FCE Reading and Use of English Practice Test 4 Printable

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Answer Keys

Part 1
1.
1. B – residences. A residence is a place where one ‘resides’, or lives. A venue is
a place where something happens, i. e. a a stadium is a good venue for a
music festival. The other two words do not fit the context.
2. D – whenever. At or in any place. If the Queen lives there, then the flag
marks her residence.
3. B – public. ‘Open to the public’ is a set phrase that means that it accepts
visitors, just like an exhibition or a museum would.
4. D – displayed. This verb is the most commonly used when talking about
showing various exhibits, such as paintings, sculptures or other forms of
visual art.
5. B – intended. ‘Intended’ here means planned, designed for.
6. D – appearance. Visually, the rooms are almost unchanged.
7. C – income. Income is a general term that is used here for money, coming
from various sources. In this cases – the visiting public.
8. C – damaged. The only word that collocates with the adverb ‘badly’.

Part 2
9. still. The conjunction ‘while’ hints at an adverb of time.
10. myself. The beginning of the next paragraph is the key – the author is telling
us about himself.
11. not. The contrast suggested by ‘but’ further in the sentence suggests that we
need a conjunction – ‘not very successful, but…‘.
12. take. ‘Take care’ a common phrase meaning ‘to address one’s needs’.
13. died. The next sentence ‘So I have no family’ explains what happened to his
sister.

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14. something. He was looking for inspiration, for a thing to draw. ‘Anything’
shouldn’t be used here as it is mostly found in negative and interrogative
sentences (i. e. questions).
15. though/when. Although the meaning changes depending on the choice,
both words are acceptable
16. draw/work/sketch. For the sake of avoiding repetition I wouldn’t
recommend using ‘work’. Of course, it isn’t going to affect your mark.

Part 3
17. observant. Observant is attentive, good at seeing or noticing things and
details. ‘Observing’ is wrong as it means ‘watching, looking’ and doesn’t have
the required meaning.
18. irrefutable. Irrefutable means ‘impossible to argue with, true’. Note the
indefinite article ‘an’ before the gaps that indicates that the word should start
with a vowel sound. Mind the spelling.
19. decoration. Decoration here is used in the meaning of something visual,
having no function or practical usage.
20. foolish. An adjective meaning unwise, not smart.
21. necessarily. Make sure to get the spelling right or you won’t get the point.
One ‘c’, double ‘s’.
22. flashy. Noun to adjective transformation, flashy means bright, catching
attention.
23. appreciative. Note the preposition ‘of’. To be appreciative of something or
someone is to be grateful for it and acknowledging its importance.
24. adaptable. Adaptable is being ready and able to change according to the
situation.

Part 4
25. haven’t heard from. Present perfect is needed here to indicate that the
speaker still hasn’t got in touch with their friends.
26. looked up to. ‘To look up to someone’ means to respect someone, to hold
someone in high regard.
27. in the mood to. ‘To be in the mood for something/to do something’ is to feel
like doing something, to want to do something
28. didn’t deserve to be. Positive into negative change.
29. too expensive for him to. It is important to include ‘for him’, as it is he who
couldn’t afford the car. You have to be specific and keep the meaning of the
original sentence unchanged, otherwise you lose one of two points.
30. the exception of Joy. ‘With the exception of someone’.

Part 5

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31. C. ‘Stride’ means a long step, taken when running or walking fast.
32. A. Paragraph Two: ‘He was taken into a long, bare room…’; “Nobody much here
yet,” said Mr. Watson.
33. A. The headmaster glared amicably at the two children, filling them with fear
by the roar of his voice
34. B. A tormentor is something or someone that causes great pain or distress to
you. Venning caused a lot of discomfort to Carey with his questions and
aggression.
35. C. At the end of the paragraph with the underlined word: ‘he felt they were
looking at his feet. He grew hot and uncomfortable.’. Later it was mentioned
how he tried to instinctively hide his club foot. It is clear that he is
uncomfortable with others seeing it and grows embarrassed when they do.
36. B. Last paragraph: ‘… he felt he had asked an unseemly question’. Unseemly
means ‘socially impolite or unacceptable’. However, we shouldn’t choose
Answer C: ‘They are polite and sympathetic’, as nothing referring to sympathy
is stated in the text.

Part 6
37. B. The sentence explains what a static line is and how it works. Both
sentences next to the gap are related to this system that is often used for
newcomers’ first jumps.
38. G. This sentence provides a contrast with the sentences that follow it, in
which author’s memory seems to be missing some details about the
experience.
39. D. Sentences after the gap describe the gradual increase in altitude and the
time of free-falling that it allowed.
40. C. ‘That mistake’ refers to deploying the canopy at speed that is too high. In
order to reduce the speed of free-fall the skydiver has to assume a ‘stable
position’.
41. F. The sentence that fills the gap introduced the problem the author faced
had faced.
42. E. ‘right at sunset’ helps to connect this sentence with the paragraph, which
mentions that the fall took place in ‘an orange-red glow of the most amazing
sunset’

Part 7
43. C. To get the computer I had to attend regular meetings with an advisor, which I
hated at first, but eventually I learned to recognise my strengths and be realistic
about my weaknesses;
44. B. I always considered myself fit; I mean, I go to the gym two or three times a
week. But as soon as we set out I realised I was quite out of my depth;

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 45. A. I’m sure if I had to I would just deal with it, although it would be a challenge.
But I’ve never had to live alone.
46. B. The most challenging thing I’ve ever done, by far, was trekking in the
Himalayas. It was something I’d always dreamed of doing and I was incredibly
fortunate to have the opportunity to join a trek for charity. – Taking part in a
charity is the ‘helping others’ parts.
47. A. Luckily my husband has no problem with spiders, and is tolerant of my phobia!
48. C. I was just so terrified that I would fail.
49. D. It was all very fast; there was no time to think. The feeling was exhilarating, to
be honest.
50. D. I had read that it was possible to get over phobias by exposure, so I put myself
into difficult situations on purpose.
51. C. To get the computer I had to attend regular meetings with an advisor…
52. D. I was going to try bungee jumping. I got a trusted friend to go with me; to make
sure I didn’t change my mind.

Vocabulary
The vocabulary below is meant to help you with the more difficult words. If the word isn’t
on the list then you are either supposed to know it or it is too specific to be worth
learning and you don’t have to know it to answer the question. Symbols in brackets
mean part of speech(see bottom of the list). Sentences in italics give examples of usage
for some more complex words and phrases.

And remember — you are not given a vocabulary list (or a dictionary) at your real
exam.

Part 1
Extensively (adv) — covering large area. The school premises are extensively used for all
kinds of events held by its students.
Commitment (n) — a promise or arrangement. As a teacher you should make a
commitment to stay with the school for the rest of the academic year.
Successive (adj) — happening one after another. The team has an amazing record of
twelve successive wins.
Sovereign (n) – a king or queen. As the sovereign of the state, you have the ultimate power.
Inevitably (adv) – happening no matter one, unavoidably. He didn’t revise the paper for
the exam and as a result he inevitably failed.
Admission fee (n) – a payment that is made in order to be allowed inside (a museum, an
exhibition, a bar and so on). Before entering you are expected to pay an admission fee of
$10 per head.

Part 3
Cope with (v) — to deal with a difficult situation successfully. We finally managed to cope
with our financial problems

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Part 5
Limp (v) — walk slowly and with difficulty because of a hurt or damaged leg. I got injured
playing football and had to limp away from the field.
Shift (for) (v) — to earn money, cook food, pay bills yourself. Lucy had to shift for herself
since she was 18.
Disconsolately (adv) — in a depressed, very sad way. Having failed his exams, he walked
around campus disconsolately.
Bully (v) — to harass, hurt or frighten someone. If you are bullied at school it might be a
good idea to approach your headmaster with this issue.
Glare (v) — look at someone angrily or unfriendly. I asked about her age and got nothing
but a sudden glare.
Guffaw (n) — a loud laughter, caused by somebody’s mistake or silly phrase. I asked
about our school’s uniform and only got a guffaw out of them. As it turned out, I was the only
one wearing it.
Facetiousness (n) — act of joking at an inappropriate moment. His facetiousness is almost
cynical – last time he decided to tell a horrible joke in the middle of a funeral!
Indignant (adj) — angry at something because it is wrong, unfair or unjust. I grew
indignant looking at senior students picking on a freshman.
Crow (v) — make happy sounds. The children crowed at the playground.
Club foot (n) — a foot that is badly twisted from birth. He’s always been into football but
never played it because of his club foot.
Shin (n) — front part of leg between knee and ankle. Make sure to wear leg protection to
avoid injuring your shins.
Gasp (v) — take a short quick breat of air through your mouth, especially when you are
shocked, frightened or hurt. He let out a short gasp after getting punched in his stomach.
Black eye (n) — a bruise under and around your eye, usually got as a result of a punch.
Just give him a black eye, nothing more, don’t hurt him too much.
Willingly (adv) — if you do something willingly, you do because you want it, not because
you’re asked or told to do it. I can’t imagine a person who would willingly join their team.
Unseemly (adv) — socially impolite or unacceptable. Your unseemly behaviour attracted a
lot of bad attention.

Part 6
Addictive (adj) — if something is addictive, you want to keep doing or taking it, often in
increased amounts. Smoking and drinking alcohol are extremely addictive.
Mandate (v) — allow, give official permission. As a representative of your class, you are
mandated to use the office as you want as long as it benefits the class and its students.
Recall (v) — bring back from memory, remember. I can’t recall meeting you before, do we
know each other?
Canopy (n) — (of a parachute) a circular piece of special cloth that is the main part of a
parachute . I had my canopy painted in bright colours so I could be easily seen from below.
Ceaselessly (adv) — endlessly, without stopping. After she had found about her cat she
cried ceaselessly for almost an hour.
Subsequent (adj) — following something else. I spend the subsequent days studying for my
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exams.
Recollection (n) — memory of something. He had no recollection of seeing me at the party
last night.
Accustomed (adj) — used to something, having a habit of doing something. As a person
not accustomed to cold climate, I found winters in Norway to be a bit rough.
Tumble (v) — fall quickly and uncontrollably. I slipped on one of the steps and tumbled
down the stairs.
Velocity (n) — speed at which something or someone is travelling. Bullets can travel at a
velocity of several hundred meters a second.
Disentangle (v) — to separate things or objects that became joined. I had to disentangle
my earpod wires.
Drink in (v) — to feel fully, to pay a lot of attention and to enjoy something. I was drinking
in the atmosphere of the nightclub when I saw Jane.
Utter (v) — to make a sound, to say or pronounce something. Judging by her lips she
uttered something, but I couldn’t make it out because of the loud music.
Release pin (n) — a small thin piece of metal one has to pull in order to release or
activate some mechanism. In order to deploy the canopy you have to pull the release pin.

Part 7
Overcome (v) — deal with a problem. At first it can be hard to overcome your fear of
heights, but the more you try, the easier it gets.
Confront (v) — face or meet your enemy, fear, problem. You won’t defeat your fear until
you make an effort to confront it.
Tolerant (adj) — accepting and understanding different viewpoints and opinions. I was
surprised to learn that my father is a tolerant, broad-minded person.
Trek (v) — to walk over long distances through terrain such as forests, hills or
mountains. You could join us – we plan to trek for the rest of the week, but make sure are
able to keep up!
Charity (n) — act of raising money for a good cause such as helping the homeless or
orphanages. Rich people often take part in charity events to improve their public image.
Out of one’s depth— be in a situation that is too difficult for them to deal with. As soon
as I had started running my own business I realised I was out of my depth – it takes too much
energy, effort and mental strength.
Exhausted (adj) — with no physical or mental force left, extremely tired. We had spent
the whole day cycling in the mountains and by evening I was exhausted.
By merit of — thanks to, owing to. Jonathan was promoted to senior manager by merit of
his strong work ethic.
Dyslexic (adj) — a dyslexic person finds it difficult to read or write properly. The kids were
laughing at Johnny because he was dyslexic and couldn’t spell or read as well as them.
Beneath (prep) — below or under. Beneath the frozen surface of the lake we could see
something black.
Nauseous (adj) — feeling unwell, sick, about to throw up. I don’t think I should have eaten
that taco – I feel nauseous now.
Exposure (n) — being affected by something. Exposure to foreign speech can help you

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learn the language.
Lead (n) — heavy metal that is often used to make protection against radiation. A lead
pipe was lying in the corner.
Exhilarating (n) — exciting or happy. This is exhilarating news – we can finally have some
rest after working for ten hours.

n — noun; v — verb; phr v — phrasal verb; adj — adjective; adv — adverb

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