APTIS EXAM A1

Read the article about .... Choose the best word A, B or C for each space.

Rosa Bonheur (1) ........ a French painter who was possibly the most famous female artist of the 19th Century.
She was born (2) ........ 1822 in Bordeaux, France and was the (3) ........ child in a family of artists. Her father
was a well-known painter and her mother, who died when Rosa was eleven, was (4) ........ piano teacher.
When she was 6 Rosa moved to Paris with her brothers and mother. She was very unhappy at school and her
father took her out of school and became her art tutor. Rosa (5) ........ some of the great paintings in the
Parisian art galleries and became a very popular painter of animals. Her works were shown in French art
galleries and her (6) ........ famous painting is 'The Horse Fair' (7) ........ is a very large work that measures
nearly three meters high by five metres wide. (8) ........ can be seen in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New
York.

1- a- were b- was c- are 5- a- copies b- copied c- copying

2- a- in b- at c- by 6- a- much b- more c- most
3- a- oldest b- older c- old 7- a- which b- who c- were
4- a- the b- one c- a 8- a- they b- it c- he
28) was 32) copied
29) in 33) most
30) oldest 34) which
31) a 35) It

Fill in the gaps with the correct word.

London is the (9) city of England situated on the bank of the River Thames. It is an old and historic city with
many famous
(10) , parks and places of interest to visit. Many tourists go to Buckingham Palace, where the (11) lives, as it is
one of the most recognisable places in the city. There are also many museums and galleries and many of them
include (12) entry. Some of the world's most famous (13) exhibit their artwork in London's galleries. London is
also a multicultural city with people from all over the world. Hundreds of different (14) are spoken and you can
find a wide range of (15) to eat and enjoy. Many international festivals are also celebrated throughout the year
in this truly global city.

 languages  Queen
 free  buildings  places
 cuisines  capital
 artists  afford  take

Put the sentences in the correct order and into paragraphs

a. On the other hand, people who have become famous overnight normally find it difficult to deal with the
constant public attention.
b. The majority of people are more determined and motivated to attain their goals after they have suffered a
setback.
c. Moreover, people usually improve and become more successful when they gain
experience.
d. In conclusion, it is possible to have success without failure, but in my opinion, it may be
better to fail first as you will handle and appreciate your success better if you had had to
work hard for it.
e. In football, for instance, it takes many years of dedication to obtain the skills necessary to become a top
player.
f. It is often said that it is impossible to succeed the first time you do something, and that the most successful
people in life have many failures behind them.
g. For example, Albert Einstein struggled and failed several times in his life but he kept
 working hard to overcome obstacles and he was eventually successful.
h. These celebrities sometimes behave recklessly, take drugs or drink too much to escape the pressures of
being famous and successful.

16- 17- 18- 19- 20- 21 - 22- 23 –

This reading passage has seven paragraphs: A – G. Choose the most suitable paragraph headings B –
G from the list of headings .

A. The Yoruba people of Nigeria classify their towns in two ways. Permanent towns with their own
governments are called “ilu”, whereas temporary settlements, set up to support work in the country are “aba”.
Although ilu tend to be larger than aba, the distinction is not one of size, some aba are large, while declining ilu
can be small, but of purpose. There is no “typical” Yoruba town, but some features are common to most towns.
B. In the 19th century most towns were heavily fortified and the foundations of these walls are sometimes
visible. Collecting tolls to enter and exit through the walls was a major source of revenue for the old town
rulers, as were market fees. The markets were generally located centrally and in small towns, while in large
towns there were permanent stands made of corrugated iron or concrete. The market was usually next to the
local ruler’s palace.
C. The palaces were often very large. In the 1930’s, the area of Oyo’s palace covered 17 acres, and consisted
of a series of courtyards surrounded by private and public rooms. After colonisation, many of the palaces were
completely or partially demolished. Often the rulers built two storey houses for themselves using some of the
palace grounds for government buildings.
D. The town is divided into different sections. In some towns these are regular, extending out from the center of
the town like spokes on a wheel, while in others, where space is limited, they are more random. The different
areas are further divided into compounds called “ile”. These vary in size considerably from single dwellings to
up to thirty houses. They tend to be larger in the North. Large areas are devoted to government administrative
buildings. Newer developments such as industrial or commercial areas or apartment housing for civil servants
tends to be build on the edge of the town.
E. Houses are rectangular and either have a courtyard in the center or the rooms come off a central corridor.
Most social life occurs in the courtyard. They are usually built of hardened mud and have roofs of corrugated
iron or, in the countryside, thatch. Buildings of this material are easy to alter, either by knocking down rooms or
adding new ones. And can be improved by coating the walls with cement. Richer people often build their
houses of concrete blocks and, if they can afford to, build two storey houses. Within compounds there can be
quite a mixture of building types. Younger well-educated people may have well furnished houses while their
older relatives live in mud walled buildings and sleep on mats on the floor.
F. The builder or the most senior man gets a room either near the entrance or, in a two storied house, next to
the balcony. He usually has more than one room. Junior men get a room each and there are separate rooms
for teenage boys and girls to sleep in. Younger children sleep with their mothers. Any empty room are used as
storage, let out or, if they face the street, used as shops.
G. Amenities vary. In some towns most of the population uses communal water taps and only the rich have
piped water, in others piped water is more normal. Some areas have toilets, but bucket toilets are common
with waste being collected by a “night soil man”. Access to water and electricity are key political issues.
List of paragraph headings
i. Town facilities v. Types of settlements ix. The residences of the
ii. Colonisation vi. Historical foundations rulers
iii. Urban divisions vii. Domestic arrangements x. Government buildings
iv. Architectural home styles viii. City defenses

24- a-v 25- 26- 27- 28- 29- 30-