Practice exam

Reading
Paper 1 Part 1
Answer questions 1-18 by referring to the review of photography books on page 117. Indicate your answers on the
separate answer sheet *

For questions 1-18, answer by choosing from the books (A-F).

Some of the choices may be required more than once.
A Walker Evans D The Art of Seeing
B The Century of the Body E Portraits
C Missing Link F Around the World in Eighty Years

According to the article, which book

can be criticised for a lack of honesty in both text and photography? 1

celebrates the life of a photographer from another age? 2

shows images by a photographer who is renowned in a different genre? 3 .....

sets out to be an historical record by portraying people over a period of time? 4

reflects one photographer’s fascination with a par,tjcular group of artists? 5

features photos from a number of sources with a clever technical design? 6

records the variety of a photographer’s work, compiled by several writers? 7

has a title which is more impressive than the photos it contains? 8

is a visual record of the photographer’s personal life? 9

depicts a lively period of history using traditional photographic techniques? 1 0 .....

includes an informative narrative which links the work with broader themes? 11

presents pictures from photographers who are seen as leaders in their field? 12

contains intricate photos of mostly household situations? 13

is suitable for the less-experienced photographer? 14

has a generic theme that is not reflected in its titles? 15

shows that one photographer’s best work was produced while he was in journalism? 1 6 .....

features professional photographs from a well-respected organisation? 17

shows one photographer’s ability to improve the appearance of ordinary locations? 1 8 .....

Your teacher will supply you with an answer sheet.

 Pra. m

PHOTOGRAPHY BOOKS
Nigel Stanton reviews the best of today’s books on photography.

This year’s collection of photography books Many of today’s photographers have rejected
is led by the multi-authored study of the traditions of humanist photography. Even
photographer Walker Evans. Many people news camerawork has been affected. Ulli
will be familiar with his best-known work Michel’s mistitled The Art of Seeing
5 which recorded the lives of poor Alabama sodisplays favourite shots by two dozen staff
sharecroppers in the early 20 th-century. He photographers from Reuter’s, the long-
did much more in his lifetime, however, so established international news agency.
this retrospective tribute is well deserved. Although the name is venerable, this
Evan’s dates were 1903-1975, and he was a photography business was founded as
10 photographer from 1928 until his death. 55recently as 1985. The book is rich, powerful
Some of his last photos, which are in colour and particularly contemporary. More
and have still-life subjects, look rather like sedentary journalists correctly regard
the work of contemporary urban pop artists. photographers who record events in war
Seen as a whole - there are 200 plates in this situations as the heroes of the profession. Yet
15 magnificent volume - Walker Evans’ career 60something is wrong with these pictures.
impresses by virtue of its diversity and Even the most dramatic of them look staged,
simple love of mundane, man-made things. or resemble stills from a movie, and there’s
As is clearly illustrated here, his camera lens no essential difference in style between these
transformed the humdrum billboards, pictures and photos of international sports
20 shacks, garages and subways of American 65events.
cities by delicate use of light and quietly
monumental composition. Evans was also a The use of black and white, sometimes in
subtle portraitist of working men and stark contrasts and with hard silhouettes,
women, though his interest in faces seems to gave a particular manner to 1960s
25 have declined in the latter part of his life. photography, especially in London. A
tohandful of new books turn their backs on the
Two large survey books are useful colour technology to remind us of swinging
introductions aimed at novices and students days. John Hedgecoe’s Portraits, records four
of photography. William Ewing’s The decades of work. But surely he was at the
Century of the Body is chronological. There peak of his professional career during his 14-
30 are 100 photographs, one for each year of the 75year association with Queen magazine. His
20th century. Each of them is concerned with portraits are full of detail and are often of
the human form, while the book’s domestic contexts. The most effective of
commentary makes a connection between them show a real curiosity about classical
the examination of the body and wider musicians and writers, especially the
35 cultural issues. An excellent present for any soscruffier ones, whereas he’s over-respectful
concerned young person. Missing Link is of painters and sculptors.
subtitled The Image of Man in Contemporary
Photography. There are plenty of pictures of Photography also provides us with souvenirs
women, so one can’t help but find this of precious moments and sights. Eric
« somewhat misleading. Almost all the photos, Newby’s Around the World in Eighty Years
by 60 artists from American and European ss is an excellent photographic autobiography.
countries, are manipulated. They are posed, We all know that he’s been one of the best of
hi-tech and ingeniously constructed. Yet no our travel writers, and it is very good to find
portrait in Missing Link is candid, and none how his skills with a camera lens
45 of its documentary aims to reveal the truth. complement his personal journeys and
* precise reminiscences.

117
 Paper 1 Part 2
For questions 19-24, you must choose which of the paragraphs A-G on page 119 fit into the numbered gaps in the
following magazine article. There is one extra paragraph which does not fit in any of the gaps. Indicate your answers
on the separate answer sheet.

FISHING FOR THE BIGGEST PRIZE

Boosted by television, tournam ent angling is rapidly becoming a thriving
international business. Tony Harris reports.

If you were to consider which sports are the continuously, just in case he misses his
favourites of the media, fishing would not assigned angler catching a fish. When it
necessarily be the first one to spring to mind. w arrives, the moment lasts about ten seconds.
Yet, in some countries today, angling is one of With huge prize money at stake, the anglers
5the most popular participant sports, following will not risk losing the fish, they swing them
closely behind swimming and walking. Indeed, into the boat with as little ado as possible.
particularly in the USA, fishing is now one of
22 1 ’ ;
the top favourites as a televised sport. On a
Saturday morning, you can watch men, and On a cold February day in Alabama, USA,
io the very occasional woman, catching fish on 45 I have come to view just such a well-
four different channels. orchestrated spectacle. During the previous
five-day tournament, the anglers have been
191 using their skill and experience to compete
The willingness of anglers in the USA to watch against each other. I've watched them hurtling
fishing on screen, however, has brought a so across the waters of the lake at insane speeds
massive infusion of money from advertisers. In in their top-class speed boats, trying to be the
is the frequent commercial breaks, every item of first to reach the best fishing spots.
fishing equipment imaginable is promoted,
from fluorescent plastic worms to electronic 251
fish-finders. In addition, a whole range of Despite all this, it is surprisingly difficult to
products from the mainstream corporate catch the daily quota of fish needed to qualify
20 world is marketed w ith the same level of 55 for the weigh-in. In fact, many of the
enthusiasm, everything from biscuits to competitors may go all day w ithout catching a
financial services. single one. It is, therefore, inevitable that the
less successful anglers are quickly eliminated
201 from the competition. Today, the 175 initial
A t the centre of this rapidly growing business do entrants have been gradually whittled down
is a modestly sized fish called the freshwater to just ten finalists.
25 bass, which can weigh four to five kilos when
fully grown. A fiercely aggressive fish, in 241
recent years it has become the most popular More recently, an angler called Darren Nixon,
game fish in the country, mainly due to its is said to have caught an even larger fish. This
tendency to fly out of the water when offered claim is still the subject of angry debate, but
so the bait at the end of a fishing line. 65 mainly, I feel, because Nixon used a cheap,
unobtrusive plastic boat and maintained that
211 stealth is the most important thing: because
Nevertheless, for the television cameramen, the biggest fish are the oldest and
this newcomer to the world of media sport is consequently the most suspicious. What if
presenting a challenge. Fishing is not a jo Nixon is right? Could it be that the $45,000,
pastime that easily holds the attention of 125kph, seven metre-long modern bass boat is
35today's television audiences. With a 20-kilo actually an impediment to catching the
camera on his shoulder, the cameraman has to biggest fish?
keep the tape rolling for eight hours

118
 Practice exam

A As a result, a peaceful rural pastime has been caught in 1932, by a keen amateur fisherman, from
transformed into a marketing phenomenon; in chain a home-made rowing boat using a $1.33 rod. He
stores and shopping malls you can buy leaping-fish had the fish weighed and verified at a local fishing
T-shirts, and virtual fishing computer games. There shop, then later cooked and ate it.
are several bass-fishing websites. As a market for
consumer products, bass fishing is rapidly becoming E The anglers have benefited from yet another
bigger than golf and tennis combined. technical evolution in the sport during the last ten
years. They each have GPS navigation systems
B Due to the growing commercialisation of the sport, built into the consoles of their boats, and before the
once established in their position the fishermen use race, the professionals spend several days scouting
the very latest technology to assist them to catch the lake and logging co-ordinates of likely fishing
the fish, the five largest of which they bring to the areas.
final weigh-in. They can employ electronic sonar
depth finders and high-resolution display screens, F On each of these, it is possible to see tournament
which map out the topography of the lake bed and anglers catching endless fish from a lake, one after
reveal any fish around the boat. another. They do this for five minutes, followed by a
series of adverts. In real life, what you see is the
C This is in stark contrast to the image of fishing in anglers standing on their boats with their lines in the
other parts of the world. Although it has long been a water. After spending two hours standing doggedly
much-loved hobby, there are few anglers who would not catching fish in one part of the lake, they then
attempt to support their families through the income set off, in their high-speed boats, to spend a further
they receive from fishing alone. In the USA, two unproductive hours in a different area.
however, anglers are fishing a circuit of big-money
tournaments, where not only can you be a G To compensate for these visual shortcomings, the
professional, you can also acquire celebrity status organisers of the bass-fishing tournaments make
through frequent appearances on the back of cereal the ceremony of the final weigh-in, when the overall
packets. wirmer is discovered, the highlight of the whole
broadcast. When constructing their programme, this
D I watch the anglers standing apprehensively on the showdown between the two leading anglers has the
central stage, waiting to discover who will receive style of a TV quiz show, in an effort to liven up the
the winner’s $110,000 cheque. It is worth reflecting sight of two fishermen totally absorbed in weighing
in these days of electronic sonar fish-finders, that plastic bags of fish.
the world-record bass, weighing over ten kilos, was

119
 Paper 1 Part 3
Read the following magazine article and answer questions 25-29 on page 121. On your answer sheet, indicate the
letter A, B, C or D against the number of each question. Give only one answer to each question. Indicate your answers
on the separate answer sheet.

What makes a good leader?

Middle m anager India Gary-Jenkins w ent on a course in
leadership skills a nd g o t a few surprises.
he tutor came into the room, coffee in ones that are obvious to us. They are people who

T
hand, ready to teach. With a glum look on have the exceptional skill of making decisions
his face, he said: 'Leaders are born, not that others want to follow, often without even
made. Who would want to be led by you?' knowing they are being led.
5 This was what I experienced when, in pursuit of
personal growth, I recently completed a course The tutor challenged us to observe people who
on leadership and organisational development. demonstrate unconventional leadership skills. I
I wasn't sure if the tutor meant that the group of thought about the older brother whose younger
people sitting before him seemed a pathetic brother follows his every move, the mother who
mgroup to be leaders, or if he really wanted to leads her children by nature and the builder
know the answer. I hadn't thought about who who is leading a team to complete a project.
would want to be led by me, but it was a Leadership is all around us. There are born
perplexing and humbling question. leaders in every race, gender, community and
industrial sector. Before I changed my frame of
I've learned that any reference, I'd always
is time a course begins thought of leaders as
^Leaders are b o rn , n o t m ade.
with a rhetorical people standing on
question, one should be W h o w ould podiums rallying the
prepared for self­ masses for change. I had
reflection at dizzying w an t to be led by y o u ? ^ been ignoring the beauty
20 heights. I was quite of change around me -
nervous: the course was including the benefit that
going to force me to ask questions of myself that the leaders all around us contribute to our
I wasn't sure I wanted the answers to. Sweat everyday lives. Suddenly, my future as a leader
broke out on my forehead and panic crept across didn't seem so bleak. I realised that my tutor
25 my face. I knew I was an effective manager, but had been trying to get me to recognise that I was
I wasn't sure that I was a leader at all. I hoped born a leader. He'd known it before I or anyone
that my fear of exploring my own weaknesses else had come into his room. In reality, there was
wasn't burrowing through the surface and no skill he could teach me that I didn't innately
betraying the confident stance that I usually know. He'd only facilitated my being able to
so project. recognise it. For years I'd been ignoring my own
contribution to leadership.
The road to discovering leadership can be
challenging. Some people really are born I tell you this story, not to give you anecdotes
leaders. We all know them: the captain of the about my coming into leadership, but in an
football team; the top manager who turns the effort to change your frame of reference about
35 company round and the professor who stands in your own. You were born a leader with infinite
front of hundreds of students. There are, possibilities. If your company is looking for
however, others, myself included, who have to leaders, let them know they've got one. Evaluate
dig deep to find the leader within. While born the leadership skills that you demonstrate and
leaders naturally demonstrate their prowess by concentrate on building them. The extent to
« larking about and being the life of the party, the which you demonstrate your leadership is up to
quiet leaders are often overlooked and you. So, now that you have the data you need, I
underdeveloped. On my course, I learned that will pose the question to you. Who would want
the most competent leaders are not always the to be led by you?

120
25 What first impression did the writer gain of the course she attended?

A She was surprised by the tutor’s casual appearance.

B She found the tutor’s opening remarks rather offensive.
C She was intrigued to find out about the other participants.
D She realised that she was going to be made to think quite deeply.

26 In the second paragraph, we learn that the writer

A felt threatened by the issues raised on the course.

B doubted whether the course would be useful for her.
C lacked confidence in her ability to do her current job.
D realised that her feelings had been perceived by others.

27 In the third paragraph, the writer makes the point that the best leaders

A are those who take the trouble to learn the skills of leadership.
B may not actually be the people in the most prominent positions.
C are those who make us aware of their natural leadership abilities.
D may never be in a position to use the natural abilities they possess.

28 As a result of following the course, the writer came to appreciate that

A we all have the potential to be good leaders.

B she had nothing to learn from her course tutor.
C her course tutor had underestimated her abilities.
D leadership skills are very different to other skills in life.
f*.

29 In the final paragraph, the writer encourages us to

A support the leaders in the places where we work.

B demand that our leadership potential is recognised.
C develop the leadership qualities that we already possess.
D rethink our ideas about why it is necessary to have leaders.
 Paper 3 Part 4
For questions 47-61, read the two texts below. Use the words in the boxes to the right of the texts to form one word
that fits in the same numbered space in the text. Write the new word in the correct box on your answer sheet. The
exercise begins with an example (0).

Example: 0 completely

PIECE OF DESCRIPTIVE WRITING

Water of life
After a three-week trek through the rainforest, we had (0) COMPLETE
become so used to the sound of cicadas that it took (47) ROUND
me a few moments to realise that it had stopped (0)..... (48) STRONG
and the (4 7 ).....trees and foliage had become eerily silent. (49) POUR
This short silence was followed by a stiff breeze, which (50) EQUIP
increased rapidly in (48)....., swiftly followed by a heavy (51) TROPIC
(49)... .. that drenched us in seconds. Desperate to protect (52) MUD
my camera (50)..... from the huge (51)...... raindrops, (53) COMPOSE
I found an enormous tree root and managed to bury my
bag underneath, just before losing my footing and sliding
20 metres down the steep (52)..... slopes of the mountain.
Having recovered both my (53)..... and my gear, we
continued our climb, and a perfect rainbow formed over
the water vapour lifting off the forestcanopy.

ARTICLE IN A DESIGN MAGAZINE

Handset blues
In the average living room, you’ll find at least three (54) ENTERTAIN
remote-control handsets, each controlling one element (55) DAY
of the audio-visual (54).....system. The one for my video (56) LIMIT
has 39 buttons, only six of which I use on a (57) OPERATE
(55).... .. basis. Meanwhile, my mobile phone seems to (58) RELEVANT
have an almost (56)..... number of complex (57)....... (59) POTENT
in its menu structure, most of which appear totally (60) LAY
(58) ............. to the business of making or receiving phone (61) IRRITATE
calls. I know I should try harder to understand the full
(59) ............. of these gadgets, but as long as they perform
their primary functions, I can't be bothered. But isn’t
it time manufacturers put a bit more thought into the
(60) ............. .. of the buttons? The design is hardly user-friendly
to say the least, and I can’t be the only one to find them
( 61) .................

130