EAP IELTS Preparation Upper Intermediate
Certificate Practice Exam
**Question 1. Which reading technique is best suited for obtaining the main idea of a passage
quickly?**
A) Detailed reading
B) Skimming
C) Scanning
D) Annotating
Answer: B
Explanation: Skimming involves glancing through a text to capture its overall meaning without
focusing on details.
**Question 2. When you need to find a specific date mentioned in a long academic article,
which technique should you use?**
A) Skimming
B) Scanning
C) Guessing from context
D) Summarizing
Answer: B
Explanation: Scanning is the process of looking for particular pieces of information, such as
dates or names, without reading everything.
**Question 3. In a paragraph, the sentence that expresses the central claim of the author is
called the:**
A) Supporting detail
B) Topic sentence
C) Concluding sentence
, EAP IELTS Preparation Upper Intermediate
Certificate Practice Exam
D) Transition phrase
Answer: B
Explanation: The topic sentence states the main idea of the paragraph and guides the
supporting details.
**Question 4. Which of the following is a reliable clue for deducing the meaning of an
unfamiliar word?**
A) The word’s length
B) The font style
C) Contextual synonyms nearby
D) The page number
Answer: C
Explanation: Context clues, such as synonyms or definitions within the same sentence, help
infer the meaning of unknown vocabulary.
**Question 5. The root “bio‑” most likely refers to:**
A) Life
B) Money
C) Light
D) Sound
Answer: A
Explanation: “Bio‑” is a Greek root meaning “life,” as seen in words like biology and biography.
**Question 6. Which text structure presents a problem first and then proposes a solution?**
A) Cause/effect
B) Comparison/contrast
, EAP IELTS Preparation Upper Intermediate
Certificate Practice Exam
C) Problem/solution
D) Chronological order
Answer: C
Explanation: The problem/solution pattern introduces an issue and follows with possible
remedies.
**Question 7. The phrase “on the other hand” signals which rhetorical move?**
A) Cause
B) Contrast
C) Example
D) Conclusion
Answer: B
Explanation: “On the other hand” signals a contrast between two ideas.
**Question 8. An author’s tone that is skeptical and questioning is best described as:**
A) Objective
B) Enthusiastic
C) Critical
D) Humorous
Answer: C
Explanation: A critical tone conveys doubt and careful evaluation of arguments.
**Question 9. In IELTS reading, a “True/False/Not Given” question asks you to determine
whether:**
A) The statement is directly stated, contradicted, or absent.
, EAP IELTS Preparation Upper Intermediate
Certificate Practice Exam
B) The statement is a summary of the whole passage.
C) The statement is a paraphrase of a heading.
D) The statement is a personal opinion.
Answer: A
Explanation: “True” means the statement matches the passage, “False” means it contradicts,
and “Not Given” means there is no information.
**Question 10. When matching headings to paragraphs, the most efficient strategy is to:**
A) Read the entire passage first, then the headings.
B) Skim each paragraph for its main idea and compare with headings.
C) Memorize all headings before looking at the text.
D) Guess based on paragraph length.
Answer: B
Explanation: Skimming each paragraph for its core idea allows quick matching with headings.
**Question 11. Which of the following is NOT a typical feature of a line graph?**
A) X‑axis representing time
B) Data points connected by lines
C) Percentage distribution of categories
D) Trend arrows indicating increase or decrease
Answer: C
Explanation: Percentage distribution of categories is usually shown in a pie chart, not a line
graph.
**Question 12. In describing a bar chart, the verb “plummet” is most appropriate to describe:**
Certificate Practice Exam
**Question 1. Which reading technique is best suited for obtaining the main idea of a passage
quickly?**
A) Detailed reading
B) Skimming
C) Scanning
D) Annotating
Answer: B
Explanation: Skimming involves glancing through a text to capture its overall meaning without
focusing on details.
**Question 2. When you need to find a specific date mentioned in a long academic article,
which technique should you use?**
A) Skimming
B) Scanning
C) Guessing from context
D) Summarizing
Answer: B
Explanation: Scanning is the process of looking for particular pieces of information, such as
dates or names, without reading everything.
**Question 3. In a paragraph, the sentence that expresses the central claim of the author is
called the:**
A) Supporting detail
B) Topic sentence
C) Concluding sentence
, EAP IELTS Preparation Upper Intermediate
Certificate Practice Exam
D) Transition phrase
Answer: B
Explanation: The topic sentence states the main idea of the paragraph and guides the
supporting details.
**Question 4. Which of the following is a reliable clue for deducing the meaning of an
unfamiliar word?**
A) The word’s length
B) The font style
C) Contextual synonyms nearby
D) The page number
Answer: C
Explanation: Context clues, such as synonyms or definitions within the same sentence, help
infer the meaning of unknown vocabulary.
**Question 5. The root “bio‑” most likely refers to:**
A) Life
B) Money
C) Light
D) Sound
Answer: A
Explanation: “Bio‑” is a Greek root meaning “life,” as seen in words like biology and biography.
**Question 6. Which text structure presents a problem first and then proposes a solution?**
A) Cause/effect
B) Comparison/contrast
, EAP IELTS Preparation Upper Intermediate
Certificate Practice Exam
C) Problem/solution
D) Chronological order
Answer: C
Explanation: The problem/solution pattern introduces an issue and follows with possible
remedies.
**Question 7. The phrase “on the other hand” signals which rhetorical move?**
A) Cause
B) Contrast
C) Example
D) Conclusion
Answer: B
Explanation: “On the other hand” signals a contrast between two ideas.
**Question 8. An author’s tone that is skeptical and questioning is best described as:**
A) Objective
B) Enthusiastic
C) Critical
D) Humorous
Answer: C
Explanation: A critical tone conveys doubt and careful evaluation of arguments.
**Question 9. In IELTS reading, a “True/False/Not Given” question asks you to determine
whether:**
A) The statement is directly stated, contradicted, or absent.
, EAP IELTS Preparation Upper Intermediate
Certificate Practice Exam
B) The statement is a summary of the whole passage.
C) The statement is a paraphrase of a heading.
D) The statement is a personal opinion.
Answer: A
Explanation: “True” means the statement matches the passage, “False” means it contradicts,
and “Not Given” means there is no information.
**Question 10. When matching headings to paragraphs, the most efficient strategy is to:**
A) Read the entire passage first, then the headings.
B) Skim each paragraph for its main idea and compare with headings.
C) Memorize all headings before looking at the text.
D) Guess based on paragraph length.
Answer: B
Explanation: Skimming each paragraph for its core idea allows quick matching with headings.
**Question 11. Which of the following is NOT a typical feature of a line graph?**
A) X‑axis representing time
B) Data points connected by lines
C) Percentage distribution of categories
D) Trend arrows indicating increase or decrease
Answer: C
Explanation: Percentage distribution of categories is usually shown in a pie chart, not a line
graph.
**Question 12. In describing a bar chart, the verb “plummet” is most appropriate to describe:**
