CEM-Style Mixed Mock 3
CEM-Style Mixed Mock 3 continues practising the CEM (Centre for Evaluation and Monitoring) blended English and verbal-reasoning format used by several grammar school consortia until CEM stopped supplying 11+ tests in 2021. This set focuses on drawing implied meaning, such as a character's motivation or an unstated cause, from short extracts, alongside vocabulary questions built around words with more than one common meaning.
Before you start
Make sure you're comfortable with these topics first:
Method
- When a question asks what a sentence suggests or implies, first find the exact words in the extract that support your answer, since an inference must be traceable back to the text rather than guessed.
- For a word with more than one common meaning, check the sentence's context to decide which meaning is being used, since CEM-style vocabulary questions often deliberately pick words with an everyday meaning and a less common one.
- When asked to infer a character's feeling or motivation, look for their actions and word choices rather than only what they directly say, since actions are often used to imply feelings indirectly.
- Where a question asks for a cause that is not stated directly, look for two connected pieces of information in the extract and explain how one plausibly leads to the other.
- Keep your inference answers grounded in the specific extract given rather than general knowledge, since a plausible-sounding answer that ignores the text's actual details will not be credited.
- Move steadily through the section, since CEM-style papers mix question types without warning; check each question's exact wording before answering rather than assuming it matches the type before it.
Worked example
'Every evening, Priya checked the letterbox twice, though the postman had not called at that hour in years.' What does this sentence suggest about Priya, even though it is not stated directly?
- Note what is directly stated: Priya checks the letterbox twice every evening, and the postman has not called at that hour for years.
- Consider why someone would keep checking for something they know is very unlikely to arrive: this behaviour suggests hope or expectation that is not fully rational.
- Link this to a likely emotional state: the repeated, seemingly pointless checking implies Priya may be anxiously waiting or hoping for a particular letter, perhaps against the odds.
- Check the inference against the detail 'in years', which confirms the writer is deliberately highlighting that her habit does not match reality, strengthening the sense that this is driven by hope rather than logic.
- Final answer: the sentence implies that Priya is anxiously hoping for a letter she knows, realistically, is unlikely to come, since she keeps checking at a time the post no longer arrives.
Practice questions
Type your answer and press Check to be marked straight away, or reveal the answer and mark yourself.
Q1The word can mean a platform or structure used to display or hold something, or to tolerate something difficult. Which word is being described?Show answer
Answer: stand (a display stand; 'I cannot stand it' meaning tolerate).
Q2'The manager's tone was measured, giving nothing away about her real opinion.' What does 'measured' suggest about the manager's tone?Show answer
Answer: That it was calm, careful and controlled, not revealing strong emotion.
Q3'Despite arriving an hour early, Tom found the box office already closed.' What does this suggest, even though it is not stated directly?Show answer
Answer: That the event or venue closed earlier than Tom expected, or something happened to close it ahead of schedule, catching him by surprise.
Q4Which word is closest in meaning to 'reluctant': (a) eager (b) unwilling (c) confident (d) careless?Show answer
Answer: (b) unwilling.
Q5The word can mean the main stem of a tree, or a large box used for storage or travel. Which word is being described?Show answer
Answer: trunk.
Q6'The scientist's claim, though bold, was backed by years of careful data.' What does 'bold' suggest about the claim?Show answer
Answer: That it was daring, striking or went beyond what was commonly accepted, though here it turns out to be well supported by evidence.
Exam-style questions
Written in the style of a 11+ exam paper, with a full mark scheme.
'The gardener replanted the entire flower bed the week after the storm, though most of the original plants had, in fact, survived.' Explain what this sentence suggests about the gardener's decision, using evidence from the text.
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Three of these words are close in meaning to 'reluctant' and one is not: hesitant, unwilling, eager, wary. Identify the odd one out and explain your reasoning.
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Free printable worksheet
Want more practice on paper? Download the cem-style mixed mock 3 worksheet pack - 22 pages of exam-style questions with a full mark scheme. One email opens every download in this browser for 14 days - no account, no card. Print it for personal and classroom use.
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