Oh C1 Advanced! Our favorite exam! We love you so much. Especially your reading and use
of english paper which consists of eight parts: four use of english parts and four reading parts.
But it wasn't always this way. No. No it wasn't. Prior to 2015 the use of
english section was an entirely separate paper and it had another exercise that no
longer exists. Oh my gosh the excitement is killing me! Tell me what is it! My name is Toby,
this is SMASH English and here is a super secret C1 Advanced exam exercise that no longer exists.
The Cambridge C1 Advanced use of english paper used to have five parts. Here is part one.
Uh yes Toby I've seen that before, mate. And part two. Yes I know what that is, Toby. That's easy.
Here is part three. Boring. And part four. Oh my god!!!!! In this exercise you were given
three sentences. Each sentence had a word missing
and it was your job to understand what that word was. So it's basically part two:
the open cloze part, except it's three different sentences and not just one big text, yeah?
No because the word is the same for each space. So we have three different sentences with one
word missing. It is the same word missing in each space. You must work out what that word is.
So instead of different words for each space it's the same word for each? No wonder they eliminated
this exercise! It's easy! Be careful because this exercise is fantastic at making you feel stupid.
The missing word tends to be simple. It will be a word that you definitely know but don't know
at the same time and when you realize that you don't know such a simple word you will feel sad.
And that's a terrible thing. And then you will feel stupid for thinking that that simple word
was simple. And that's also a terrible thing. So then let's look at an example and we can feel
stupid together. Sentence one: that is the ______ where me and your mother had our first kiss. Whoa!
Sentence two: Despite spending three hours on safari we were unable to _____ any wild hyenas.
Sentence three: I did not record a video yesterday because i had a giant _____ on my chin.
So we need to think of the same word that can go in each space. We cannot use different forms of
the same word. Each space must be filled with an identical word. See! I told you it's not so
simple! In number one we need a noun. In number two we need a verb. And in number three we need
another noun. So we need a word that can be both a noun and a verb and can have at least three vastly
different meanings. Yay! So then let's try and at least understand the meanings that we
need in these three sentences. In number one we need a place. I know this because we have the
relative pronoun WHERE. So for now let us write the word "place". Number two requires a verb.
This must be a verb you do on safari. The object of the verb is "wild hyenas". The meaning we need
could be SEE or FIND because on safari you see and find animals. And number three...
Well it is something you can find on a chin and it is a reason for not recording a video.
Let us pick words for one and two and see if they fit sentence three. Okay so let's try with
the word PLACE because PLACE can be a verb and a noun. For number one: this is the place where me
and your mother had our first kiss. That fits. So PLACE could be possible so far. For number two:
we were unable to PLACE any wild hyenas. Well the verb TO PLACE means "to put something in a certain
position". Uh, it's not impossible in the meaning, it's just a little bit strange. But
again, it's possible. So let's go ahead to number three. And for number three "I had a giant place
on my chin"... No. That's weird. You cannot have a place on your chin. Well I guess you can? This
is a place on my chin, but I don't see why this would be a reason to not record a video....
Yeah? Hi, Toby. Yeah... It's me Monica. Yeah? I'm sorry but like I can't come into work today.
Why not? I HAVE A PLACE ON MY FACE! So no. The answer cannot be place. Pause the video here
and think. I will tell you the answer in five seconds.
The answer is SPOT. SPOT!?! A spot can be a particular place. For example:
"the top of that hill is the best picnic spot in the city" or "I've just bought a new painting
but I cannot find a spot for it". Oh no! The verb TO SPOT means to find and see something.
For example "I knew that John was at the party but I couldn't spot him anywhere". Or,
and this is a very common collocation, to spot the difference. Can you find and see the
difference between two things? Like two pictures for example. Can you spot the difference? Yes, I
can. And lastly SPOT as a noun can mean.... well.... this. Beautiful.
So maybe before this video you thought "Oh I'm a genius! I know the word SPOT" And now you have
realized that you don't know the word spot and you hate yourself for it. And I'm very very sorry. But
I still love you... Kind of, I think. But that's what we're all about yeah? We knock you down
to build your back up stronger! Yeah exactly, Bruce! Yes! So let's try one more!
Sentence one: Toby was talking too quickly. I couldn't _____ out what he was trying to say.
Sentence two: Bruce turned up to the job interview drunk. It didn't ______ a good impression. Excuse
me! I was not drunk! And sentence three: Monica thinks she's a model but it's all _____-believe.
She's actually unemployed. Oh my god, Toby! Shut up! You don't even know me!
So again pause the video here and see if you can do it. I'll give you the answer in five seconds.
And the missing word is MAKE. Perhaps the easiest one of these three is number two because we have
the very common collocation to MAKE an impression. But what about the others? Well number one
is the phrasal verb TO MAKE OUT. And this can have many meanings. Yeah of of course it can.... If you
want to learn every single phrasal verb with MAKE then... video right here! Yeah. But here it means
"to understand". If you cannot make something out it means you cannot understand what it is
because it is not clear enough. For example I cannot make out what this painting means.
I mean, what is that? I have absolutely no idea. I can't make it out! And
for number three we have the adjective MAKE-BELIEVE. And this means "imaginary". And
so that is how you take words that seem simple and ordinary and make them strange and difficult. And
oh my god I hate my life and I want my mummy and I hope that you liked it I sure know that i did!
And with that we are finished! That was an old, obsolete but interesting C1 Advanced exam
exercise. If you liked the video don't forget to SMASH that like button, subscribe if you
haven't already, leave a comment down below. My name is Toby and this was SMASH English.