Cambridge BEC Vantage — All Questions
22 questions
Choose the correct form: 'We ___ the contract by the end of next week.'
- a.will have finalized✓
- b.are finalize
- c.finalize
- d.will finalizing
The future perfect 'will have finalized' expresses an action that will be complete by a point in the future ('by the end of next week').
Complete: 'The invoice ___ to the client yesterday.'
- a.is sending
- b.was sent✓
- c.sent
- d.has sent
A past passive is needed: the invoice received the action. With 'yesterday', the past simple passive 'was sent' is correct.
Select the correct option: 'If we ___ the shipment today, the goods will arrive on time.'
- a.dispatched
- b.would dispatch
- c.will dispatch
- d.dispatch✓
This is a first conditional about a real future possibility. The 'if' clause uses the present simple 'dispatch', and the result clause uses 'will'.
Choose the correct modal: 'You ___ submit the expense report by Friday, or it won't be processed.'
- a.may
- b.must✓
- c.might
- d.could
'Must' expresses a strong obligation, which fits the consequence that the report won't be processed otherwise.
Complete: 'The CEO, ___ presentation impressed investors, will visit our office.'
- a.whose✓
- b.which
- c.who
- d.whom
'Whose' is the possessive relative pronoun linking the CEO to the 'presentation', giving 'the CEO, whose presentation...'.
Choose the best word: 'We need to ___ costs without affecting quality.'
- a.reduce✓
- b.seduce
- c.produce
- d.deduce
'Reduce costs' means to lower them, which fits the business goal. The other words mean to infer, to entice, and to make.
Select the correct term: 'Our company hopes to ___ into the Asian market next year.'
- a.extend
- b.expand✓
- c.enlarge
- d.increase
'Expand into a market' is the standard business collocation for entering a new market. 'Extend' and 'enlarge' do not collocate with 'market' this way.
Which word fits best? 'The two firms agreed to ___ their resources on the project.'
- a.pile
- b.pool✓
- c.post
- d.pour
To 'pool resources' means to combine them for shared benefit, which fits a joint project. The other words are unrelated.
Choose the best word: 'Please find the agenda ___ to this email.'
- a.attach
- b.attaching
- c.attachment
- d.attached✓
'Find the agenda attached' uses the past participle as an adjective, the standard formula for referring to an email attachment.
Select the best fit: 'Sales figures showed a sharp ___ in the third quarter.'
- a.decline✓
- b.declining
- c.declines
- d.declined
A singular noun is needed after the adjective 'sharp'. 'A sharp decline' means a large drop, which fits sales figures.
Choose the correct form: 'The board praised the ___ of the new strategy.'
- a.effectiveness✓
- b.effectively
- c.effective
- d.effect
A noun is needed after 'the' and before 'of'. 'Effectiveness' is the noun form of 'effective'.
Complete: 'Our supplier delivered the components ___.'
- a.prompted
- b.promptness
- c.prompt
- d.promptly✓
An adverb is needed to describe how the components were delivered. 'Promptly' is the adverb form.
Select the correct form: 'We are seeking a ___ partner for the venture.'
- a.reliably
- b.reliable✓
- c.rely
- d.reliability
An adjective is needed before the noun 'partner'. 'Reliable' is the adjective form.
Choose the correct form: 'The merger led to a significant ___ in staff numbers.'
- a.reduce
- b.reducing
- c.reduced
- d.reduction✓
A noun is needed after the adjective 'significant'. 'Reduction' is the noun form of 'reduce'.
Choose the correct preposition: 'The figures are broken down ___ region.'
- a.in
- b.by✓
- c.at
- d.on
'Broken down by' is the fixed phrase for showing how data is divided into categories such as region.
Select the best connector: 'Sales rose sharply; ___, profits remained flat.'
- a.however✓
- b.thus
- c.hence
- d.therefore
'However' signals a contrast between rising sales and flat profits. The other options all indicate result.
Choose the correct preposition: 'We are responsible ___ meeting the quarterly targets.'
- a.for✓
- b.with
- c.of
- d.to
The adjective 'responsible' is followed by 'for' when naming the duty: 'responsible for meeting the targets'.
Select the best linker: '___ to increase efficiency, we introduced new software.'
- a.In order✓
- b.Because
- c.Due
- d.So that
'In order to' + infinitive expresses purpose: the software was introduced to increase efficiency. The other options do not fit this pattern.
Which sentence is correct in a business context?
- a.We look forward receiving your proposal.
- b.We look forward to receiving your proposal.✓
- c.We are looking forward to receive your proposal.
- d.We look forward to receive your proposal.
'Look forward to' is followed by a gerund because 'to' is a preposition, so 'receiving' is correct. This is standard in formal correspondence.
Identify the error-free sentence.
- a.The staff is been consulted about the changes.
- b.The staff are being consulted about the changes.✓
- c.The staffs are being consulted about the changes.
- d.The staff are been consulted about the changes.
'Staff' is a collective noun with no plural 'staffs' in this sense, and the present continuous passive is 'are being consulted'.
Choose the correct sentence.
- a.We would appreciate you to confirm by Monday.
- b.We would appreciate if you could confirm by Monday.
- c.We will appreciate it if you would confirmed by Monday.
- d.We would appreciate it if you could confirm by Monday.✓
The polite formula is 'appreciate it if you could', keeping the object 'it' before the 'if' clause. Dropping 'it' is a common error.
Which sentence has no error?
- a.There has been a steady increase in demand.✓
- b.There have being a steady increase in demand.
- c.There have been a steady increase in demand.
- d.There has been a steady increase in demands.
The singular subject 'a steady increase' takes 'has been', and the uncountable 'demand' has no plural here.