CAE Reading and Use of English Part 1
For questions 1-8, read the text below and decide which answer (A, B, C or D) best fits each gap. There is an example at the beginning (0).
Our obsession with recording every detail of our happiest moments could be 0 __ our ability to remember them, according to new research.
Dr Linda Henkel, from Fairfield University, Connecticut, described this as the ‘photo-taking impairment effect’. She said, ‘People often whip out their cameras almost mindlessly to 1 a moment, to the point that they are missing what is happening 2 in front of them. When people rely on technology to remember for them — 3 on the camera to record the event and thus not needing to 4 to it fully themselves — it can have a negative 5 __ on how well they remember their experiences.
In Dr Henkel’s experiment, a group of university students were 6 on a tour of a museum and asked to either photograph or try to remember objects on display. The next day each student’s memory was tested. The results showed that people were less 7 in recognising the objects they had photographed 8 __ with those they had only looked at.
Example:
0 | A interfering | B upsetting | C damaging | D intruding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | A seize | B grasp | C capture | D snatch |
2 | A quite | B right | C merely | D barely |
3 | A counting | B settling | C assuming | D swearing |
4 | A engage | B apply | C attend | D dedicate |
5 | A result | B aspect | C extent | D impact |
6 | A steered | B run | C led | D conveyed |
7 | A accurate | B faithful | C exact | D factual |
8 | A measured | B compared | C matched | D confronted |
Answer Key with Explanations
1. C - capture
The phrase "capture a moment" is the most natural collocation here. While "seize" and "grasp" can refer to taking hold of opportunities, and "snatch" implies grabbing quickly, "capture" is the standard verb used with photography and preserving moments in time.
2. B - right
"Right in front of them" is a common idiom meaning "directly before them". "Quite" doesn't fit the context, "merely" would weaken the meaning inappropriately, and "barely" would suggest they can hardly see what's happening, which contradicts the point being made.
3. A - counting
"Counting on" means relying on or depending on something. This fits perfectly with the context of relying on technology. "Settling on" means deciding on, "assuming" doesn't take "on" in this way, and "swearing on" relates to making oaths.
4. C - attend
"Attend to" means to pay attention to or focus on something. This fits the context of not fully focusing on the experience. "Engage with" could work but doesn't take "to", "apply to" doesn't fit the meaning, and "dedicate to" implies a longer-term commitment.
5. D - impact
"Have an impact on" is the correct collocation for describing an effect on something. Whilst "result" relates to outcomes, "aspect" refers to features or facets, and "extent" refers to degree or range, "impact" specifically describes the effect or influence on memory.
6. C - led
"Led on a tour" is the standard expression. People are "led" (guided) on tours. "Steered" is used for vehicles, "run" doesn't fit grammatically here, and "conveyed" means transported or communicated.
7. A - accurate
"Accurate" means correct and precise, which fits the context of memory recognition. "Faithful" implies loyalty, "exact" suggests perfect precision (too strong here), and "factual" relates more to truthfulness than precision of recall.
8. B - compared
"Compared with" is the correct phrase for making a comparison between two things. "Measured against" could work in some contexts but is less natural here, "matched with" implies pairing rather than comparing performance, and "confronted with" means faced with a challenge.