Joy English
Joy English
← Back to the lesson

Joy English · Level C2 · Memory and the mindjoy-english.com

Test 2: Memory and forgetting

Name:Date:

A proficiency-level mixed test about how memory works: fixed phrases, inversion, concessive structures and word building.

Part 1: Multiple-choice gaps

Choose the word or phrase that best completes each sentence.

  1. If memory ___ me, we first met in the spring of that year.
    • a) serves
    • b) helps
    • c) assists
    • d) favours
  2. The scent of woodsmoke set the whole of that winter ___ back to her.
    • a) flooding
    • b) leaking
    • c) dripping
    • d) spilling
  3. Actors must ___ long speeches to memory in a matter of days.
    • a) send
    • b) commit
    • c) hand
    • d) place
  4. She could have sworn she ___ the keys on the table before she went out.
    • a) leaves
    • b) had left
    • c) has left
    • d) would leave
  5. Her recollection of that afternoon remained crystal ___ even after forty years.
    • a) clear
    • b) bright
    • c) glass
    • d) plain
  6. No sooner had she sat down ___ the whole scene came back to her.
    • a) when
    • b) than
    • c) that
    • d) as
  7. Let me ___ your memory: you promised to return the book by Friday.
    • a) renew
    • b) revive
    • c) refresh
    • d) restore
  8. Forgetting is not always a failure; if ___, it may be what allows us to concentrate on what matters.
    • a) ever
    • b) at all
    • c) so
    • d) anything

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. So vivid ___ the dream that she woke convinced it had really happened.
  2. She remembered the street, ___ not the number of the house.
  3. It was not ___ the second reading that the irony of the passage became apparent.
  4. Try ___ she might, she could not retrieve the name.
  5. The experiment was repeated so ___ to rule out the effect of expectation.
  6. Nobody ___ have been more surprised than Hana when the long-lost letter turned up.
  7. Faded ___ it was, the photograph still held every detail that mattered to her.
  8. Whether or ___ she meant it, the remark stung.

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. Studies suggest that eyewitness ___ is far less reliable than juries tend to assume. (TESTIFY)
  2. The scientists were careful to avoid any ___ that might bias the volunteers’ answers. (SUGGEST)
  3. Her ___ of the event differed in several respects from her brother’s. (RECOLLECT)
  4. The loss of a single ___ memory can feel like losing part of oneself. (CHERISH)
  5. Occasional ___ is a normal part of ageing. (FORGET)
  6. The lecturer’s most ___ remark was also her briefest. (MEMORY)
  7. The ___ of even the most vivid memories is a recurring finding in psychology, which is why courts treat them with caution. (RELY)
  8. Memory athletes train ___ to link each item to a vivid image. (RELENT)

Answer key

Part 1: Multiple-choice gaps

  1. a) servesIf memory serves (me) correctly is a fixed expression. The other verbs do not form this idiom.
  2. a) floodingMemories come flooding back is a fixed collocation. Leaking, dripping and spilling suggest small or accidental amounts and do not form this idiom.
  3. b) commitTo commit something to memory means to learn it by heart. The other verbs do not collocate with memory in this way.
  4. b) had leftCould have sworn that she ... refers to something before a past moment, so we need the past perfect: had left.
  5. a) clearCrystal clear is a fixed phrase meaning completely clear. The other adjectives do not follow crystal.
  6. b) thanNo sooner is always followed by than. Hardly is followed by when, but no sooner is not.
  7. c) refreshTo refresh someone’s memory means to remind them of something they have forgotten. The other verbs are not used in this idiom.
  8. d) anythingIf anything introduces a suggestion that the opposite of what is expected may be true. If ever and if at all do not fit this meaning.

Part 2: Open gaps

  1. wasAfter so + adjective at the start of a sentence, the verb comes before the subject: So vivid was the dream.
  2. but / though / although / yetA contrast is needed: but not, yet not, though not or although not the number.
  3. until / tillIt was not until / till ... that is the cleft structure for a time before which something did not happen.
  4. asTry as she might is a fixed concessive structure meaning however hard she tried.
  5. asSo as to is a purpose structure meaning in order to.
  6. could / wouldNobody could/would have been more surprised is a modal perfect structure showing the highest degree of surprise.
  7. though / asThis inverted concession (Faded though/as it was) means although it was faded.
  8. notWhether or not is the fixed phrase for presenting two alternatives.

Part 3: Word formation

  1. testimonyEyewitness testimony is the standard noun phrase.
  2. suggestion / suggestionsAfter any we need a noun. Suggestion or suggestions both work.
  3. recollection / recollectionsWe need a noun after the possessive. Recollection (or recollections) of an event is the collocation.
  4. cherishedWe need a participle adjective before memory: a cherished memory is one that is valued.
  5. forgetfulnessThe noun for the tendency to forget is forgetfulness.
  6. memorableThe adjective meaning easy to remember is memorable.
  7. unreliabilityWe need a negative abstract noun: un- + reliable + -ity, with the spelling change -ble to -bility.
  8. relentlesslyAn adverb is needed to modify train: relent + -less + -ly gives relentlessly.

Joy English · free English practice · https://joy-english.com/use-of-english/c2-memory-and-forgetting