English Exam: Jahrgangsprüfung 2017 Name: _____________________________ Classes 4a/4b/4c/4d/4e Points ____/69 Grade: ____ A) Multiple Choice Grammar (12 pts.) Circle or highlight the correct answer. 1 Peter used to be good ... mathematics when he was younger. a) in b) at c) with d) about 2 Tina has phoned her mom three times, but she … her yet. a) hasn’t reached b) had not reached c) didn’t reach d) hasn’t been reaching 3 We would have come over if we … that you lived nearby. a) would know b) knew c) know d) had known 4 … who saw the bank robbers should contact the police. a) One b) Anyone c) Somebody d) Someone 5 Tim can never catch … with his sister; she is a true champion. a) on b) to c) up d) out 6 My father regrets not … to university. a) to have gone b) to go c) haveing gone d) going 7 Let’s go home, … ? a) do we? b) can we? c) should we? d) shall we? 8 I promise I … you with the laundry tomorrow! a) am going to help b) will help c) help d) am helping 9 You are not allowed to eat … the lesson. a) during b) while c) meanwhile d) whilst 10 I couldn’t make it to your party … is a shame. a) which b) , that c) that d) , which 11 I could not understand the speaker because of his accent. a) So could I. b) I could so. c) Neither could I. d) I neither could. 12 “Shall I buy a graphic novel or a Gothic novel?” - “… you prefer.” a) which b) whichever c) how d) however 1 B) Verb Forms (20 pts.) Put the verbs in brackets in the correct verb form. Include any other word(s) given in the brackets that may be necessary. 1 As we …………………………………….…… (enter) the building, I …………………………………………………………... ………………… (notice) a sign that someone ……………………………………….………… (put up) above the door which ………………………………………..…………… (say), ‘Be alert.’ 2 Our plane to the Bahamas …………………………………..……………… (leave) at 10:45 am next Tuesday. Just imagine, this time next week we ………………………….…………..…………………… (lie) on the beach! 3 My new neighbour, who I ……………..……………………… (meet / just) in front of our house, told me that he …………………………………………………….……… (have) a house-warming party this Saturday. 4 This is quite annoying! I wish you ………………..…...……………………………… (not leave) your wet towel on your bed every morning! ………………………………..………..………………… (not tell / you) this before? 5 It’s strange that Pat didn’t say hello to us. But he might ……………..……..………………………… (not see) us. 6 Henry ……………………………………………….…………… (not be) unemployed now if he …………..………….……… ………………… (not have) a disagreement with his boss. 7 My parents ………………………..……..……………… (know) each other since their studies at university. They married in 1998. Next year, they ………………..……………………….………………… (marry) for twenty years. 8 We ………………………..…………………… (not start / eat) until everyone …………………..…………………………… …………………………… (receive) their food. 9 All complaints ……………………………….....................................………… (deal with) by our customer services department. 10 Tracey suggested …………………………………………………… (meet) for a drink, but actually I’d rather we ………………………………………….. (go) to the cinema tonight. 2 C) Sentence Transformation (12 pts.) Complete the second sentence using the word given in CAPITAL LETTERS in such a way that the second sentence is as close in meaning to the given sentence as possible. Do not change the form of the words in CAPITAL LETTERS. 1 It’s a pity he didn’t accept our offer. WISH I .......................................................................................................................................................................................offer. 2 “It was me who stole the car,” Robin said ADMITTED Robin .................................................................................................................................................................................... 3 The windows are dirty and someone needs to clean them at once. CLEANED The windows are dirty and ......................................................................................................................................... 4 I am advising you to pay this fine immediately! BETTER You ........................................................................................................................................................................................ 5 A famous journalist said that a friend had been helping him with his research. WAS A friend ..................................................................................................................... the famous journalist with his research. 6 This sentence is so complicated that I can’t understand it. TOO This sentence ...................................................................................................................................... to understand. 7 I was able to open the door only after pushing really hard. SUCCEEDED I ........................................................................................................................................... after pushing really hard. 8 I think Myra is studying for her exams. BE Myra seems .......................................................................................................................................... for her exams. 9 “You’ve passed all your exams! Well done!” said my father. CONGRATULATED My father ............................................................................................................................................... all my exams. 10 Mark didn’t bring an umbrella and so he got wet. IF Mark ......................................................................................................................................................... an umbrella. 3 11 Pete: “Will you be able to help me with my homework once you’ve finished yours?” ASKED Pete...................………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ……………………………………………………………………………………..…………………………………………..………… 12 Michael Jackson made a video. It was called “Thriller”. It is considered a classic. WHICH Michael Jackson made ……………………………………………………………………………………………………..... ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… ………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… D) Multiple Choice Vocabulary Circle or highlight the correct answer. (15 pts.) 1 Fox News is not an objective news channel. It is really … a) accurate b) biased c) influential d) according 5 I didn’t really want to go to the summer camp, but …. I loved it! a) at the end b) in the end c) finally d) lastly 2 Can you …. Tony that it is his turn to cook dinner tonight? a) remind b) remember c) recall d) return 6 She’s very stylish and her shoes always …. her bag and her jewellery. a) fit b) resemble c) go for d) match 3 The family was … asleep and didn’t hear the burglars entering the house. a) deep b) strong c) fast d) very 7 The jury found him guilty and the judge …. him to five years in prison. a) acquitted b) accused c) sentenced d) pronounced 4 Please …. your seatbelts. The plane is ready for take-off. a) tie b) close c) fasten d) lock 8 She ….. the baby down gently on the bed. a) lied b) lay c) laid d) led 9 Selma was so weak after her illness that she ….. while standing in line. a) passed up b) passed in c) passed off d) passed out 4 10 The …. of snow caused problems for many ski resorts as tourists stayed away. a) lack b) stock c) wanting d) minimum 13 I wouldn’t recommend the hotel. The rooms are beautiful but the ….. are very unfriendly. a) service b) staff c) servants d) crew 11 The weather forecast says there’ll be a warm …. the next couple of weeks. a) term b) spell c) phase d) stage 14 “Have you done your Christmas shopping?” – “Almost. I just need to get a few more… .” a) things and bits b) things and pieces c) bits and things d) bits and pieces 12 … the nostrils together to stop the nosebleed. a) Squash b) Hit c) Clutch d) Pinch 15 Police report a rise in …. behaviour among teenagers. a) antisocial b) unsocial c) insocial d) asocial E) Reading Comprehension I Read the text on the final page of this exam. Circle the correct answer. (6 pts.) 1 Why did Wagner miss class? a) Because the weather was unpredictable. b) To go fishing with a relative. c) Because he had to stay at home and help his family. d) To get away from the village. 2 Why isn’t Wagner going to college? a) A degree would be too difficult to do. b) He’s already a good scientist. c) He doesn’t mind earning less money. d) He has to look after his brothers and sisters. 3 A large number of students on St. Lawrence Island a) would like to attend college. b) complete their high school education. c) don’t go hunting with their families. d) believe in the benefits of education. 4 Jobs in the community a) are mostly in the fishing trade. b) are quite hard to find. c) are often well-paid. d) often demand degrees. 5 5 Local people are worried about a) the community being isolated. b) the island population decreasing. c) losing a sense of community. d) young people forgetting their traditions. 6 Many people think that the community needs a) to have less autonomy. b) to give up some traditions. c) to have a different type of education. d) to take their children out of school. Reading Comprehension II Look at the words printed in bold in the text. Circle the correct answer. (4 pts.) 1 What is the meaning of ‘unseasonably’ in line 5? a) typical for the season b) atypical for the season c) suitable 2 What is the meaning of ‘subsistence’ in line 17? a) the state of having just enough food and money b) the state of accepting things as they are c) the state of being in control of things 3 What is the meaning of ‘stifling’ in line 22? a) challenging b) boring c) limiting 4 What is the meaning of ‘harsh’ in line 33? a) cold b) difficult to live in c) depressing 6 Making school meaningful 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 45 50 Wagner Iworrigan, a seventeen-year-old high school senior on St. Lawrence Island in Alaska, knows a lot about biology, meteorology and maths. He’s an expert at telling whether a walrus is too sick to eat, if the weather is likely to turn dangerous, and the best angle for throwing a harpoon at a bowhead whale. On a recent unseasonably warm day last autumn, he missed class to join his uncle on their boat. With nets and hooks, they motored through the choppy grey waves of the Bering Sea until the lights of their village, Savoonga, seemed further away than the stars above. They hoped to catch a plump seal to feed the rest of the family: Wagner’s two younger sisters, a younger brother, four cousins and a grandfather. All ten of them share a three-bedroom-house. Wagner might make a good scientist, but he’s not planning on going to college. He feels a responsibility for his siblings – his mother died and his father lives in another village – and college is ‘so far from home’. He’s also unclear about what he would do with a degree: ‘We don’t have a lot of jobs here,’ he says. After graduating, he plans to become a commercial fisherman to ‘make some good money’ at one of the most dangerous jobs in the US. Many St. Lawrence students say they want to go to college but half of them drop out of high school, and only two per cent graduate from college. The benefits of a degree are not obvious for people living on this remote island. Families have a subsistence lifestyle, hunting walruses, seals and whales in the spring, and gathering berries in the summer. The largest employer is the school system; otherwise, there are only a handful of jobs in fishing, oil and the airlines that connect the island to the mainland. There isn’t much demand for anything else and more than a quarter of adults are unemployed. Many people feel that the educational programs are too stifling, not allowing students to go beyond the curriculum, with little connection to the real world. ‘We want our children to achieve academically, but we need to be able to design programs that deal with the challenges they face day-to-day,’ said one teacher. Those challenges are profound with no easy solutions: what is the relevance of school to kids who spend much of their time hunting and gathering berries? Families also worry that sending children away to study in Higher Education could endanger the Yupik language and culture. Already, the younger generation is losing its fluency and grasp of skills like sewing, walrus-ivory carving and fish-cutting. Respect for the old ways and knowledge of traditions are disappearing. Can the community send more students to university without sacrificing its desire to preserve Native culture and language? The Yupik Eskimos have inhabited St. Lawrence Island continuously for the last 2’000 years. Today two villages remain with a population of just 1’400. People there are used to the harsh landscape and climate – in the summer, meadows of grassy tundra stretch from snow-capped ridges to the stony shorelines, but in winter the sun disappears, there is a lot of snow, and polar bears arrive on ice floes. Leaving the island is not an option, as a ticket on a bush plane costs $400, a week’s earnings for many islanders. The sense of community is strong. When a whale is killed, the houses and school empty as everyone races to the beach to take a share of the meat. As Wagner put it, ‘We’re all one big family because we’re so isolated.’ But the old ways are inevitably changing. The children drink soda and eat macaroni-and-cheese in addition to the traditional diet of fish, sea mammals and berries. They ride snow machines instead of walking. And in the evening, they prefer playing video games and watching satellite television to listening to their elders tell stories. Unsurprisingly, locals are protective of their independence and their heritage. They recognize the value of ‘education’, but feel that the definition is too narrow. ‘I think about when my grandmother taught me to cut fish,’ remembers one resident. ‘It wasn’t do it once and I’ll give you a grade. It was hours of practice until you get it right… . There’s a distinction between an education and school. Education is what Native people have been doing for their children since the beginning of time. School has been what has been imposed on people from outside,’ she adds. ‘We need to get in the business of education again.’ 7
