APTIS - Aptis English Describing and Comparing Pictures Questions and Answers — Questions and Answers
Question 1: When beginning to describe a single picture in the APTIS test, what is generally the most effective first step?
- To immediately speculate about the emotions of the people.
- To describe the smallest details in the background first.
- To provide a general overview of the main subject and setting. (Correct answer)
- To list all the colors you can see in the image.
Correct answer: To provide a general overview of the main subject and setting.
Starting with a general overview gives the listener a clear context for the details that will follow. It's a logical way to structure the description, moving from the big picture to specific elements.
Question 2: Which sentence best uses appropriate language to speculate about something uncertain in a picture?
- The man is definitely a doctor because he is in a hospital.
- The woman will be happy when she gets home.
- The family is on holiday.
- The building in the background could be a library, but I'm not certain. (Correct answer)
Correct answer: The building in the background could be a library, but I'm not certain.
The phrase 'could be' and the clause 'but I'm not certain' are excellent examples of speculative language, used when you are making a logical guess based on visual evidence but cannot be 100% sure.
Question 3: When describing an action currently happening in a photograph (e.g., 'a boy ___ a ball'), which verb tense is most appropriate?
- is kicking (Correct answer)
- kicked
- will kick
- has kicked
Correct answer: is kicking
The present continuous tense ('is kicking') is used to describe actions that are happening at the moment the picture was taken, as if they are in progress right now.
Question 4: You are asked to compare two pictures: one of a busy city market and one of a quiet, empty beach. Which of the following sentences most effectively contrasts the two scenes?
- The first picture has a market and the second picture has a beach.
- The first picture shows a crowded city market, whereas the second depicts a serene, deserted beach. (Correct answer)
- I like the beach picture more than the market picture because it is quiet.
- Both pictures were taken outdoors during the day.
Correct answer: The first picture shows a crowded city market, whereas the second depicts a serene, deserted beach.
This sentence uses the contrastive linker 'whereas' to directly compare the two different environments. It also uses strong, descriptive vocabulary ('crowded', 'serene', 'deserted') to highlight the differences effectively.
Question 5: A picture shows a man in a business suit looking at his watch with a worried expression, standing next to a bus stop. What is the most logical inference about this situation?
- He is enjoying a relaxing day off from work.
- He is probably late for an important meeting and is anxious about the bus arriving. (Correct answer)
- He is a tourist admiring the local architecture.
- He has just finished a successful business deal and is celebrating.
Correct answer: He is probably late for an important meeting and is anxious about the bus arriving.
This is the most logical inference because it connects all the visual clues: the business suit (work), looking at the watch (time-conscious), the worried expression (anxiety), and the bus stop (transportation). The other options contradict one or more of these clues.
Question 6: To describe the location of a tree that is behind the main building in a picture, which phrase is most precise?
- The tree is on the right.
- The tree is next to the building.
- The tree is in the background, behind the building. (Correct answer)
- The tree is near the building.
Correct answer: The tree is in the background, behind the building.
This answer is the most precise because it uses specific prepositions of place ('in the background', 'behind') to clearly and accurately locate the tree in relation to another object, giving the listener a three-dimensional sense of the scene.
APTIS - Aptis English Describing and Comparing Pictures Questions and Answers
When beginning to describe a single picture in the APTIS test, what is generally the most effective first step?