For each question, choose the correct answer.
The London Marathon
In 1979, two British men called John Disley and Chris Brasher (1)…………… to run the New York Marathon. This 42-kilometre race goes through the city, past many of its famous tourist sights. Disley and Brasher found that it was very different from marathons in the UK.
At that (2)…………… in the UK, nobody was interested in marathons, but in New York, there were large (3)…………… of people watching. Afterwards, the two men had the (4)…………… of starting a similar race in London.
The first London Marathon was in 1981, and over six thousand runners (5)…………… part. Since then, the race has happened every year, and has become popular with runners from all over the world. Over a million people have completed it, and it is (6)…………… on TV in nearly 200 countries.
1 A thought B said C decided
2 A year B day C time
3 A members B crowds C visitors
4 A idea B answer C fact
5 A stayed B took C made
6 A shown B made C held
Answer
1 The correct answer is C: ‘decided’ is the only verb that collocates with ‘to’ which follows the gap. It is also the only verb that fts the meaning of the text that ‘john Disley and Chris Brasher’ made the decision ‘to run the New York Marathon’ after thinking about what entering this race would involve.
2 The correct answer is C: ‘time’ is the correct word for this gap because ‘At that time in the UK’ is referring to 1979. A and B are incorrect. Neither ‘year’ or ‘day’ collocate with ‘at’. ‘day’ is also incorrect because the meaning of the sentence isn’t referring to a specific day.
3 The correct answer is B: ‘crowds’ is the only noun with the correct meaning for this gap. ‘crowds’ means a large group of people who have come together to watch something. A and C are incorrect. Neither ‘members’ or ‘visitors’ ft in this gap, as the words that are before and after the gap do not collocate with either of these nouns.
4 The correct answer is A: ‘idea’ is the only option that fts the meaning of this sentence. Disley and Brasher thought of a plan to start ‘a similar race in London’. B and C are incorrect, because neither ‘answer’ or ‘fact’ collocate with ‘had the’ or ‘of’ which are words either side of the gap.
5 The correct answer is B: ‘took’ is the only option that completes the phrase ‘took part’. This is another way of saying you have been involved in an activity with other people: ‘over six thousand runners took part’. A and C are incorrect. Neither ‘stayed’ or ‘made’ collocate with ‘part’.
6 The correct answer is A: ‘shown’ is the only verb that fts the meaning of this gap. The London Marathon was ‘shown’ on TV so that people in ‘nearly 200 countries’ could watch the race. B is incorrect. ‘made’ doesn’t ft this gap because it doesn’t collocate with ‘on’ which follows the gap. C is incorrect. The phrasal verb ‘held on’ is an informal way of saying to wait for a short period of time and so it doesn’t match the meaning of this sentence.