CPE Reading Comprehension 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: In the CPE Reading and Use of English paper, how many parts are there in total?
- 5
- 6
- 7 (Correct answer)
- 8
Correct answer: 7
The CPE Reading and Use of English paper contains 7 parts that test a range of reading and language skills.
Question 2: In CPE Part 5 (Reading), candidates are tested on their ability to do which of the following?
- Fill gaps with single words
- Answer multiple-choice questions about a long text (Correct answer)
- Match headings to paragraphs
- Complete a summary with given words
Correct answer: Answer multiple-choice questions about a long text
CPE Part 5 requires candidates to read a long text and answer multiple-choice questions demonstrating detailed comprehension.
Question 3: What does 'gist reading' mean in the context of CPE reading tasks?
- Reading every word carefully for detail
- Skimming a text to get the overall meaning (Correct answer)
- Reading aloud to a partner
- Memorizing key passages
Correct answer: Skimming a text to get the overall meaning
Gist reading means skimming a text quickly to understand its overall meaning without focusing on every detail.
Question 4: In CPE Part 7 (Reading), what task type do candidates complete?
- Multiple matching (Correct answer)
- Open cloze
- Key word transformation
- Error correction
Correct answer: Multiple matching
CPE Part 7 is a multiple matching task where candidates match statements or prompts to sections of a text or multiple short texts.
Question 5: Which reading strategy is most useful for CPE Part 6 (cross-text multiple matching)?
- Scanning for numbers and dates only
- Comparing opinions and attitudes across multiple texts (Correct answer)
- Reading only the first sentence of each paragraph
- Focusing on the title and subheadings
Correct answer: Comparing opinions and attitudes across multiple texts
CPE Part 6 requires candidates to compare how different writers express opinions and attitudes across four short texts.
Question 6: What type of text is most commonly featured in CPE Part 5 reading tasks?
- Informal personal emails
- Literary fiction or journalistic prose (Correct answer)
- Technical instruction manuals
- Social media posts
Correct answer: Literary fiction or journalistic prose
CPE Part 5 typically features challenging literary fiction or high-quality journalistic prose to test advanced reading comprehension.
In the CPE Reading and Use of English paper, how many parts are there in total?