iTEP Au Pair 2 — Questions and Answers

Question 1: Choose the sentence that uses the correct verb tense: The family ______ to Paris next summer if they save enough money.

will travel (Correct answer)
traveled
are traveling yesterday
have traveled

Correct answer: will travel

'Will travel' is the correct future simple tense to describe a planned future conditional event.

When expressing a future possibility or plan dependent on a condition ('if they save enough money'), English uses the future simple tense 'will + base verb'. 'Traveled' is past simple, 'are traveling yesterday' is grammatically incorrect (present continuous cannot be used with 'yesterday'), and 'have traveled' is present perfect referring to past experience. Future simple correctly frames the conditional future scenario.

Question 2: An au pair is describing her duties. Which sentence is grammatically correct?

I take care of the children every morning. (Correct answer)
I takes care of the children every morning.
I am take care of the children every morning.
I taked care of the children every morning.

Correct answer: I take care of the children every morning.

'I take care' uses the correct first-person present simple form without adding -s, which is only added for third-person singular subjects.

In English present simple, the verb takes -s or -es only for third-person singular subjects (he, she, it). With first-person 'I', the base form is used: 'I take'. 'I takes' incorrectly applies third-person inflection. 'I am take' incorrectly mixes the present continuous auxiliary 'am' with a bare infinitive. 'Taked' is not a valid past form — the correct past of 'take' is 'took'.

Question 3: Read the passage: 'The children were exhausted after their long journey, so they fell asleep immediately.' What does 'exhausted' mean in this context?

Extremely tired (Correct answer)
Very excited
Slightly hungry
Completely lost

Correct answer: Extremely tired

'Exhausted' means extremely tired, which explains why the children fell asleep immediately after their journey.

Context clues are essential for reading comprehension. The sentence states the children 'fell asleep immediately', which is the natural result of being extremely tired. 'Exhausted' is an adjective meaning completely drained of energy. It does not mean excited, hungry, or lost. iTEP reading passages often test whether test-takers can use surrounding context to deduce the meaning of advanced vocabulary.

Question 4: Which word correctly completes the sentence? 'The au pair was responsible ______ preparing the children's meals each evening.'

for (Correct answer)
of
to
at

Correct answer: for

The adjective 'responsible' collocates with the preposition 'for' when describing duties or obligations.

In English, the adjective 'responsible' is followed by the preposition 'for' when indicating a duty, task, or obligation: 'responsible for preparing meals'. 'Responsible of' is not standard English. 'Responsible to' means answerable to a person (e.g., 'responsible to the manager'). 'Responsible at' is not a standard collocation. Knowing correct preposition use is a key grammar point tested on the iTEP.

Question 5: An au pair writes: 'I have been living with the host family since six months.' What is the error?

'since' should be 'for' (Correct answer)
'have been living' should be 'live'
'host family' should be 'hosting family'
There is no error

Correct answer: 'since' should be 'for'

'Since' is used with a specific point in time, while 'for' is used with a duration of time such as 'six months'.

In English, 'since' marks the starting point of an action continuing to the present (e.g., 'since January', 'since 2020'), while 'for' indicates the duration of time (e.g., 'for six months', 'for three years'). Since 'six months' is a period of time, not a specific moment, 'for' is correct: 'I have been living with the host family for six months.' This is a common preposition error tested in iTEP grammar sections.

Question 6: In a listening task, an au pair hears: 'Could you possibly put the laundry in before you leave?' What does the speaker want the au pair to do?

Start the washing machine before departing (Correct answer)
Collect the laundry from outside
Fold the laundry and put it away
Buy new laundry detergent

Correct answer: Start the washing machine before departing

'Put the laundry in' is an idiomatic expression meaning to place clothes in the washing machine and start it.

In everyday spoken English, 'put the laundry in' or 'put a load in' means to load clothes into a washing machine and start it. This is a practical vocabulary item often found in iTEP listening tasks involving household and family contexts. Understanding idiomatic expressions and phrasal verbs in natural spoken language is essential for scoring well on the iTEP listening section.

iTEP Au Pair 2

Choose the sentence that uses the correct verb tense: The family ______ to Paris next summer if they save enough money.