Placement Test
SECTION1
20 Questions 10 Minutes
This section consists of two different types of questions. There are directions and a sample question for
each type. Each of the following questions consists of one capitalized word followed by five choices. Select
the choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
1. DECEIVE: 6. DEFICIENT:
(A) alter
(B) examine
(A) painful
(B) contrary
1
(C) astonish (C) alarming
(D) mislead (D) illegal
(E) pretend (E) lacking
2. AIMLESS: 7. INHABIT:
(A) without purpose (A) occupy
(B) without humor (B) allow
(C) reluctant (C) intervene
(D) exclusive (D) repress
(E) incompetent (E) transact
3. COMPASSION: 8. REMINISCENCE:
(A) sympathy (A) limitation
(B) honor (B) contraction
(C) shyness (C) moderation
(D) amazement (D) recollection
(E) courage (E) removal
4. EVACUATE: 9. DAWDLE:
(A) throw about (A) complain about
(B) empty out (B) turn against
(C) grope for (C) deny knowing
(D) smooth over (D) squander money
(E) cross off (E) waste time
5. CONFIDENTIAL: 10. PROPHESY:
(A) serious (A) defeat
(B) routine (B) annoy
(C) secret (C) foretell
(D) formal (D) testify
(E) brief (E) prompt
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Placement Test
SECTION1
20 Questions 1 0 Minutes
This section consists of two different types of questions. There are directions and a sample question for
each type. Each of the following questions consists of one capitalized word followed by five choices. Select
the choice that is closest in meaning to the word in capital letters.
11. SUBSTITUTE: 16. LENIENT:
(A)conventional
(B) change
(A) severe
(B) disastrous
2
(C) amend (C) vague
(D) alternaive (D) indulgent
(E) object (E) uniting
12. PRESERVE: 17. MAGNITUDE:
(A) proceed (A) meanness
(B) protect (B) weight
(C) abandon (C) insignificance
(D) turn out (D) margin
(E) predict (E) magnet
13. REGRETFUL: 18. ATTRIBUTE
(A) apologetic (A) characteristic
(B) impenitent (B) judgement
(C) shameless (C) bias
(D) compassionless (D) arrival
(E) delighted (E) adversity
14. IMPROBABLE: 19. FIRM:
(A) feasible (A) crowded
(B) odds-on (B) empty
(C) unconvincing (C) circular
(D) believable (D) fund
(E) persuasive (E) solid
15. LUCID: 20. BARGAIN:
(A) ambiguous (A) opposing
(B) terrible (B) strain
(C) complex (C) advantage
(D) patterned (D) agreement
(E) plain (E) etiquette
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Placement Test
SECTION 2
10 Questions 10 Minutes
Read each passage carefully and then answer the questions about it.
1. Which of the following shapes has nine diagonals? Circle the answer.
A. Pentagon B. Quadrilateral C. Octagon D. Triangle
E. Hexagon F. Heptagon
2. Gary has 21 marbles. He has x red marbles, 3 more blue marbles than red. He also has four times
as many green as red. How many red marbles does he have?
_____________________
3. Select the line which is best described by the equation x=2 below.
X=2
3
Line A
2 Line A
Line C Line B
1
Line C
-3 -2 -1 1 2 3
-2
-3 Line B
4. Which of the following statements is correct, according to the graph in Figure 1?
(A) The number of cones sold in the winter is
equal to the number of cones sold in the fall.
(B) The number of cones sold in the winter was
less than half the number of cones sold in the spring.
(C) The number of cones sold in the summer was
twice the number of cones sold in the fall.
(D) The number of cones sold in the fall was
twice the number of cones sold in the winter.
(E) More cones were sold in the summer than
in the spring and fall combined.
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Placement Test
5. What is the value of the “7” in 625.713?
(A) 7 ones
(B) 7 tenths
(C) 7 hundredths
(D) 7 tens
(E) 7 thousandths
6. Everyone at Cadbury World received a 25% pay rise between 2002 and [Link] was Kris paid in
2002?
______________
7. Priyantha completes a 10 km run in 55 minutes 20 seconds.
Calculate Priyantha’s average speed in km/h.
8. If the ratio of p to q is 3:2, what is the ratio of 2p to q?
(A) 1:3
(B) 2:3
(C) 3:3
(D) 3:1
(E) 3:4
9. Find the perimeter of the shape in Figure 2.
(A) 26
(B) 30
(C) 38
(D) 40
(E) 42
9. If an equilateral triangle that measures 6 centimetres on a side is partitioned into N equilateral triangles,
each of which is 1 centimetre on a side, then N=?
______________
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Placement Test
SECTION 3
12 Questions 30 Minutes
Read each passage carefully and then answer the questions about it. For each question, decide on the basis
of the passage which one of the choices best answers the question.
READING COMPREHENSION 1
In New England, Canada, and the western part of Europe, the summer of 1816 was
extraordinarily cold. A meteorological record for New Haven, kept since 1779, records June 1816
as the coldest June in that city, with a mean temperature that would ordinarily be expected 200
miles north of the city of Quebec. In New England the loss of the staple crop of corn caused much
hardship. The calamity of 1816 is an interesting case history of the far-reaching effects a
catastrophe can have on human affairs.
The chain of events began in 1815 with an immense volcanic eruption in the Dutch East
Indies (now Indonesia), when Mount Tambora threw an immense amount of fine dust into the
atmosphere. This eruption, which was considerably larger than the better-known one of krakatoa
in 1883, reduced the height of Mount Tambora by 4,200 feet and ejected 25 cubic miles of debris.
Ships at sea encountered large islands of floating pumice from Mount Tambora as much as four
years after the event. The dust circled the earth in the high stratosphere for several years,
reflecting sunlight back into spaces. Because the amount of sunlight reaching the ground was
reduced, temperatures on earth were lowered.
1. The main purpose of this passage is to
(A) report the meteorological record of frigid temperatures in New Haven in June
(B) discuss the transformation of much of Mount Tambora into 25 cubic miles of debris
(C) point out the delayed effect of a large volcanic eruption on air temperatures in distant places
(D) determine the effect of adverse weather conditions on staple crops
(E) discuss the pollution of oceans caused by large volcanic eruptions
2. Mount Tambora's eruption apparently caused hardship in New England primarily by
(A) reducing the available sunlight
(B) dropping pumice in the water
(C) coating the crops with ash
(D) covering the land with debris
(E) burning the corps for several years
3. The author cites temperatures in New Haven in June of 1816 as an illustration of the
(A) need to find ways of preventing natural disasters
(B) bad effects human intervention can have on natural phenomena
(C) importance of weather forecasting
(D) usefulness of early meteorological records
(E) extensive effects of such catastrophes as volcanic eruptions
4. The tone of the passage indicates that the author considers the migration of volcanic dust in the
stratosphere to be
（A）exaggerated
（B）necessary
（C）disappointing
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Placement Test
（D）fascination
（E）Insignificant
5. Which of the following is the author most likely to discuss next?
（A）Causes of the eruption of mount Tambora
（B）More details from the case history of the calamity of 1816
（C）A comparison of Mount Tambora and Krakatoa
（D）New methods of reducing volcanic water pollution
（E）The formation of islands out of volcanic pumice
6. The passage names all of the following places as being affected by the 1815 eruption of Mount
Tambora EXCEPT
（A）Canada
（B）Dutch East Indies (Indonesia)
（C）The western part of Europe
（D）Krakatoa
（E）New England
READING COMPREHENSION 2
Jean Piaget
Jean Piaget, the pioneering Swiss philosopher and psychologist, became famous for his theories on child
development. A child prodigy, he came interested in the scientific study of nature at an early age, he
developed a special fascination for biology, having some of his work published before graduating from high
school. When, aged 10, his observations led to questions that could be answered only by access to the
university library, Piaget wrote and published some notes on the sighting of an albino sparrow in the hope
that this would persuade the librarian to stop treating him like a child. It worked. Piaget was launched on
a path that led to his doctorate in zoology and a lifelong conviction that the way to understand anything is
to know how it evolves.
Piaget went on to spend much of his professional life listening to and watching children, and poring over
reports of researchers who were doing the same, He found, to put it succinctly, that children don’t think
like adults. After thousands of interactions with young people often barely old enough to talk, Piaget began
to suspect that behind Their cute and seemingly illogical utterances were thought processes that had their
own kind of order and their own special logic. Albert Einstein, the renowned physicist, deemed this a
discovery “so simple that only a genius could have thought of it”.
Piaget’s insight opened a new window into the inner workings of the mind. Several new fields of science,
among them developmental psychology and cognitive theory, came into being as a result of his research.
Although not an educational reformer, he championed a way of thinking about children that provided the
foundation for today’s education reform movements. One might say that Piaget was the first to take
children’s thinking seriously. Others who shared this respect for children may have fought harder for
immediate change in schools, but Paget’s influence on education remain deeper and more pervasive.
Piaget has been revered by generations of teachers inspired by the belief that children are not empty
vessels to be filled with knowledge, as traditional academic thinking had it, but active builders of
knowledge – little scientists who are constantly creating and testing their own theories of the world. And
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Placement Test
while he may not be as famous as Sigmund Freud, Piaget’s contribution to psychology may be longer lasting.
As computers and the Internet give children greater autonomy to explore ever larger digital worlds, the
ideas he pioneered become ever more relevant.
In the 1940s, working in Alfred Binet’s child-psychology lab in Paris, Piaget noticed that children of the
same age, regardless of their background or gender, made comparable errors on true-false intelligence
tests. Back in Switzerland, the young scientist began watching children play, scrupulously recording their
words and actions as their minds raced to find reasons for why things are the way they are, Piaget
recognized that a five-year-old’s beliefs, while not correct by any adult criterion, are not “incorrect” either.
They are entirely sensible and coherent within the framework of the child’s way of respect for the child.
What Piaget was after was theory that could find coherence and ingenuity in the child’s justification, and
evidence of a kind of explanatory principle that stands young children in very good stead when they don’t
know enough or don’t know enough or don’t have enough skill to handle the kind of explanation that
grown-ups prefer.
The core of Piaget’s work is his belief that looking carefully at how children acquire knowledge sheds light
on how adults think and understand the world. Whether this has, in fact, led to deeper understanding
remains, like everything about Piaget, contentious. In recent years, Piaget has been vigorously
challenged by the current emphasis on viewing knowledge as an intrinsic property of the brain. Ingenious
experiments have demonstrated that new born infants already have some of the knowledge that Piaget
believed children constructed. But for those of us who still see Piaget as the giant in the field of cognitive
theory, the disparity between what the baby brings and what the adults has is so immense that the new
discoveries do not significantly reduce the gap, only increase the mystery.
7. In the first paragraph, the writer suggest that as a child Piaget
A was particularly eager to teach others about animals.
B was confident his research would help other children.
C was already certain about the career he would follow.
D was determined that noting should hold back his progress.
8. In quoting Einstein, the writer is
A questioning the simplicity of Piaget’s ideas.
B supporting the conclusion that Piaget reached.
C suggesting that Piaget’s research methods were unprecedented.
D recommending a less complicated approach than Piaget’s.
[Link] the third paragraph, the writer puts forward the view that
A Piaget’s work with children was difficult to put to a practical use.
B Piaget’s theories about children were less revolutionary than he though.
C Piaget laid the basis for our current understanding of how children’s minds work.
D Piaget was actually committed to radical change in the education system.
10. The phrase “empty vessels” (paragraph 4) refers to
A Why children should be encouraged to study more independently.
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Placement Test
B What traditional academic theory said about children and learning.
C How teachers can increase children’s motivation to learn.
D the kind of knowledge that children need to acquire.
11. The writer says Piaget was unwilling to categories children’s ideas as true of false because
A he realized that the reasoning behind a child’s statement was more important.
B. he knew that this could have long-term effects on a child.
C. he felt that this did not reflect what happens in real life.
D. he felt that children are easily influenced by what adults have told them.
12. What does the writer conclude about newer theories that have appeared?
A. They completely undermine Piaget’s ideas.
B. They put greater emphasis on scientific evidence.
C. They are an interesting addition to the body of knowledge.
D. They are based on flawed research.
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SECTION 4 10 Minutes
9
Using the mirror line, select the picture from the right that shows the reflection of the
picture on the left.
Mirror
Mirror
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Placement Test
Writing 20 mins
People naturally resist making changes in their lives. What kind of
problems can this cause? What solutions can you suggest？
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant example from your own knowledge or
experience
You must write more than 250 words.
You will be assessed on:
Content and relevance
Organization and linking of ideas
Grammar and vocabulary
Spelling and punctuation
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Placement test
Answer Sheet
SECTION 1 SECTION 2 SECTION 3 SECTION 4
Answer: 1-20 Answer 1-10 Answer 1-12 Answer 1-8
1. 11. 1. 1. 1.
2. 12. 2. 2. 2.
3. 13. 3. 3. 3.
4. 14. 4. 4. 4.
5. 15. 5. 5. 5.
6. 16. 6. 6. 6.
7. 17. 7. 7. 7.
8. 18. 8. 8. 8.
9. 19. 9. 9.
10. 20. 10. 10.
11.
12.
WRITING
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