Name __________ Class ____________

Expert PTEA Testmaster B2

Full placement test
Grammar
1 Read the sentences below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap.
1 The new course is very good, but very demanding: we ____ so hard in all our lives!
A are never working B didn’t work C don’t work D have never worked
2 It was very difficult during the first few weeks of the term, I ____ anything the tutor said, but
I’m finding it easier now.
A haven’t understood B didn’t understand C can’t understand D don’t understand
3 It took me ages to make my mind up, but I ____ on my optional subjects for next year – I’m
going to take statistics and biology.
A have finally decided B finally decide C am finally deciding D haven’t finally decided
4 I ____ sleepy in the afternoons if I eat too much at lunchtime.
A always feel B am always feeling C always felt D feel always
5 He ____ smoking if he had realised how difficult it would be to give it up.
A hadn’t started B wouldn’t startC didn’t start D wouldn’t have started
6 If I ____ more exercise and eaten a healthier diet when I was in my 20s, I’d be in better health
now.
A took B had taken C would have taken D have taken
7 Surely that ____ be enough concrete to finish the floor – you do realise that it’s nearly ten
metres square, don’t you?
A mustn’t B must C can’t D can
8 If the builders confirm that the damp is coming from the window frames, you ____ be obliged
to install new ones.
A can B may C must D should
9 Look! The original staircase ____ here. You can see the handrail and the marks on the walls
where the steps were.
A might have been B could have been C must have been D can be
10 Most people don’t realise the extent to which they are influenced ____ advertising.
A from B of C by D with
11 We are all very concerned ____ the substantial drop in sales in the last quarter.
A for B about C from D of
12 Although we are proud ____ our reputation for excellent customer service, there is still a lot
we can improve.
A for B by C of D from

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13 Provided that nothing unexpected happens, the spaceship ____ to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere
at around midday tomorrow.
A will be likely B is due C might D will probably
14 We ____ start feeling the benefits of the reduction in carbon emissions very soon.
A expect to B are expecting C are likely D are planning to
15 Despite the actions of certain anti-nuclear protest groups, the government ____ change its
plans to build more nuclear power stations over the next decade.
A will B is hoped to C is forecast to D is unlikely to
16 Girls ____ have a strong relationship with their father during their childhood are likely to be
more confident as adults.
A– B who C which D who’s
17 Her theories relating to trauma in early childhood, ____ were extremely controversial when
she first published them, are now widely accepted.
A that B the ones C about which D which
18 I’ve lent them a DVD of the film ____ won the best documentary prize.
A what B that C who D–
19 The polar bears in the area ____ by the early melting of the ice floes this year and are finding
it difficult to survive.
A were badly affect B have been badly affected C badly affected
D being badly affected
20 We can’t set up camp here: this whole area ____ into a natural park in order to protect the land
from developers and preserve the wildlife and plants.
A made B is made C has made D has been made
21 Unfortunately, since these bears ____ as an endangered species, it is still legal for hunters to
shoot them.
A haven’t been recognised B weren’t recognised C don’t recognise
D haven’t recognised
22 I offered to help them hang up the paintings, but they wanted to do it ____ .
A myself B themself C themselves D their selves
23 At the time, ____ an artist or painter wasn’t considered a respectable profession, for a woman
in particular, and my parents did all they could to persuade me not to go to art school.
A being B to be C be D it was
24 Some people complained because the photos of war scenes were so violent; consequently we
had to ____ between removing those particular photos or closing the whole exhibition.
A choosing B choose C have chosen D making a choice
25 Thank you! We ____ passed the exam without your help.
A can’t have B won’t have C couldn’t have D didn’t have
26 Once we have found an alternative to fossil fuels, we ____ drive to work without feeling
guilty.
A are able to B could be able to C would be able to D will be able to

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27 The university ____ face-to-face tutorials with online ones; such a move would be against our
interests and cause standards to fall.
A never replaced B didn’t replace C doesn’t replace D would never replace
28 Unfortunately, the topic that I wanted to write ____ for my dissertation has suddenly become
very popular, so I might have to choose another one.
A down B about C over D around
29 I don’t know who I’m going to talk ____ all evening because no one here speaks my language.
A about B for C to D together
30 The photos you are looking ____ were taken last year during our research trip to Chile. That’s
us on the Isla Grande, the biggest island in the Tierra del Fuego.
A to B in C for D at
31 I chose to study for a degree in business because I thought I would get a good job at the end of
it; ____ I’ve found the course rather boring so far and I’m wondering if I made the right
choice.
A because B on the other hand C however D consequently
32 The university has increased its tuition fees by nearly 40 percent in the past few years; ____
admissions have fallen dramatically and many of the courses are nearly empty.
A nevertheless B further C for instance D consequently
33 ____ you do something to improve your posture, you are likely to have serious back problems
when you get older.
A If B As long as C Unless D Assuming
34 Many forms of cancer can be treated successfully ____ they are identified in their early stages.
A as long as B wherever C unless D even if
35 ____ all the money we spent on redecoration, this building is still a cold and unwelcoming
place.
A As well as B Not only C Despite D Even though
36 The builders told us that ____ repairing the roof, we also need to replace the floor in the attic.
It’s going to cost us a fortune!
A not only B in addition C instead of D as well as
37 Our architect has just ____ that she will be leaving the project in two months’ time to get
married.
A announced B informed C remarked D observed
38 Of course, the previous owners never ____ that the building had structural problems, so it was
a terrible shock when we found out.
A proved B mentioned C told D commented
39 This is a radically different design, so I think we should do some market research ____ we can
test our customers’ reactions to it.
A to B in order C for D so that

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40 We’ve had more complaints about it than any other product, the sales people all hate it, ____ I
suggest we take it out of the shops now!
A whereas B therefore C so that D but
41 ____ most other mammals, the platypus lays eggs instead of giving birth to its young.
A In comparison B Unlike C By contrast D Different
42 ____ many people believe that building robots with human intelligence is possible, scientists
are still a long way from making this a reality.
A If B The more C While D Since
43 There are better and more recent editions of this software available now – when are you going
to ____ ?
A get update it B get it updated C have updated it D get updating it
44 We didn’t like the look of the old website so we ____ by a different design studio.
A redesigned it B have redesigned it C had redesigned it D had it redesigned
45 Most of the scientists here are far less qualified and experienced than ____ I met in the States,
but they are no less dedicated.
A these B those C such D they
46 In theory, it should be possible to build these machines; however, in practice, _____
sophisticated technology takes a long time to develop.
A so B such C that much D one
47 This article claims that drinking water ____ the body feels thirsty is the most important thing
you need to do to stay fit and healthy.
A whenever B however C as much as D how often as
48 The benefits to the health of starting an exercise regime can be experienced almost
immediately, ____ old you are.
A no matter how B no matter the age C no matter what D whichever
49 Tenerife, the largest of the Canary Islands, is the most popular with tourists, perhaps because
of its warm climate and natural attractions, including ____ Mount Teide, the highest mountain
in Spain.
A the Ba C– D that
50 Although many of us worry about the danger of sharks when swimming in tropical waters,
____ , more people are killed by coconuts falling from trees every year than by sharks!
A paradoxically B importantly C commonly D surprisingly
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Vocabulary
2 Complete the sentences with the correct form of the word in CAPITALS.
1 For our next ___________________ , the tutor has asked us to choose an area of technology
that particularly interests us and prepare a presentation about it. ASSIGN

2 Dr Grant is trying to raise ___________________ of the ways in which children with

language problems can be helped and supported. AWARE

3 My English improved noticeably when I started not just writing down four or five new words
every day, but really making an effort to ___________________ them every night. MEMORY

4 The illegal use of ___________________-enhancing drugs is a growing problem in the world

of professional sport. PERFORM

5 We would like to thank all the ___________________ in our research programme who let us
monitor their sleep patterns. PARTICIPATE

6 Research into the effects of sleep ___________________ have revealed how dangerous not
getting enough sleep can be for both body and mind. DEPRIVE

7 Despite its unattractive ___________________ when seen from the outside, the building is
actually a very pleasant place to work in. APPEAR

8 To meet the growing demand for housing for young families, the ___________________ of
over 200 new homes is planned for next year. CONSTRUCT

9 This is an ___________________ area of the city: all the young professionals want to live
here, so the house prices are rising fast. ASPIRE

10 Our first priority is to find a new name for the company and a new logo: almost anything
would be ___________________ to what we’ve got now! PREFER

11 Most of our problems over the last few years are due to a lack of strong
___________________ ; we need to find someone who is capable of developing a vision for
the future and who can inspire people. LEAD

12 I’m not sure about the idea of offering free gifts and holidays to teachers and lecturers who
adopt our learning programmes – would it be___________________ ? ETHIC

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13 The desert is a hostile environment, which is almost completely ___________________ for
most animal and plant life; however there are some hardy species which manage to survive.
INHABIT14
The ___________________ success of our campaign to save the forest is encouraging – we
never imagined we would win so quickly and we hope this victory will inspire others.
EXPECT

15 Whilst it is true that hydroelectricity is ___________________ , it can cause other

environmental problems unless carefully managed. SUSTAIN

16 The school requires that all pupils follow certain rules, but we also understand that everyone is
different and we try to respect the ___________________ of each child. INDIVIDUAL

17 She doesn’t expect automatic ___________________ from the people that work for her; she
prefers to discuss issues openly and is happy when people express their doubts or asks
questions. OBEY

18 Our policy is to accept everyone, whatever their race, gender or religious

___________________ and values as long as they do not try to impose their values on others.
BELIEVE

19 Although there are many ___________________ between alligators and crocodiles, they are
actually different species; crocodiles are larger and more aggressive than alligators, with
different-shaped head and jaws. SIMILAR

20 Although good zoos try to provide a habitat that feels natural and has plenty of space, animals
in ___________________ often suffer from stress and boredom. CAPTIVE

21 Although sheep are not known for their ___________________ , they are surprisingly
intelligent animals: they group together to protect themselves when threatened and can
remember and identify both human and animal faces. CLEVER

22 ___________________ is a nineteenth-century art movement which originated with a group

of Paris-based artists who revolutionised the art world with their fresh and original vision.
IMPRESSION

23 Van Gogh’s paintings were so original that they were met with ___________________ by the
conventional art community, and people only began to appreciate them after his death.
DISAPPROVE

24 Rock star Keith Richards was Johnny Depp’s ___________________ for the character of
Captain Jack Sparrow in Pirates of the Caribbean: he based the character’s hairstyle and
clothes on him, and imitated his manner of speaking. INSPIRE

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25 Social media such as Twitter and Facebook have ___________________ not only the way we
communicate with family and friends, but also the way we do business. REVOLUTION

26 Scientists have different opinions about the ___________________ of us creating artificial

intelligence: some are convinced that it is impossible; others believe it will become a reality in
the near future. LIKELY

27 The new user interface for this app is so ___________________ different and so much better
than the old one that you will hardly recognise it. DRAMA

28 Most of the men in my family have a tendency to suffer from high blood
___________________ as we get older, so it’s vital we take regular exercise and pay attention
to our diets. PRESS

29 The city aims to improve its___________________ of sport and leisure facilities for young
people by opening a new sports centre and setting up new sports clubs for teenagers.
PROVIDE

30 Increasing levels of ___________________ in children is worrying doctors, who blame the

problem on too much fast food and time spent playing computer games indoors instead of
more active play outdoors. OBESE

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Reading
3 Complete the text with the words in the box.
ability average beneficial cerebellum computer doesn’t for game hand have
increase intelligent mathematical of playing size such thirty to young

Can playing computer games make you more intelligent?

Playing computer games is a popular pastime all over the world, especially amongst children and
(1) ___________________ people, many of whom spend several hours each day in front of a
(2) ___________________ screen. Indeed, such is our obsession with computer games that they are
blamed (3) ___________________ all sorts of problems. Rising levels of obesity and behavioural
problems in children (4) ___________________ been linked to excessive computer use, and some
researchers claim that playing video games is affecting people’s (5) ___________________ to
concentrate and damaging their long-term memory. But what if (6) ___________________ computer
games actually had a positive effect on the brain and helped to make you more
(7) ___________________ ? Recent research indicates that this might be the case. A study in which
adult volunteers regularly played the (8) ___________________ ‘Super Mario 64’ for
(9) ___________________ minutes a day showed an increase in the volunteers’ brain volume over
this period, particularly in the right hippocampus, the right prefrontal cortex and the
(10) ___________________ . These are the areas (11) ___________________ the brain responsible
for memory formation, muscle control and spatial navigation, and the fact that playing computer
games can apparently (12) ___________________ their size has led doctors to believe that computer
games could be used (13) ___________________ treat certain types of brain disorders,
(14) ___________________ as dementia in older people and bipolar disorder. Not everyone is
convinced by these results, however. As some experts have pointed out, a bigger brain
(15) ___________________ necessarily mean a better brain: for example Albert Einstein had a(n)
(16) ___________________ -sized brain, although the parts connected to (17) ___________________

thinking were somewhat larger than normal. However, this could be attributed to the fact that he used
these parts of his brain a great deal. From this we might conclude that the (18) ___________________

of the brain is not nearly as important as what you do with it. On the other
(19) ___________________ , if this latter fact is true, then computer games which are specially
designed to exercise the brain in certain ways might have (20) ___________________ effects and help

to improve its function.

/20
TOTAL /100
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