Exam practice: Reading

Open comprehension

1 Decide if the sentences about open comprehension questions are true (T) or false (F).

1   You should write in complete sentences.           T / F

2   It’s a good idea to copy exactly from the text.   T / F

3   Write sentences that are as long as possible.    T / F

4   You can write more than one sentence. T / F 2 Complete each gap with a word from the box. accuse •  analyse •  investigate •  question •  search for

1       The police are going to                          the case to find out what happened.

2       There are two witnesses to the crime, so the police will                  them.

3       The criminals are hiding, so the police have to     them. They might not find them.

4       Before the police can                            a suspect of a crime, they must have evidence.

5       A police officer has to                            the evidence. 

It’s important to look at it closely.

Exam tip

When you’re answering comprehension questions, use your own words as far as possible. Write short, clear complete sentences. Try not to copy the text exactly.

3 Answer the questions.

1       What did Doyle remember from when he was growing up?

2       When did he write his first stories?

3       How and when did he become well-known?

4       What did police accuse George Edalji of doing?

5       Why was Doyle sure that Edalji was innocent?

6       What happened to Slater in 1925?

Unit 2

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle was a British doctor, writer and journalist who is perhaps best remembered for creating Sherlock Holmes.

Doyle was born in Scotland on 22 May 1859. His family were quite wealthy but they were also quite strict. While he was growing up, his mother often told him stories. Years later, these stories were the thing

that Doyle remembered most from his early childhood. Doyle went away to school in England at the age of nine and after he had finished, he decided to become a doctor. He studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh While he was still studying, he wrote and published his first two stories.

After finishing his studies in 1881, Doyle worked as a doctor for ten years. He continued writing, hoping to become successful. In 1888, A Study In Scarlet, the first Sherlock Holmes story, was published and it made Doyle famous. In total, he wrote 56 Sherlock Holmes stories and four novels. Doyle also wrote historical books, science fiction and adventure stories, plays and poetry.

Doyle also investigated at least two real-life crimes. One of them involved a man called George Edalji, who was accused of hurting animals and was put in prison. Edalji asked Doyle for his help and, after investigating, Doyle was sure he was innocent. The crimes happened at night and Edalji had bad eyesight, so he couldn’t be responsible. As a result of Doyle’s investigation, Edalji was freed.

In another famous case, Doyle proved that a man called Oscar Slater was not guilty of murder. In 1909, Slater was charged and put in prison despite the fact there was no clear evidence. In 1912, Doyle began demanding that police release Slater. He was convinced he was innocent, but Slater stayed in prison. More than ten years later, he looked into the case again. After analysing the evidence, Doyle used his scientific knowledge and logic to prove that Slater didn’t do it. In 1925, Slater was finally freed.

Doyle was married twice and had five children. He died on 7 July 1930.

4      Find words in the text that have these definitions.

1       making something exist (paragraph 1)    

2       rich (paragraph 2)

3       the ability to see (paragraph 4) 4 responsible for a bad thing (paragraph 4)

5      sure (paragraph 5)         

Exam practice: Reading

B1 Preliminary Part 6

1      Choose the correct alternative.

A gap in a text (a) can/can’t be a phrasal verb or it can be part of a fixed (b) sentence/phrase. Look at the words before and after the gap to see what is there. If it is a phrasal verb, it might be missing the verb (c) and/or the preposition.

2      Replace the words in bold with the phrasal verbs in the box. There are two extra words you do not need to use.

come across •  come up with •  find out •  look for •  look into •  look up •  turn up •  work out

1       After investigating the crime, the police arrested the criminals.         

2       I found some old photos. I wasn’t expecting to find them.  

3       Sam arrived unexpectedly at my house. I didn’t know he was coming.              

4       The police are trying to find the three bank robbers.

5       We’ve talked about the project and thought of lots of good ideas.     

6       We finally discovered the truth about what had happened.                

Exam tip

Open cloze texts test knowledge of phrasal verbs and fixed phrases, as well as grammar. Look at any gaps after a verb or before a preposition because there might be part of a phrasal verb missing. If the verb is missing, decide what verb and tense you need. If the preposition is missing, make sure you choose one that has the correct meaning.

Unit 2

3 For each question, write the correct answer. Write one word for each gap.

It pays to be honest

         Nineteen-year-old Jose Nuñez Romaniz (1)                           

helping his grandfather with some online shopping (2)                he realised he had to go to the bank. While he was standing by the cash machine outside the bank, he saw a big bag full of money. He was shocked. But Jose (3)                          take the money. Instead, he

phoned the police. When they looked into it, they found  (4)                      that a bank worker had accidentally left the bag there. The bag had $135,000 in it!

Jose’s dream has always been to become an investigator. In fact, he (5)                      studying criminal justice at college at the moment. And because Jose was

so honest, the head of police invited him to apply for

      (6)                         job with them.

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