*Before you read, try to do this Use of English Part 1 test. Choose the correct word from the options below. The answers are at the bottom of the page, and there are explanations for the answers in this post.*
My boss called and 1____________ me about the business plan. She wants to 2___________ over that company because she sees it as a good investment. I don’t see the point in offering her advice. She never 3____________ to me. Once she has made up her 4____________ there's no point in trying to change it. She's very 5___________ in her ways and isn't open to new ideas. Despite that, I have a lot of faith in her and trust her 6____________.
1 a) spoke b) explained c) conversed d) told
2 a) go b) run c) buy d) take
3 a) hears b) takes c) obeys d) listens
4 a) choice b) mind c) brain d) decision
5 a) set b) stubborn c) fast d) held
6 a) extremely b) perfectly c) completely d) amazingly
In Part 1 of the Reading and Use of English test, you will be tested on:
- Vocabulary (differences in meaning)
- Dependent prepositions
- Phrasal verbs
- Fixed phrases and Idioms
- Collocations
Vocabulary
Typically, you will see a gap where all of the choices have very similar meanings. You may be tested on the different shades of meaning (for example, keep and save can be synonyms, but not all the time) or you may be tested on the way the word is used in the sentence (what comes before or after it).
For example:
My boss called and ____________ me about the business plan.
1 a) spoke b) explained c) conversed d) told
These four words have very similar or the same meaning, but only one of them is correct.
A) speak is wrong because it requires the dependent prepositions to, as in My boss called and spoke to me about the business plan.
B) explained is wrong because you need to use the word to when there is a direct object (me) and you don't use the word about, My boss called and explained the business plan (to me), or you take out the direct object and remove the word about, My boss called and explained the business plan.
C) conversed is wrong because the subject must be plural (we/they/the group conversed) and it doesn’t take an object, My boss called and we conversed about the business plan.
D) told is correct because it requires an object (me) and you can tell someone about something, My boss called and told me about business plan.
Dependent prepositions and phrasal verbs
(You can read all about phrasal verbs and dependent prepositions here). The correct option may depend on the preposition that comes after the gap. For example:
She wants to ___________ over that company because she sees it as a good investment.
2 a) go b) run c) buy d) take
A) go over means 'review something' and is wrong.
B) run over means 'hit something/someone with your car' and is wrong. You can, however, run a company, which means be in charge of the company.
C) buy over is not a phrasal verb.
D) take over means 'take control of', and is the correct answer.
I don’t see the point in offering her advice. She never _______________ to me.
3 a) hears b) takes c) obeys d) listens
A) hears does not take the word to, and is wrong.
B) takes to is a phrasal verb which means 'start to accept’, and is wrong.
C) obeys does not take to, and the meaning is wrong. You don’t obey advice, you obey an order/command.
D) listens must have the word to when there is an object, so to is a dependent preposition.
Fixed phrases and idioms
These are phrases that don't change and whose meaning may not have any relation to the words. For example, so to speak, rock and roll, black and white are fixed phrases. If you changed the order, it would sound really strange. Some examples of idioms are pull someone's leg (fool someone into believing something), get to the bottom of something (understand the cause of a problem), give a big hand to someone (applaud).
Once she has made up her _________ there's no point in trying to change it.
4 a) choice b) mind c) brain d) decision
A) make up a choice is not a fixed phrase and sounds odd. You can say make a choice but not make up a choice.
B) make up her mind is a fixed phrase and is the correct answer. To make up your mind means to make a decision.
C) make up her brain doesn't mean anything.
D) make up her decision is the same A, but you can say make a decision/choice.
She's very ____________ in her ways and isn't open to new ideas.
5 a) set b) stubborn c) fast d) held
A) set in her ways is correct. To be set in your ways is an idiom which means that you are very stubborn and refuse to do things any other way.
B) stubborn in her ways isn't an idiom.
C) fast in her ways isn't an idiom.
D) held in her ways isn't an idiom.
Collocations
Collocations are words that are friends (you can read more about collocations here). They are similar to fixed phrases but the words aren't separated by prepositions or other small grammatical words. For example, make sense is a collocation. It would be weird to say do sense, or take sense. Whereas put/place the blame on is a fixed phrase, made of a verb article noun preposition.
Despite that, I have a lot of faith in her and trust her ____________.
6 a) extremely b) perfectly c) completely d) amazingly
A) trust her extremely doesn't collocate.
B) trust her perfectly doesn't collocate and the meaning is a bit strange.
C) trust her completely collocates and is correct. You can completely trust someone or trust someone completely.
D) trust her amazingly doesn't collocate and the meaning is a bit strange.
Answers
1) D
2) D
3) D
4) B
5) A
6) C
My boss called and 1 told me about the business plan. She wants to 2 take over that company because she sees it as a good investment. I don’t see the point in offering her advice. She never 3 listens to me. Once she has made up her 4 mind there's no point in trying to change it. She's very 5 set in her ways and isn't open to new ideas. Despite that, I have a lot of faith in her and trust her 6 completely.
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