ENGLISH PROFICIENCY
(YLS)
EXAM SAMPLE
FOR GRADUATE STUDENTS
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For questions 1 – 30, choose the best option to fill in the blanks.2
1. The athlete ______ her lifetime ambition when she won her gold medal.
a) embarrassed c) explored
b) accomplished d) advanced
2. By the time he ______14, Wolfgang Mozart ______ an enviable number of music pieces.
a) was / had composed
b) was / has composed
c) had been / composed
d) had been / was composed
3. Archaeologists ______ recently that an ancient underground city around Cappadocia ______ long wide corridors where there are many special areas for making cheese and wine.
a) have been explained / had had
b) had been explained / had had
c) have explained / has
d) had explained / has
4. ______ programs have been arranged for this special tracking up to this date, but ______ them are suitable to carry out economically.
a) Each / all of c) Many / none of
b) Neither / both of d) Several / each of
5. The best thing that you can do to extend the life of your car is to ______ on a routine basis.
a) make your car service
b) have your car serviced
c) get your car service
d) let your car serviced
6. The referee was about ______ the match due to some coins and plastic bottles thrown into the play-field, but neither team seemed willing ______ playing.
a) postponing / stop
b) to postpone / stopping
c) to postpone / to stop
d) postponing / stopped
7. There is a warning ______ the bottom of the form that applicants are requested to hand ______ their forms before due date.
a) in / with c) on / for
b) by / of d) at / in
8. Brian has an active mind, he can re-tell memories ______ anybody else in the classroom.
a) more vividly than c) too vividly that
b) far more vivid than d) as vivid as
9. We will be successful if we try hard, ______?
a) don’t we c) won’t we
b) do we d) will we
10. Let's not go anywhere at the weekend. The weather reports say it is going to be rainy; ______, we have a project to complete.
a) as far as c) although
b) moreover d) therefore
11. Officials are planning to ______ the effectiveness of the environmental program. Afterwards, they will make some changes in the program if it is necessary.
a) assess c) ignore
b) conserve d) prohibit
12. A few of the boys started the race without enough warm-up. They ______ like that as they had muscle disturbance after the race.
a) mustn’t begin c) couldn’t have begun
b) may not begin d) shouldn’t have begun
13. There ______ such a big accident if the roads ______ icy.
a) wouldn’t have been / weren’t
b) weren’t / haven’t been
c) might not have been / aren’t
d) won’t be / aren’t going to be
14. Although the crime scene ______ thoroughly, nothing meaningful ______.
a) is searching / will be found
b) has been searched / has found
c) will search / found
d) was searched / was found
15. Have you ever heard that a cheetah is capable ______ running at the same speed equal ______ that of a race car?
a) at / by c) of / to
b) for / in d) on / with
16. The way you get dressed is ______ annoys me most.
a) what c) when
b) which d) where
17. The strong storm continued for ______ the days we were there, but fortunately there wasn't ______ damage in the farm.
a) a lot of / many c) a great deal / enough
b) most of / much d) many / so much
18. When I saw the doctor, I ______
______ I could visit her.
a) promised / when c) ordered / how
b) asked / if d) wanted / whether
19. Clearly, you weren’t impressed much by the
way he managed the press conference; I must
say I wasn’t ______.
a) also c) neither
b) too d) either
20. Everybody ______ was present at the seminar was each given a book ______ on marketing strategies.
a) who / that wrote
b) that / written
c) which / writing
d) whom / who wrote
21. While the Gypsies, or the Romani people, have historically led a/an ______ lifestyle, most of them now live in permanent residences.
a) nomadic c) wealthy
b) controversial d) affluent
22. Scientists ______ that 230,000 life forms of all types are currently known, but the total could be up to 10 times that amount.
a) overcome c) demand
b) deny d) estimate
23. Until its collapse, The Roman Empire, also known as The Holy Roman Empire, was ______a feared opponent, ______ a respected territorial power in the world.
a) so / that c) either / or
b) neither / as d) so / as
24. One ______ of environmental engineering is to develop new houses, offices, or manufacture plants that minimize the amount of energy they use.
a) danger c) drawback
b) purpose d) intuition
25. With the development of Information Technology, we ______ addicted to machines so much that it ______ impossible to conduct almost any operation without these gadgets.
a) were / should be
b) must be / should be
c) have become / would be
d) would have / could be
26. It is worth ______ the film on TV
tonight, for it was one of the box office
movies two weeks ago.
a) to see c) to be seen
b) seeing d) being seen
27. Mike has got certain ______, which make him different from his classmates.
a) subordinates c) shifts
b) tutors d) traits
28. In ______ areas, people usually have agricultural work.
a) rural c) blank
b) urban d) oppressive
29. Primary school teachers leave a/an ______ impact on the student’s character development.
a) artificial c) profound
b) shallow d) superficial
30. These are precious objects each of which was ______ manufactured.
a) carelessly c) simply
b) indifferently d) meticulously
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Read the text and answer the questions 31 – 35 by choosing the best option to fill in the blanks.The test scores of (31) _____ schools are higher than those of public schools. The main reason (32) _____ scores are higher is class sizes. Children in such schools do not have (33) _____ classes. This gives the teacher the opportunity to devote more time to each student. This also (34) _____ a teacher to spend less time disciplining, and more time teaching. Another thing is that violence in these schools is not as bad as that in public schools. This is because they will not let the student stay in school if they commit an act of violence. That’s why the students can focus more (35) _____ their studies.
31. a) local b) private c) special d) business
32. a) what b) which c) why d) in that
33. a) congested b) diligent c) suspicious d) multilingual
34. a) allows b) prevents c) keeps d) instructs
35. a) off b) at c) above d) on
Read the text and answer the questions 36 – 40 by choosing the best option to fill in the blanks.More than 1000 studies (36) _____ that media violence can have negative effects on children. It increases aggressiveness, and anti-social behavior makes them less (37) ____ to violence and to victims of violence. It also increases their appetite for more violence in entertainment and real life. Media violence is (38) _____ damaging to young children aged 8 and under, because they cannot tell the difference (39) _____ real life and fantasy. Violent images on television and in movies may seem real to these children and sometimes viewing these images can even traumatize them. (40) _____ the negative effects media violence has been known to have, no drastic changes have been made to deal with this problem.
36. a) will prove b) are proving c) have proven d) will be proved
37. a) valuable b) available c) intensive d) sensitive
38. a) particularly b) slightly c) inconsiderably d) collectively
39. a) among b) between c) than d) of
40. a) Although b) In spite of the fact that c) But d) Despite
For questions 41 – 46, choose the option with the closest meaning for the sentences in bold.41. It is more than a couple of years since I last went there.
a) I have never stayed there for longer than two years.
b) It was only after two years that I went there again.
c) I had never been there until the year before last.
d) I haven’t been there since my visit over two years ago.
42. I rejected the new job opportunity and now I regret it.
a) If only I hadn’t rejected the new job opportunity.
b) I wish to accept the new job opportunity.
c) I had better accept the new job opportunity.
d) I regret not having rejected the new job opportunity.
43. Contrary to what Bill had expected, the professor cancelled the class.
a) Bill expected the professor to contradict himself.
b) Bill had expected the professor to cancel the class.
c) Bill asked the professor to cancel the class.
d) Bill hadn’t expected the professor to cancel the class, but he did.
44. We asked Peter to help us decorate the house for the wedding party.
a) Peter has decorated the house for his wedding party for us.
b) We had Peter decorate the house for the wedding party.
c) We were wanted to decorate the house by Peter for the party.
d) Peter has had us decorate the house for the wedding party.
45. The food was so awful that we complained to the manager.
a) It was such tasty food that I complimented the manager on the taste of it.
b) It was the most delicious food I have ever eaten, so I hesitated to complain it.
c) The food was terrible; however, we hesitated to make a complaint the manager.
d) It was such terrible food that we expressed our dissatisfaction to the manager.
46. I can’t help feeling that he is not experienced enough to be given a position of such responsibility.
a) It is a very demanding position and I am not at all sure that he has the experience needed for it.
b) It is a known fact that a job of that description requires someone with a great deal of knowledge.
c) With a little experience I am sure he will develop into a highly efficient manager of the future.
d) Depending my experience, I think men of this type rarely function well in positions of authority.
For questions 47 – 52, choose the option that best completes the sentence given in bold.47. James insisted on taking us all out for dinner ______.
a) whenever he comes to Istanbul for a weekend
b) even though he really could not afford to pay
c) that there was so little to eat in the house
d) since he is really short of money at the moment
48. Because of the terrible state of the roads following the heavy rain, ______.
a) it is unreasonable to be stuck in traffic and arrive at the village late
b) it is likely to arrive at the railway station on time to catch the train
c) it was almost impossible to reach the village without a tractor
d) it may not be so difficult to reach the destination you want to go
49. According to some animal rights supporters, zoos should be shut down ______.
a) if they play a vital role in teaching the public to appreciate the world's wildlife
b) when endangered species may be wiped out in the wild unless they are kept in zoos
c) since it is immoral to take animals from their wild habitats and keep them in zoos
d) because confinement in zoos is justified in order to save species from extinction
50. ______, it is mainly oral, with a high value placed on telling tales and dreams.
a) Although some countries developed an advanced technology
b) Even though the first Eastern countries had developed burial sites
c) If China‘s cultural growth rate was not as high as it was expected
d) Even though the culture of Eastern countries has varied extraordinarily
51. ______; for that reason, government must take precautions against this problem for the future of them.
a) Unemployment is a great threat to university students
b) Pollution is an ongoing issue that must be dealt with
c) We should do our best to solve domestic violation
d) High crime rate is a less common problem in the country
52. ______, scientists began to investigate the possibilities of classifying them in useful ways.
a) Majority of scientists claim the opposite theory
b) As the number of known elements increased
c) Unless technology reaches a satisfactory level
d) In order to improve information technology
For questions 53 – 57, choose the most appropriate option to complete the paragraph.53. ______This means that they have to spend as much time as possible developing skills that will be of use in their employment. Consequently, schools have little time to devote to less important subjects such as Physical Education and Music. They do not consider, however, that to be a productive member of the workforce, we need to have a healthy mind in a healthy body.