B2 First, C1 Advanced and C2 Proficiency Part 3: a text with eight gaps and a word in capitals beside each. Change the word so it fits. It is a test of word families, and at C1 and C2 of the less obvious members of them.
| Exam | Paper and part | Questions | Marks | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| B2 First | Reading and Use of English, Part 3 | Q17-24 | 8 × 1 | Use of English |
| C1 Advanced | Reading and Use of English, Part 3 | Q17-24 | 8 × 1 | Use of English |
| C2 Proficiency | Reading and Use of English, Part 3 | Q17-24 | 8 × 1 | Use of English |
The stem word must be changed, never used as it is. The change might be a suffix (employ → employment), a prefix (legal → illegal), both (able → inability), an internal change (long → length), a compound, or a plural. One mark per gap, and spelling must be correct.
A complete word formation task at B2 First level. Work it with the answers closed, then open the key.
For questions 17–24, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals for each question to form a word that fits in the gap. There is an example at the beginning (0): the word given is PAY and the answer, PAYMENT, is shown in the text.
Community fridges
In a growing number of towns, a simple idea is helping to cut food waste. A community fridge is a public fridge where local shops and residents can leave food they no longer need. Anyone can take what they want, with no questions asked and no (0) PAYMENT expected.
The rules are refreshingly (17). Shops, bakeries and home growers can donate a wide (18) of items, from bread and vegetables to sealed dairy products. Raw meat and fish are not allowed for reasons of (19), and volunteers check the fridge daily.
Organisers point out that the fridges are not only for people living in (20). Students on tight budgets use them, but so do people who simply hate seeing good food thrown away. As nobody has to explain why they are there, there is none of the (21) that some people feel when they ask for help.
The fridges were set up to reduce waste, but they have also had an (22) effect on the neighbourhoods around them. Regular users start to recognise one another, and people who might never have spoken now stop for a chat. Several organisers say that this sense of (23) has become just as important as the food itself, and they now (24) encourage people to stay and talk.
Answer key
17. uncomplicated — After ‘refreshingly’ an adjective is needed, and the positive meaning of ‘refreshingly’ shows it must be negative: ‘uncomplicated’ (simple).
18. variety — ‘A wide variety of’ is a fixed noun phrase meaning ‘many different kinds of’. ‘Variation’ is a noun too, but it means a change or difference, not a range.
19. safety — ‘For reasons of’ is followed by a noun. The noun from ‘safe’ is ‘safety’.
20. poverty — ‘Living in’ needs a noun here. The noun from ‘poor’ involves an internal change: ‘poverty’. ‘Poorness’ is not used with this meaning.
21. embarrassment — After ‘none of the’ a noun is needed, and the feeling people have when asking for help is ‘embarrassment’. Note the double r and double s.
22. unexpected — An adjective is needed before ‘effect’, and ‘an’ shows it starts with a vowel sound. The contrast with ‘were set up to reduce waste, but …’ shows the effect was not planned, so the negative ‘unexpected’ is needed.
23. belonging — ‘A sense of belonging’ is a fixed phrase meaning the feeling of being part of a group, which is what the chats between neighbours create.
24. actively — An adverb is needed to describe the verb ‘encourage’. ‘Actively encourage’ means they make a deliberate effort to do it, not just allow it.
The same task type at other levels: C1 Advanced, C2 Proficiency.
More practice at every level is on the Cambridge Use of English samples page. The whole section in context is on the Cambridge Use of English page, and how it is marked is on the scoring page.
Written by Kirill O'Nayd
English test expert and educator at TestSucceed. He has spent years preparing candidates for Cambridge English Qualifications from A2 Key to C2 Proficiency, and taking apart how each paper awards its marks. See all TestSucceed preparation materials.