Branches and Roots

C2 Proficiency · Word Formation · Cambridge Ready original exercise

For questions 1–8, read the text below. Use the word given in capitals at the end of some of the lines to form a word that fits in the gap in the same line. There is an example at the beginning (0).

FRUSTRATE

ACCESS

DEVOTE

CURIOUS

SETTLE

HABIT

CONCEAL

WELCOME

Tracing one's ancestors was once a (0) ___ business, involving months of letters to parish clerks and record offices that were often (1) ___ slow to reply. Today, with millions of records (2) ___ online and DNA kits sold alongside perfume and chocolates, the hobby has attracted a (3) ___ following. Part of the appeal is simple (4) ___ : most of us want to know where we come from, and finding a great-grandmother's name in an old census can be oddly moving. Yet the results can also be deeply (5) ___ . A grandfather remembered as a war hero may turn out to have been a (6) ___ thief, and a test taken on a whim can expose a family secret that had been kept carefully (7) ___ for decades. Those who have been through the experience advise beginners to start digging only if they are prepared for discoveries that may prove (8) ___ , and to remember that the living may feel rather differently about the past than the eager researcher does.

Branches and Roots

LABOUR

Available as a free printable PDF worksheet with an optional answer key.

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