, whereas the other two are from different sources. Identify which two sentences do not belong in
the text and write D in the space provided. Identify where the other three sentences belong (at *A, *B or *C)
and write the appopriate letter in the space provided.
1. ______ He knows no one who actually loved the movie.
2. ______ He says "It's obvious that Chazelle fully intended for Fletcher to come across as a repulsive, psychotic caricature, but it
becomes problematic when those same traits begin eliciting big laughs”.
3._______ And the troubling thing, for viewers, is that Fletcher might be right to do so.
4. ______ She says that musicians need to struggle to become excellent.
5. ______ "But this movie takes it to an extreme that I do not condone."
Comprehension: True or False
Choose True or False, based on what is written in the text.
6 _____The writer believes that Fletcher’s methods are clearly justified by his results.
7 _____Fletcher is sacked because his methods are too brutal.
8 _____Chazelle’s high school music teacher was similar to Fletcher in some ways.
9 _____Chazelle believes that to become an excellent musician it is necessary to suffer to some extent.
10 ____ Fletcher is not satisfied with Andrew’s final performance.

Comprehension: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
11. Which is the best title for the text?
A. Fletcher, a Terrifying But Incredible Music Teacher
B. The Uncomfortable Message in Whiplash
C. Bullying Students Often Win
D. Chazelle’s Personal Experience Depicted in Whiplash

12. Where is this text from?

A. a magazine C. an encyclopaedia E. a brochure B. a textbook D. an advertisement

Vocabulary
Choose the definition or synonym that corresponds best to the word as it is used in the text.
13. moving (¶ 1)
A. transport B. touching C. motion D. travelling
14. eventually (¶ 2)
A. In case B. In the end C.Possibly D. Probably
15. shoots (¶ 3)
A. kills B. picture C. fires D. films
16. leaves behind (¶ 5)
A. overcomes B. loses C. goes away D. gets ahead

Reference
What do the following words in the text refer to? Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
Example: a daring choice (¶1)= presenting the end as a triumph
17. him (¶ 2) =
A. Whiplash B. Fletcher C. Andrew D. Fletcher’s band
18. he (¶ 3) =
A. Fletcher B. Andrew C. ChazelleD. the band
19. it (¶ 5) =
A. that Andrew has a nightmare B. that Andrew fails C. that Andrew leaves behind the nightmare D.
Andrew’s musical ability
20. him (¶ 6) =
A. Andrew B. the audience C. Fletcher D. the author

WRITING (10 POINTS)

Write a 120-150-word composition on ONE of the following topics. It is possible to use ideas and expressions
from the text, but you cannot not copy more than three consecutive words. Your composition must be
organized into separate paragraphs and you must adhere to the word limit. You also need to invent an
appropriate title for your composition.
1. Describe a hard-fought victory of yours.
2. Describe a character that you hated from a book or movie and explain why.
3. Discuss what you think leads to success.
Extra Practice
Reading/Writing : Impressionist Dealer
1 It is one of the ironies of Impressionism, the quintessential French movement, that it had its beginning and its end not in
Paris but in London. It is another irony that the key figure in the movement was not a painter, but an art dealer. In 1871, having
fled the Franco-Prussian war, Claude Monet was living in London. It was in January that year that the landscapist Charles-
François Daubigny took him to the German Gallery on New Bond Street and introduced him to the proprietor, another
Frenchman, named Paul Durand-Ruel (1831-1922). The art dealer liked Monet’s work well enough to buy numerous canvases
and, a few days later, paintings by his fellow artist-refugee Camille Pissarro, too.
2 This meeting and the friendships and innumerable business transactions it put in motion was to culminate 24 years later
with an exhibition just down the road on Bond Street at the Grafton Galleries. The exhibition, sometimes known as “The
Apotheosis of Impressionism”, contained 315 pictures and was, and remains, the largest show of Impressionist works ever held.
For Monet, Renoir, Pissarro, Sisley and their peers it was final confirmation that their struggle to win acceptance for their
unacademic, light-infused paintings had been successful. For Durand-Ruel, it was validation of his constant support for this group
of avant-garde painters which had several times put him on the point of financial ruin.
3 Innovative artists needed an innovative dealer and Durand-Ruel’s particular genius was not just to spot the talent of the
young Impressionists, but to promote them indefatigably and create a market for them where previously there had been none. To
gain them the recognition he was convinced they deserved, he developed a range of new ways of promoting them that redefined
the relationship between dealers and artists. His care for the artists took various forms. He started to buy their work in large
quantities and paid them a monthly sum as well, dealing with their bills for everything from rent and tailors to paint suppliers and
doctors. He provided moral support, even offering Monet a room in his house to use as a studio. He did everything in his power to
ensure that the artists were free to paint. Durand-Ruel’s achievement as entrepreneur and patron is the subject of the National
Gallery’s new exhibition Inventing Impressionism: The Man who Sold a Thousand Monets. Through 85 paintings, it tells the story
of the triumph of Impressionism.
4 One example of his methods came in 1871 when he saw two paintings by Manet in the studio of the Belgian artist
Alfred Stevens and bought them on the spot. Manet at this point was a hero figure to the proto-Impressionists and a painter of
some repute and notoriety who had, however, sold very few paintings. Durand-Ruel admitted that he had “never seriously looked
at Manet’s work” and that he was “unaware of this artist’s talent”. The next day, though, he proceeded to Manet’s own studio and
bought everything he found there. *A* Durand-Ruel’s own enthusiasm was not, however, widely shared; he recorded in his
memoirs that the paintings “were not only misunderstood but they appalled most of my clients” and he sold them eventually for
just a “few hundred francs profit”. It was a problem Durand-Ruel faced repeatedly. He found himself and the artists “attacked by
the most established art critics, by the press and by most of my colleagues”.
5 The situation was slow to change. In 1874, they held what became known as the First Impressionist Exhibition. There
were eight Impressionist exhibitions between 1874 and 1886 and the critic Louis Leroy’s reaction was typical of the reception that
greeted them. Both public and critics were mystified by the paintings’ lack of finish, their bright colours and quotidian subject
matter. Reviewing the 1876 exhibition at the Galerie Durand-Ruel, Albert Wolff of Figaro summed up the general feeling: “Five
or six lunatics, of whom one is a woman [Berthe Morisot], have chosen to exhibit their works. There are people who burst into
laughter in front of these objects. *B*”
6 Durand-Ruel systematically started to hold solo exhibitions of his painters. Even though the artists were still young,
these took the form of retrospectives and included early works as well as still-wet pictures straight from the studio. Durand-Ruel
also opened his own house to visitors on Tuesdays, when the main galleries were closed, so that his collection of Impressionist
works could be seen. Moreover, he commissioned renowned authors such as Stéphane Mallarmé and Emile Zola to write the
prefaces for his catalogues. And he opened galleries in Brussels and New York as well as Paris, all specially lit to show the
paintings to best effect.
7 It was actually the US that turned Durand-Ruel’s long-term speculative project into a financial success. In 1885, he
received an invitation from James Sutton, director of the American Art Association, to exhibit in New York. Durand-Ruel sailed
with 300 pictures and found there a new, unprejudiced type of collector eager for Impressionist art. *C* Durand-Ruel is the
reason why America has more Impressionist works than anywhere else outside France. The US was his “salvation” and put his
business on a sound footing. He would also deal in old masters (such as Raphael, Canaletto and Tiepolo) but, as he had written to
Monet, the Impressionists had his heart. (2015)
Text Organization
Three of the five sentences below have been removed from the text and replaced by an asterisk and the letters
A, B and C, whereas the other two are from different sources. Identify which two sentences do not belong in
the text and write D in the space provided. Identify where the other three sentences belong (at *A, *B or *C)
and write the appopriate letter in the space provided.
1. ______ It was our good fortune that his religion was painting.
2. ______ This amounted to a cache of 23 paintings for which he paid 35,000 francs, a sum that freed the artist from all immediate
financial concerns.
3.______ Personally I am saddened by them.
4. ______ “My fellow dealers,” she noted, “thought I was spoiling the artists.”
5. ______ “The Americans do not laugh,” said Durand-Ruel, “they buy.”
Comprehension: True or False
Choose True or False, based on what is written in the text.
6 __________ It was not until he found an American market that Durand-Ruel became more financially secure.
7 __________The Apotheosis of Impression was an incredibly large exhibition of Impressionist art, with almost 300
works on display.
8 __________ Durand-Ruel dedicated himself completely to the Impressionists and only sold works from the period
during which they worked.
9 __________ Durand-Ruel introduced many techniques to promote his artists, such as inviting visitors to his home
and opening galleries in Europe and North America.
10 __________ In the early 1870s, Durand-Ruel purchased a number of Manet’s paintings.

Comprehension: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
11. Which best summarizes the text?
A. Durand-Ruel has just opened a new exhibition.
B. A new exhibition examines Impressionism from a dealer’s perspective.
C. Appreciation for Impressionist painters came quickly.
D. Impressionist paintings were displayed in many galleries during the 19th century.

12. Where is this text from?

A. a dictionary B. a textbook C. a journal D. an advert E. a daily newspaper

Vocabulary
Choose the definition or synonym that corresponds best to the word as it is used in the text.
13. memoirs (¶ 4)
. autobiography B. memorandum C. record D. souvenir
14. lunatics (¶ 5)
A. artistic people B. insane people C. moody people D. young people
15. works (¶ 6)
A. jobs B. operas C. arts D. paintings
16. actually (¶ 7)
A. at that time B. reality C. in fact D. then

Reference
What do the following words in the text refer to? Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
Example: it (¶1)= Impressionism
17. it (¶ 2) =
A. friendships B. meeting C. business D. exhibition
18. them (¶ 4) =
A. Stevens and Manet B. Stevens C. methods D. paintings
19. these (¶ 6) =
A. Durand-Ruel B. exhibitions C. painters D. artists
20. there (¶ 7) =
A. in the US B. in France C. New York’s D. at the American Art Association

WRITING (10 POINTS)

Write a 120-150-word composition on ONE of the following topics. It is possible to use ideas and expressions
from the text, but you cannot not copy more than three consecutive words. Your composition must be
organized into separate paragraphs and you must adhere to the word limit. You also need to invent an
appropriate title for your composition.

1. Describe a creative movement (in art, music or literature) which appeals to you.
2. Discuss a cultural project you have participated in.
3. Write about someone you know who is particularly talented.
Extra Practice
Reading/Writing : The Narkomfin Building
Read the following text and answer the questions.
1 In the shadow of one of Stalin’s Seven Sisters skyscrapers in Moscow’s Presnensky District, an unkempt park gives way
to a trio of yellowing buildings in varying states of decay. The crumbling concrete and overgrown wall-garden don’t give much
away, but this is the product of the utopian dreams of a young Soviet state – a six-storey blueprint for communal living, known as
the Narkomfin building. Designed by architects Moisei Ginzburg and Ignaty Milinis in 1928 as a home for finance ministry
employees, the building represents an important chapter in Moscow’s development, as both a physical city and an ideological
state. *A*
2 In the years following the 1917 Russian revolution, living conditions in the newly established Soviet Union left much to
be desired. Newcomers moving from the countryside arrived in an overcrowded and underdeveloped Moscow. Architects had to
find solutions to the housing shortage, and support the changing face of Russian society. Enter the “social condenser”, an idea
developed by the Organisation of Contemporary Architects, who had revolutionary ideas of collective living through standardised
units, confining private amenities to a single cell while facilities like kitchens and living space were communal. Thanks to this
design, the Narkomfin building appears as one long apartment block, connected to a smaller communal structure by a covered
walkway and a central garden space.
3 Communist values were not the only ideals behind the Narkomfin: women too were to be emancipated. “Petty
housework crushes, strangles and degrades a woman, chains her to the kitchen”, wrote Lenin in A Great Beginning. *B* The
head architect Ginzburg said architecture must harness the activity of the masses, and stimulate but not dictate their transition into
a superior way of life. Although he wanted architecture to transform the life of the domestic soviet, he was in no rush.
4 Yet the communal and feminist values behind Narkomfin fell out of favour almost as soon as the building was
completed in 1932, and only a few such projects were completed before Stalin’s Five Year Plan ended the experiment. After
Stalin’s rise to power, the communal, emancipatory values the architecture aimed to inspire were quickly rejected as “leftist” or
Trotskyist, and Narkomfin’s communal spaces fell into disrepair. Residents illegally installed makeshift kitchen units in their
homes, and the recreation space originally planned for the building’s rooftop was instead dominated by a penthouse flat for the
finance commissar, Nikolai Milyutin.
5 Having since suffered years of neglect, Narkomfin is now caught in a tug-of-war between developers seeking to
capitalise on the building’s central Moscow location, and those campaigning for its full restoration. Between 2006 and 2008,
developer Alexander Senatorov bought up around 70% of the building’s 54 flats. Soon afterwards, he began working with Alexei
Ginzburg, the original architect’s grandson, to draw up plans for a hotel. The project fell flat after the 2008 financial crisis,
however. The unique split-level units were then let to artists at a nominal fee, but more recently, rent rises have been forcing
tenants out. *C* “These days it is more inviting to hipsters than historians,” says Natalia Melikova, a Moscow-based
photographer and founder of the Constructivist Project.
6 In the place where Milyutin’s penthouse once stood, the “Healthy Space” yoga studio now takes classes outside when
the sun shines, against a backdrop of Stalin’s ominous Kudrinskaya Square skyscraper. Inside, “illegal repairs” have been carried
out by Senatorov, who plans to spend around $12m on a renovation project carried out by Kleinewelt Architects, to include
private accommodation, a mini-hotel and a small museum of Constructivism. In a falafel shop on the fifth floor, I spoke to a
resident who told me that he values the collective mentality of the occupants of the building, for whom rent rises and evictions are
a constant threat. For now, the building has been filled with artists and trendy businesses, but the ghost of the communal living
experiment lingers in the hallways of Narkomfin.
7 Occupying a prime spot between the US embassy and a shopping centre, the land around Narkomfin is ripe for real-
estate development. The building has appeared three times on the World Monuments Fund watch-list, and Melikova has
nominated it again for listing in 2016; but its worsening state puts it at risk. Many masterpieces of Soviet constructivism are now
crumbling, replaced by pastiche architecture or pale replicas of former buildings. When opening the nearby luxury Novinsky
Passage mall, former mayor Yuri Luzhov commented: “What a joy that in our city such wonderful new shopping centres are
appearing – not such junk”, pointing in the direction of Narkomfin. Melikova, whose Constructivist Project aims to preserve the
city’s avant-garde architecture, is hoping for a sensitive restoration of the building: “Once changes are made they are irreversible,
and Narkomfin’s authenticity is at stake. Moscow does not need another replica.” [May 2015]
Text Organization
Three of the five sentences below have been removed from the text and replaced by an asterisk and the letters
A, B and C, whereas the other two are from different sources. Identify which two sentences do not belong in
the text and write D in the space provided. Identify where the other three sentences belong (at *A, *B or *C)
and write the appopriate letter in the space provided.
1. ______ Now they have been replaced by commercial establishments including a falafel shop, shisha lounge and yoga studio –
and heightened security.
2. ______ “The real emancipation of women, real communism, will begin only where and when an all-out struggle begins against
this petty housekeeping.”
3.______ Behind the heavy metal entrance door, I was eyeballed, quizzed: “Who gave you information about us?”
4. ______ Built to house the employees of the Commissariat of Finance, Narkomfin was a laboratory for social and architectural
experimentation to transform the everyday life of the ideal socialist citizen.
5. ______ If considered more than 70% dilapidated, she explains, Narkomfin could be razed, rather than restored.
Comprehension: True or False
Choose True or False, based on what is written in the text.
6 __________ The plan of the Narkomfin building was based on the principle that residents should have no private rooms.
7 __________ Yuri Luzhov and Natalia Melikova have the same opinion about the architectural merits of the building.
8 __________ The present appearance of the building does not reflect the importance of the ideals that inspired its construction.
9 __________ Soon after its construction the original concept of the building was largely abandoned.
10 __________ A developer plans to turn the whole building into a hotel.

Comprehension: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
11. Which is the best title for the text?
A. How developers are changing the architecture of modern Moscow.
B. Moscow's Narkomfin building: a Soviet blueprint for collective living.
C. Yoga classes in a Soviet building.
D. The masterpieces of Constructivism.

12. What is this text?

A. a review B. an obituary C. a journal entry
D. a newspaper article E. an editorial

Vocabulary
Choose the definition or synonym that corresponds best to the word as it is used in the text.
13. let (¶ 5)
A. rented B.obstructed C. allowed D. leave

14. plans (¶ 6)
A.layouts B.projects C.intends D. calendars

15. prime (¶ 7)
A.first B.load C.spring D. prominent
16. pale (¶ 7)
A.white B.fence C.poor D. become insignificant

Reference
What do the following words in the text refer to? Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
Example: who (¶6)= resident
17. this (¶ 1) =
A. wall-garden B. trio of decaying buildings C. concrete D. park

18. their (¶ 3) =
A. women’s B. the architects’ C. of the standardised units D. the masses’

19. those (¶ 5) =
A. people B. residents C. communal spaces D. commissars

20. Inside (¶ 6) =
A. inside Narkomfin B. inside the yoga class C. inside the skyscraper
D. inside Kudrinskaya Square

WRITING (10 POINTS)

Write a 120-150-word composition on ONE of the following topics. It is possible to use ideas and expressions
from the text, but you cannot not copy more than three consecutive words. Your composition must be
organized into separate paragraphs and you must adhere to the word limit. You also need to invent an
appropriate title for your composition.

1. Discuss a particular building which you consider important for architectural or other reasons.
2. Describe a visit you have made to a site or building of architectural interest.
3. Discuss how you are affected by the buildings you see around you in everyday life.
8. GEOGRAPHY AND TOURISM
Test Practice
For a digital version of this exercise, see Exercises from Selected Texts Triennale on
https://elearning.unito.it/scienzeumanistiche/course/view.php?id=1981

Grammar, Vocabulary and Verbs (10 points): Statue of Liberty

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
            The United States (1) {has debated~debate~have to debate~has been debated}
immigration since the country's founding, and it looks like there (2) {will have been~will to
be~is being~is going to be}no end in the near future.  The Statue of Liberty—a potent
symbol for immigrants—is often invoked in times (3){as~like~of~such}these as an argument for
why people who (4) {seeks~are seeking~has sought~are sought} safety and opportunity should
be welcomed with open arms. A little-known fact about Lady Liberty adds an intriguing twist to
today's debate about refugees from the Muslim world; in fact, the statue itself was originally
meant to represent a female Egyptian peasant as a Colossus of Rhodes for the Industrial
Age. That might be surprising to people more familiar with the statue’s French roots than its
Arab ones. After all, the statue’s structure (5) {has designed~had designed~designed~was
designed} by Eiffel and Lady Liberty was given to the United States by France for (6)
{his~their~its~it’s} centennial in celebration of the alliance of the two countries. 
            The statue’s designer, Frédéric-Auguste Bartholdi was (7) {also~as well~even~too}
French, but he found inspiration in a very different place: Egypt.  (8){On~In~In the~At} 1855,
he visited Nubian monuments that feature tombs guarded by gigantic colossus figures. Bartholdi
became fascinated by the ancient architecture,  developing a passion for large-scale public
monuments. Eventually, he channelled that passion into a proposal for the inauguration of the
Suez Canal. Bartholdi envisioned a colossal monument of a veiled peasant woman to stand at the
northern terminus of the canal in Egypt. He originally gave the name “Egypt Carrying the Light
to Asia” to his project. But Egypt, which (9) {already spent~was already spent~had already
spent~has already spent} enormous amounts of time and money on the landmark canal, rejected
the plan as too costly. Bartholdi, however, was not discouraged. He transformed his concept into
“Liberty Enlightening the World”—the official name for the statue that has been overlooking
New York Harbor (10) {since~from~of~for} 1886.
Extra Practice

Grammar and Vocabulary (10 points): The Remains of the Day

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

Tonight, I find myself here in a guest house in the city of Salisbury. The first day of my
(1)_____ is now completed, and all in all, I (2)_____ say I am quite satisfied. This expedition
began this morning almost an hour later than I had planned, (3)_____ the fact that I had
completed my packing and loaded the Ford with all necessary items well before eight o’clock.
What with Mrs Clements and the girls also gone for the week, I suppose I was very conscious of
the fact that once I departed, Darlington Hall would stand empty for probably the first time this
century – perhaps (4)_____ the day it was first built. It was an odd feeling and perhaps accounts
for why I delayed my departure so long, wandering around the house, checking one last time that
(5)_____ was in order.
It is hard to explain my feelings once I did (6)_____ set off. I cannot say I was overcome
by (7)_____ excitement or anticipation. Now I had always believed I had traveled very little, but
of (8)_____, over time, one does make various excursions for one professional reason or another,
and it would seem I have become (9)_____ more acquainted with those neighbouring districts
(10)_____ I had realized. As I motored on in the sunshine towards the Berkshire border, I
continued to be surprised by the familiarity of the country around me.
[Adapted from K. Ishiguro, The Remains of the Day]
1. A. travel B. trip C. route D. crossing
2. A. have B. must C. need D. ought
3. A. nevertheless B. but C. although D. despite
4. A. since B. for C. of D. until
5. A. every B. each C. everything D. each one
6. A. lastly B. always C. lately D. eventually
7. A. both B. neither C. either D. or
8. A. course B. certainly C. surely D. certain
9. A. some B. a lot C. many D. any
10.A. of B. that C. then D. than
Extra Practice

Grammar and Vocabulary (10 points): Travels with Charley

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

During my long journey, I was often accompanied (1)_____ doubts. I’ve always admired
reporters (2)_____ can descend on an area, talk to key people, ask key questions, take samplings
of opinions and (3)_____ write down an orderly report very much like a road map. I envy this
technique and at the same time do not trust it (4)_____ a mirror of reality. I feel that there are so
(5)_____ realities. […]A long time ago I was in the (6)_____ city of Prague and at the same time
Joseph Alsop, the famous critic of places and events, was there as (7)_____ . He talked to
informed people, officials, ambassadors, and he read reports, even the fine print and figures;
(8)_____ , I roved about with actors, gypsies and vagabonds. Joe and I flew home to America on
the same plane, and on the way he told me about Prague, and his Prague had (9)_____ relation to
the city I had seen and heard. It just wasn’t the same place; (10)_____ of us were honest and
pretty good observers by any standard, but we brought home two cities, two truths.
[Adapted from J. Steinbeck,Travels with Charley]

1. A. from B. to C. by D. for
2. A. which B. they C. whom D. who
3. A. than B. after C. next to D. then
4. A. as B. like C. such as D. how
5. A. much B. many C. a lot D. very much
6. A. ancient B. antique C. oldest D. elder
7. A. too B. also C. well D. much
8. A. despite B. but C. instead D. even though
9. A. none B. any C. never D. no
10.A. each B. both C. all D. everyone
Extra Practice

Grammar and Vocabulary (10 points): Chile

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

My Chile is an idealised country, probably frozen in the 1970s; it's the old country where
I grew up. (1)_____ I was born in Peru, my parents were Chilean diplomats and we returned to
Chile when I was a child to live in my grandfather's house in Calle Cueto, Santiago. [...]
I was back (2)_____ Chile recently to make a film for The South Bank Show. It's a
different country now, especially Santiago. If you go on a (3)_____ outside of the city, you can
still find some of the old-style Chilean hospitality and kindness. But Santiago has grown into a
city of six (4)_____ inhabitants; (5)_____ is in a hurry all the time, and there are terrible
problems with traffic and smog. [...]
Yet, in many ways, I think the country has changed for the better. [...] Someone (6)_____
steal your gold chain, but generally there isn’t very (7)_____ violence. In 10 years, Chile has
lowered poverty from 39 per cent to 18 per cent, (8)_____ is incredible. It's a very prosperous
country, but there's (9)_____ a division between the very rich and the rest of the country. There is
a small group of billionaires who control the economy living up on the Santiago hillside in
protected communities. They live in (10)_____ world.
[From an interview with Isabel Allende, The Independent, 22/4/07]

1. A. Although B. In spite C. However D. But

2. A. at B. to C. in D. for
3. A. voyage B. trip C. travel D. touring
4. A. millionth B. millions C. millioned D. million
5. A. people B. everyone C. all D. he
6. A. must B. should C. has to D. might
7. A. much B. many C. a lot of D. a lot
8. A. who B. this C. which D. that
9. A. not yet B. already C. ever D. still
10. A. other B. another C. others D. other’s
Extra Practice

Grammar and Vocabulary (10 points): This Boy’s Life

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

It was 1955 and we were driving from Florida to Utah, to get away from a man my
mother didn’t want to be with and to get rich. We were going to change our luck.
We’d left Sarasota in the middle of summer, (1)_____ after my tenth birthday. We drove
through Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee and Kentucky, stopping to cool the car engine in towns
(2)_____ people moved with extreme slowness and spoke with strong Southern accents. People
with bad teeth surrounded the car and offered peanuts to the pretty lady and her little boy, arguing
among themselves about what was the (3)_____ route of all for us to take. Women looked up
from their gardens as we drove past, or they (4)_____ us from their front doors, sometimes giving
us a nod.
Every (5)_____ of hours, the car engine overheated. All we (6)_____ do was wait for it to
cool and then drive on again. (7)_____ night we slept in hot rooms where mosquitoes sang in
(8)_____ ears; they were as incessant (9)_____ the sound of the tyres on the highway outside.
But (10)_____ of this bothered me. I was focused on my mother’s freedom and her dream of
transformation. [Adapted from Tobias Wolff, This Boy’s Life]

1. A. nearly B. soon C. short D. immediate

2. A.which B. who C. whom D. where
3. A. quickest B. quicker C. quickly D. too quick
4. A. guarded B. watched C. looked D. see
5. A. couple B. few C. pair D. two
6. A. should B. must C. could D. ought
7. A. In B. The C. At D. On
8. A. the B. their C. ours D. our
9. A. so B. as C. like D. such as
10. A. no-one B. nobody C. none D. no
Extra Practice

Grammar and Vocabulary (10 points): In an Antique Land

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

When I went to see Ustaz Sabry that evening, he was sitting in his guest-room together
(1)_____ some visitors. A (2)_____ of the visitors were dressed in shirts and trousers and looked
(3)_____ if they were students. He exclaimed loudly when he saw me, and wanted to know why I
hadn’t come earlier. I was (4)_____ university student from India, he told them, a guest who had
come to Egypt to conduct research. It was their duty to welcome me and (5)_____ me feel at home
because of the long traditions of friendship between India and Egypt. Our countries were very
similar, for India, like Egypt, was largely an agricultural nation, and (6)_____ of its people lived in
villages and ploughed their land with cattle. Our countries were both trying to cope with poverty
and the diverse problems that had been left to them by their troubled histories, and it was a difficult
(7)_____ . Our two countries had always supported each other in the past; for example, Mahatma
Gandhi had come to Egypt to consult Sa’ad Zaghloul Pasha, the leader of the (8)_____ nationalist
movement. And the Egyptian people could (9)_____ forget the support that their country had
received from India (10)_____ the Suez crisis of 1956 took place.
[Adapted from A. Ghosh, In an Antique Land]

1. A. at B. to C. with D. of
2. A. few B. some C. little D. lots
3. A. like B. as C. so D. such
4. A. some B. one C. a D. an
5. A. be B. do C. make D. seem
6. A. most B. more C. the most D. the more
7. A. homework B. job C. work D. post
8. A. of Egypt B. Egypt’s C. Egyptians D. Egyptian
9. A. not always B. ever since C. ever D. never
10. A. with B. during C. when D. whereas
Extra Practice

Grammar and Vocabulary (10 points): The Namesake

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

Ashoke had a second-class seat on the train. (1)_____ of the season, the train was very
crowded, filled with families taking their holidays. Small children were (2)_____ their best
clothes. (3)_____ Ashoke in the compartment, there was a Bengali businessman, by the name of
Ghosh. Ghosh told Ashoke he had recently returned to India after spending two years in England.
Ghosh spoke reverently of England. The clean streets, the rows of white houses, he said, were
just (4)_____ a dream, and there wasn’t (5)_____ who dirtied the sidewalks.
“Have you seen much of this world?” Ghosh asked Ashoke.
“I’ve been to Delhi a (6)_____ times,” Ashoke replied.
“Not this world. England, America [...] You are young. Free,” he said. “(7)_____ yourself
a favour. Before it’s too late, pack a (8)_____ and see everything you can in this world. You
won’t (9)_____ regret it. One day it will be too late.”
“My grandfather always says that’s what books are for,” Ashoke said, using the
opportunity to open the volume in (10)_____ hands. “To travel without moving an inch.”
[Adapted from J. Lahiri, The Namesake]
1. A. Since B. Given C. Because D. As
2. A. placing B. putting C. dressing D. wearing
3. A. Opposite B. Next C. Close D. In front
4. A. as B. like C. similar D. such as
5. A. anyone B. any C. none D. no-one
6. A. lot B. little C. number D. few
7. A. Make B. Do C. Be D. Have
8. A. bags B. baggage C. suitcase D. luggage
9. A. always B. ever C. never D. ever since
10. A. the B. its C. theirs D. his
Extra Practice

Grammar and Vocabulary (10 points): Sea of Poppies

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

Of ___1___, Deeti and Kalua knew ___2___ their only chance of escape was to travel
downriver, on the Ganga, in the hope of arriving ___3___ a village or city where they could
disappear into a crowd: one possibility was Patna and ___4___ was Calcutta. ___5___ Patna was
by far the nearer of the two cities, it was still a ten days’ ___6___ away, and to cover the distance
on the road would be to risk being discovered; news of their flight was sure to have spread by this
time, and they knew their relatives would ___7___ forgive them, not after what they had done.
They ___8___ to keep to the water, staying on Kalua’s raft as ___9___ as possible. Fortunately,
there was a lot of wood on the riverbank that they could use. They spent a ___10___ day
repairing and reinforcing the raft and in the evening set off again, floating eastward on the river.
[Adapted from A. Ghosh, Sea of Poppies]

1. A. certainty B. certainly C. course D. surely

2. A. of B. that C. which D. who
3. A. in B. to C. for D. on
4. A. other B. others C. another D. the others
5. A. Despite B. But C. Though D. However
6. A. journey B. travel C. tour D. travels
7. A. never B. ever C. always D. no soon
8. A. can B. must C. should D. needed
9. A. lot B. much C. many D. longer
10. A. each B. entire C. whole D. all
Extra Practice

Grammar and Vocabulary (10 points): Life of Pi

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

Before moving to Pondicherry, Father ran a large hotel in Madras. An interest in animals
led him to the zoo business. ____1____ people would consider this to be a natural transition,
from hotelkeeping to zookeeping. ____2____ , it is not. In numerous ways, running a zoo is the
hotelkeeper’s ____3____ nightmare. Consider: the guests ____4____ leave their rooms and they
receive a constant flow of visitors ____5____ are often noisy. One ____6____ wait for them to
move away to their ‘balconies’ before one can clean their rooms; and ____7____ the guests are
extremely unhygienic, there is a lot of cleaning to do. All guests are quite particular about
____8____ diets and refuse to leave a tip. Is ____9____ the type of guest you could welcome to
your inn? The Pondicherry Zoo was the source of some pleasure and ___10____ of headaches for
Mr. Santosh Patel, founder, owner and director.
[Adapted from Y. Martel, Life of Pi]

1. A. Any B. Some C. Much D. A lot

2. A. But B. Although C. Despite D. However
3. A. uglier B. ugliest C. more ugly D. so ugly
4. A. not B. ever C. never D. not often
5. A. they B. whose C. which D. who
6. A. has B. must C. ought D. should have
7. A. because B. such as C. why D. so
8. A. they’re B. theirs C. their D. themselves
9. A. this B. these C. they D. them
10. A. much B. many C. a lot D. some
Extra Practice

Grammar and Vocabulary (10 points): The Good Soldier

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

I don’t know how it is best to write this (1)_____– either to try and tell it from the
beginning, (2)_____ it were a story, or to tell it from this distance of time, as it reached me from
the lips of Leonora or from Edward himself. So I shall just imagine myself at one side of the
fireplace of a country cottage, with a sympathetic soul (3)_____ me. And I shall continue talking,
in a low voice (4)_____ the sea sounds in the distance.
Two years ago Florence and I motored from Biarritz to Las Tours, (5)_____ is in the
Black Mountains. With the far-away look in her eyes – a look that wasn’t in the (6)_____
romantic – and holding up one hand to silence any objections, she would talk. She would talk
about Gustave the Loquacious, about what the poor (7)_____ in 1337, about the Paris-Lyons-
Mediterranee train-de-luxe, about whether it would be worthwhile to go over the Rhone to take
(8)_____ look at Beaucaire.
We never did go back to Beaucaire. No, we never did go back (9)_____. We talked of it,
of course, but I guess Florence got (10)_____ she wanted out of one look at a place. She had the
seeing eye. [Adapted from F.M. Ford, The Good Soldier]
1. A. down B. on C. in D. for
2. A.as B. as if C. like D. how
3. A. in front B. next C. besides D. near
4. A. so B. while C. whereas D. during
5. A. where B. it C. who D. which
6. A. less B. last C. at all D. least
7. A. put B. dressed C. wore D. placed
8. A. another B. other C. one anotherD. others
9. A. somewhere B. nowhere C. anywhere D. everywhere
10. A. all B. every C. each D. whole
Extra Practice

Grammar and Vocabulary (10 points): The Songlines

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

I liked Enid Lacy. I had (1)_____ spent a couple of hours in her bookstore. She had read
almost (2)_____ book about Central Australia and tried to stock all the titles in print. In the room
(3)_____ served as an art gallery, there were two easy chairs for customers. ‘Read as much as
you like,’ she’d say, knowing full well, of course, that (4)_____ you sat in that chair, you
couldn’t go away without buying.
She was an Old Territorian in (5)_____ late sixties. She wore a pair of opal bracelets
around her sun-withered wrists. ‘Opals,’ she said to me, ‘have brought me (6)_____ but luck.’
Her father had been manager of a cattle station (7)_____ Tennant Creek. She had lived with
Aboriginals all her life. She would stand for no nonsense, and secretly adored them.
She had known all the older generation of Australian anthropologists and didn’t think
much of the new ones: the ‘jargon-mongers’, (8)_____ she called them. The truth was that,
though she tried to keep abreast of the latest theories, though she battled with the books of Lévi-
Strauss, she never made (9)_____ headway. For all that, when Aboriginal affairs were up for
discussion, she would assume her (10)_____ pontifical manner, changing pronouns from ‘I’ to
‘We’, meaning ‘the body of scientific opinion’. [adapted from Bruce Chatwin, The Songlines]

1. A. ever B. still C. yet D. already

2. A. all B. every C. each D. entire
3. A. who B. as C. which D. also
4. A. once B. from C. unless D. despite
5. A. a B. her C. the D. very
6. A. none B. not C. never D. nothing
7. A. besides B. next C. near D. close
8. A. as B. because C. like D. according
9. A. lots B. lot C. many D. much
10. A. little B. better C. best D. far
Extra Practice
Verbs (10 points): Lost cities
Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.

In my first history lesson at high school, my teacher ________ (1) a picture on the
whiteboard, a pyramid that he said was the first monument of the first city. It was Ur of the
Chaldees; the civilisation that created it ________ (2) by time, yet the pyramid still stood in the
sands of what is now southern Iraq. So began my lifelong obsession with lost cities.
A good lost city ________ (3) a deeply emotional experience. In Syria, I ________ (4)
along the grassy main street of Apanea, a Roman metropolis that once had half a million
inhabitants. Now Beduin shepherds herd their sheep down what was once the heart of the
imperial city. You can't help marvelling at the transience of the world. Perhaps that is why for
centuries lost cities ________ (5) such a fascination for travellers.
One of the most wonderful vanished civilisations is Teotihuacan, just outside Mexico
City, a place so old that it was first discovered by the Aztecs, who assumed that its tall pyramids
________ (6) have once been the homes of the gods.
The most famous ruin in the world has to be Angkor in Cambodia. Walking through its
huge courtyards and tall towers, the visitor ________ (7) by the number of vendors who
________ (8) arms and legs; they are landmine victims from a more recent collapse of
Cambodia's civilisation.
My favourite lost city is Machu Picchu in Peru. Even if there weren't an almost intact Inca
city there, it ________ (9) still be one of the world's most stunning places, with cliffs falling
thousands of feet into the Urumbamba River. As you gaze across Machu Picchu into the
mountains, it is easy ________ (10) there are still more ruined cities out there in the jungle.
[J. Hider, The Times, 13/12/08]

1 A. draws B. drew C. have drawn D. is drawing

2 A. have been destroy B. has destroyed C. had been destroyed D. is destroyed
3 A. be B. should be C. have to be D. will to be
4 A. walked B. walking C. to walk D. is walking
5 A. have B. may to have C. have had D. having
6 A. must B. had C. will D. are
7 A. strikes B. is striking C. was strike D. is struck
8 A. missed B. missing C. will missed D. are missing
9 A. will B. has C. would D. was
10 A. to imagine B. imagining C. imagine D. of imagine
Extra Practice
Verbs (10 points): A Day at the Seaside
Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
Last weekend my wife suggested (1)__ a drive to the sea. I put my foot down and said, ‘Never –
absolutely not!’ which is of course why we ended up, three hours later, at Kennebunk Beach in Maine.
On arrival, our youngest – I’ll call him Jimmy in case he should one day become a lawyer – (2)__ the
scene and said, ‘OK, Dad, here’s the situation. I need an ice-cream, a Li-Lo, a deluxe bucket and spade
set, a hot dog, some candy floss, an inflatable dinghy, scuba equipment, my own water slide, a cheese
pizza with extra cheese and a toilet.”
‘They (3)__ those things here, Jimmy,’ I chuckled.
‘I really need the toilet.’
I reported this to my wife.
‘Then (4)__ him to Kennebunkport,’ she said serenely from beneath a preposterous sun hat.
By the time we found a toilet, little Jimmy didn’t need (5)__ any more, so we returned to the beach. By
the time we got there, some hours later, I discovered that everyone (6)__ off for a swim, and there was
only one half-eaten sandwich left. I sat on a towel and nibbled at the sandwich.
‘Oh look, Mummy,’ said number two daughter gaily when they emerged from the surf a few minutes
later. ‘Daddy’s eating the sandwich the dog had.’
‘(7)__ this isn’t happening,’ I began to whimper.
‘Don’t worry, dear,’ my wife said soothingly, ‘It was an Irish setter. They’re very clean.’
I don’t remember much after that. I just had a little nap and woke to find that Jimmy (8)__ me up to my
chest in sand – which was fine, except that he had started at my head – and I managed to get so sunburned
that a dermatologist invited me to a convention in Cleveland the following week as an exhibit.
We (9)__ the car keys for two hours, the Irish setter came back and stole one of the beach towels, then
nipped me on the hand (10)__ his sandwich and number two daughter got tar in her hair. It was a typical
day at the seaside, in other words.
‘Lovely,’ said my wife. ‘We must do that again soon.’
And the heartbreaking thing is she really meant it. [Adapted from a text by Bill Bryson]

1 a take b to take c taken d we should take

2 a surveyed b has surveyed c had surveyed d was surveyed

3 a aren’t having b don’t have c hadn’t got d haven’t

4 a you’ll have taken b have you to take c you have taken d you’ll have to take

5 a going b to have gone c to go d to going

6 a had to go b had gone c went d had been going

7 a Tell to me b Say me c Say to d Tell me

8 a has been buried b had been buried c was burying d buried

9 a have lost b were lost c were losing d lost

10 a to eat b for eat c eating d for eating

Test Practice
For a digital version of this exercise, see Exercises from Selected Texts Triennale on
https://elearning.unito.it/scienzeumanistiche/course/view.php?id=1981
Reading/Writing (10 + 10 points): Elephants
Read the following text and answer the questions.
Vocabulary (2 points): Choose the definition or synonym that corresponds best to the word in italics as it is
used in the text.
Reference (2 points): What do the underlined words in the text refer to? Choose the correct answer.
1          There are gasps and squeals as the young elephants come sprinting towards us, their ears fanned like butterflies. They open
their mouths wide and start drinking greedily from oversized bottles of formula milk. I’m at the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust
(DSWT) on the northern rim of the Nairobi National Park during the daily public feeding session for the 27 orphan elephants
here. The inhabitants of this nursery for African elephants have come from all over Kenya as a result of poaching and human-
wildlife conflict.
2          Elephants stay at the nursery until they are no longer milk dependent, then between the ages of three and five they’re
moved to one of three holding enclosures in Tsavo East National Park or at Umani Springs in the Kibwezi Forest. There, in their
own time, between the ages of eight and ten, they make the transition back into the wild. To date {So far~According to
statistics~To be precise~ According to reports}, the nursery has rescued and hand-raised more than 200 infant elephants and
reintegrated them into their natural habitat. 
3          Trying to stop the slaughter in Kenya is the DSWT, with its founder, Kenyan-born Daphne Sheldrick, at the helm. Her
passion for wildlife has seen her become the first person to have perfected the skills and milk formula needed for keeping infant
milk-dependent elephants and rhinos alive. But she and her daughter Angela Carr-Hartley, who together with Angela’s husband
Robert now run the DSWT, recognise that this work alone won’t stop the slaughter, so they have set up further initiatives to help
counter the problem.  Carr-Hartley says they now have nine anti-poaching units and four mobile veterinary units. MISSING
SENTENCE *A: {As a species, elephants do not reach sexual maturity until at least 11 years old and reproduce slowly. //
They are known as ‘nature’s gardeners’. //Others are still recovering from physical and psychological injuries at the
hands of poachers. // Altogether they’ve been able to save more than 1,800 elephants.} All of this is done in tandem with a
large community outreach project, especially in areas neighbouring national parks.’
4          This community outreach is imperative because elephants are being pushed into increasingly fragmented territories due to
a significant growth in the human population. One solution that the DSWT has been trialling is the placement of ‘honeybee
fences’ between the borders of the national parks and farmers’ land. Elephants are scared of bees and the painful stings they can
inflict, so just hearing the buzz of the bees or seeing a hive keeps them at bay {out of control~in an enclosure~at a safe
distance~by the sea}. ‘Not only do these bee fences protect a farmer’s smallholding,’ says Sheldrick, ‘but the farmers are also
able to garner some revenue from the harvesting of honey.’
6          It’s not just the survival of a species that’s at stake: with around one in four Kenyans employed in the tourism industry,
communities are dependent on elephants for an income. Their {farmers~the elephants~the Kenyans~tourists} loss would also
have serious environmental consequences – elephants are a keystone species, meaning that other animals, plants and entire
ecosystems need them for survival.  MISSING SENTENCE *B: {As a species, elephants do not reach sexual maturity until
at least 11 years old and reproduce slowly. // They are known as ‘nature’s gardeners’. //Others are still recovering from
physical and psychological injuries at the hands of poachers. // Altogether they’ve been able to save more than 1,800
elephants.}. They disperse seeds through their dung, while smaller animals benefit from their large footprints, which act as water
collectors.
True or False (4 points): Base your answers on what is written in the text.
1 __________ Elephants have a beneficial effect on the Kenyan environment.
2 __________ The DSWT takes in young elephants from all over Africa.
3 __________ In addition to rearing orphaned young elephants, the trust attempts to combat illegal hunting.
4 __________ The trust aims to remove all barriers between the elephants and the human population.
Main idea and text type (2 points)
1. Which is the best title for the text? {Reconciling the local community to elephants with bee fences~ Saving the
African elephant~The end of the ivory trade~A day out in an animal sanctuary}

2. What is this text? {an interview~a magazine article ~a review~an obituary~a journal entry }
WRITING (10 POINTS)
Write a 120-150-word composition on ONE of the following topics. It is possible to use ideas and expressions
from the text, but you cannot not copy more than three consecutive words. Your composition must be
organized into separate paragraphs and you must adhere to the word limit. You also need to invent an
appropriate title for your composition.
1. What is the importance of animals to human beings? Discuss some of the ways they impact our lives. Use concrete
examples to support your ideas.
2. Describe an association or a movement that supports the preservation of the Earth. What do they do to bring about
positive change? How important are their efforts for you?
3. Discuss an event or activity that you have participated in which promoted change in your community. What role
did you have and how much influence has it had on your life in the long run?
Extra Practice
Reading/Writing : Benjamin Franklin
Read the following text and answer the questions.
1 Thomas Jefferson has his Monticello and George Washington has his Mount Vernon. Now, thanks to years of
fundraising on both sides of the Atlantic, Benjamin Franklin’s only surviving residence, Number 36 Craven Street, London,
opened to the public on January 17, the tercentenary of the eccentric statesman’s birth.
2 Franklin is better known for his nine-year sojourn in France. *A His years in England bridged the most turbulent and
decisive period of Anglo-American relations. As deputy postmaster general for North America and commercial agent for several
of the Colonies, Franklin took part in many of the key discussions and negotiations that would determine the course of history
there.
3 Franklin arrived in London on July 26, 1757. He was 51 years old, and except for two intervals, the Craven Street house
– a five-story Georgian structure built circa 1730 – would be his home for the next 16 years. Franklin longed for reminders of
home – his wife, Deborah, sent him packages of his favorite foods from Philadelphia – but London gave him other satisfactions.
“Of all the enviable things England has,” he wrote in March 1763, “I envy it most its people. Why should that pretty island […]
enjoy in almost every neighborhood more sensible, virtuous, and elegant minds than we can collect in ranging a hundred leagues
of our vast forests?”
4 As a member of Britain’s Royal Society since 1756, Franklin had access to London’s lively intellectual, artistic and
scientific circles. Illustrious visitors came to Craven Street, and in coffeehouses and pubs such as the Dog Tavern or the George
and Vulture (the Ship and Shovel, there in Franklin’s day, is still open), Franklin debated the questions of the day.
5 In a laboratory installed at the back of the house, he refined the stove that bears his name; identified lead poisoning as
the cause of printers’ maladies; invented the Armonica, a musical instrument made of glass bowls; wrote pamphlets and articles;
worked on his autobiography; and perfected his famous lightning rod.
6 Franklin was torn by the growing conflict between Britain and America. *B In 1773, just a few weeks after outraged
Colonists threw chests of tea into Boston Harbor to protest an import tax (the famous ‘Boston Tea Party’), Franklin was removed
from his position as postmaster for his involvement in the so-called Hutchinson Affair. In 1772, he had revealed confidential
letters written by the Crown’s Massachusetts governor, Thomas Hutchinson, exposing the official’s deep antipathy towards the
Massachusetts Assembly. In March 1775, Franklin boarded a boat back to Philadelphia, leaving his house in Craven Street
forever.
7 Craven Street is hidden among a series of small streets behind Trafalgar Square and Charing Cross. Today, there is little
street life, but in Franklin’s time, the area was full of pubs and restaurants. For much of the past century, the house was owned by
British Rail, the national railroad, and served as a hotel and as office space for various nonprofit organizations. The building was
derelict by the time the museum project was first proposed. *C Indeed, without a grant of $2.7 million from the government-run
British Heritage Lottery Fund, Franklin’s only remaining residence would probably still be home to rats and squatters.
8 Instead, for an admission of £8, visitors are treated to a high-tech, theatrical experience dramatizing aspects of
Franklin’s London years. Starting in the kitchen, a woman playing his landlady’s daughter, who followed Franklin to America
after the War of Independence and was at his bedside when he died, leads visitors through the house. The first-floor rooms, where
he slept, entertained, conducted scientific experiments and held crucial political meetings with members of the British
government, are devoted to Franklin, the public man. Recorded extracts from Franklin’s letters and other writings, re-enacted
speeches by members of Parliament and images beamed from ceiling-mounted projectors present visitors with a dramatization of
the Hutchinson Affair.
9 “It’s not like the museum site in Colonial Williamsburg, where there’s someone making butter and you engage in
conversation,” says the site’s director, Márcia Balisciano. “This is ‘the museum as theater,’ in which the visitor is very much a
part of the drama.” (S. Worrall, The Smithsonian, 3/2006)

Text Organization
Three of the five sentences below have been removed from the text and replaced by an asterisk and the letters
A, B and C, whereas the other two are from different sources. Identify which two sentences do not belong in
the text and write D in the space provided. Identify where the other three sentences belong (at *A, *B or *C)
and write the appopriate letter in the space provided.
1. ______ Although Franklin never patented any of his own inventions, he was a supporter of the rights of
inventors and authors and was responsible for inserting into the United States Constitution the
provision for limited-term patents and copyrights.
2. ______ But he lived almost twice as long on Craven Street, very near Trafalgar Square.
3. ______ It took almost 20 years to raise the $5.5 million needed to renovate it.
4. ______ Of all of Franklin's noms de plume, Mr. Saunders became the best known.
5. ______ Although he was an Anglophile who supported the union of the British Empire, he was also an
American patriot who believed in the rights of the Colonists.
Comprehension: True or False
Choose True or False, based on what is written in the text.
6. _________ Thomas Hutchinson opposed the Massachusetts Assembly.
7. _________ Funds to restore Craven House were contributed in part by British lottery winners.
8. _________ Franklin’s wife and children stayed in the London house with him.
9. _________ Before moving to London, Franklin was named to Britain’s Royal Society.
10. _________ Franklin did not enjoy the years he spent in London.

Comprehension: Multiple Choice.

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
11. From which section of the Smithsonian magazine was this article taken?
A. Home & Design B. Letters to the Editor C. International Politics
D. Interviews E. Touring London

12. Which sentence best summarizes the text?

A. The intellectual community was extremely lively in 18th century London.
B. A new British museum celebrates the eccentric genius of Benjamin Franklin.
C. As a skilled diplomat, Franklin negotiated treaties with Great Britain, France and America.
D. Franklin's fame put him onto an international stage and made him a protagonist in the American Revolution.

Vocabulary
Choose the definition or synonym that corresponds best to the word as it is used in the text.
13. longed for (¶ 3)
A. extended B. desired C. lastedI D. protracted
14. chests (¶ 6)
A. wardrobes B. boxes C. torsos D. casts
15. playing (¶ 8)
A. portraying B. beating C. joking D. having fun
16. engage (¶ 9)
A. gear B. rent C. employ D. participate

Reference
What do the following words in the text refer to? Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
Example: his (¶ 1) = Jefferson’s
17. there (¶ 2)
A. in the North American Colonies B. in England C. in London D. in France
18. it (¶ 3)
A. Philadelphia B. London C. France D. England
19. the official’s (¶ 6)
A. Franklin’s B. colonists’ C. Hutchinson’s D. Massachusetts Assembly’s
20. who (¶ 8)
A. Franklin B. Franklin’s landlady C. a woman D. the landlady’s daughter

WRITING (10 POINTS)

Write a 120-150-word composition on ONE of the following topics. It is possible to use ideas and expressions
from the text, but you cannot not copy more than three consecutive words. Your composition must be
organized into separate paragraphs and you must adhere to the word limit. You also need to invent an
appropriate title for your composition.

1. Discuss how a visit to a national site or museum helped you learn something about history.
2. What initiatives can museums take to make exhibits more attractive to visitors?
3. Is there an area in your town or city, which is considered a meeting place for intellectuals or artists?
Extra Practice
Reading/Writing : Ancient Greek in the Modern World
Read the following text and answer the questions.
1 An isolated community near the Black Sea coast in a remote part of north-eastern Turkey has been found to speak a
Greek dialect that is remarkably close to the extinct language of ancient Greece. As few as 5,000 people speak the dialect but
linguists believe that it is the closest living language to ancient Greek and could provide an unprecedented insight into the
language of Socrates and Plato and how it evolved.
2 The community lives in a cluster of villages near the Turkish city of Trabzon in what was once the ancient region of
Pontus, a Greek colony that Jason and the Argonauts are supposed to have visited on their epic journey from Thessaly to recover
the Golden Fleece from the land of Colchis (present-day Georgia). Pontus was also supposed to be the kingdom of the mythical
Amazons, a fierce tribe of women who cut off their right breasts in order to handle their bows better in battle.
Linguists found that the dialect, Romeyka, a variety of Pontic Greek, has structural similarities to ancient Greek that are not
observed in other forms of the language spoken today. *A Ioanna Sitaridou, a lecturer in romance philology at the University of
Cambridge, said: "Romeyka preserves an impressive number of grammatical traits that add an ancient Greek flavour to the
dialect's structure, traits that have been completely lost from other modern Greek varieties. Use of the infinitive has been lost in all
other Greek dialects known today. But, in Romeyka, not only is the infinitive preserved, but we also find quirky infinitival
constructions that have never been observed before – only in the Romance languages are there parallel constructions."
3 The villagers who speak Romeyka, which has no written form, show other signs of geographic and cultural isolation. In
fact, they rarely wed outside their own community. *B They also play a folk music on a special instrument, called a kemenje in
Turkish and Romeyka or lyra as it is called in Greek. " It is clearly unique to the speakers of Romeyka."
4 One possibility is that Romeyka speakers today are the direct descendants of ancient Greeks who lived along the Black
Sea coast millennia ago – perhaps going back to the 6th or 7th centuries BC when the area was first colonised. But it is also
possible that they may be the descendants of indigenous people or an immigrant tribe who were encouraged or forced to speak the
language of the ancient Greek colonisers.
5 Romeyka-speakers today are devout Muslims, so they were allowed to stay in Turkey after the 1923 Treaty of
Lausanne, when some two million Christians and Muslims were exchanged between Greece and Turkey. Repeated waves of
emigration, the dominant influence of the Turkish-speaking majority, and the complete absence of Romeyka from the public
arena, have now put it on the list of the world's most endangered languages.
6 "With as few as 5,000 speakers left in the area, before long, Romeyka could be more of a heritage language than a living
vernacular. With its demise would go an unparalleled opportunity to unlock how the Greek language has evolved," said Dr
Sitaridou. "Imagine if we could speak to individuals whose grammar is closer to the language of the past. Not only could we map
out a new grammar of a contemporary dialect but we could also understand some forms of the language of the past."
7 Studies of the grammar of Romeyka show that it shares a startling number of similarities with Koine Greek of
Hellenistic and Roman times, which was spoken at the height of Greek influence across Asia Minor between the 4th century BC
and the 4th century AD. Modern Greek, meanwhile, has undergone considerable changes from its ancient counterpart, and it is
thought to have emerged from the later Medieval Greek spoken between the 7th and 13th centuries AD – so-called Byzantine
Greek.
8 Future research will try to assess how Pontic Greek from the Black Sea coast evolved over the centuries. "We know that
Greek has been continuously spoken in Pontus since ancient times and can surmise that its geographic isolation from the rest of
the Greek-speaking world is an important factor in why the language is as it is today," Dr Sitaridou said. "What we don't yet know
is whether Romeyka emerged in exactly the same way as other Greek dialects but later developed its own unique characteristics
which just happen to resemble archaic Greek.”
9 *C Children from these areas fail to learn the language of their grandparents and instead use the dominant language of
the majority population, which in this part of the world is Turkish.
10 "In Pontus, we have near-perfect experimental conditions to assess what may be gained and what may be lost as a result
of language contact," Dr Sitaridou said. [By S. Connor]
Text Organization
Three of the five sentences below have been removed from the text and replaced by an asterisk and the letters
A, B and C, whereas the other two are from different sources. Identify which two sentences do not belong in
the text and write NO in the space provided. Identify where the other three sentences belong (at *A, *B or *C)
and write the appopriate letter in the space provided.
1. ______ Venetian and Genoan merchants paid visits to this area during the medieval period and sold silk and linen
fabric.
2. ______ "I only know of one man who married outside his own village," Dr Sitaridou said.
3. ______Many of the world's languages are disappearing as once-isolated populations become part of the global
economy.
4. ______ Romeyka's vocabulary also has parallels with the ancient language.
5. ______ He said that UNESCO have designated Pontic Greek as ‘definitely endangered’.
Comprehension: True or False
Choose True or False, based on what is written in the text.
6. __________ Linguists have been analyzing the grammatical structures in texts written in Romeyka.
7. __________ By studying Romeyka, linguists believe they will have a better understanding of ancient Greek as
well.
8. __________ The majority of researchers believe that the original ancestors of modern-day Romeyka speakers
were not Greek.
9. __________ It is believed that Pontic Greek could soon be lost as more and more inhabitants choose to speak in
Turkish.
10. __________ The region where Romeyka is spoken used to be inhabited by the Amazons.
Comprehension: Multiple Choice
Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
11. Which statement best summarizes the text?
A. A living form of ancient Greek has been discovered in Turkey.
B. Globalization is leading to the disappearance of many less common languages.
C. Language sparks debate between Turkey and Greece.
D. A university professor publishes her studies on ancient Greece.

12. Where did this text most likely appear?

A. in a journal B. in a dictionary
C. in a daily D. in a travel brochure E. in a tabloid

Vocabulary
Choose the definition or synonym that corresponds best to the word as it is used in the text.
13. journey (¶ 2)
A. day B. outing C. travel D. voyage
14. unique to (¶ 3)
A. unusual for B. only used by C. alone with D. particular for
15. some (¶ 5)
A. a few B. several C. approximately D. a number of
16. height (¶ 7)
A. distance B. tall C. size D. apex

Reference
What do the following words in the text refer to? Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
Example: it (¶ 1) = the dialect
17. their (¶ 2)
A. Amazons’ B. Jason and the Argonauts C. bows d. right breasts
18. they (¶ 4)
A. Romeyka speakers B. descendants of Ancient Greeks
C. descendants of indigenous people D. immigrant tribe
19. its (¶ 6)
A. heritage language B. Romeyka C. vernacular D. demise
20. which (¶ 9)
A. children B. language of grandparents C. dominant language D. Turkey

WRITING (10 POINTS)

Write a 120-150-word composition on ONE of the following topics. It is possible to use ideas and expressions
from the text, but you cannot not copy more than three consecutive words. Your composition must be
organized into separate paragraphs and you must adhere to the word limit. You also need to invent an
appropriate title for your composition.

1. Describe what you consider to be one of the most important discoveries of the last 100 years.
2. Talk about a positive or negative travel experience that has brought you into contact with a different culture.
3. Talk about a particularly interesting course you have taken at university.
Extra Practice
Reading/Writing : Egypt
Read the following text and answer the questions.
1 Egypt has opened to the public the tombs of leading retainers of the Pharaoh Tutankhamun at Saqqara, south of Cairo,
in a desperate bid to lure back tourists who have avoided the country since the revolt in February that toppled President Hosni
Mubarak.
2 Unemployed guides at Saqqara, one of the great archaeological sites of the world, speak hopefully of the publicity
surrounding the grand opening of seven tombs boosting foreign interest in Egypt's past. They stress that never before have visitors
been able to see the tomb of Maya, Tutankhamun's treasurer, with its scenes of bearers bringing offerings, or of the young
pharaoh's general, Horenheb, with incised stone carvings of his military victories. But it may be some time before fascination with
ancient Egypt will be enough to make tourists forget the recent television pictures they have seen of fighting in Tahrir Square.
3 At Saqqara, dominated by the 4,500-year-old brick-step pyramid of Zoser, even the souvenir sellers who used to try to
harass visitors into buying over-priced trinkets, guide books and photographs, have given up trying. Sabri Faraj, the chief
inspector of the site overlooking the Nile Valley, said: “We used to get 3,000 visitors a day, but now the number is down to about
250.” Most of the horse-drawn carriages that usually transport tourists around the various archaeological sites languish unused in
their garages.
4 The collapse of the tourist trade is a disaster for Egypt because few countries are so dependent on the money spent by
foreign visitors. The number visiting Egypt was down by 60 per cent in March compared to a year ago. *A Walid El-Batouty,
the vice president of the guides' union, says that most of his 16,000 members are making no money and are falling into debt. He
says that potential visitors to Egypt are becoming frightened of going anywhere in the Middle East or North Africa and associate
the whole region with the violence they see on television. He adds: “They imagine that Libya is two feet from Egypt and Syria is a
block away. The truth is very different: when the revolt broke out in Egypt we managed to get a million tourists out of the country
in the space of three or four days without any harm coming to a single one of them.”
5 Actually, it is rather good to be a visitor in Egypt right now. Cairo's Egyptian Museum is largely empty and one can
look at the gold sarcophagus of Tutankhamun, or his chariots, walking sticks, gloves, socks and underclothes, without anybody
else getting in the way. When I visited the museum, the only large group was an intrepid party of Indian women in saris and a few
elderly Americans, Britons and Scandinavians. The museum was burgled by thieves on 28 January when the guards disappeared
because of the fighting in nearby Tahrir Square and the building of the National Democratic Party was set on fire. Until recently,
the skylight through which they entered the museum had not been repaired. Fortunately, the robbers took only a few items,
including a military golden trumpet, from the grave goods of Tutankhamun. *B
6 Life is not quite as safe as it was before, it is true. The police, highly unpopular and blamed for the violence against
protesters, are keeping a low profile. Though 1.4 million strong, the security forces are notoriously corrupt and, these days, are
demoralised, often telling those who complain that they have been the victim of a crime to address themselves to the army. There
have been fierce sectarian clashes between Copts and Muslims in the tough, working-class districts of Imbaba and Ain Shams in
Cairo with at least 30 dead and hundreds injured. *C Some 864 people were killed in the revolution out of 80 million Egyptians
though this is still enough to make Egyptians, accustomed to the security of the Mubarak police state, edgy and fearful.
7 Egyptians involved in the tourist business are near despair. Tamer Tewfiq, the owner of Top Dock Travels, says he was
doing fine in January when “I received 400 to 500 tourists, but then nobody at all in February and March, and we are expecting
only 100 a month for the next three months.” Mr Tewfiq says that the Nile cruises have mostly stopped and the rioting in Imbaba
has destroyed any returning confidence. Tourists are going to Turkey instead and banks in Egypt have stopped giving loans to
tourist businesses “because they are a high risk”.
8 The problem for Egypt is that the revolution happened partly because so many people had failed to benefit from the old
regime. Many live on the edge of starvation and they hoped that the overthrow of President Mubarak would improve their lives,
but so far it has failed to do this, and many, such as those in the tourist industry, are worse off. [Patrick Cockburn, May 2011]

Text Organization
Three of the five sentences below have been removed from the text and replaced by an asterisk and the letters
A, B and C, whereas the other two are from different sources. Identify which two sentences do not belong in
the text and write D in the space provided. Identify where the other three sentences belong (at *A, *B or *C)
and write the appopriate letter in the space provided.

1. ______ Much of their time was spent looting the cheap replicas of ancient Egyptian sculpture from the museum's
gift shop rather than the originals.
2. ______ In antiquity Saqqara was not flooded annually by the Nile.
3. ______ The infra-red imaging detects mud brick just below the surface because it is denser than the soil
surrounding it.
4. ______ But, given that the population of Cairo is 18 million, casualties are not high.
5. ______ Hotels are 80 per cent empty.
Comprehension: True or False
Choose True or False, based on what is written in the text.
6. __________ It is not pleasant being a tourist in Egypt at present.
7. __________ According to Walid El-Batouty, the current situation in Egypt is very similar to that in Libya and
Syria.
8. __________ Tourists may be attracted to some recently opened tombs at Saqqara.
9. __________ Over the next three months Tamer Tewfiq expects to receive only about a quarter of the number of
tourists he had before the revolution.
10. __________ Many people feel less secure now than they did under the Mubarak regime.

Comprehension: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
11. Which statement best summarizes the text?
A. The Egyptian economy depends on the tourist industry.
B. The tourist industry in Egypt has collapsed since the revolution.
C. People in Egypt are disappointed with the revolution.
D. The crime rate in Egypt is rising sharply.

12. What is this text?

A. a journal entry B. a newspaper report
C. an article in a museum brochure D. an interview E. a review

Vocabulary
Choose the definition or synonym that corresponds best to the word as it is used in the text.
13. bid (¶ 1)
A. bet B. orders C. attempt D. offered
14. given up (¶ 3)
A. surrendered B. handed in C. stopped D. lifted
15. Actually (¶ 5)
A. as a matter of fact B. now C. in detail D. newly
16. tough (¶ 6)
A. hard to eat B. violent C. unfortunate D. soft

Reference
What do the following words in the text refer to? Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
Example: that (¶ 1) = the revolt
17. They (¶ 2) =
A. archeological sites B. guides C. seven tombs D. visitors
18. their (¶ 3) =
A. carriages B. tourists C. archeological sites D. garages
19. 100 (¶ 7) =
A. a month B. three months C. tourists D. Nile cruises
20. do this (¶ 8) =
A. starvation B. tourist industry C. overthrow of Mubarak D. improve people’s lives

WRITING (10 POINTS)

Write a 120-150-word composition on ONE of the following topics. It is possible to use ideas and expressions
from the text, but you cannot not copy more than three consecutive words. Your composition must be
organized into separate paragraphs and you must adhere to the word limit. You also need to invent an
appropriate title for your composition.

1. Describe a travel destination that does not appeal to you. Explain why.
2. Discuss whether you have ever been involved in a protest movement.
3. Write about your interest in Egyptian art.
Extra Practice
Reading/Writing : Sagrada Familia
Read the following text and answer the questions.
1 The first question, on entering the completed interior of the church of Sagrada Família, is: "Is it really there?" We have
been so long accustomed to the idea that Barcelona's most famous landmark is a permanent ruin, unfinished and unfinishable, that
it comes as a shock to find it is now keeping out the rain, for the first time in its 130 years of making. It is like walking into the
Colosseum and finding it all there, with crowds, sand, blood, beasts, gladiators and thumb-turning emperor which, being clearly
impossible, would most easily be explained as a video game in three dimensions.
2 The second question is: "Is it really Gaudí?" The great Catalan architect famously adjusted his buildings as he went
along, modifying details in response to unusual stones found in the quarry and forever testing his ideas with full size mock-ups.
He had a donkey hoisted up the facade of the church, to see how it would look in a sculpted nativity scene, and made plaster casts
of temporarily anaesthetised turkeys and chickens; he also used casts of stillborn babies so that he could model a Massacre of the
Innocents. In the interests of spiritual research, he attended a death at a hospital and claimed he could see the moment when the
soul of the departed met the holy family. Gaudí was fatally hit by a tram in 1926 and no subsequent architect working on the
church has come close to matching his fanaticism or genius.
3 True, he left large plaster models of the nave, big enough to walk through, and of key elements. He left somewhat blurry
drawings of the whole, including an overwhelming 170-metre cucumber of a tower, which is yet to be built. But these models and
drawings leave much undefined and, as Gaudí himself changed his mind during the development of the church, it seems likely
that he would have continued to do so if he had overseen its completion.
4 According to Oriol Bohigas, the octogenarian architect who oversaw Barcelona's remaking of itself from the 1980s on,
the completion of the church makes it, architecturally speaking at least, into "the most reactionary city in Europe". His business
partner, the British-born David Mackay, elaborates: "It's doubtful whether you can continue the work after such a long time and
claim it's Gaudí's building." It is at best "an interpretation" or a "full-size version of the model".
5 Jordi Bonet, another octogenarian and architect of the building work since 1985, disagrees. "Gaudí's wishes are very
clear: to continue the building of the basilica," he says. "This is being undertaken with the utmost fidelity to his ideas. *A The
naves, the roofs, the columns, the ceiling vaults are exactly as he modelled them and follow the geometrical and structural rules
that Gaudí set up, allowing us to build exactly as he set the project out."
6 The debate has been given added force by the completion of the nave last autumn, by its consecration by the Pope and
by the recent decision of the city of Barcelona to award the new work its highest architectural prize, but it goes back decades. In
the early 1960s, architectural luminaries such as Le Corbusier and Alvar Aalto signed a petition, urging that the church either be
left unfinished or that a competition be held to find a new design by a living architect. Oscar Tusquets Blanca, who became a
leading Barcelona architect, helped organise the petition as a student. He now says that its main effect was to prompt a record-
breaking year for public donations to the building effort, in reaction to this intervention by "Marxist heretics".
7 The argument is not only about architecture, but also about religion, and it goes back to Josep María Bocabella, the
devout and eccentric bookseller who first conceived the idea of building a great church. It was to be an affirmation of the Catholic
church, in the face of threats from a secular industrial society. The church would be dedicated to the Holy Family, in order to
buttress family life, and would be placed on the edge of the expanding city. *B Construction started in 1882 and there were
hopes it would be ready for use within a decade. After parting company with his first architect, Bocabella appointed the 31-year-
old Gaudí. According to legend, he dreamed that his architect would have piercing blue eyes and then met Gaudí, who had such
eyes. It is possible that he thought he was getting a cheap option, as the young man would have charged lower fees than more
established competitors. *C Whatever might have been saved on fees was spent many times over on Gaudí's ambitious design.
8 Time and budget are usually the main constraints on building projects, but here both counted for nothing. It is
impossible to know how much the church has cost so far, and will cost to finish, and no one has ever known how long it will take.
"My client," said Gaudí, meaning God, "is not in a hurry." What mattered was how truly his vision of the church would reflect its
spiritual ambitions, and if he got this right the funds would follow – from a shop that donated a peseta a day, from larger donors
offering indulgences and papal blessings, and from special fundraising days. "In the Sagrada Família, everything is providential,"
said Gaudí. [R. Moore, 2011]

Text Organization
Three of the five sentences below have been removed from the text and replaced by an asterisk and the letters
A, B and C, whereas the other two are from different sources. Identify which two sentences do not belong in
the text and write D in the space provided. Identify where the other three sentences belong (at *A, *B or *C)
and write the appopriate letter in the space provided.
1. ______ Early photographs show flocks of goats being herded in front of the building site.
2. ______ It is a pity the plans are wrong.
3. ______ If so, this hope was as vain as the projected timetable.
4. ______ He always spoke of his successors, giving them the necessary interpretative licence.
5. ______ More than 2 million people a year pay €12.50 a time to see the church.
Comprehension: True or False
Choose True or False, based on what is written in the text.
6. __________ Bocabella wanted to construct a large church in the centre of town as a way of promoting
Catholicism.
7. __________ The Sagrada Família has been under construction for nearly a century.
8. __________ The two elderly architects interviewed have differing opinions on the Sagrada Família.
9. __________ After his tram accident, Gaudí made models and drawings of his project.
10. __________ The petition signed by Le Corbusier and Blanca had the desired effect.

Comprehension: Multiple Choice

Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
11. Which statement best summarizes the text?
A. The Sagrada Família is a famous landmark in Barcelona.
B. Barcelona has become the most reactionary city in Europe.
C. The inside of Gaudí’s controversial church has now been completed.
D. Gaudí lived a life of religious fanaticism.

12. Where did this text most likely appear?

A. in a dictionary of art terms B. in a daily
C. in an advertisement D. in a travel itinerary E. in a journal

Vocabulary
Choose the definition or synonym that corresponds best to the word as it is used in the text.
13. model (¶ 2)
A. reproduce B. designer C. representation D. discover
14. likely (¶ 3)
A. pleasant B. possibly C. probable D. lovely
15. so far (¶ 8)
A. at a distance B. until now C. too much D. in the past
16. funds (¶ 8)
A. financial B. prices C. money D. invests

Reference
What do the following words in the text refer to? Choose the correct answer. Only one answer is correct.
Example: its (¶ 1) = Sagrada Família
17. he (¶ 2) =
A. building B. Catalan C. architects D. Gaudì
18. it (¶ 4) =
A. Bohigas B. Barcelona C. church D. business partner
19. who (¶ 7) =
A. Bohigas B. Gaudì C. Bocabella D. Holy Family
20. such (¶ 7) =
A. piercing blue B. young C. cheap D. these

WRITING (10 POINTS)

Write a 120-150-word composition on ONE of the following topics. It is possible to use ideas and expressions
from the text, but you cannot not copy more than three consecutive words. Your composition must be
organized into separate paragraphs and you must adhere to the word limit. You also need to invent an
appropriate title for your composition.

1. Describe a special monument you have seen on your travels.

2. Imagine you had the opportunity to spend a year living in a different city. Discuss where you would go and why.
3. Discuss a piece of art that you have seen or read about that has provoked contrasting opinions.
Answer key: Consumer Issues & Media Studies
Test Practice Grammar, Vocabulary and Verbs: History of Love
1.could 2.than 3.looking 4.on 5.size 6.hadn’t seen 7.like 8.If 9.However 10.made
Test Practice Grammar, Vocabulary and Verbs: In an Antique Land
1.was bargaining 2.was taken 3.but 4.more and more expensive 5.rising 6.what 7.each day 8.Why
9.would rather divorce 10.will clap
Extra Practice Verbs: The Independent
1.C 2.B 3.B 4.A 5.D 6.A 7.C 8.D 9.C 10.B
Test Practice Reading/Writing: Leather
Vocabulary: article in a newspaper; dedicated
Text Organization: A. The profit depends on the animal used. B. Yes, and they're increasing all the time.
True/False: 1. True 2. False 3. True 4. False
Main idea and text type: 1. “Don’t hide from the truth about leather” 2. an opinionated newspaper article
Extra Practice Reading/Writing: The Printer of Venice
Text Organization: 1. D 2. C 3. B 4. D 5. A
True/False: 6. B 7. A 8. B 9. B 10. A
Multiple Choice: 11. C 12. D
Vocabulary: 13. B 14. A 15. D 16. A
Reference: 17. B 18. A 19. D 20. B

Test Practice Dictation: Shopping Online

According to a recent survey, shopping on the Internet is more popular than ever. For some people using the
Internet to shop is more convenient since they don't have to leave their homes and can order anything from
electronics to clothing and even food, day or night. Others say they can find items for sale that aren’t in the stores or
that they can find better prices.
When purchasing something online, you have to type your credit card information onto the website. If you
are nervous about identity theft, you can just go window-shopping on the Internet to see what products are available.
(103)
Test Practice Dictation: The Big Issue
The Big Issue magazine, which was created in 1991, is one of the great success stories in the tradition of
self-help in modern Britain. It concentrates on problems with housing and the homeless and offers a high standard of
journalism. It is sold on streets all over Britain by people who are themselves without a home. They keep most of the
money they receive from sales, giving them both an income and a feeling of self-respect because it is not simply
begging.
The Big Issue has also helped to raise understanding among the general public. There are five different
editions all around the U.K. (104)
Test Practice Dictation: Haggling at Market Stalls
In practically any country in the world, you will find a market somewhere. They have existed since ancient
times and developed wherever people needed to exchange the goods which they produced. For example, a farmer
might have traded a cow for tools. But times have changed; in fact, today most stall-holders wouldn’t be too
enthusiastic about accepting potatoes as payment instead of cash.
In some countries a certain amount of “haggling” may be expected. This is when customer and seller
eventually agree on a price only after quite a heated debate. However, acceptable market behaviour in one country is
not necessarily appropriate in another. (104)
Test Practice Dictation: Online Shopping
Everyone has noticed the impact that technology has had on business. Although all areas have been
influenced, changes in the shopping industry seem to be particularly appreciated by the public.
Consumers are spending more time and money without leaving the comfort of their own homes. Although
many still like to spend a day in shopping centres, more and more people are becoming online shoppers. Almost
anything can be bought on the Internet and electronic sales seem stronger than ever. However, it is not just about
buying; consumers can sell their own items as well. In fact, online shopping now represents a truly alternative
marketplace. (104)
Answer key: Culture – Food, Language and Customs
Test Practice Verbs and Vocabulary: Rosewater and Soda Bread
1.her 2.was 3.like 4.wouldn’t ever put 5.But 6.have happened 7.Turning away 8.No-one 9.was probably
reading 10.wear
Test Practice Grammar, Vocabulary and Verbs: Nicotine
1.tells 2.what 3.will connect 4.yet 5.made 6.much 7.could stay up 8.had to take 9.letting 10.her
Test Practice Grammar, Vocabulary and Verbs: Cooking Club
1.For 2.have cooked 3.should 4.but 5.said 6.made 7.like 8.might have debuted 9.every 10.were written
Test Practice Grammar, Vocabulary and Verbs: Is the US a Christian Nation?
1.can be 2.even 3.as 4.originated 5.could 6.telling 7.although 8.have come 9.many 10.to consider
Test Practice Grammar, Vocabulary and Verbs: The Lowlands: The house
1.so 2.In spite of 3.to withdraw 4.had been designated 5.having returned 6.fewer 7.still 8.His 9.grew
10.would serve
Test Practice Grammar, Vocabulary and Verbs: The Lowlands: Bela
1.no 2.grocery 3.used to smoke 4.went 5.finding 6.tell 7.was still pretending 8.greatest 9.like 10.never
Extra Practice Grammar and Vocabulary: Three Men in a Boat
1.C 2.B 3.D 4.C 5.C 6.A 7.B 8.B 9.C 10.D
Extra Practice Grammar and Vocabulary: A Crazy Tale
1.D 2.C 3.C 4.C 5.B 6.D 7.A 8.C 9.D 10.A
Extra Practice Grammar and Vocabulary: The God of Small Things
1.B 2.C 3.D 4.B 5.D 6.C 7.A 8.A 9.C 10.D
Extra Practice Verbs: Food Revolution
1.D 2.C 3.A 4.B 5.B 6.D 7.D 8.C 9.A 10.D
Extra Practice Verbs: Caffè Al Bicerin
1.D 2.A 3.D 4.A 5.B 6.C 7.C 8.B 9.C 10.C
Extra Practice Verbs: Medieval Diet
1.A 2.D 3.B 4.B 5.C 6.A 7.C 8.D 9.A 10.B
Extra Practice Verbs: Languages in New York City
1.C 2.B 3.A 4.C 5.A 6.B 7.D 8.A 9.B 10.A
Extra Practice Verbs: Debaptism
1.C 2.A 3.B 4.D 5.A 6.D 7.B 8.B 9.A 10.D
Extra Practice Verbs: Roosevelt and Coffee
1.D 2.A 3.B 4.B 5.A 6.D 7.C 8.D 9.B 10.C
Extra Practice Verbs: The Future of Languages
1.D 2.B 3.B 4.A 5.B 6.C 7.D 8.C 9.A 10.D
Test Practice Reading/Writing: Anglo-Indians
Text Organization: A. Indeed, I was the only white person on my avenue in the years before I left. B.: Most of the
Anglo-Indians were more ‘Anglo’ than ‘Indian’.
Vocabulary: brought up; more general
True/False: 1.True 2.False 3.True 4.False
Main idea and text type: 1. Anglo-Indians: Is their culture dying out? 2.world culture
Extra Practice Reading/Writing: Gene Smith and Tibetan Culture
Text organization: 1.B 2.A 3.C 4.D 5.D
True/False: 6.A 7.B 8.B 9.B 10.A
Mult. Choice: 11.A 12.E
Vocabulary: 13.B 14.C 15.A 16.D
Reference: 17.B 18.D 19.B 20.A
Extra Practice Reading/Writing: The Columbian Exchange
Text organization: 1.B 2.D 3.D 4.A 5.C
True/False: 6.B 7.A 8.B 9.B 10.A
Mult. Choice: 11.B 12.E
Vocabulary: 13.A 14.D 15.D 16.B
Reference: Reference: 17.C 18.A 19.D 20.C
Extra Practice Reading/Writing: Winemaking in the UK
Text organization: 1.D 2.A 3.D 4.B 5.C
True/False: 6.A 7.A 8.A 9.B 10.B
Mult. Choice: 11.A 12.A
Vocabulary: 13.B 14.C 15.B 16.D
Reference: 17.A 18.C 19.B 20.B
Extra Practice Reading/Writing: Chinese Leadership and Confucius
Text organization: 1.A 2.D 3.D 4.C 5.B
True/False: 6.A 7.A 8.B 9.B 10.B
Mult. Choice: 11.A 12.E
Vocabulary: 13.B 14.C 15.A 16.C
Reference: 17.D 18.C 19.A 20.B

Test Practice Dictation: Billy Ocean: Family Life in the Caribbean and in England
Billy Ocean’s family lived on the island of Trinidad until he was 10. Then they came to England, where
immigrants could get low-paying jobs that the English weren't too keen to do.
Life in England was so different. In the Caribbean the community was like an extended family. Things were
shared, and everyone looked after each other's children. While in Trinidad they had lived on a plantation, with lots of
land, in London they were in the middle of buildings, cars, confusion, cold, smog, and fog. In addition, they had to
depend more on their families than neighbours for help. (100)
Test Practice Dictation: Pubs in the UK
Pubs have always retained a special character. One of their most distinctive aspects is that there is no waiter
service. If you want something, you have to go and ask for it at the bar. To be served at a table is discomforting for
many people because it makes them feel they have to be on their best behaviour. But in pubs, it is more informal.
You can get up and walk around whenever you want – like being in your own house.
The ‘home from home’ aspect of the pub is encouraged by the relationship between customers and those
who work there. (102)
Test Practice Dictation: Leisure Activities
Over 75% of Britain’s population enjoys sport and leisure activities, and for participants and spectators
there is a wide variety of them to enjoy.
Recent encouragement toward a healthier lifestyle has led to more people taking up physical activity to get
or keep fit. These forms of exercise can be found indoors at sporting and recreation centres and outdoors at the free
publicly available playing fields, as well as at clubs and associations open only to members. Whether you’re a child
or an adult most towns have something for everyone. Unfortunately, however, much of the free-time entertainment in
the UK is not so energetic. (104)
Test Practice Dictation: The Modern Family
The past twenty years have seen enormous changes in the lives and structures of British families. The large
increase in divorces has meant that many women have to support themselves and their children. In addition, statistics
from 2019 show that most women are no longer happy to stay at home raising children, and many have careers
earning as much as or even more than men.
Some experts argue that modern kids grow up to be more independent and mature than in the past. From an
early age they go to nurseries, and so they are used to dealing with strangers and other children. (103)
Test Practice Dictation: Indian Immigration to the UK
The first Indian immigrants to the UK in the 1950s found it very difficult to adapt to their new environment.
Some were fluent English speakers, having studied the language in India, but most people this was not the case, so
they had communication issues.
The simple process of buying food to eat and being able to read the labels often proved problematic. Many
of the early immigrants did not own or could not afford a telephone and were unable to talk with their relatives back
in India. Their only way of correspondence was through letters to their home towns, which took a long time. (104)
Test Practice Dictation: Food Festivals in London and Manchester
Thirty years ago traditional food festivals in Britain had almost disappeared. Today, they have come back to
life with new events all over the UK. Every autumn the capital holds a series of slow food markets, celebrating
ethical and tasty cooking. Here you can sample and purchase foods from around the world.
The Manchester Food and Drink Festival occupies more than 100 locations across the city. Local farmers
set up stands and celebrity chefs cook live. This year the city is also hosting the Manchester Whisky Festival, on 10
October, where you can try special products from Japan, the US and India. (102)
Test Practice Dictation: Concern about Obesity
How about a salad instead of that burger? Or fruit instead of that chocolate cake? The menus of the world’s
largest fast food chains are changing faster these days than at any time since the industry was born in the 1950s.
McDonald’s said last week it would gradually eliminate the extra large portions of food and drinks that have been
accused of causing obesity in America and much of the developed world.
Increased concern about obesity and health are obviously playing a part in the changes. But what about the
lawsuit brought against McDonald’s by overweight teenagers in New York? (100)
Test Practice Dictation: Eating Habits
Americans and the British are a very energetic and mobile people, always running from one appointment to
another. They have very little time to spend preparing everyday meals to be eaten slowly. When they have the chance
to eat at home, the family often prefers to make something fast and easy.
After World War II many women began to work full-time and they needed to function as both homemaker
and career woman, so time became more valuable. Therefore, to make the preparation of the family dinner easier for
them, food such as frozen dinners and chains like McDonalds came into fashion. (101)
Test Practice Dictation: MacDonald’s or Diners?
In the U.S. there are more than 20,000 “fast food” restaurants; however, many other options exist too. For
instance, you can eat excellent and authentic dishes from countries like India, China and, of course, Italy.
For good eaters an “all you can eat” restaurant is great. You pay one price and then can take as much food
as you want. Perhaps diners serve the most typical American food. Besides meat and potatoes, you can order a range
of vegetable dishes, as well as delicious desserts. Travellers should remember that fast food is convenient but real
food is just around the corner. (101)
Test Practice Dictation: A Survey in Britain
Eating in a restaurant should be an enjoyable experience. But a survey of British people reveals that they are
often intimidated and embarrassed because of their ignorance about restaurant protocol and lack of knowledge about
food and wine. A study of two hundred young professionals shows that most people will not order dishes if they risk
mispronouncing the name.
They are not very good at complaining either. Sixty-three per cent said they would rather not cause a scene
by sending back unsatisfactory food. During business lunches, many have made menu choices based on their desire
to impress others rather than on what they actually want. (105)

Answer key: Education

Test Practice Grammar, Vocabulary and Verbs: Cognitive Skills
1.subscribe 2.on 3.to develop 4.might be 5.like 6.what 7.overcoming 8.says 9.found 10.so
Extra Practice Grammar and Vocabulary: The British Museum is Falling Down
1.C 2.D 3.D 4.A 5.B 6.C 7.C 8.B 9.A 10.B
Extra Practice Grammar and Vocabulary: Lucky Jim
1.A 2.B 3.C 4.C 5.C 6.D 7.B 8.A 9.B 10.A
Extra Practice Grammar and Vocabulary: Rotter’s Club
1.B 2.B 3.C 4.D 5.A 6.C 7.A 8.D 9.B 10.D
Extra Practice Verbs: New College of the Humanities
1.D 2.A 3.B 4.A 5.C 6.B 7.B 8.D 9.A 10.A
Extra Practice Verbs: Gifted Students
1.A 2.C 3.B 4.C 5.A 6.C 7.A 8.D 9.B 10.A
Extra Practice Verbs: Dropouts
1.A 2.D 3.A 4.B 5.D 6.C 7.B 8.C 9.A 10.B
Extra Practice Verbs: Reading Workshop
1.B 2.D 3.C 4.A 5.A 6.D 7.A 8.C 9.B 10.D
Test Practice Reading/Writing: Dealing with Sensitive Issues on Campus
Vocabulary: 1.generated 2.present
Text Organization: A. The idea goes back at least as far as Socrates. B. This institution will be based on the
illimitable freedom of the human mind.
True/False: 1.False 2.True 3.True 4.False
Main idea and text type: 1. The Cost of Overprotecting the American Mind 2.Culture
Extra Practice Reading/Writing: Sammy Gitau
Text organization: 1.C 2.D 3.D 4.A 5.B
True/False: 6.A 7.B 8.B 9.B 10.A
Mult. Choice: 11.C 12.B
Vocabulary: 13.D 14.A 15.C 16.C
Reference: 17.C 18.C 19.A 20.D
Extra Practice Reading/Writing: Frederick Douglass
Text organization: 1.A 2.D 3.C 4.D 5.B
True/False: 6.A 7.B 8.A 9.B 10.B
Mult. Choice: 11.C 12.A
Vocabulary: 13.C 14.C 15.D 16.A
Reference: 17.D 18.A 19.A 20.C
Extra Practice Reading/Writing: Higher Education in Prisons
Text organization: 1.B 2.D 3.D 4.C 5.A
True/False: 6.B 7.A 8.A 9.A 10.A
Mult. Choice: 11.B 12.C
Vocabulary: 13.C 14.C 15.B 16.A
Reference: 17.B 18.C 19.A 20.C

Test Practice Dictation: A-Levels and Universities

There are currently over 200,000 students from outside Britain studying at British universities. Degree
courses are usually shorter and more intensive than in other countries. There are also many scholarships available.
You normally need three A-levels, which are the exams taken by people leaving school at 18, in order to enter an
undergraduate degree course.
Universities in the UK offer a personalised approach. The emphasis is on creative and independent thought,
which helps develop the skills needed to compete in the global job market. Tutors not only teach but also give
support. As a result, international students have a very low drop out rate. (104)
Test Practice Dictation: Studying in South Korea
Studying for up to seventeen hours a day is normal for South Korean secondary school pupils. They live in
a society where education is very important, and there is great competition for a place in higher education. Having a
good degree from a top university is the only way to be sure of getting a well-paid job.
Classes of fifty are not uncommon in secondary schools and the teachers are strict. Pupils have to repeat
after the teacher and memorise everything. “Teachers don’t give you any individual attention,” says one student.
“They don’t let us ask questions because they say it wastes time.” (103)
Test Practice Dictation: Accredited Online Courses
Many universities around the world are offering opportunities for students to get degrees online from the
comfort of their own homes, and many of these institutions are accredited, which means that they have met certain
standards of excellence.
If you decide to take language courses online instead of going abroad, it is important to understand the
advantages and disadvantages. The benefits are that the costs are usually lower and you have access to the materials
24 hours a day. However, you won’t get the human interaction of meeting people face to face as you would if you
were physically attending a school in another country. (105)
Test Practice Dictation: Living on Campus
For many international students, studying at university in the US can be quite a frustrating experience,
especially when they are trying to find somewhere to live. Fortunately, there are a variety of options that students can
consider.
For students who have just arrived, staying on campus can be convenient because they are close to
everything they need and won’t have to travel long distances. Often in dormitories meals are provided, and this
allows students more time to dedicate to their studies. But students should know that they cannot necessarily choose
who they live with and that they must also follow some strict rules on conduct. (105)
Answer key: Crime and Conflict
Test Practice Grammar, Vocabulary and Verbs: The Book Thief
1.as young 2.fifteen-year 3.looked 4.said 5.asking 6.were gathered 7.who 8.Another 9.slapped 10.did
Extra Practice Grammar and Vocabulary: Empire of the Sun
1.B 2.B 3.A 4.D 5.C 6.D 7.C 8.A 9.B 10.B
Extra Practice Verbs: 2 XL Programme
1.C 2.A 3.B 4.C 5.A 6.C 7.D 8.D 9.A 10.B
Extra Practice Verbs: Ginetta Sagan
1.C 2.B 3.A 4.D 5.C 6.B 7.B 8.A 9.C 10.B
Test Practice Reading/Writing: Flannery O’Connor
Vocabulary: previously; number
Text Organization: A. The problems with his essay are many. B. O’Connor is the perfect writer for our moment. ; Elie
True/False: 1.True 2.True 3.False 4.True
Main idea and text type: 1. O'Connor: A Misunderstood Reading Spells Repudiation 2.an opinion
Extra Practice Reading/Writing: Counterfeit Paintings
Text organization: 1.C 2.A 3.D 4.D 5.B
Comprehension (True/False): 6.A 7.B 8.B 9.A 10.B
Comprehension (Multiple choice): 11.A 12.D
Vocabulary: 13.C 14.B 15.C 16.D
Reference: 17.B 18.B 19.D 20.A
Extra Practice Reading/Writing: Dith Pran and the Killing Fields in Cambodia
Text organization: 1.D 2.A 3.D 4.C 5.B
Comprehension (True/False): 6.A 7.B 8.A 9.A 10.B
Comprehension (Multiple choice): 11.B 12.C
Vocabulary: 13.C 14.B 15.C 16.A
Reference: 17.C 18.A 19.B 20.D
Extra Practice Reading/Writing: Auschwitz Painter
Text Organization: 1. D 2. B 3. D 4. A 5. C
True/False: 6. A 7. B 8. A 9. B 10. B
Multiple Choice: 11. C 12. B
Vocabulary: 13. B 14. A 15. D 16. A
Reference: 17. C 18. B 19. B 20. D
Extra Practice Reading/Writing: Dorothy Height and the Civil Rights Movement
Text organization: 1.D 2.B 3.A 4.D 5.C
Comprehension (True/False): 6.B 7.A 8.B 9.B 10.B
Comprehension (Multiple choice): 11.A 12.E
Vocabulary: 13.C 14.A 15.C 16.B
Reference: 17.D 18.A 19.B 20.C
Extra Practice Reading/Writing: Rwanda
Text organization: 1.B 2.No 3.No 4.C 5.A
Comprehension (True/False): 6.B 7.A 8.B 9.B 10.A
Comprehension (Multiple choice): 11.B 12.E
Vocabulary: 13.D 14.A 15.C 16.D
Reference: 17.C 18.B 19.C 20.A

Test Practice Dictation: John Harvey

The English novelist John Harvey won exceptional praise for his detective stories featuring Charlie Resnick.
But three years ago Harvey announced that he was moving on. “In a True Light” is his first new kind of novel. The
story is set in London, New York and Tuscany, and each of these places is described in detail.
The main character is a 60-year-old artist who paints illegal copies of famous portraits and landscapes for an
art gallery. Eventually, he is caught and sentenced to two years in prison. When he is released, his adventure begins.
The book is a rare example of crime together with art. (105)
Answer key: Gender Issues
Test Practice Grammar and Vocabulary: Woman suffrage
1.was set up 2.made 3.late 4.than 5.by 6.founded 7.other 8.called 9.However 10.was going on
True/False: 1.False 2.True 3.False 4.False 5.True
Extra Practice Grammar and Vocabulary: Wild Swans
1.C 2.D 3.A 4.D 5.B 6.B 7.C 8.A 9.A 10.D
Extra Practice Grammar and Vocabulary: Women workers’ rights
1.B 2.C 3.D 4.D 5.A 6.A 7.B 8.D 9.C 10.C
Test Practice Reading/Writing: Spanish Riding School
Text Organization: A. Horse riding is an activity in which women have been involved for centuries. B. She sees the
decision to admit women as an entirely natural process.
Vocabulary: 1.problem 2.historical
True/False: 1.False 2.True 3.False 4.True
Main Idea and text type: 1. A young woman has seen her childhood dream come true. 2. a daily newspaper
Extra Practice Reading/Writing: Women Film Directors
Text Organization: 1. C 2. D 3. D 4. B 5. A
True/False: 6. B 7. B 8. B 9. A 10. A
Multiple Choice: 11. B 12. E
Vocabulary: 13. B 14. A 15. D 16. C
Reference: 17.D 18.A 19.C 20.B
Extra Practice Reading/Writing: Anne Scott-James
Text Organization: 1. B 2. D 3. D 4. A 5. C
True/False: 6. A 7. B 8. A 9. B 10. B
Multiple Choice: 11. C 12. C
Vocabulary: 13. A 14. D 15. B 16. B
Reference:17. B 18. A 19. D 20. B
Test Practice Dictation: The Suffragettes
In 19th century America, women could not vote, so women called “suffragettes” began holding street
meetings and criticising political speakers. Many were imprisoned.
Then in 1886 the biggest woman in the world came to America. She was 46 metres tall. A gift from France,
the Statue of Liberty is a symbol of freedom and equality. Yet, when the statue was presented on the 26th of October,
the president gave a speech to thousands of men there. To show their disapproval, the uninvited suffragettes
protested from a boat. It was only in 1920 that women in America were given the right to vote. (102)

Answer key: Work & Economics

Test Practice Grammar and Vocabulary: Boy
1.said 2.long 3.will send 4.have 5.any 6.by 7.to reach 8.However 9.post 10.would be
Extra Practice Grammar and Vocabulary: Sea of Poppies
1.B 2.D 3.C 4.C 5.A 6.D 7.C 8.B 9.A 10.B
Extra Practice Grammar and Vocabulary: The Professor
1.C 2.B 3.A 4.B 5.C 6.D 7.D 8.B 9.C 10.B
Extra Practice Grammar and Vocabulary: Dreams of my Father
1. C 2. B 3. A 4. D 5. B 6. C 7.A 8. A 9. D 10. D
Extra Practice Grammar and Vocabulary: Temping
1. D 2. A 3. D 4. B 5. C 6. D 7. A 8. B 9. C 10. D
Extra Practice Grammar and Vocabulary: The Goldfinch
1.B 2.B 3.D 4.B 5.A 6.C 7.A 8.C 9.C 10.D
Extra Practice Grammar and Vocabulary: The Circle
1.D 2.B 3.A 4.C 5.B 6.A 7.D 8.B 9.C 10.B
Extra Practice Verbs: Work/Study Programme
1. A 2. B 3. C 4. D 5. C 6. B 7. A 8. D 9. C 10. A
Extra Practice Reading/Writing: Child Labour
Text organization: 1.C 2.D 3.D 4.A 5.B
Comprehension: 6.A 7.A 8.B 9.A 10.B
Comprehension: 11.B 12.E
Vocabulary: 13.A 14.C 15.C 16.D
Reference: 17.D 18.C 19.A 20.B

Test Practice Dictation: Happy hours

Happy hours are not necessarily happy nor do they last for an hour, but they have become a part of many
working people’s daily ritual.
At the end of the workday, office workers in larger cities and small towns do not go directly home. Instead,
they take a relaxing break—usually from four to seven-- and go to the nearest bar to be with friends and coworkers.
Within minutes the bar is filled with businesspeople, secretaries and lawyers. They stand around and gossip about
office life or personal matters. This is their place to recover from the stress at the office. (101)
Test Practice Dictation: Vacation Vocations
Many of us have two very different careers. There is our normal job and there is the job we really fancy but
never do. A recent survey found over 30% of UK office workers wanted to do something different for a living.
Vacation Vocations helps people choose a profession from the list on its website. (Chocolate-maker or zoo
keeper have been popular choices.) During their holiday they become regular employees and for two or three days a
teacher or lawyer can wash elephants or make chocolate. Holidays cost from about $400 to manage a small hotel to
about $2000 to be a tourist guide. (104)

Answer key: The Arts

Test Practice Grammar and Vocabulary: The Fenice
1.joining 2.which 3.always 4.Although 5.a 6.had been 7.since 8.hour 9.convinced 10.Then
Test Practice Verbs: Berthe Morisot
1.participated 2.as well as 3.will 4.Many of 5.Born 6.had decided 7.as 8.was considered 9.their
10.the 1870s
Extra Practice Grammar and Vocabulary: Flaubert’s Parrot 1
1.A 2.B 3.C 4.B 5.A 6.B 7.C 8.C 9.C 10.D
Extra Practice Grammar and Vocabulary: Poetry
1.C 2.A 3.C 4.C 5.A 6.B 7.D 8.B 9.B 10.D
Extra Practice Grammar and Vocabulary: The Picture of Dorian Gray
1.D 2.B 3.B 4.A 5.C 6.A 7.D 8.B 9.A 10.C
Extra Practice Grammar and Vocabulary: Flaubert’s Parrot 2
1.D 2.D 3.B 4.A 5.B 6.C 7.A 8.D 9.B 10.C
Extra Practice Grammar and Vocabulary: Hurry on Down
1.C 2.D 3.B 4.C 5.A 6.A 7.C 8.B 9.B 10.C
Extra Practice Verbs: Classical Music
1.A 2.C 3.C 4.A 5.D 6.B 7.B 8.A 9.D 10.C
Extra Practice Verbs: Rubens
1.B 2.B 3.D 4.D 5.C 6.C 7.A 8.A 9.B 10.B
Extra Practice Verbs: Ang Lee
1.B 2.C 3.C 4.B 5.A 6.B 7.C 8.A 9.B 10.B
Extra Practice Verbs: Playwright Sarah Kane
1.A 2.C 3.B 4.B 5.C 6.C 7.B 8.C 9.A 10.C
Extra Practice Verbs: Science Plays
1.D 2.B 3.A 4.B 5.D 6.C 7.B 8.A 9.C 10.A
Extra Practice Verbs: A Series of Unfortunate Events
1.D 2.B 3.A 4.B 5.D 6.C 7.B 8.A 9.C 10.A
Extra Practice Verbs: Nigerian Photographer
1.A 2.D 3.A 4.D 5.D 6.B 7.C 8.A 9.B 10.D
Extra Practice Verbs: The Temporary Museum
1.C 2.B 3.A 4.C 5.D 6.B 7.B 8.D 9.B 10.A
Extra Practice Verbs: Cinecittà
1.B 2.A 3.D 4.B 5.C 6.A 7.C 8.D 9.B 10.C
Test Practice Reading/Writing: Refugees and Art
Vocabulary: worried; ultimately
Text Organization: A. Their house in Quetta old town had been bombed in a car suicide attack that left them
seriously injured, their home destroyed, and 14 dead. B. Since they don’t have art materials available to them at the
centre, some pieces are done using instant coffee powder mixed in water as a form of paint.
True/False: 1.True 2.False 3.False 4.True
Main idea and text type: 1. Telling an Important Story through Art 2.a newspaper
Test Practice Reading/Writing: Confucius
Vocabulary: 1.gossip 2.film location
Text Organization: A. Her father, she said, put almost his entire family fortune into the production. B. But Fei was
so unhappy with the changes that he took out an ad in a Shanghai newspaper denouncing the new version.
True/False: 1.True 2.True 3.False 4.True
Main idea and text type: 1. “A lost ‘Confucius’ returns to the silver screen” 2.an article from a magazine
Extra Practice Reading/Writing: Cézanne and Picasso
Text Organization: 1. D 2. A 3. C 4. D 5. B
Comprehension: True/False: 6.B 7.A 8.B 9.A 10.B
Comprehension: Multiple Choice: 11.C 12.C
Vocabulary: 13.A 14.C 15.A 16.D
Reference: 17.B 18.B 19.A 20.C
Extra Practice Reading/Writing: Music for the Homeless
Text Organization: 1. A 2. D 3. C 4. B e. D
Comprehension: True/False: 6.B 7.A 8.B 9.A 10.A
Comprehension: Multiple Choice: 11.D 12.E
Vocabulary: 13.B 14.A 15.A 16.C
Reference: 17.C 18.A 19. C 20.B
Extra Practice Reading/Writing: Rubens and His Legacy
Text Organization: 1. B 2. D 3. D 4. C e. A
Comprehension: True/False: 6.A 7.B 8.A 9.B 10.A
Comprehension: Multiple Choice: 11.B 12.C
Vocabulary: 13.D 14.B 15.B 16.A
Reference: 17.C 18.B 19. C 20.D
Extra Practice Reading/Writing: Whiplash
Text Organization: 1. D 2. C 3. A 4. D e. B
Comprehension: True/False: 6.B 7.A 8.A 9.A 10.B
Comprehension: Multiple Choice: 11.B 12.A
Vocabulary: 13.B 14.B 15.D 16.A
Reference: 17.C 18.A 19. C 20.C
Extra Practice Reading/Writing: Impressionist Dealer
Text Organization: 1. D 2. A 3. B 4. D e. C
Comprehension: True/False: 6.A 7.B 8.B 9.A 10.A
Comprehension: Multiple Choice: 11.B 12.E
Vocabulary: 13.A 14.B 15.D 16.C
Reference: 17.B 18.D 19. B 20.A
Extra Practice Reading/Writing: The Narkomfin Building
Text Organization: 1. C 2. B 3. D 4. A e. D
Comprehension: True/False: 6.B 7.B 8.A 9.A 10.B
Comprehension: Multiple Choice: 11.B 12.D
Vocabulary: 13.A 14.C 15.D 16.C
Reference: 17.B 18.D 19. A 20.A
Test Practice Dictation: Fringe Festival
Summer in Scotland’s capital city is the time for entertainment. The original Edinburgh International
Festival started in 1947, and offers visitors a rich programme of classical music, theatre, opera and dance.
That same year a few uninvited, less traditional theatrical companies came to organise their own show,
which grew into the Fringe Festival. “Fringe” means something on the outside of the main event; yet over the
years, it has become the largest of all the festivals. Indeed, not only is it an important place for new talented
stand-up comedians to perform at, but it also provides music and performances for children. (101)

Answer key: Geography & Tourism

Test Practice Grammar, Vocabulary and Verbs: Statue of Liberty
1.has debated 2.is going to be 3.like 4.are seeking 5.was designed 6.its 7.also 8.In 9.had already spent
10.since
Extra Practice Grammar and Vocabulary: The Remains of the Day
1.B 2.B 3.D 4.A 5.C 6.D 7.C 8.A 9.B 10.D
Extra Practice Grammar and Vocabulary: Travels with Charley
1.C 2.D 3.D 4.A 5.B 6.A 7.C 8.C 9.D 10.B
Extra Practice Grammar and Vocabulary: Chile
1.A 2.C 3.B 4.D 5.B 6.D 7. A 8.C 9.D 10.B
Extra Practice Grammar and Vocabulary: This Boy’s Life
1.B 2.D 3.A 4.B 5.A 6.C 7. C 8.D 9.B 10.C
Extra Practice Grammar and Vocabulary: In an Antique Land
1.C 2.A 3.B 4.C 5.C 6.A 7.B 8.D 9.D 10.C
Extra Practice Grammar and Vocabulary: The Namesake
1. C 2. D 3. A 4. B 5. A 6. D 7. B 8. C 9. B 10. D
Extra Practice Grammar and Vocabulary: Sea of Poppies
1.C 2.B 3.A 4.C 5.C 6.A 7.A 8.D 9.B 10.C
Extra Practice Grammar and Vocabulary: Life of Pi
1.B 2.D 3.B 4.C 5.D 6.B 7.A 8.C 9.A 10.C
Extra Practice Grammar and Vocabulary: The Good Soldier
1.A 2.B 3.D 4.B 5.D 6.D 7.C 8.A 9.C 10.A
Extra Practice Grammar and Vocabulary: The Songlines
1.D 2.B 3.C 4.A 5.B 6.D 7.C 8.A 9.D 10.C
Extra Practice Verbs: Lost Cities
1. B 2. C 3. B 4. A 5. C 6. A 7. D 8. D 9. C 10. A
Extra Practice Verbs: A Day at the Seaside
1.D 2.A 3.B 4.D 5.C 6.B 7.D 8.C 9.D 10.D
Reference: 17.D 18.B 19. C 20.A
Test Practice Reading/Writing: Elephants
Vocabulary: so far; at a safe distance
Text Organization: A. Altogether they’ve been able to save more than 1,800 elephants. B. They are known as
‘nature’s gardeners’.
True/False: 1.True 2.False 3.True 4.False
Main idea and text type: 1. Saving the African Elephant 2.a magazine article
Extra Practice Reading/Writing: Benjamin Franklin
Text Organization: 1.D 2.A 3.C 4.D 5.B
True/False: 6.A 7.B 8.B 9.A 10.B
Multiple choice: 11.E 12.B
Vocabulary: 13.B 14.B 15.A 16.D
Reference: 17.A 18.D 19.C 20.D
Extra Practice Reading/Writing: Ancient Greek in the Modern World
Text Organization: 1.D 2.B 3.C 4.A 5.D
True/False: 6.B 7.A 8.B 9.A 10.B
Multiple choice: 11.A 12.C
Vocabulary: 13.D 14.B 15.C 16.D
Reference: 17.A 18.A 19.B 20.C
Extra Practice Reading/Writing: Egypt
Text Organization: 1. B 2. D 3. D 4. C 5. A
Comprehension: True/False: 6.B 7.B 8.A 9.A 10.A
Comprehension: Multiple Choice: 11.B 12.B
Vocabulary: 13.C 14.C 15. A 16.B
Reference: 17.B 18.A 19. C 20.D
Extra Practice Reading/Writing: Sagrada Familia
Text Organization: 1. B 2. D c. C d. A e. D
Comprehension: True/False: 6.B 7.B 8.A 9.B 10.B
Comprehension: Multiple Choice: 11.C 12.B
Vocabulary: 13.A 14.C 15. B 16.C

Test Practice Dictation: The London Underground Map

Many would agree that the London Underground map is extremely well designed. It is not only simple and
easy to understand but also quite attractive, and it guides both Londoners and tourists round the Underground system
in the city very well.
The map was drawn in 1931, although there had been a messy version of it before then. The design of the
map showed great originality because it gave a very clear representation of a highly complex network of
communications. This new map style was an enormous success with the public. In fact, the approach was later
adopted by most of the world’s underground systems. (105)