Entrance Examination

Bachelor’s Degree Programme:

English Language and Literature
2015

Surname ............................................................................ First Name ...............................................

Signature ........................................................................... Date of Birth............................................

Address .....................................................................................................................................................

A_____ B_____ C_____ D_____ E_____ TOTAL__________

DO NOT TURN THIS PAGE UNTIL SO INSTRUCTED!

Subtest A (Time: 15 minutes) 30 points
Fill each of the numbered blanks in the following passage with the most
suitable word. Use only one word for each blank. Note that the first letter of the
correct answer is always provided. Write your answers in the spaces on the
page opposite the text. Please write legibly.

Thank goodness for veg

We are always being told that fruit and veg are good for you. Five portions a day is

[1] it takes to do the trick, [2] it is claimed that the famous Mediterranean diet [3]

fruit, veg, garlic, olive oil and red wine keep [4] French and Italian neighbours in good

nick well [5] pensionable age. It is [6] known that fruit and veg are full of vitamins

and minerals, [7] combined in a tasty package that is better [8] popping pills. They

are good [9] of natural nutrients – potassium, calcium, and sulphur, for [10]. But the

magic ingredients are phytochemicals. These are naturally-occurring substances that

do various [11] jobs inside plants; [12] other things, they help to repair injuries and

ward [13] pests and disease. At the same time they [14] to do much the same job for

[15] who happens to eat them. We are not the first people by a long [16] to

appreciate the beneficial properties of plants. The Saxons led Europe in their

knowledge [17] herbal remedies, and medieval monks [18] their own, preparing

them in on-the-spot dispensaries. For [19], many people used herbal remedies and

[20] visited the doctor when all [21] failed. Herbal remedies, which [22] started to

think of [23] a bit unpredictable, are [24] again becoming accepted. So [25] is a lot to

be said for growing your own fruit and veg. It is fresh, tasty and [26] of artificial

additives and chemical sprays. And when you [27] the whole family working in the

garden, they are more [28] to eat what they have helped to produce. The combination

of exercise, fresh air and healthy home-grown meals [29] to be good for you. But

[30], gardeners have known that for years.

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 Signature:_____________________________________

1. what [w] 16. way [w]

2. and [a] 17. of [o]

3. of [o] 18. grew [g]

4. our [o] 19. centuries [c]

5. past [p] 20. only [o]

6. well / widely [w] 21. else [e]

7. all [a] 22. we [w]

8. than [t] 23. as [a]

9. sources [s] 24. once [o]

10. instance [i] 25. there [t]

11. useful [u] 26. free [f]

12. among / amongst [a] 27. get [g]

13. off [o] 28. likely [l]

14. seem [s] 29. has / happens [h]

15. anyone / anybody [a] 30. then [t]

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Subtest B (Time: 20 minutes) 20 points
In the following article 8 paragraphs have been removed. Read it carefully and choose the
best paragraph for each blank from A to J below the text. There are 2 extras which do not fit
anywhere. Write the letters of your answers in the numbered spaces on the opposite page.

British Students Abroad

British students are learning that it pays to take their degree abroad. With UK tuition fees ready to
soar as high as £9,000 a year, school-leavers are choosing to go elsewhere. To tell the truth, the
coalition sets university tuition fees in England alone; fee decisions in Wales and Scotland are
devolved.
Carnival preparations are taking over the Dutch city of Maastricht. Multi-coloured ribbons, clown
masks and streamers bedeck lamp-posts and windows. Trucks are delivering beer kegs, and kiosks
that will sell paper cones of chips and waffles are being set up. Revellers are arriving from miles
around.
1
Craddock, who blogs on being a student abroad, is being inundated with emails from parents a nd
prospective students. “Most people are worried about the language, but you can live here and never
use a word of Dutch,” she said.
2
The coalition government's plans to triple UK university tuition fees to a maximum of £9,000 a year
are about to have a side-effect it didn't bank on – an exodus of students abroad. Maastricht, whose
fees are kept low because of Dutch subsidies, is already processing more than 200 applications
from the UK, six months before the deadline for the next academic year, and expects many more.
“The Ucas system in the UK is so stressful and so many people don’t get through that it seems really
unfair. I like that the Dutch give people a second chance,” said Craddock. “If you do badly in your A-
levels you can still have a go. In England you just won’t go to university if you get a C, which is a bit
tough when you are so young. Financially it’s going to make a big difference to me. I have a cousin
doing a master’s at Manchester who will leave with £40,000 of debt. I hope to leave w ith none.”
3
It sits in the odd teardrop in the southern Netherlands that rolls into Belgium and Germany, and is
versed in English as well as Dutch, German and French. While it is likely to be the economics that
will bring a British invasion here, the only thing mystifying the university is what took them so
long. Professor Teun Dekker, vice-dean of University College, said they had been actively looking to
bring in native English-speakers to enhance the faculty for everyone.
4
Cross-pollination that comes out of an international group of students is very valuable. When you
have a lecture-based system it doesn’t matter what nationality anyone is, but with our discussion-
based learning it's very valuable to have people from different backgrounds. English has been the
medium for education here for years, it's embedded.”
“The UK higher education market is very stratified and I think parents can have a hard time placing
us in the hierarchy.
5
“Our mission,” said Stout, “is to bridge that gap and let UK students and their families know that
there is an alternative here. Maastricht is comparable to most Russell Group universities.
6
A major difference between the Dutch and UK systems is who gets in. In the Netherlands, entry
requirements are low to allow everyone a chance. The dropout rate is initially high, then quickly
drops. “In the UK, getting into university is very difficult but staying there is easy, ” said Dekker.
7
Both vice-deans emphasise that cheaper fees are not the only plus for Maastricht – a claim backed
by John Birrane, 20, a psychology student from County Mayo, Ireland, who is here for a year. “I
came here expecting windmills and marijuana but my course is just cutting edge, great, " he said.”
All the research papers are hot off the press. I just can't believe how good it is.

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 Signature:_____________________________________

8
Birrane has enrolled on a Dutch language course and has even bought the obligatory bicycle. “I’m
coming back here for my master’s,” he said.

A With a part-time job sorting post and being within easy distance of Brussels, Düsseldorf and
Cologne, Craddock is making the most of student life. “I do feel a lot more European than before,”
she said. With its cobbled city centre crisscrossed more by bicycles than cars, its open squares
lined with trees and tolled over by the bells of its historic churches, Maastricht is already a border
town of linguistic diversity.
B It’s not Oxford but on a level with Edinburgh or St Andrew’s. There are so many opportunities
here for young, dynamic students who are prepared to dip their toe into the water of an education
abroad and say OK, our parents didn’t but we can.”
C Critics of the British government argued that its policies, notably cutting back on public
expenditure in pursuit of a monetarist economic strategy, had resulted in inadequate funding for
the educational system and in the low morale of the teaching profession. British universities are
becoming more like the large impersonal European ones, where students are left to sink or swim.”
D The career grid you’re given is a list of Irish universities and the entrance requirements and then
it’s ‘Oh, you want to study abroad? That’s a bit revolutionary.’ So most English-speaking people
don’t dream of applying for a European university. But now I’m here, I can’t understand why
anyone from the UK wouldn’t want to come here.”
E “I can’t wait to see what it’s going to be like,” said Theresa Craddock, 19, who is in her first year at
Maastricht University. She is looking forward to a break, not just from her computer science
studies but from a new role that she is starting to adopt – that of an unofficial adviser. With tuition
fees about to triple in Britain, more and more UK students are looking to study abroad and
Maastricht, with most of its degree and master’s courses entirely in English, is at the vanguard of
European universities eager to net the best.
F Of course, it has very good universities of its own. Now though, with tuition fee rises, it will be
different. We love the British Government," he joked, “Their policies are doing a great thing for
European integration!” He and fellow vice-dean, Dr Mark Stout, are passionate about their college
and, with 94% employment rates for students within six months of graduation, the results
support them.
G Craddock, who comes from Redditch, Worcestershire, admits her family were baffled by her
decision to study in the Netherlands. “They were a bit worried. I did also apply to Liverpool Uni to
keep my mum happy as a backup plan, but I told her Maastricht was closer than Scotland; it's only
three to four hours away by train. I knew this was what I wanted.” It also helps, she said, that her
annual tuition fees are just €1,672 – about £1,450.
H This view is challenged by the Labour party. They are committed to the eventual abolition of the
private sector in education, which is seen as bolstering privilege and thus contributing to a
divided society, having little to do with protecting freedom and democracy. Labour also rejects
the ‘freedom of choice’ argument, promoted by the Conservatives.
I “The idea of internationalism became the goal of many universities, to maximise the experience
for the students. Maastricht has always been keen to follow up on this; it’s a very natural idea here
because of the geography. British students have always been very reluctant to go abroad for even
part of their education and there is this imbalance in the exchange of students.
J “In Holland, getting in is very easy but staying is difficult. You have a chance but it’s down to you
to make a success of it. It’s a political decision but very democratic. We often find that people who
didn’t excel at school do excel at university. It’s sink or swim once they get here but at least, unlike
the UK, we let everyone into the pool.”
Write the letter of your answer into the box next to the number of the gap:

1. E 2. G 3. A 4. I 5. F 6. B 7. J 8. D

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Subtest C (Time: 15 minutes) 20 points
In most lines of the following text there is one word that is either grammatically
incorrect or does not fit in with the sense of the text. Read the text and where you find
such a word, write that word in the space next to the line. Remember that some lines
are completely correct – indicate these lines with a tick or checkmark //. The first
three lines have been done for you as an example.

This edition of Parent Power is the biggest and most detailed guide to the top state 

which schools in Britain. In our most academically rigorous assessment yet, the which

Sunday Times School of the Year clearly shows that the state sector can keep up 

with the best independent schools. Our new methodology reveals how as many 1 as

pupils get the top A* and A grades at GCSE, because identifying the schools 2 because

achieving the very best results at the age of 16. When we already use the number of 3 When

A and B grades achieved at A-level as the yardstick for quality. The change also 4 

means that for the first time, the results were achieved by state and independent 5 were

schools can be considered side by side, allowing parents to assess what they are 6 

getting for above their money. Our tables identify the 1,000 highest achieving state 7 above

schools – 500 secondaries and 500 primaries. Although we have increased by 50% 8 Although

the number of secondary schools profiled in Greater London and the southeast to 9 

reflect despite the dominance of schools from those regions in our league tables. We 10 despite

have assessed every primary school’s performance in key stage 2 Standard 11 

Assessment Tests (Sats) between 2010 and 2012, using the results from 11-year- 12 

olds as a measure of excellence. This year Kendrick’s results which were its best to 13 which

date, however with 90% of all GCSE papers gaining A* or A grades and 86% of all 14 however

A-levels A or B. These results have earn Kendrick our School of the Year award. 15 have

Kendrick School, in Reading, it prides itself on being receptive to new ideas but it 16 it

is also keen to celebrate its tradition of excellence. It has come a long way since it 17 

was not founded in 1877 for girls of “good health and character”. Kendrick’s 18 not

success is entirely in character: it has been one third of the top three state-sector 19 third

performers over the past 12 Facebook years. “We have traditions of excellence,” 20 Facebook

Says the school’s deputy head, C. Barry. “But we’ve been very open to new ideas

and it is one of the things that marks us out.”

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Subtest D (Time: 10 minutes) 15 points
Complete the following text with appropriate forms (parts of speech) of the
expressions in capitals. You also need to decide whether the form should be
positive or negative, singular or plural. Write your answers in the numbered
spaces below the text. Correct spelling is important in this test. Write your
answers in CAPITAL LETTERS. The first answer has been done for you as an
example.

Alzheimer’s: A new hope?

“Breakthrough”, “new hope”, “disease could be prevented by immune
system tweak”. Newspapers this week trumpeted the latest research
into Alzheimer’s disease. [0] have found a drug that prevents the SCIENCE
illness, and slows its course in those already [1]. The caveat, SUFFER
however, is that these Alzheimer’s patients are [2]. MOUSE
We are a long way from discovering if what’s good for rodents is
good for us. But it’s hard to suppress a quickening of the pulse,
particularly if, like me, you’ve [3] close relatives to the disease. I LOSE
remember the [4] over Aricept, a drug thought to delay progression, EXCITE
in the 1990s, which fell short of its expectations.
We seem to love the idea of a eureka moment, but the danger of
following every move in the laboratory is that [5] sets in when CYNIC
promising results fall at the next hurdle, or [6] evidence turns up. As CONTRADICTION
the cancer writer Henry Scowcroft explains, animal models are the
start of a process that can take many years.
What’s the [7]? Well, we can’t hide studies from the public, he says. SOLVE
After all, they’ve paid for them. But if people had the tools to place
the work in context – [8] of the different phases of clinical trials, for KNOW
example, an [9] of the limits of drug therapy (Scowcroft says it’s APPRECIATE
good, old-fashioned [10] and radiotherapy that cures most cancers), SURGICAL
we might be able to understand what those rodents are really telling
us.

0. SCIENTISTS

1. SUFFERING 6. CONTRADICTORY

2. MICE 7. SOLUTION

3. LOST 8. KNOWLEDGE

4. EXCITEMENT 9. APPRECIATION

5. CYNICISM 10. SURGERY

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Subtest E (Time: 10 minutes] 15 points
I. Match each major city with its correct location. Write the letter of the location in the space on the left.
1. __D__ Baltimore A Canada
2. __E__ Limerick B Michigan, U.S.A.
3. __A__ Saskatoon C England
4. __B__ Detroit D Maryland, U.S.A.
5. __C__ Bradford E Ireland
II. Match the title of each work with its author. Write the letter of the author in the space on the left.
6. __I__ Henry V A Virginia Woolf
7. __F__ One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest B Harriet Beecher Stowe
8. __G__ Pygmalion C Sir Walter Scott
9. __H__ Airport D Jane Austen
10._A__ Mrs. Dalloway E Rudyard Kipling
11._B__ Uncle Tom’s Cabin F Ken Kesey
12._J__ Shakespeare in Love G George Bernard. Shaw
13._C__ Ivanhoe H Arthur Hailey
14._E__ The Jungle Book I William Shakespeare
15._D__ Sense and Sensibility J Tom Stoppard
III. Match each event or information with the correct historical figure. Write the letter of your
answer in the space on the left.
16.__E__ The Restoration A 1914
17.__D__ The Glorious Revolution B 1865
18.__A__ The Panama Canal opens C Horatio Nelson
19.__C__ The Battle of Trafalgar D William III and Mary II
20.__B__ President Lincoln’s assassination E Charles II

IV. Match each name with what that person is best known as. Write the letter of your answer in the
space on the left.
21.__C__ Michael Jordan A Explorer
22.__E__ Nicola Sturgeon B Actress
23.__D__ Benjamin Britten C Athlete
24.__A__ Robert Falcon Scott D Composer
25.__B__ Geraldine McEwan E Politician

V. Fill in the necessary word in the appropriate space using the first letter provided (spelling counts).
Write LEGIBLY.
World War II (1939-1945): In the Battle of Britain____ [26] (1940-1941), fought in the air over the British

Isles / Islands [27], British pilots_____ [28] were joined by many others from occupied Europe, including

Czechs and Slovaks. Sir Winston Churchill [29], wartime Coalition Leader and Conservative [30] party

prime minister, led the British to victory in the battle and the war.