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