INTERNATIONAL UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
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MIDTERM EXAMINATION (Ks 1)

Date: 5/11/2021 Duration: 60 minutes Time: ___________
Open book Exam Online

SUBJECT: WRITING AE2 (ID: EN011IU)

Approval by the Department of English Lecturer:
Signature Signature

Full name: Full name:

Proctor 1 Proctor 2
Signature Signature

Full name: Full name:

STUDENT INFORMATION
Student name: Le Thi Thuy Hang

Student ID: BEBEIU18187

INSTRUCTIONS (100-score scale, equivalent to 30% of the course)

1. Purposes:
‒ Test students’ skill in recognizing categories and classification (CLO 2)
‒ Test students’ competence in applying appropriate style in academic writing (CLO 1)
‒ Evaluate students’ knowledge and skills in writing a comparison/ contrast essay (CLO 3)
2. Requirements:
‒ Write your FULL NAME and STUDENT ID below the Student Information
‒ Read the instructions of each part/ section carefully and write the answer(s) on the page(s) provided
‒ All electronic devices, reference materials, discussion and material transfer are strictly prohibited.
Plagiarism in any forms is strictly punished.
‒ RENAME this file as Student ID Student name (e.g. ENENIU18106 Le Anh Vy) before
submission

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EXAM QUESTIONS

Task 1: (30 points)

Read the text below and create a graphic display or an outline that categorizes the points made in the
text:
Causes of Borrowing
A common cause of lexical borrowing is the need to find words for new objects, concepts, and places.
Many place names on the North American continent, for instance, were taken from Indian languages:
Mississippi, and Waukegan, to cite just a few. From the American Indians we also received—along with
the items themselves – the words totem, wampum, and tomahawk. From the aboriginal languages of
Australia, we get the words kangaroo and wombat. The word gnu, referring to an African antelope, is
borrowed from the Bantu languages of that continent.
The paths of lexical borrowing reflect to a certain extent the paths of cultural influence. For example, a
large proportion of the Arabic words in English pertain to the realm of science: zero, cipher and alkali.
These borrowings, which came to English through Spanish, attest to Arabic influence in science and
mathematics during the early medieval period. The importance of Italian influence in music and the other
arts is apparent from the long list of Italian loan words that belong to this domain, such as opera, piano,
and niche.
After the Norman conquest of England, great numbers of loan words came into English from French.
Included among these borrowed words are scores of terms in such areas as government, the military, law,
and religion, reflecting the fact that the Norman French, as the conquerors, exerted predominant influence
in these areas. Governmental terms that came to English from French include crown, state, reign, and
nation. Borrowed terms pertaining to military matters are battle, army, war, peace, and danger. Our legal
vocabulary has been enriched by such words as jury, judge, and property. Terms of religious and moral
significance include mercy, cruel, and lechery.
The prestige factor is a very common cause of lexical borrowing. The great prestige of French culture
was also strongly felt among the upper classes of Czarist Russia. It was commonplace for the members of
high society to speak French instead of Russian, and French expressions of course found their way into
Russian conversations. Latin and Greek had great prestige in the world of scholarship during the Middle
Ages. Consequently, words from Latin and Greek have been finding their way into English (often through
French) and into other European languages ever since the Renaissance.

Task 2: (70 points)

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Comparison/contrast essay
The COVID-19 pandemic has changed people’s life in Vietnam. Write an essay of about 350 words to
compare and contrast life regarding daily activities before and during the pandemic. Pay attention to
the use of academic language and a clear text structure.

This is the end of the test.

Write your answer on the next page

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YOUR ANSWERS

Task 1: (30 points)

Create a graphic display or an outline that categorizes the points

Write your answer here.

Category: A common cause of lexical borrowing is the need to find words for new objects, concepts, and

places.

Sub-category 1: Cultural influence in lexical borrowing

 Arabic influence in science and mathematics

 Italian influence in music and the other arts

Sub-category 2: Influences of scores of terms in borrowed words in such areas as government, the

military, law, and religion.

 Governmental terms came to English from French

 Borrowed terms pertaining to military matters

 Legal vocabulary

 Terms of religious and moral significance

Sub-category 3: The prestige factor in lexical borrowing

 The great prestige of French culture among the upper classes of Czarist Russia

 Latin and Greek had great prestige during the Middle Ages

Task2: (70 points)

Comparison/contrast essay

It is widely considered that COVID-19 has a significant impact on many aspects of human life,

particularly daily tasks. Although we cannot adapt to quarantine circumstances in any way, there is a

noticeable change in how people handle themselves in their careers, work, and basic activities such as
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educational activities and fitness routines. We have invested amount of time and effort in building an

online meeting application that will enable us to simulate educational activities using technological

devices, allowing everyone to study comfortably at home. However, it is claimed that online education

remains challenging for students and teachers alike due to the difficulty of verbal interaction and the

limited settings for knowledge transfer. On normal days, people are encouraged to attend school not only

to learn but also to socialize with their classmates and teachers, but during quarantine, they are asked to

stay at home and communicate with others solely via personal computers or smartphones. Textbooks are

being taken out in favor of e-books as a primary source of study materials. Another simply stated

distinction is the manner in which we conduct our fitness routines. When everything is functioning

normally, individuals can exercise outdoors. They prefer to perform cardiovascular activities on the street

or in a park since the conditions are conducive. Others wishing to maintain their fitness levels may visit a

gym supplied with specialized equipment. While they are in quarantine, they typically acquire temporary

workout equipment to meet their fitness requirements. Several of them may consist of resistance bands or

a pair of dumbbells. To summarize, studying online or exercising at home is fairly similar to what

individuals do in the absence of a pandemic. Even though we are able to satisfy our specific needs, online

and at home activities can not 100% meet the requirements stated before since all the work that we try to

do is modeling the best we can about activities on a daily basis. There are still some special issues and

restricted circumstances that must be avoided.