Practice test for High School Entrance Exam (gifted) 2017

PRACTICE TEST 3
I. LISTENING (2,0 pts)
a. Listen and complete the notes below. Write no more than TWO WORDS AND/OR A
NUMBER for each answer.
Cycling holiday in Austria
Example
Most suitable holiday lasts 10 days
Holiday begins on (1) __________
No more than (2) __________ people in cycling group.
Each day, group cycles (3) __________ on average.
Some of the hotels have a (4) __________.
Holiday costs (5) __________ per person without flights.
All food included except (6) __________
Essential to bring a (7) __________
Discount possible on equipment at www. (8) __________.com
Possible that the (9) __________ may change.
Guided tour of a (10) __________ is arranged.
b. Write ONLY ONE WORD for each answer.
Manufacturing in the English Midlands
1. In the eighteenth century, the __________ still determined how most people made a living.
2. In the ground were minerals which supported the many __________ of the region.
3. Since the late 16th century the French settlers had made __________.
4. In Cheshire __________ was mined and transported on the river Mersey.
5. Potters worked in a few __________ situated on the small hills of North Staffordshire.
Pottery notes
Earthenware
o advantages:
potters used (6) __________ clay
saved money on (7) __________
o disadvantages:
needed two firings in the kiln to be (8) __________
fragility led to high (9) __________ during manufacturing
Stoneware
more expensive but better
made from a (10) __________ of clay and flint

II. LEXICOLOGY AND GRAMMAR (3.0 pts)

a. Circle the best options A, B, C, or D to complete the following sentences.
1. My jeans __________ in the wash and theyre too small for me now.
A. reduced B. shrank C. deteriorated D. diminished
2. I threw some biscuit __________ on the ground and a whole load of pigeons swooped down and
started eating them.
A. grains B. specks C. flakes D. crumbs
3. The insects looked and tasted so horrible, I __________ with disgust as I tried to force them down.
A. gloated B. grinned C. grimaced D. chuckled
4. Has Britains influence in the world __________ since the Second World War?
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Practice test for High School Entrance Exam (gifted) 2017

A. decayed B. declined C. worsened D. devastated

5. Theres so much technical __________ in this manual that I cant really understand it.
A. jargon B. slang C. tongue D. speech
6. The house I was born in was __________ some time ago.
A. evicted B. smashed C. ground D. demolished
7. Before they could start any kind of treatment, they had to write to the previous hospital in order to
obtain her __________.
A. prescriptions B. writings C. records D. recordings
8. Hanh was __________ when her pet dog died. Nothing could cheer her up.
A. discouraged B. uncomfortable C. displeased D. inconsolable
9. In his drunken __________, he ran across the road wildly and was knocked down by a car.
A. stupor B. daze C. dazzle D. vague
10. The launch of the man-made object in outer space in 1957 was a __________ space exploration.
A. climax B. milestone C. peak D. highlight
b. Supply the correct form the word in the bracket
Ask any adult over forty to make a (1. COMPARE) __________ between the past and the
present and most will tell you that things have been getting steadily worse for as long as they can
remember. Take the weather for example. Everyone remembers that in their (2. YOUNG) __________
the summers were considerably hotter, and that winter always included (3. ABOUND) __________ falls
of snow just when the school holidays had started. Of course, the food in those days was far superior
too, as nothing was imported and everything was fresh. (4. EMPLOY) __________ was negligible, the
money in your pocket really was worth something, and you could buy a (5. SIZE) house even if your
means were limited. And above all, people were somehow nicer in those days, and spent their free time
on innocent (6. PURSUE) __________ making model boats and tending their stamp (7. COLLECT)
__________ rather than gazing at the television screen for hours on end. As we know, this figure of the
past simple cannot be true, and there are plenty of statistics dealing with health and (8. PROSPER)
__________which prove that it is not true. So, why is it that we all have a (9. TEND) to idealize the past
and to be so (10. CRITICIZE) __________ of the present?
c. Using the notes below as a guide to complete the letter. Use ONE OR TWO WORDS in each
space. The words you need do not occur in the notes.
To: David
From: Head Librarian
Please draft a letter to all students who are leaving the college next week. Use the following
information:
Thanks for belonging to the library.
Please get all books you've taken out back by the end of term, earlier if poss.
Pay all fines for late books by then too.
When all books are in you'll get your 10 deposit back, minus anything you still owe.
If you don't return your books, your graduation certificate can be kept from you.
When the library is closed, you can put your books in the box instead.
But we won't deal with them until the next day.

To all leavers,
We would like to thank you for your (1) __________ of this library. Please note that all (2) __________
books must (3) __________ by the last day of term at the very (4) __________. Any outstanding money
owed for the late return of books must also be paid by that date. Upon satisfactory return of all library

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Practice test for High School Entrance Exam (gifted) 2017

property, your 10 deposit will be returned to you, less any money owed. (5) __________ to return
books may (6) __________ in graduation certificates being (7) __________. (8) __________ library
hours, books may (9) __________ in the 'books back' box at the entrance to the library, but note that
books returned in this way will not be processed until (10) __________ working day.

III. READING (2,5 pts)

a. Read this passage carefully and do the following tasks.
Testing Testing Testing 1 2 3 4
The introduction of SATs
A. These are testing times. In both education and the field of work, the prevailing wisdom appears
to be: if it moves, test it and if it doesnt, well, test it anyway. I say wisdom, but it has become
rather an obsession. In addition to the current obstacles, like GCSEs, A-Levels, GNVQs, and
HNDs, not to mention the interviews and financial hurdles that school-leavers have to overcome
in order to access higher education, students are facing the threat of new tests, scholastic
aptitude tests (SATs).
B. SATs are being imported from the United States, where they have been in use for nearly a
hundred years. As a supplement to A-levels, the tests purport to give students from poor
backgrounds a better chance of entering university. SATs are intended to remove the huge social
class bias that exists in British universities. But, in fact, they are no more than an additional
barrier for students. The tests, which masquerade as IQ tests, are probably less diagnostic of
student potential than existing examinations, and, more seriously, are far from free of the bias
that their supporters pretend.
C. First of all, as for any other tests, students will be able to take classes to cram for SATs, which
again will advantage the better-off. At a recent conference of the Professional Association of
Teachers, it was declared that school exams and tests are biased towards middle-class children.
Further, the content of the tests in question is not based on sound scientific theory, merely on a
pool of Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs), set by a group of item writers.
D. The questions in SATs are tested on a representative sample of children. Those which correlate
with the school grades of the children are kept, and the rest discarded. This is highly
unsatisfactory. There is also evidence that in MCQ tests women are at a disadvantage, because
of the way they think, i.e. they can see a wider picture. And it is worth noting that MCQs are
only as good as the people who write them; so, unless the writers are highly trained, those who
are being tested are being judged against the narrow limitations of the item writers!
Other developments in testing
E. Globalisation has introduced greater flexibility into the workplace, but the educational system
has not been so quick off the mark. But there are signs that times are changing. Previously,
students took exams at the end of academic terms, or at fixed dates periodically throughout the
year. Now, language examinations like the TOEFL, IELTS and the Pitman ESOL exams can be
taken much more frequently. The IELTS examination, for example, is run at test centres
throughout the world subject to demand. Where the demand is high, the test is held more
frequently. At present, in London, it is possible for students to sit the exam about four times per
week.
F. Flexible assessment like the IELTS has been mooted in other areas. It has been suggested that
students may in future be able to walk into a public library or other public building and take an
assessment test for a range of skills on a computer. The computer will dispense an instant
assessment and a certificate. The beauty of this system is the convenience.

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Practice test for High School Entrance Exam (gifted) 2017

G. The workplace has been at the forefront of developing in-house schemes to establish whether
people are suitable for particular jobs and/or careers. Psychological profiles and hand-writing
analysis as well as aptitude tests are now part of the armory of the corporate personnel officer;
an interview and a curriculum vitae no longer suffice. But, as in the education field, there are
dangers here. Testing appears to confirm the notion that certain people and predestined to enter
particular careers. All of us have heard someone say: he/she is a born actor, a born teacher, and
so on. The recent work on the human genome and the research in genetics adds further credence
to this notion.
H. How long before psychological profiling is introduced into schools to determine a childs
future? With the aid of psychometric tests, children may soon be helped to make more informed
choices about the subjects they choose to study at secondary school, and then university. But
people with still be pointed in the wrong direction. In many cases, the result will conflict with
the persons own desires, mainly because he/she filled in the test wrongly, or the test did not
pick up an essential piece of information. Unless the assessors are highly trained experts, many
more people will find themselves mid-life in jobs that they did not really want to do.
I. Whilst testing achievement is essential and indeed inevitable, it needs to be treated with caution.
Tests are, after all, only tools not an end in themselves.
Question 1-8
The Reading Passage has 9 paragraphs (A-I). Choose the most suitable heading for each paragraph
from the List of headings below. Write the appropriate numbers (i-xv) next to the right paragraphs
listed below. One of the headings has been done for you as an example. Note that you may use any
heading more than once.
1 Paragraph B 5 Paragraph F
2 Paragraph C 6 Paragraph G
3 Paragraph D 7 Paragraph H
4 Paragraph E 8 Paragraph I
Example: Paragraph A Answer: xiii
List of headings
i. Assessment in the future viii. Testing with caution
ii. The theory behind MCQs ix. Testing in the workplace
iii. Not enough testing x. Globalisation in testing
iv. Problems with SATs xi. The benefits of SATs
v. Misuse of testing in schools xii. The shortcoming of MCQs
vi. The need for computer assessment xiii. Too much testing
vii. The future of psychometric testing xiv. Flexibility in language testing
in schools
Question 9-13
Answer the questions below. Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each
answer.
9. What according to the writer has the present vogue for testing turned into?
10. Where do scholastic aptitude tests come from?
11. Who does the writer think SATs will benefit?
12. What is it that makes flexible assessment by computer attractive?
13. What has been at the forefront of developing testing schemes?
Question 14-15
Do the statements below agree with the information in Reading Passage?

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Practice test for High School Entrance Exam (gifted) 2017

Write:
Yes if the statement agrees with the information in the passage
No if the statement contradicts the information in the passage
Not Given if there is no information about the statement in the passage
Example: In the fields of education and work the prevailing wisdom seems to be to test everything.
Answer: Yes.
14. Research in genetics refutes the theory that people are predestined to follow certain careers.
15. Psychometric testing is favoured by headmasters and mistresses in many secondary schools.

b. Read the following passage and choose the correct answer to each of the questions
What we today call American folk art was, indeed, art of, by, and for ordinary, everyday "folks"
who, with increasing prosperity and leisure, created a market for art of all kinds, and especially for
portraits. Citizens of prosperous, essentially middle-class republics whether ancient Romans,
seventeenth-century Dutch burghers, or nineteenth-century Americans have always shown a marked
taste for portraiture. Starting in the late eighteenth century, the United States contained increasing
numbers of such people, and of the artists who could meet their demands.
The earliest American folk art portraits come, not surprisingly, from New England especially
Connecticut and Massachusetts - for this was a wealthy and populous region and the center of a strong
craft tradition. Within a few decades after the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the
population was pushing westward, and portrait painters could be found at work in western New York,
Ohio, Kentucky, Illinois, and Missouri. Midway through its first century as a nation, the United States'
population had increased roughly five times, and eleven new states had been added to the original
thirteen. During these years the demand for portraits grew and grew, eventually to be satisfied by the
camera. In 1839 the daguerreotype was introduced to America, ushering in the age of photography, and
within a generation the new invention put an end to the popularity of painted portraits. Once again an
original portrait became a luxury, commissioned by the wealthy and executed by the professional.
But in the heyday of portrait painting from the late eighteenth century until the 1850's
anyone with a modicum of artistic ability could become a limner, as such a portraitist was called. Local
craftspeople - sign, coach, and house painters began to paint portraits as a profitable sideline;
sometimes a talented man or woman who began by sketching family members gained a local reputation
and was besieged with requests for portraits; artists found it worth their while to pack their paints,
canvases, and brushes and to travel the countryside, often combining house decorating with portrait
painting.
1. In paragraph 1, the author mentions seventeenth-century Dutch burghers as an example of a group
that _______.
A. consisted mainly of self-taught artists B. appreciated portraits
C. influenced American folk art D. had little time for the arts
2. The word marked in line 4 is closest in meaning to _______.
A. pronounced B. fortunate C. understandable D. mysterious
3. According to the passage, where were many of the first American folk art portraits painted?
A. In western New York B. In Illinois and Missouri
C. In Connecticut and Massachusetts D. In Ohio
4. The word this in line 7 refers to _______.
A. a strong craft tradition B. American folk art
C. New England D. western New York

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Practice test for High School Entrance Exam (gifted) 2017

5. How much did the population of the United Stats increase in the first fifty years following
independence?
A. It became three times larges B. It became five times larger
C. It became eleven times larger D. It became thirteen times larger
6. The phrase ushering in in line 14 is closest meaning to _______.
A. beginning B. demanding C. publishing D. increasing
7. The relationship between the daguerreotype and the painted portrait is similar to the relationship
between the automobile and the _______.
A. highway B. driver C. horse-drawn carriage D. engine
8. According to the passage, which of the following contributed to a decline in the demand for painted
portraits?
A. The lack of a strong craft tradition
B. The westward migration of many painters
C. The growing preference for landscape paintings
D. The invention of the camera
9. The author implies that most limners _______.
A. received instruction from traveling teachers B. were women
C. were from wealthy families D. had no formal art training
10. The phrase worth their while in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to _______.
A. essential B. educational C. profitable D. pleasurable

IV. WRITING (2,5 pts)

a. Rewrite the sentences using the given forms so that they retain their original meaning.
1. I need someone to take my place at the ceremony. (in)
I need someone to .................................................................................................... at the ceremony.
2. Terry has just insured her life. (out)
Terry has just .................................................................................................... life insurance policy.
3. Brian takes off the French teacher really well. (does)
Brian .................................................................................................................... the French teacher.
4. I wonder why Grant quit his job. (prompted)
I wonder ...............................................................................................................................................
5. We need business to improve soon or we wont survive this year. (pick)
If ............................................................................................................ , we wont survive this year.
6. I passed the exam, but only just! (scrape)
I managed ............................................................................................................................ the exam.
7. That man over there lost his temper in the public meeting. (handle)
Thats ................................................................................................................ in the public meeting.
8. Because there was a late frost, much of the fruit crop was spoiled.
A frost, ................................................................................................................................................
9. We have a six oclock deadline for this work.
This work ............................................................................................................................................
10. The youth club urged the government to create more jobs.
The youth club urged ..........................................................................................................................
b. Write an essay of at least 250 words on the following topic:
If you could make one important change in a school that you attended (your junior secondary
school), what change would you make? Use reasons and specific examples to support your answer.

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