Q.1
A well-meaning English host (or hostess) is about to put milk or sugar ~ which you do not want ~ into your tea; what do you say?
  • 'Not for me, thanks all the same.'
  • 'Please do not put any of that into my cup.'
  • 'Sorry, but I'd rather not have any of that, thank you.'
  • 'No, thank you, I prefer it without.'
Q.2
Someone is disturbing you, without realising it, by making a small but repeated noise (e.g. tapping a teaspoon on the other side of a table, where you are trying to read or study). What do you say, to encourage them to stop doing this?
  • 'Must you?'
  • 'Do you have to keep doing that?'
  • 'Do you think you might stop doing that now?'
  • 'Excuse me, but would you mind stopping?'
Q.3
In a tense, criminal situation ~ real, or in fiction ~ such as an armed robbery, the last words that someone under threat might say could be :
  • 'I don't want you to kill me.'
  • 'I'd rather you didn't pull that trigger, thank you.'
  • 'Don't you think it might be a good idea to put that gun down?'
  • 'Please don't shoot!'
Q.4
Pick the answer which best completes the gap/s in good, clear, accurate English. 'In my country, women ... ... drive cars, drink alcohol or vote in elections.'
  • ... are not allowed to ...
  • ... can't ..
  • ... mustn't ...
  • ... don't ...
Q.5
In a social situation, you are embarrassed by someone 'making a great fuss' over thanking you for something (e.g. a small ornament that you have given them, from your home country, as a 'thank you' for their own help or hospitality). How do you best tell them that you have had enough of their thanks?
  • 'You're more than welcome.'
  • 'Please don't mention it.'
  • 'Oh, honestly, it's only a small gesture.'
  • 'There's really no need to thank me; you're the ones who have already been so kind.'
Q.6
Travelling with your English hosts into the city, you spot a road-sign that forbids parking ~ just where they are about to park the car. You may not be confident about the rights and wrongs of this, in what (for you) is a foreign country; but you feel you should say something, rather than letting them get into trouble over the parking. What can you say?
  • 'You're not supposed to park here, according to the notice.'
  • 'Are we supposed to park here, do you think?'
  • 'It looks to me as though we're not supposed to park here.'
  • 'Can't you see the NO PARKING sign?'
Q.7
If the parking sign is outside someone's private house, rather than an 'official notice', what would it probably say?
  • No parking.
  • Please do not park here.
  • You mustn't park cars here.
  • Car parking is prohibited by order.
Q.8
You are trying really hard to persuade an English friend, or business associate, to come and visit your home country. Which of these is the 'toughest' expression that you feel you could use?
  • 'My family and I will feel personally insulted unless you make your booking immediately.'
  • 'How could you ever forgive yourself for not taking your one chance of seeing our golden beaches for yourself?'
  • 'We'd be so disappointed if you found that you couldn't.'
  • 'We do hope you won't have to say No to this; we'd really like to have you over.'
Q.9
When one English person quite casually asks another, 'How's life?' (etc.) and the answer comes, '[I] can't complain / mustn't grumble', what do you think the second speaker really means?
  • It is illegal, in Britain, to moan about 'the ups and downs of life'.
  • The other speaker has previously told them not to make negative remarks.
  • It is socially disappointing if someone spends a lot of their time being gloomy.
  • They do not have time to complain, and/or are not sure where to go to do it, or whether it would make any real difference.
Q.10
Sadly, in many town and city centres at the weekend, large numbers of young people seem to go and drink a lot of alcohol, and then 'disgrace themselves in public' (by being sick all over the street, getting into trouble with the police, etc.). A more traditional British attitude to such behaviour might typically be:
  • 'It's not The Done Thing.'
  • 'You can't just go round the place getting roaring drunk, surely?'
  • 'Aren't there laws in this country about not being drunk in a public place?'
  • 'Why must people do all this? It's just plain silly, as well as disgusting.'
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