Tears & Laughter Test

Part A
Grammar and vocabulary

A Rewrite the two sentences as one sentence, using a relative clause. Use no commas,
or a comma if necessary.

Example:
Hydrochloric acid is a dangerous chemical. It can burn your skin.
Hydrochloric acid is a dangerous chemical which can burn your skin.

1 We saw a man. His dog bit the postman.

We saw ………………………………… .

2 She lives in that part of Paris. That’s where Jean-Paul Sartre was born.
She lives in ………………………………… .

3 He suddenly started shouting. That shocked me.

He suddenly ………………………………… .

4 Windsurfing is a popular water sport. It needs a good sense of balance.

Windsurfing is ………………………………… .

5 She works in Mario’s. Mario’s is an Italian restaurant.

She works in ………………………………… .

B Rewrite the sentence so that it has a similar meaning, using the word given.

Example:
Her intention is to learn a new language this summer.
going
She is going to learn a new language this summer.

6 The boy ran out of the house shouting ‘Fire!’

was
As the boy ran out of the house ………………………………… ‘Fire!’

7 She really hated the dessert.

was
What ………………………………… the dessert.

8 His appearance made everyone laugh.

that
It ………………………………… made everyone laugh.

9 Because I didn’t want to dance I didn’t go to the party.

wanting
Not ………………………………… I didn’t go to the party.

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10 I shook hands with her and told her that she was very funny.
saying
I shook hands with her, ………………………………… very funny.

C Choose the correct answer, a, b, c or d to complete the sentences.

11 ……… about the film was all the funny jokes.

a What do you like
b I liked
c It was liked
d What I liked

12 ……… the joke, we didn’t laugh.

a Not to understand
b Did we not understand
c Not understanding
d We weren’t understanding

13 That’s the girl ……… my bike to.

a I sold
b that sold
c that was selling
d who did I sell

14 She gets angry with people ……… her what to do.

a are telling
b to tell
c who tell
d who does she tell

15 What ……… us very sad was the scene where the cat died.
a made
b does make
c making
d it makes

D Choose the correct words from the list a–j to complete the sentences. There are two
extra words you do not need.

16 When he heard the bad news he ……… into tears.

17 Sometimes things seem very sad and I could ……… my eyes out.
18 It really ……… her when he said he would always love her.
19 When she died he was ……… by grief.
20 The girls had heard something funny and they started to ……… .
21 It was a huge ……… when I heard that I was going to lose my job.
22 He becomes angry and flies into a(n) ……… if you criticise his favourite hobby.
23 The black circle in the centre of the eye is called the ……… .

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a giggle
b burst
c blow
d pupil
e overcome
f touched
g crack
h cry
i rage
j weep

E Underline the correct words in the sentences.

24 When she told him it was all over he began to burst / weep.
25 It pains / blows me to see the homeless children begging.
26 The loss of his old friend hit / wept him very hard.
27 Canned laughter is fake / grief.
28 On the back row the boys were quietly sniggering / inheriting.
29 She dressed up as a witch for Halloween and practised her witch’s chuckle / cackle.
30 Does humour help you giggle / cope with your problems?

Part B
Reading, listening and pronunciation

F Reading
Read the article about humour. Choose the correct answer, a, b, c or d.

The Functions of Humour

Human beings are not the only species who play around and have fun. Dogs, and even
rats, can be observed playing with each other and making noises that might be forms of
animal laughter. However, there are very few things that seem to make animals laugh. For
instance, to get a rat to laugh you have to tickle it.

In human societies humour is a complex phenomenon that serves many functions. For
instance, for the individual it can help him or her be accepted by a group. One well-known
American comedian, Art Buchwald, once said about his childhood in an orphanage, ‘I
learnt quickly that when I made others laugh, they liked me. This is a lesson I will
never forget.’

On a different level, humour can help to keep social groups together. In the first
anthropological study of humour, Alfred Radcliffe-Brown observed the way people in
certain relationships often make fun of each other. This custom, which Radliffe-Brown
called a ‘joking relationship’, can stop people from becoming too angry when conflicts
arise, and this helps to stop the relationship breaking up. However, this kind of relationship
is not found in all social groups.

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In groups with a clear social hierarchy, with some at the top and a lot more lower down,
humour can sometimes emphasise that hierarchy and make it stronger. One study by
Rose Laub Coser found that people at the top of the hierarchy made fun of those lower
down, while the people lower down usually made fun of each other or of people outside
the group. However, studies by other researchers have seen a very different use of
humour. In societies where people lower down feel they have no power, it is common for
them to make fun of their leaders, even if they have to do this in secret. This can help them
live with a social situation that they dislike and disagree with.

Laughter is also used sometimes as a kind of punishment which can strengthen social
customs. For instance, if it is the custom for a group to wear baggy trousers and no belt,
and then a member turns up wearing the wrong trousers, the others only need to laugh at
him and he will be given a powerful reason not to do that again. Sometimes ridicule like
this can be used to reject someone completely from a group, which can help to keep the
group together, but it can be extremely painful for the individual who is rejected.

31 What does the passage say about humans and other animals?
a Only humans have a sense of humour.
b Only humans laugh.
c Both animals and humans enjoy playing.
d No animal will laugh unless you tickle it.

32 For the author of this article, Art Buchwald is an example of someone who …
a showed one function of humour.
b had a very unhappy childhood.
c was a very successful professional comedian.
d really knew how to make people laugh.

33 What does the article say about the ‘joking relationship’?

a In it, people ridicule each other.
b All social relationships are joking relationships.
c The jokes usually make people more angry.
d The jokes can cause the group to break up.

34 According to the article, Rose Laub Coser observed …

a behaviour that strengthened a hierarchy.
b people using laughter as a punishment.
c people making fun of their leaders.
d people learning to live with something they disagree with.

35 How can laughter make some customs stronger?

a It can make fun of the customs.
b It can make everyone feel happier.
c It makes fun of customs that people don’t agree with.
d It can punish people who break the rules.

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G Listening
Listen to a lecture about depression. Choose the correct answer, a, b or c.

36 According to the speaker, depression is something that …

a everyone experiences.
b people get over quickly.
c can last a long time.

37 Which of the following is not mentioned as a symptom of depression?

a weeping all the time
b feeling that life is empty
c not having a good memory

38 From the lecture we learn that Dorothy Rowe …

a has a daughter called Jackie.
b has helped depressed people.
c has made a TV series about depression.

39 Dorothy Rowe says that depression is like …

a a prison.
b a barrier.
c an unknown place.

40 According to Dorothy Rowe, people can stop being depressed by …

a reading her book.
b taking the right medication.
c changing the way they think.

H Pronunciation
Listen to the six sentences and mark (/) where there is a pause.

Example:
The meal was lovely / but it was far too expensive.

41 What we really don’t like is all the homework we have to do.

42 James threw a stone at the window making it shatter into a thousand pieces.

43 The thing that impressed her most was the tremendous size of the painting.

44 Not knowing what to do we just sat there and waited.

45 We didn’t understand the instructions, which is why we did nothing.

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