R&UoE 1 - Multiple choice

Task information

In this part of the test, you have to select between A, B, C, or D. These words are always the same kind of word (e.g. nouns). In here they are testing your vocabulary, but also your knowledge of collocations, prepositions, and phrases.

To start practicing the collocations, solve the following exercises:

2. Note down as many nouns as you can that often go with each of these verbs.

beat
catch
earn
hold
keep
lose
miss
pass
play
save
spend
win

Your teacher will share a jamboard with you where you can write as many collocations as possible.

3. Change the following verbs in bold with a suitable verb on your notebook.

I have to make shopping for the week.
My son earned a prize at school.
On holidays I’ll hang time with my family.
I hate to lose classes when there is no internet.
I will pass a good time during the party.
Catch a taxi to arrive home early.
My team won the team of my brother.
EU makes business with many countries.
Internet now takes a large part in society.
Can you have an eye on my son for a moment?

Answers

make → go
earned → won
hang → spend
lose → miss, skip
pass → have
catch → take
won → beat, defeated
makes → does
takes → plays
have → keep

4. Collocations: Three of the words in each set collocate with the given verb; one does not. Which are the three correct collocations?

give permission / someone a favour / a presentation / someone a hand
lay claim to / the blame on / the table / an excuse
make a mistake / plans / a noise / your best
pay attention / a ticket / tribute to / a compliment
run an exercise / a business / a race / a campaign
shoot a film / past someone / an arrow / a camera
stand a possibility / a chance / trial / for parliament
take care / measurements / a promise / the train

Answers

someone a favour (do someone a favour)
an excuse (give/make an excuse)
your best (do your best)
a ticket (for a ticket)
an exercise (do an exercise)
a camera (use a camera)
a possibility (there is a possibility, stand a chance)
a promise (make a promise)

5. Now choose one of the collocations from Exercise 4 to complete each sentence. You can use more that one word.

It isn't fair that they ______ you for other people's mistakes.
It says in the papers that four men are to ______ next month for that robbery at our local bank.
Paul crept in at about 2 am trying his best not to ______ and wake his parents.
I've got to ______ about my research at a seminar next week.
The engineer ______ very careful ______ before he cut the metal panel.
We've chosen a new advertising agency to ______ for our latest range of products.
The Minister made a speech to ______ the soldiers who had fought for their country.
I was winning the race until the very end when Jo ______ me.

Answers

lay the blame on
stand trial
make a noise
give a presentation
took; measurements
run a campaign
pay tribute to
shot past

6. Match

Multiple Choice exercise also relies on your knowledge of preposition collocations. Train with the following exercises.

Now, solve the following exercises that use preposition collocations.

Tip! Before reading the options, try guessing which word would be better for the sentence. Then read the options and choose the one that is similar.

Preposition collocationsChoose the correct word, A, B, C or D.

FCE exam practice

Action plan

Look at the title and the example to Brainstorm vocabulary.
Without filling in any gaps, quickly read the text to get an idea of what it’s about.
For each gap, decide what kind of word (e.g. nouns, adverbs) the four options are.
Study the words either side of the gap, underlining any possible collocations.
Solve the exercise as if it were Open Cloze. That way you won't be confused with the options.
Now, read the options and try each answer in the gap, checking whether it fits grammatically.
Check that the word you choose fits the overall meaning of the sentence.
Read through the completed sentence, checking that everything makes sense.
Minutes to finish it: Limit-8⌚. Good-6⌚. Awesome!-4⌚. Perfection-3⌚.

Answers

D: only ‘along’ and ‘beyond’ can be used directly before a noun phrase, and ‘beyond’ has the correct meaning of ‘outside’ or ‘on the other side of’.
B: ‘known as’ means ‘called by that name’, in this case, ‘space junk’.
D: ‘range’ completes the structure ‘from...to...’.
A: ‘high’ completes the common collocation ‘high speed’.
C: both ‘supposed’ and ‘estimated’ can be followed by the perfect infinitive, but ‘supposed to’ is for something that should have happened but did not.
B: none of the others collocate with ‘increased’.
B: the only one of these verbs that collocates with ‘agreement’ and ‘on’ is ‘reached’.
C: only ‘come up with’ collocates with ‘suggestion’.

CAE exam practice

Three theories about sleep

People spend about one-third of their lives asleep. It seems certain, therefore, that sleep has a vital function. However, what that function might be is still in (1) ______. Scientists are far from being in agreement about (2) ______ why so much of our precious time is given over to sleep.

There seem to be three main theories. The most popular states that the functions and (3) ______ of sleep are primarily physiological. It claims that we sleep in order to (4) ______ the health of our body. In other words, biological processes work hard as we sleep to repair any damage done during the day and to restore ourselves to (5) ______ efficiency. However, a second theory places more emphasis on the learning benefits of sleep. This theory holds that sleep allows us to process the information that we (6) ______ during the day, and asserts that, without sleep, learning would not take place. A third popular theory is (7) ______ on ideas about energy, saying that we need (8) ______ of sleep in order to, in a sense, recharge our batteries and so have an adequate supply of energy for the coming day.

A discussion B dispute C argument D debate
A correctly B absolutely C actually D precisely
A purposes B targets C intentions D points
A take B maintain C stay D keep
A strong B utter C full D entire
A achieve B complete C reach D acquire
A rooted B supported C based D developed
A periods B eras C moments D episodes

Answers

B: People can be 'in discussion', but a topic is 'under debate' or 'a source of argument'.
D: Precisely' collocates with 'why' in a way that none of the other adverbs does.
A: 'Functions' and 'purposes' are often used together when describing a particular phenomenon in science or society.
B: 'Maintain' collocates with 'health' and other adjectives such as 'warmth' or 'tidiness' with the meaning of preserving in that condition.
C: 'Full' collocates with words like 'efficiency', 'power' or 'impact' to give the idea of 'total' or 'complete'.
D: The other words do not fit the meaning here - you 'acquire information' through reading or talking to other people, you 'achieve' or 'reach' a goal of some sort, and you 'complete' a task of some kind.
C: Only 'based' is followed by 'on '.
A: 'Moments' is too short and 'eras' too long a period of time to fit here, while 'episodes' is used about usually negative events in a series, e.g. 'episodes of madness/fainting/violence'.

CPE exam practice

Soap Operas

It is surely beyond dispute that soap opera is the most consistently popular type of television programme in the world. It has succeeded in (1) ______ the imagination of millions since it first (2) ______ as a genre back in the 1930s. The word ‛soap’ alludes to the role originally played by detergent manufacturers, who promoted their products during commercial breaks. Soap operas have been (3) ______ as mindless entertainment, with viewers only (4) ______ to these programmes in order to escape from reality.

Soaps are often set in friendly, tightly-knit neighbourhoods, evoking nostalgic feelings in some viewers, since such communities may no longer exist in many areas. The subject matter of soaps also (5) ______ great appeal for viewers since the stories (6) ______ focus on domestic problems they may have experienced themselves.

There has been a significant shift in attitudes with many soaps now (7) ______ moral and social issues. The characters and situations (8) ______ are complex and ambiguous, providing much food for thought and no easy answers.

A commanding B capturing C carrying D conquering
A originated B emerged C established D inaugurated
A disregarded B deplored C disapproved D dismissed
A resorting B applying C resigning D adopting
A catches B holds C bears D brings
A permanently B uniformly C perpetually D invariably
A enquiring B addressing C commenting D interpreting
A symbolized B illustrated C depicted D represented

Answers

Online exercises

Takeaway questions (don't look back at your notes)

What is a collocation?
Which topics you may be asked in this part?
How much time do we have to finish the Use of English exercises?

👽

Answers

It's a chunk of language. Words that naturally go together.
Phrasal verbs, vocabulary use.
8 min tops

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R&UoE 1 - Multiple choice

Task information

To start practicing the collocations, solve the following exercises:

2. Note down as many nouns as you can that often go with each of these verbs.

3. Change the following verbs in bold with a suitable verb on your notebook.

Answers

4. Collocations: Three of the words in each set collocate with the given verb; one does not. Which are the three correct collocations?

Answers

5. Now choose one of the collocations from Exercise 4 to complete each sentence. You can use more that one word.

Answers

6. Match

Tip! Before reading the options, try guessing which word would be better for the sentence. Then read the options and choose the one that is similar.

FCE exam practice

Answers

CAE exam practice

Answers

CPE exam practice

Answers

Online exercises

Takeaway questions (don't look back at your notes)

Answers