MSU_C2_Teachers_Book

7 Complete Practice Tests for the Michigan State University C2 Examination MSU- CELPMichigan State University C2P R A C T I C E T E S T S Sarah Yu

CONTENTS 2 5 Introduction: The MSU-CELP: An Overview Sample Answer Sheet 7 Practice Test 1 8 Writing – Think about it, write about it! 14 Listening – Listen to this! 19 Grammar – Grammar you can use! 28 Reading – Read about it! Speaking – Talk about it! 29 Practice Test 2 30 Writing – Think about it, write about it! 36 Listening – Listen to this! 41 Grammar – Grammar you can use! 50 Reading – Read about it! Speaking – Talk about it! 51 Practice Test 3 52 Writing – Think about it, write about it! 58 Listening – Listen to this! 63 Grammar – Grammar you can use! 72 Reading – Read about it! Speaking – Talk about it! 73 Practice Test 4 74 Writing – Think about it, write about it! 80 Listening – Listen to this! 85 Grammar – Grammar you can use! 94 Reading – Read about it! Speaking – Talk about it! 95 Practice Test 5 96 Writing – Think about it, write about it! 102 Listening – Listen to this! 107 Grammar – Grammar you can use! 116 Reading – Read about it! Speaking – Talk about it! 117 Practice Test 6 118 Writing – Think about it, write about it! 124 Listening – Listen to this! 129 Grammar – Grammar you can use! 138 Reading – Read about it! Speaking – Talk about it! 139 Practice Test 7 140 Writing – Think about it, write about it! 146 Listening – Listen to this! 151 Grammar – Grammar you can use! 160 Reading – Read about it! 161 Speaking – Talk about it! Listening Transcript 2 t MSU-CELP PRACTICE TESTS

INTRODUCTION The MSU-CELP: An Overview MSU-CELP Practice Tests The examination for the Certificate of English Language Proficiency (CELP) of Michigan State University is a four-section test that assesses English language ability at Level C2 of the Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) in all four modalities (Writing, Listening, Reading, and Speaking). Each of the four sections of the test is worth 25 points, for a total of 100 points. In order to pass the MSU- CELP, candidates must obtain an overall score of at least 60 points for all four sections. The requirement of scoring a minimum of 12 out of 25 points on each of the sections has been eliminated as of December 2017. Section Timing Parts Number of Answers % of Total 1 Writing 60 Questions Score 2 Listening minutes Think about it, write about it! 1 essay Students write their 20 3 Reading One piece of writing in essay chosen from essay in pencil – 4 Speaking 45 format (35 minutes) 2 given pens are not allowed minutes prompts in this exam Grammar you can use! 40 multiple- Students shade the 5 (25 minutes) choice correct lozenges on grammar the answer sheet items in pencil Listen to this! Students shade the 25 Part 1 – Short conversations correct lozenges on between 2 speakers. Each 1 multiple- the answer sheet conversation is heard only choice in pencil. once. question per conversation Part 2 – Longer conversations 3-6 multiple- between 2 speakers. Each choice conversation is heard only questions once. per conversation 60 Part 3 – Extended discourse, 20 multiple- Students shade the 25 minutes including 1 speech or choice correct lozenges on 25 presentation and 1 long questions the answer sheet dialogue followed by 10 in pencil. multiple-choice questions. 40 multiple- Each passage is heard twice. choice questions Read about it! 4 unrelated reading passages 10-12 Talk about it! 6 minutes Part 1 1 d escription question Part 2 1 narration question Part 3 4 s upported opinion questions INTRODUCTION u 3

INTRODUCTION Section 1: Writing – Think about it, write about it! General The essay section has two prompts. Candidates are required to choose one and write an opinion essay in 35 minutes. The grade awarded is based on the development of ideas, grammar, vocabulary, and organization. Although there is no word count, candidates are expected to write a minimum of three paragraphs. Helpful hints An opinion essay requires an introduction, two to four body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Avoid using words that are in the topic description, especially in your introduction. MSU requires that you only express your opinion clearly; there is no need for your essay to be objective or balanced. Make sure you focus on answering the question without going off topic, and always develop your ideas by explaining them and giving examples. Join your ideas with linking words, but avoid writing overly long, complicated sentences. Because you only have 35 minutes, speed is very important. Many students have difficulty finishing their essays within the limit, so make sure you get plenty of practice writing an essay in 35 minutes before taking the exam. Always choose a topic quickly and spend five minutes making a brief plan of each paragraph. You might think that you don’t have enough time to make a plan, but with a little practice, a plan will help you stay on topic, write faster, and produce a better essay overall. Do your best to write accurately, and if possible, leave a few minutes at the end to check for mistakes of spelling and grammar. Grammar you can use! General This section consists of 40 multiple-choice questions on common grammatical phenomena including verb tense, gerund vs. infinitive, prepositions, phrasal verbs, and syntax. Each question has four options. The Grammar Section is administered after the Listening Section on the day of the exam. Candidates are given 25 minutes to complete this section. Helpful hints Time is limited in this section, as you have approximately 30 seconds to complete each question. Process of elimination is usually the most effective way to solve multiple-choice questions. Answer every question, as it is always better to guess than to leave a blank. Section 2: Listening – Listen to this! This section has a total of 40 multiple-choice questions, each with three options. You may take notes in the test booklet, but all answers must be marked on the answer sheet in the time given for each part of the listening section. No extra time is given at the end for this. In parts one and two, the dialogues are heard once only. In the third part, each piece is repeated. Standard North American accents are used with no noise interference. If you have any difficulty hearing the audio, let the examiner know before the test starts, when you are asked if you have any questions. Part 1  Short conversations General This part consists of mini dialogues between a male and female speaker. Each dialogue is followed by one multiple-choice question. There is a short title for each dialogue to provide context. Each dialogue is heard only once. Helpful hints Try to read the question before listening to the dialogue in the time between the questions. Always take your best guess right after you have heard the dialogue; if you go back to it later, you probably won’t remember what was said. If you aren’t sure of an answer, try not to panic. Just rule out the choices you know are wrong, take your best guess, and then move on. If you don’t, you may miss some or all of the next dialogue. Part 2  Longer conversations General This part has three longer dialogues between a male and female speaker. Each dialogue is followed by 3-6 multiple-choice questions. There is a short title for each dialogue to provide context. Each dialogue is heard only once. 4 t MSU-CELP PRACTICE TESTS

INTRODUCTION MSU-CELP Practice Tests Helpful hints Since you only hear the dialogues once, it is important to pay close attention. You are given approximately 15 seconds before the conversation in which you can quickly read the questions. That will help you know what to listen for. Questions correspond to the order in which information is heard, so you should try to answer each question as the answer comes up. You can use the long pause after each dialogue to check your work and answer any questions you couldn’t get as you were listening. Part 3  Extended discourse General This part has two long passages. One is usually a speech or presentation (one speaker), and the other is a dialogue (two speakers). Each passage is followed by 10 questions. The passages in Part 3 are heard twice. Helpful hints Before you hear the passage, you are given time to read the questions. Read them over as carefully as possible so you know what to listen for. The first time you hear the passage, don’t try to answer the questions – just listen! The second time you hear the passage, look at the questions and answer them as you listen. As with the longer dialogues in Part 2, all questions are in the order in which the information needed to answer them is heard. Use the time at the end to check your answers. If you are unsure of an answer, use process of elimination to narrow down the choices. If necessary, guess! Section 3: Reading – Read about it! General This section comprises four extended texts followed by approximately 10 questions each. The questions require reading for specific information or key concepts, guessing lexical meaning in context, understanding text organization, global comprehension, and inference. All questions are in the order in which the information needed to answer them is found in the passage. There are one or two vocabulary-based questions and the last question is a global comprehension question based on your evaluation of the text. Helpful hints Some students find it hard to finish this section in the time allotted, so it’s important that you work on improving your speed by practicing skimming and scanning techniques. First, read through the text quickly to get a general idea of what it’s about. Then go to the questions and read the text more carefully until you find the answer. Don’t worry about unfamiliar words; instead, try to understand the overall context. As always with multiple-choice questions, it is advisable to eliminate wrong answers first and then try to see which of the remaining choices is the most correct. Remember that the reading section is 60 minutes long, so you need to use your time wisely. Plan to spend about 15 minutes on each passage. If you spend too much time on any one passage, you may run out of time before you have answered all the questions. Section 4: Speaking – Talk about it! General The oral interview consists of six questions and lasts 10-12 minutes. The candidate is examined by two independent raters, one who is the interviewer and the other an observer. After a warm-up stage that is not rated, the candidate is given six prompts: one description, one narration, and four supported opinions. The tasks are rated separately and they are not usually thematically related. Helpful hints You may feel a little nervous at the beginning of the interview, but don’t worry; the examiner expects this and will try to make you feel at ease. Explain your ideas and opinions, expanding on them as much as possible with reasons and examples. Maintain eye contact. If you get stuck, don’t worry – just continue on as naturally as possible. If you don’t know the word for something, describe it. Avoid using rehearsed answers or expressions you have memorized. Instead, speak as naturally and be as relaxed as possible. In general, if you don’t understand the question or a vocabulary item, don’t hesitate to ask for clarification. You may even ask for another question if you cannot think of anything to say about the one you are asked, although there is a limit to how many times the examiner will offer an alternative question. INTRODUCTION u 5

SAMPLE ANSWER SHEETSAMPLE ANSWER SHEET 6 t MSU-CELP PRACTICE TESTS

Lis tening Transcrip t PRACTICE TEST 1 7. Weekend family plans Listening Transcript M: What about taking the kids to the new amusement park this Part 1 – Short conversations Sunday? They’ve been whining that all their friends have 1. Making weekend plans already been there. M: Hey, Donna. Are you going to Mark’s going-away party? F: I’m not sure. Danny’s got a big project due on Monday, and Ted is still grounded. Remember? It’s supposed to be a really big deal. He’s even hired a live M: But, honey, I didn’t agree with his being grounded in the first band. place. You know how rough that Tomkins boy is. I’m sure F: Yeah, I heard. But he’s asking everyone to chip in Ted hit him out of self-defense. 20 dollars. I think he actually wants to make money by F: Could be, but he didn’t have to hit him so hard. I always throwing this party. knew I’d regret letting him take those boxing lessons. He M: He probably needs it to finance his trip around the world. doesn’t know his own strength. F: I’m not interested in paying his travel expenses. He should just stay put and work until he can afford to travel. I think 8. At the library he’s got a lot of nerve asking his guests for money. M: Hi! I’d like to get a library card for my son, please. M: Well, I’m going. I think it’ll be a good party, and I don’t want F: We need to see some ID, as well as a recent utility bill or a to miss it. bank statement that has your current address on it. 2. Getting to class M: I have my driver’s license with me, but I don’t know if I have M: I’m thinking about getting a bicycle. I’m sick and tired of proof of address. I have my own library card, if that helps. using public transportation. The number 16 bus is almost F: Sorry, sir. We need to see a bill with a current address for always jam-packed by the time it gets to my stop. F: I’m too scared to bike in this city. I keep hearing about every new card application. cyclists getting hit by cars. M: OK, I’ll be back in a little while. Thanks anyway. M: There’s a bike lane from my neighborhood to the school. I don’t think it’d be very dangerous, to be honest. Part 2 – Longer conversations 3. Eating out 9–12 A professional seminar M: I’m so glad we decided to eat at this restaurant tonight. It’s F: Wow, I thought that speaker would never stop. I caught been ages since we treated ourselves to a nice night out. F: I’m not sure we needed to come to such an expensive myself nodding off at the end. place, though. For me, any place where the food is M: Yeah, but you have to admit, a lot of what he said was prepared for you, served to you, and the dishes are washed for you is great. Even if the food is nothing fancy. useful. Most of us don’t know much about company policy M: I agree with you, but since we go out so rarely, I think we did the right thing going somewhere special. regarding employee behavior in the workplace. 4. School textbooks I guess he needed that time to get his points across. 9 M: C an you believe that we’re still teaching from the same F: I guess he did. Personally, I get some attitude now and then 10 geography books that we used almost a decade ago? And look at the state they’re in. All ragged around the edges and from male members of staff that I don’t appreciate. written in. It’s a disgrace. F: They were supposed to have been replaced years ago. I think some people are just not used to having a woman as What worries me is the inaccuracy of a lot of the information in them. Borders have changed all over the world, especially a manager. in Europe and Russia. The Board of Education needs to find ways to get new textbooks for all main subjects, regardless M: I’m sure it must be tough sometimes, but don’t forget that of the cost. M: And some of them are missing pages! How are our students the speaker also talked about managers not handling the supposed to learn from these books? staff properly. As leaders, we need to inspire our team 5. Wrist problems M: O uch, my wrist is killing me. I think I’ve got carpal tunnel rather than give them orders. And we should always praise syndrome from typing so much on the computer. them for a job well done. Encouragement works better than F: I read an article about carpal tunnel syndrome recently. It criticism. said that 95% of the time, it isn’t caused by typing or by computer use at all. F: I agree with you about inspiring them. That’s why I’m always M: So what does cause it then? I’d sure like to figure that out. F: It could be an injury ... or even arthritis. Does it get worse the first to come in and the last to leave. I’d never ask them with wet weather? M: Come to think of it, yes, it does. I guess I should see a to work harder than I do. But about the encouragement 11 doctor. part, well, it sounds good in theory. But if they think they’re 6. Theater audition M: Guess what! The most amazing thing happened. doing everything perfectly, then there’s no reason for them to F: What? Did you get accepted into that prestigious acting improve, is there? seminar you applied for? I know you had your heart set on it. M: Something way better. Remember that audition I went to M: I suppose that’s true in some cases. And I know what you last week? mean about the theoretical part. I mean, some of those F: For that off-Broadway play? Yeah, but they rejected you policies that the speaker suggested were straight out of because you’re too tall. And you were furious, because you thought it was a miscasting of the role. some research paper. They’d never work if we tried to put 12 M: Well, the director reconsidered and, in the end, I got the them into practice. It would create total chaos. part. Can you believe it? He said that my argument about the protagonist’s appearance was very convincing. F: I guess we should just pick and choose what applies in our workplace. Every situation is unique, because every employee is unique. M: I wouldn’t go that far. There are some things that are absolute – like having professional respect for your colleagues and not treating people differently because of their gender. F: Yes, of course, but those aren’t really new ideas, are they? 13–16 At a dinner party M: Look at this house! It must have ten bedrooms! Exactly how much money does Darren make? F: Between you and me, not that much. Rumor has it that he inherited a bundle from his uncle. He was the only 13 nephew, ... but he doesn’t really talk about it. M: D idn’t he just get a promotion recently? Assistant vice 14 president of the company he works at … or something like that? F: That’s just a glorified title. He told me personally that he only got a three percent pay increase. M: I hate when companies do that. They give you some title to make you work harder without giving you any real financial compensation for it. LISTENING TRANSCRIPT u 161

GLOSSARY WRITING hardworking (adj) εργατικός Practice Test 1 behave (v) συμπεριφέρομαι GLOSSARY appropriately (adv) κατάλληλα, όπως αρμόζει στην 1. violence (n) βία περίσταση incredibly (adv) απίστευτα expect (v) περιμένω indicate (v) δείχνω, υποδεικνύω promotion (n) προαγωγή youth (n) νεολαία deserve (v) αξίζω expose (v) εκθέτω encouragement (n) ενθάρρυνση, εμψύχωση impact (n) επιρροή employee (n) υπάλληλος motivated (adj) ενθουσιώδης 2. respect (n) σεβασμός highly (adv) πολύ, εξαιρετικά manager (n) προϊστάμενος, διευθυντής consumerist (adj) καταναλωτικός expect (v) περιμένω society (n) κοινωνία salary (n) μισθός environment (n) περιβάλλον policy (n) πολιτική, κανόνας personal (adj) προσωπικός extreme (adj) ακραίος impractical (adj) μη πρακτικός LISTENING detrimental (adj) βλαβερός, επιζήμιος Y Questions 13 – 16 PART 1 1. afford (v) έχω την οικονομική δυνατότητα skip (v) παραλείπω come into money (expr) κληρονομώ χρήματα attend (v) παρακολουθώ, παρευρίσκομαι increase (n) αύξηση 2. excellent (adj) εξαιρετικός public transportation (n) μέσα μαζικής μεταφοράς position (n) θέση crowded (adj) γεμάτος κόσμο, συνωστισμένος freedom (n) ελευθερία on time (expr) στην ώρα του excitement (n) ενθουσιασμός expensive (adj) ακριβός distraction (n) περισπασμός 3. convenience (n) άνεση, ευκολία Questions 17 – 20 affordability (n) οικονομική προσιτότητα quality (n) ποιότητα interview (n) συνέντευξη 4. interview (v) παίρνω συνέντευξη concern (v) απασχολώ, ανησυχώ acquainted (adj) γνωστός condition (n) κατάσταση personal assistant (n) προσωπικός βοηθός textbook (n) σχολικό βιβλίο ability (n) ικανότητα accuracy (n) ακρίβεια experience (n) εμπειρία 5. knowledge (n) γνώση imply (v) υπονοώ, υπαινίσσομαι honesty (n) ειλικρίνεια cause (v) προκαλώ, δημιουργώ connections (n) διασυνδέσεις take time off (expr) παίρνω άδεια major (n) τομέας, αντικείμενο (εκπαίδευσης, exaggerate (v) υπερβάλλω 6. εργασίας) part (n) ρόλος drop out (phr v) εγκαταλείπω director (n) σκηνοθέτης mention (v) αναφέρω attend (v) παρακολουθώ previous (adj) προηγούμενος change somebody’s mind (expr) αλλάζω τη γνώμη warn (v) προειδοποιώ κάποιου PART 3 7. defend (v) υπερασπίζομαι Questions 21 – 30 punish (v) τιμωρώ second chance (n) δεύτερη ευκαιρία mention (v) αναφέρω encourage (v) ενθαρρύνω PART 2 demonstrate (v) επιδεικνύω Questions 9 – 12 trend (n) τάση, μόδα length (n) διάρκεια illustrate (v) επεξηγώ speech (n) ομιλία, λόγος research (n) έρευνα necessary (adj) απαραίτητος depend on (phr v) εξαρτώμαι relevant (adj) σχετικός deceive (v) παραπλανώ, εξαπατώ boring (adj) βαρετός in line with (prep) σε συμφωνία με colleague (n) συνάδελφος instantly (adv) αμέσως accept (v) αποδέχομαι peer (n) όμοιος, ομότιμος completely (adv) ολοκληρωτικά, εντελώς unrealistic (adj) μη ρεαλιστικός PRACTICE TEST 1 u 5

Michigan State University MSU-CELP C2 PRACTICE TESTS The Hamilton House MSU-CELP Practice Tests contains seven complete practice tests for the Michigan State University C2 examination.The tests comply with the level, content and rationale of the most recent MSU-CELP examinations, as of 2017. The materials in this book give students the opportunity to: • consolidate all important language skills and sub-skills while familiarizing themselves with the actual format of the MSU-CELP; • get invaluable practice by doing exam-style activities simulating all parts of the “Listen to this!” and “Read about it!” sections. • review grammar concepts that frequently recur in the “Grammar you can use!” section; and • develop and practice effective written and oral communication skills essential for the “Think about it, write about it!” section and the MSU-CELP Speaking Test. The Teacher’s Book contains the overprinted key and justi cation of the answers to the reading tasks, as well as a complete Listening Transcript with underlined answers.The Listening Transcript with underlined answers is also available online at www.hamiltonhousepublishers.com. The components of the Hamilton House MSU–CELP Practice Tests are: MSU–CELP Practice Tests Student’s Book MSU–CELP Practice Tests Teacher’s Book MSU–CELP Practice Tests Glossary MSU–CELP Practice Tests Audio CDs