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Aptis General practice questions

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Question 1Reading

Read the sentence: 'The museum ___ at 9 a.m. every day except Monday.' Which word completes it correctly?

  1. opens Correct answer.
  2. open
  3. opening
  4. is open

Explanation

A present simple verb is needed for a habitual timetable, and the subject 'The museum' takes the third-person singular form 'opens'. The other choices are not finite singular verbs that fit this frame.

Question 2Reading

Which sentence uses the article correctly?

  1. She is engineer at a big company.
  2. She is an engineer at a big company. Correct answer.
  3. She is the engineer at big company.
  4. She is engineer at big company.

Explanation

A singular countable noun referring to a job needs an indefinite article, and 'engineer' begins with a vowel sound, so 'an' is required. 'A big company' also needs its article.

Question 3Reading

Choose the correct question: '___ you like some tea?'

  1. Will
  2. Are
  3. Would Correct answer.
  4. Do

Explanation

'Would you like...?' is the standard polite formula for offering something. The other auxiliaries do not combine with 'like' to make an offer in this way.

Question 4Reading

Read: 'Tom is taller than his brother, but his brother is ___ than Tom at maths.' Which option fits best?

  1. well
  2. best
  3. good
  4. better Correct answer.

Explanation

A comparative form is needed because two people are being compared with 'than'. 'Better' is the comparative of 'good'.

Question 5Reading

Which word is closest in meaning to 'rapid'?

  1. rare
  2. calm
  3. large
  4. quick Correct answer.

Explanation

'Rapid' describes speed, so its synonym is 'quick'. The other words describe frequency, mood, or size, not speed.

Question 6Reading

Read: 'Please ___ your name at the top of the form.' Which word is correct?

  1. write Correct answer.
  2. writing
  3. wrote
  4. written

Explanation

After 'please' in an imperative, the base form of the verb is used. 'Write' is the base form.

Question 7Reading

Which sentence is punctuated correctly?

  1. I bought apples, oranges and pears. Correct answer.
  2. I bought apples oranges and, pears.
  3. I bought apples oranges, and pears.
  4. I bought, apples oranges and pears.

Explanation

Items in a simple list are separated by commas, with no comma between the verb and its first object. The final item is joined by 'and'.

Question 8Reading

Read: 'The train ___ at 6:15 tomorrow morning.' Which option is best?

  1. has left
  2. left
  3. leaves Correct answer.
  4. is leaving

Explanation

For scheduled future events such as timetables, the present simple is standard. 'Leaves' expresses the scheduled departure.

Question 9Reading

Read: 'If it ___ tomorrow, we will cancel the picnic.' Which option completes the sentence?

  1. would rain
  2. will rain
  3. rained
  4. rains Correct answer.

Explanation

In a first conditional, the if-clause uses the present simple and the main clause uses 'will'. 'Rains' is the correct present simple form.

Question 10Reading

Read: 'She has lived in Lisbon ___ 2015.' Which word fits?

  1. from
  2. for
  3. during
  4. since Correct answer.

Explanation

With a present perfect and a starting point in time, 'since' is used. '2015' is a point, not a duration.

Question 11Reading

Read: 'The report ___ by the manager before the meeting started.' Which option is correct?

  1. is writing
  2. has written
  3. wrote
  4. was written Correct answer.

Explanation

The report is the receiver of the action, so a passive form is needed, and 'before the meeting started' places it in the past. 'Was written' is the past simple passive.

Question 12Reading

Read: 'He asked me ___ interested in the course.' Which option completes the reported question?

  1. was I
  2. that I was
  3. if was I
  4. if I was Correct answer.

Explanation

Reported yes/no questions use 'if' (or 'whether') followed by statement word order. 'If I was' follows this pattern.

Question 13Reading

Read: 'By the time we arrived, the film ___.' Which option fits best?

  1. was already starting
  2. already started
  3. had already started Correct answer.
  4. has already started

Explanation

The past perfect describes an action completed before another past action ('arrived'). 'Had already started' shows this earlier completion.

Question 14Reading

Which sentence uses 'used to' correctly?

  1. I used to play tennis when I was young. Correct answer.
  2. I used to playing tennis when I was young.
  3. I am used to play tennis when I was young.
  4. I use to played tennis when I was young.

Explanation

'Used to' for past habits is followed by the base form of the verb: 'used to play'. The time phrase confirms a past habit.

Question 15Reading

Read: 'The instructions were so complicated that ___ could understand them.' Which option fits?

  1. everybody
  2. nobody Correct answer.
  3. somebody
  4. anybody

Explanation

The result clause 'so complicated that...' implies a negative outcome, so a negative pronoun is needed. 'Nobody' gives the meaning that no one could understand them.

Question 16Reading

Read: 'You ___ have told me the meeting was cancelled - I waited an hour!' Which option expresses a missed obligation?

  1. should Correct answer.
  2. would
  3. must
  4. can

Explanation

'Should have + past participle' criticises something that was not done but ought to have been. The speaker is complaining about not being told.

Question 17Reading

Read: 'The company, ___ products are sold worldwide, was founded in 1990.' Which option fits?

  1. who
  2. which
  3. that
  4. whose Correct answer.

Explanation

A possessive relative pronoun is needed to link 'the company' with 'products'. 'Whose' shows possession.

Question 18Reading

Read: 'Not only ___ late, but he also forgot the documents.' Which option fits?

  1. is he
  2. was he Correct answer.
  3. he was
  4. he is

Explanation

After a negative adverbial like 'Not only' at the start of a clause, subject and auxiliary invert. The past context requires 'was he'.

Question 19Reading

Read: 'Despite ___ hard, she didn't pass the exam.' Which option fits?

  1. to study
  2. study
  3. studying Correct answer.
  4. she studied

Explanation

'Despite' is a preposition and is followed by a noun or -ing form, not a full clause. 'Studying' is the correct gerund.

Question 20Reading

Read: 'The new policy will ___ affect small businesses.' Which option fits best?

  1. adverse
  2. adversary
  3. adversity
  4. adversely Correct answer.

Explanation

An adverb is needed to modify the verb 'affect'. 'Adversely' is the adverb form meaning negatively.

Question 21Reading

Read: 'Hardly ___ the door when the phone rang.' Which option fits?

  1. did I close
  2. I had closed
  3. I closed
  4. had I closed Correct answer.

Explanation

'Hardly' at the start of a clause triggers inversion with the past perfect: 'Hardly had I closed...'. This pairs with 'when' for two closely timed past events.

Question 22Reading

Read: 'Had she known about the traffic, she ___ earlier.' Which option completes the third conditional?

  1. will have left
  2. had left
  3. would leave
  4. would have left Correct answer.

Explanation

An inverted third conditional ('Had she known...') has a main clause with 'would have + past participle'. 'Would have left' completes it correctly.

Question 23Reading

Read: 'The committee ___ divided in its opinion, so it postponed the vote.' Which option is best?

  1. is being
  2. was Correct answer.
  3. were
  4. have been

Explanation

'Committee' is a collective noun treated as singular in standard formal British and American usage when acting as one body; the singular 'was' agrees with it and matches the past 'postponed'.

Question 24Reading

Read: 'The proposal was rejected on the ___ that it was too expensive.' Which option fits?

  1. causes
  2. grounds Correct answer.
  3. basis
  4. reasons

Explanation

The fixed expression is 'on the grounds that', meaning for the reason that. It is the idiomatic collocation in this formal context.

Question 25Reading

Read: 'Scarcely had the announcement been made ___ criticism began.' Which option fits?

  1. than
  2. when Correct answer.
  3. then
  4. that

Explanation

'Scarcely...when' is the fixed pair for two events happening almost together. 'Hardly...when' and 'no sooner...than' are the related patterns.

Question 26Reading

Read the sentence: 'The museum is free on Sundays, so visitors ___ pay to enter.' Which option fits best?

  1. couldn't
  2. mustn't
  3. needn't Correct answer.
  4. shouldn't

Explanation

'Needn't' expresses absence of necessity, which matches a free-entry situation. 'Mustn't' would mean prohibition, which contradicts the idea that entry is free.

Question 27Reading

Read the sentence: 'She spoke ___ quietly that nobody at the back could hear her.' Which word completes it?

  1. so Correct answer.
  2. too
  3. very
  4. such

Explanation

The pattern 'so + adjective/adverb + that' introduces a result clause. 'Such' would need a noun phrase after it, not an adverb.

Question 28Reading

Read the sentence: 'There were ___ people at the lecture that extra chairs had to be brought in.' Which option fits?

  1. so much
  2. so many Correct answer.
  3. such many
  4. too much

Explanation

'So many' is used with countable plural nouns in the 'so ... that' result pattern. 'So much' and 'too much' go with uncountable nouns.

Question 29Reading

Read the sentence: 'The keys ___ on the kitchen table, where I left them.' Which option fits best?

  1. has been
  2. was
  3. is
  4. are Correct answer.

Explanation

The subject 'keys' is plural, so the present-tense verb must be plural 'are'. The following clause places the situation in the present.

Question 30Reading

Read the sentence: 'The library is ___ the bank and the post office.' Which option fits best?

  1. next
  2. between Correct answer.
  3. among
  4. across

Explanation

'Between' is used with two clearly identified points, here the bank and the post office. 'Among' is used with three or more items not individually named.

Question 31Reading

Read the sentence: 'We arrived at the cinema late, ___ the film had already started.' Which option fits best?

  1. although
  2. unless
  3. because Correct answer.
  4. so that

Explanation

The second clause gives the reason for the situation, so a causal connector is needed. 'Although' would signal contrast, which is not the relationship here.

Question 32Reading

Read the sentence: 'He is looking forward to ___ his family next month.' Which option fits?

  1. have visited
  2. be visiting
  3. visiting Correct answer.
  4. visit

Explanation

In 'look forward to', 'to' is a preposition, so it must be followed by a gerund. The infinitive 'visit' is therefore incorrect.

Question 33Reading

Read the sentence: 'The instructions were written ___ clear English.' Which option fits best?

  1. in Correct answer.
  2. at
  3. by
  4. on

Explanation

'In' is used before a language or a style of writing, as in 'in clear English'. The other prepositions do not express the medium of writing.

Question 34Reading

Read the sentence: 'The manager asked whether the report ___ finished by Friday.' Which option fits best?

  1. is
  2. has
  3. will be
  4. would be Correct answer.

Explanation

In reported speech after a past reporting verb, 'will' shifts back to 'would'. The passive form 'would be finished' is therefore required.

Question 35Reading

Read the sentence: 'If I ___ the answer, I would tell you immediately.' Which option fits best?

  1. knew Correct answer.
  2. would know
  3. had known
  4. know

Explanation

This is a second conditional: past simple in the if-clause with 'would' + infinitive in the main clause. It describes an unreal present situation.

Question 36Reading

Read the sentence: 'The painting, ___ was stolen in 1990, has never been found.' Which option fits best?

  1. who
  2. which Correct answer.
  3. that
  4. what

Explanation

A non-defining relative clause after a comma requires 'which' for a thing. 'That' is not used in non-defining clauses.

Question 37Reading

Read the sentence: 'You ___ seen the sign - it was right in front of you.' Which option fits best?

  1. can't have
  2. might have
  3. must have Correct answer.
  4. should have

Explanation

'Must have' + past participle expresses a strong logical deduction about the past. The evidence in the sentence supports a confident conclusion.

Question 38Reading

Read the sentence: 'She's used to ___ up early, so the 5 a.m. start didn't bother her.' Which option fits best?

  1. getting Correct answer.
  2. get
  3. have got
  4. got

Explanation

'Be used to' is followed by a gerund because 'to' is a preposition here. This structure means 'be accustomed to'.

Question 39Reading

Read the sentence: 'The teacher made the students ___ the poem aloud.' Which option fits best?

  1. reading
  2. to reading
  3. to read
  4. read Correct answer.

Explanation

The verb 'make' in the active voice takes a bare infinitive after its object. 'Let' and 'help' behave similarly.

Question 40Reading

Read the sentence: 'The more you practise, ___ you become.' Which option fits best?

  1. more confident
  2. the confident
  3. the more confident Correct answer.
  4. the most confident

Explanation

The 'the more ..., the more ...' construction requires a comparative after each 'the'. Both halves must use parallel comparative forms.

Question 41Reading

Read the sentence: 'Hardly had she sat down ___ the doorbell rang.' Which option fits best?

  1. than
  2. when Correct answer.
  3. then
  4. that

Explanation

With the negative adverbial 'hardly' at the start, the clause is inverted and followed by 'when'. 'No sooner' would be followed by 'than'.

Question 42Reading

Read the sentence: 'It was not until 2010 ___ the company opened its first overseas office.' Which option fits best?

  1. when
  2. then
  3. which
  4. that Correct answer.

Explanation

'It was not until ... that ...' is a fixed cleft construction emphasising a time. The relative word after the time expression must be 'that'.

Question 43Reading

Read the sentence: 'The results of the survey, together with the interviews, ___ published next week.' Which option fits best?

  1. has been
  2. was
  3. is going to be
  4. are going to be Correct answer.

Explanation

The head of the subject is the plural 'results', so the verb is plural. The phrase 'together with the interviews' does not change the number of the subject.

Question 44Reading

Read the sentence: 'The lecturer, as well as the students, ___ surprised by the decision.' Which option fits best?

  1. are
  2. were
  3. have been
  4. was Correct answer.

Explanation

With 'as well as', the verb agrees with the first subject, here the singular 'lecturer'. The intervening phrase does not make the subject plural.

Question 45Reading

Read the sentence: 'On no account ___ leave the building during the fire drill.' Which option fits best?

  1. must you to
  2. you must
  3. you should
  4. should you Correct answer.

Explanation

A negative adverbial phrase at the start of a sentence triggers inversion of the modal and subject. The correct order is 'should you'.

Question 46Reading

Read the sentence: '___ more carefully, the essay would have received a higher mark.' Which option fits best?

  1. If checked
  2. Being checked
  3. Had it been checked Correct answer.
  4. Having checked

Explanation

This is a third conditional with the 'if' omitted, which requires inversion: 'Had it been checked'. The passive is needed because the essay was checked.

Question 47Reading

Read the sentence: 'The proposal, ___ merits were widely acknowledged, was nevertheless rejected.' Which option fits best?

  1. of which
  2. whose Correct answer.
  3. that
  4. which

Explanation

'Whose' is the possessive relative pronoun and links the proposal to its merits. It works for people and things in formal writing.

Question 48Reading

Read the sentence: 'The committee members were at ___ over the budget proposals.' Which option fits best?

  1. ends
  2. cross
  3. odds Correct answer.
  4. sides

Explanation

'At odds' is a fixed idiom meaning in disagreement. The other options do not form an idiom with 'at' to express conflict.

Question 49Reading

Read the sentence: 'Little ___ that the decision would affect so many people.' Which option fits best?

  1. realised he
  2. he realised
  3. he did realise
  4. did he realise Correct answer.

Explanation

The negative adverb 'little' at the start triggers subject-auxiliary inversion in the main clause. The auxiliary 'did' therefore precedes the subject.

Question 50Reading

Read the sentence: 'Such ___ the demand for tickets that the website crashed within minutes.' Which option fits best?

  1. it was
  2. has been
  3. were
  4. was Correct answer.

Explanation

In 'such was the demand that ...', the singular subject 'demand' takes the singular verb 'was'. This is a formal inverted construction with 'such'.