Pathways Reading, Writing, and Critical Thinking 2e: Level 1 Unit 2 Test

Name: ________________________________ Class: ____________ Date: _________

VOCABULARY 1:
Choose the best words to complete each paragraph. Use each word only once. Not all words will be
used.

• attend
• believe
• decide
• education
• government
• independent
• leader
• motivated
• ordinary

1. It's hard to _______________, but my grandmother will be going to university next year. She says that
she has always wanted to study art history. She will _______________ which university to attend soon.

2. When I was younger, I went to an unusual school, so my primary education was not _______________.
My school let students choose what and when to study. It really helped me become _______________ and
not rely on help from others.

3. I heard that the _______________ wants to make our country into a world _______________ in
education. It plans to improve the education system and offer more skills training programs.

4. My sixth-grade teacher was called Ms. Lynch. At the time, I was not a very good student, but she really
_______________ me to study harder. Thanks to her, my grades improved and I now _______________ a
great university.

VOCABULARY 2:
Choose the best form of the word to complete these conversations.

____ 5. Man: I'd like to learn more about the history of science. Do you have any ____________?
Woman: There are some good books that I can recommend. Let me write down the titles for you.
a. advise
b. advice
____ 6. Man 1: Excuse me? I'd like to use this computer ____________ my voice. How can I do that?
Man 2: Well, this software will let you do that ... but you'll need a microphone.
a. to record
b. has recorded
____ 7. Woman: I heard you're planning to major in history at university. Why's that?
Man: I like learning about how life in the past was both ____________ to and different from life
now.
a. similar
b. similarity

© 2018 National Geographic Learning, a Cengage Learning Company

____ 8. Man: I wish I was better at public speaking. I think it's an important ____________.
Woman: I saw a poster at the library advertising a free public speaking course. Maybe you should take
it.
a. skill
b. skills
____ 9. Woman 1: Has anybody come up with a good ____________ to the problem yet?
Woman 2: Janet had a couple of creative ideas, but unfortunately neither of them worked.
a. solve
b. solution
____ 10. Woman: I've heard that a Chinese company ____________ a new system for learning languages.
Man: That sounds interesting. Is it only for learning Chinese or for any language?
Woman: I think it works for several languages, but I don't know much about it.
a. development
b. has developed
____ 11. Man 1: This assignment is too difficult for me. I think I should just ____________.
Man 2: Don't do that. I'm sure that your professor could help you if you talk to her.
a. give up
b. gave up

READING REVIEW:
Review the reading passage from Unit 2. Then answer the questions. Write ONE WORD OR A
NUMBER from the passage for each answer.

THE WORLD'S OLDEST FIRST GRADER

On January 12, 2004, Kimani Maruge knocked on the door of the primary school in his village in
Kenya. It was the first day of school, and he was ready to start learning. The teacher let him in and gave
him a desk. The new student sat down with the rest of the first graders: six- and seven-year-old children.
However, Kimani Maruge was not an ordinary first grader. He was 84 years old - the world's oldest first
grader.
Fighting to Stay in School
Kimani Maruge was born in Kenya in 1920. At that time, primary education in Kenya was not
free, and Maruge's family didn't have enough money to pay for school. When Maruge grew up, he worked
hard as a farmer. In the 1950s, he fought with other Kenyans against the British colonists. After years of
fighting, Kenya became independent in 1963.
In 2003, the Kenyan government began offering free primary education to everyone, and Maruge
wanted an education, too. However, it wasn't always easy for him to attend school. Many of the first
graders' parents didn't want an old man in their children's class. School officials said that a primary
education was only for children. But the school principal, Jane Obinchu, believed Maruge was right. With
her help, he was able to stay in school.
Maruge was a motivated and successful student. While in primary school, he studied Swahili,
English, and math. He did well in these subjects. In fact, he was one of the top five students in his first
grade class. By the second grade, Maruge became the school's student leader. And even though life was
sometimes difficult, Maruge stayed in school until the seventh grade.

© 2018 National Geographic Learning, a Cengage Learning Company

 In 2008, Maruge had to move to a refugee camp because of fighting in his village. However, even
during those difficult times he continued to go to school. Later that year, he moved to a home for the
elderly. Some of the residents of the home were illiterate, and Maruge taught them to read and write. He
also continued going to school.
Inspired to Learn
In 2005, Maruge flew in a plane for the first time in his life. He traveled to New York City, where
he gave a speech at the United Nations. He spoke about the importance of education and asked for help to
educate the people of Kenya. Maruge also wanted to improve primary education for children in Africa.
Maruge died in 2009 at age 89, but his story continues to inspire many people. The 2010 movie
The First Grader showed Maruge's amazing fight to get an education. After watching the movie, many
older Kenyans decided to start school. One of those people was 19-year-old Thoma Litei. Litei said, "I
knew it was not too late. I wanted to read, and to know more language, so I came [to school] to learn. That
is why it is important for his story to be known."

12. Kimani Maruge's first day of school was in early _______________, 2004.

13. Unlike the other students, who were all either six or seven, Maruge was _______________.

14. Maruge did not attend school as a child because education in those days was not _______________.

15. Some of the _______________ of the other students at his school were not happy that Maruge was there.

16. Maruge was such a good student that he was among the top _______________ students in his class.

17. After learning how to read and write at school, Maruge taught these skills to ____________ of a home for
older people.

18. While he was in New York City, Maruge gave a ____________ about the value of a good education.

19. A ____________ about Maruge's life inspired many older Kenyans to get an education.

© 2018 National Geographic Learning, a Cengage Learning Company

 READING PRACTICE:
Read the passage and complete the sentences below. Write TWO WORDS from the passage to
complete each sentence.

A The modern world moves so fast that it can seem difficult to succeed. As a result,
many people are looking for a strategy or a system for doing well. Parents especially want
to help their children grow up and be successful. This feeling is why many people were
interested in grit when Angela Duckworth wrote her book of the same name. The idea that
simply having determination and not giving up could lead to success is an attractive one.
But is grit really so great?
B One problem with the idea is that not everyone agrees having grit is important.
Some studies support the idea that grit leads to success. For example, children with grit
who take part in spelling competitions are more likely to study harder and do better than
children with less grit. But other studies suggest that people with a lot of grit are only
slightly more likely to be successful than people without this characteristic.
C Duckworth says people with grit have a strong interest in, or passion for, one
subject. They also have a feeling that this subject is important and will make a difference
to the lives of other people. When they are combined, these two feelings are important for
helping people stick to their work and achieve success. However, many children are
unsure what they want to do until they are in their late teens, early twenties, or even older.
And until they find their passion, they cannot use their grit to work hard and be successful.
D There are other questions surrounding the idea of grit. Are people born with a
certain level of grit that cannot be changed? Or can people learn how to be more gritty and
successful? Until scientists learn the answers to these questions, it is not clear whether
teachers should try to teach their students how to have more grit. Even if teachers do
decide to try, how should they teach it? Grit is not a subject like math or science with
knowledge that can easily be explained. Perhaps helping students find ways to raise their
motivation level would help, but nobody is sure.
E Still, despite these unsolved problems and unanswered questions, the idea of grit is
an interesting one. People who want to be successful will keep trying to develop more grit.
After psychologists have done more research and conducted more studies, perhaps we will
know better how to help them do this.

20. According to the passage, parents want to raise their children to ______________________________.

21. The writer defines grit as a combination of not giving up and ______________________________.

22. Research shows that children with grit work harder and do better in ______________________________.

23. Angela Duckworth says having grit means being passionate about ______________________________.

24. A problem is that many people do not find their passion until at least their
______________________________.

25. People are unsure if a person's level of grit is fixed at birth or if it can
______________________________.

© 2018 National Geographic Learning, a Cengage Learning Company

26. Nobody knows how to teach grit, but it may help to increase students'
______________________________.

READING SKILL REVIEW - IDENTIFYING MAIN IDEAS OF PARAGRAPHS:

Each paragraph should have a main idea. Being able to recognize the main idea will help you
understand a writer's ideas and arguments more easily.

Choose the correct heading for paragraphs A-E from the list of headings below. Not all of the
headings will be used.

A The modern world moves so fast that it can seem difficult to succeed. As a result,
many people are looking for a strategy or a system for doing well. Parents especially
want to help their children grow up and be successful. This feeling is why many people
were interested in grit when Angela Duckworth wrote her book of the same name. The
idea that simply having determination and not giving up could lead to success is an
attractive one. But is grit really so great?
B One problem with the idea is that not everyone agrees having grit is important.
Some studies support the idea that grit leads to success. For example, children with grit
who take part in spelling competitions are more likely to study harder and do better than
children with less grit. But other studies suggest that people with a lot of grit are only
slightly more likely to be successful than people without this characteristic.
C Duckworth says people with grit have a strong interest in, or passion for, one
subject. They also have a feeling that this subject is important and will make a difference
to the lives of other people. When they are combined, these two feelings are important
for helping people stick to their work and achieve success. However, many children are
unsure what they want to do until they are in their late teens, early twenties, or even
older. And until they find their passion, they cannot use their grit to work hard and be
successful.
D There are other questions surrounding the idea of grit. Are people born with a
certain level of grit that cannot be changed? Or can people learn how to be more gritty
and successful? Until scientists learn the answers to these questions, it is not clear
whether teachers should try to teach their students how to have more grit. Even if
teachers do decide to try, how should they teach it? Grit is not a subject like math or
science with knowledge that can easily be explained. Perhaps helping students find ways
to raise their motivation level would help, but nobody is sure.
E Still, despite these unsolved problems and unanswered questions, the idea of grit
is an interesting one. People who want to be successful will keep trying to develop more
grit. After psychologists have done more research and conducted more studies, perhaps
we will know better how to help them do this.

1. Different views about whether or not grit is a factor in success

2. Predictions about how the idea of grit will continue to develop
3. Reasons why the idea of grit has been studied by few scientists
4. Things we need to know before we can actually teach grit
5. What people with grit need, and why this might be a problem
6. Why people these days are so interested in the idea of grit

© 2018 National Geographic Learning, a Cengage Learning Company

 27. Paragraph A matches heading __________

28. Paragraph B matches heading __________

29. Paragraph C matches heading __________

30. Paragraph D matches heading __________

31. Paragraph E matches heading __________

LANGUAGE FOR WRITING REVIEW - USING WANT AND NEED:

Use want + infinitive or want + noun phrase to describe things you would like to do or would like to
have. Use need + infinitive or need + noun phrase to describe things you have to do (even if you don't
want to do them) or must have.

Choose the best answer to each question.

____ 32. For her birthday, Monica said that she ____________ either a bicycle or a skateboard.
a. needed
b. has needed
c. wanted
d. has wanted
____ 33. The teacher told the students that they ____________ to hand in the assignment on Friday.
a. needs
b. needed
c. wants
d. wanted
____ 34. In order to apply for this job, I ____________ four years of previous experience working in a store.
a. need
b. needs
c. want
d. wants
____ 35. There's a movie on at the theater that I ____________ to see for several months.
a. need
b. have needed
c. want
d. have wanted

____ 36. Jon realized he had left his passport at home, so he ____________ to call his friend to bring it to the
airport for him.
a. needs
b. needed
c. wants
d. wanted

© 2018 National Geographic Learning, a Cengage Learning Company

37. WRITING SKILL REVIEW - ORDERING IDEAS:
When you write, it is important to organize your ideas clearly, so your readers can easily
understand your ideas.

Which words or phrases could complete each sentence naturally and accurately? Choose two
options for each question.

I have decided to learn a new language over the next three months. However, I am not referring to a
foreign language like Spanish, Mandarin, or German, for instance. Instead, I am planning to learn a
computer language. I believe knowing how to program computers will help me be successful in the
future. To do that, I need to follow a plan. There are many different programming languages, so
(A) ____________ I must decide which of those languages to learn. My (B) ____________ step will
be to read some books about this language to get a basic understanding. (C) ____________, I will take
a course to learn the language. The public library near my home offers some programming courses that
are free, so I think I will probably take one of those. (D) ____________, I will practice writing simple
programs at home. If I need extra help, I'm sure I can find advice or information on the Internet.

• after that
• finally
• first
• firstly
• lastly
• next
• second
• then

WRITING PRACTICE 1:
Write full sentences in answer to these questions.

38. What is something you often needed to do when you were a child? Did you like or dislike doing it?

________________________________________________________________________

39. What is something you have wanted for many years? Why do you want it?

________________________________________________________________________

40. What is something that you need to do or want to do for another person? Who is the person?

________________________________________________________________________

41. If you could meet anybody in the world, who would you want to meet? What would you say to him or
her?

________________________________________________________________________

© 2018 National Geographic Learning, a Cengage Learning Company

42. What do humans need to do in order to make the world a better place to live? Do you think we will ever
do it?

_____________________________________________________________________

WRITING PRACTICE 2:

WRITING COMPETITION

What do you want or need to learn?

How will you do it?
How would it change your life?

LifeChange Education wants to hear your answers to

these questions. Write no more than 100 words and send your ideas to
WritingCompetition@LifeChange.co.org.

Two lucky winners will receive $500 to

spend on studying whatever they like!

43. Look at the poster. Write a paragraph for the competition.

© 2018 National Geographic Learning, a Cengage Learning Company

UNIT 2: DON'T GIVE UP!
Answer Section
1. ANS: believe, decide

PTS: 2 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2 TOP: Vocabulary 1

2. ANS: ordinary, independent

PTS: 2 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2 TOP: Vocabulary 1

3. ANS: government, leader

PTS: 2 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2 TOP: Vocabulary 1

4. ANS: motivated, attend

PTS: 2 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2 TOP: Vocabulary 1

5. ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2
TOP: Vocabulary 2
6. ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2
TOP: Vocabulary 2
7. ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2
TOP: Vocabulary 2
8. ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2
TOP: Vocabulary 2
9. ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2
TOP: Vocabulary 2
10. ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2
TOP: Vocabulary 2
11. ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2
TOP: Vocabulary 2
12. ANS: January

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2 TOP: Reading Review

MSC: IELTS
13. ANS:
84
eighty-four
eighty four

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2 TOP: Reading Review

MSC: IELTS
14. ANS: free

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2 TOP: Reading Review

MSC: IELTS
15. ANS: parents

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2 TOP: Reading Review

MSC: IELTS

© 2018 National Geographic Learning, a Cengage Learning Company

16. ANS:
5
five

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2 TOP: Reading Review

MSC: IELTS
17. ANS: residents

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2 TOP: Reading Review

MSC: IELTS
18. ANS: speech

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2 TOP: Reading Review

MSC: IELTS
19. ANS: movie

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2 TOP: Reading Review

MSC: IELTS
20. ANS: be successful

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2 TOP: Reading Practice

MSC: IELTS
21. ANS: having determination

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2 TOP: Reading Practice

MSC: IELTS
22. ANS: spelling competitions

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2 TOP: Reading Practice

MSC: IELTS
23. ANS: one subject

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2 TOP: Reading Practice

MSC: IELTS
24. ANS: late teens

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2 TOP: Reading Practice

MSC: IELTS
25. ANS: be changed

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2 TOP: Reading Practice

MSC: IELTS
26. ANS: motivation level

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2 TOP: Reading Practice

MSC: IELTS

© 2018 National Geographic Learning, a Cengage Learning Company

27. ANS: 6

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2

TOP: Reading Skill Review - Identifying Main Ideas of Paragraphs
MSC: IELTS
28. ANS: 1

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2

TOP: Reading Skill Review - Identifying Main Ideas of Paragraphs
MSC: IELTS
29. ANS: 5

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2

TOP: Reading Skill Review - Identifying Main Ideas of Paragraphs
MSC: IELTS
30. ANS: 4

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2

TOP: Reading Skill Review - Identifying Main Ideas of Paragraphs
MSC: IELTS
31. ANS: 2

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2

TOP: Reading Skill Review - Identifying Main Ideas of Paragraphs
MSC: IELTS
32. ANS: C PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2
TOP: Language for Writing Review - Using Want and Need
33. ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2
TOP: Language for Writing Review - Using Want and Need
34. ANS: A PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2
TOP: Language for Writing Review - Using Want and Need
35. ANS: D PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2
TOP: Language for Writing Review - Using Want and Need
36. ANS: B PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2
TOP: Language for Writing Review - Using Want and Need
37. ANS:
(A) first, firstly
(B) next, second
(C) After that, Then
(D) Finally, Lastly

PTS: 4 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2

TOP: Writing Skill Review - Ordering Ideas
38. ANS:
Answers will vary.

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2 TOP: Writing Practice 1

© 2018 National Geographic Learning, a Cengage Learning Company

39. ANS:
Answers will vary.

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2 TOP: Writing Practice 1

40. ANS:
Answers will vary.

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2 TOP: Writing Practice 1

41. ANS:
Answers will vary.

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2 TOP: Writing Practice 1

42. ANS:
Answers will vary.

PTS: 1 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2 TOP: Writing Practice 1

43. ANS:
Answers will vary.

PTS: 5 REF: PWRW1, Unit 2 TOP: Writing Practice 2

© 2018 National Geographic Learning, a Cengage Learning Company