LEVEL TEST: B1

GRAMMAR
Read the questions, then choose the correct answer from the options.

1. Please stay out of the kitchen because I’m cleaning. You know that I clean the
kitchen every morning.
a. I clean / I’m cleaning
b. I cleaned / I’m cleaning
c. I’m cleaning / I clean

2. Do you drink coffee? Yes, but I’m trying to quit.

a. drink / I’m trying
b. drinking / I try
c. drunk / I’m trying

3. I’m sorry I broke the plates. I won't do it again.

a. won’t do
b. I’m not going to do
c. I’m not doing

4. Have you had a vacation recently?

a. Did you have
b. Have you had

5. I moved in last week so I have been here for 6 days.

a. moved in / have been
b. have moved in / was

6. I’ve broken my leg. I broke it while playing football with my brother.

a. I’ve broken / I broke
b. Broke / I’ve broken

Complete the sentences with the present perfect and the past simple.

7. We have been (be) best friends since we met (meet) 10 years ago.

8. I have sold (sell) my house! - Great! When did you sell (you/sell) it?

9. She has been (be) to France 10 times. She was 14 when she first went (go) there.

ESL Pals 1 General English

 10. Have you finished (finish) your homework yet? - No, because I met (meet) my
friends after school.

Choose the correct option.

11. I've been reading a great book. I’ll lend it to you when I’ve finished it.
a. I’ve read
b. I’ve reading
c. I’ve been reading

12. David has been working in that industry for many years so a lot of contacts.
a. is working
b. has been working
c. have worked

13. I hurt my leg while I was playing football

a. while
b. during
c. for

14. Ana fell asleep during class.

a. while
b. during
c. for

15. This coffee tastes sweeter than the other.

a. sweeter than
b. more sweet than
c. more sweeter than

Complete the sentences with the comparative or superlative forms of the words.

16. Alex lives far away from school but John lives the furthest (far) away.

17. Hannah is much better (good) than her sister at basketball.

18. The hardest (hard) part of the exam was the grammar test.

19. For Anna, October is the quietest (quiet) month of the year at work.

20. John thinks the new James Bond is worse (bad) than the previous one.

ESL Pals 2 General English

Choose the correct option.

21. I’ve never been able to run as fast as my brother.

a. could
b. can
c. been able

22. We tried but we couldn’t fix the washing machine

a. couldn’t
b. can’t
c. been able

23. Can I come to your party? (Choose the most natural response).
a. Could
b. Can
c. I am able to

24. At work, I have to wear a uniform.

a. have to
b. must
c. ought to

25. I left the party early because I had to go and meet my sister.
a. must
b. should
c. had to

26. I don’t have to go to the doctor because I feel great.

a. have to
b. should
c. don’t have to

Complete the following using the 2nd conditional correctly.

27. If we lived (live) in Mexico, we would speak (speak) Spanish.

28. What would you do (you/do) if you were (be) in my situation?

29. I would have (have) more money if I had (have) a better job.

30. If she wasn’t always late, she would be promoted.

31. If you stopped (stop) a bad habit, what habit would you stop? (you/stop).

ESL Pals 3 General English

Choose the correct option

32. If you had studied more, you wouldn’t have failed so badly.
a. you hadn’t have
b. you didn’t have
c. you wouldn’t have

33. If you had told me the TV was not working, I could have fixed it last week.
a. I could have
b. I should have
c. I did have

34. If he had offered to buy my car for $5000, I would have said yes.
a. I did have
b. I would have
c. I should have

Study the phrasal verbs in the box. Use the phrasal verbs to complete the sentences.
You may need to change the tense.

to look after to put off to hang out (with) to run out of to find out

35. It is very important to look after your friends and family because they will always
help you when you need them.

36. Last week, I found out that I failed the final exam on the course. I will need to retake
it next month.

37. I enjoy hanging out with my friends on weekends. Especially when we go to the
cinema or shopping centre.

38. Could you go to the shop? We have run out of milk and bread.

39. We will have to put off the meeting until next week.

Study the reflexive pronouns in the box. Use them correctly to complete the sentences.

ourselves yourself each other herself himself

40. Jack made this table himself.

41. I often see Sarah talking to herself.
42. Hannah and I don’t see each other very often now.
43. Here is some tea and biscuits. Please help yourself.
44. Don’t worry about us, we can take care of ourselves.

ESL Pals 4 General English

 READING COMPREHENSION
Below are two extracts from an article titled “The Negative Effects of Social Media on
People and Users”. Read each extract before completing the exercises.

Extract 1: Depression and Anxiety

Do you spend several hours per day browsing through social media? Spending too long
on social networking sites could negatively affect your mood. In fact, regular social users
are more likely to report poor mental health, including symptoms of anxiety and
depression.

It doesn't take much thinking to figure out why. Social media lets you see the carefully
selected best parts of everyone else's lives, which you then compare to the negatives in
your own life (which only you see). Comparing yourself to other people is a sure path to
anxiety and unhappiness, and social media has made this much easier to do.

So how do you use social media without causing yourself psychological pain? If you turn
to the same research (and common sense), the recommended amount of time you should
spend on social networks is around half an hour per day. As with many other potential
ills in life, it's all about moderation.

If you find yourself upset after a social media session, also consider the social media
platforms you use and the people you follow. You're much more likely to feel anxious
after reading political arguments and tragic news than you are after seeing fun updates
from your favourite musicians or photos of your friends' pets.

Decide if the following statements are true or false.

1. Spending too long on social media can negatively affect your mood. T
2. Regular social users don’t report poor mental health. F
3. Comparing yourself to others can lead to peacefulness and happiness. F
4. The recommended amount of time to spend on social media is 45 minutes per day. F
5. You're more likely to feel anxious after reading political arguments and tragic news.T
6. Social media doesn’t let you see the carefully selected best parts of everyone’s lives. F

Answer the questions.

1. What poor mental health symptoms do regular users of social media report?
Anxiety and depression.
2. What can comparing yourself to others lead to? Anxiety and unhappiness,
3. How can you use social media without psychological pain? Use in moderation.
4. Why should you consider the type of social media platforms you use? Don’t follow
accounts or use platforms that focus on political arguments and tragic news as
they will make you feel anxious.
5. Summarise how social media can cause depression and anxiety.

ESL Pals 5 General English

Now, read the second extract before completing the exercises below.

Extract 2: Unrealistic Expectations

As most people are probably aware, social media forms unrealistic expectations of life
and friendships in our minds.

Most social media sites have a severe lack of online authenticity. People use Snapchat to
share their exciting adventures, post about how much they love their significant other on
Facebook, and load up their Instagram page with heavily staged photos.

But in reality, you have no way of knowing whether this is all a farce. While it looks great
on the surface, that person could be in massive debt, on bad terms with their significant
other, and just desperate for Instagram likes as a form of validation.

A simple way out of this mess is for everyone to quit lying on social media. However, in
the era of Instagram influencers and YouTubers who earn millions from being inauthentic,
that isn't going to happen anytime soon.

Therefore, you should surround yourself with people who love you for who you are, and
you won't have to stress about fake social media expectations.

Find synonyms for the following words in the text:

1. shortage (paragraph 2) lack

2. genuineness (p2) authenticity.
3. thrilling (p2) exciting
4. sham (p3) farce
5. acceptance (p3) validation
6. false (p5) fake

Answer the questions.

1. The title of the extract is “Unrealistic Expectations”. What is the meaning of this?
This relates to social media giving people unrealistic expectations of their
personal lives, professional lives and relationships.
2. From the article, what do people post on Snapchat, Facebook and Instagram?
Paragraph 2.
3. Are all of those posts authentic? Explain.
4. The article suggests people won’t quit lying on social media. Why is this? They
won’t stop because influencers have been successful acting that way.
5. How can you stop yourself from worrying about fake social media expectations?
Surround yourself with people who love you for who you are.
6. Summarise how social media creates unrealistic expectations.

ESL Pals 6 General English

 LISTENING COMPREHENSION
Watch the video, then answer the questions below.

1. How are Mars and Earth similar?

a. 24 hour day.
b. Air.
c. Surface.

2. Why have more space probes been sent to Mars than other planets?
a. It has liquid water on the surface.
b. It’s easy to do.
c. The presence of life is a possibility.

3. Elon Musk…
a. is working with NASA to send people to Mars.
b. will send humans to Mars within the next two decades.
c. wants to send humans to Mars in 2024.

4. The journey to Mars…

a. is impossible.
b. takes 26 months.
c. can only be made when the planets are aligned.

5. According to the speaker…

a. taking humans to Mars is too expensive.
b. it's not possible to find life on Mars.
c. people will probably die while trying to get to Mars.

Decide if the following statements are true or false.

1. Mars is also known as the Blue Planet. F

2. Mars has five seasons. F
3. Mars is far more astronaut friendly than the other planets. T
4. It has small canyons and vast volcanoes. F
5. NASA talks about sending people to Mars in the next two decades. T
6. A mission to Mars would be one of the biggest technical challenges ever. T
7. It takes around 9 weeks to travel from one planet to another. F
8. There will be immense hurdles in trying to get to Mars. T

ESL Pals 7 General English

 SPEAKING TEST
Watch the video titled “Last Shot”, then complete the exercises below. You may watch
the video more than once.

1. Explain what you understand about the title “Last Shot”.

2. Tell the story of what happened in the video. You may use the following sentences
to guide you, however you are not required to.
At the beginning the girl is…
The girl falls and…
She is sad because…
The girl throws the camera…
Suddenly, the camera…
The camera feels…
The camera tries to…
When the girl arrives home…
When the girl sees the photo she…
The camera goes to…
The camera realises…
The camera creates.
When the girl opens her window..
When they are reunited they…

3. Describe the following aspects featured in the video.

The weather The buildings The girl's appearance The music

ESL Pals 8 General English

 WRITING TEST
Task - You see the below advertisement in the library. The local paper wants to hear
about the general public’s opinion on social media as part of an investigation they are
doing. As a keen writer, you decide to submit your own article.

SOCIAL MEDIA

● How much time do you spend on social media?

● What is the purpose of social media?
● What do people do on social media?
● Describe the benefits.
● Describe the negatives.
● How will social media change in the future?

Write an article answering these questions and we will put it on our website!

ESL Pals 9 General English