Survive The Chaos: Key Word Transformation Quiz

The idiomatic phrasal verb take after accurately describes resemblance in traits or skills between family members. The structure takes after + person establishes genetic or behavioral similarity. It’s semantically perfect here since Conor’s musical gift mirrors his parents’ talent. The distractors alter meaning: looks after implies care, takes over suggests control, and takes his parents after misorders the particle, breaking English syntax. Grammatically, the preposition in introduces the context of resemblance correctly. Therefore, this version captures both the inherited sense and grammatical precision demanded in Key Word Transformation tasks.

Comparisons of ability use as + adverb + as. Since sing is a verb, well is the proper adverb, not good. The phrase nearly as well as Julia expresses partial equality and maintains the comparative sense from much better. Option A misuses than, Option C introduces non-standard syntax, and Option D uses the adjective good instead of an adverb. The grammatical accuracy of as well as depends on function, not form. Nearly softens the comparison intensity, aligning perfectly with can’t, producing a fluent, exam-ready structure.

The preposition despite requires a gerund or noun following it, not a clause or additional preposition. The construction despite having a beautiful voice demonstrates grammatical cohesion because having nominalizes the verb phrase. Other options—despite of, despite he has, or despite he having—introduce syntactic or prepositional errors. Semantically, despite creates a concessive relationship between possessing a fine voice and disliking performing, aligning perfectly with English concession rules. The structure exemplifies precise FCE-level grammar control through correct prepositional usage and form management, demonstrating the contrast without redundant subordination.

The adverb hardly must precede the main verb to indicate a minimal degree. The verb know expresses a stative condition, not a dynamic action, so it fits naturally after hardly. Option B correctly places hardly before know, maintaining grammatical balance. The other choices break syntax or use incorrect aspect (am knowing). Linguistically, hardly modifies the extent of knowing and functions as a sentence-level negator. This word order aligns with English information structure rules, keeping the adverb close to the verb it limits while retaining clarity and precision essential for the FCE grammar pattern.

The expression since I last saw marks a starting point, so the present perfect tense must express a period continuing to the present. I haven’t seen James for ages uses the correct tense and preposition for duration. Other options incorrectly apply during, past simple, or progressive tenses, which disrupt the temporal continuity required. For ages is idiomatic and acceptable in formal and informal contexts, intensifying duration. The auxiliary have maintains current relevance, a key FCE nuance. This transformation shows mastery of time expressions and tense consistency, core features in upper-intermediate grammar evaluation.

The distinction between remember + to infinitive and remember + gerund is crucial. The gerund implies recalling an action that already occurred. The speaker is uncertain about having performed the act of locking the door, hence I don’t remember locking the door captures that doubt perfectly. Other options either alter time reference or contradict meaning. This structure reflects metacognitive recall in grammar—thinking about a past completed act. The infinitive version would instead mean remembering beforehand to act, which is logically inconsistent with the context of potential forgetfulness post-action.

The phrasal verb set up is synonymous with establish or start, ideal for describing business creation. The simple past tense fits because the action occurred at a definite time. Alternatives such as set off, set in, or set on have unrelated meanings—depart, begin gradually, or attack. This transformation demonstrates precise lexical selection, recognizing collocational strength between set up and business. The FCE requires phrasal verb fluency, and this choice aligns with natural English usage. The phrase when she was forty effectively anchors the event in the past, emphasizing chronological accuracy.

Since identifies a starting point leading to the present moment, requiring present perfect tense. They haven’t visited London since 2019 establishes continuous non-occurrence. The auxiliary have expresses an unbroken timeline, aligning perfectly with since. Past or progressive forms would break temporal logic. The subject-verb agreement and adverbial phrase since 2019 precisely meet the structure tested in the FCE’s temporal transformations. The statement implies ongoing relevance: their absence extends to now. Understanding this pattern reflects command over continuity markers, vital for expressing experiences extending from a past reference to present reality.

The structure so + adjective + that transforms into such + adjective + noun + that when the adjective modifies a countable singular noun. Option A executes this pattern correctly with such a difficult exam. The other versions omit the article or misplace modifiers, breaking syntactic harmony. This transformation tests the candidate’s ability to reorganize syntax while preserving meaning intensity and logical cause-effect linkage. The restructured clause It was such a difficult exam that few students passed maintains equivalence through grammatical parallelism and preserves emotional emphasis on exam difficulty, aligning with natural fluency standards.

Passive reporting verbs like say and believe follow the pattern subject + be + past participle + to-infinitive. Option B, Olivia is said to speak five languages, adheres to this perfectly. It conveys a general belief without specifying the speaker, a typical journalistic or academic construction. Other options misform the participle or omit auxiliary be, leading to syntactic errors. The infinitive maintains neutrality about time, signaling an ongoing or habitual trait. This transformation captures both grammatical precision and stylistic convention expected at the FCE level, representing high-level passive mastery and linguistic concision.