test

test¹ W1S1 [test] n

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1¦(exam)¦

2¦(medical)¦

3¦(machine/product)¦

4¦(difficult situation)¦

5 put somebody/something to the test

6¦(sport)¦

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[Date: 1300-1400; : Old French; Origin: 'pot for testing metals', from Latin testum 'clay pot']

1.) ¦(EXAM)¦

a set of questions, exercises, or practical activities to measure someone's skill, ability, or knowledge

spelling/driving/biology etc test

▪ How did you do on your maths test?

pass/fail a test

▪ She passed her driving test when she was 17.

take/do/sit a test

▪ Applicants are required to take a written test.

test on

▪ We have a test on irregular verbs tomorrow.

▪ The school's test scores are among the highest in the district.

▪ Did you get a good mark in the test ?

2.) ¦(MEDICAL)¦

a) a medical examination on a part of your body, or a substance taken from your body, to check your health or to discover what is wrong with you

▪ a blood test

▪ an eye test

▪ a hearing test

▪ a pregnancy test

do/run a test

▪ They don't know what's wrong with her yet - they're doing tests.

test for

▪ a test for HIV

▪ I'm still waiting for my test results from the hospital.

b) an examination of someone's blood, breath etc carried out by the police, to discover if they have done something illegal

▪ a drugs test

▪ The results of the DNA test proved that Simmons was the rapist.

breath test

(=to find out if someone has been drinking alcohol before driving a car)

c) a piece of equipment used for carrying out a medical examination

▪ a pregnancy test

3.) ¦(MACHINE/PRODUCT)¦

a process used to discover whether equipment or a product works correctly, or to discover more about it

▪ nuclear weapons tests

test for

▪ a test for chemicals in the water

▪ Laboratory tests show that the new drug is very effective.

▪ We went to the test site in Nevada.

4.) ¦(DIFFICULT SITUATION)¦

a difficult situation in which the qualities of someone or something are clearly shown

▪ Chess player Nigel Short faces Anatoly Karpov in the toughest test of his career so far.

test of character/strength/courage/endurance etc

▪ The problems she faced were a real test of character.

5.) put sb/sth to the test

to force someone or something into a difficult situation in order to discover what the limits of their strength, skills etc are

▪ Living together will soon put their relationship to the test.

▪ Paul soon found himself in an emergency situation that put all his training to the test.

6.) ¦(SPORT)¦

BrE a ↑test match

→↑smear test, ↑means test,stand the test of time at ↑stand¹ (8), the acid test at ↑acid² (3)

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HINT sense 1

You take or do a test. Do not say 'make a test'. To pass a test means to succeed in it, not simply to take it.

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test ²

test² W2S3 v [T]

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1¦(medical)¦

2¦(substance)¦

3¦(knowledge/ability)¦

4¦(machine/product)¦

5¦(show how good/strong)¦

6¦(idea/plan)¦

7 test the water/waters

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1.) ¦(MEDICAL)¦

a) to examine someone's blood, body etc in order to find out what is wrong with them, or to see if they have taken an illegal drug

▪ I must have my eyes tested.

test sb for sth

▪ They tested her for diabetes.

test positive/negative (for sth)

▪ Athletes who test positive for steroids are immediately banned.

2.) ¦(SUBSTANCE)¦

to examine a substance or thing in order to find out its qualities or what it contains

test (sth) for sth

▪ The water should be tested for lead.

3.) ¦(KNOWLEDGE/ABILITY)¦

to ask someone spoken or written questions, or make them do a practical activity, to discover what they know about a subject

▪ This task is designed to test your reading skills.

test sb on sth

▪ We're being tested on grammar tomorrow.

4.) ¦(MACHINE/PRODUCT)¦ also test out

to use something for a short time to see if it works in the correct way

▪ The Ferrari team wanted to test their new car out on the racetrack.

test sth on sb/sth

▪ None of this range of cosmetics has been tested on animals.

5.) ¦(SHOW HOW GOOD/STRONG)¦

to show how good or strong someone or something is, especially by putting them in a difficult situation

▪ a game that will test the contestants' strength and skill

▪ The next six months will test your powers of leadership.

▪ I felt that she was testing me, leaving all that cash lying around.

→↑testing

6.) ¦(IDEA/PLAN)¦ also test out

to start to use an idea or plan to find out if it is correct or effective

▪ Dr Lee set up a series of experiments to test out this hypothesis.

test sth against sth

▪ The theory was then tested against the results of the study.

7.) test the water/waters

to check people's reaction to a plan before you decide to use it

▪ The government is clearly testing the water, to gauge the country's reactions to their proposals.

→tried and tested at ↑tried² see usage note ↑control²