Stage 1: English MCQ 1

Welcome to your first SET 11+ Stage 1 English practice paper. In the real Sutton Selective Eligibility Test, Stage 1 English is a 45-minute multiple-choice paper testing comprehension, vocabulary, and grammar. Work through this paper under timed conditions, then check your answers at the end.

Instructions

Time allowed: 45 minutes
Format: Multiple choice — select the best answer for each question
Total questions: 25
Read the passage carefully before answering
Do not look at the answers until you have finished

Part A: Comprehension (Questions 1-15)

Read the following passage carefully, then answer the questions below.

The Clockmaker

In a narrow street behind the cathedral, Mr Enright kept his workshop. The room was filled with the sound of ticking — hundreds of clocks marking time in their own particular rhythm. Pocket watches lay open on the bench like tiny mechanical flowers, their brass innards gleaming under the lamp.

Mr Enright had learned his craft from his mother, who had been one of the few women clockmakers in the country. She had taught him that a clock was more than a machine. "Every clock tells a story," she used to say. "Not just the time, but the story of the person who carries it."

He picked up the watch that Mrs Farrow had brought in that morning. Its face was cracked, and the minute hand had snapped clean off. But when he held it to his ear, he could still hear the faintest tick — the heartbeat of the mechanism refusing to give up.

Outside, the cathedral bells chimed six o'clock. Mr Enright did not look up. He was already lost in his work, a magnifying glass clamped to one eye, tweezers moving with the precision of a surgeon. The modern world rushed past his door — cars, phones, digital screens — but inside the workshop, time moved at its own pace.

Q1. Where is Mr Enright's workshop located?

(a) On the high street (b) Inside the cathedral (c) In a narrow street behind the cathedral (d) Above a shop

Q2. Who taught Mr Enright his craft?

(a) His father (b) His grandfather (c) His mother (d) A master clockmaker

Q3. "Pocket watches lay open on the bench like tiny mechanical flowers." This is an example of:

(a) Metaphor (b) Simile (c) Personification (d) Alliteration

Q4. What does "brass innards" mean in the context of the passage?

(a) The outer casing of the watches (b) The internal mechanical parts made of brass (c) The watch faces (d) The watch straps

Q5. What was wrong with Mrs Farrow's watch?

(a) It had stopped completely (b) The face was cracked and the minute hand was broken (c) It was missing the glass (d) The strap had broken

Q6. "The heartbeat of the mechanism refusing to give up." This is an example of:

(a) Simile (b) Hyperbole (c) Personification (d) Onomatopoeia

Q7. What does the passage suggest about Mr Enright's attitude to his work?

(a) He finds it boring but necessary (b) He is deeply dedicated and passionate (c) He wants to retire soon (d) He prefers modern technology

Q8. The word "precision" is closest in meaning to:

(a) Speed (b) Carefulness (c) Exactness (d) Strength

Q9. Why does Mr Enright not look up when the bells chime?

(a) He is deaf (b) He is absorbed in his work (c) He is angry (d) He has already checked the time

Q10. What contrast does the final paragraph draw?

(a) Between rich and poor (b) Between the modern world and Mr Enright's traditional workshop (c) Between morning and evening (d) Between Mr Enright and Mrs Farrow

Part B: Vocabulary & Grammar (Questions 11-25)

Q11. Choose the word closest in meaning to "gleaming":

(a) Dull (b) Shining (c) Moving (d) Melting

Q12. Which word is the correct spelling?

(a) Mechnism (b) Mecanism (c) Mechanism (d) Mecanizm

Q13. Choose the correct sentence:

(a) The clocks was ticking loudly. (b) The clocks were ticking loudly. (c) The clocks is ticking loudly. (d) The clocks be ticking loudly.

Q14. What is the plural of "watch"?

(a) Watchs (b) Watches (c) Watchies (d) Watch's

Q15. "The old man worked ___." Choose the correct adverb:

(a) careful (b) carefully (c) carefuller (d) careless

Q16. Which sentence uses an apostrophe correctly?

(a) The clock's were all ticking. (b) The clocks hand was broken. (c) The clock's hand was broken. (d) The clocks' was broken.

Q17. Choose the word closest in meaning to "craft":

(a) Speed (b) Skill (c) Boat (d) Luck

Q18. Which word is a synonym of "narrow"?

(a) Wide (b) Thin (c) Long (d) Deep

Q19. "She had taught him that a clock was more than a machine." This sentence is written in:

(a) Present tense (b) Future tense (c) Past perfect tense (d) Simple past tense

Q20. Which prefix makes "appear" mean the opposite?

(a) un- (b) dis- (c) re- (d) mis-

Q21. Choose the correct homophone: "The knight rode his horse through the ___."

(a) night (b) knight (c) nite (d) knite

Q22. What type of word is "faintest" in the phrase "the faintest tick"?

(a) Noun (b) Verb (c) Superlative adjective (d) Adverb

Q23. Which sentence contains a subordinate clause?

(a) Mr Enright fixed the watch. (b) Although it was late, he kept working. (c) The bells chimed six times. (d) Clocks ticked all around.

Q24. Choose the word closest in meaning to "particular":

(a) General (b) Specific (c) Random (d) Similar

Q25. What is the antonym of "modern"?

(a) New (b) Current (c) Ancient (d) Fast

Answers & Mark Scheme

Question	Answer
Q1	(c) In a narrow street behind the cathedral
Q2	(c) His mother
Q3	(b) Simile
Q4	(b) The internal mechanical parts made of brass
Q5	(b) The face was cracked and the minute hand was broken
Q6	(c) Personification
Q7	(b) He is deeply dedicated and passionate
Q8	(c) Exactness
Q9	(b) He is absorbed in his work
Q10	(b) Between the modern world and Mr Enright's traditional workshop
Q11	(b) Shining
Q12	(c) Mechanism
Q13	(b) The clocks were ticking loudly.
Q14	(b) Watches
Q15	(b) carefully
Q16	(c) The clock's hand was broken.
Q17	(b) Skill
Q18	(b) Thin
Q19	(c) Past perfect tense
Q20	(b) dis-
Q21	(a) night
Q22	(c) Superlative adjective
Q23	(b) Although it was late, he kept working.
Q24	(b) Specific
Q25	(c) Ancient

Scoring guide: 22-25 = Excellent | 18-21 = Good | 14-17 = Keep practising | Below 14 = Review fundamentals