TEST 5 PAPER 1: READING Part 1 FCE PRACTICE TESTS (with key)

 

FCE PRACTICE TESTS (with key) TEST 5 PAPER 1: READING Part 1 (QUESTIONS 1-8)

 

You are going to read an interview with a successful novelist. For questions 1-8 choose the answer (А, В, С or D) which you think fits best according to the text. Mark your answers on the separate answer sheet. Darren Bell is a well-known household name and has had three best-sellers. I met him to find out what his secret was. He writes in such a natural, easy-going style I wasn't surprised when he told me he had been writing stories from a very young age. I ’ve always enjoyed writing; I used to write short stories when I was at school and really enjoyed the opportunity to be creative and let my imagination run wild.’ When I asked how his family and friends reacted to his creative writing he explained that it was largely thanks to their positive feedback that he had pursued a career as a writer. He said his teachers and parents always encouraged him to write and to enter competitions; he won his first writing competition at school when he was just 7 years old, ‘My story was printed in the local newspaper, it was really exciting and my Mum still has a copy of the paper somewhere.’ ‘Did you ever feel very different from your school friends?’ I asked him. ‘Not at all.' he said. ‘We did all the normal things like watch football together, go out on our bikes and so on. The only difference was that I would be more likely to have a notebook in my bag and might sometimes write ideas down, but my friends were used to that, it didn’t feel strange and no-one ever said anything about it.’ I asked how his passion for writing developed as he got older and how he found his particular fictional style. He explained that when he went to university he got involved in writing for the university newspaper. He told me he wrote all sorts of different articles but at the end of the day after trying all sorts of different writing types he decided he preferred writing fiction rather than serious articles about news events. ‘As it is now, it was always the sense of getting completely lost in my own world that attracted me. I like being creative and I feel more comfortable expressing my own ideas and images rather than writing about things that are real.’ He explained this further by saying that when you write about true facts you have to justify everything and get things right but when he was writing his own stories he felt like he could write about anything he liked. That’s not to say you don't have to do a lot of research,’ he pointed out. He told me he had spent hours in libraries and museums looking up all sorts of things from chemical equations to dinosaurs and that the best source of information was talking to experts and people who had really experienced the sorts of things he wanted the characters in his books to experience. He says it’s important to make the events and characters seem believable otherwise people won’t connect with the story. ‘I always make an effort to research my subject matter properly as there will always be someone out there who really does know about whatever I’m talking about and I don’t want anybody to read my books and think I'm talking nonsense.’ I asked him where he got his inspiration from for his unusual storylines and he openly admitted that it was very boring everyday events. ‘When I write I start by thinking of a real situation and real people and then imagine what they might do if something unexpected or unusual happened. I like to write about how different people react and how this affects their relationships with one another.' He added that one thing that he always tried to ensure was that his stories had a clear and satisfying ending. ‘I don’t like to leave any loose ends,’ he said. ‘I myself find it frustrating if at the end of a book something is not explained, so I try and avoid this frustration for my readers.’ He also says he tries to give his novels happy endings. ‘That’s not to say sad things don’t happen in my novels because they do and any story where everyone is happy and only good things happen would be very unrealistic, but I don’t want readers to finish my novels feeling depressed, so I like to finish on a positive note.’ And finally what is his key to success? According to Darren the most important thing is to have a great team of friends and family behind you to help you and support you. ‘I am lucky to have a very supportive and understanding family and numerous friends, who have been fantastic and helped by reading endless drafts of my work and giving very honest comments on it. I couldn’t have done any of it without them.’   1 Why was the interviewer not surprised that Darren had been writing since a young age? A Because he writes like a trained professional. B Because he has a very relaxed way of writing. C Because he is well-known for the stories he wrote as a child. D Because his stories are very creative. 2 How did he feel when he won his first writing competition? A embarrassed B different from his friends C excited D he was too young to feel anything 3 When he says ‘my friends were used to that’ in line 13, what does ‘that’ refer to? A watching football and going for bike rides together B Darren winning competitions C carrying notebooks in their bags D Darren writing things down in his notebook 4 Why does he say he prefers writing creative fiction to writing about real news events? A He has never written about real life events. B He finds real life events boring. C He likes to make things up. D Writing fiction means he doesn’t have to do research. 5 Why does he think it is important that the people and events in his books are believable? A Because if they are not readers will not understand the story. B Because if they are not readers will not get involved in the story. C Because people want to read about everyday people and events. D Because people prefer to read about things they know something about. 6 Wh0t does he always make sure his stories have? A a definite finish B a good beginning C real life characters D interesting events 7 Why does he say he includes unhappy events in his stories? A Because he likes to make people feel depressed. B Because writing only about happy things can be frustrating. C Because he knows more about sad events. D Because he wants his stories to be like real life. 8 How does he say his friends have helped him? A by telling him what they really think of his work B by always telling him how good his books are C by buying all his books D by understanding he has a lot of work

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