On the road in Africa: Capetown to Cairo

• What does “On the road” make you think this article is about?

• What do you think about when you think about Africa?

• Animals and nature

• Politics

• Tourist attractions

Each year, thousands of young travellers (17) the call of the wild and go to Africa. (36%)

• A. answer• B. regard• C. notice• D. recognise

• “the call of the wild” is an expression referring to the attraction people have for nature.

• What do you do when someone/something calls you?

• A. answer

They come (18) with rhinos in game parks, buy ridiculously large wood carvings … (49%)

• A. neck-and-neck• B. close by• C. at arm’s length• D. face to face• If it’s a close race, you

can say the racers are neck and neck.

• You cannot “come close by with” something.

• You keep something at arm’s length if you don’t want to get too close.

• You come face-to-face if you meet something up close.

• D. face-to-face.

… and catch exotic diseases that (19) them for the rest of their lives. (55%)

• A. destroy• B. affect• C. sicken• D. shock• A disease may kill

you, but it won’t destroy you.

• A disease can affect you for a long time, even if you aren’t sick all the time.

• People probably aren’t sick for the rest of their lives.

• Shock?

• B. affect

Australian travel writer Peter Moore has finally succumbed (20) the call of Africa … (36%)

• A. by• B. with• C. to • D. into

• Only one preposition can follow “succumb”.

• C. to

… and is aiming (21) from Cape Town in South Africa to Cairo in Egypt. (81%)

• A. travelling • B. to travel• C. the travel• D. by travelling

• You aim at something.• You aim to do

something.• B. to travel

It’s a journey that many (22) but few finish. (59%)

• A. hope for• B. attempt• C. set out• D. proceed.• The idea that few

finish implies that many try it.

• In other words, many attempt it.

• You would have to say set out on the journey

• Proceed?• B. attempt

The dangers of disease, corruption and civil war (23) Africa an extremely difficult and dangerous continent … (63%)

• A. mean• B. cause• C. threaten• D. make

• The dangers ... mean that Africa is … difficult...

• The dangers … cause Africa to be … difficult ...

• Threaten?

• The dangers … make Africa difficult

• D. make

… political tensions are at a flashpoint in most countries (24). (31%)

• A. nearby• B. in the region• C. of the area• D. in this part• Nearby what? There’s

no specific country to be the point of origin.

• One option sounds better given the political context of the sentence

• You’d have to say “in this part of the world.”

• B. in the region

… corrupt presidents are desperately clinging (25). (28%)

• A. in power• B. the power• C. by power• D. to power

• To cling means to hold onto something.

• D. to power

Then there’s (26) possibility of being attacked by a hippo or … (11%)

• A. the very real• B. a present• C. always• D. worrying• We are trying to say

that there’s a very big/strong possibility of being attacked.

• The answer is an expression that may not sound grammatically correct to you.

• You’d have to say “always the possibility”.

• A. the very real

In Ethiopia and Sudan, border guards make the act of simply getting into the countries an adventure (27). (15%)

• A. in itself• B. by yourself• C. alone• D. with luck• You use this expression

when something is considered without other related ideas or situations.

• What situations would you normally associate with adventure in Africa -safaris, visiting the pyramids, etc.

• A. in itself

Cape Town is (28) in the world … (90%)

• A. one of the most beautiful cities

• B. a beautiful city• C. the beautiful• D. among the beautiful

cities

• There are many beautiful cities and Cape Town is one of them.

• A. one of the most beautiful cities

Travellers come to splendid Lake Malawi (29) to stay for days, but they remain for weeks … (58%)

• A. wish• B. hoped• C. who say• D. intending

• In other words, when they come, they are planning to stay for days, but they later change their mind.

• D. intending

The old stone town of Zanzibar has changed little (30) medieval times. (52%)

• A. after• B. during• C. since• D. before

• The present perfect implies that the town has not changed right up until now.

• C. since

In Kenya, visitors have (31) to get close to the animals in its famous games parks. (62%)

• A. opportunity• B. the novelty• C. the opportunity• D. a novelty

• Getting close to these animals is a good chance.

• You need an article with a countable noun.

• C. the opportunity

The pyramids in Egypt are (32) wonder of the world and a (33) finish to a long and eventful trip … (60%)

• A. the• B. another• C. one• D. the other

• The passage has mentioned many wonders of the world in Africa.

• B. another

The pyramids in Egypt are (32) wonder of the world and a (33) finish to a long and eventful trip… (36%)

• A. high• B. better• C. final• D. fitting

• High finish?• Better than what?• Final finish is

redundant• We are saying that

they are a suitable finish.

• D. fitting finish