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Valencian Community PAU Foreign Language II - English (Lengua Extranjera II: Inglés) study materials
Valencian Community PAU Foreign Language II - English (Lengua Extranjera II: Inglés) study resources

Valencian Community PAU Foreign Language II - English (Lengua Extranjera II: Inglés) practice questions

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Question 1Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

Read this opening paragraph of an opinion column: "Every summer our coastal towns double in population, yet the water supply has not been upgraded since 1998. Politicians promise reservoirs; engineers warn that leaks waste a third of what we already store. Meanwhile, hotels keep expanding." Which sentence best states the writer's main point?

  1. The writer argues that tourism should be banned in coastal towns.
  2. The writer claims that engineers are responsible for the water shortage.
  3. The writer believes reservoirs are the only long-term solution.
  4. The writer stresses that demand keeps growing while the water system is neglected. Correct answer.

Explanation

A main-idea question asks for the overall claim that the details support, not a single detail. Here the population growth, the outdated supply, the wasted water and the expanding hotels all point to a widening gap between demand and infrastructure. Options that pick one detail or exaggerate the writer's position miss that global claim.

Question 2Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

A passage begins: "It is tempting to see the invention of the printing press as an overnight revolution. In fact, scribes continued to copy manuscripts for decades, and early printed books imitated handwritten fonts." What is the gist of these lines?

  1. Early printers deliberately deceived their readers.
  2. Printing replaced handwriting almost immediately.
  3. Technological change is usually slower and messier than it appears. Correct answer.
  4. Scribes produced better manuscripts than printers.

Explanation

The contrast marker "In fact" signals that the writer is correcting the tempting view with evidence of gradual transition. The general point is about the pace of technological change, illustrated by printing. Options that restate the rejected view or invent judgements not in the text misread the gist.

Question 3Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

Read: "The council approved the new cycle lanes last March. Supporters celebrated; shopkeepers on the main street protested that deliveries would be harder. Six months on, bike use has risen by 40% and two of the affected shops have closed, though the owners blame rising rents." Which statement best captures the overall message?

  1. The council made a mistake by approving the lanes.
  2. The cycle lanes have been an unqualified success.
  3. The cycle lanes have produced mixed results that are hard to attribute to a single cause. Correct answer.
  4. The cycle lanes have clearly destroyed local businesses.

Explanation

A global-understanding question rewards the answer that accounts for all the evidence. The passage gives a benefit (more cycling) and a cost (closures) while explicitly noting that the owners blame rents, so the outcome is mixed and causality is uncertain. One-sided readings ignore half of the information.

Question 4Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

In a magazine article, the first sentence reads: "We are told that remote work kills creativity, but the evidence for that claim is thinner than the headlines suggest." What is the writer's purpose in this sentence?

  1. To challenge a widely repeated assumption before presenting evidence. Correct answer.
  2. To summarise research proving that remote work harms creativity.
  3. To announce a balanced review of the advantages of office work.
  4. To describe the writer's own experience of working from home.

Explanation

The structure "We are told X, but..." sets up a received idea and immediately questions it, which signals the writer's intention to challenge the assumption. The rest of the article would then supply the evidence. Options that treat the claim as proven or as personal anecdote misread the rhetorical move.

Question 5Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

Read this paragraph: "Bees pollinate roughly a third of the crops we eat. Pesticides, habitat loss and disease have reduced their numbers. Some farmers now rent hives, an expensive fix that treats the symptom rather than the cause." Which title best fits the paragraph?

  1. The Economics of Renting Beehives
  2. How Bees Choose Their Flowers
  3. Why Pesticides Are Necessary
  4. A Pollination Crisis and Its Costly Shortcuts Correct answer.

Explanation

A good title must cover the whole paragraph, not just one sentence. The text moves from the importance of bees, to their decline, to a costly temporary remedy, so a title naming the crisis and the short-term fixes fits. Titles that focus on a single detail are too narrow.

Question 6Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

A text states: "Critics of standardised testing rarely deny that exams measure something. Their complaint is that what exams measure is a narrow slice of what education should value." Which option best expresses the critics' central argument?

  1. Exams should be abolished because they are unfair to students.
  2. Exams measure nothing of any value.
  3. Exams are the fairest way to compare schools.
  4. Exams measure only a limited part of what education should value. Correct answer.

Explanation

The second sentence restates the critics' position: the problem is not measurement itself but its narrow scope. A precise main-idea option keeps both parts of that contrast. Answers that deny all value or add unrelated claims about fairness go beyond what is said.

Question 7Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

Read the closing lines of a review: "The novel's plot is thin and its characters forgettable. And yet I finished it in two days, unable to put it down." What does the reviewer ultimately convey?

  1. That the novel is forgettable in every respect.
  2. That the reviewer disliked the book and stopped reading.
  3. That the novel is a masterpiece of plotting.
  4. That the novel is technically weak but strangely compelling. Correct answer.

Explanation

The concessive "And yet" signals a contrast between the critical judgement and the actual reading experience, so the overall message combines weakness with appeal. The concluding clause usually carries the reviewer's final stance. Options that keep only one half of the contrast distort the evaluation.

Question 8Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

A science feature opens: "For decades, sleep was treated as the brain's off switch. Today researchers describe it as a nightly maintenance shift, clearing waste and consolidating memory." What is the main idea of these sentences?

  1. Sleep research has changed how scientists understand what sleep does. Correct answer.
  2. Scientists now agree that sleep is unnecessary for the brain.
  3. The brain switches off completely during sleep.
  4. Memory consolidation happens only during waking hours.

Explanation

The time contrast ("For decades... Today...") frames a shift in scientific understanding, and the new description supplies the content of that change. The main idea is therefore about the revised view of sleep's function. Options that deny sleep's importance or repeat the old metaphor misstate the shift.

Question 9Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

Read: "Tourists photograph the old quarter and leave. They spend little, and the money that does arrive pushes rents up for residents. Some cities now tax day visitors." Which sentence best summarises the passage?

  1. Day visitors contribute more to the local economy than overnight guests.
  2. Residents want more tourists to visit the old quarter.
  3. Tourism in the old quarter is declining sharply.
  4. Tourism brings limited local benefit while raising costs, prompting new taxes. Correct answer.

Explanation

The passage links low spending and rising rents as the problem, then reports a policy response. A global summary must combine the economic drawback with the measure taken. Options that reverse the spending claim or invent a trend are not supported.

Question 10Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

An article says: "Streaming platforms promised endless choice. In practice, viewers spend longer scrolling than watching, and studios now make fewer, safer shows." Which option best states the writer's overall point?

  1. Studios have stopped producing television series.
  2. Streaming has produced more adventurous programming.
  3. Abundance of choice has not delivered the promised benefits. Correct answer.
  4. Viewers prefer scrolling to watching films.

Explanation

The promise in the first sentence is undercut by the realities in the second, so the main point is the gap between promise and outcome. This kind of question requires recognising contrast between expectation and result. Options that treat a side detail as the topic or exaggerate it are wrong.

Question 11Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

Read: "The museum's new wing is undeniably beautiful. Whether a city with two closed libraries needs another marble hall is another question." What is the speaker's implied main point?

  1. The city should build more marble halls.
  2. The museum has been unfairly criticised.
  3. The new wing is badly designed.
  4. The spending may be beautiful but is questionable given other needs. Correct answer.

Explanation

The concessive structure concedes aesthetic merit and then raises a doubt about priorities. Implied main ideas require reading the contrast rather than the literal praise alone. Options that deny the beauty or ignore the comparison with libraries miss the point.

Question 12Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

A paragraph reads: "Nobody disputes that the new metro line is popular. The dispute is over the figures: the regional government counts passengers per journey, the operator counts them per ticket sold." What is the paragraph mainly about?

  1. The cost of building the metro line.
  2. The regional government's transport policy.
  3. How the popularity of the metro line is being measured. Correct answer.
  4. Why passengers avoid the new metro line.

Explanation

The first sentence concedes popularity, and the second shifts attention to the competing methods of counting. The paragraph's focus is therefore the measurement dispute. Options that introduce cost, avoidance or broad policy go beyond the stated content.

Question 13Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

Read: "Volunteers cleaned 300 kg of plastic from the beach on Saturday. By Monday, the tide had brought back a fresh layer. Clean-ups matter, but they cannot substitute for cutting the plastic that flows into the sea." Which statement best expresses the writer's conclusion?

  1. The tide is the main cause of sea pollution.
  2. Clean-ups help but must be combined with reducing plastic at source. Correct answer.
  3. Beach clean-ups are pointless and should stop.
  4. Volunteers should clean the beach more often.

Explanation

The final sentence uses "but" to qualify the value of clean-ups while insisting on prevention. A conclusion question asks what the writer wants the reader to take away, which is the combination of both measures. Options that dismiss clean-ups entirely or misplace the cause are unsupported.

Question 14Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

An editorial states: "We do not lack ideas for improving rural transport. We lack the will to fund any of them." What is the editorial's main claim?

  1. There are too many competing proposals.
  2. The obstacle is political will, not a shortage of proposals. Correct answer.
  3. Funding is available but badly managed.
  4. Rural transport ideas are of poor quality.

Explanation

The parallel structure "We do not lack X. We lack Y" redirects the problem from ideas to will. Recognising this rhetorical pattern is key to identifying the main claim. Options that blame the quality of ideas or claim funding exists invert the argument.

Question 15Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

Read: "The app promised to simplify our finances. It now sends me fourteen notifications a day, each one urging me to upgrade." What is the speaker's overall attitude?

  1. Confused about how to install the app.
  2. Disappointed that the app has become a marketing tool. Correct answer.
  3. Neutral, simply describing the app's functions.
  4. Enthusiastic about the app's features.

Explanation

The contrast between the promise of simplicity and the flood of upgrade prompts reveals disillusionment. Attitude questions require reading tone as well as content, and the ironic gap between promise and reality carries the evaluation. Options that miss the irony or invent confusion misread the tone.

Question 16Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

A passage says: "Some economists argue that automation will create as many jobs as it destroys. History offers support: ATMs did not eliminate bank tellers. But history also shows that the new jobs rarely go to the same people who lost the old ones." What is the main point?

  1. The ATM example proves that automation is harmless.
  2. Job creation may balance job loss overall, but the burden falls on different people. Correct answer.
  3. Economists agree about the effects of automation.
  4. Automation will definitely destroy more jobs than it creates.

Explanation

The writer concedes the economists' aggregate argument and then adds a distributional caveat introduced by "But". The main point combines both: totals may balance while individuals are affected unevenly. Options that ignore the concession or the caveat are one-sided.

Question 17Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

Read: "The festival was moved indoors after the forecast warned of storms. The storms never came, and the indoor venue held half the usual crowd." Which sentence best captures the outcome?

  1. The festival was cancelled because of the storms.
  2. The indoor venue attracted more visitors than usual.
  3. The forecast was accurate and saved the festival.
  4. A precaution based on a forecast led to an unnecessary loss of attendance. Correct answer.

Explanation

The passage presents a decision, its justification and its unintended consequence. Summarising means linking cause and effect: the precaution was reasonable but costly because the threat did not materialise. Options that invent cancellation or success misstate the facts.

Question 18Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

An article on language learning states: "Adults often outperform children in the first months of study because they use grammar rules and memory strategies. Children, however, tend to reach higher levels of natural pronunciation over years." What is the main idea?

  1. Children should not study grammar.
  2. Pronunciation is the only measure of language ability.
  3. Adults learn languages better than children in every respect.
  4. Adults and children have different early and long-term advantages in language learning. Correct answer.

Explanation

The passage balances two claims with "however", assigning short-term advantages to adults and long-term pronunciation gains to children. The main idea must hold both halves together. Options that generalise from one half or add recommendations not in the text are wrong.

Question 19Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

Read: "The company's report highlights record profits. Buried on page forty is a note that customer complaints have tripled." What does the writer suggest about the report?

  1. That it emphasises good news while downplaying bad news. Correct answer.
  2. That its profits figures are inaccurate.
  3. That it is admirably transparent about problems.
  4. That customer complaints are unimportant to the company.

Explanation

The word "Buried" signals deliberate obscuring, contrasting the prominent profits with a hidden problem. Implied criticism is conveyed through word choice rather than direct statement. Options that read the report as transparent or question the figures miss that cue.

Question 20Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

A text begins: "Ask anyone in the village about the old bridge and they will tell you it is haunted. Ask them when it was built and the answers range from 1750 to 1902." What is the writer mainly suggesting?

  1. The bridge was built in 1902.
  2. Local legends are always more accurate than records.
  3. The villagers are unreliable about the bridge's history. Correct answer.
  4. The bridge is genuinely haunted.

Explanation

The parallel questions contrast confident belief with inconsistent factual answers, implying that local testimony is unreliable on verifiable matters. The writer's point is about reliability, not about ghosts or a specific date. Options that accept the legend or pick one date misread the implication.

Question 21Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

Read: "Solar panels now cover the roof of every school in the district. The savings are modest, but the lessons are not: a generation of children can see where their electricity comes from." What is the writer's main point?

  1. The financial savings alone justify the project.
  2. The panels are too expensive to be worthwhile.
  3. The educational value matters more than the limited savings. Correct answer.
  4. Schools should sell electricity to the grid.

Explanation

The phrase "the savings are modest, but the lessons are not" explicitly ranks the educational benefit above the financial one. Main-idea questions often hinge on such evaluative contrasts. Options that focus only on money or invent a proposal miss the ranking.

Question 22Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

A review says: "The exhibition gathers impressive objects but arranges them without argument. Visitors leave having seen much and understood little." What is the reviewer's overall judgement?

  1. The exhibition explains its argument too forcefully.
  2. The objects are of poor quality.
  3. The exhibition is too short for its content.
  4. The exhibition is visually rich but intellectually unclear. Correct answer.

Explanation

The review separates the quality of the objects from the lack of an organising argument, and the final sentence restates that split. Global judgement questions require combining the positive and negative elements. Options that deny the quality or invert the criticism misread the evaluation.

Question 23Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

Read: "Every generation believes it is living through unprecedented change. Usually it is wrong. Occasionally, as with the internet, it is right." What is the writer's main point?

  1. The internet changed nothing important.
  2. Every generation experiences unprecedented change.
  3. Claims of unprecedented change are usually exaggerated but sometimes justified. Correct answer.
  4. No generation has ever experienced real change.

Explanation

The passage sets a general sceptical rule and then allows an exception. The main idea must preserve both the usual exaggeration and the rare genuine case. Options that make the claim absolute in either direction flatten the balanced structure.

Question 24Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

A news report states: "The council has planted 5,000 trees to offset its carbon emissions. Environmental groups welcome the move but note that the trees will take decades to absorb the carbon already released." What is the report mainly conveying?

  1. Tree planting is a complete solution to carbon emissions.
  2. The council has stopped planting trees because of criticism.
  3. The measure is welcome but its benefits will arrive too slowly to offset emissions immediately. Correct answer.
  4. Environmental groups oppose the council's tree-planting plan.

Explanation

The report presents a positive measure and a qualified response introduced by "but", which points to a timing problem rather than rejection. The main message combines approval with a limitation. Options that treat the plan as complete, rejected or abandoned misstate the balance.

Question 25Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

Read: "My grandfather repaired radios for forty years. He could not explain the physics of a transistor, but no set ever defeated him." What is the speaker mainly expressing?

  1. Admiration for practical skill that does not depend on theory. Correct answer.
  2. A wish to study physics at university.
  3. Doubt about whether the repairs were done properly.
  4. Concern that her grandfather lacked education.

Explanation

The contrast between not explaining theory and never being defeated by a set highlights practical mastery, and the tone is affectionate. Main-idea questions on personal passages still require identifying the central evaluation. Options that read the contrast as criticism invert the tone.

Question 26Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

A passage on urban cycling opens with three paragraphs on the health benefits of bike lanes, then devotes its final two paragraphs to a cost analysis showing that protected lanes reduce municipal spending on road maintenance. Which statement best captures the overall main idea of the passage?

  1. Protected bike lanes bring both public-health gains and long-term savings in road maintenance for city budgets. Correct answer.
  2. Road maintenance is the single largest expense in most municipal budgets.
  3. Cycling is healthier than driving and should therefore replace car use in city centres.
  4. Cities should build bike lanes mainly because cyclists vote for them.

Explanation

A main-idea question asks for the claim that unifies every part of the text. Here the health paragraphs and the cost paragraphs both support one overarching point: bike lanes deliver two distinct kinds of benefit. Options that pick out only one section, or that add claims the passage never makes, are too narrow or unsupported.

Question 27Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

A short article describes a neighbourhood library that lends tools, seeds and kitchen equipment alongside books, and concludes that the building 'has quietly become the street's living room'. Which option best expresses the gist of the article?

  1. Libraries should stop lending books and focus entirely on tools and seeds.
  2. The library has broadened its role from lending books to becoming a community meeting place. Correct answer.
  3. Tool-lending schemes are more expensive to run than book collections.
  4. Neighbourhood libraries are closing because fewer people read printed books.

Explanation

The gist is the single sentence a reader would use to summarise the whole piece. The article lists expanded lending and ends with the 'living room' image, both of which point to a widened social role. Distractors either exaggerate one detail into a total replacement or invent claims about closures and costs.

Question 28Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

Read this paragraph: 'The town installed sensors in every public bin. When a bin is full, it sends a message to the collection team. Drivers now empty bins only when necessary, fuel use has fallen by a fifth, and overflowing bins have almost disappeared.' Which sentence best states the main point?

  1. Fuel costs are the main reason towns adopt new technology.
  2. Residents were complaining about the appearance of the bins.
  3. Public bins in the town are now emptied on a fixed weekly schedule.
  4. Sensor technology has made the town's waste collection more efficient and cleaner. Correct answer.

Explanation

The paragraph reports a cause (sensors) and a set of linked results (fewer trips, less fuel, fewer overflows). The main point must combine cause and effect rather than isolate one result. Options that contradict the described system or add motivations not stated are wrong.

Question 29Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

A text about remote work argues: 'Employees save commuting time; employers save office rent; cities see less rush-hour congestion. The debate, however, has focused almost entirely on productivity, a measure on which the evidence remains mixed.' What is the author's main purpose?

  1. To summarise the historical origins of the debate about home working
  2. To prove that remote work reduces productivity in most companies
  3. To point out that the public debate has overlooked the clearer benefits of remote work Correct answer.
  4. To argue that employers should abandon office space entirely

Explanation

The author lists undisputed benefits and then contrasts them with the narrow focus of the debate. The contrast word 'however' signals the purpose: to show that the discussion has concentrated on the one contested measure while ignoring the rest. The passage does not settle the productivity question or call for any action.

Question 30Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

Read the opening of a feature: 'Every autumn the salmon return to the river, and every autumn the town holds a festival. This year the fish came late, the festival went ahead anyway, and the town discovered that the two events had quietly drifted apart.' Which option best captures the main idea developed in this opening?

  1. The salmon population has collapsed and the festival should be cancelled.
  2. A tradition has survived even after losing its connection to the natural event it once celebrated. Correct answer.
  3. The town deliberately moved the festival to a later date.
  4. Festivals are more important to small towns than fishing is.

Explanation

The key phrase is that the two events 'had quietly drifted apart': the festival continues while its link to the fish weakens. The main idea concerns a tradition outliving its original meaning. The distractors either invent a population collapse, make a value judgement, or misread the timing as a deliberate choice.

Question 31Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

An opinion column states: 'We spend millions restoring historic buildings and almost nothing teaching children why they matter. A restored façade without an informed public is decoration.' Which sentence best expresses the column's central argument?

  1. Heritage spending should be matched by investment in public understanding of heritage. Correct answer.
  2. Children are not interested in historic architecture.
  3. Decoration is a legitimate and sufficient purpose for restoration.
  4. Historic buildings should not be restored with public money.

Explanation

The column contrasts two kinds of spending and concludes that restoration without education is superficial. The central argument is about balance between physical restoration and public knowledge. Options that reject restoration altogether or claim children lack interest go beyond what is argued.

Question 32Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

Read: 'The new stadium was sold to taxpayers as a source of revenue. Three years on, the club pays reduced rent, the promised concerts never materialised, and the city covers the maintenance. The only figure that has risen is the value of the club.' Which statement best summarises the passage?

  1. The stadium has become a successful venue for concerts and events.
  2. The club has been unable to pay any rent at all.
  3. Taxpayers opposed the stadium from the beginning.
  4. The stadium has delivered financial benefits to the club rather than to the city that funded it. Correct answer.

Explanation

The passage sets the original promise against the actual outcome, and each detail shifts benefit from the city to the club. The summary must capture that reversal of who gains. Options that treat the stadium as successful or that add taxpayer opposition misstate the evidence.

Question 33Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

A review of a documentary notes: 'The director interviews forty witnesses and lets each speak at length. The result is a rich archive but not yet a film: no question is ever pressed, and the viewer is left to do the arguing.' What is the reviewer's main criticism?

  1. The director asks the witnesses too many aggressive questions.
  2. The witnesses interviewed are not credible or well informed.
  3. The documentary gathers valuable material but fails to shape it into an argument. Correct answer.
  4. The documentary is too short to cover its subject properly.

Explanation

The review praises the material ('rich archive') while denying that it amounts to a film because no argument is developed. The main criticism is therefore about structure and interpretation, not about the sources or the length. Recognising the concessive structure is the key to the answer.

Question 34Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

Read: 'For years the company published an annual sustainability report. Last month it stopped. The reason given was that the report had become 'a distraction from action'. Investors who relied on the figures are now asking how they are supposed to measure the action.' What is the main point of the passage?

  1. Ending public reporting has left investors without a way to verify the company's environmental claims. Correct answer.
  2. The company has abandoned its environmental commitments entirely.
  3. Investors were never interested in the sustainability figures.
  4. Annual sustainability reports are always a distraction from real action.

Explanation

The passage reports a decision and its consequence: the figures are gone and investors lack a means of measurement. The main point concerns accountability, not the sincerity of the company's commitments. Options that generalise the company's justification or deny investor interest distort the text.

Question 35Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

A science article explains that urban trees lower street temperatures, absorb rainwater and improve air quality, then adds: 'None of this is news. What is new is the discovery that the benefits depend less on how many trees a city plants than on how long they are allowed to live.' Which sentence best states the article's main idea?

  1. Cities should stop planting trees until the science is settled.
  2. The long-term survival of urban trees matters more for their benefits than the number planted. Correct answer.
  3. Tree-planting programmes are the most effective tool against climate change.
  4. Urban trees have no measurable effect on temperature or air quality.

Explanation

The article first concedes known benefits and then marks its news with 'What is new': the shift from quantity to longevity. A main-idea answer must capture that contrast. Options that deny the benefits or draw sweeping policy conclusions misread the emphasis.

Question 36Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

Read: 'The recipe calls for saffron, pine nuts and a patience I have never possessed. I substituted turmeric, skipped the nuts and cooked it in twenty minutes. It was not the dish my grandmother made. It was, however, dinner.' Which option best describes the overall tone and point of the passage?

  1. Neutral and instructional: the writer explains how to prepare the dish correctly.
  2. Angry and critical: the writer condemns modern cooking habits.
  3. Nostalgic and reverent: the writer celebrates an exact reproduction of a family recipe.
  4. Self-mocking and practical: the writer accepts a compromise rather than achieving authenticity. Correct answer.

Explanation

Tone questions require evidence from diction and structure. The humorous self-description and the concessive ending ('It was, however, dinner') signal amused pragmatism rather than reverence or anger. The passage describes a failed reproduction, so it cannot be an accurate set of instructions.

Question 37Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

A passage argues: 'Critics call the new curriculum 'watered down'. They may be right. But a syllabus that half the class cannot follow is not rigorous; it is merely selective. Rigour lies in what students learn, not in how many fail.' Which statement best captures the author's central position?

  1. A demanding curriculum should be judged by what students actually learn rather than by failure rates. Correct answer.
  2. Half of all students are incapable of following a demanding syllabus.
  3. Selective examinations are the only reliable measure of rigour.
  4. The new curriculum is indeed watered down and should be withdrawn.

Explanation

The author concedes the critics' point provisionally and then redefines rigour in terms of learning rather than failure. The central position is that definition, which reframes the whole debate. Options that accept the critics' verdict or treat failure as a measure of quality reverse the argument.

Question 38Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

Read this ending to an essay: 'The village finally got its high-speed connection. The young people had already left. The factory had already closed. The fibre cable runs past empty houses to a server nobody local will use.' What is the main idea conveyed by these closing lines?

  1. The factory closed because it lacked a fast internet connection.
  2. High-speed internet is irrelevant to rural economies in every case.
  3. Infrastructure arrived too late to reverse the decline it was meant to prevent. Correct answer.
  4. The village's young people left because the connection was delayed.

Explanation

The lines arrange facts in a sequence that stresses timing: the connection came after the departures and the closure. The main idea is about lateness and missed opportunity, conveyed through irony rather than explicit statement. Options that assert causation between the events go beyond the evidence.

Question 39Reading comprehension - main idea, gist and global understanding

An essay states: 'We are told that the internet has made us superficial readers. The claim is flattering to the past. Before the web, most people read a newspaper, a magazine and perhaps a novel a year. The golden age of deep reading was always a minority pursuit.' Which sentence best expresses the essay's main argument?

  1. The internet has genuinely destroyed most people's capacity for deep reading.
  2. The idea that earlier readers were deeply attentive is a myth that flatters the past. Correct answer.
  3. Deep reading was common in the past and has now disappeared.
  4. Newspapers and magazines were more popular before the internet existed.

Explanation

The essay challenges a familiar narrative by questioning its premise about the past. The phrase 'flattering to the past' plus the evidence about limited reading habits shows the argument is that the golden age is a myth. The distractors accept the very claim being undermined.

Question 40Reading comprehension - specific detail, inference and reference

Read this sentence: 'The council approved the new cycle lanes, which had been opposed by several shopkeepers.' According to the sentence, who objected to the cycle lanes?

  1. The cyclists
  2. The council
  3. Several shopkeepers Correct answer.
  4. The author of the sentence

Explanation

The relative clause 'which had been opposed by several shopkeepers' names the agents of the opposition through the passive construction 'by several shopkeepers'. The council is the subject of 'approved', so it is the approving body, not the objecting one.

Question 41Reading comprehension - specific detail, inference and reference

Read this sentence: 'Although the museum's opening hours were extended, visitor numbers fell sharply.' What does the sentence tell us about visitor numbers?

  1. They rose because the museum stayed open longer.
  2. They were not recorded during the extended period.
  3. They decreased considerably despite longer opening hours. Correct answer.
  4. They stayed the same as in previous months.

Explanation

The concessive linker 'although' signals contrast: the extension of hours is presented as something that did not produce the expected result. The main clause 'visitor numbers fell sharply' states the actual outcome, a considerable decrease.

Question 42Reading comprehension - specific detail, inference and reference

Read this sentence: 'The researchers collected samples from the river, and they later analysed them in the laboratory.' What does the pronoun 'them' refer to?

  1. The laboratory
  2. The samples Correct answer.
  3. The researchers
  4. The river

Explanation

Pronoun reference is resolved by looking at the nearest compatible plural noun phrase in the preceding clause. 'Them' is plural and 'analysed' requires an object, so it points back to 'samples', which were collected in order to be studied.

Question 43Reading comprehension - specific detail, inference and reference

Read this sentence: 'Only after the results had been checked twice did the team publish its findings.' What can we infer about the publication?

  1. It happened once the double checking was complete. Correct answer.
  2. It was delayed because the results were wrong.
  3. It was cancelled and the findings were never published.
  4. It took place before the results were checked.

Explanation

The inverted structure 'Only after ... did the team publish' places the publication after the completion of the checking. The past perfect 'had been checked' marks the earlier event, so publication follows verification.

Question 44Reading comprehension - specific detail, inference and reference

Read this sentence: 'The scheme was welcomed by local businesses, whereas residents remained sceptical.' What does the contrast tell us?

  1. Both groups supported the scheme enthusiastically.
  2. Businesses were sceptical and residents were enthusiastic.
  3. Residents supported the scheme more than businesses did.
  4. Businesses and residents held different attitudes to the scheme. Correct answer.

Explanation

'Whereas' introduces a direct contrast between two groups, so the attitudes described must be opposed. Businesses welcomed the scheme while residents stayed doubtful, which means the two groups differed.

Question 45Reading comprehension - specific detail, inference and reference

Read this sentence: 'Had the funding been secured earlier, the bridge would have opened last summer.' What does the sentence imply?

  1. The bridge opened last summer after funding was secured.
  2. Funding was secured early and the bridge opened ahead of schedule.
  3. The bridge did not open last summer because funding came too late. Correct answer.
  4. The bridge will open next summer if funding is secured.

Explanation

This is a third conditional with inversion ('Had the funding been secured'), which describes an unreal past situation. The implication is that funding was not secured in time, so the opening did not happen last summer.

Question 46Reading comprehension - specific detail, inference and reference

Read this sentence: 'The new policy is expected to benefit small firms, but critics argue that it will mainly help large corporations.' What is the critics' position?

  1. The policy will favour big companies rather than small ones. Correct answer.
  2. The policy will harm both small firms and large corporations.
  3. The policy should be extended to medium-sized companies.
  4. The policy will benefit small firms more than expected.

Explanation

The critics' view is introduced after 'but' and is marked by 'mainly help large corporations'. This contrasts with the expectation that small firms will benefit, so the critics believe the advantage goes to big business.

Question 47Reading comprehension - specific detail, inference and reference

Read this sentence: 'Not until the final chapter does the author reveal the identity of the narrator.' What can we infer?

  1. The narrator is identified in the first chapter.
  2. The narrator's identity is disclosed at the very end of the book. Correct answer.
  3. The author never reveals who the narrator is.
  4. The narrator changes identity several times.

Explanation

The fronted negative 'Not until the final chapter' with inversion emphasises that the revelation occurs only at that point. The final chapter is the last part of the book, so the disclosure comes at the end.

Question 48Reading comprehension - specific detail, inference and reference

Read this sentence: 'The volunteers, who had travelled from Valencia, were given a tour of the site.' Which statement is correct?

  1. None of the volunteers came from Valencia.
  2. All the volunteers had travelled from Valencia. Correct answer.
  3. The volunteers travelled from Valencia after the tour.
  4. Only some of the volunteers had travelled from Valencia.

Explanation

A non-defining relative clause between commas adds extra information about an already identified group, so it applies to the whole group. All the volunteers are therefore described as having come from Valencia.

Question 49Reading comprehension - specific detail, inference and reference

Read this sentence: 'The company's profits have doubled since it moved its production abroad.' What does 'since' express here?

  1. A contrast between two periods
  2. A reason for moving production abroad
  3. A starting point in time for the change described Correct answer.
  4. A condition that must be met

Explanation

In this position 'since' functions as a temporal conjunction followed by a past simple clause, marking the point from which the doubling is measured. It is not being used as a causal linker here.

Question 50Reading comprehension - specific detail, inference and reference

Read this sentence: 'Far from solving the problem, the measures introduced last year made it worse.' What is the writer's view of the measures?

  1. They were introduced too late to matter.
  2. They had no effect on the problem at all.
  3. They aggravated the situation instead of improving it. Correct answer.
  4. They solved the problem completely.

Explanation

The construction 'far from + -ing' explicitly denies the expected outcome and introduces its opposite. The main clause states that the measures 'made it worse', so the writer sees them as harmful rather than helpful.