Vocabulary Exercises

Ex. 1. Explain the difference between

a) to sit an exam and to set an exam;

b) to take an exam and to pass an exam;

c) compulsory and voluntary;

d) to educate and to bring up;

e) a pupil and a student.

Ex. 2. Put the words in the box into the correct column below. Some words can go in more than one column.

do take sit study pass make follow

an exam a course a subject history

lessons homework a module revision

a test notes

Ex. 3. Read the following text and fill in the gaps using verbs from ex. 2. Try to use each verb at least once.

In secondary schools in England, students have to (1) … 10 different subjects until they are 16, and these must include English and maths. After that they specialize, and from age 16 to 18 they usually (2) … a maximum of four or five subjects. Sometimes timetabling problems in the school mean that not all the students are able to (3) … the course of their choice. In their final year they (4) … the final school exams, which are known as A-levels.

If students want to (5) … a particular subject at university, they must normally have (6) … the same subject, or a related one, at A-level. It’s very difficult to go to university unless you have (7) … your A-level exams with good grades. However, it is always possible to (8) … the exam again to get a better grade. Although in the majority of courses, students (9) … just one exam at the end of the course, many new courses involve modules where the student (10) … smaller tests and builds up credits. These are popular with students because they are less stressful.

Ex. 4. The following words are sometimes confused. Choose the best word for each sentence below.

1. The (format/formula) of examinations in the British educational system is changing.

2. He would have preferred to study more (practical/practicable) subjects at school.

3. This involves a process of (continuous/continual) assessment done by the teacher throughout the course.

4. It has the advantage that if the student makes one (mistake/fault) they will not necessarily fail.

5. Instead, they can improve their (grade/level) in the next piece of work they do.

6. Many students like this form of testing because it is less (stressful/agitating) for them.

Ex. 5. Study the following definitions and give the corresponding words.

1. a way of judging a student by looking at the work they do during the year instead of or in addition to looking at their examination results;

2. to read and learn information that you have studied in order to prepare for an examination;

3. difficult to deal with;

4. to avoid doing something too quickly or doing too much at one time, so that you have enough energy left to complete an activity;

5. to prepare yourself for an exam;

6. too confident and relaxed because you think you can deal with something easily, even though this may not be true;

7. a measurement of how good or popular someone or something is;

8. not good enough to definitely pass an examination;

9. a mock test or exam is one that you do in order to practice for a real one;

10. the permanent exclusion of a student from a school.

Ex. 6. Cross out any of the words in italics that do not form common collocations.

1. He got full / maximum / top marks in the listening test.

2. We have to do / make / write a vocabulary test every Friday.

3. She’s busy reviewing / revising / studying for her exam.

4. How many students have enrolled on / signed up for / undertaken the course?

5. She was always losing / missing out / skipping lessons – no wonder she crashed / failed / flunked the exam.

6. He suffers badly from exam nerves / stress / worries, which affect his concentration length / span / time.

7. The teacher made up / set / wrote a difficult exam but checked / corrected / marked it leniently.

8. We were supposed to do / compose/ write the essay by Friday but I delivered / it / gave it in / handed it in late.

Ex. 7. Fill in the gaps in the following sentences with the words in the box.

truant cheat heart correct term board

hard absent degree break give report

university headmaster playground

1. Our teachers … our homework in the evening and … it out the next day.

2. My brother tried to … in the exam, but he was caught and sent to the … .

3. I like to play football in the … with my friends during the lunch … .

4. She got a very good school … because she worked so … this … .

5. I’d like to go to … when I finish school and do a … in Economics.

6. The teacher wrote the rules on the … and told us to learn them by … .

7. Were you … for a good reason yesterday or were you playing …?

Ex. 8. Choose the correct answer.

1. Remember that exams never start late, they always start … .

a) ahead of time b) at the last moment c) in time d) on time

2. Will you help me to … for tomorrow’s exam?

a) go through b) read c) review d) revise

3. Lazy Tom clearly had no … of doing any work, although it was only a week till the exam.

a) ambition b) desire c) intention d) willingness

4. Are the students … about the history exam?

a) discussing b) saying c) talking d) telling

5. If you never do any work, you will only have yourself to … if you fail your exams.

a) blame b) fault c) mistake d) reprove

6. I’m … I didn’t pass the exam but I’ll do better next time.

a) deceived b) despaired c) disappointed d) disillusioned

7. You must tell me the result now. I can’t bear the … .

a) suspenders b) suspending c) suspense d) suspension

8. As my exam is next month, I’ll take advantage of the week off to … on some reading.

a) catch up b) hurry up c) make up d) pick up

9. Eve was happy she … to finish the exam in time.

a) achieved b) managed c) realized d) succeeded

10. Do you think there is any … of him passing the exam?

a) chance b) expectancy c) occasion d) opportunity

11. I hate … formal examinations. I find it difficult to organize my thoughts in a limited space of time.

a) making b) passing c) sitting d) writing

12. Don’t forget to … your name at the top of the test-paper.

a) get b) place c) put d) set

13. Your answers to the examination questions must … exactly the instructions given below.

a) accompany b) conform c) follow d) keep

14. Eric was very upset by his French exam … .

a) effects b) failures c) results d) successes

15. Well done! You’ve done an excellent … .

a) job b) task c) trade d) work

16. If at first you don’t … try again.

a) accomplish b) prosper c) succeed d) triumph

17. Those students … their exams last week.

a) assisted b) made c) presented d) took

18. Franky got very … marks in his maths exam.

a) imperfect b) low c) reduced d) secondary

19. Did you … the examination last month?

a) enter into b) form part of c) go in for d) take place in

20. You should write your name … at the top of the paper.

a) clearly b) largely c) obviously d) seriously

21. Good ... ! I hope you do well.

a) chance b) hope c) luck d) wish

22. The examiners often … extremely difficult questions for the written exams.

a) create b) make c) set d) write

23. I expect all of you to be here ten minutes before the examination begins, without … .

a) fail b) failure c) fault d) miss

24. The purpose of this examination was to … the students’ knowledge of the subject.

a) inspect b) prove c) test d) try

25. Vivian passed the … test but failed the written examination.

a) handy b) practical c) skilful d) working

26. Miss Unlucky was very … because she had failed her examination.

a) afraid b) excited c) sensitive d) upset

27. You should have … the examination last week, so bring your money to the office as soon as possible.

a) entered for b) passed c) sat for d) taken

28. Congratulations … passing your exams. Well done!

a) by b) for c) from d) on

29. During the test it is always better to make an educated … than to leave a blank.

a) attempt b) chance c) endeavour d) guess

30. Mrs Worried had a good … of the examination result when she saw her daughter’s face.

a) idea b) news c) report d) thought

31. This kind of question can sometimes be answered only by a process of … .

a) abolition b) elimination c) exception d) subtraction

32. The person who … an examination is supposed to see that nobody tries to cheat.

a) dominates b) governs c) leads d) supervises

33. Greg has just taken an exam … history.

a) about b) for c) in d) on

34. Miss Intelligent was the … student in her class and passed all her exams with high grades.

a) brightest b) clearest c) fastest d) highest

35. Sign your name on the … line.

a) broken b) dotted c) drawn d) spotted

36. There must be a … of at least one meter between the desks in the examination room.

a) expanse b) gap c) place d) room

37. This test … a number of multiple-choice questions.

a) composes of b) composes in c) consists of d) consists in

38. Please don’t talk in the … because there is an examination in the lecture hall.

a) corridor b) lane c) promenade d) way

39. The … thought of exams makes me feel ill.

a) just b) little c) mere d) sole

40. The school has … a system of monthly tests in place of an annual exam.

a) adopted b) agreed c) collected d) taken

41. Miss Diligent did nine hours’ … studying a day for her exam.

a) big b) heavy c) powerful d) solid

42. In the examination you may be asked for comments on various … of a topic.

a) angles b) aspects c) features d) qualities

43. Failing the final exam was a big … to my hopes.

a) band b) blow c) hit d) kick

44. You shouldn’t talk about him failing. You’ll … his confidence.

a) underestimate b) undergo c) undermine d) worry

45. I’m feeling rather … because of the exam I’m doing next week.

a) anxious b) excited c) impatient d) unquiet

46. The result of this exam will … his future.

a) control b) determine c) govern d) rule

47. Please be … . I haven’t got long.

a) brief b) concise c) rapid d) short

48. George has no head for figures. He simply cannot … them.

a) collect b) realize c) relate d) remember

49. No one is so … as the person who has no wish to learn.

a) ignorant b) sensible c) simple d) useless

50. In a multiple-choice exercise it’s sometimes easier to … the wrong answers before choosing the right one.

a) eliminate b) exclude c) give d) omit

51. Waiting outside the examination room, I trembled with … .

a) apprehension b) comprehension c) expectation d) tension

52. His test results are not very … . He does well one month and badly the next.

a) consequent b) consistent c) continuous d) invariable

53. The … exam in March prepared pupils for the real thing in May.

a) false b) imaginary c) mock d) unreal

54. My hopes of becoming a doctor … when I failed my “A” levels.

a) cracked b) crashed c) crumbled d) smashed

55. I was completely … by most of the exam questions, so I must have failed.

a) baffled b) harassed c) stupid d) stupified

56. Having already graduated from another university, he was … from the entrance examination.

a) deferred b) excluded c) exempted d) prohibited

57. This exam is supposed to be … because the marking is not affected by individual preferences.

a) concrete b) impersonal c) objective d) open-minded

58. Any candidate caught … in the examination will be disqualified.

a) cheating b) deceiving c) swindling d) tricking

Ex. 9. Read the text below and fill each blank with one suitable word.

Lionel Mendax: Curriculum

I was a child prodigy, and went to the most expensive and most academically demanding schools in the country. I was a model student and was popular both (1) … my teachers and my classmates. I was elected class president for six years running. I passed every exam I (2) … for with flying (3) … and came (4) … of my class in every subject I took. I also excelled (5) … sports. In my final year at school, I (6) … a scholarship to Cambridge University. Cambridge was child’s play and I sailed (7) … every exam I took, finally getting a first class honours degree (8) … natural sciences. On graduating (9) … Cambridge I went on to Oxford to (10) … research (11) ... atomic particles. Having completed my research, I took (12) … a teaching post at Harvard, where I lectured (13) … astrophysics, I am presently teaching post-(14) … students everything they do not know about nuclear physics at the Sorbonne University in Paris. Oh well, it keeps me occupied, and it’s a job.

Ex. 10. Read the text below and decide which option (A, B, C, or D) best fits each gap.

Lionel Mendax: The Truth

It was my misfortune to be Lionel Mendax’s form master in his last year at school. Lionel was a (0) compulsive liar and an inveterate cheat who, when not (1) … truant, plagued the hell out of both myself and my teaching colleagues. Contrary to his own inflated opinion of his intellectual abilities, Lionel was not a (2) … student. Far from it. He was at best a (3) … candidate for his GCSE exams and as such it was at best a blessing that he was (4) … from the school before he took them. It is only fair, however, that I should give Lionel credit where credit is due. No one had ever been (5) … out of Greyfriars Schools before. Notwithstanding that, even our ridiculously (6) … and excessively liberal headmaster could not ignore the fact that Lionel had been caught cheating (7) … every single one of his (8) … GCSE exams. After his (9) … , he (10) … a course in printing and design at the local technical college, but soon (11) … out.

0 A hardened B heavy C compulsive D addictive

1 A running B playing C making D doing

2 A gifted B understanding C skilled D strict

3 A grey B borderline C futile D debatable

4 A evacuated B expelled C evicted D expired

5 A thrown B pitched C discarded D hurled

6 A harsh B light C stringent D lenient

7 A on B at C in D by

8 A false B pretend C mock D fake

9 A eviction B extradition C expulsion D evacuation

10 A made B did C assisted D sat

11 A fell B went C let D dropped

Ex. 11. Look at this information leaflet for students at Welney College. Then look at how David explains the system informally to a friend, using phrasal verbs. Match the phrases in italics with their definitions.

Welney College

Promoting excellence

• Autumn term ends on 18 December. Spring term begins on 8 January.

• Students wishing to register for spring term courses should do so before 12 December.

• Any student not completing a course will not receive credits for that course.

• Course essays must be submitted in a final form seven days before the end of a course.

• Students failing more than 30% of their total coursework will be expelled from the college.

David:

• If you fail 30% or more of your courses, they throw you out of the college.

• We break up on 18 December and go back on 8 January, so we’ve got about a three-week break.

• And you have to write up your course essay and submit it a week before the course ends.

• You have to go to all the lectures; if you drop out before the end, you don’t get the credits.

Rewrite these sentences using the words in brackets, so that they keep the same meaning.

1. I’m going to register for a course in statistics next year. (sign)

2. Several students did not complete the Moral Philosophy course. (drop)

3. Our course finishes on 20 June. (break)

4. He was forced to leave university after one term. He’d done no work at all. (throw)

5. I can’t come out tonight. I have to have my essay finished for tomorrow. (write)

6. My next term at college starts on 12 September. (go)

Ex. 12. Study the tips for exam success. Match the phrases in italics with their definitions.

Six tips for exam success

1. Keep your reading up during the term so that you have less to read just before the exam.

2. Brush up on some of the things you learnt a long time ago; they may possibly come up in the exam.

3. Don’t just mug up on the key points you need for the exam and hope that you’ll scrape through with little effort.

4. On the other hand, don’t try to do everything. Swotting up on everything you have done all term means you will have to revise a lot of useless things too.

5. Concentrate on polishing up the most important areas and your best skills.

6. Don’t fool yourself that you’ll pass the exam on the basis of what you’ve picked up during the lectures and classes. You will need to revise!

1. Practice and improve your skills or your knowledge of something, usually something you learned in the past but have partly forgotten.

2. Quickly try to learn the main facts about a subject, especially before an exam (often + on) (informal).

3. If a question or a subject comes up in an exam, that question is asked or questions about that subject are asked in the exam.

4. Learning as much as you can about something, especially before an exam (often + on) (informal).

5. Practising and improving your skills or your knowledge of something.

6. Manage with a lot of difficulty to succeed in something.

7. Something is learnt by absorbing it rather than studying it.

8. Continue to do something.

Ex. 13. Which of these would make most students happy and why?

breaking up dropping out being thrown out scraping through mugging up swotting up

Ex. 14. Choose the best phrasal verb from ex. 11, 12, 13 to complete this letter.

Cambridge, 20 June

Dear Auntie Meg,

At last my first year exams are over. It’s such a relief! I feel as if I’ve done nothing but (1) …for them for ages. Although I’d (2) … with work quite well during the year, I still needed to (3) … everything that we had covered, of course. Fortunately, everything that I hoped would (4) … in the exam paper did. So I hope I’ve done OK and haven’t just (5) … . Now all I have to do is (6) … one course assignment, which I need to hand in by the end of term.

We don’t (7) … till the end of the month and so I won’t be home till then. We don’t (8) … until the end of September, so it’ll be a lovely long break. I look forward to seeing you soon.

Love,

Suzanna

Ex. 15. Correct the ten phrasal verb mistakes in this paragraph. Either the wrong particles or the wrong verbs have been used.

Dick hardly worked up at all for his exams. He brushed over on the history of the French Revolution, but no questions on the French revolution got up in the exam. He was afraid that he would be thrown off university for failing his exams. However, he did just manage to scratch through them and so he will be in college when we return back next term. He has promised to try to keep through with work next year as he is planning to sign in for a couple of quite difficult courses, including business studies. He’ll have to polish over his French because he can just lift up the language when he gets there, but I think he should study it before he goes because he only has school French.

Ex. 16. Translate into English.

1. Централизованное тестирование является дополнительной платной обра­зовательной услугой и проводится один раз в году по утверждeнному распи­санию. 2. Тестирование проводится на добровольной основе для выпускников (учащихся) общеобразовательных учреждений. 3. К тестированию допускаются также лица, окончившие учебные заведения в прошлые годы. 4. Всем желающим сдать экзамены в тестовой форме предоставляется возможность проверить свои знания на репетиционном тестировании. Это позволяет определить уровень собственной подготовки, прежде чем идти на экзамен. 5. Человек, который прошел репетиционное тестирование, знает о своих недос­татках, поэтому до экзамена может восполнить пробелы.

C. Harriet Sun is a first year student majoring in business. She highly recommends the following tips for the students who are preparing for their exams. Make a list of your own tips which you consider to be the most important for you. Discuss them in pairs.

Preparation

1. Go to class!

2. Stay awake in class. Do whatever it takes – pinch yourself, chew gum, sit at the front of the classroom.

3. Take notes in class. How detailed the notes should be depends on the class and teacher. At least write down the key ideas.

4. Plan ahead. Know when you have time to study, and use that time.

5. Don't study hungry. Eat before or during your study time.

The Actual Studying

1. Don't study in your room (where your computer and bed are).

2. Find a friend to study with. Someone who won't talk to you or distract you otherwise.

3. If you're going to study someplace noisy, use headphones to listen to music or bring earplugs.

4. Bring snacks when you study.

5. Take short breaks.

6. Underline or highlight key points in your textbooks.

7. Make an outline of important chapters. The more you write, the more you remember.

Finals (Aaahh!)

1. Breathe.

2. Start studying early. You’ve heard it a million times, but it actually works.

3. Schedule your study times.

4. Go to the review sessions if they’re offered.

5. Review your notes.

6. Review the underlined or highlighted parts in your textbooks.

7. Don't overdose on caffeine.

8. Get enough sleep. It may be tempting to stay up all night studying, but rest is important.

9. Breathe.

Celebration

1. Sleep.

2. Take a shower.

3. Return your textbooks!

4. Play Freecell, or whatever computer game you’re addicted to.

5. Watch a movie!

6. Go to a party.

SECTION II