OMER HALISDEMIR UNIVERSITY INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS OFFICE

ERASMUS - PROFICIENCY EXAM SAMPLE

Total Points: 75
Total Time: 2 hours

PART 1- USE OF ENGLISH AND STRUCTURE (40 POINTS)

Choose the best answer for each question. Then fill in the correct space on your
answer sheet.

A- Questions 1-9 (9x1=9 points)

Barbara Sutton’s aunt, Mary Brown, is eighty years old. Mary (1)______an accident three months
ago, (2)______Barbara took her to a hospital. Mrs. Brown (3)_____ any children; Barbara is the
only relative. Someone (4)____look after the old lady, (5)_____Barbara can’t do this because of
her job.She is always very busy. The doctor sent her aunt to the old people’s home in Manchester.
At the beginning Mrs Brown (6)____want to go (7)_____ but now she enjoys (8)____there. The
place has many facilities. She (9)______there for two weeks and she’s quite happy.

1- a) has had 2- a) because 3- a) has no 4- a) have got to

b) had b) so b) got to b) has to
c) has c) after c) doesn’t c) doesn’t have to
d) was having d) before d) hasn’t got d) haven’t got to
e) have e) until e) has e) has

5- a) because 6- a) doesn’t 7- a) to there 8- a) to being 9- a) has been

b) so b) hasn’t b) at there b) be b) is
c) but c) didn’t c) there c) to c) were
d) and then d) isn’t d) in there d) to be d) was
e) after e) never e) for there e) being e) was going

PART 2- READING COMPREHENSION (20 POINTS)

Choose the best answer for each question. Then fill in the correct space on
your answer sheet.

A- Questions 1-7 ( 7x1= 7 points)

TEA IS TAXABLE PERK- THAT’S OFFICIAL
The Inland Revenue, the British tax-collecting agency, has won a year-long battle
for a share of 100,000 hot drinks consumed by the workers at a London plastics
factory over a period of four years. Frank Maxwell, the director of the company ,
will now have to pay nearly 2,000 pounds in outstanding tax.

5 For more than twenty years the firm provided its employees with free tea or
coffee three times a day: before and after work and during their lunch break. Bert
Sanders, who has worked in the factory for over ten years, remembers the old system
well: ‘We always got our tea from Mrs. Newton – it was the best tea I ever tasted.
 She made it herself in the factory kitchen and then brought it round on a little
10 trolley’. Four years ago Mrs Newton retired and the company had a drinks machine
installed , but rather than giving workforce completely free access to it , management
provided everyone with three 10p coins a day to use in the machine . Last year, a tax
inspector on a routine visit to the factory was horrified to discover that the workers
were not paying tax on this extra income. Within a month a bill arrived at the
15 company detailing the tea and coffee consumed by the twenty workers during the
four years since the installation of the machine.

Mr. Maxwell has agreed to settle the outstanding tax himself but doesn’t want to
do the same thing again . Therefore, he’s getting the machine replaced by one
that takes tokens, not coins. As a final comment on the affair , Mr. Maxwell said:
20 ‘ I suppose tax inspectors have their job to do like everyone else. I’m just glad I
don’t have to work like that myself. It can’t be very satisfying to have to follow
the rule book blindly and ignore common sense and reason’.

1- installed (line 11) means______. 2- consumed (line 15) means________.

a-) invented a-) produced
b-) put in b-) created
c-) repaired c-) drunk
d-) made up d-) exported
e-) took out e-) made

3- their (line 6) refers to _______. 4- Frank Maxwell is__________.

a-) employees a-) one of the workers at the plastics factory
b-) years b-) one of the inspectors for the Inland Revenue
c-) tea or coffee c-) the director of the plastics factory
d-) Bert Sanders d-) the director of the Inland Revenue
e-) the factory e-) the director of the tax company

5- How much did the workers have to pay for their tea before the installation of the
machine?
a-) They had to pay 2,000 pounds a year c-) It was free
b-)They had to pay 10p for each drink d-) There is no information in the passage
e-) They had to pay extra Money.
6- Mr. Maxwell decided to get the drinks machine replaced by one that takes tokens
because_________________.
a-) he does not want to pay tax on hot drinks any more
b-) the new machine is cheaper than the old one
c-) the old machine was not as functional as the new one
d-) the old machine broke down and couldn’t be used any longer.
e-) the new machine is out of service.
7- The workers did not pay taxes on hot drinks for __________ year(s).
a-) one b-) four c-) ten d-) twenty e-) two
PART 3- WRITING (15 POINTS)
1- Choose one of the topics below to write a composition of about 200-250 words
(10 points)
a- “ Where would you like to live the most? Which city/ country /etc..? Why?”
b- “ Erasmus programme is an advantage for young people. Write your reasons.”

2- You have been nominated as an Erasmus student to Italy. You will write an e-mail to the
International Office there and find out some information containing of the following
topics: (5 points)
a) Introduce yourself,
b) Ask about the application procedure (forms, deadline, accommodation
facilities)
c) Send your best regards.

Scoring Pts Pts Pts Pts

Essay1 Letter
2
Content 3 1
Organization/Fluency 3 2
Linguistic/LexicalAccuracy 3 1
Mechanics 1 1
TOTAL 10 5

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