İSTANBUL MEDENİYET UNIVERSITY

ERASMUS+ PROFICIENCY EXAM

There are 50 questions in this test.

You have 85 minutes to complete the test.

SECTION I. GRAMMAR Questions 1-15 (15 x 2 = 30 points)

Choose the BEST option that completes each blank in the following questions.

1. Ann __________ her driving test three times 5. The electric light bulb __________ by Thomas
because she's so bad at reversing. But she Edison many years ago. Today, millions of people
__________ reversing since last week and I think __________ it for different needs and purposes in
she has got a bit better at it. their daily life.
a) has failed / has been practising a) is invented / are used
b) failed / practised b) was invented / use
c) has failed / was practising c) has been invented / are using
d) had failed / practised d) had been invented / were using

2. My uncle George __________ the sea in his life 6. When I was young, I _________ in a big house
before. I __________ him making plans to go in the countryside with my family. There
sailing last week, though. ________ 4 rooms including two bathrooms in our
a) never saw / heard house. How I still fondly remember those days!
b) has never seen / heard a) lived / are
c) never sees / hear b) would live / used to be
d) will never see / am hearing c) used to live / were
d) had lived / would be
3. Don't forget to take your snow pants! It
__________ heavily at this time tomorrow and you 7. Andy: How do you feel about your new job? Do
__________ really cold at that time because there you have as ________ responsibilities as you used
will be a severe blizzard. to?
a) will snow / will feel Jane: The job is great. I have about the same
b) will have snowed / will be feeling amount of work to do as before but I have
c) will snow / will have been feeling ________ stress and few problems.
d) will be snowing / will be feeling a) much / few b) a few / many
c) a lot of / some d) many / little
4. Martin: This is the second time I have called
you about the TV which doesn't work properly. 8. Leyla was __________ than the rest of the class
Receptionist: Sorry, sir! We've already until two years ago but she has gained so much
informed the technicians of the problem. They weight since then that she is now __________
__________ upstairs to fix it soon. student in the whole class.
a) have come b) are going to come a) thinner / the fattest b) the thinnest / the fattest
c) come d) were coming c) thinner / the fatter d) the thinner / fattest

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9. We have bought everything that we should for 13. A: He drives an expensive car. He ________ a
tomorrow’s party, __________? If not, I can good job. I am sure about this.
go to the market. B: How can you be so sure ? He ________
a) haven’t we b) should we from a rich family. It is possible, too.
c) shouldn’t we d) have we a) should have / has to come
b) must have / may come
10. A: Which cities did you see in Germany ? c) must have / should come
B: We could only see Berlin and Dresden. If d) may have / has to come
we _________ the holiday better, we _________ all
the major cities of Germany. 14. A: Have you found the lost ring ?
a) have planned / visited B: No, I haven’t. I searched __________ for it,
b) plan / are visiting but it seems to be __________ in the house.
c) had planned / could have visited a) wherever / anywhere
d) planned / visited b) somewhere / elsewhere
c) everywhere / nowhere
11. I asked my brother whether he __________ d) anywhere / somewhere
anywhere over the next summer holiday, but
he said that he had books to read for his literature 15. I studied Spanish for four years at high school.
course and __________ time. __________, I had trouble talking to people when
a) was going to work / wouldn’t have I was travelling in Spain.
b) had worked / didn’t have a) Although
c) will be working / hasn’t had b) Besides
d) has been working / doesn’t have c) Moreover
d) However
12. It is difficult __________ why most people
don’t mind __________violent films on television
with their children.
a) understanding / watch
b) to understand / to watch
c) to understand / watching
d) understanding / to watch

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 SECTION II – CLOZE TESTS Questions 16-25 (10 x 2 = 20 points)

Choose the BEST option that completes each blank in the following questions.

Although it has been said that elephants can With the advances in science and technology,
live as long as 150 years, there is no actual record of several methods 21) __________ recently to detect
any such age. 70 years is believed to be the maximum forgery in documents, which is making illegal copies
(16) __________ of life that they spend in an unfree of them. In one method, the age of the paper
environment. Stories have long been told of elephant 22)__________ with the supposed date of the writing.
graveyards to which all the elephants from the In another, it is possible to be determined with the
surrounding country go (17) __________ the same writing 23) __________ the creases of the paper
time when they feel death is approaching. Ivory which precedes or follows the creasing. Also,
hunters have searched for these graveyards but they chemical analysis of paper and ink are used to
couldn’t find any clue. Perhaps the legend comes from determine the date of the manufacture of each. It is
the fact that Africans sometimes burn the grasslands difficult, for instance, to create a 24) __________
to clear the ground for agriculture and forgery of a pre-20th century document because the
(18)__________ they may occasionally cause the chemical composition of paper and ink have changed
death of a whole elephant herd by (19) __________ markedly 25) __________ 1900.
accident. It may also be that such graveyards are
places where groups of elephants have drowned at one 21. a) were designed
time, perhaps while they (20) __________ a river or a b) had been designed
muddy area. c) will have designed
d) have been designed
16. a) product b) collection
c) length d) act 22. a) can be compared
b) should be compared
17. a) at b) on c) ought to be compared
c) in d) of d) had to be compared

18. a) as if b) due to 23. a) back b) on

c) whereas d) thus c) in d) through

19. a) a b) an 24. a) preventing

c) the d) – b) responsible
c) confused
20. a) have crossed d) convincing
b) were crossing
c) would be crossing 25. a) before b) by
d) had crossed c) since d) when

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 SECTION III – VOCABULARY Questions 26-35 (10 x 2 = 20 points)

Choose the BEST option that completes each blank in the following questions.

26. Yesterday, my car __________ on the road to 31. My son’s teacher says he doesn’t __________
Madrid, but luckily, it was an easy problem attention to his lessons.
and I fixed it. a) take b) pay
a) broke up b) broke down c) have d) get
c) looked up d) cut down
32. I am really excited _________ my new house
27. His family and friends supported him a lot because it is fantastic. It is very different
throughout the tournament, but yesterday Tom _________ my previous house. This new house has
finished third in the game. It was a big __________ a sea view, two bedrooms and a big garden.
for all his supporters. a) to / from b) to / to
a) disappoint b) disappointing c) about / from d) about / to
c) disappointed d) disappointment
33. Today, we have started raising money for the
28. Two months ago, I received a / an __________ poor people in our neighborhood, and 50 % of the
to the wedding of my friends, Mark and Laura in money we earn from the sales will go to the
London. __________ organization.
a) invention b) invitation a) change b) charity
c) confusion d) celebration c) company d) challenge

29. I went to the library with my best friend Lisa. 34. Jane is very __________ about her future. She
She was speaking so __________ that I had to warn feels that everything will be worse. She will lose her
her. She felt really embarrassed. job, her husband and her happiness forever. She is
a) carefully b) slowly very unhappy.
c) kindly d) loudly a) homeless b) useless
c) careless d) hopeless
30. A: What's wrong with Jack? He seems so sad
and he does not eat anything or talk to us. 35. I want to go away to college, but it’s impossible
B: I think he is suffering _________ depression for me to ____________ it on my own. I definitely
because he and his girlfriend _________, and she is need to get a loan from somewhere.
with somebody else now. a) borrow b) lend
a) from / retired b) of / left c) buy d) afford
c) from / separated d) of / argued

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SECTION IV – READING Questions 36-50 (15 x 2 = 30 points)

Read the articles and choose the BEST option.

READING 1: WHO BUILT GIZA’S PYRAMIDS?

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For centuries, the pyramids of Giza have been timeless symbols of Egyptian culture. But who actually built
them? For years, we did not know for sure. But archeologists recently discovered an ancient village near the
pyramids. Close by, there was also a cemetery where builders were buried. From studying these places,
archeologists can now confirm that the pyramids were not built by slaves or foreigners (or space aliens!). Ordinary
Egyptians built them.
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It took about eighty years to build the pyramids. According to archeologists, about 20,000 -30,000 people
were involved in completing the task. The workers had different roles. Some dug up the rock, some moved it, and
some shaped it into blocks. People also worked on different teams, each with its own name. On a wall in Khufu’s
Great Pyramid, for example, a group of workers wrote “Friends of Khufu.” Teams often competed to do a job
faster.
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Life for these workers was hard. “We can see that in their skeletons,” says Azza Mohamed Sarry El-Din, a
scientist studying bodies found in the cemetery. The bones show signs of arthritis*, which developed from carrying
heavy things for a long time. Archeologists have also found many female skeletons in the village and cemetery.
The damage to their bones is similar to the men’s. Their lives may have been even tougher: male workers lived to
age 40-45, but women to only 30-35. However, workers usually had enough food, and they also had medical care if
they got sick or hurt.
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The work was challenging, but laborers were proud of their work. “It is because they were not just
building the tomb of their king,” says Egyptian archeologist Zahi Hawass. “They were building Egypt. It was a
national project, and everyone was a participant.”
Glossary: arthritis: an illness that causes the hands, knees, or other joints to hurt

A. Read the article and circle the best answer for the questions 36-40.

36. The main purpose of this reading is to 38. Which statement about building the pyramids
describe __________. is true?
a) who the pyramid builders were and what they did a) It took over a century to complete.
b) how Khufu’s Great Pyramid was constructed b) Builders all did the same work.
c) what life was like for Egyptian kings c) More than 30,000 workers were involved.
d) why Egyptian kings wanted to build pyramids d) Builders worked in teams.

37. Which statement about the pyramid builders 39. In line 14, what does their refer to?
is true? a) archeologists b) male workers
a) They lived fairly long lives. c) female workers d) medical workers
b) Both men and women built the pyramids.
c) Most came from other countries. 40. In line 17, what does the word laborers mean?
d) They rarely had enough to eat or drink. a) kings b) archeologists
c) workers d) women

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 READING 2: GRAND CENTRAL TERMINAL
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Everything about Grand Central Terminal (GCT), conveniently located in the heart of Manhattan, is
remarkable. On an average day, 700,000 people pass in and out of it. The information booth in the Main Concourse
(the huge room that is the focal point of the building) gets as many as a thousand visitors an hour. Standing beside
it, you feel that if you stood there long enough, you would eventually see every person you have ever known in
your life. “It is the town square for eight million people,” says GCT spokesperson Dan Brucker. “If people get
separated in the city, they will meet at the information booth.”
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GCT’s art and style reflect the great economic success of railroad companies before the growth of car and
air travel. You could spend years in Grand Central before you discovered all its secrets: its tennis courts, its hidden
railroad cars, its private ground-floor apartment (now a bar). Nine stories below the lowest floor that the public gets
to see is a basement known as M-42. Brucker explains, “This is not just the deepest and the biggest but the most
secret basement in the city. During World War II, there were shoot-to-kill orders if you showed up here.” It was
where the power came from to move the trains carrying soldiers. Today, one box in the basement holds a small red
button, about the size of a coin. Above it is written “Emergency Stop.” If you pressed this button, says Brucker,
you could “make 125,000 people late for dinner.”
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Above the ground, the Main Concourse features a ceiling painted to look like the night sky, with stars
shining down. Over the years, smoke blackened this beautiful ceiling. Although people thought smoke from trains
was the cause, it was actually tobacco smoke! However, it has since been cleaned and now shows its original
beauty.
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In the name of modernization, plans were made to destroy GCT in the 1960s. However, many people
objected, and finally New Yorkers decided GCT was worth saving. In 1976, the U.S government agreed. It made
GCT a National Historic Landmark*, recognizing its importance for all Americans and ensuring its continued
protection. Once threatened with destruction, Grand Central Terminal continues to give pleasure to passengers and
sightseers in Manhattan.

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Grand Central Terminal by the numbers:
Size: Covers 20 hectares of land (almost 30 soccer fields), 53 kilometers of track, and 44 platforms- more than any
other station in the world
Commuters: About 125,000 a day
Visitors: Some 575,000 people a day come just to eat, shop, and sightsee
Oldest business: The Oyster Bar, opened in 1913, the same year as GCT
Meals served in terminal restaurants: 10,000 a day
Newspaper recycled: Over 4,500 kilograms a day
Percentage of trains on time: 98
Items in Lost and Found: 19,000 a year

Glossary: National Historic Landmark: a building, place, or structure that the U.S government has officially
decided to be of historic importance

Read the article and circle the best answer for the questions 41-45.

41. What is the main purpose of this article? 42. Which statement is NOT true about Grand
a) To discuss the importance of rail travel Central Terminal?
b) To introduce an important New York landmark a) It is one of the world’s largest train stations.
c) To interview Dan Brucker b) It has more commuters than visitors each day.
d) To argue for the importance of National Historic c) It was built before the growth of car and air travel.
Landmarks d) It is in the heart of Manhattan.

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43. What was blackened by smoke? 47. Circle the irrelevant sentence in the
a) the hidden railroad cars paragraph.
b) the ceiling of the main concourse
c) the information booth (I) Born in Dusseldorf, Germany, in 1945, Win
d) basement M-42 Wenders is widely recognized as one of the late-20th
century’s most innovative and thoughtful film
44. Which of the following statements would Dan directors. (II) Apart from Wenders, two other notable
Brucker most likely agree with? German filmmakers in the 1970s were Rainer Werner
a) Grand Central Terminal needs more information Fassbinder and Werner Herzog. (III) His genius has
booths. been acknowledged internationally, considering all
b) People who go to Basement M-42 today might be the awards he has won. (IV) In 1976, he won several
shot. awards at Cannes Film Festival for ‘Kings of the
c) Grand Central Terminal is a focal point of New Road’. (V) He was also the winner of the Golden
York City. Lion in Venice in 1982 for his film “The State of
d) The “Emergency Stop” button should be removed. Things”.
a) I b) II c) III d) V
45. The phrase showed up in line 12 is closest in
meaning to __________.
a) appeared 48. Choose the sentence that is closest in meaning
b) displayed something to the sentence below.
c) spoke
d) demonstrated The weather was so good during the solar eclipse
that even the optimists were surprised.
46. Choose the best sentence that completes the
paragraph below. a) Even the optimists were not expecting such good
weather during the solar eclipse as there really turned
__________. Many species are extremely fast and out to be.
can outrun a person for short distances. Others are b) Only a few people had expected particularly good
good climbers and can easily escape. Some are weather during the solar eclipse, and they were
difficult to find because they live underground, blend overly optimistic.
in with their surroundings, or simply because they are c) The excellent weather during the solar eclipse
rare. Thus, scientists have had to develop numerous surprised those who were ecpecting bad weather.
techniques for collecting lizards. d) The pessimists who thought no one would enjoy
the solar eclipse because of the bad weather were not
a) Among the reptiles, lizards and snakes are most completely wrong.
closely related in a scientific sense
b) The primary goal of zoologists is to understand the
origins of different species of animals
c) For lizards that are kept as pets, hiding places
made of rocks, wood, or live plants should be
provided
d) One of the major challenges for zoologists who
work with lizards is capturing them

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49. Choose the sentence that completes the 50. Choose the sentence that is appropriate for the
conversation best. situation below.

Daphne: How was your trip to Sri Lanka? Doing some research at the library, you run into a
Cliff: It was great. I’ve never seen such a beautiful long-lost friend. Excited and pleased with the
country. meeting, you quickly become involved in
Daphne: __________ conversation. When someone nearby finally asks
Cliff: It was until about a year ago, but the situation the two of you to be quiet, you apologise, saying:
has improved since the peace talks began.
a) Why don’t you mind your own business?
a) Was there much to do? b) I’m sorry, it’s just that I haven’t seen you for such
b) I don’t know anything about it. Was it similar to a long while.
South India? c) Sorry, but I need to help my friend find himself.
c) I thought it was dangerous there because of the d) Forgive us, we haven’t seen each other for such a
civil war. long time.
d) Is it true that a lot of people can speak English
there?