ПЛЕХАНОВСКАЯ ОЛИМПИАДА ШКОЛЬНИКОВ

(очный тур) 2015 – 2016 уч. год

READING TRANSFER ALL YOUR ANSWERS TO THE ANSWER SHEET

Task 1. You are going to read a newspaper article about exam technology. For questions 1 – 7
choose the answer (a.b.c.d) which you think fits best according to the text.
Like it or not, technology is already an established part of the exam process and the only argument still to be
fought at this year's e-assessment conference and exhibition, taking place in London this week, is just how
much further in that direction we should go.
At one end, little has changed. Students still, by and large, take exams in much the same way as they
always have. They walk into a room full of desks with an invigilator on hand to tell them when to start and
stop and to make sure no one is texting anyone else, and everyone is ticking the right boxes, or writing out
the answer in longhand if required. It's once the ink has dried that the real change in the system kicks in.
Instead of divvying up the scripts between the thousands of markers,-they are now scanned into a central
computer and the markers then access them online.
The benefits are obvious. It's quicker, cheaper and more efficient. The really dull components, such
as multiple choice or simple questions such as "name four things that contribute to global warming", can be
marked automatically or by less experienced markers, whereas questions requiring a more nuanced, longer
answer can be left to the old hands. Your best markers don't have to be wasted on the straightforward stuff.
Students can also benefit. "Markers can now give much more precise feedback", says Kathleen
Tattersall, who chairs the Institute of Educational. Assessors. "We can tell someone almost exactly what he
or she needs to do to improve a grade because we can show them what they got right and wrong. This is
particularly useful for, anyone looking to resit a January exam in the summer, because teachers can tailor
individual revision plans for all their students,"
For all its advantages, no one reckons that this assessment model is the finished article. "There are
difficulties that need to be ironed out",’ says' Martin Walker, a former English teacher and a principal exam-
iner for one of the main boards. "Because markers are now often only given a few questions from each
paper, it's hard to get an accurate feel of exactly what a student does and doesn't know. When you had an
entire exam script in front of you, you could build up a picture of the candidate's range of knowledge, so
when there was room for doubt in an answer you could make a judgement call based on previous responses.
It’s much harder to do it now.
"There, are also limits to what you can easily read on screen", he adds. "In my experience, most
examiners end up printing out the long essays and working from a hard copy, which is both time-consuming
and slightly self-defeating.” The danger, as Tattersall concedes, is that schools end up teaching only what
technology is capable of assessing. "Rather, we have to look at how IT is used in the classroom to improve
teaching and learning and base our exams on that model", she says.
It is certain that we are only halfway through the electronic revolution. In the coming years, more and
more exams will be completed - as well as marked – online and the government and the Qualifications and
Curriculum Authority will have to think hard about the ways of maintaining standards.
By far the easiest form of online testing to implement is multiple choice. A student can take the test
online and it can be automatically marked instantaneously; this system is almost foolproof .The downside
is that most people associate multiple choice with dumbing down, on the grounds that anything that can be
reduced to a yes or no, right or wrong answer, is bound to’ be over-simplified.
"Not true", says Stevie Pattison-Dick, head of communications for Edexcel. "Some multiple-choice
exams may be quite straightforward, but if they are, they only reflect the level of knowledge a student is
expected to attain. There’s nothing inherently simple about multiple choice. We have become very
sophisticated in our question setting and are able to cross-reference the answers, so an examiner can now
tell, whether someone just got lucky by ticking the right box or actually understood the process on which he
 2.
or she was being assessed.” One of the final exams a medical student has to pass before qualifying as a
doctor is multiple choice, so this method of assessment has to be extremely rigorous.
1. The writer believes that
A nothing of significance has changed in the exam system.
B a revolution in exam taking may soon be initiated.
C technology doesn’t greatly affect students when they sit exams.
D many students cheat by using mobile phones.
2. What does the writer mean by “old hands” in paragraph 3?
A retired examiners.
B experienced examiners.
C examiners who have reached a certain age.
D mature students.
3. Which of the following is not mentioned as a benefit of computer marking?
A better utilization of examiners.
B more interesting questions can be set.
C many set questions do not need human markers at all.
D financial advantages.
4. One advantage of the new system is that
A teachers can focus on students’ weaknesses before retakes.
B students only need to retake the parts of the exam that they failed.
C students can delay taking the exam for an extra six months.
D examiners can construct comprehensive revision plans.
5. A What is stated to be a disadvantage of the current system?
A Many examiners complain that the work is boring now.
B Examiners no longer have enough work.
C Examiners have a limited impression of the candidate.
D Examiners aren’t as skillful as they used to be.
6. What is implied about the general perception of multiple-choice testing?
A It is easy for a student to cheat.
B It reduces the student’s writing skills.
C It lowers the standard of the exam.
D It’s impossible for a computer error to be made.
7. According to Stevie Patterson-Dick, multiple-choice exams
A do have a large element of chance in them.
B are not always the best way to test medical students.
C are by far the best way to test students on particular subjects.
D can be composed in a way that makes students reaffirm their knowledge.
JUSTIFICATION OF THE ANSWERS
1.The correct answer is C. Paragraph 2. “Students still, by and large, take exams in much the same way as
they always have”. Technology is part of the exam system so A. is incorrect.
The future direction is being discussed so 'revolution' is too extreme, ruling out B. The invigilator ‘makes
sure no one is texting’ so D is not correct.
2.The correct answer is B. Paragraph 3, because they are more experienced they can deal with “more
nuanced, longer answers”. Retired examiners have stopped working so A. is wrong.
Age is not mentioned so C. is incorrect and students are not involved in marking, ruling out D.
3.The correct answer is B. “best markers don’t have to be wasted" is A.
It’s ‘cheaper’ D, and questions “can be marked automatically” is C.
4.The correct answer is A. Paragraph 4 “useful for anyone looking to resit a January exam in Summer,
because teachers can tailor individual revision plans for all their students". B. is wrong as students resit the
January exam in Summer, not parts they failed. It’s not C. as resit means failure the first time. D. is wrong as
'teachers’ design revision plans.
5.The correct answer is C. Paragraph 5, “it’s hard to get an accurate feel of exactly what a student does
and doesn’t know”. There are no complaints about the work so A. can’t be right.
Checking “a few questions from each paper” doesn’t mean they do less work so it’s not B.
It’s not D, as we know the system 'makes it much harder’ to assess students.
6.The correct answer is C. Paragraph 8 “most people associate multiple choice with dumbing down”. A.
is obviously wrong. It can be done online but there’s no comment about 'reducing writing skills’ as a result,
so B. is not correct. The system is ’almost’ foolproof, which implies it’s not perfect so D. is incorrect.
7.The correct answer is D. Paragraph 9 “an examiner can now tell whether someone just got lucky by
ticking the right box or actually understood the process by which he or she was being assessed”.
A. can’t be right because 'an examiner can tell the difference’. B. is incorrect as medical students must pass
a multiple choice question to become a doctor. C. is wrong as no comparison is made with other methods of
assessment.
Task 2 For questions 8 – 13 choose the best sentence from a – g and fill the gaps. One
sentence you don’t need to use.

STARTING YOUR OWN BUSINESS

The first two things to do if you are starting your own business are to find an accountant and talk to your
bank manager. Your accountant will help you to draw up a business plan to show what borrowings you need
from your bank. (8)____________g.
While you are engaged in these consultations, it is a good idea to find out whether you are entitled to
any government subsidies or similar financial help. (9)_______d_ . Check too whether training grants are
available for yourself or people you employ.
Once you have completed these preliminary tasks, there are a number of specific things you then need
3.
to do. Doing them in the right way and at the right time can save you a lot of money, so make sure you know
what to do.
Perhaps the most important is to tell the Inland Revenue that you have left your job and have started
your own business. (10) ________e. The Inland Revenue will also need to amend their records to show that
you are now self-employed. Next, you should think about registering for Value Added Tax (VAT). Generally,
if your sales exceed a certain amount you have to charge VAT on them. (11) _________b .
Consider the consequences of employing people in your business. As soon as you start to take-on
employees, you will need to establish proper procedures. These include drawing up proper contracts of
employment. You will also need to get in touch with t your local tax office to register your employees.
Lastly, as part of becoming an employer of others, you must become familiar with a number of legal
issues. Once you have more than a minimum number of people on your payroll, you will need to comply with
Health and Safety requirements.
(12)_________. a One issue that you should think about once your business expands and your staff
grow in numbers is equal opportunity. In particular, you should consider drawing up a company policy on
equal opportunity. (13) ___________f.
If you need more information on legal or other matters relating to employment, contact your local
Chamber of Commerce, which will either be able to help you, or will put you in touch with organizations
who can.
a. It is a good idea, when considering this issue, to ask your local Fire Authority to check your
work premises in order to ensure that they comply with current fire regulations.
b. Even if your sales are under that figure, it may be worthwhile registering voluntarily because you
could recover what you have been charged on your business purchases.
 c. If you are new to this, talk to your local Chamber of Commerce about placing suitable
advertisements in the local press.
d. For example, you might be in a less prosperous region where grants are made to encourage the
start-up of small business.
e. You may be due a repayment of income tax deducted while you were in employment, so do this
as soon as possible.
f. If this includes a commitment to employ disabled people, you will need to ensure that your
premises are equipped to accommodate them, for example with ramps for wheelchairs, special
provision of toilets, and so on.
g. Once this is done, your bank manager will need to review the plan and discuss any overdraft
facility you might need.

Task 3. For questions 14 - 19 read the definitions and match them to corresponding
words in the article “Starting your own business” and sentences.

14 working for yourself self-employed

15 the total amount of money that a company or organization owes borrowings
16 the act of paying back the money repayment
17 someone who can’t use part of their body properly disabled
18 the buildings and land that a shop, restaurant, company uses premises
19 done willingly and without being helped voluntarily

Task 4 For questions 20-29 read the text below, in which somebody is trying to decide whether to go
straight to university from school, or spend a year travelling around the world. Put the arguments
(a – j) in the correct order.

I’m really in two minds about what to do when I leave school. Should I go straight to university or
should I spend a year travelling around the world? First of all, there are so many benefits of going
straight to the university.
a. Unfortunately, another point is that if I spend a year travelling I would need a lot of money.
b. On the one hand, I would experience lots of different cultures. On the other hand, I could end up suffering
from culture shock, homesickness and some strange tropical disease.
c. Furthermore, if I spend a year travelling, I would learn more about the world.
d. Moreover, I’ll be able to take part in social activities that the universities offers, and meet lots of new
friends who share the same interests.
e. And I am not alone in this opinion. Many consider a sound career and a good salary to be an important
goal.
f. But I believe that it would be easy to make a bit while I was travelling, giving English lessons or working
in hotels and shops.
g. Nevertheless, these inconveniences would be an inevitable part of travelling and would be greatly
outweighed by the other advantages.
h. However, it could be argued that I would also meet lots of interesting people while I was travelling.
i. The most important point is that the sooner I get my qualification, the quicker I’ll get the job and start
earning. I n my opinion, starting work and making money is one of the most important things in life.
j. Secondly, if I go straight to the university, I’ll learn so many things that will help me in my future life. It is
often said that knowledge is the key to power, and I cannot disagree with this.
All right, I’ve made up my mind. Now, where is my nearest travel agency)?

20 i 21 e 22 j 23 d 24 h 25 c 26 b 27 g 28 a 29 f
USE OF ENGLISH

Task 1 For questions 1 - 6 fill the gaps with cause and effect connectors. There are more words
than you will need .

nevertheless because resulting so that though resulted

consequence reason consequently causing because of owing
A drop in consumers’ spending power (1) __ resulted ____in a corresponding drop in demand throughout
the economy. As a result, industrial production had to be reduced, and one (2)_ consequence of this was
that many workers were made redundant. And _(3)__owing___ to this rising unemployment, consumers’
incomes and _( 4) consequently ___ their spending power fell further. For this _(5) reason __ , demand
continued to fall throughout the economy, __(6)_ causing __ a fall in industrial production, and in turn,
more redundancies.

Task 2 For questions 7 – 14 fill the gaps in the following sentences with derivatives of the words
given below. There are two derivatives for each word. One word you don’t need to use.

reserve question respect rest noise

7 Something that is (questionable) seems doubtful and is likely to be wrong or untrue.

8. The protests were the biggest show of social and political (unrest) since the Government came
to power.
9.She packed her bags, then called the airport and made a (reservation) on the last flight.
10. His attitude towards the boss was so (disrespectful) that he ended up losing his job.
11. I start to feel ( restless ) if I stay in the same job too long.
12. It is not considered ( respectable/resptctful) to enter the room without knocking.
13. I wouldn’t say she is shy. I think ( reserved ) is a better word.
14. Our research is based on the conclusions drawn from 100.000 ( questionnaires) sent out to
different women’s organizations.

Task 3 For questions 15 – 24 fill in the gaps with a word from the box to make the
sentences idiomatic. There are more words than you will need.

15. He is the best man to run the company. He cut his teeth in the production department and ran it
successfully for years.
16. After their argument Jenny gave him the cold shoulder and refused to talk to him.
17. I know you told me about the meeting, but it completely slipped my mind.
18. Debbie made a slip of the tongue when she said that Paris was in Spain.
19. She is a good manager, but her Achilles’ heel is her poor English.
20. You have to deal with this problem before it gets out of hand.
21. The car costs an arm and a leg . It’ll take them ages to pay back the loan.
22. You hit the nail on the head when you called him the slowest worker on earth. I have never seen
anyone do so little.
23. They lived from hand to mouth, never enjoying luxury or travelling.
24. Brian made Gary lose face in front of his friends when he said Gary wasn’t smart.

heel neck thumb foot face mouth chin hand leg

hand tongue mind teeth shoulder head feet fingers palm

Task 4 Questions 25 - 28. The words in the following sentences have been jumbled up.
Unjumble them and write the sentences on the answer sheet.

25 . looking We long we for which we sign driving were saw been when
the hadn’t
We hadn’t been driving long when we saw the sign which we were looking for.

26 such should I extraordinary it that a happened have find thing absolutely

I find it absolutely extraordinary that such a thing should have happened.

27 largest said built It to ship be the ever is

It is said to be the largest ship ever built.

28 company He of was cause bankruptcy attempting to the accused the

He was accused of attempting to cause the bankruptcy of the company.

Task 5 For questions 29 - 37 , complete the second sentence so that it has a similar
meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Don’t change the word given.
Write only the missing words on the answer sheet.

29 George didn’t take his camera with him and he realized that it was a mistake.
wished
George wished he had taken his camera with him.
30 They concluded that there was nothing more they could do to save the business.
came
They came to the conclusion that the business was beyond help.
31 It is unlikely that Jim will get the promotion.
chance
There is little chance of Jim being promoted. 6.
32 Men outnumber women by two to one in this profession.
twice
There are _twice as many men as women in this profession.
33 Ben needs to clean his car.
high
It’s high time Ben cleaned his car.
34 The voting process is the same as it was last year.
changed
The voting process has not (been) changed (hasn’t been) since last year.
35 ‘You won’t get a good seat if you come late,’ said Leslie to me.
unless
Leslie said that unless I came early , I wouldn’t get a good seat.
36 I’d help you, but I have very little time on my hands.
 hardly
I’d help you, but I have hardly any free time on my hands.
37 It would be a good idea to make reservations ahead of time.
better
You had better make reservations ahead of time.

Task 6 For questions 38 – 41 choose the correct answer. The questions concern the life in
English speaking countries.

38 On St. David’s Day Welshmen wear

A a rose or a daffodil B a leek or a daffodil C a shamrock or a leek D a thistle or a rose

39 The nickname of the Conservative Party of Great Britain is

A The Whigs B The Tories C The Elephants D The Liberals
40 One of the well-known nicknames for the USA is
A “Crazy Tribe” B “Wild World” C “Melting pot” D “Great Empire”
41 Which name is not appropriate for the list?
A Henry Wordsworth Longfellow B Walt Whitman
C Robert Frost D Fenimore Cooper

TRANSFER ALL YOUR ANSWERS TO THE ANSWER SHEET

 Listening Transfer your answers to the answer sheet

You will hear part of the lecture about learning and bilingualism

For questions 1-5 complete the sentences below

Write no more than two words for each answer.

1. Bilingualism can be defined as having an equal level of communicative proficiency in two

or more languages.
2. Early research suggested that bilingualism caused problems with learning and mental
development.
3. Early research into bilingualism is now rejected because it did not consider the social and
economic backgrounds of the children .
4. It is now thought that there is a positive relationship between bilingualism and cognitive
skills in children.
5. Research done by Ellen Bialystok in Canada now suggests that the effects of bilingualism also
apply to adults .

For questions 6 – 10 choose the correct letter A, B or C

6. In Dr Bialystock’s experiment, the subjects had to react according to

A the colour of the square on the screen.
B the location of the square on the screen.
C the location of the shift key on the keyboard.
7. The experiment demonstrated the ‘Simon effect’ because it involved a conflict between
A seeing something and reacting to it.
B producing fast and slow reactions.
C demonstrating awareness of shape and colour.
8. The experiment shows that, compared with the monolingual subjects, the bilingual
subjects
A were more intelligent.
B had faster reaction time overall.
C had more problems with the ‘Simon effect’.
9. The results of the experiment indicate that bilingual people may be better at
A doing different types of tasks at the same time.
B thinking about several things at once.
C focusing only on what is needed to do a task.
10. Dr Bialystock’s first and second experiments both suggest that bilingualism may
A slow down the effects of old age on the brain.
B lead to mental confusion among old people.
C help old people to stay in better physical condition.

Listening
You will hear a part of the lecture about learning and bilingualism. First you will have some time to look at
questions one to ten. You will hear the lecture only once.
When we look at theories of education and learning we see a constant shifting of views as established theories are
questioned and refined or even replaced, and we can see this very clearly in the way that attitudes towards
bilingualism have changed.
Let's start with a definition of bilingualism, and for our purposes today, we can say it's the ability to communicate
with the same degree of proficiency in at least two languages. Now, in practical terms this might seem like a good
thing - something we'd all like to be able to do. However, early research done with children in the USA in fact
suggested that being bilingual interfered in some way with learning and with the development of their mental
processes, and so in those days bilingualism was regarded as something to be avoided, and parents were encouraged to
bring their children up as monolingual - just speaking one language. But this research, which took place in the early
part of the twentieth century ,is now regarded as unsound for various reasons, mainly because it didn't take into
account other factors such as the children's social and economic backgrounds.
Now, in our last lecture we were looking at some of the research that's been done into the way children learn, into
their cognitive development, and in fact we believe now that the relationship between bilingualism and cognitive
development is actually a positive one - it turns out that cognitive skills such as problem solving, which don't seem at
first glance to have anything to do with how many languages you speak, are better among bilingual children than
monolingual ones.
And quite recently there's been some very interesting work done by Ellen Bialystok at York University in Canada,
she's been doing various studies on the effects of bilingualism and her findings provide some evidence that they might
apply to adults as well, they're not just restricted to children.
So how do you go about investigating something like this? Well, Dr Bialystok used groups of monolingual and
bilingual subjects, aged from 30 right up to 88. For one experiment, she used a computer program which displayed
either a red or a blue square on the screen. The coloured square could come up on either the left-hand or the right-
hand side of the screen. If the square was blue, the subject had to press the left 'shift' key on the keyboard and if the
square was red they had to press the right shift key. So they didn't have to react at all to the actual position of the
square on the screen, just to the colour they saw. And she measured the subjects' reaction times by recording how
long it took them to press the shift key, and how often they got it right.
What she was particularly interested in was whether it took the subject longer to react when a square lit up on one
side of the screen - say the left’, and the subject had to press the shift key on the right-hand side. She'd expected that it
would take more processing time than if a square lit up on the left and the candidates had to press a left key.
This was because of a phenomenon known as the 'Simon effect', where, basically the brain gets a bit confused because
of conflicting demands being made on it - in this case seeing something on the right, and having to react on the left
– and this causes a person's reaction times to slow down.
The results of the experiment showed that the bilingual subjects responded more quickly than the monolingual
ones. That was true both when the squares were on the 'correct' side of the screen, so to speak, and - even more so -
when they were not. So, bilingual people were better able to deal with the Simon effect than the monolingual ones.
So, what's the explanation for this? Well, the result of the experiment suggests that bilingual people are better
at ignoring information which is irrelevant to the task in hand and just concentrating on what's important.
One suggestion given by Dr Bialystok was that it might be because someone who speaks two languages can
suppress the activity of parts of the brain when it isn't needed - in particular, the part that processes whichever
language isn't being used at that particular time.
Well, she then went on to investigate that with a second experiment, but gain the bilingual group performed better,
and what was particularly interesting, and this is I think why the experiments have received so much publicity, is that
in all cases, the performance gap between monolinguals and bilinguals actually increased with age - which suggested
that bilingualism protects the mind against decline; in some way the life-long experience of managing two languages
may prevent some of the negative effects of aging. So that's a very different story from the early research. So what are
the implications of this for education ...
ANSWER SHEET
Listening Use of English

1 proficiency 11 B 1 resulted 24 face

We hadn’t been driving long when we saw the
2 learning 12 A 2 consequence 25 sign which we were looking for .
I find it absolutely extraordinary that such a
Social (and)
3 economic 13 F 3 owing 26 thing should have happened.

self- It is said to be the largest ship ever built.

4 positive 14 employed 4 consequently 27
He was accused of attempting to cause the
5 adults 15 borrowings 5 reason 28 bankruptcy of the company.
George wished he had taken his camera with hi
6 A 16 repayment 6 causing 29
They came to the conclusion that the business w
was beyond help
7 A 17 disabled 7 questionable 30
There is little chance of Jim being promoted
8 B 18 premises 8 unrest 31
There are twice as many men as women in
9 C 19 voluntarily 9 reservation 32 this profession.
It’s high time Ben cleaned his car.
10 A 20 I 10 disrespectful 33
The voting process has not changed since last
Reading
21 E 11 restless 34 year
Leslie said that unless I came early, I wouldn’t
1 C 22 J 12 respectable 35 get a good seat
I’d help you, but I have hardly any free time on m
2 B 23 D 13 reserved 36 hand.
You had better make reservations ahead of
3 B 24 H 14 questionnaires 37 time

4 A 25 C 15 teeth 38 B

5 C 26 B 16 shoulder 39 B

6 C 27 G 17 mind 40 C

7 D 28 A 18 tongue 41 D

8 G 29 F 19 heel

9 D 20 hand

10 E 21 leg
Listening _
22 head
Reading_________
23 mouth
Use of English ________