ETS Language Proficiency Tests

Question 1

Choose the correct sentence:

Accepted Answer

She has been working here for five years.

Answer

In English grammar, 'for' is used to express a duration of time, indicating how long something has been happening (e.g., 'for five years,' 'for two months'). 'Since' is used to indicate a specific starting point in time (e.g., 'since 2018,' 'since last Monday'). Therefore, 'She has been working here for five years' correctly uses 'for' to denote the duration of her employment.

Question 2

What does the woman mean when she says, "I’ll pencil you in for 3 PM tomorrow"?

Accepted Answer

She will temporarily schedule the meeting at 3 PM tomorrow.

Answer

The idiom 'to pencil someone in' or 'to pencil something in' means to make a tentative or provisional arrangement, often with the understanding that it might be changed or confirmed later. It implies a non-final booking, as if written lightly in pencil rather than permanently in ink. Therefore, the woman is temporarily scheduling the meeting at 3 PM tomorrow.

Question 3

In the sentence, "The archaeologists uncovered a plethora of artifacts during the excavation," what does the word plethora most likely mean?

Accepted Answer

A large amount

Answer

The word 'plethora' means an excess or a large amount of something. In the context of archaeologists uncovering artifacts during an excavation, finding a 'plethora' suggests they discovered a great many items. This implies an abundance, not a small, unknown, or rare quantity.

Question 4

Complete the sentence:
"Although the deadline was extended, the team __________ submit the report by Friday."

Accepted Answer

must

Answer

The sentence implies a strong obligation or necessity for the team to submit the report by Friday, despite the deadline extension. 'Must' conveys this strong sense of requirement or compulsion more definitively than 'should' (which suggests advice), 'has to' (which can imply external obligation), or 'might' (which indicates possibility). The 'although' clause highlights that the extension does not remove this firm requirement.

Question 5

Which of the following sentences best connects these two ideas?

The company invested heavily in renewable energy.
It saw a significant reduction in operating costs.

Accepted Answer

As a result of the investment, operating costs decreased significantly.

Answer

The two original ideas present a clear cause-and-effect relationship: the company's investment in renewable energy (cause) led to a significant reduction in operating costs (effect). Option B, 'As a result of the investment, operating costs decreased significantly,' clearly and concisely connects these ideas by explicitly stating the causal link. This makes it the best choice for combining the two statements.

(ETS) Educational Testing Service Practice Test

(ETS) Educational Testing Service Practice Test

ETS Language Proficiency Tests