60 Vocabulary Questions： Are you B1, B2, C1 or C2 level？

This is your complete intermediate to proficiency vocabulary test. We're covering four levels of English, B1, B2, C1 and C2. Fifteen words at each level. Now, here's my advice. Don't skip ahead to C2 just to see how difficult it is. If you really want to improve your English, you need to go step by step. You need to make sure that you know almost everything at each level. And if you really want to start working towards your next level of English, I've created something you might like. Do you dream of expressing yourself effortlessly in English? But it's hard to know where to start or what to learn next. Don't worry, I've got you. I've created the perfect ebook for all students from intermediate, B1 level, all the way up to C2 proficiency. It's over 120 pages of grammar, vocabulary and level checklists, and it's yours completely free. Yes, free. To download your B1 to C2 ebook for free now, click on the link below or scan the QR code on screen. I'll send it straight to your inbox. Enjoy it, and I hope it helps you. First, multiple choice. Question one, I'm fed up with this rainy weather. Is it A, on, B, down, or C, up? It should be C. I'm fed up with this rainy weather. If you're fed up, you're bored or annoyed, often because something has lasted for too long. It's common to hear fed up with, but fed up of is also common in British English, especially in informal speech. She got fed up with waiting and went to look for him. I'm fed up of hearing that song on the radio. Notice how we usually use the ING form of the verb after prepositions. Question two. My new car doesn't use much fuel, so it's cheap to run. Is it A, spend, B, consume, or C, contain? It should be... B, consume. It doesn't consume much fuel. Consume means use, often referring to fuel, energy, or time. Notice how both fuel and consume have this invisible y sound before the u. Fuel, consume. Another example with consume. The project has consumed all of our time. It's used up all of our time. Number three. The couple behind me talked the film. It was so annoying. Is it A, while, B, completely, or C, throughout? It should be C. Throughout. Throughout means during the whole of a period of time or in every part of a place. And notice how I stress the second syllable. It's not through-out, it's through-out. If you want to improve your pronunciation and sound more natural when you speak, Focusing on syllable stress is going to get you there fast. I always try to highlight the syllable stress for you. Another example, people throughout the world watch the Olympics. People all over the world, in every part of the world. Okay, question four. She politely pointed that I had forgotten to sign the form. Is it A, out, B, up, or C, it should be A. out. She pointed out that I'd forgotten. If you point something out, you tell someone about something important, often because you think they don't know or have forgotten. Another example, I was going to cook lamb until my husband pointed out that Simon is a vegetarian. And the last question in this round, number five, which word best completes the sentence? The medicine was very And I felt better quickly. Is it A, effective, B, active, or C, successful? It should be A, effective. We don't tend to say that medicine is active or successful. A treatment could be successful, but a medicine is usually effective. If something is effective, it produces a result that you want or it works well. Okay, we've finished the first round. What is your score out of five? Note it down and then we'll start round two. Are you ready to start round two? This time, first, I'll say the word And show it on the screen. See if you know what it means. Then I will give you an example with the word. Finally, I'll explain the meaning and you can check if you got it right. Ready? Number six, duty, duty. An example sentence. It is my duty to help my younger brother with his homework. What do you think? A duty is something that you must do because it is your job or because it is right. You'll hear this pronounced in a few different ways. In British English, it might be duty with a d sound or duty with a j sound. In North American English, it's more likely to be duty or duty. Next word, number seven, cruel, cruel. Here's an example. It was very cruel to leave the cat outside in the cold. Have a think about the definition. If something is cruel, it hurts others, causes them pain, or makes them sad. You will hear this pronounced... Cruel, with two syllables, or cruel, with just one syllable. Both are correct. You can use whichever is more comfortable for you. Normally, my students find it easier to use one syllable. Cruel. Word number eight, keen, keen. An example, she's keen to travel to new places. Keen means very interested in or enthusiastic about something. If you're keen, you often want to do something or want something to happen. You'll hear keen to do something, like in our example, or keen on something. For example, he's keen on sailing. He likes it very much. A little pronunciation note here. Notice the consonant to vowel linking. Keen on. Instead of saying keen on, I link them together and say keen on, keen on. He's keen on sailing. Our next word, number nine, is to fool, to fool. An example sentence, don't let his friendly manner fool you. He's not as nice as he seems. To fool means to make someone believe something that's not true. A similar word is to trick. She fooled me. She tricked me. And the last one in this round, to expand. To expand. An example, the company decided to expand its online shop to reach more customers. Here's the definition. To expand means to become larger in size, number, or amount. Or to make something do this, to make something become larger. It's often pronounced expand with an i, expand. But you will also hear expand with an s sound as well. Both are fine. Another example, metal expands in the heat. Now let's start the final round of our quiz. You're going to complete the gaps. Number 11. We always spend our summers at the Playing on the beach. The word we're looking for starts with s and it has seven letters. The word is seaside. Seaside. So this is a really common word in British English, but I rarely hear my students use it. Did you know it? The seaside is the area near the sea where people often go for a holiday or to relax. It is the seaside, not a seaside. We're going to the seaside next week. Number 12. Wolves have thick fur that keeps them warm in cold weather. I'm not going to give you a clue here on the letters. It should be fur. Did you know that one? Fur is the soft hair that covers some animals' bodies, specifically mammals. Dogs and cats have fur, apart from those sphinx cats. You can also say that animals have a coat, but that would have required an article, fur or a coat. Okay, number 13. I was amazed at the range of cakes on offer in the tiny bakery. We're looking for a word starting with A with six letters. It should be amazed. I was amazed. This means very surprised. We often say we're amazed at or by something or someone. And notice how I pronounce it. Amazed, amazed. I have a schwa, a, in the first syllable. Amazed, not amazed, amazed. Number 14. The heavy rain caused a flood that washed away several houses. It is a... Flood. A flood is a large amount of water that covers an area that is usually dry. Floods often happen when rivers become too full of water. And finally, question 15. Most people were in favour of adding a playground to the park. We need a word with a similar meaning to approval. It begins with F and it has six letters. It should be... Favour, most people were in favour of adding a playground. Adding a playground. If you are in favour of something or someone, you agree with and support it or them. The first round is called level up. You will see a sentence with a word in bold. I want you to replace it with a more advanced B2 level one. Are you ready? Keep score as we go. Number one. The book is full of stories from the author's travels. Replace stories with a B2 level word starting with A. It should be anecdotes. Now, stories is totally fine, but anecdotes is more precise. An anecdote is a short, often funny story about a real event or person. And note the pronunciation. Anecdote, not anekdote. An example, he told a funny anecdote about getting lost in Paris. Number two, I'm sure we made the right decision. Replace sure with a B2 level word starting with C. If you said certain, it's a good guess and it does fit, but certain is not a B2 level word. We are looking for the word convinced. It means completely sure or certain about something. The stress is on the second syllable, convinced. Three, she cut some wood for the fire. Replace cut with another verb starting with C. It should be chop. To chop means to cut something into pieces with a sharp tool such as a knife or an axe. Cut is fine but chop collocates strongly with wood and with logs as well as with many vegetables. We often say that we chop carrots, onions or potatoes. Next one. I have clear memories of the first time I visited Rome. Replace clear with a word starting with V. It should be... Vivid. We often use vivid to talk about memories or descriptions that produce clear and detailed pictures in our minds. Another example, the book gave a vivid portrayal of life in rural France. Number five, the company plans to build a new road. What's a higher level synonym for build? It starts with C. It should be construct. This means to build something or put parts together to create something. Construct is more formal than build and you'll often see it in passive structures. The building was constructed in the 19th century. And notice how I pronounce it with a schwa on the first syllable and the stress on the second. Construct, not Construct, when we're using it as a verb. Let's move on to our next round. You will see a word and two possible definitions. You need to choose the correct one. So let's go with number six, alarmed. Does it mean worried or annoyed? It should be Worried. If you are alarmed, you're worried or frightened because something unexpected or dangerous has happened or might happen. Make sure to put the stress on the second syllable. It's alarmed, not alarmed. They were alarmed when smoke started coming under the door. Number seven, restore. Does it mean to refill something that's empty or to repair something so it's in its original condition? The second definition. We often restore paintings, furniture and old buildings. The stress is on the second syllable. Restore. Not restore. Restore. The old paintings have been lovingly restored. Next, appeal. Is this the skin of a fruit or vegetable or a quality that makes someone or something attractive? It's the second and we have another word that's stressed on the second syllable. Appeal, not appeal. Part of the appeal of this cafe is that it's never crowded. Number nine, prospect. Is this the possibility that something good might happen in the future or a detailed plan of action? It's the first one. The prospect of moving to a new country excites and terrifies me. And number 10, rested. Does this mean no longer working because of old age or feeling healthy and full of energy after a period of not working? It's the second. After a few days away, I came back feeling rested and ready to work. Now we're on to our final round, which is the most challenging. Complete the gaps, you ready? Number 11, which word best completes the sentence? When the last video rental shop closed in my city, it was the end of a, or an, what? Era, the end of an era. An era is a period of time that is known for particular events or characteristics. The end of an era is a common phrase. We use it to say that a certain period and its characteristics have come to an end. Number 12. My first at skiing ended in disaster. We're looking for a noun beginning with A. I'll give you that. Attempt. An attempt is an act of trying to do something, especially something difficult. The verb form is also attempt meaning to try to do something difficult. Both are stressed on the second syllable with a schwa in the first. Attempt. The mpt consonant cluster at the end can be tricky to pronounce. Attempt. You will hear that some people don't pronounce the p sound. Attempt. Attempt. Let's have an example now. I attempted to avoid work by organizing my sock drawer. Okay, let's have two phrasal verbs now. Number 13. Kyle was definitely off when he started doing push-ups in the living room. The best fit here is showing, showing off. And notice how I give more energy to off, showing off. Kyle was definitely showing off. To show off means to behave in a way that is meant to attract attention or make others admire you. Showing off is often annoying. Notice how the stress shifts to the first word for the noun form. A person who shows off is a show-off. And number 14. I trust Kate. She's never let me before. It should be. Down, she's never let me down. To let somebody down means to disappoint someone by failing to do what they expected. And finally, the last one, number 15. It's a real film that leaves people feeling happy. We're looking for a compound adjective starting with F. It's feel good. It's a real feel good film. I bet you understand those words individually but did you know that we can combine them to create an adjective? Feel good means something that makes you feel happy and positive or very simply something that makes you feel good. You'll see the adjective both with and without a hyphen. So that's a feel good word to end on. Our first category is words connected to landscapes, starting with three nouns for landscape features. Here's your first question. Look at this picture. It shows the wide part of a river where it joins the sea. What do we call that? I'll give you a clue. It starts with E. It should be estuary... Did you know that you can pronounce it with three syllables or with four syllables? An example, there's a lot of wildlife in the Thames estuary. Okay, question two, what do we call this in English? It's a long piece of land that is almost entirely surrounded by water. It's connected to a larger piece of land on one side. It is a peninsula... So, a peninsula can be in a lake, sea, or ocean, and it can be very large or fairly small. And notice how the final two syllables are schwa. peninsula And in British English, many speakers use a sound between S and U, peninsula. Many North American English speakers will say peninsula. Let's have a couple more examples. The Iberian Peninsula contains Spain and Portugal. Or, the peninsula had stunning views of the sea on three sides. Now, when S and U appear together, some people, especially British English speakers, change the S to a sh sound. Peninsula. Can you hear the difference? Peninsula. Peninsula. Okay, number three. What is this? It's an area of very wet, soft land. It's often covered with water as well as trees and plants. We're looking for a word with five letters starting with S. It's a swamp. Did you get that one? You might have heard of the Everglades in Florida. That's a swamp. An example, as we waded through the swamp, we kept our eyes out for alligators. Okay, our next two words are adjectives. First, how would you describe this landscape? One that is empty and without people. It often makes us feel sad or a bit frightened. Use a word with eight letters starting with D. Desolate. Desolate. The final two syllables each contain schwas. Desolate. An example, they walked for hours through a desolate landscape seeing no one. Okay, the last one in this category is really challenging. Here's your picture, it's of a very dry landscape with no plants. How would you describe this in advanced English using a four-letter word beginning with A? Arid. So an arid landscape or climate has little or no rain and very little vegetation can grow there. Think about the Sahara desert. An example, farming is almost impossible in an arid landscape. Let's move on now to our animal category and we'll do questions six and seven together. We have a picture of a goat and I want to know the names for the hard part on its foot. And the hard pointed part that is growing from its head. We have, I will give you four choices. You need to choose two. Antler, hoof, horn and paw. Choose two. Okay, the part of its foot is the hoof. The plural form is hooves. Animals like horses and cows have hooves. An example, the horse's hooves clattered loudly against the cobbled street. And growing from the goat's head, we have horns. The bull lowered its horns and charged without warning. So antlers are the horns that grow from the head of a male deer, a stag. And a paw is the foot of an animal like a dog, cat or bear. Okay question eight. Here is a photo of a cat's paw. What are the sharp curved nails on the end called? No clues this time. They are called claws. One is a claw. We have that long oar vowel sound again like we had with horn and paw. Lots of animals have claws like dogs, tigers, bears as well as many birds as well. Often a bird's claws are called talons. An example with claw, the bear left deep claw marks on the tree. Okay for number nine we have one of my favourite animals, an elephant. What do we call an elephant's long flexible nose? No clues again, it should be a trunk. So elephants use their trunks for breathing, smelling, touching and picking things up. An example, the elephant used its trunk to spray water over its back. In North American English, you will hear trunk used to describe the space in the back of a car. In British English, we call it a boot. Okay, number 10. Here we have a very, very young horse. What do we call it in English? Is it a calf, a foal, a pony, or a tadpole? It should be a... Foal. So cute. Did you get that one? The foal was born a few hours ago, but it's already running around and exploring. If you said pony, you're probably not alone. A pony is a small type of horse, but ponies aren't necessarily young. I used to have a 30-year-old pony living next to me. A calf is a young cow, and a tadpole What is one of these? A small black creature with a big head and long tail that lives in water and will develop into a frog or a toad. Okay, let's finish our quiz. Our final category is the weather. Number 11, what is this? The picture shows a deep pile of snow that's been created by the wind blowing it together. Is it a snowdrop, a snowplow, a snowball, or a snowdrift? Or a snowdrift. It's a snowdrift. During the storm, snow drifts built up along the fences. A snowdrop is a small white flower. A snowplough is a vehicle that removes snow from roads. And a snowball is a ball of snow that we throw at somebody. Okay, number 12. What is this? It's a ball of ice, usually small, that falls from the sky like rain. It has nine letters and it begins with H. It is a hailstone. I say they're usually small but they can be as big as golf balls. An example, I can't believe a huge hailstone broke my car windscreen last night. We also use the general noun hail to describe that weather. For example, we got caught in the hail and a freezing cold. Okay, we'll get a little spooky for number 13. What is this? It's a very fine cloud of water hanging in the air just above the ground. It makes it difficult to see clearly. If you're thinking fog, think again. This is mist. This is thinner than fog. We often say that something is shrouded in mist when it's covered in it or that mist lifts or clears when it goes away. An example, the fields were shrouded in mist this morning but it cleared when the sun came out. Number fourteen, what can we see here? This is a very strong wind. It's a four-letter word starting with G. It's a gale. A gale is a sustained wind. It's not just one breath of wind or a gust of wind, it lasts longer than that. You'll hear people say it's blowing a gale, meaning it's extremely windy. Or on the weather forecast you will hear about gale force winds, meaning very strong winds. An example, the gale blew tiles off the roof and knocked down several trees. Okay we're ready for the last one. Number 15 and it's really tricky. Look at this photo. It's showing a place that's very dry. What do we call a period of time with very little or no rain? It's a dry what? It's a dry spell. A dry spell. Did anyone get that? I would be very impressed if you did. When we're talking about weather, a spell is a short period of a particular type of weather. A dry spell tends to last a few days to a few weeks. A cold spell is a short period of cold weather which could also last days or weeks. A spell of weather can be shorter. On the weather forecast you might hear, today it will be mainly cloudy with sunny spells. Short periods of sunshine. Let's get started with the lesson. The kids keep hassling us to get a dog. Does the verb hassle mean A, to repeatedly annoy somebody, often by asking them to do something many times, or B, to hurry or rush somebody? The correct definition is A, to repeatedly annoy somebody. You'll often see the structure, to hassle somebody to do something, like we have in the example sentence, or to hassle somebody for something. For example, the kids keep hassling us for a dog. Number two, look at this sentence. Let's just get the main bullet points down for now. We can flesh out the ideas later. Does the phrasal verb to flesh out mean a to add more detail or information to something or B, let people know about something? The correct answer is A again, to add more detail or information to something. We often talk about fleshing out ideas, details, and plans. Three, take a look at this sentence. Her excuse about the dog eating her homework just doesn't hold water. Does the idiom not hold water mean A, not believable or convincing, or B, not creative or inventive enough? The answer is Hey, again, I'm noticing a trend here. Not believable or convincing. So if something doesn't hold water, it's not believable or convincing. We often use it with the nouns excuse, statement, and argument. Number four, take a look at this sentence. That 12-hour flight has left my body clock totally out of kilter. Does this idiom mean A, experiencing jet lag for the first time, or B, not working properly or in its usual state? The correct answer is B, finally a B. It means not working properly or in its usual state. We can also use this idiom to mean that two things do not agree or match each other. For example, The government's policy is out of kilter with public opinion. And notice the preposition there. Out of kilter with something. Okay, the last question in this first round. Number five. Have a look at the sentence. She was trying to help, but her suggestions just muddied the waters. Does the idiom to muddy the waters mean a A, to make a simple situation more complicated and less clear than it was before, or B, to bring hidden problems to the surface. A, to make a simple situation more complicated and less clear than it was before. I love how visual this idiom is. If you muddy the waters, you add mud to water and make it less transparent, less clear. You can muddy the waters both intentionally and unintentionally. Notice how we use the plural, muddy the waters. We can also say muddy the issue. Okay, that brings us to the end of round one. Okay, now it's time for round two and we are increasing the difficulty. This round, You will get a gapped sentence with three possible answers. You ready? Number six. What phrase best completes this sentence? Let's just split the bill four ways. It's not worth over a few pounds. Is it A. Quibbling B. Niggling or C. Quivering? The correct answer is quibbling. Can you guess the meaning from the context? It means to argue or complain about small, unimportant details. We quibble over or about something. It's often a number or an amount. Question seven, which word best completes this sentence? The twins exchanged glances across the dinner table, which made their parents suspicious they were up to no good. Is it A, fussy? B, furtive or C, frail It is B furtive. This is a gorgeous adjective used to describe suspicious or secretive behaviour. It collocates strongly with the nouns glance and look. Number eight. Which word completes this sentence? I don't find the prospect of camping in a field for a week in this terrible weather particularly what? Is it A, alluring B, eluding or C, enduring. It is... A alluring. This means attractive or exciting. A less formal alternative that would work well in this sentence is appealing. I don't find the idea of camping in the rain appealing. Alluring collocates strongly with words like prospect and offer, but we also use it to talk about a person's attractiveness. For example, an alluring smile, scent or voice. Number nine. Nine, which word best completes this sentence? The last question completely me. I didn't have a clue how to answer. Is it A, flattered? B, duped? Or C, flummoxed? It is C, flummoxed. Oh, such a good word. To flummox somebody means to confuse somebody so much that they don't know what to do or say. We also say to leave someone or be left. Flummoxed, for example, that last question left me completely flummoxed or I was left utterly flummoxed by the packet instructions. Okay, last word in this multiple choice round. Number 10, which word best completes this sentence? Don't listen to her. What she's saying is a load of old what. Is it A, rigmarole, B, hogwash or C, Pragmatism. Three gorgeous words. I'll talk about them more in the PDF. The correct answer is B. Hogwash. Not to be confused with Hogwarts. Have you heard this word before? It's an informal noun for an idea or talk that is stupid. Nonsense and rubbish have similar meanings in this context. It collocates well with the adjectives absolute, complete and pure. It's time for our final round. I'll show you the word with an example sentence and I'll pause to see if you can come up with the meaning. This round is going to be very challenging. Are you ready? Number 11 Tantamount. Leaving your dog at home alone all day is tantamount to cruelty. We always use this adjective in the structure tantamount to something. It is generally used to say that something has the same or almost the same effect as something bad. An example, copying another student's work is tantamount to stealing. Copying another student's work is equivalent or nearly equivalent to stealing. Number 12, strenuous. Strenuous. The doctor advised me to refrain from any strenuous exercise in the weeks after my operation. If something is strenuous, it requires a lot of effort and energy. For example, strenuous exercise, activity or work. We can also use it more figuratively to mean determined. For example, the company is making strenuous efforts to cut its carbon emissions. Propagate. Propagate, the internet has made it easier than ever to propagate misinformation. Okay, here's another word with a couple of meanings. In this context, to propagate means to spread. It's often used with nouns like message, agenda or an ideology. It often has a negative connotation to describe the spread of hateful ideas, beliefs and lies. The second meaning is much more positive. Have you ever had a go at propagating your plants? This is when you take cuttings from a parent plant to grow new plants. For example, you can easily propagate pothos by cutting the stem and placing it in water. Okay, our penultimate word now. Shoddy, shoddy. The builder did such a shoddy job installing the kitchen cabinets, half of them didn't close properly. This means poor quality work done carelessly, badly or cheaply. If we describe goods as shoddy, they're made with low quality materials or have been badly or carelessly made. Okay, time for our final C2 word of the lesson. I love this word, it's very fun. It is nefarious, nefarious. It was a nefarious scheme designed to trick people into giving up their bank details. Nefarious means morally bad, evil or wicked. We can use it to describe criminal acts.