Practice Paper: English & VR 2

This is your second CEM 11+ English and Verbal Reasoning practice paper. This time the passage is non-fiction — a style commonly used in CEM exams. Remember: CEM interleaves question types, so stay alert as you switch between comprehension, vocabulary, and verbal reasoning.

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Instructions

• Time allowed: 45 minutes
• Total marks: 40
• Read the passage carefully before answering
• Answer every question — never leave a blank
• Be ready for different question types within each section
• Answers are at the end of this paper — do not look until you have finished!

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Section A: Comprehension & Vocabulary (16 marks)

Read the following passage carefully.

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The Silent Language of Trees

For centuries, scientists believed that trees were solitary organisms — each one competing independently for sunlight, water, and nutrients. Recent research has overturned this view entirely. We now know that beneath the forest floor lies a vast underground network of fungal threads, connecting the roots of neighbouring trees in what scientists have nicknamed the "Wood Wide Web."