Unit 1

Before You Read

Before you read a text, you should look at the title and the pictures and think about what you know about the topic. These questions will help you prepare to read the text on this page. How do you study for tests and exams? What do you do to study? When do you begin to study?

How to Study for a Test

1 We all have exams at some time in our lives. Most people regularly take tests in school. These tests measure how much we have learned. Some people take a test or exam to enter university. These tests measure how much we know. There are also tests for jobs and occupations. With so many tests, its clear to see that studying for exams is very important! However, many people do not know the best way to study for tests and exams. In this article, we will look at a few ways to improve your scores on any test or exam. The first thing you need to think about when you are studying for a test or exam is time management. You need to plan your study time. You cant begin to study right before an important exam. Research shows that students who review a lot of information right before an exam do not remember as much as students who review regularly for several weeks before the exam. The first step is to make a study plan. Decide how much you need to study and plan out your weekly schedule. Be reasonable. A difficult plan will be harder to follow. For example, if you plan to study for 5 hours a day, you will probably not follow your plan. Another thing you must do is find the best materials and resources to review for your test or exam. If the exam is for a class, you will want to take good notes. Each day, write down what your teacher says. You dont have to write every word. The important thing is to record the main ideas and the important details that could be on the test. Generally, the words that the teacher writes on the board are probably important. In addition, save all the papers you receive in class. Of course you will also use your textbook, but you shouldnt stop there. You can find other books on the subject in a library or bookshop. Also, you should look on the internet for even more information about the subject. A variety of materials will help you with the next important part of studying for an exam: a variety of activities. Doing a variety of activities is the best way to really learn and remember information for an exam. Dont simply read the information again and again. This is a mistake, because you dont use the information, you just see it. Instead, make sure that you are asking your brain a question. Make flashcards from vocabulary, or quiz yourself. Draw diagrams, timelines, or pictures to help you understand and remember. Ask your teacher for extra copies of the worksheets you use in class. Then, do them again and see if your score improves. Use your notes, textbook, and other resources. It sometimes helps to study with a friend. You can ask each other questions and quiz each other about the information. There are many other ways to study for an exam. Try to use the advice in this article, but your teachers and friends may have other ideas. Ask them how they review for exams and see if they have any advice. The important thing is to find what works for you. Good luck on all your tests!

Unit Vocabulary
These are new words you will find in the readings. As you read, underline them or highlight them so you can find them again. Dont worry if you dont know them. Try to guess their meanings while you read. Then, do the Meaning from Context (Exercise 1.3). Try to learn these words. You will see them again!

activity diagram improve measure occupation reasonable regularly review management variety

Reading Skill: Paragraph Topic 1.1

What is each paragraph about? Match the topic to the paragraph number. You will have one topic leftover. Paragraph 2 Paragraph 3 Paragraph 4 Paragraph 5 Topics a. Doing many different things b. Getting advice from other people c. Reading information again and again d. Finding the best materials to help you e. Managing your time

Finding the Topic of a Paragraph

The topic paragraph is often found in the first sentence of the paragraph. However, you should read carefully to make sure.

CEPA Tip! 1.2

Y N

Noticing the Grammar: Imperatives

We use imperatives to tell people what to do. Read the imperative sentences below. Which ones does Text 1 tell us to do? Tick Y for Yes or N for No. The first one is done for you. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Study in the mornings. Think about time management. Review regularly several weeks before the exam. Make a study plan. Copy your notes. Do not study from your notes. Find the best materials and resources to review for your exam. Write down every word your teacher says. Only use your textbook to study. Use the internet to study for your tests. Do a variety of activities. Read the information again and again. Ask your teacher for extra copies of worksheets. Study with a friend. Find out what works for you.

Unit Vocabulary: Meaning from Context

1.3

First, find the word in the text. Look carefully at the sentence. Choose the definition that makes sense. When you have finished, read the text again. Do you understand more this time? The first one is done for you. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 activity measure diagram improve occupation

a. b. c. d. e. a. b. c. d. e.

to find how big or good something is make something better job a picture that helps you understand something you do planning your activities many different things to study or look at something again every day, every hour, every week, etc. not too much or too little

reasonable regularly review time management variety

Buy a Dictionary!
Buying your own dictionary will not only help you study for the CEPA, but it will also help you with your English language study for the rest of your life. Choose your dictionary carefully. A learner dictionary will often be English -English, with simple definitions. This will help you think in English. If you need to, choose an English-Arabic dictionary. You may also need an Arabic-English dictionary.

CEPA Tip!

Unit Vocabulary: Vocabulary in Context

activity measure diagram management 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 occupation reasonable regularly variety improve review

1.4

Complete the sentences below with Unit Vocabulary words from the box. You may use some of them more than once

I like to do a ____________ of things in my free time. It is not ______________ to plan to study for five hours every day. My sister cant come to the partyshe has to ______________ her notes for an exam. Physical __________ is very important for your health. They go to the market ______________. You can see them there every morning. You can use a scale to ______________ your weight. I really need to improve my time-____________ skills. I am always late. She does a lot of things to ______________ her English: reading books, studying vocabulary, and more. We did a really fun ______________ in class today!

10 Sometimes, my teacher draws a __________ to explain a grammar point. 11 I dont know what ______________ I want yet. I think I might want to be a doctor or a teacher. 12 Perhaps I will study hotel ______________ instead.

Making Flashcards
Look on the CEPA website at http://www.napo.ae/cepa/forstudents.html and find the file that says Flashcards. Print the file. Copy the English meanings from 1.3 onto the flashcards. Now, look up the words in your Arabic dictionary, and write the Arabic meanings. Write the POS on the flashcards (Noun, Verb, Adjective, Adverb). When you learn a new word, make your own flashcards. Cut them up and put them in your school bag. You can review your flashcards while you are on the bus.

English Meaning:

Study

word

POS: Arabic Meaning:

Tip!

What are Word Families?

You can think of word families as you do human families. Human families have many parts: a mother, a father, sisters, brothers, uncles, aunts, cousins, etc. In word families, there are many parts of speech. Think about the word act. It is a verb. It means to do something. There are a lot of other words in its word family. An activity is something you do. Action has a similar meaning. Act is also a noun. To activate is to make something work. If someone is active, that means she does a lot of things. See? You can learn many related words from just one vocabulary word. You will store this information in a Word Families Chart in Exercise 1.5.

Noun
activity action act

Verb
act activate

Adjective
active

Adverb
actively

Unit Vocabulary: Word Families Chart

act reasonably various occupy review active improved occupied regulation measurement actively manager improvement reason variable regulate manage measure vary regular

1.5

Complete the Word Families Chart. You may use a dictionary. Some word families have more than one noun or more than one adjective. The first one has been done for you.

Noun
activity 4 occupation 8 10 13 management 14 variety 18 11 review 15 16 19 1 act improve 6

Verb
5 7

Adjective
2 active

Adverb
3 actively

reasonable 12

9 regularly

17 measured

Unit Vocabulary: Word Families

1 She is a ____ woman. a. reason 2 b. reasonable

1.6

Watch the Suffix!1.7

A suffix is the last part of a word. Each of the suffixes in the box gives you a clue about the part of speech of the unit vocabulary words. Organize the suffixes. -tive -ly -ate 1 Verb -able -ment -ious -er -tion

Choose the correct form of the word to go in each sentence.

c. reasonably

I see a lot of ____ in her work. a. improvement b. improve c. improved

This room is ____ right now. a. occupation b. occupy c. occupied

She is ____ trying to improve her English. a. activity b. active c. actively 2 Noun 3 Adjective c. regularly 4 Adverb Now write the part of speech of these words, then look up their meaning. 5 6 7 8 9 curious edible accommodation impersonate contentment

He is a ____ customer. a. regulate b. regular

I will call the ____. He knows what to do. a. manager b. management c. manage

Hamza enjoys watching ____ shows on television. a. variable b. vary c. various

8 In sentences 1-7, what part of speech usually comes after a and before a noun? _______________________ 9 What part of speech usually comes after the? __________

Grammar Review: Question Words 1.8

Match the question word to the possible answer. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Who What Why Where When How How many a. b. c. d. e. f. g. a a a a a a a number person place way thing time reason

Go to the website!
The NAPO website has a lot of information about the CEPA exam, including practice tests, writing prompts, rules, and descriptions of the test. Go to: www.napo.ae/cepa Click on the For Students link for directions to websites with English language activities.

Grammar Practice: Question Words

1.9

Complete each question with the correct question word and match the question with the answer. The first one is done for you. 1 Who can give you advice on how to prepare for an exam? f a. Several weeks before the exam. b. Make a study plan. c. I have a desk in my room so I usually study there. d. Because you are not doing anything with the information. e. Its a good idea to do a variety of activities. f. Your teacher and your friends.

2 __________ do you like to study? 3 __________ is the first step in preparing for an exam? 4 __________ should you take notes? 5 __________ is it a mistake to read the information again and again? 6 __________ should you start studying for an exam? 7 __________ activities should you do to prepare for an exam?

g. Write down the most important ideas and the details that could be on the test.

A Little Bit Each Day

The best way to learn grammar and vocabulary for any exam is to study a little bit each day and review often. Dont wait until the week before the test to begin reviewing. To prepare for the CEPA exam, try to do one unit of this book per week. Dont try to do the whole book right away. Use your flashcards a little bit each day. Plan your study time using the chart on the next page.

Grammar Practice: Subject-Verb Agreement

1 a. I do a variety of activities. b. I does a variety of activities. c. I am do a variety of activities. a. He like to study outside. b. He likes to study outside. c. Hes like to study outside.

1.10

Choose the sentence with correct subject-verb agreement.

a. She always ask her teacher for help. b. She always asks her teacher for help. c. Shes always ask her teacher for help. a. It a mistake. b. Its a mistake. c. It are a mistake. a. There is thirty students in my class. b. There be thirty students in my class. c. There are thirty students in my class.

Study

Tip!

Make a study plan!

Use the chart below to make yourself a study plan. Add the times for your classes, homework and all the things you do regularly. Be reasonable. Plan time to rest and socialize with your friends and family. You can change the times if you need to, but you should start with a plan.

Sunday

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Saturday

9:00-10:00

9:00-10:00

8:00-9:00

1:00-2:00

2:00-3:00

3:00-4:00

4:00-5:00

5:00-6:00

6:00-7:00

7:00-8:00

8:00-9:00

10-11:00

11-12:00

12-1:00

Time

Grammar Focus: Pronouns

Female 1 her 3 hers Male he 2 his 4

1.11

Complete the table with the correct pronoun.

Subject Object Possessive adjective Possessive pronoun

Grammar Practice
1 2 3 4 5 6 8 _____________ wears glasses. _____________ is studying outside. _____________ is studying in a library _____________ is in high school. _____________ is in primary school. _____________ computer is grey, but (7) _____________ is black. _____________ shirt is yellow, but (9)_____________ is blue.

1.12

Now, look at the pictures of the two people and complete the sentences with the correct pronoun or adjective.

10 _____________ is younger than (11) _____________.

Use Your Grammar!

When you write practice essays in this book, try to use the grammar and vocabulary that you have you have practiced. This way, you will make sure you remember what you have practiced, and you will write better essays.

CEPA Tip!

Words for Writing

1.13

You need to know these words to do the writing activities in this book. Try to guess the definitions and check your answers. If you still do not understand the words, use your dictionary. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Essay Paragraph Introduction Conclusion Support Opinion a. b. c. d. e. f. what you think about something a piece of writing the last paragraph of an essay a part of an essay the first paragraph of an essay the reasons for your opinion

Writing Task: Practice

1.14

Each CEPA essay should have 4-5 paragraphs: an introduction, 2-3 support paragraphs and a conclusion. Can you work out which paragraph each of the sentences below belong to. Copy them under the paragraph name.

Idea Box
a. The third reason I feel this way is that tests are a lot of work for teachers. b. This is why I think students have too many tests. c. The second reason for my opinion is that tests cause a lot of stress for students. d. First, there are many other ways to measure students progress. e. I agree with the people who think that students have too many tests. 1 2 3 4 5 Introduction: Support Paragraph A: Support Paragraph B: Support Paragraph C: Conclusion:

Writing Task: Essay

Read the essay prompt below. Plan your essay using the Essay Plan. You may support your opinion using some of the ideas given, but see if you can think of other ideas too. You may use the ideas and sentences from the Idea Box above if you wish. When you have finished planning, write your essay on the next page. ESSAY PROMPT Some people believe that tests are important to measure students progress. Other people think that students have too many tests. Which group do you agree with? Explain why. You could support your opinion by writing about: people who are good/bad at taking tests tests and stress the high number of students in classes comparing students

Essay Plan
1 2 3 4 5 Introduction: Support Paragraph A: Support Paragraph B: Support Paragraph C: Conclusion:

Writing Task: Essay

Writing Task: Reflection

Here is a sample essay. Label the paragraphs with the words in the box. a. b. c. d. Introduction Conclusion Support Paragraphs Opinion

1.15

1.

4.

Its true that some people think that students have too many tests. However, I believe that tests are the best way to measure students progress. I have several reasons for my opinion. First of all, tests are the fairest way to evaluate students. Everyone in a class takes the same test. This way, every student has the same chance to succeed. A students mark on a test only shows how well she did, not how much the teacher likes her. Secondly, there are usually many students in a class. It takes a long time for a students to do projects. It also takes a long time for teachers to mark projects. Teachers can mark many tests in a short amount of time. Tests are much better when there are many students. My third reason is that tests are a good way to compare students. When every student takes the same test, its easy to see which students know the information and which students need more help. Its also easy to see which students are ready for university and which students need more English. In conclusion, I think tests are the best way to measure students abilities. They may not be perfect, but they are the best way we have.

2.

3.

Writing Task: Reflection

Now label your essay. Do you have all the parts? What do you need to add? a. b. c. d. Introduction Conclusion Support Paragraphs Opinion

Now read the essay above. Did you write some of the same ideas? Did you write some different ideas?

CEPA Tip!

Always Check Your Essay

When you have finished writing an essay, always re-read it. You should check that you have an introduction, at least two support paragraphs, and a conclusion. If the essay asks for your opinion, make sure that you have stated it clearly. You should also check to see if you have made any grammar or spelling mistakes. If you have, correct them.