Equivalency Test

Teacher: ______________
Student: ______________

Task 1. Read the following text from which the four sentences have been removed.
Place the missing sentences (A to F ) in the text so as to obtain a logical and
coherent passage. In each gap ( 1. - 4. ) , write the letters of the missing sentences.
Two sentences are given in addition and they do not fit into the text. You receive 2
points for each correct answer.
Henry Fords motto when he established his Motor Company at the
beginning
of the 20th century was to build a car for the great multitude. 1.
__________ One invention
that made it possible was a conveyor belt. Its introduction into the
manufacturing process
helped reduce the assembly time of a car from over 12 to less than 2
worker-hours. 2. __________ Consequently, his Model T got cheaper and
cheaper. From the original price
of $825, it went down to $290 in 1924, a sum that did not exceed the
average family budget.
3. __________ He did not actively seek to upgrade the comfort and
appearance of
his Model T. Its design changed very little over the 19 years during which it
was produced.
In the meantime competitors spared no efforts to beautify and modernize
their vehicles.
In 1927, having sold more than 15 million cars and having revolutionized
the market,
the Model T was discontinued.
If the Model T was not exactly a ladys car, the Cadillac could well be.
Designed and made
by General Motors, the Cadillac was addressed to a different clientele:
those who could
and wanted to pay much more for an elegant product that could satisfy
even the most
demanding and sophisticated tastes. The designers were free to do as
they pleased.
4. __________ They were also in a variety of colors, from flamboyant hues
of pink
to highly elegant shades of white and black. Additionally, the leather
furbishing of the interior
made the car one of the most luxurious in the world.
A. However, this forward looking and ingenious businessman did not
foresee one thing.

B. As a result of the protest he raised the wages of his employees and

reduced
the length of the workday.
C. The company is cutting expenses so it can compete better against
lower-cost rivals
from overseas.
D. Long hoods, trunks with tailfins, wraparound windshields, chrome grilles
and bumpers were the embodiment of wealth.
E. Ford also discovered that producing spare parts and shipping them to
market areas
where they were put together helped lower production costs.
F. He went about achieving this goal by producing and selling cars cheaply
at a time
when they were affordable only for the very rich.

Task 2 Fill in the following text. Write the proper words formed from the words in
parentheses into the gaps ( 1. - 6. ) , so that the text becomes logical and
grammatically correct. . You receive 1 point for each correct answer.
TAKE YOUR MIND TO THE GYM
Your brain is like a muscle: the more you use it, the stronger it gets. For
those who believe
that claim, there are dozens of brain-boosting games now on the market.
What makes them
special is that the 1. (IMPROVE) ________________ does not only manifest
itself within
the context of the game but in the real world as well.
On the face of it, this makes a lot of sense. It is well known that older
people who stay
mentally active are more 2. (RESIST) __________________ to mental decline
according
to the popular use it or lose it hypothesis. If it works for older people,
shouldnt it work
for everybody else?
3. (FORTUNATE) __________________for the wannabe genius, there are no
simple
answers. While there is no 4. (SHORT) __________________ of studies
suggesting that
some mental functions can be trained, most companies offering braintraining games do not
specify how their product will change your brain.
Although these games may or may not turn intellectual zeros into heroes,
many
5. (PSYCHIATRY) _____________________ use them as a miracle cure for
their patients.
This, perhaps, is where brain training will have its greatest impact not as
a brain gym, but as

an effective 6. (TREAT) ___________________ for people with serious mental

health
problems or brain injury.
adapted

Task 3 Using the given words, complete each sentence (1 to 4 ) so as its meaning
remains the same as the original one. . You receive 1 point for each correct answer.
1. If only you hadnt brought your pet snake with you!
BROUGHT
You should _____________________________________________ your pet snake
with you!
2. We were on the point of leaving the office when the phone rang.
ABOUT
We ______________________________________________ the office when the
phone rang.
3. I sent her a present to compensate for my bad behaviour.
MAKE
I sent her a present to _________________________________________ my bad
behaviour.
4. I wouldnt have finished it without his help.
FOR
If it __________________________________ his help, I wouldnt have finished it.

Task 4 True or False - Reading comprehension exercise + synonym match

Please circle your answer. You receive 2 points for each correct answer.
Authorities in India's Bihar state have expelled around 600 high school students for cheating
in their 10th grade examinations. The pupils used a novel but somewhat dangerous way to get
help with their exam papers their parents scaled the walls of the school building and
provided the answers to questions through the windows. Photographs and video footage of
this illegitimate technique have gone viral. They show dozens of parents clinging on to
whatever they can on the walls to feed information to their children. Some of the parents were
three stories up. Teachers found many cheat sheets inside the classroom. Some had been
folded up into paper airplanes and thrown through the window.
Over 1.4 million 10th graders are taking the tests this week at more than 1,200 high schools
across the state. Bihar's education minister P.K. Shahi told reporters that schools faced a
difficult job to ensure exams took place under the strictest of conditions. He said: "It's

virtually impossible to conduct fair examinations without the cooperation of parents." He

added that it was not possible to monitor all parents who accompany their children to schools
and other test centres. The situation regarding parents helping their children cheat has become
so prevalent that police officers are posted to each school. However, an official said, "we can't
use force to drive away the parents".

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F).
a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.

Over 600 university students in India were expelled for cheating.

The students used a technique using novels to help them cheat.
Dozens of parents climbed up to classroom windows to help kids cheat.
Some of the cheat sheets were folded into origami paper cranes.
The education minister said it was easy to keep exams secure.
The minister said parental cooperation was pretty much essential.
Police officers are posted at many schools to try and reduce cheating.
A school official said the schools could not use force to rid the parents.

2. SYNONYM MATCH: Match the following synonyms from the article.

1.
2
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

expelled
somewhat
provided
illegitimate
clinging
ensure
conditions
virtually
monitor
force

a.
b.
c.
d.
e.
f.
g.
h.
i.
j.

slightly
make certain
unlawful
observe
almost
thrown out
coercion
supplied
circumstances
holding

T/F
T/F
T/F
T/F
T/F
T/F
T/F
T/F