NGUYEN TAT THANH UNIVERSITY

FOREIGN LANGUAGES CENTER

Ho Chi Minh,
MID-TERM TEST
SUBJECT: GENERAL ENGLISH
TEST No. 1
Time allowed: 60 mins
Students answer on the Answer Sheet provided
Students are NOT allowed to use any materials
1st proctor’s full name and 2nd proctor’s full name and
Full name: ………………………………………….. signature: signature:

Student ID: ………………………………………….

Class …………………………………………………...

PART 1: INCOMPLETE SENTENCES (Structure and vocabulary)

Choose the word or phrase that best completes the sentence. Mark your choice (A, B, C or D) on the
answer sheet provided.
1. The president ______ in the White House.
A. lives B. living C. live D. are living
2. Last year we ______ Tokyo.
A. visit B. visits C. visited D. will visit
3. ______ you ______ out yesterday?
A. Were/ go B. Did/ go C. Did/ went D. Did/ going
4. Columbus ______ America in 1942.
A. was discovering B. has discovered C. will discover D. discovered
5. They ______ in the library when the fire alarm ______ off yesterday.
A. studied/ went C. were studying/ was going
B. are studying/ goes D. were studying/ went
6. We make lots of __________ with our hands because we don't understand French.
A. gestures B. small talk C. connect D. custom
7. In Canada, turkey is a __________ Thanksgiving Day dish.
A. misunderstanding B. culture C. gestures D. traditional
8. ______ time do we have left?
A. How many B. How much C. many D. much
9. To make her feel welcome, Tony made __________ with his new neighbor.
A. misunderstanding B. small talk C. traditional D. custom
10. There ______ lots of sugar in the cupboard.
A. be B. are C. is D. am
11. She sometimes __________ to the office with her co-workers.
A. commutes B. traffic C. highway D. nightlife

1/4
12. Our home is __________. There is not enough room for all of us.
A. population B. rural C. crowded D. urban
13. Jon is ______ than Bill.
A. tall B. the taller C. the tallest D. taller
14. He is a ______ football player than Jack .
A. better B. good C. the best D. the better
15. New York City is ______ Chicago.
A. bigger than B. biger than C. the biggest D. bigger

PART 2: ERROR RECOGNITION

Each of the following sentences has four words or phrases underlined. The four underlined parts of
the sentences are marked (A), (B), (C), and (D). Identify the one underlined word or phrases that
must be changed for the sentence to be correct, then mark your choice (A, B, C, or D) on the answer
sheet provided.
16. My sister speak three languages.
A B C D
17. We took any biscuits and some cheese with us.
A B C D
18. Much trees were still standing after the storm.
A B C D
19. He arrived more early than we expected.
A B C D
20. Lights is travelling faster than sound.
A B C D
21. Mr. Brown go to Nha Trang with his wife last week.
A B C D
22. Who is the more popular actor in your country?
A B C D
23. Any beautiful flowers are blooming in the garden.
A B C D
24. Mr. Gainer is the busiest than anyone else in the office
A B C D
25. It is hotter here yesterday than today .
A B C D
PART 3: INCOMPLETE TEXT
Read the text below. A word or phrase is missing in some of the sentences. Four answer choices are
given for each of the sentences. Choose the best answer to complete the text. Then mark your choice
(A, B, C or D) on the answer sheet provided.
Nobody knows exactly when the Olympic Games began. Some historians think it ______ (26) over
3,500 years ago, ______ (27) the first recorded Games were held _____ (28) Olympia in 776 BC. That’s
when we started to get a clear picture _____ (29) the ancient prizes, buildings, champions and sports.
It is true ______ (30) the Olympic Games are now commercialized. However, it is a competition in
______ (31) every country in the world takes part ______ (32) four years. For a brief moment, we see these
2/4
______ (33) come together in ______ (34) and friendship. We feel hope ______ (35) for the future of
mankind.
26. A. begin B. has begun C. begins D. began
27. A. and B. but C. or D. however
28. A. at B. on C. in D. with
29. A. on B. of C. in D. at
30. A. which B. that C. when D. who
31. A. which B. that C. what D. who
32. A. every B. all C. in D. with
33. A. houses B. countries C. villages D. people
34. A. war B. touch C. peace D. break
35. A. again B. every C. with D. each
PART 4: READING COMPREHENSION
Read the passage below and choose the best answer for each of the questions. Mark your answers
( A, B, C, or D ) on the answer sheet provided.
Spelling English words isn’t easy, but a boy in Indiana, USA, set a very difficult goal for himself.
Thirteen-year-old Sameer Mishra wanted to become the best speller in the whole country and win the
national Spelling Bee. A spelling bee is a spelling contest for elementary school students in the United
STATES. In a spelling bee, students stand in a line and spell words that the teacher pronounces. If they
make a mistake, they must sit down. The last student who is standing is the winner. Every year, there are
big spelling bees for cities and states. The winners go to the national Spelling bee in Washington, D.C.
This year, 288 students from the United States, Canada, and other English-speaking countries entered
the national Spelling bee. In the contest, students have to spell very long, difficult, and unusual words from
a very large dictionary. Students spend months, or years, preparing. Sameer spent at least four hours every
day learning new words. He studied 23 pages of the dictionary each day, and his sister helped him practice.
The final night of the national Spelling bee was on TV. The students spelled 24 of the first 25 words
correctly, including words like brankursine, cryptarithm, and empyrean. Then, they started making
mistakes. Finally, there were only two students in the contest: Sameer and a boy named Sidharth Chand.
Sidharth made a mistake in the word prosopopoeia. To win, Sameer had to spell one more word correctly:
guerdon. Sameer correctly spelled out “g-u-e-r-d-o-n” and became the best speller in America. (What does
guerdon mean? A reward!) Sameer won $40,000 to pay for his university education—he hopes to become a
doctor. He has many other interests besides spelling. He plays the violin and enjoys video games. His
parents are from India, and they are very proud of him. “I told my mom I was going to do the bee,” Sameer
said. “And if I was going to do it, I was going to win it one day.”

3/4
 36. Which statement about Sameer Mishra is true?
A. He lives in the country of India
B. He is 13 years old
C. He wanted to be the best student in the country
D. He didn't want to achieve something difficult
37. Which statement about spelling bees is true?
A. Students are only allowed to make two mistakes
B. In the US, it is a contest for high school students.
C. The National Spelling Bee is in Washington, D.C
D. Students guess the correct pronunciation of words
38. How did Sameer prepare for the National Spelling Bee?
A. He learned many new words from the dictionary
B. He spent at least four hours a week studying
C. He studied and practiced for about four years
D. He practiced with his brothers and sisters
39. What word means the same as a reward?
A. guerdon B. empyrean C. cryptarithm D. prosopopoeia
40. What does Sameer hope to do when he grows up?
A. be an English teacher B. study medicine
C. design video games D. become a musician
PART 5: SENTENCE BUILDING
Make sentences based on the sets of words or phrases below; change the orders of words or phrases if
necessary.
41. The oldest/ he/ member/ family/ of the.
=>_______________________________________________________________
42. better/ John’s/ your pronunciation.
=>_______________________________________________________________
43. lived/ we/ in 1990/ here.
=>_______________________________________________________________
44. are/ they/ going/ America/ month/ next.
=>_______________________________________________________________
45. help/ do/ I/ you/ the exercises/ will.
=>_______________________________________________________________

---THE END---
GOOD LUCK TO YOU
--------------------------------------------------------------

4/4