Mock Exam: Mid-Term I

Read the following description and do the activities below.

THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO

University of Chicago
Located in the community of Hyde Park on Chicago’s South Side, just 15 minutes
from the city center, the University of Chicago is uniquely positioned to contribute
to the strength and diversity of this world-class metropolis. An initial pledge of
$600,000 (more than $25 million in today’s currency) from John D. Rockefeller,
along with contributions from the American Baptist Education Society and land from
Marshall Field, ……………………… (help) to found the University of Chicago in 1890.
Changing the World
Our faculty and students are pioneers, discoverers, teachers, scholars, and change
agents. We ask tough questions, engage the world around us, and pursue
knowledge with rigor because we believe in the transformative power of ideas.
Shaping Minds
Our undergraduate program is known for its emphasis on critical thinking and
broad interdisciplinary exposure to the full range of intellectual discovery. Our
College classrooms have a reputation for being hotbeds of exhilarating discourse.
Discussions that ………………………… (start) in the classroom often move to the
dormitory hall, to the lunch table, and into the community. You can have
……………………….. (good) life-changing experience of your life in our university.
Creating New Disciplines
We place particular emphasis at the graduate level on the training of students for
careers in academia and research. This year, our faculty …………………….. (make)
major contributions to existing bodies of knowledge and to the creation of new
fields of study. Postgraduate students seek to break down artificial disciplinary
barriers and frequently ………………………(explore) research and coursework outside
their selected fields. Chicago university ……………………. (have) a long history in
creating an atmosphere of free and open inquiry, which has led to classic studies of
literary criticism and urban sociology, the development of ecology, and the study of
religions as an academic field.

(a) Complete the blanks with the verb or adjective in brackets in

the right form. Don’t forget to add some extra words if necessary.
(4 c/u) (24)

(b) Read the following definitions and complete them with the
framed words in the text above. There is an extra one. (2 c/u) (8)

1. ………………………………: a facility where professors deliver their lectures.

2. ………………………………: the group of professors, lecturers, instructors,
tutors and researchers.
3. ………………………………: the information, understanding and skills that
you gain through education or experience.
4. ………………………………: course of studies.
(c) These sentences are all wrong. Provide the correct version
from the text or in your own words. (4 c/u) (16)

1. The postgraduate level is not important for this university.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
2. Chicago University is situated in the city center.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
3. Research is not considered as part of the students’ training.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
4. Students only discuss about subject topics during the lectures.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

(d) Imagine you want to study abroad. This dialogue is part of the
interview before you enroll. Can you complete it? (9 c/u) (54)

Interviewer: Well, You want to study here.

………….……………………………………………………………………………………………………………..?
You: I’m applying for social communication.
I: Why do you want to enroll in our university?
Y: ……………………………………………………………………………….………………………………………
I: We think that knowing our students’ learning styles is very important to
help them during their studies. So, what is your dominant learning style?
Why?
Y: …..…………………………………………………………………………………….……………………………
I: I see. Well, is there any question that you’d like to ask me?
Y: Yes. ….……………………………………………………….………………………………………………..?
I: In 1890.
Y:………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?
I: Yes. We place particular emphasis at the graduate level.
Y:………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………?
I: They seek to break down artificial disciplinary barriers and frequently do
research and coursework outside their selected fields.

Marking Scheme

10 96-102
9 86-95
8 76-85
7 66-75
6 56-65
5 46-55
4 36-45
2 1-35

KEY
(a)

1. helped
2. start
3. the best
4. is making
5. explore
6. has

(b)

1. classrooms
2. faculty
3. knowledge
4. program

(c)

1. False, because they place particular emphasis at the graduate level.

2. False, because it is located in the community of Hyde Park on Chicago’s

South Side, just 15 minutes from the city center.

3. False, because they place particular emphasis at the graduate level on

the training of students for careers in academia and research.

4. False, because discussions that start in the classroom often move to the
dormitory hall, to the lunch table, and into the community.

(d) (Algunas respuestas posibles)

1. What program are you applying for?

2. Because this is one of the best universities in USA.
3. My dominant learning style is the (visual) one because (I can visualize
the place on the page where I read something.)
4. When did the university open? / When was it founded/opened?
5. Do you offer postgraduate courses?
6. What do they do?