Joy English
Joy English

C2 Use of English

C2Craftsmanship38 min

Test 3: Craft and making

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

This C2 Use of English test is about craft: woodwork, pottery, weaving and the patience they demand. Part 1 tests precise vocabulary and fixed phrases, Part 2 tests structures such as inversion and relative clauses, and Part 3 tests abstract nouns, adjectives and negative prefixes.

Exercise 1 of 3

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.

  2. Apprentices are told to check every measurement twice, _____ a small error ruin a whole day’s work.

  3. A craftsman of her calibre can turn her _____ to almost any material.

  4. The restoration was carried out in keeping _____ the original techniques.

  5. Handmade objects often _____ a warmth that machine-made ones lack.

  6. It was not until the third attempt _____ the glaze took the colour she wanted.

  7. He would sooner abandon a piece _____ let it leave the workshop with a flaw.

  8. The plain bowl is a _____ of simplicity: nothing could be added or taken away.

0 of 8 answered

Exercise 2 of 3

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.

0 of 8 answered

Exercise 3 of 3

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)

0 of 8 answered

Source

Original lesson by Joy English.

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