ESL C2 Level MCQ Test With Answers PROFICIENCY TEST 2

Whatever you do is a fixed expression placed before an instruction to give it strong emphasis: 'under no circumstances'. Whatever you do, don't tell anyone. Not However you do: however refers to the manner of an action and does not form this set phrase. What thing you do and Whichever to do are not grammatical.

To shudder is to shake suddenly because of fear, cold or disgust. It collocates naturally with with fear or with horror. Blink and swallow can be nervous reactions, but they do not collocate with with fear. Burp is unrelated.

When so + adverb comes first for emphasis, the subject and auxiliary are inverted: So badly did she sing that… (= She sang so badly that…). Not So badly she sang, because the inversion with did is missing. Such is used before nouns, not adverbs.

It's about time! is an idiom that shows impatience: something has happened later than it should have. The speaker is complaining that the person has arrived late. Over time and more than time are not idioms with this meaning.

An active present participle clause (Realising…) describes what the subject did just before the main action: she realised, then she left a note. Not Realised: the past participle would have a passive meaning. By realising expresses method, not reason, and On realised is ungrammatical (it would need On realising).

Should have + past participle expresses an expectation that has not been met: he was expected an hour ago, but he isn't here. Not must have arrived, which is a confident deduction that he did arrive. That contradicts I don't know where he is.

The future perfect (will have finished) describes an action completed before a future point. The clue is by Friday. Not will have been finishing: the continuous form stresses duration and does not fit a completed result. Are going to be finished is passive and cannot take the job as an object.

If you should happen to be passing is a polite, tentative first conditional. Should and happen to both make the possibility sound casual and unplanned, which suits an informal invitation in the imperative (drop in). Not will be passing: will is normally not used in the if-clause of a first conditional.

By and large means 'generally' or 'on the whole'. It contrasts with the few complaints: there were some problems, but in general customers are happy. Not above all, which means 'most importantly' and does not express this contrast.

Worthless means having no value. A copy of a painting has little monetary value, and practically collocates well with it. Watch out: priceless and invaluable mean extremely valuable, the opposite. Unworthy means not deserving (unworthy of praise), not lacking value.

Through thick and thin means 'in good times and bad times', and it often follows stick by someone to express loyalty. Spick and span means very clean, and odds and ends means small miscellaneous items. Bad and good is not a fixed expression.

This is a third conditional with inversion: Had we waited any longer = If we had waited any longer. It matches the past result would have missed. Not If we were to wait or Should we wait: these refer to hypothetical future situations and do not match a past result.

When matters come to a head, a problem that has been developing reaches a crisis point where action must be taken. Here the action is firing him. Hit the roof means to become very angry. Brought to a boil needs an object, and the usual idiom is come to the boil.

If something is (or goes) over your head, it is too difficult for you to understand. Physics is all over my head = I can't follow it at all. The other options are not idioms with this meaning.

Elastic material stretches: it becomes longer or wider when pulled, so a small-looking shirt can still fit. Swells means becomes bigger from inside (e.g. with water). Extends and spreads are not used for fabric adapting to a body.

Spurt means to come out suddenly in a strong, fast stream, so it can soak someone's trousers. Drip, trickle and ooze all describe slow, small amounts of liquid, which could not soak clothes instantly.

Bargain on/for means to expect or allow for something, and it is usually used in the negative: They hadn't bargained on so much traffic. Caught on means understood or became popular. Dreamed up means invented. Set out means started a journey.

Long-winded describes speech or writing that is too long and tedious, which fits and boring. Loose-lipped means indiscreet, careless about secrets. Off the order is not an expression, and overtime refers to extra working hours.

Come up to (someone's) expectations means to be as good as expected. It is very often used in the negative: The holiday didn't come up to their expectations. The other phrasal verbs don't combine with to their expectations.

On the verge of means very close to something happening. It is often used with negative states: on the verge of a nervous breakdown / of tears. On the blink is used for machines that are not working properly. The correct form of the other phrase is in jeopardy, which does not fit here.

Sift through means to examine a large number of things carefully to choose the useful ones, which suits reviewing many candidates. Not see through, which means to recognise a lie or deception.

Crack down on something means to start dealing with it in a much stricter way: crack down on inefficiency/crime. Get rid would need of. Come down on is normally used with people (come down hard on staff).

Likelihood means probability, and it collocates with little and of + -ing: There is little likelihood of him resigning. Probably is an adverb and cannot follow little … of. Trace and means do not express probability.

Fool someone into doing something means to trick them into believing or doing it, and it is followed by an -ing form (fooled us into thinking). Not caused us to, which would need an infinitive (caused us to think), not thinking.

Out of character means unlike someone's usual behaviour. Suddenly and everybody was shocked show this was not typical of Mark. Not out of bounds, which describes a place you are not allowed to enter.

Paint the town red means to go out and celebrate in a lively way, usually at bars or clubs. The other idioms are distorted: the real expressions are be on cloud nine and be over the moon (very happy), not get…. See the light at the end of the tunnel means to see an end to difficulties.

When bad weather sets in, it begins and seems likely to continue: The rain has set in for the day. Not broken out, which is used for wars, fires or diseases starting suddenly.

To know something by heart means to have memorised it completely, so the speaker is not worried. Not on the tip of my tongue, which means almost but not quite able to remember something.

Paragraph 1 says courtesy used to be thought of as second nature to the Japanese, i.e. people believed it came naturally and was part of their character. Not was used naturally: the text is about how courtesy was perceived, not how it was used. The examples of elderly or pregnant people are not presented as the only people who received courtesy.

Paragraph 1 says that other behaviour that illustrates Japan's decline in good manners includes phone chatting, make-up and leaky headphones. So seat behaviour is just one example. The other options overgeneralise: the text never says everybody does these things or that the rudeness happens only on the underground.

Paragraph 2 says the patrols are an attempt to prevent the disintegration of the 'Japanese way', i.e. to protect a traditional way of life. Giving seats to needy passengers is the practical task. The underlying aim is to preserve these values. The underground will not break down misreads disintegration.

Paragraph 3 says the officers will have no legal authority to fine or punish. They must rely on persuasion or mortification to make someone give up a seat. Mortification means shame or embarrassment, so all they can do is shame people into giving up their seats. Not Issue fines, which the text clearly rules out. The text also never mentions physical force or evicting people from the train.

Paragraph 3 describes the officers' unmistakable bright green uniforms, which means uniforms that can be recognised immediately. They were handpicked, not chosen randomly. The bodyguards protect the officers, not the unwilling passengers.

Paragraph 4 says the members will patrol the underground two by two, which means in pairs. The squadron will be made up mostly of people over sixty, not entirely. The companions are younger bodyguards, not police officers.

Paragraph 4 says: As yet another sign of decaying manners, each couple will be accompanied by a younger bodyguard to protect them from enraged passengers. So the bodyguards show how far standards of politeness have fallen.

Paragraph 5 quotes the psychologist: the necessity for the squadron symbolises the collapse of the Japanese mentality. It is the need for the squadron, not the squadron itself, that is symbolic. Option 2 is therefore tempting but inaccurate.

Paragraph 6 says Obayashi blames parents who are not severe enough with their children, which means they are too lenient (not strict enough). Not self-confident: he says young people are too self-conscious (shy). He also blames parents, so society is not wholly to blame.

The last paragraph quotes an 81-year-old: Vacating seats is a matter of each passenger's free will. So some people see the squadron as interfering with free choice. Option 4 overgeneralises from one person's opinion to all 81-year-olds, and the text mentions numerous volunteers, so recruitment was not difficult.