diff --git a/src/tests/junit/org/apache/tools/ant/util/FileUtilsTest.java b/src/tests/junit/org/apache/tools/ant/util/FileUtilsTest.java
index 22855128a..cdd68e148 100644
--- a/src/tests/junit/org/apache/tools/ant/util/FileUtilsTest.java
+++ b/src/tests/junit/org/apache/tools/ant/util/FileUtilsTest.java
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ public class FileUtilsTest {
     public ExpectedException thrown = ExpectedException.none();
 
     private static final FileUtils FILE_UTILS = FileUtils.getFileUtils();
-    private static final String projectRoot = System.getProperty("root");
+    private static final String ROOT = System.getProperty("root");
     private File removeThis;
     private String root;
 
@@ -405,20 +405,20 @@ public class FileUtilsTest {
     @Test
     public void testContentEquals() throws IOException {
         assertTrue("Non existing files",
-                FILE_UTILS.contentEquals(new File(projectRoot, "foo"),
-                        new File(projectRoot, "bar")));
+                FILE_UTILS.contentEquals(new File(ROOT, "foo"),
+                        new File(ROOT, "bar")));
         assertFalse("One exists, the other one doesn\'t",
-                FILE_UTILS.contentEquals(new File(projectRoot, "foo"),
-                        new File(projectRoot, "build.xml")));
+                FILE_UTILS.contentEquals(new File(ROOT, "foo"),
+                        new File(ROOT, "build.xml")));
         assertFalse("Don\'t compare directories",
-                FILE_UTILS.contentEquals(new File(projectRoot, "src"),
-                        new File(projectRoot, "src")));
+                FILE_UTILS.contentEquals(new File(ROOT, "src"),
+                        new File(ROOT, "src")));
         assertTrue("File equals itself",
-                FILE_UTILS.contentEquals(new File(projectRoot, "build.xml"),
-                        new File(projectRoot, "build.xml")));
+                FILE_UTILS.contentEquals(new File(ROOT, "build.xml"),
+                        new File(ROOT, "build.xml")));
         assertFalse("Files are different",
-                FILE_UTILS.contentEquals(new File(projectRoot, "build.xml"),
-                        new File(projectRoot, "docs.xml")));
+                FILE_UTILS.contentEquals(new File(ROOT, "build.xml"),
+                        new File(ROOT, "docs.xml")));
     }
 
     /**
diff --git a/src/tests/junit/org/apache/tools/ant/util/LayoutPreservingPropertiesTest.java b/src/tests/junit/org/apache/tools/ant/util/LayoutPreservingPropertiesTest.java
index 6e0f96924..7aec6b66a 100644
--- a/src/tests/junit/org/apache/tools/ant/util/LayoutPreservingPropertiesTest.java
+++ b/src/tests/junit/org/apache/tools/ant/util/LayoutPreservingPropertiesTest.java
@@ -35,7 +35,7 @@ import static org.junit.Assert.assertThat;
 
 public class LayoutPreservingPropertiesTest {
 
-    private static final String root = System.getProperty("root");
+    private static final String ROOT = System.getProperty("root");
 
     private LayoutPreservingProperties lpf;
 
@@ -50,7 +50,7 @@ public class LayoutPreservingPropertiesTest {
      */
     @Test
     public void testPreserve() throws Exception {
-        File simple = new File(root, "src/etc/testcases/util/simple.properties");
+        File simple = new File(ROOT, "src/etc/testcases/util/simple.properties");
         FileInputStream fis = new FileInputStream(simple);
         lpf.load(fis);
 
@@ -115,7 +115,7 @@ public class LayoutPreservingPropertiesTest {
      */
     @Test
     public void testOverwrite() throws Exception {
-        File unusual = new File(root, "src/etc/testcases/util/unusual.properties");
+        File unusual = new File(ROOT, "src/etc/testcases/util/unusual.properties");
         FileInputStream fis = new FileInputStream(unusual);
         lpf.load(fis);
 
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ public class LayoutPreservingPropertiesTest {
 
     @Test
     public void testStoreWithHeader() throws Exception {
-        File simple = new File(root, "src/etc/testcases/util/simple.properties");
+        File simple = new File(ROOT, "src/etc/testcases/util/simple.properties");
         FileInputStream fis = new FileInputStream(simple);
         lpf.load(fis);
 
@@ -156,7 +156,7 @@ public class LayoutPreservingPropertiesTest {
 
     @Test
     public void testClear() throws Exception {
-        File simple = new File(root, "src/etc/testcases/util/simple.properties");
+        File simple = new File(ROOT, "src/etc/testcases/util/simple.properties");
         FileInputStream fis = new FileInputStream(simple);
         lpf.load(fis);
 
@@ -180,7 +180,7 @@ public class LayoutPreservingPropertiesTest {
 
     @Test
     public void testRemove() throws Exception {
-        File simple = new File(root, "src/etc/testcases/util/simple.properties");
+        File simple = new File(ROOT, "src/etc/testcases/util/simple.properties");
         FileInputStream fis = new FileInputStream(simple);
         lpf.load(fis);
 
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ public class LayoutPreservingPropertiesTest {
 
     @Test
     public void testRemoveWithComment() throws Exception {
-        File simple = new File(root, "src/etc/testcases/util/simple.properties");
+        File simple = new File(ROOT, "src/etc/testcases/util/simple.properties");
         FileInputStream fis = new FileInputStream(simple);
         lpf.load(fis);
 
@@ -220,7 +220,7 @@ public class LayoutPreservingPropertiesTest {
 
     @Test
     public void testClone() throws Exception {
-        File simple = new File(root, "src/etc/testcases/util/simple.properties");
+        File simple = new File(ROOT, "src/etc/testcases/util/simple.properties");
         FileInputStream fis = new FileInputStream(simple);
         lpf.load(fis);
 
@@ -253,7 +253,7 @@ public class LayoutPreservingPropertiesTest {
 
     @Test
     public void testPreserveEscapeName() throws Exception {
-        File unusual = new File(root, "src/etc/testcases/util/unusual.properties");
+        File unusual = new File(ROOT, "src/etc/testcases/util/unusual.properties");
         FileInputStream fis = new FileInputStream(unusual);
         lpf.load(fis);
 
diff --git a/src/tests/junit/org/apache/tools/ant/util/ReaderInputStreamTest.java b/src/tests/junit/org/apache/tools/ant/util/ReaderInputStreamTest.java
index 46d03c412..dcb339101 100644
--- a/src/tests/junit/org/apache/tools/ant/util/ReaderInputStreamTest.java
+++ b/src/tests/junit/org/apache/tools/ant/util/ReaderInputStreamTest.java
@@ -32,6 +32,8 @@ import static org.junit.Assert.assertEquals;
  */
 public class ReaderInputStreamTest {
 
+    private static final String ROOT = System.getProperty("root");
+
     @Test
     public void testSimple() throws Exception {
         compareBytes("abc", "utf-8");
@@ -89,9 +91,8 @@ public class ReaderInputStreamTest {
         ReaderInputStream r = null;
         FileInputStream utf8 = null;
         try {
-            fin = new InputStreamReader(new FileInputStream(new File(System.getProperty("root"),
-                    "src/tests/antunit/taskdefs/exec/input/iso8859-1")),
-                                        "ISO8859_1");
+            fin = new InputStreamReader(new FileInputStream(new File(ROOT,
+                    "src/tests/antunit/taskdefs/exec/input/iso8859-1")), "ISO8859_1");
             r = new ReaderInputStream(fin, "UTF8");
 
             ByteArrayOutputStream actualOS = new ByteArrayOutputStream();
@@ -101,7 +102,7 @@ public class ReaderInputStreamTest {
                 b = r.read();
             }
 
-            utf8 = new FileInputStream(new File(System.getProperty("root"),
+            utf8 = new FileInputStream(new File(ROOT,
                     "src/tests/antunit/taskdefs/exec/expected/utf-8"));
             ByteArrayOutputStream expectedOS = new ByteArrayOutputStream();
             b = utf8.read();