CEM 11+ Practice Exam (Level 1 – 24/10/22)
45 minutes
Section 1: 15 mins
Mary had liked to look at her mother from a distance and she had thought her very pretty,
but as she knew very little of her she could scarcely have been expected to love her or to
miss her very much when she was gone. She did not miss her at all, in fact, and as she was a
self-absorbed child she gave her entire thought to herself, as she had always done. If she
had been older she would no doubt have been very anxious at being left alone in the world,
but she was very young, and as she had always been taken care of, she supposed she always
would be. What she thought was that she would like to know if she was going to nice
people, who would be polite to her and give her her own way as her Ayah and the other
native servants had done.
She knew that she was not going to stay at the English clergyman’s house where she was
taken at first. She did not want to stay. The English clergyman was poor and he had five
children nearly all the same age and they wore shabby clothes and were always quarreling
and snatching toys from each other. Mary hated their untidy bungalow and was so
disagreeable to them that after the first day or two nobody would play with her. By the
second day they had given her a nickname which made her furious.
It was Basil who thought of it first. Basil was a little boy with impudent blue eyes and a
turned-up nose, and Mary hated him. She was playing by herself under a tree, just as she
had been playing the day the cholera broke out. She was making heaps of earth and paths
for a garden and Basil came and stood near to watch her. Presently he got rather interested
and suddenly made a suggestion.
“Why don’t you put a heap of stones there and pretend it is a rockery?” he said. “There in
the middle,” and he leaned over her to point.
“Go away!” cried Mary. “I don’t want boys. Go away!” For a moment Basil looked angry, and
then he began to tease. He was always teasing his sisters. He danced round and round her
and made faces and sang and laughed.
“Mistress Mary, quite contrary, How does your garden grow? With silver bells, and cockle
shells, And marigolds all in a row.” He sang it until the other children heard and laughed,
too; and the crosser Mary got, the more they sang “Mistress Mary, quite contrary” and after
that as long as she stayed with them they called her “Mistress Mary Quite Contrary” when
they spoke of her to each other, and often when they spoke to her.
“You are going to be sent home,” Basil said to her, “at the end of the week. And we’re glad
of it.”
“I am glad of it, too,” answered Mary. “Where is home?”
Answer these questions about the text that you have just read.
1. Which of these statements is true?
A. Mary did not know her mother.
B. Mary missed her mother a lot.
C. Mary worried about who would take care of her after her mother died.
D. Mary did not miss her mother after she died.
Answer: d
2. Which word best describes Mary’s mother?
A. Distant
B. Attractive
C. Neglectful
D. Pleasant
Answer: b
3. Mary assumes there will always be someone to look after her. Why does she think
this?
A. Because her parents were wealthy.
B. Because she has lots of servants.
C. Because there has always been someone to care for her.
D. Because she is very important.
Answer: c
4. Which word best describes Mary in the first paragraph?
A. Lonely
B. Selfish
C. Rude
D. Nervous
Answer: b
5. Why didn’t Mary want to stay with the clergyman?
A. Their home was messy and loud.
B. They were too poor.
C. She didn’t like other children.
D. She wanted to go back to her parents.
Answer: a
6. Why did none of the children want to play with Mary?
A. She stole their toys.
B. They didn’t want to share food with her.
C. She was unfriendly.
D. She told them she didn’t like them.
Answer: c
7. How does Mary feel about the nickname they give her?
A. Upset
B. Annoyed
C. Hurt
D. Extremely angry
Answer: d
8. What is meant by the word “impudent”?
A. Deceitful
B. Rude
C. Cunning
D. Impulsive
Answer: b
9. Why does Mary remember the arrival of cholera so clearly?
A. It stopped her from playing.
B. It killed all her servants.
C. It burned down her home.
D. It may have killed her parents.
Answer: d
10. How does Basil feel when he sees Mary building a garden?
A. Intrigued
B. Jealous
C. Destructive
D. Enchanted
Answer: a
11. Why does Basil start to tease Mary?
A. Because he wants to irritate her.
B. Because he’s used to teasing his sisters.
C. Because he’s angry.
D. Because he wants her to run away.
Answer: b
12. What is meant by the word “contrary”?
A. Abnormal
B. Presumptuous
C. Argumentative
D. Careless
Answer: c
13. How do the other children react to this song?
A. They think it is funny.
B. They dance along.
C. They tell the adults.
D. They destroy Mary’s garden.
Answer: a
14. When do the other children use Mary’s nickname?
A. When they talk about her behind her back.
B. When they make up songs about her.
C. When they tell the adults about her.
D. Whenever they see her.
Answer: a
15. Why is Mary glad that she is going to be sent home?
A. She misses her servants.
B. She doesn’t like Basil and his siblings.
C. She wants to build her own garden.
D. She misses her mother.
Answer: b
16. Why does Mary ask Basil, “Where is home?”
A. She doesn’t know the correct address.
B. She doesn’t know which family member she is going to stay with.
C. She doesn’t know where Basil lives.
D. She has never had a proper home.
Answer: d
Section 2: 7 minutes
Fill in the missing letters to complete the words in the following passage.
I let down the window and looked out; Millcote was behind us; j _ _ gin _ by the number of
its lights, it seemed a place of cons _ d _ _able magnitude, much larger than Lowton. We
were now, as far as I could see, on a sort of common; but there were houses sc _ tt _ _ ed all
over the district; I felt we were in a different region to Lowood, more pop _ l _ _ s, less pi _
tur _ _ que; more stirring, less rom _ _ _ ic. The roads were heavy, the night misty; my
conductor let his horse walk all the way, and the hour and a half e _ _ e _ ded, I verily
b _ li _ _ e, to two hours; at last he turned in his seat and said— "You're noan so far fro'
Thornfield now."
Again I looked out: we were p _ _ si _ g a church; I saw its low broad tower against the sky,
and its bell was tolling a quarter; I saw a narrow g _ _ _ xy of lights too, on a
hi _ ls _ _ e, marking a v _ _ la _ e or hamlet. About ten minutes after, the driver got down
and opened a pair of gates: we passed through, and they clashed to behind us. We now
slowly asc _ _ _ ed a drive, and came upon the long front of a house: ca _ _ le _ ight
gleamed from one c _ _ _ ained bow-window; all the rest were dark. The car stopped at the
front door; it was opened by a maid-servant; I ali _ _ te _ and went in.
Answers:
judging
Considerable
Scattered
Populous
Picturesque
Romantic
Extended
Believe
Passing
Galaxy
Hillside
Village
Ascended
Candlelight
Curtained
Alighted
Section 3: 5 minutes
Select the word on the right that has a similar meaning to the word on the left.
33. Quick intelligent swift agile
34. Harsh savage solid grating
35. Colourful vibrant gaudy opulent
36. Frightening mesmerising eerie petrifying
37. Start imagine commence include
38. Eat consume nourishment cater
39. Sad despondent dilapidated damaged
40. Dark dusk gloomy shadow
41. Creation improvisation conceive construction
42. Information data wisdom learn
43. Alone monochrome minor solitary
44. Large vacuous vast vivacious
45. Jealous envious desire demand
46. Even soft balanced calm
47. Normal regulation type conventional
48. Anger wrath smite irritation
49. Rich full prosperous acute
Answers:
33 – swift
34 – grating
35 – vibrant
36 – petrifying
37 – commence
38 – consume
39 – despondent
40 – gloomy
41 – construction
42 – data
43 – solitary
44 – vast
45 – envious
46 – balanced
47 – conventional
48 – wrath
49 - prosperous
Section 4: 4 minutes
Complete the word on the right so that it means the opposite, or nearly the opposite, of
the word on the left.
50. dry m__st moist
51. joy _ elan _ _ oly melancholy
52. strong d _ _ ic _ te delicate
53. huge m _ _ is _ ule miniscule
54. limit inc _ _ _ se increase
55. shout _ urm _ _ murmur
56. bright m__k_ murky
57. disaster m _ r _ _ le miracle
58. calm _ nx _ _ us anxious
59. safe d _ _ g _ rous dangerous
60. open _ nc _ ose _ enclosed
61. simple co _ p _ _ cated complicated
62. win f _ rfe _ _ forfeit
63. careful r _ _ kle _ s reckless
64. planned sp _ _ tan_ ous spontaneous
65. grow d _ _ ini _ h diminish
66. interesting mon _ _ on _ us monotonous
Section 5: 5 minutes
Rearrange the words so that they form a complete sentence, leaving out the superfluous
word.
67. soon trip a on my am I family going dinner with
I am going on a trip with my family soon. dinner
68. brushes my forgets teeth he his likes to always paint but brother
My brother likes to paint but he always forgets his brushes. teeth
69. rose the over at galloped moon it wolf the trees howled as the
The wolf howled at the moon as it rose over the trees. galloped
70. city much the louder so beach sleep always is the than
The city is always so much louder than the beach. sleep
71. because my home go sandwiches forgot I to need spirit I
I need to go home because I forgot my sandwiches. spirit
72. year of is autumn parachute time most the exciting
Autumn is the most exciting time of year. parachute
73. old a must buy holes it I coat a new cook since one my in has
I must buy a new coat since my old one has holes in it. cook
74. dog more than blanket types others exercise need of some
Some types of dog need more exercise than others. blanket
Section 6: 3 minutes
Complete the sentence by filling in the final set of brackets with the word on the right that
has the same relationship to the third word as the second word has to the first word.
E.g. [Apple] is to [fruit] as [sapphire] is to [gem]. (gem / blue / ruby)
75. [Nests] are to [birds] as [burrows] are to [mice ] (cats/mice/cave)
76. [Dark] is to [light] as [ignorance] is to [wisdom] (book/wisdom/school)
77. [Snow] is to [winter] as [blossom] is to [spring] (spring/summer/sun)
78. [Owls] are to [mice] as [seals] are to [fish] (sharks/fish/plankton)
79. [Ceiling] is to [floor] as [sky] is to [earth] (cloud/mountain/earth)
80. [Mouse] is to [rodent] as [lizards] are to [reptile] (snakes/reptile/animals)
81. [Crown] is to [king] as [wig] is to [judge] (judge/makeup/nurse)
82. [Pasta] is to [Italy] as [potatoes] are to [Ireland] (roast/Ireland/farm)
83. [Typewriter] is to [laptop] as [telegram] is to [email] (phone/remote/email)
84. [Kettle] is to [tea] as [oven] is to [bread] (dinner/bread/apple)
85. [Road] is to [cars] as [sky] is to [planes] (birds/trees/planes)
86. [Sock] is to [foot] as [hat] is to [head] (hair/warm/head)
Section 7: 3 minutes
Select the word that is the odd one out.
87. rapidly / swiftly / slowly / quick / calmly quick
88. anger / melancholy / cry / joy / excitement cry
89. tall / dark / short / soft / tense tense
90. true / run / read / discuss / understand true
91. beautiful / growing / evil / innocent / wise growing
92. should / must / could / did / would did
93. different / antithetical / similar / contrast / juxtaposing similar
94. which / who / what / willow / whom willow
95. around / above / again / beside / below again
96. mountain / ocean / tree / waterfall / ravine tree
97. cold / hunger / wrath / pain / thirst wrath
98. go / give / return / walked / run walked
99. tear / here / there / where / near tear
100. smooth / rough / gracious / hard / sharp gracious
101. draw / paint / swim / sew / palette palette
Section 8: 3 minutes
Find the four letter word that can be created by putting the last two letters of one word
and the first two letters of the next word together.
102. The doctor has just operated on him. stop
103. Erica mentioned her love of reading. came
104. You have a fine attention to detail. neat
105. The moth ate my trousers. that
106. We see new horizons every day, every year. seen
107. The postman will come another day. mean
108. Many years ago near the sea, I lost my ring. gone
109. He has made additional eggs for breakfast. dead
110. Difficult math engages the brain best. then
111. The poor boy had ragged features. drag
Mark /111
