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Joy English · Level C2 · Craftsmanshipjoy-english.com

Test 3: Craft and making

Name:Date:

A proficiency-level mixed test on skilled handwork: precise collocation, formal structures and word formation.

Part 1: Multiple-choice gaps

Choose the word or phrase that best completes each sentence.

  1. Chairs built to such standards are likely to ___ the test of time.
    • a) take
    • b) hold
    • c) stand
    • d) win
  2. Apprentices are told to check every measurement twice, ___ a small error ruin a whole day’s work.
    • a) unless
    • b) lest
    • c) provided
    • d) whereas
  3. A craftsman of her calibre can turn her ___ to almost any material.
    • a) palm
    • b) grip
    • c) fingers
    • d) hand
  4. The restoration was carried out in keeping ___ the original techniques.
    • a) with
    • b) to
    • c) for
    • d) by
  5. Handmade objects often ___ a warmth that machine-made ones lack.
    • a) extrude
    • b) exhale
    • c) exude
    • d) expel
  6. It was not until the third attempt ___ the glaze took the colour she wanted.
    • a) when
    • b) that
    • c) which
    • d) than
  7. He would sooner abandon a piece ___ let it leave the workshop with a flaw.
    • a) rather
    • b) as
    • c) over
    • d) than
  8. The plain bowl is a ___ of simplicity: nothing could be added or taken away.
    • a) paragon
    • b) parameter
    • c) paradox
    • d) parody

Part 2: Open gaps

Type the missing word or words in each gap. Write one word unless the item clearly needs a short phrase.

  1. Rarely ___ one see such restraint in a young maker.
  2. The lathe, without ___ she could not have made the legs, was a gift from her teacher.
  3. No matter how simple the design looks, getting the proportions right is ___ but easy.
  4. The more she practised the stroke, the ___ natural it felt, until she could do it without thinking.
  5. The commission was nothing ___ than a dream come true.
  6. She works to a standard ___ few can match.
  7. Whether the commission is large ___ small, she treats it with the same care.
  8. It is by ___ means unusual for a piece to take months, however small it looks.

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. The sheer ___ of the carving drew gasps from visitors. (INTRICATE)
  2. A well-made tool should be ___ in the hand, not merely attractive. (COMFORT)
  3. Many apprentices are ___ for the long hours and give up before their hands have learned the work. (PREPARE)
  4. Her ___ approach to the work, measuring each stage twice, saved material. (METHOD)
  5. The workshop’s ___ lies in refusing to rush: a chair takes six weeks. (DISTINCT)
  6. Critics praised the ___ of the glaze, which shifted from green to grey with the light. (SUBTLE)
  7. The apprentice’s ___ was evident in how carefully she watched before she touched a tool. (HUMBLE)
  8. The finished bowl was ___ thin, almost translucent at the rim. (REMARKABLE)

Answer key

Part 1: Multiple-choice gaps

  1. c) standTo stand the test of time is a fixed phrase meaning to remain good or valued over a long period.
  2. b) lestLest means for fear that and is followed by a subjunctive or should: lest an error ruin.
  3. d) handTo turn your hand to something means to be able to do it skilfully. It is a fixed phrase with the singular hand.
  4. a) withIn keeping with means consistent with. No other preposition fits.
  5. c) exudeTo exude a quality means to show it strongly. Extrude means to push out under pressure, and the others do not take abstract objects like warmth.
  6. b) thatIt was not until ... that is a cleft structure. When is not used after the until phrase in this construction.
  7. d) thanWould sooner ... than is the fixed comparison, so than is needed. Rather could not replace it in this position.
  8. a) paragonA paragon is a perfect example of a quality. A parameter is a limit, a paradox is a contradiction, and a parody is a mocking imitation.

Part 2: Open gaps

  1. does / can / will / would / didRarely at the start of a sentence needs inversion: does, can, will, would or did one see.
  2. whichA relative pronoun is needed after the preposition without: without which.
  3. anythingAnything but means not at all. Here it means getting the proportions right is not easy.
  4. moreThe more ... the more is the correlative comparative structure.
  5. lessNothing less than means completely, and it stresses how important or impressive something is.
  6. that / whichA relative pronoun is needed to introduce the defining clause, and either that or which works.
  7. orWhether ... or is the fixed pair for giving alternatives.
  8. noBy no means is a fixed phrase meaning not at all.

Part 3: Word formation

  1. intricacy / intricatenessAfter the sheer we need a noun: intricate becomes intricacy (intricateness is rarer).
  2. comfortableWe need an adjective after be: comfortable.
  3. unpreparedThe negative adjective unprepared is needed: un- + prepare + -d.
  4. methodicalWe need an adjective before approach: methodical means careful and well organised.
  5. distinctiveness / distinctionA noun is needed after the possessive. Distinctiveness (or distinction) is the quality of being different.
  6. subtlety / subtlenessThe noun is subtlety: subtle drops its final e and adds -ty. Subtleness is a rarer alternative.
  7. humility / humblenessThe noun for the quality of being humble is humility (humbleness is less common).
  8. remarkablyAn adverb is needed before the adjective thin: remarkably.

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