English 1

First Mid-term Exam 2013 - 2

SCHOOL OF ECONOMICS
BUSINESS ENGLISH PROGRAM
NAME: ________________________________________________ ID NUMBER ______________
SCORE TABLE
Vocabulary Structure Reading Writing Listening Oral Total
___ / 15 ___ / 15 ___ / 10 ___ / 10 ___ / 25 ___ / 25 ___ / 100
SCORE
READING: THIS SECTION TESTS YOUR UNDERSTANDING OF WRITTEN ENGLISH (10 pts)
Complaints happen every day. When a customer complains, it is usually for a good reason or genuine concern.
They usually have made a purchase that did not meet their expectation—a product, service, or maybe a
combination of the two. In the customer service industry, we cannot avoid complaints. We must take care of
the customer by listening to the complaint, and resolving it, to ensure a happy customer. Fewer than half of
unhappy customers will bring a complaint to your attention. Those who never say anything will tell an average
of 11 other people about their bad experience. It is important that we recognize complaints as opportunities, so
we can sway these averages, one resolved complaint at a time.
When a customer presents you with a complaint, keep in mind that the issue is not personal; he or she is not
attacking you directly but rather the situation at hand. “Winning” the confrontation accomplishes nothing. A
person who remains in control of his or her emotions deals from a position of strength. While it is perfectly
natural to get defensive when attacked, choose to be the “professional” and keep your cool. Let the irate
customer blow off steam. Respond with phrases such as, “Hmm,” “I see,” and “Tell me more.” Do not interrupt.
As the customer vents and sees you are not reacting, he or she will begin to calm down. The customer needs
to get into a calm frame of mind before he or she can hear your solution—or anything you say, for that matter.
Let the customer know you hear what he or she is saying. If you or your company made a mistake, admit it. If
you did not make a mistake and it is a misunderstanding, simply explain it to the customer: “I can see how that
would be incredibly frustrating for you.” You are not necessarily agreeing with what the customer is saying, but
respecting how he or she perceives and feels about the situation. An excellent phrase for opening up this
particular conversation would be, “So, if I understand you correctly…” After the customer responds, follow up
with, “So, if I understand you correctly, we were to resolve the problem by noon today. I can see how that must
be frustrating for you.” Then be quiet. Usually, the customer will respond with “That’s right” or “Exactly.” By
repeating to the customer what you think you heard, you lower his or her defenses, and win the right to be
heard.
After listening, take the initiative in the conversation. Now that the customer has calmed down and feels you
have heard his or her side, begin asking questions. Be careful not to speak scripted replies, but use this as an
opportunity to start a genuine conversation, building a trusting relationship with your customer. To help you
understand the situation, get as many details as possible.
Offer a solution: This happens only after you have sufficient details. One thing to keep in mind: Know what you
can and cannot do within your company’s guidelines. Making a promise you cannot commit to will only set you
back. Remember, when offering a solution, be courteous and respectful. Let the customer know you are willing
to take ownership of the issue, even if it was out of your control. Take charge of the situation and let the
customer know what you are going to do to solve the problem.
A quick follow-up phone call a few days later to make sure everything is OK is icing on the cake. Even a small
gesture of apology can turn this interaction from disaster to legendary. The cost could be minimal—maybe a
simple upgrade on the customer’s next purchase or a small gift certificate. A simple gesture like this could
result in a future referral or a positive word-of-mouth marketing recommendation. When you resolve customer
complaints successfully, you will better understand their needs, retain them as loyal customers, and enhance
your business.
Adapted from: http://www.trainingmag.com/content/how-handle-customer-complaints
1. Read the text and answer the questions with complete but concise sentences (10 pts).
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First Mid-term Exam 2013 - 2
a. What is the first thing you need to do for customers to calm down?

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b. What is dangerous about ignoring complaints?

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c. Why do people who work in customer service have to ask questions?

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d. What can’t you promise a customer?

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e. What does the author recommend customer service employees to do once the problem has

been solved?

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VOCABULARY SECTION: THIS SECTION TESTS YOUR ABILITY TO PROPERLY USE

BUSINESS VOCABULARY IN A BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT. (15 POINTS) Source: own
elaboration

2. Complete the chart with the corresponding nationalities for the countries below (5 points)
Country Nationality
Kuwait
Sweden
Switzerland
The U. K.
Greece
Colombia Colombian

3. Complete the sentences below with vocabulary about working conditions so that they
make sense; first letters have been done for you as a hint. (5 points)
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First Mid-term Exam 2013 - 2
a. I m going to start my university studies next month, I need to have F_______________

H_______________ at work so that I have time for my classes.

b. My cousin Laura is very happy at work, she doesn’t have to take any taxis or busses, she

uses her C________________ C_________________ every day.

c. I want to buy an apartment, buy the money I earn is not enough, I need a

H_________________ S_________________ to make ends meet.

d. Erica, my boss she really likes employees, she treats them like friends, she is a very

F_________________ B__________________ to all of us.

e. I would love to spend a month in Hawaii on vacation but I don’t have L__________________

H__________________ at work, they only give us a week off every year.

4. Complete sentences with the words “too” or “enough” and the adjectives below so that
they are logical; there are extra words you don’t need to use. (5 points)
free, expensive, busy, stupid, ambitious, smart, tall, fat, short, slow, cheap, fast, comfortable,
small, attractive.
a. I would love to go out tonight but I am _____________ ________________ with my

homework.

b. Jamie was in “who wants to be a millionaire” but he is not ________________

________________ he couldn’t answer a single question.

c. I wrote a description of my project, but my boss said it was ________________

_________________ it didn’t have all the information he needed.

d. Daniel knows all the answers but he never finishes the exams on time, he is just not

_________________ __________________.

e. We need to work together today but our office is ____________________

____________________, I guess we will have to find another place.

STRUCTURE SECTION: THIS SECTION TESTS YOUR ABILITY TO CORRECTLY USE

GRAMMATICAL STRUCTURES IN A BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT. (15 POINTS) Source: own
elaboration
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First Mid-term Exam 2013 - 2
5. Use the words in parenthesis to write full sentences, add any elements only if necessary (5
pts)
a. Brazil / from / Maria/ parents/ ‘s /

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b. interested/ science /Elizabeth / in/ fiction

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c. Sergio / from / accountant / New York /.

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d. office today/ her / his /married,/ wife /in / Diego /

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e. sisters / students/ My / UdeA / in

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6. Write information questions for the answers below, the questions must focus on the
underlined parts of the sentences to do so(5 points)
a. ________________________________________________________________________?

I live in Medellin

b. ________________________________________________________________________?

Diana takes an aspirin twice a day

c. ________________________________________________________________________?

Diego is not at the office because he is not feeling well.

d. ________________________________________________________________________?

I usually go dancing or drinking at the weekend

e. ________________________________________________________________________?

We have classes on Mondays and Fridays

7. Correct the mistakes in the wrong sentences below and mark the right ones with a tick (5
points)
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First Mid-term Exam 2013 - 2
a. We usually have got breakfast in the company cafeteria.
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b. Do you have got any siblings?
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c. Where do you from?
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d. How many classes has she got every day?
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e. I don’t know who my keys are
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WRITING SECTION. THIS SECTION TESTS YOUR ABILITY TO ACCURATELY USE WRITING
TO COMMUNICATE IN A BUSINESS ENVIRONMENT. (10 POINTS) Source: own elaboration

1. Write about your studies, mention the number of hours you study, the number of classes you
have, the difficult classes and the easy ones, speak about the time you start and finish classes,
also mention what you do at the weekend, use at least 10 verbs to do so, and complete sentences
in present simple. (10 points)
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LISTENING SECTION (25 POINTS)

This section tests your ability to understand spoken English
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First Mid-term Exam 2013 - 2
2. Listen to Victoria talk about her routine and answer the following questions (14 points)
Taken from: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Zs7dr4R9ns
a. What time does she usually wake up?

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b. What animals does she have?

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c. How many classes does she usually have?

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d. Where does she like having lunch?

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e. What time do her painting classes start and finish?

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f. What does she usually do after painting classes?

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g. What time does she usually go home at night?

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3. Listen to Ravi (male) and Tess (female) introduce each other and answer the questions
below (11 points)
Taken from: http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/es/elementary-podcasts/serie-01-episodio-01

a. Who has the idea of introducing each other? Ravi Tess

b. Where is Tess from? ___________________________________________

c. What does Tess like doing? ___________________________________________

d. Where is Ravi from? ___________________________________________

e. What activities does he like? ___________________________________________

f. What is Gordon’s job? ___________________________________________