C2 Proficiency Multiple Matching Practice

C2 Proficiency (CPE) · Reading & Use of English Part 7 · 42 free exercises

A set of prompts to match against several short texts or sections — which person mentions X, which paragraph states Y. Multiple matching tests fast, targeted reading: scanning for specific ideas expressed in different words.

Multiple Matching: Finding one idea in a long text, ten times over.

10 — statements
1 mark — each
Options — can repeat
~15 min — of your paper

Fast scanning and paraphrase recognition. The statement never uses the same words as the text — you match the idea, not the words, and quickly, because there is a lot of ground to cover.

What real learners get wrong: C2 learners average 77%. Reduce each statement to its idea, then scan for that idea — not its wording.

The method

Read the statements first — here they are your questions.
Turn each statement into its core idea, stripped of its wording.
Scan for meaning, not matching words — a section repeating the exact words is often a trap.
Do the easy, distinctive statements first to shrink the search.
Remember sections can be used more than once, or not at all — and confirm the section truly says it.

The traps

The word-match trap: A section repeating the statement’s words is often wrong — the real answer paraphrases.
Fear of reusing a section: Sections can answer more than one statement — refusing to reuse leads to a wrong pick elsewhere.
Topic, not statement: A section may be about the right subject without containing the specific idea.
Half the statement: Every element of the statement must be present, not just part of it.
Running out of time: Ten statements is a lot — mark your best guess and move on, return if time allows.

C2 Proficiency Multiple Matching Practice

Multiple Matching: Finding one idea in a long text, ten times over.

The method

The traps

All Multiple Matching exercises

Based on C2 Proficiency exam text

Cambridge English Proficiency 1, Cambridge University Press

Cambridge English Proficiency 2, Cambridge University Press

Close-up C2 Workbook, National Geographic Learning

Close-up C2, National Geographic Learning

Expert Proficiency Resource Book, Pearson Education

Expert Proficiency, Pearson Education

Objective Proficiency 2nd Edition, Cambridge University Press

Proficiency Testbuilder, 4th Edition, Mark Harrison, Macmillan

Ready for C2 Proficiency Student's Book, Macmillan

Ready for C2 Proficiency Workbook, Macmillan

Other levels