Use of English

Level B2

Part 1 - Multiple Choice

Exercises Feed

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For Questions 1-8, read the text below and decide which answer best fits each gap.

Music and Mood

People have long noticed that music can have a powerful effect on the way we feel. A cheerful song may lift our spirits, while a slow melody can calm us (0) DOWN after a stressful day. Scientists have carried (1) .......... several studies into the influence of music on emotions, and their findings are quite interesting. It appears that certain types of music are closely (2) .......... with particular emotional responses. For example, fast rhythms often make people feel more energetic, whereas softer music can help them (3) .......... relaxed and thoughtful. Researchers have also found that personal experience plays a major (4) .......... in how we react to music. A song connected with a happy memory may immediately (5) .......... back strong feelings from the past. In addition, people sometimes use music to change their mood on (6) ........... They may listen to lively songs to feel more positive, or choose quieter tracks when they need to slow down. Although music affects people differently, there is no (7) .......... that it can influence emotions in everyday life. For this reason, many experts believe it is worth paying more (8) .......... to the music we choose to hear.

What to do

In this part, you read a text with eight gaps and choose the best word from four options to fit each gap.

Nothing prepares you for this test better than reading.

Read a lot. Candidates who often read in English (for work, for fun) find this part of the test manageable, while those who never read tend to find it very hard.

If you are 100% sure that two of the 4 choices are completely identical, then neither can be the answer. There is always only one word that fits grammatically and has the right meaning.

Usually the correct option will be part of a fixed phrase or collocation, a phrasal verb, a connector or the only word that fits grammatically in the gap.

Strategy

  1. Read the title and the whole text quickly to understand its general meaning before you attempt the task.
  2. Check the words before and after the gap.
  3. Choose the best option.
  4. When you have finished, read the text again with the words inserted to check that it makes sense.

Instructions

For Questions 1-8, read the text below and decide which answer best fits each gap.

Exercise Details

Author

Patricia Pugliero

@patricia-pugliero

User Prompt

"Create an exercise about the influence of music on emotions"

Tone: Standard
Level: B2

Created on:

Jun 17, 2026

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