ESL B1+ Level MCQ Test With Answers UPPER INTERMEDIATE TEST 3


ESL B1+ Level MCQ Test With Answers UPPER INTERMEDIATE TEST 3

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Question 1

SECTION 1

Choose the correct alternatives to complete the sentences.

Paul: What _____? You’re as red as a tomato!

Susan: Sunbathing in the garden.

A
would you do
B
did you do
C
were you
D
have you been doing
Question 1 Explanation: 
Use the present perfect continuous (have you been doing) to ask about a recent activity whose result we can see now. Susan's red face is the clue: it shows what she has been doing. Not did you do, because the question links the past activity to the present result.
Question 2

The road _____ up and she couldn’t concentrate because of the noise outside.

A
was digging
B
was being dug
C
was been dug
D
has been digging
Question 2 Explanation: 
The road does not dig itself, so we need the passive. The past continuous passive is was being + past participle: was being dug. It describes an action in progress at that time. Was been dug is not a correct form.
Question 3

It’s not worth _____ him to give us a hand. He never helps anyone!

A
to ask
B
that we are asking
C
to have asked
D
asking
Question 3 Explanation: 
The expression it's (not) worth is followed by the -ing form: It's not worth asking him. Not to ask, because worth is never followed by to + infinitive.
Question 4

He _____ on the go since the alarm clock _____ off this morning!

A
has been / went
B
was / was going
C
would have been / is going
D
has been / is going
Question 4 Explanation: 
Use the present perfect with since for a situation that started in the past and continues now: has been on the go (= has been busy and active). After since we use the past simple for the starting point: since the alarm clock went off.
Question 5

She _____ out the cellar when she _____ across an old painting that may be valuable.

A
cleaned / was coming
B
has cleaned / came
C
was cleaning / came
D
has been cleaning / was coming
Question 5 Explanation: 
Use the past continuous (was cleaning) for a longer action in progress, and the past simple (came across) for a shorter action that interrupted it. Come across means to find something by chance.
Question 6

The expense of a new car would mean _____ less money for our holiday!

A
having
B
to have
C
to having
D
that we are having
Question 6 Explanation: 
When mean has the sense of 'involve' or 'result in', it is followed by the -ing form: It would mean having less money. Not to have, because mean to do means 'intend to do'.
Question 7

He _____ for hours so it was time he took a break.

A
has been driving
B
would drive
C
had been driving
D
is driving
Question 7 Explanation: 
Use the past perfect continuous (had been driving) for an action that continued up to a moment in the past. The past verb was tells us the moment is in the past. Not has been driving, because that connects to now, not to the past.
Question 8

Where _____ when _____ to the Convention next week?

A
will he stay / is he going
B
will he be staying / he goes
C
has he been staying / he goes
D
he’s going to stay / does he go
Question 8 Explanation: 
The future continuous (will he be staying) asks politely about plans already arranged. After the time word when, English uses the present simple, not will or going to: when he goes. Not will he stay / is he going, because when cannot be followed by a future form.
Question 9

If he _____ in time, there _____ a serious accident. It’s lucky he has quick reactions!

A
didn’t break / will be
B
hadn’t break / would be
C
hadn’t braked / would have been
D
wouldn’t have braked / had been
Question 9 Explanation: 
This is the third conditional for an imagined past: If + past perfect (hadn't braked), would have + past participle (would have been). He did brake, so there was no accident. Hadn't break is wrong because had needs the past participle braked.
Question 10

Last Saturday, over a hundred people _____ after the disturbance at the football match.

A
were arrested
B
was arresting
C
have arrested
D
have been arrested
Question 10 Explanation: 
The people did not arrest anyone; the police arrested them, so we need the passive. Last Saturday is a finished past time, so we use the past simple passive: were arrested. Not have been arrested, because the present perfect is not used with a finished time like last Saturday.
Question 11

SECTION 2

Choose the correct alternative to complete the sentences.

Lock the door when you leave the house, _____?

A
do you
B
did you
C
shall you
D
will you
Question 11 Explanation: 
After an imperative (an order or request like Lock the door), the usual question tag is will you? It makes the request sound softer. Not do you?, which is not used after imperatives.
Question 12

He promised to pick her up at the station but it slipped his _____ and she had to take a taxi.

A
brain
B
mind
C
head
D
memorial
Question 12 Explanation: 
The idiom is slip someone's mind, meaning 'to forget something'. Example: Sorry, your birthday completely slipped my mind. Not head or brain, because those words are not used in this idiom.
Question 13

He _____ me that he was going to be away this week but I really can't remember!

A
might have told
B
should have told
C
may tell
D
could be telling
Question 13 Explanation: 
Use might have + past participle to say that something possibly happened in the past. The clue is I really can't remember: the speaker is not sure. Not should have told, which means he didn't tell me but it was a good idea to.
Question 14

When he told you he was going to sell his house and live in a tent, he was pulling _____!

A
bells
B
his head off
C
your leg
D
your arm and leg off
Question 14 Explanation: 
The idiom pull someone's leg means to joke with someone by telling them something untrue. The plan to live in a tent was clearly not serious. Example: Don't worry, I'm just pulling your leg!
Question 15

_____ in the country yet or does she still find it too quiet?

A
Does she get used living
B
Has she got used to living
C
Did she use to living
D
Has she been used to live
Question 15 Explanation: 
Get used to + -ing means to become familiar with something new. The word yet calls for the present perfect: Has she got used to living...? Not Did she use to living, because used to + infinitive is for past habits and cannot take -ing.
Question 16

They _____ pleased when their son borrowed their car and had an accident!

A
mustn’t be
B
couldn’t be
C
can’t have been
D
mustn’t have been
Question 16 Explanation: 
Use can't have + past participle when we are sure that something was not true in the past. Their son had an accident in their car, so they can't have been pleased. Not mustn't have been, because mustn't is not used for certainty about the past.
Question 17

If we don’t _____ before it rains heavily again, our bedroom is going to get very damp!

A
do repaired the roof
B
make repairing on the roof
C
have got the roof repairing
D
get the roof repaired
Question 17 Explanation: 
The causative get + object + past participle means we arrange for someone else to do a job: get the roof repaired. Not have got the roof repairing, because the causative needs the past participle, not the -ing form.
Question 18

Before putting the bowl of spaghetti on the table, she _____ grated cheese over it.

A
simmered
B
sprinkled
C
scrambled
D
stuffed
Question 18 Explanation: 
To sprinkle means to drop small pieces of something lightly over a surface: sprinkle cheese over pasta. Simmer means to cook gently in liquid. Scramble is used for eggs, and stuff means to fill something.
Question 19

_____ you tidy up afterwards, you can invite your friends round on Saturday evening.

A
As far as
B
Despite
C
However
D
As long as
Question 19 Explanation: 
As long as means 'only if' and introduces a condition: you can invite friends only if you tidy up. Not As far as, which is about distance or extent (as far as I know).
Question 20

After the party, the room was in a state _____!

A
of utter chaos
B
chaotic
C
completely chaos
D
chaotically
Question 20 Explanation: 
The phrase is in a state of + noun, so we need the noun chaos: in a state of utter chaos. Utter means 'complete'. Not chaotic or chaotically, because an adjective or adverb cannot follow of here.
Question 21

SECTION 5

(Please note: The following questions are related to a specific reading passage, which is available solely before the first question. Remember, it may be helpful to refer back to the reading text while answering the questions to ensure accuracy.)

Read the text and answer the questions.

"TO BE OR NOT TO BE" WARMER – THAT IS THE QUESTION!

Everybody seems to have conflicting views about whether global warming exists or not. The confusion is well-demonstrated by two articles in The Telegraph. On May 21, 2008, the headline read, "Climate change threat to Alpine ski resorts" and the article was about how the whole winter sports industry was threatened by lack of snow. Then, on December 18, The Telegraph reported, "The Alps have best snow conditions in a generation!"

According to some scientists, temperatures have dropped, not risen. They say that 1,000 years ago, the earth was hotter than it is now. NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies says that December 2007 to November 2008 was the coolest year since 2000 and that the hottest decade of the 20th century was in the 1930s, not the 1990s.

It is also reported that in December 2008, the Arctic ice area was 500,000 square kilometres greater than it was at the same time the year before and the Antarctic sea ice reached its highest levels since satellite records started in 1979. Instead of on global warming, the UN Environment Program experts blame the melting of the glaciers in the Himalayas on the local warming effects of a huge ‘atmospheric brown cloud’ caused by Asia’s increased burning of fossil fuels and deforestation.

On the other hand, scientists at the Copenhagen Climate Congress 2009 modified their 2007 predictions of an eighteen to fifty-nine-centimetre rise in sea levels. They say that the melting ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica are already contributing more and faster to sea levels than they anticipated and, if the trend continues, a rise of a metre or more could be seen by 2100. They strongly advised governments to use the tools they already possessed to deal with the climate change challenge and ‘decarbonise’ economies. In other words, economies should find alternatives to fossil fuels, which produce emissions of carbon dioxide.

Other scientists have invented a novel way of dealing with global warming. They claim the phenomenon can be fought by firing trillions of mirrors into space to form one huge mirror which would act as a ‘sun shade’ of approximately 161,000 square kilometres to deflect the sun’s rays. To do this, the mirrors would have to be fired to 1,609,344 kilometres above the earth using an enormous cannon with a barrel about 966 metres long. They have estimated that the project would cost about €261 trillion! They are already carrying out tests, funded by NASA, and expect to be ready for launching within twenty or thirty years’ time. Perhaps, by then, scientists will come to an agreement about whether the climate is warming or not!

The Telegraph’s two articles _____.

A
contain the same opinion about climate change
B
are in complete contrast to each other
C
both warn people that the climate is getting warmer
D
both say that there is more snow than there used to be
Question 21 Explanation: 
Paragraph 1 says the May article warned about a lack of snow. The December article reported the best snow conditions in a generation. The two articles say opposite things, so they are in complete contrast to each other.
Question 22

Some scientists claim that _____.

A
the earth has never been so hot
B
they have dropped temperatures
C
there has been no change in temperatures for the past 1,000 years
D
temperatures in 1009 were higher than they are today
Question 22 Explanation: 
Paragraph 2 says that 1,000 years ago, the earth was hotter than it is now. The article was written around 2009, so 1,000 years earlier was about 1009. Not they have dropped temperatures: the scientists say temperatures have dropped, not that they lowered them.
Question 23

According to NASA’s Goddard Institute for Space Studies, _____.

A
the 1930s recorded higher temperatures than the 1990s
B
November 2008 was colder than December 2007
C
2008 was the coolest year for a century
D
it was very cold in the 1990s
Question 23 Explanation: 
Paragraph 2 says the Institute found that the hottest decade of the 20th century was in the 1930s, not the 1990s. So the 1930s were hotter than the 1990s. The text says 2008 was the coolest year since 2000, not for a century.
Question 24

In December 2008, _____.

A
ice was piled up higher in the Antarctic than it was in 1979
B
there were 500,000 square kilometres of ice in the Arctic
C
there was more ice in the Arctic than there was in December 2007
D
there was as much sea-ice at the South Pole as in 1979
Question 24 Explanation: 
Paragraph 3 says that in December 2008 the Arctic ice was 500,000 square kilometres greater than ... the year before, so there was more ice than in December 2007. The 500,000 figure is the increase, not the total amount of ice.
Question 25

The UN Environment Program experts say that _____.

A
the Himalayan glaciers are melting because of global warming
B
global warming is confined to the Himalayas
C
global warming is caused by local burning of fossil fuels and deforestation
D
global warming is not the reason why the glaciers are melting in the Himalayas
Question 25 Explanation: 
Paragraph 3 says that instead of on global warming, the UN experts blame the melting Himalayan glaciers on a local atmospheric brown cloud. So, in their view, global warming is not the reason the glaciers are melting.
Question 26

In 2007, scientists predicted _____.

A
that seas would rise by over 59 cm
B
a more modest rise in sea levels than they now predict
C
that seas would rise by a metre or more
D
they would modify the rise of sea levels
Question 26 Explanation: 
Paragraph 4 says the 2007 prediction was a rise of 18 to 59 cm. In 2009 scientists said a rise of a metre or more could happen. So the 2007 prediction was more modest (smaller) than the new one. The 'metre or more' figure is the 2009 prediction, not the 2007 one.
Question 27

At the Copenhagen Climate Congress 2009, scientists said _____.

A
sea levels have been more affected by melting ice sheets than expected
B
that there were more ice sheets in Greenland and Antarctica
C
sea levels will rise by almost a metre by 2100
D
sea levels would not rise until 2100
Question 27 Explanation: 
Paragraph 4 says the melting ice sheets are contributing more and faster to sea levels than they anticipated, which means more than expected. Not the 2100 option: the text says a metre or more, and only if the trend continues.
Question 28

They recommended that governments should _____.

A
challenge climate change
B
base their economies on something other than fossil fuels
C
find tools to challenge climate change
D
economically decarbonise
Question 28 Explanation: 
Paragraph 4 explains decarbonise: economies should find alternatives to fossil fuels. That means basing their economies on something other than fossil fuels. Not find tools, because the text says governments already possessed the tools.
Question 29

Other scientists wish to _____.

A
fire mirrors from 1,609,344 kilometres above the earth
B
put up a sun shade on the earth
C
create a reflective surface which would protect the earth from the sun’s rays
D
create a cannon to shoot mirrors at the sun
Question 29 Explanation: 
Paragraph 5 describes one huge mirror acting as a sun shade to deflect the sun's rays. This is a reflective surface that would protect the earth from the sun. The mirrors would be fired to 1,609,344 km above the earth, not from there.
Question 30

Which statement is correct?

A
It would cost €261 trillion to build the cannon to fire the mirrors.
B
NASA obviously takes the project seriously because it is funding tests.
C
It will take scientists at least twenty years to come to an agreement about global warming.
D
Scientists already agree that the earth is warming.
Question 30 Explanation: 
Paragraph 5 says the tests are funded by NASA. An organisation pays for tests only when it takes the idea seriously. Not the €261 trillion option, because that is the cost of the whole project, not just the cannon.
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