NAME: _____________________________________

TOTAL: /100

TEST REVISION: PRESENT TENSES + ARTICLES

Exercise 1: Please complete the following exercise using a/an/the/0 (no article) in the underlined
spaces where appropriate. Change capital letters to lower case letters at the beginning of a sentence if
necessary.

Ms Parrot, (1) ___ most famous lady detective of (2) ___ twenty-first century, was born in (3) ___
United Kingdom in (4) ___ 1960s. Since then, she has been to many countries, including (5) ___ Portugal,
Singapore and Australia, and has lived in (6) ___ northern hemisphere and (7) ___ southern hemisphere,
as well as on (8) ___ equator. She has never been to (9) ___ Philippines or (10) ___ United States, but
she speaks (11)______ English, French and Portuguese. Like Sherlock Holmes, (12) ___ famous
detective, she plays (13) ___ violin, and sometimes practises up to five times (14) ___ day. She is also
(15) ___ only person in (16) ___ world to have performed Tchaikovsky’s 1812 overture [a long piece of
music] in one breath on (17) ___ recorder.

She has been (18) ___ detective for thirty years and claims that although many people think that
being (19) ___ detective is (20) ___ piece of cake, detectives generally work very hard and it’s not all fun
and games. (21) ___ detective is someone who solves mysteries, and (22) ___ people who contact Ms
Parrot have some very unusual problems. Little information is available about some of (23) ___ cases
she has solved, but quite (24) ___ few of her most famous cases have attracted worldwide attention and
she has been offered up to (25) ___ thousand dollars (26) ___ hour to help solve mysteries such as (27)
___ case of (28) ___ Australian owl in (29) ___ uniform. (30) ___ bird laid (31) ___ egg in (32) ___
European nest in less than (33) ___ hour after its arrival. What (34) ___ strange problem!

With great (35) ___ modesty, she has either declined such (36) ___ fee or donated (37) ___ money
to (38) ___ poor, or to (39) ___ Grammar Survival Fund, believing that (40) ___ detective should use
their skills for (41) ___ common good.

Exercise 2: Complete the sentences with the correct tense:

1. Every Monday, Sally (drive) ............... her kids to football practice.

2. A: Did you like the movie "Star Wars"?

B: I don't know. I (see, never) ................................. that movie.

3. Sam (arrive) ................................. in San Diego a week ago.

4. I (love) ..........chocolate since I was a child. You might even call me a "chocoholic".

5. It (rain) ................................. all week. I hope it stops by Saturday because I want to go to the beach.

6. Usually, I (work) ............... as a secretary at ABT, but this summer I (study) ................ French at a
language school in Paris. That is why I am in Paris.

7. Shhhhh! Be quiet! John (sleep) .........

8. Don't forget to take your umbrella. It (rain) ............. .

9. A: What is that sound?

B: A car alarm (ring) ................ somewhere down the street. It (drive)............. me crazy - I wish it

would stop! It (ring) ................................. for more than twenty minutes.

10. This tree (be)....... planted by the settlers who (found)........... our city over four hundred years ago.

11. This mountain (be, never) ................................. climbed by anyone. Several mountaineers (try)

................................. to reach the top, but nobody (succeed, ever) ................ The climb is extremely
difficult and many people (die) ................ trying to reach the summit.

12. I (visit, never) ................. Africa, but I (travel) ................. to South America several times. The last
time I (go)............... to South America, I (visit) ................... Brazil and Peru. I (spend)............ two weeks in
the Amazon, (hike) ....... for a week near Machu Picchu, and (fly) ..... over the Nazca Lines.

13. I hate living in Seattle because it (rain, always) ............

14. I'm sorry I can't hear what you (say) .................... because everybody (talk) ................ so loudly.

15. Stinson is a fantastic writer. He (write) ................. ten very creative short stories in the last year. One
day, he'll be as famous as Hemingway.

16. I (have, not) ................................. this much fun since I (be) ................. a kid.

17. Things (change) ................. a great deal at Coltech, Inc. When we first (start) ............ working here

three years ago, the company (have, only) ................ six employees. Since then, we (expand).......... to
include more than 2000 full-time workers.

18. Justin (write, currently) ............ a book about his adventures in Tibet. I hope he can find a good
publisher when he is finished.

19. Do you want to come over for dinner tonight. Oh, I'm sorry, I can't. I (go) ........... to a movie tonight
with some friends.

20. A: You look a little tired. (You, get) ............ enough sleep lately?

B: Yes, I (sleep) ......... relatively well. I just look tired because I (feel) ......... a little sick for the last week.

A: I hope you feel better soon.

B: Thanks. I (take, currently) ......... some medicine, so I should feel better in a couple of days.

21. The business cards (be, normally )................ printed by a company in New York. Their prices
(be)................. inexpensive, yet the quality of their work is quite good.

22. This delicious chocolate (be) ................... made by a small chocolatier in Zurich, Switzerland.

23. A: Where is Gary?

B: He (study, at the library) ................................. for his German test on Wednesday. In fact, he
(review) ................................. for the test every day for the last week.

24. You look really great! (You, exercise) ................................. at the fitness center ?

25. Frank, where have you been? We (wait) ................................. for you since 1 P.M..

26. I (tell) ................ him to stay on the path while he was hiking, but he (wander) ...................... off into
the forest and (be) ...................... bitten by a snake.

27. Listen Donna, I don't care if you (miss) ........... the bus this morning. You (be) .............. late to

work too many times. You are fired!

28. Sam is from Colorado, which is hundreds of miles from the coast, so he (see, never) .............. the
ocean. He should come with us to Miami.

29. How sad! George (dream) .............. of going to California before died, but he didn't make it. He (see,
never) ............. the ocean.
30. In the last hundred years, traveling (become) .................. much easier and very comfortable. In the
19th century, it (take) .... two or three months to cross North America by covered wagon. The trip (be)
........ very rough and often dangerous. Things (change)............ a great deal in the last hundred and fifty
years. Now you can fly from New York to Los Angeles in a matter of hours.

Exercise 3: Choose a, b, c, or d that best completes each unfinished sentence, substitutes the
underlined part, or has a close meaning to the original one.

1. He has been very interested in doing research on _______ since he was at high school.

a. biology b. biological c. biologist d. biologically

2. Are you sure that boys are more _______ than girls?

a. act b. active c. action d. activity

3. It is generally believed that "Men make _______ house and women make _______ home".

a. Ø / Ø b. a / an c. the / the d. an / the

4. Most doctors and nurses have to work on a _______ once or twice a week at the hospital.

a. solution b. night shift c. household chores d. special dishes

5. We enjoy _______ time together in the evening when the family members gather in the living room
after a day of working hard.

a. spending b. caring c. taking d. doing

6. It is parents' duty and responsibility to _______ hands to tae care of their children and give them a
happy home.

a. shake b. hold c. join d. take

7. He is a _______ boy. He is often kind and helpful to every classmate.

a. frank b. lovely c. obedient d. caring

8. Doctors are supposed to _______ responsibility for human life.

a. do b. take c. rush d. join

9. _______ sure that you follow the instructions carefully.

 a. Believe b. Try c. Do d. Make

10. Sometimes Mr. Pike has to work very late _______ night to do some important experiments.

a. in b. at c. for d. on

11. Peter was _______ a hurry to go so he did not stop to greet me.

a. in b. on c. with d. over

12. It _______ it is parents' responsibility to take good care of their children.

a. commonly says that b. commonly to be said that

c. is commonly said that d. is commonly saying

13. Most children enjoy _______ with their parents and siblings.

a. play b. to play c. playing d. played

14. He studies _______ his two brothers.

a. much better than b. more better than c. more good than d. very better than

15. You are old enough to take _______ for what you have done.

a. responsible b. responsibility c. responsibly d. irresponsible

16. These quick and easy _______ can be effective in the short term, but they have a cost.
a. solve b. solvable c. solutions d. solvability

17. John is _______ only child in his family so his parents love him a lot.
a. a b. an c. the d. no article

18. According to the boss, John is the most _______ for the position of executive secretary.
a. supportive b. caring c. suitable d. comfortable

19. She got up late and rushed to the bus stop

a. came into b. went leisurely c. went quickly d. dropped by

20. Billy, come and give me a hand with cooking.

a. help b. prepared c. be busy d. attempt