The headless horseman - PAU 2012

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos Andalucía

One cold winter night, Peter Dutchman left the tavern in Tarrytown and started walking home in the forest nearby. His path led next to the old Sleepy Hollow cemetery, where a headless German soldier was buried. At midnight, he arrived at the cemetery. It was a dark night with no moon, and the only light came from his lantern.

Peter was nervous about passing the graveyard, remembering the rumours of a galloping ghost that he had heard at the tavern. Suddenly, he saw a light rising from the ground in the cemetery. He stopped scared. Before his surprised eyes, a white mist appeared from a grave, like a large horse carrying a headless rider.

Peter let out a terrible scream as the horse jumped toward him at full gallop. He started running as fast as he could towards the bridge, since he knew that ghosts and evil spirits did not like to cross running water. But he fell, rolling off the road. The rider passed him fast, and the man got a second look at the headless ghost. It was wearing a German commander's uniform. Peter waited for an hour to go back home, and there he told his wife about the ghost.

The next day, the story was all over Tarrytown. The villagers were divided in their opinions. Some thought that the ghost must be travelling the roads at night looking for its head. Others claimed that the German officer rose from the grave to lead the German soldiers to the battle near Chatterton Hill, not knowing that the place had already been taken by the British. And today he continues riding along the roads on dark nights.

RESPUESTAS

I. READING COMPREHENSION

ANSWER QUESTIONS 1-3 ACCORDING TO THE INFORMATION GIVEN IN THE TEXT. USE YOUR OWN WORDS.

1. How did Peter Dutchman feel at the cemetery? Why?

• He was nervous and scared because the story about a galloping ghost he had just heard at the tavern.

2. How did the ghost make its appearance?

• First, he saw a light which rose from the ground, and then a mist with the shape of a headless soldier riding a horse appeared from a tomb.

3. Could the ghost have succeeded in the battle he wanted to fight? Why?

• No, he couldn’t, because that battle took place near Chatterton Hill, and it had already been won by the British.

ARE THESE STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWERS WITH THE PRECISE WORDS OR PHRASES FROM THE TEXT, OR USE YOUR OWN WORDS.

4. Peter and his wife live in Tarrytown.

• FALSE: “Peter Dutchman left the tavern in Tarrytown and started walking home in the forest nearby.” (LINE 4)

5. Ghosts are said to dislike running water.

• TRUE: “...,since he knew that ghosts and evil spirits did not like to cross running water.” (LINES 12-13)

II. USE OF ENGLISH

6. FIND IN THE TEXT ONE SYNONYM FOR “go on” (verb).

• continue (LINE 15)

7. GIVE A NOUN WITH THE SAME ROOT AS “arrive” (verb).

• arrival

8. FIND IN THE TEXT A WORD WHICH HAS THE FOLLOWING DEFINITION: 

“To say that something is true.”

• claim (LINE 12)

9. COMPLETE THE SERIES WITH ANOTHER WORD FROM THE SAME SEMANTIC GROUP: 

• scared, terrified, alarmed, frightened, fearful, spooked

10. FILL IN THE GAP WITH THE CORRECT OPTION: (ought / needn't / should)

• One day I should give up my car and start going by bus.

11. JOIN THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES USING A RELATIVE PRONOUN. MAKE CHANGES IF NECESSARY:

TV networks usually put on horror movies. Most teenagers like them.

• TV networks usually put on horror movies, which most teenagers like.

12. GIVE A QUESTION FOR THE UNDERLINED WORDS: 

I met a strange man at my friend’s door.

• Where did you meet a strange man?

13. COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONAL SENTENCE: 

•  If my car was stolen, I would have a lot of problems. (would/could + infinitive)

+ EXÁMENES RESUELTOS