 VMac Placement Test – Intensive Course Page 1 of 7 PLACEMENT TEST    Duration: 120 minutes This test has five sections and comprises seven printed pages. Section I – PHONETICS A. Choose the word whose underlined part is pronounced differently from the other three. (5 pts) 1 A. girl B. hurt C. murder D. heart 2 A. pain B. shade C. letter D. tail 3 A. frank B. bandage C. sing D. bank 4 A. instinct B. describe C. cosmic D. display 5 A. plays B. says C. days D. lays B. Choose the word whose stress pattern is different from that of the other three. (5pts) 6 A. excellent B. hospital C. interesting D. direction 7 A. international B. industry C. slavery D. moisture 8 A. bouquet B. cathedral C. luxurious D. preface 9 A. insurance B. integral C. melancholy D. prejudice 10 A. aborigine B. agriculture C. theatergoer D. memorable Section II – VOCABULARY A. Choose the best option to complete each sentence. (10 pts) 11 Are you coming on the ………………… to Cairo today? A. excursion B. exploration C. mission D. taste 12 If they are not careful with their accounts, the firm will go ………………… A. broken B. poor C. penniless D. bankrupt 13 The richest man is a ………………… if he has no friends. A. misfortune B. happier C. pauper D. street walker 14 Can you lend me your …………………? I want to play golf this afternoon. A. bats B. sticks C. clubs D. rackets 15 We don’t know who wrote the letter. It’s ………………… A. nameless B. not signed C. anonymous D. signed 16 The new work of Japanese scientists on AIDS has been ………………… as a major breakthrough. A. called B. saluted C. hailed D. greeted 17 In order to buy his house he had to obtain a large ………………… from his bank. A. loan B. finance C. capital D. debt 18 He earns his living by ………………… old paintings. A. reviving B. restoring C. reforming D. replenishing  VMac Placement Test – Intensive Course Page 2 of 7 19 The children’s bad behaviour in class ………………… their teacher beyond. A. disturbed B. exasperated C. distracted D. aroused 20 Paradoxically, this successful entrepreneur is sometimes ………… and at other times reclusive. A. autonomous B. dispassionate C. solitary D. gregarious B. Choose the word/phrase that has the same meaning as the underlined word/phrase. (10 pts) 21 Phosphorus is used in paints for highway signs and markers because it is bright at night. A. luminous B. harmless C. adequate D. attractive 22 A blizzard is a severe winter storm, which occurs in North America. A. chronic B. strict C. painful D. harsh 23 Many people who want warm coats can buy fake furs. A. costly B. soft C. heavy D. imitation 24 Influenza is an acute disease of the respiratory tract. A. a sharp B. an important C. a cutting D. a severe 25 The tops of a submerged mountain chain from the islands of Japan. A. a huge B. a spacious C. an underwater D. a rocky 26 A dog’s sense of smell is keener than that of a human being. A. more interesting B. more acute C. more appropriate D. more useful 27 Cowbirds will lay eggs in the nest of other birds if those nests are left unattended. A. disorganized B. unguarded C. incomplete D. unwanted 28 Clouds float in the troposphere, the bottom layer of the Earth’s atmosphere. A. drift along B. condense C. bunch together D. proliferate 29 Brass, an alloy of copper and zinc, is often used in decorative metal–work. A. a blend B. an example C. a copy D. a pattern 30 South Carolina’s mineral resources are abundant, but not all of them can be lucratively mined. A. profitably B. safely C. easily D. extensively C. Supply the correct form of the words in parentheses. (10 pts) 31 Since ………………………. has been so poor the class is being closed. (ATTEND) 32 There are many few ………………………. zones in this city. (INDUSTRY) 33 You survived the air crash. It’s a ………………………. (MIRACULOUS) 34 We should reduce ………………………. in the area. (POOR) 35 ………………………. might have proved that the suspect was at the scene of the crime. (FINGER) 36 Water ………………………. when it is boiled. (VAPOUR) 37 The wind, bees and butterflies are the agents of ………………………. (POLLEN) 38 Their ………………………. has spoilt their son, to a certain extent. (PERMIT) 39 Dolphins, ………………………. species, sometimes jump above the surface of the water. (MAMMAL) 40 He is a bad manager in that factory and everyone is in an attempt to ………………………. him. (FAME)  VMac Placement Test – Intensive Course Page 3 of 7 Section III – GRAMMAR A. Choose the best option to complete each sentence. (10 pts) 41 In some countries, people make rye bread, which is darker than bread ………………… wheat. A. made of B. makes from C. made from D. is made of 42 – “It starts raining outside.” – “Oh, ………………!” A. so it is B. so does it C. so it does D. it does so 43 Jane agreed to assume Helen’s duties in the office while the ………………… went shopping. A. late B. latter C. later D. last 44 He is said to be the ………………… A. the wealthiest man alive B. the alive wealthiest man C. the man wealthiest alive D. the wealthiest alive man 45 Jane is ………………… of a musician. A. anybody B. anyone C. somebody D. something 46 They damaged our car. But we decide to let sleeping ………………… lie and not take them to court. A. cats B. babies C. tigers D. dogs 47 It’s no use crying over spilt ………………… A. blood B. milk C. wine D. water 48 He is always saying things that as old as the ………………… A. Earth B. mountains C. hills D. river 49 At least you don’t need to think about losing weight! You’re as thin as a …………………! A. rake B. tree C. skeleton D. bone 50 I can’t identify the twin. They are as like as two ………………… in a pod. A. chilies B. peas C. vanilla D. beans B. Choose the underlined word or phrase that needs correcting in each sentence. (5 pts) 51 I found my new contact lenses strange at first, but I got used to them at the end. A. strange B. first C. got used D. at the end 52 Before printing presses were invented, only rich people like kings and dukes could afford buying books. A. presses B. only C. like D. buying books 53 The mountain sheep is known for its incredible agility, timid, and ability to withstand severe cold. A. is known for B. incredible C. timid D. to withstand 54 Most ships move through the Suez Canal with their own power, but large ships must be assisted by a tugboat. A. move B. with C. their own D. must be 55 In US, industries that generate hazardous wastes want to dispose of them as cheaply as possible. A. In US B. that C. of D. cheaply C. Complete each of the following sentences with a suitable preposition or particle. (5 pts) 56 I’ll never find ………………… the name of that hotel we stayed in. 57 Don’t leave that meat there too long, it’ll go ………………… 58 I can’t believe how much John takes ………………… his father. They look and act exactly the same. 59 Look! I’m sorry to butt ………………… but I think I can help. 60 The management has decided to lay ………………… 50 employees.  VMac Placement Test – Intensive Course Page 4 of 7 Section IV – READING COMPREHENSION A. Read the following passages and answer the questions that follow. (10 pts)  FIRST PASSAGE QUESTION 61 TO 65 The search for alternative sources of energy has led in various directions. Many communities are burning garbage and other biological waste products to produce electricity. Converting waste products to gases or oil is also an efficient way to dispose of waste. Experimental work is being done to derive synthetic fuels from coal, oil shale and coal tars. But to date, that process has proven expensive. Other experiments are underway to harness power with giant windmills. Geothermal power, heat from the earth, is also being tested. Some experts expect utility companies to revive hydroelectric power derived from streams and rivers. Fifty years ago hydroelectric power provided one third of the electricity used in the United States, but today it supplies only four percent. The oceans are another potential source of energy. Scientists are studying ways to convert the energy of ocean currents, tides and waves to electricity. Experiments are also underway to make use of temperature differences in ocean water to produce energy. 61 Which is the best title for the passage? A. The Use of Water Products for Energy. B. The Search for Alternative Sources of Energy. C. Efficient Ways of Disposing of Waste. D. New Discoveries in Geothermal Power. 62 Fifty years ago one third of the electricity in the United States was provided by ……………… A. wind B. waste products C. water D. oil 63 In the second paragraph, the phrase “synthetic fuels” could best be replaced by which of the following: A. Biological fuels B. Low burning fuels C. Fast burning fuels D. Artificially made fuels 64 Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as an alternative source of energy? A. Burning of garbage B. Geothermal power C. Synthetic fuels D. Electricity 65 According to the author, the impracticability of using coal, oil shale and coal tars as sources of energy is due to ……………… A. their being time consuming B. their being money consuming C. the scarcity of sources D. the lack of technology  VMac Placement Test – Intensive Course Page 5 of 7  SECOND PASSAGE QUESTION 66 TO 70 A. The lane was very, very old. The hedges were so high that in summer they would form a tunnel of green. Earthworks stood at the summit of the hill above the cottage. Here the people of earlier times had lived and died, worked their magic and honoured their dead, until later invaders had arrived, and driven them out, and lived off a past that was none of their own. B. Much of what is not empty was not always so bare. The mountains were covered in trees at one time, but climatic change and the felling of timber for smelting iron means that there are no trees there now. The many ruined farms, and the stone walls which are built over the hills in all except the bleakest places, remind us that this is not quite untreated nature. C. The mountains are older than anything else in the world. No water has ever covered them, and the sun, who has watched them for countless ages, may still discern in their outlines forms that were his before our globe was torn from his bosom. They are sinking beneath the newer lands. Their main mass is untouched, but at the edge their outposts have been cut off and stand knee- deep, throat-deep, in the advancing soil. They are like nothing else in the world, and a glimpse of them makes the breath catch. D. There is a level surface of limestone. This is quite bare and divided into curly-edged but squarish blocks, called clints, separated by deep ditches known as dykes. This is the result of rainwater dissolving the stone along regular lines of weakness in its structure. 66 In which passage does the write describe the landscape through human imagery? A. B. C. D. 67 Which passage implies that change took place through human conflict? A. B. C. D. 68 How many of these passages describe social change? A. all of them B. two of them C. three of them D. none of them 69 What do we learn from passage C? A. Farmers are reclaiming the land around the mountains. B. The weight of the mountains is causing them to sink. C. The level of the land near the mountain is changing. D. The heat of the sun is drying up the land. 70 Which passage makes the greatest emotional impact? A. B. C. D.  VMac Placement Test – Intensive Course Page 6 of 7 B. Read the following passage and choose the options that best complete the blanks. (10 pts) Most people think of computers as very modern inventions, products of our new technological age. But actually the idea for a computer was (71)………… out over two centuries ago by a man (72)………… Charles Babbage. Babbage was born in 1791 and (73)………… up to be a brilliant mathematician. He drew up plans for several calculation machines (74)………… he called ‘engines’. But despite that fact that he (75)………… building some of these he never finished any of them. Over the years people have argued (76)………… his machines would ever work. Recently, however, the Science Museum in London has finished building (77)………… engine (78)………… on one of Babbage’s designs. It has taken six years to complete and more (79)………… for thousand parts have been specially made. Whether it works of not, the machine will be on show at a special exhibition in the Science Museum to (80)………… people of Babbage’s work. 71 A. turned B. thought C. invented D. worked 72 A. known B. recognized C. called D. written 73 A. developed B. grew C. brought D. expected 74 A. which B. who C. there D. whose 75 A. wanted B. made C. started D. missed 76 A. until B. whether C. while D. though 77 A. an B. the C. some D. that 78 A. depended B. based C. insisted D. influenced 79 A. than B. therefore C. when D. then 80 A. remind B. say C. inform D. encourage C. Read the following passage and fill in each blank with only ONE suitable word. (10 pts) Words are the main thing we use in communicating what we want to say. The (81)…………………. we say words is also important. Our tone of voice can (82)…………………. many emotions and show (83)…………………we are pleased or angry, for instance. Speech is a very important way of (84)…………………with other people. It’s necessary to speak a language to talk to and to understand other people. Learning a (85)…………………is very important. But you only have to know about 2,000 (86)…………………to speak it well. As well as talking with our voices we can also (87)…………………with our bodies. This may seem surprising at first, but if you watch 2 people having a (88)…………………you will see that it is true. People often move their (89)…………………to emphasize what they are saying and to show the person listening to them that they are saying (90)…………………important .  VMac Placement Test – Intensive Course Page 7 of 7 Section V – WRITING A. Rewrite the following sentences in such a way that their meanings remain unchanged. (5 pts) 91 Robert opened the drawer and took out a knife. → Opening ………………………………………………………………………………………………. 92 Although he had a good salary, he was unhappy in his job. → In spite of …………………………………………………………………………………………… 93 The teacher started to write the lesson plan right after he returned home. → Hardly ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 94 The hardware of that computer was infected with viruses. → That computer ………………………………………………………………………………………… 95 It would have been a superb weekend if the weather had been better. → But …………………………………………………………………………………………………… B. Use the word given to rewrite the following sentences in such a way that their meanings remain unchanged. You must not alter the word in any way. (5 pts) 96 I’d be grateful if you could have a look at these figures. CAST → …………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 97 His rude behaviour is too much for me. PUT → …………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 98 We are able to afford a holiday because I was promoted. RESULT → …………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 99 My neighbor assumes that he can use my lawnmower whenever he likes. GRANTED → …………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 100 You have said exactly the right thing. NAIL → ………………………………………………………………………………………………………….  THE END  .  VMac Placement Test – Intensive Course Page 1 of 7 PLACEMENT TEST    Duration: 120 minutes This test has five sections and comprises seven printed. heat of the sun is drying up the land. 70 Which passage makes the greatest emotional impact? A. B. C. D.  VMac Placement Test – Intensive Course Page 6 of 7 B. Read the following passage. manager in that factory and everyone is in an attempt to ………………………. him. (FAME)  VMac Placement Test – Intensive Course Page 3 of 7 Section III – GRAMMAR A. Choose the best option to