EXTRA ADVANCED PRACTICE TEST FOR GIFTED STUDENTS GRADE 9- 2025- 2026

SECTION B. LEXICO – GRAMMAR (20 points)

Part 1. For questions 1-12, choose the best answer to complete each of the following
sentences. Write A, B, C or D in the corresponding numbered boxes.
1. Grandma says there wasn’t a _______ of truth in that story Granddad told last night about being a
war hero.
A. speck B. crumb C. dot D. grain
2. The school playing fields are out of _______ while equipment is being set up for the cricket match.
A.bounds B.brim C.verge D.border
3. ______of information is frequently carried out via satellite - through local or national TV networks.
A. Dedication B. Compilation C. Condensing D. Dispersal
4. You look really tired. You could_______a week’s holiday, I think.
A. make for B. do with C. pass for D. make with
5. Despite the traffic hold-ups, we were able to arrive at the airport in the______of time just before the
check-in counter closed.
A. line B. chick C. nick D. second
6. Mike decided that election to the local council would provide a ________ to a career in national
politics.
A. milestone B. springboard C. highway D. turning point
7. The Red Cross is ___________ an international aid organization.
A. intriguingly B. intrusively C. intrinsically D. intrepidly
8. I am not sure I can answer that. I have only thought about it in the _______ before.
A. general B. hypothetical C. indefinite D. abstract
9. Just because we've had a good year, this does not mean that we cannot do better: we must not
______
A. have our head in the clouds B. bury our heads in the sand
C. count our blessings D. rest on our laurels
10. I'm about to start my long-planned swimming regime. But I've got really terrible cellulite, which
makes me feel rather ______ .
A. self-assured B. self – centred C. self-conscious D. self-evident
11. If you've ever seen a huge_______of fish swimming together in unison, you may have wondered
how they keep from swimming into each other.
A. band B. school C.fleet D. stroke
12. The Oscar winning actress simply _______ charm and professionalism in her acceptance speech.
A. exuded B. excluded C.expunged D. extricated
13. I know you have a good voice and have ambitions to be an opera singer but don't give up your
day_______yet!
A. work B. job C. situation D. place
14. The forensic expert _______ the evidence looking for particles of skin.
A. scanned B. peered at C. scrutinised D. inspected
15. Wendy is on the ______of a dilemma: she just wonders whether to go for a picnic with her friends
or to stay at home with her family.
A. corns B. torns C. forns D. horns
16. _______, she managed to give her children to the best school in the state. She always wants her
children to get out of such a hard situation and become successful people.
A. Though poor B. Although it is poor C. Despite poor D. Having poor
17. They were afraid to complain about the noise _______they annoyed the neighbors.
A. less B. lest C. little D. best
18. All the sales people I met always try to______buying their products.
A. persuade me for B. force me to C. talk me into D. help me with
19. Given the appalling weather conditions on top of the mountain, I'd say the chances of their finding
any survivors are very _______ indeed.
A. narrow B. lean C. shallow D. remote
20. “Did the minister approve the building plans?”
“Not really. He turned them down _______ that the costs were too high.”
A. in case B. supposing C. on the grounds D. provided

Choose the correct answer A, B, C, or D to indicate the word(s) OPPOSITE in meaning to the
underlined word(s) in the following question.
21.They said we should stay another night, but I didn't want to take advantage of their hospitality.
A. cordiality B. coldness
C. complaint D. wrathful
Choose the correct answer A, B, C, or D to indicate the word(s) CLOSEST in meaning to the
underlined word(s) in the following question.
22. "The company was accused of selling bogus investment schemes to unsuspecting customers."
A. authentic B. illicit
C. factual D. counterfeit
Choose the correct answer A, B, C, or D to indicate the sentence that best completes the
following exchange.
23. - A:"__________ .’’
- B: "OK, I'll take it."
A. Nobody wants to say anything. C. Old habits die hard!
B. That biscuit is going begging. D. Please don't take it to heart.
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.
7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.
Part 2. Read the passage below, which contains 8 mistakes. For questions 13-20, identify the
mistakes and write the corrections in the corresponding numbered boxes.
Line ART HISTORY
1 People who enjoy paintings are sometimes reluctant to analysing them for fear of spoiling the
2 richness and spontaneity to their experience. It has been suggested that some of the work done by
3 art historians, those concern is with theory rather than practice, ignores and indeed denies the
4 aesthetic experience, the fundamental pleasure of looking, as well as the very special act of artistic
5 creativity. This view is a bit like the note that knowing the ingredients of the recipe, recognising the
6 method of cooking and seeing the utensils employed detracts from the taste of the dish.
7 Acknowledging the importance of enjoying something does not, of course, preclude a thorough
8 knowledge of an object that is arousing pleasure. It might in fact be more pleasurable if we know
9 more about the object we are viewing. Moreover, pleasure is not a simply matter. The arousal of
10 our senses - and how we recognise and register it is itself open to interrogation. It is also historically
11 located. Why we like particular characteristics of certain sorts of objects in any one time is not
12 simply the result of our genes or our own particular personalities but is determined by values
13 promoted in the society of which we are a part. So, while no one seeks to underestimate the
14 importance of sensuous and instinctive responses to art objects, the notion that the sensuous is
15 undermined by the intellect is a legacy from a period in the past which promoted art as an alternative
16 to thought.
Your answers:
Line Mistake Correction Line Mistake Correction
13 17.
.
14 18.
.
15 19.
.
16 20.
.

SECTION C. READING (70 points)

Part 1. For questions 1-10, read the passage and choose the best answer. Write your answers
A, B, C or D in the corresponding numbered boxes.
WE REALLY CAN TELL IF WE ARE BEING WATCHED
Stories about how people somehow know when they are being watched have been going
around for years. However, few attemps have been made to investigate the phenomenon
scientifically. Now, with the completion of the largest ever study of the so-called staring effect, there is
impressive evidence that this is a recognisable and (1)______ sixth sense. The study involved
hundreds of children. For the experiments, they sat with their eyes (3)______ so they could not see,
and with their backs to other children, who were told to either stare at them or look away. Time and
time again the results showed that the children who could not see were able to (4)______ when they
were being stared at. In a total of more than 18,000 trials (6)______ worldwide, the children correctly
sensed when they were being watched almost 70% of the time. The experiment was repeated with
the (8)______ precaution of putting the children who were being watched outside the room,
(9)______ windows. This was done just in case there was some (10)______ telling each other
 whether they were looking or not. This prevented from the starers by the going on with the children
the possibility of sounds being (12)______ between the children. The results, though less impressive,
were more or less the same. Dr Sheldrake, the biologist who designed the study, believes that the
results are (13)______ enough to find out through further experiments (14)_____ how the staring
effect might actually come about.

1. A. genuine B. accepted C. recieved D. sure

2. A. shaded B. wrapped C. insert D. breathe
3. A. find B. notice C. tell D. reveal
4. A. worked over B. worked through C. carried on D. carried out
5. A. attached B. added C. connected D. increased
6. A. separated B. parted C. split D. divided
7. A. pretending B. lying C. cheating D. deceiving
8. A. delivered B. transported C. transmitted D. distributed
9. A. satisfying B. convincing C. concluding D. persuading
10. A. really B. carefully C. definitely D. precisely
Your answers:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Part 2. For questions 11-20, fill in the gap with ONE suitable word. Write the answers in the
corresponding numbered boxes.
A TIME OF CHANGE
What we mean (11)_______ the Renaissance is the rich cultural development that began in the late
fourteenth century. It originated in northern Italy and spread northwards (12)______ the subsequent
two centuries. Literally meaning rebirth, this age was characterised by a renewed interest in classical
learning and values. Three discoveries, the compass, firearms and the printing press were essential
conditions for the new epoch. The first of these, the compass, (13)______ navigation possible and
became the (14)______ for great voyages of discovery. The second, firearms, gave the Europeans
military superiority over the American and Asiatic cultures. Finally, printing played a (15)______ role
in disseminating the new ideas of the Renaissance. The spirit of the Renaissance ultimately took many
forms. It was expressed at (16)______ by the intellectual movement called humanism. This philosophy
can be best understood as a reaction against the seemingly interminable dark ages in (17)______ every
aspect of life was seen (18)______ divine light. It brought with it a new confidence in man's worth, in
striking contrast to the biased mediaeval emphasis on the imperfect Renaissance took (19)______ their
frame of reference nature of man. The humanists of the man himself. For perhaps the first time in
western history, man's potential seemed limitless. There was so (20)______ to be done, for the restless
men of this new age.
Your answers:
11. 12. 13. 14. 15.
16. 17. 18. 19. 20.
Part 3. You are going to read an extract from a book on art. For questions 21-27, choose the
answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text. Write your answers in the
corresponding numbered boxes provided.
AESTHETICS
By one of the ironic perversities that often attend the course of affairs, the existence of the
works of art upon which formation of aesthetic theory depends has become an obstruction to theory
about them. For one reason: these works are products that exist externally and physically. In common
conception, the work of art is often identified with the building, book, painting, or statue in its existence
apart from human experience. Since the actual work of art is what the product does with and in
experience, the result is not favourable to understanding. In addition, the very perfection of some of
these products, the prestige they possess because of a long history of unquestioned admiration,
creates conventions that get in the way of fresh insight. When an art product once attains classic
status, it somehow becomes isolated from the human conditions under which it was brought into
being and from the human consequences it engenders in actual life experience.
When artistic objects are separated from both conditions of origin and operation in experience,
a wall is build around them that renders almost opaque their general significance, with which esthetic
theory deals. Art is remitted to a separate realm, where it is cut off from that association with the
materials and aims of every other form of human effort, undergoing, and achievement. A primary
task is thus imposed upon one who undertakes to write upon the philosophy of the fine arts. This task
is to restore continuity between the refined and intensified forms of experience that are works of art
and the everyday events, doings, and sufferings that are universally recognized to constitute
experience. Mountain peaks do not float unsupported; they do not even just rest upon the earth. They
are the earth in one of its manifest operations. It is the business of those who are concerned with the
theory of the earth, geographers and geologists, to make this fact evident in its various implications.
The theorist who would deal philosophically with fine art has a like task to accomplish.
If one is willing to grant this position, even if only by way of temporary experiment, one will see
that there follows a conclusion which is at first sight surprising. In order to understand the meaning of
artistic products, we have to forget them for a time, to turn aside from them and have recourse to the
ordinary forces and conditions of experience that we do not usually regard as aesthetic. We must
arrive at the theory of art by means of a detour. For theory is concerned with understanding and
insight. It is, of course, quite possible to enjoy flowers in their coloured form and delicate fragrance
without knowing anything about plants theoretically. But if one sets out to understand the flowering of
plants, one is committed to finding out something about the interactions of soil, air, water and sunlight
that condition the growth of plants.
In order to understand the aesthetic in its ultimate and approved forms, one must begin with it
in the raw; in the events and scenes that hold the attentive eye and ear, arousing one's interest and
affording enjoyment as one looks and listens. Yet so extensive and subtly pervasive are the ideas that
set art on upon a remote pedestal, that many a person would be repelled rather than pleased if told
that they enjoyed their casual recreations, in part at least, because of their aesthetic quality. The arts
which today have most vitality for the average person are things he or she does not take to be arts:
for instance, the movies, jazz, comic strips, and, too frequently, lurid newspaper accounts of the
week's events. For, when what they know as art is relegated to the museum and gallery, the
unconquerable impulse towards experiences enjoyable in themselves finds such outlet as the daily
environment provides. Many people who protest against the museum conception of art still share the
fallacy from which that conception springs. For the popular notion comes from a separation of art from
the objects and scenes of ordinary experience that many theorists and critics pride themselves upon
holding and even elaborating. The times when select and distinguished objects are closely connected
with the products of usual vocations are the times when appreciation of the former is most rife and
most keen.

21. What 'ironic perversity' is referred to in line 1?

A. The formation of aesthetic theory depends on the existence of works of art.
B. The very existence of works of art interferes with thinking about them.
C. Too wide a range of objects are considered to be works of art.
D. Works of art have a tendency to generate misunderstandings.
22. According to the writer, what happens when an art product attains classic status?
A. The difficulties involved in its creation are underestimated.
B. The prestige it enjoys begins to attract criticism.
C. It loses its connection with common experience.
D. It ceases to have a provocative effect on observers.
23. What is the 'primary task' referred to in passage 2?
A. Making sure that art does not surrender its role in society
B. Encouraging ordinary people to realise the significance of art
C. Shedding light on the aesthetic aims of artists
D. Explaining the link between art and ordinary life
24. The writer mentions mountain peaks to demonstrate that
A. Works of art do not exist in isolation.
B. Writers on art face a difficult challenge.
C. Art has much in common with other disciplines.
D. Theorists have a responsibility to be accurate.
25. Why is the conclusion about understanding artistic products in paragraph 3 described as surprising?
A. It ignores certain types of art products.
B. It involves the use of unexpected criteria.
C. It undervalues the emotional response to art.
D. It conflicts with the opinions of theorists on fine art.
26. What does the writer intend us to learn from the reference to flowers?
A. Art can be enjoyed without being explained.
B. Only committed individuals can learn to appreciate art.
C. True works of art are only created in suitable conditions.
D. Failure to enjoy art makes a theoretical understanding difficult.
27. According to the writer, setting art on a remote pedestal has meant that
 A. people enjoy works of art less than they would otherwise do.
B. casual recreations are proferred to the study of art.
C. aesthetic qualities in other areas of life go unnoticed.
D. people are happy to consign art to museums and galleries..

Your answers:
21. 22. 23 24. 25.
26. 27.

Part 4. Read the following passage and do the tasks that follow.

SAND DUNES
A
One of the main problems posed by sand dunes is their encroachment on human habitats. Sand
dunes move by different means, all of them aided by the wind. Sand dunes threaten buildings and
crops in Africa, the Middle East, and China. Preventing sand dunes from overwhelming cities and
agricultural areas has become a priority for the United Nations Environment Program. On the other
hand, dune habitats provide niches for highly specialized plants and animals, including numerous rare
and endangered species.
B
Sand is usually composed of hard minerals such as quartz that cannot be broken down into silt or clay.
Yellow, brown and reddish shades of sand indicate their presence of iron compounds. Red sand is
composed of quartz coated by a layer of iron oxide. White sands are nearly pure gypsum. Sand with a
high percentage of silicate can be used in glassmaking. Sandstone is created by sand, mixed with lime,
chalk or some other material that acts as a binding agent, that is deposited in layers at the bottom of a
sea or other area and pressed together into rock by the great pressure of sediments that are deposited
on top of it over thousands or millions of years.
C
The most common dune form on Earth and on Mars is crescentic. Crescent-shaped mounds are
generally wider than they are long. The slipfaces are on the concave sides of the dunes. These dunes
form under winds that blow consistently from one direction, and they also are known as barchans or
transverse dunes. Some types of crescentic dunes move more quickly over desert surfaces than any
other type of dune. A group of dunes moved more than 100 metres per year between 1954 and 1959
the China’s Ningxia Province, and similar speeds have been recorded in the Western Desert of Egypt.
The largest crescentic dunes on Earth, with mean crest-to-crest widths of more than 3 kilometres, are
in China’s Taklamakan Desert.
D
Radially symmetrical, star dunes are pyramidal sand mounds with slipfaces on there or more arms that
radiate from the high center of the mound. They tend to accumulate in areas with multidirectional wind
regimes. Star dunes grow upward rather than laterally. They dominate the Grand Erg Oriental of the
Sahara. In other deserts, they occur around the margins of the sand seas, particularly near topographic
barriers. In the southeast Badain Jaran Desert of China, the star dunes are up to 500 metres tall and
may be the tallest dunes on Earth. Straight or slightly sinuous sand ridges typically much longer than
they are wide are known as linear dunes. They may be more than 160 kilometres (99 mi) long. Some
linear dunes merge to form Y-shaped compound dunes. Many forms in bidirectional wind regimes. The
long axes of these dunes extend in the resultant direction of sand movement. Linear loess hills known
as pahas are superficially similar.
E
Once sand begins to pile up, ripples and dunes can form. Wind continues to move sand up to the top
of the pile until the pile is so steep that it collapses under its own weight. The collapsing sand comes to
rest when it reaches just the right steepness to keep the dune stable. This angle, usually about 30-34°,
is called the angle of repose. Every pile of loose particles has a unique angle of repose, depending
upon the properties of the material it’s made of, such as the grain size and roundness. Ripples grow
into dunes with the increase of wind and sand input.
F
The repeating cycle of sand inching up the windward side to the dune crest, then slipping down the
dune’s slip face allows the dune to inch forward, migrating in the direction the wind blows. As you might
guess, all of this climbing then slipping leaves its mark on the internal structure of the dune. The image
on the right shows fossil sand dune structure preserved in the Merced Formation at Fort Funston,
Golden Gate National Recreation Area. The sloping lines or laminations you see are the preserved slip
faces of a migrating sand dune. This structure is called cross-bedding and can be the result of either
 wind or water currents. The larger the cross-bedded structure, however, the more likely it is to be formed
by wind, rather than water.
G
Sand dunes can “sing” at a level up to 115 decibels and generate sounds in different notes. The dunes
at Sand Mountain n Nevada usually sing in a low C but can also sing in B and C sharp. The La Mar de
Dunas in Chile hum in F while those at the Ghord Lahmar in Morocco howl in G sharp. The sounds are
produced by avalanches of sand generated by blowing winds. For a while, it was thought that the
avalanches caused the entire dune to resonate like a flute or violin but if that were true then different
size dunes would produce different notes. In the mid 2000s, American, French and Moroccan scientists
visiting sand dunes in Morocco, Chile, China and Oman published a paper in the Physical Review
Letters that determined the sounds were produced by collisions between grains of sand that caused
the motions of the grains to become synchronized, causing the outer layer of a dune to vibrate like the
cone of a loudspeaker, producing sound. The tone of the sounds depended primarily on the size of the
grains.
H
Scientists performed a computer simulation on patterns and dynamics of desert dunes in laboratory.
Dune patterns observed in deserts were reproduced. From the initial random state, stars and linear
dunes are produced, depending on the variability of the wind direction. The efficiency in sand transport
is calculated through the course of development. Scientists found that the sand transport is the most
efficient in the linear transverse dune. The efficiency in sand transport always increased through the
evolution, and the way it increases was stepwise. They also found that the shadow zone, the region
where the sand wastes the chance to move, shrinks through the course of evolution, which greatly
helps them build a model to simulate a sand move.

Questions 28-35: The passage has eight sections A-H. Choose the correct heading for each
section from the list of headings below. Write your answers in the corresponding numbered
boxes provided.
List of Headings
i potential threat to buildings and crops despite of benefit.
ii the cycle of sand moving forward with wind
iii protection method in various countries.
iv scientists simulate sand move and build model in lab
v sand composition explanation
vi singing sand dunes
vii other types of sand dunes
viii the personal opinion on related issues.
ix reasons why sand dunes form
38. Section A ______
39. Section B ______
40. Section C ______
41. Section D ______
42. Section E ______
43. Section F ______
44. Section G ______
45. Section H ______

Questions 35-40: Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer of the passage?
In the corresponding numbered boxes, write:
YES if the statement agrees with the information
NO if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
45. Apart from crescentic, there aren’t any other types of sand dunes on Earth and Mars.
46. Sand dunes can “sing” at a level up to 115 decibels and generate sounds in different notes.
47. It is hard to decide which aspect accompanied by TV viewing has caused weight problems or other
detrimental effects on children.
48. The preference of food for children is affected by their age and gender.
49. The investigation primarily for food promotion on TV advertising tend to be partial and incomplete.
50. Wealthy parents tend to buy more “sensible food” for their children.
Your answers:
28. 29. 30. 31. 32.
33. 34. 35. 36. 37.
38. 39. 40.

SECTION D. WRITING (60 points)

Part 1. Finish each of the following sentences in such a way that it is as similar as possible in
meaning to the sentence printed before it.
1. It never occurred to me that there’d be a cashpoint machine in the supermarket.
It never______________________________________________________________.
2. Although Rudy really didn’t want to play cricket on Sunday, he agreed in the end.
Despite_____________________________________________________Rudy agreed in the end.
3. The rain ended and immediately the sun came out. BARELY
=>______________________________________________________________.
4. Russ's opinions on the new management policies were very different from those of his fellow workers.
ODDS
=> __________________________________________________________________.
5. The way many sportsmen behave in public influences their young fans. IMPRESSION
=> ____________________________________________________________________.