Skills Test Unit 10 Test A

Name: ___________________________________________

Everyday English
1 Circle the correct answer (a–c).
1 Can I just ________ in here?
a say b finish c come
2 Does anyone else have anything they’d like to ________ ?
a argue b add c think
3 The main ________ here is that we simply don’t have the finances.
a aim b contest c issue
4 If you could ________ let me finish, please …
a just b yet c already
5 Today’s debate is ________ the subject of social class.
a of b on c to

Mark: ___ / 5

Listening
2  Listen to a class discussion about politicians. Are the sentences true (T) or false (F)?
1 Simon thinks politicians should be more honest about their private lives. ___
2 Kerry thinks a politician’s private life is their own business. ___
3 Kerry is suspicious of politicians who try to keep their lives private. ___
4 Simon completely agrees with Kerry’s point about politicians needing to be open about their
home lives. ___
5 A politician was sacked because he liked to gamble. ___
6 Both Kerry and Simon think the politician shouldn’t have lost his job. ___
7 Kerry wouldn’t have had any sympathy for the politician if his job had been money-related. ___
8 Simon believes that people can divide their lives into different sections. ___
9 Kerry thinks that politicians should only be elected if they were educated in state schools. ___
10 Simon feels that politicians have a responsibility do everything right. ___

Mark: ___ / 10

1
Reading
Nelson Mandela
On 5 December 2013, the world lost one of its greatest leaders and a respected global statesman. A
remarkable ninety-one world leaders and numerous other representatives from the world stage
attended Nelson Mandela’s state memorial service five days later. His funeral was a quieter affair the
following week, but still included a number of political figures, both past and present.
Born in Transkei, South Africa, in 1918, he was the first of his family to attend school and showed
himself to be a very able student. He gained his school-leaving junior certificate in record time. It
was there that he became known as Nelson, rather than his birth name of Rolihlahla, by one of his
school teachers.
After graduating and qualifying as a lawyer, he joined the ANC (African National Congress), which
was attempting to change the political and social situation in South Africa. They believed in ethnic
and racial equality, but the all-white National Party, who had come to power in 1948, had introduced
a policy of ‘apartheid’, a system of racial segregation. The ANC, who were supporters of equal rights
and opportunities for black and white people, fiercely opposed the National Party’s policy of race
segregation and pledged to demonstrate through peaceful resistance.
In 1952, Mandela became deputy president of the party and pursued a policy of non-violent protest.
In 1960, almost seventy demonstrators taking part in an anti-apartheid demonstration were killed by
law enforcement officers. This terrible event became known as the Sharpeville Massacre. The
National Party immediately sought to eradicate the ANC, and it was at this point that Mandela’s party
abandoned its non-violence policy and decided to bear arms and engage in violent struggle against
the government. As chief of the military wing, ‘The Spear of the Nation’, Mandela left his home
country to recruit support overseas.
As soon as he returned, he was thrown in prison for five years. In 1963, Mandela and the ANC were
accused of planning to overthrow the government through the use of force, and were put on trial. The
following year, Mandela found himself facing life imprisonment, and was held at Robben Island
where he spent the majority of his twenty-seven years behind bars.
Conditions there were appalling. Everything that could have been done to break his spirit was done,
from being allowed a visitor only once a year for thirty minutes, to having only a bucket for a toilet.
Yet the tiny cell in which he was confined did little to crush his spirit. If the opposition thought
Mandela’s cause would lose momentum, they couldn’t have been more wrong. He managed to
acquire leadership over fellow prisoners and to also impress his guards through his strength of
character and charisma. Outside the prison walls, disgusted by the government’s lack of humanity,
the world was watching. It was as if an attack on Mandela was like an attack on the whole of
humankind.
Over time, international pressure forced the South African government to release Mandela, and he
eventually regained his liberty in 1990, becoming leader of the ANC. Having been awarded the
Nobel Peace Prize along with FW de Klerk in 1993, South Africans showed their appreciation for
this great man at the polling stations in the first multi-racial election, and the country welcomed its
first ever black president.
In the late nineties, Mandela stepped down as leader of the ANC, and in 1999 his position as South
African president came to an end. A few years after this, Mandela decided to finally retire from life
in the spotlight, although he was keen to carry on with his charity work up until his death.

2
3 Read the text. Circle the correct answers (a–d).
1 According to the writer, Nelson Mandela
a didn't do very well at school.
b wasn't keen on his real name and changed it at school.
c was buried on 10 December 2013.
d had an unprecedented number of important politicians attend his memorial service.
2 Members of the National Party
a believed in racial segregation.
b were in political opposition from the 1940s.
c recruited young black lawyers.
d believed in racial equality.
3 As a direct result of the Sharpeville Massacre,
a Mandela escaped overseas, fearing for his life.
b the National Party attempted to destroy the ANC.
c Mandela left the ANC and joined a new organization.
d Mandela became deputy president of the ANC.
4 While in prison, Nelson Mandela
a was not allowed visitors.
b became religious due to his difficult situation.
c remained strong despite the terrible conditions.
d was able to leave the prison briefly each year.
5 After Nelson Mandela’s release from prison,
a the first segregated election was organized.
b he narrowly missed out on an international award.
c many people showed their respect by voting for him.
d most people were hesitant about him becoming leader.

Mark: ___ / 10

3
Writing
4 Write a for and against essay about the statement below.
Young people have no interest in politics.
Follow the plan:

 Paragraph 1: Write an introduction, including a definition if necessary, a hook and a thesis

statement.
 Paragraph 2: Present the arguments in favour of the statement.
 Paragraph 3: Present the arguments against the statement.
 Paragraph 4: Write a conclusion, giving your own balanced opinion.
Mark: ___ / 15
TOTAL MARKS: ___ / 40

4
Challenge!
5 Complete the text with the correct words (a–d).
The history of voting
At the turn of the 19th century, the British voting system 1________ which we are familiar today did
not exist. Few people had the right to vote in a 2________ election in Britain. In fact, the electorate,
3
________ up of only three per cent of the population, was vastly unrepresentative. The idea of
parliamentary reform became a topic of debate, and the reason why it didn’t 4________ momentum
was the unrest caused by the French Revolution. However, intended to 5________ the threat of
revolution occurring on home soil, the Reform Act of 1832, resulting in six out of seven men being
permitted to fill in the 6________ paper, actually did little for the common good. In the 1860s,
members of the Reform League, who had been frustrated by the lack of 7________ opportunities in
the voting system, decided to protest outside Parliament.
For many, the 19th century had done little to change the fact that the aristocracy and middle classes
still wore the trousers politically. However, it had been a success in the sense that the 8________ for
elections had increased from about 366,000 in England and Wales in 1831 to just under 8 million in
1885. In 1872, the Ballot Act was a further step in the right direction, making secret ballots
compulsory in polling stations.
1 a with b for c by d on
2 a nation b common c general d universal
3 a was making b making c makes d made
4 a take b lose c drop d fall
5 a eradicate b pledge c swear d diversify
6 a voting b poll c ballot d election
7 a balanced b identical c equivalent d equal
8 a turnout b arms c adversaries d foes