Cambridge English Placement Test B2 Level Read and select about a novelist

 

There is, of course, another great reservoir of characters: those ready-made for us in books. A painter who wants to paint a tree needs to do two things: look at trees and look at paintings of trees. The first task shows what trees are like, the second shows the possibilities of the medium. Likewise, as a writer, it is by reading that you learn how, in language, a character can be presented - through dialogue, through action, through physical attributes, interior monologue, etc. - a process that continues until you have absorbed these methods, and they have become a reflex so embedded in your apprehending of the world that you will never notice anything about anybody without secretly assessing its potential for fiction writing. 

The writer compares a novelist to a painter because they both 

A have a natural talent for the work they produce. 

B base their work on what happens in real life. 

C need a lot of time to think about a new project. 

D learn by looking at the methods used by others in their field. 

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The correct answer is letter D.

Cambridge English Placement Test B2 Level Open cloze test about a different approach to education

 

A different approach to education in Tamil Nadu, India 

Kaumaram Sushila International Residential School is a school with a difference. Every academic year, it makes a point of informing parents (1)_____ children are seeking admission that it gives more importance to organic fanning and productive work (2)_____ to formal marks-based education. This is (3)______ of those rare schools where children can ride horses as well as do some mountaineering and keep ducks, goats and bees. It is pointed (4)_____ to parents that if they are only keen on their children getting top marks in exams, the school may (5)_____ be suitable for them.

A small portion of the playground has (6)_____ turned into an area for growing vegetables, with students aged 4-8 being taught the importance of consuming healthy food. Organic farmers also come and talk to pupils about (7)_____ important it is to preserve the local environment. Finally, all children are encouraged to take responsibility (8)_____ the animals and crops in their care, and to understand the complex relationships of the natural world. 

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1 whose 

2 than 

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8 for

Cambridge English Placement Test B2 Level Read and select about Sherlock Holmes

 

First off, let it be loudly asserted that characters, strong characters, are at the heart of all great literature and always will be. Plot, even in detective fiction, is a very secondary matter. Not many readers could outline the plot of the Sherlock Holmes story The Sign of the Four but many people have no difficulty bringing Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson to mind. A writer who does not create convincing characters will fail. A writer who creates thrilling, troubling, insistent characters need not worry too much about any other aspect of writing. 

What is said about the role of characters? 

A They need to be carefully integrated into a novel's plot. 

B They are less important in detective stories than other fiction. 

C They can ensure the success of a novel if they fulfil certain criteria. 

D They must be appealing so readers want to learn more about them. 

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The correct answer is letter C.