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International Training Programme 50

Intermediate Group: Writing Test (Final)

Date: 27th

August 2015 Time: 2 hours Full Marks: 60

Name:…………………………………………………………………

I. Read the following paragraph and fill in the gaps with either a pronoun, or the

definite article ‘the’ or Ø. (1.5X12= 18 marks)

Mrs. Knowles and her three sons were driving from …………… (1) Perth to Adelaide in the

early hours one morning in 2008. The lady slowed down when …………… (2) saw a light

flashing on the road ahead, and thought it was a traffic signal. Suddenly, some strange lights on

top of …………… (3) car started blinking. Feeling terrified and out of control, the family also

noticed a black powder flowing inside …………… (4) car and it smelt horrible. In a state of

shock, Mrs. Knowles drove to …………… (5) nearest town and reported the incident to the

police. Thinking that the woman must have been so tired that she was dreaming, the police gave

…………… (6) a cup of tea hoping to calm her down. Finally, the police agreed to inspect the

car and when …………… (7) did, they saw the dust, smelt the smell, and also noticed some

small dents in the roof of the car. Meanwhile, a local lorry driver, Mr. Perry, following

…………… (8) same route as Mrs. Knowles confirmed that …………… (9) had also seen the

strange lights in the distance, but luckily …………… (10) car was safe. …………… (11) story

was quickly taken up by the local people as a proof of the presence of ………….. (12) aliens on

earth.

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II. Read the following two paragraphs and fill in the gaps with the most appropriate

linkers. Some examples of the types of linkers that you can use to fill in the blanks are

given in the table below. But these linkers may not necessarily be the correct answers

for all the blanks. (2X14=28 marks)

Additive Adversative Causal Temporal

Numeral Non-numeral

and also in addition

but however in contrast (to)

because so in order to

first second last

as soon as before then

I hope to be a successful artist someday soon. I have been painting since I was a young child

………. (1) all my family said I had great talent. ……………… (2) I cannot get a job as an

artist or make enough money selling my art as a novice. I really want to be a professional

artist; …………….(3) I need to make some changes to achieve my dream. As a …………

(4) step, I plan to study for a graduate degree in Fine Art ……………… (5) learn more about

color and make my paintings more original. The second step will be to develop more

confidence about trying to sell my work. …………….. (6) I am going to design a website to

show and sell my paintings. I believe that if you have dreams, you should not wait for fate.

You have to do something yourself to achieve your dreams. …………… (7) going to school

to learn more or exploring different business opportunities are just two ways to change your

future.

……………………………….

The strangest experience in my life happened a year ………………. (8) I graduated from my

high school. I was sixteen years old ………….. (9) my best friend Mark was fifteen. He

invited me to visit him during the summer. I went to stay with him in his farmhouse in the

middle of the countryside. I shared a room with Mark, and our beds were separated by a

table. Every morning, Mark’s mom brought us a cup of hot tea in bed …………… (10) we

woke up. All through the day, we would play games and roam in the gardens. One night

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………………….. (11) we were sleeping, I could feel my bed moving. ………… (12) I

thought I was dreaming. The …………. (13) morning, Mark’s mother brought us hot tea as

usual. …………….(14) she turned on the lights, we saw that our beds were pushed together

and the table had moved. Mark said he didn’t do it, and I didn’t do it. We still don’t know

how the beds moved! What do you think?

III. Write a short essay of about 250-300 words on the following topic:

Study tours as part of educational programmes have multiple benefits.

To write this essay you may use your experiences from the study tour you went for in the last

month to Delhi and Agra, two cities in North India. Do you think you gained knowledge from

the tour? If yes, then list the gains you experienced (e.g., cultural knowledge, knowledge about

weather/history of a country) and explain each of the ideas clearly. Write your essay in

paragraphs and use linkers to connect ideas. (14 marks)

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