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Joy English · Level B2 · The science of habitsjoy-english.com

Test 2: The science of habits

Name:Date:

A mixed grammar and vocabulary test about how habits form and change: choose the right word, write missing words and build new words.

Part 1: Multiple-choice gaps

Choose the word or phrase that best completes each sentence.

  1. Researchers have found that it takes, on average, about two months for a new behaviour to become ___.
    • a) automated
    • b) artificial
    • c) automatic
    • d) instant
  2. Many people ___ a resolution in January but give up within a few weeks.
    • a) make
    • b) do
    • c) take
    • d) put
  3. One reason habits are so hard to ___ is that familiar places and times trigger them.
    • a) crack
    • b) tear
    • c) split
    • d) break
  4. Sofia has ___ into the habit of checking her phone the moment she wakes up.
    • a) made
    • b) got
    • c) taken
    • d) become
  5. Aiko uses an app to ___ track of how often she meditates.
    • a) keep
    • b) hold
    • c) make
    • d) take
  6. It is ___ a myth that it takes exactly twenty-one days to form a habit.
    • a) greatly
    • b) highly
    • c) largely
    • d) deeply
  7. Linking a new habit to an existing one, ___ doing stretches while the kettle boils, can make it easier to remember.
    • a) as such
    • b) such as
    • c) so as
    • d) like as
  8. If Kofi ___ his running shoes by the door every evening, he would find it easier to go running in the morning.
    • a) leaves
    • b) had left
    • c) would leave
    • d) left

Part 2: Open gaps

Type one word in each gap.

  1. Once a habit has formed, you can do it without even thinking ___ it.
  2. We often repeat actions not because we enjoy them, but because we are used ___ doing them.
  3. ___ is no single method that works for everyone.
  4. Ravi doesn't find it easy to wake up early, and ___ does his sister.
  5. Make your new habit so easy ___ you cannot find an excuse to skip it.
  6. Lena has managed to cut ___ on the amount of coffee she drinks.
  7. Not ___ does regular exercise improve your mood, but it can also help you sleep better.
  8. Rather ___ relying on motivation, design your day so that good choices are the easy ones.

Part 3: Word formation

Use the word in CAPITALS at the end of each sentence to form a word that fits the gap. Type one word.

  1. Because they are so familiar, many of our daily actions are performed almost ___. (CONSCIOUS)
  2. Regular ___ matters more than intensity when you are building a habit. (REPEAT)
  3. The ___ of a habit depends partly on how often you meet the cue that triggers it. (STRONG)
  4. People often ___ how long it will take to change a deeply rooted habit, so they give up too soon. (ESTIMATE)
  5. Tracking your progress can be a powerful source of ___. (MOTIVATE)
  6. Breaking a bad habit is ___ easier when you replace it with a better one. (CONSIDER)
  7. Scientists are still investigating the ___ processes in the brain that control habits. (BIOLOGY)
  8. Setting small, ___ goals, such as walking for ten minutes a day, makes success more likely. (REAL)

Answer key

Part 1: Multiple-choice gaps

  1. c) automaticAutomatic means done without thinking. Automated describes work done by machines.
  2. a) makeThe collocation is make a resolution.
  3. d) breakWe break a habit when we stop doing it.
  4. b) gotGet into the habit of means start doing something regularly.
  5. a) keepKeep track of something means record it so that you know what is happening.
  6. c) largelyLargely means mostly. The other adverbs do not go with a myth.
  7. b) such asSuch as introduces an example. As such and so as have different uses, and like as is not correct English.
  8. d) leftThis is the second conditional about an imagined present habit: if + past simple, would + infinitive.

Part 2: Open gaps

  1. about / ofThink about it and think of it are both possible here.
  2. toBe used to + -ing means be familiar with something. Here to is a preposition.
  3. thereThere is introduces something that exists (or, here, does not exist).
  4. neither / norTo add a second negative idea, we use neither or nor + auxiliary + subject.
  5. thatSo + adjective is followed by that to show the result.
  6. down / backCut down on and cut back on both mean reduce the amount of something.
  7. onlyNot only at the start of a sentence is followed by an inverted auxiliary (does) and later by but also.
  8. thanRather than + -ing means instead of doing something.

Part 3: Word formation

  1. unconsciously / subconsciouslyFamiliar actions happen without thinking, so we need a negative adverb: unconsciously (subconsciously is also possible).
  2. repetitionThe gap is the subject, so we need a noun. The noun from repeat is repetition.
  3. strengthAfter the we need a noun. The noun from strong is strength.
  4. underestimateThey give up too soon because they think it will be quicker than it is. Under- means too little: underestimate.
  5. motivationAfter source of we need a noun: motivation.
  6. considerablyBefore the comparative easier we need an adverb meaning a lot: considerably.
  7. biologicalBefore the noun processes we need an adjective: biological.
  8. realisticBefore goals we need an adjective. Realistic goals are possible to achieve.

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