Use of English Mastery
Test 2 · Parts 1–4
A second self-scoring practice set that mirrors the real exam, lets you reconsider before you check, and tells you why each answer is right.
Vocabulary in context
For questions 1–8, read the text and choose the word that best fits each gap from the dropdown list. One mark each. Change your answers as often as you like — nothing is marked until you press Check Part 1 with all eight answered.
Strategy, tips & common traps
What it tests: vocabulary — the right word partner (collocation), phrasal verbs, and dependent prepositions.
- Often the grammar fits more than one option; choose the natural partner word.
- Watch the preposition after the gap (embarrassed about, worry about).
- Learn phrasal verbs as chunks: come about, win over, give back.
- Eliminate options that change the meaning of the sentence.
A note B record C mark D paper — Answer: B record. “Break a record” is a fixed collocation; the others do not partner with “break” in this sense.
Not long ago, many teenagers felt embarrassed 1 wearing secondhand clothes. Today, the opposite is true: shopping for vintage and used items has become hugely popular among young people. For sixteen-year-old Tom Becker, his new hobby 2 by accident, when he found a leather jacket in a charity shop for the price of a sandwich.
What began as a hobby soon 3 into a profitable business. Tom buys old clothes, repairs them, and 4 a profit by selling them online. He insists the appeal is not only financial. “Fast fashion does enormous 5 to the environment,” he says. “Buying secondhand is one small way to 6 something back.”
His parents were not 7 convinced at first, but his steady earnings soon won them 8 . Tom now makes enough to pay for his own clothes and still save a little each month.
Grammar & structure
For questions 9–16, read the text and think of the word that best fits each gap. Use only one word per gap. One mark each. Change your answers as often as you like — nothing is marked until you press Check Part 2 with all eight answered.
Strategy, tips & common traps
What it tests: grammar and the small “function” words — prepositions, articles, auxiliaries, linkers, and fixed phrases.
- The answer is almost always a grammar word, not a content word.
- Read the whole sentence and decide what structure the gap belongs to.
- Only one word — contractions count as two.
- Common answers: but, by, have, with, about, to, the.
For many people, cooking seems like a chore, 9 it can actually be great fun. The secret is to begin 10 trying simple dishes that need only a few ingredients. Once you 11 learned the basics, you can move on to something more ambitious.
It also helps to cook 12 a friend, because sharing the work makes the whole process more enjoyable. And do not worry 13 making mistakes: even professional chefs burn food from time 14 time. The important thing is to keep trying.
In 15 end, the more you cook, the better you will become — and you will never 16 to rely on expensive takeaways again.
Building the right word
For questions 17–24, use the word in CAPITALS at the end of each gap to form a word that fits the space. One mark each. Change your answers as often as you like — nothing is marked until you press Check Part 3 with all eight answered.
Strategy, tips & common traps
What it tests: word families — turning a stem into the right noun, verb, adjective, or adverb.
- Decide the part of speech first (the word before the gap is a clue).
- Watch for negative prefixes (un-, in-, dis-) when the meaning is negative.
- Don’t forget plurals and adverb endings (-ly).
- Watch spelling changes (important → importance).
Most teenagers do not get enough sleep, and the 17 (CONSEQUENCE) can be serious. Many simply do not understand the 18 (IMPORTANT) of proper rest.
Scientists agree that sleep is absolutely 19 (ESSENCE) for the brain, which uses the night to store new information and recover. 20 (FORTUNATE), the pressures of school and social media mean that a good night’s sleep is becoming harder to get, and many students are 21 (ABLE) to concentrate properly the next day.
The good news is that small changes can bring a real 22 (IMPROVE). Going to bed 23 (REGULAR) and keeping screens out of the bedroom are the foundations of a 24 (HEALTH) sleep routine.
Say it another way
For questions 25–30, complete the second sentence so it means the same as the first, using the word given. Do not change the word given. Use between two and five words, including the word given. Two marks each. Change your answers as often as you like — nothing is marked until you press Check Part 4 with all six answered.
Strategy, tips & common traps
What it tests: control of B2 structures — comparatives, the passive, used to, conditionals, and too/enough.
- Spot the grammar point from the key word before you write.
- Count your words: two to five, and never change the key word.
- Each item is worth two marks — a half-correct answer can still earn one.
- Keep the meaning exactly the same.
My friend offered to help me. — offered to help (3 words). Half one: offered to; half two: the base verb help.
English Refresher · B2 First for Schools · Test 2 · Use of English Parts 1–4