FINAL EXAM – ENGLISH DIA 104

PART A - ALL questions are COMPULSORY and each question carries EQUAL MARKS

SECTION 1 – (10 questions = 10 marks)

SECTION 2 – (8 questions = 8 marks)
SECTION 2 – (8 questions = 8 marks)
(Total marks = 26 marks)

PART B – ALL question are COMPULSORY and each question carries EQUAL MARKS
(30 questions = 30 marks)
(Total marks = 30 marks)

PART C – ALL questions are COMPULSORY and each question carries EQUAL MARKS
(12 questions = 12 marks)
(Total marks = 12)

PART D – Choose only ONE task; either Task 1 or Task 2 and write an essay. Each task carries the
same marks.
(Task 1 or Task 2 = 32 marks)
(Total marks = 32 marks)

SUMMARY
PART MARKS
A 26
B 30
C 12
D 32_
TOTAL 100
PART A

Section 1 (10 marks)

Complete the text with the correct form of the verbs in the box. There may be more than one
possible answer so try to use each verb once only.

concentrate do learn overcome organise study take teach review revise

Even the most studious among you will probably have difficulty studying at some stage in your
academic career. If or when this happens, the only way to (1) _____________________________
this problem is to go back to basics. First, make sure you have a comfortable environment to (2)
____________________________ in. Some students need to have a quiet space to themselves and
can’t (3) ______________________________ if there are too many distractions. Others need some
sort of background noise, such as music or the company of friends. Whatever your personal
preference is, you need to (4) ____________________________ this first of all. Next make sure you
have the equipment or tools that you need. For example, if you are (5) ________________________
a geography course and you have to (6) _____________________________ about countries and
their capital cities then you will need to have your atlas at hand. If you’re (7)
___________________________ your maths homework then be sure to find your calculator, ruler,
protractor and compass before you start. Perhaps you’re not preparing a homework assignment or
project, but are trying to (8) _________________________ for an exam. If so, you need to know
exactly what is your curriculum. You should also (9) ___________________________ your notes and
make sure that you have a clear understanding of what your lecturers have (10)
___________________________ you. Of course, people struggle with a learning disorder such as
dyslexia may need to work harder than others at their studies as they often struggle to read even
relatively simple texts.

SECTION 2 (8 marks)

Read the text in Section 1 again and find a word or phrase to match these definitions.

(1) describe someone who studies a lot _________________________________

(2) things that stop you from working __________________________________
(3) a sound that you can hear, but do not actively listen to ________________________
(4) two different types of homework or school task ________________________ and
____________________
(5) to study for an exam __________________________
(6) another word for syllabus _________________________
(7) to check your work ____________________________
(8) to do something with great difficulty ________________________________
SECTION 3 (8 marks)

Underline the correct words in each sentence.

(1) I would like to (learn about / study about) the ancient Egyptians.
(2) We need to (find out / know) where to buy the tickets for the concert.
(3) I got into trouble at school because I didn’t (know / find out) my multiplication tables.
(4) I did well in the test because I had (known / learned) how to spell all of the words on the list.
(5) Excuse me, do you (find out / know) where the nearest post office is?
(6) It was difficult for me to (learn / study) at home, because we didn’t have a lot of space.
(7) I want to (learn how / study how) to drive a car.
(8) I think you can really (learn from / learn with) experience.
PART B

For each question circle the correct answer.

(1) My company has __________ a new approach to staff meetings. We now have then standing
up!
(A) adapted
(B) adopted
(C) addressed
(D) admitted

(2) You can tell a lot by the way members of a family __________ with each other.
(A) identify
(B) interact
(C) relative
(D) understand

(3) We are unable to reach an agreement because of the _________ between the two groups.
(A) contact
(B) concern
(C) connection
(D) conflict

(4) If we don’t __________ the artistic skills of young children they are far less creative as
adults.
(A) nurture
(B) nature
(C) provide
(D) prevent

(5) there is a very clear relationship __________ education and academic success.
(A) about
(B) between
(C) for
(D) in

(6) I have a very close relationship __________ my mother.

(A) to
(B) with
(C) of
(D) for
(7) The __________ to make quick decisions is vital in an emergency.
(A) ability
(B) knowledge
(C) skill
(D) talent

(8) In my country people use their hands and __________ a lot when they talk.
(A) show
(B) tell
(C) gesture
(D) imitate

(9) I have very fond __________ of my time is Spain.

(A) memorise
(B) minds
(C) souvenirs
(D) memories

(10) Children need to learn to accept the consequences __________ their actions.
(A) of
(B) or
(C) in
(D) by

(11) My older brother is very __________ for his age. He still needs my parents to help him with
everything.
(A) mature
(B) maturity
(C) immature
(D) immaturity

(12) Everyone should travel; it really __________ the mind.

(A) broadens
(B) develops
(C) opens
(D) widens

(13) I can’t eat peanuts because I’m __________ to them.

(A) allergy
(B) allergic
(C) appetite
 (D) infection

(14) Some forms of this disease are __________ and can last for five years or more.
(A) chronic
(B) acute
(C) moderate
(D) obese

(15) Unfortunately, scientist have been unable to find a __________ for this complaint.
(A) prevention
(B) disorder
(C) therapy
(D) cure

(16) The man was put into an isolation ward because the disease was highly __________.
(A) infected
(B) infectious
(C) harmful
(D) harmed

(17) After several hours the doctor was finally able to give us his __________. John had broken
his ankle.
(A) diagnosis
(B) disease
(C) symptoms
(D) signs

(18) Eating fatty foods can damage your __________.

(A) healthy
(B) health
(C) harmful
(D) unhealthy

(19) You can’t always play it safe. Sometimes you need to __________ a risk.
(A) have
(B) make
(C) put
(D) take
(20) It’s important to set yourself clear __________ so you know what you are aiming for.
(A) ambitions
(B) goals
(C) decisions
(D) opportunities

(21) She is very _________. All she cares about is clothes and expensive cars.
(A) realistic
(B) optimistic
(C) materialistic
(D) pessimistic

(22) I like making things with my own hands. It gives me a lot of _________.
(A) satisfaction
(B) exhaustion
(C) fulfilment
(D) creation

(23) I always try to keep a positive __________ on life.

(A) overview
(B) overlook
(C) outlook
(D) insight

(24) The cost of __________ has risen dramatically in the last few years.
(A) life
(B) live
(C) lives
(D) living

(25) The researches __________ many experiments to find the most effective materials.
(A) confirmed
(B) conducted
(C) considered
(D) concerned

(26) Children who do not learn to read before they finish __________ school struggle
throughout the rest of their education.
(A) primary
(B) first
(C) nursery
 (D) kindergarten

(27) My tutor has some very interesting __________ on how students learn.
(A) topics
(B) thesis
(C) themes
(D) theories

(28) We had to cancel the project due to lack of __________.

(A) findings
(B) funding
(C) limits
(D) controversy

(29) We had to cover the rest of the __________ ourselves while our teacher was ill.
(A) contents
(B) current
(C) syllable
(D) syllabus

(30) I can already speak three languages, but I’d like to _________ to speak Chinese.
(A) know
(B) study
(C) learn
(D) teach
PART C

Read the following passage and answer questions 1 -12

Storytelling
Storytelling seems to be a fundamental feature of human existence. In a recent article. Paul Hernadi
points out that storytelling and narratives are such widespread phenomena that they could
justifiably be included in the list of human universals (Hernadi, 2001). But, our craving for narratives,
or stories, goes deeper than this. It is embedded in our mental images of whatever happens around
us (Boyer, 2001). In other words, creating narratives is our way of connecting and interacting with
our environment (Mink, 1978).

As a species, we humans appear to have a much more active attitude towards our environment than
any other species. Our bodies and minds not only adopt to the surrounding world, but we actively
shape and construct our environment to better suit our needs (Plotkin, 1993). From this perspective,
culture is nothing more than an environment that we create ourselves. Culture is not something in
opposition to nature. Instead, it is part of it, it is – in a way – nature modified to better suit the
requirements of the human life form. Thus, culture and all aspects of it are basically products of
natural selection and, more specifically, the evolution of the human mind (Boyer,2001).

Between 60,000 and 20,000 yeas ago the first signs of art and religion appeared and humans started
to build houses and invent more sophisticated tools and weapons, such as bows and arrows. This
period has been called the ‘big bang’ of human culture. There is still much controversy over how to
explain this period of innovation, but a growing consensus connects the greater cultural energy and
innovation of the period to the emergence of individuals as creative beings (Mellars, 1994).

The archaeologist Steven Mithen has suggested that this creativity can be explained by the
emergence of a ‘cognitively fluid’ mentality, in other words, an ability to link together information
from different areas of our life. Cognitive fluidity makes it possible for human beings to emerge from
the concrete situational present and to adopt a more general and abstract approach (Mithen, 1996).
As Gerald Edelman puts it: ‘With that ability comes the abilities to model the world, to make explicit
comparisons and to weigh outcomes; though such comparisons come the possibility or reorganising
plans.’ (Edelman, 1992)

Edelman goes further than this and argues that it is the flexibility of our memory system which is the
key for understanding how cognitive fluidity affects our ability to learn new things in general
(Edelman, 1992). The basic idea here is that our memory does not really represent the past as it
happened. In most of the cases it does not even represent it as it is stored and coded into our brains.
Instead, our memory prefers creating the past from the perspective of how relevant it is to our
present situation. Striving for this kind of coherence, our mind combines stored representations and
blends information stored in them (Holyoak & Thagard, 1995). Thus, all things being equal, we do
not remember the past, we create it.

The medieval art of memory, known as memoria, has interested historians for a long time, but
seldom from a psychological or cognitive perspective. Recently, this has been changed through the
work of Mary Carruthers. According to Carruthers, memoria was the reason why literature, in a
fundamental sense, existed in medieval Europe. It was the process by which work of literature
became both institutionalised by the group and learned by its individual members (Carruthers,
1990).

For those medieval experts who were educated in the art of memory these were two principal
strategies for achieving their goal. The first and older of these strategies, attributed to Aristotle,
relied on the concept of ‘mental images’. Supporters of this strategy argued that remembering was
to see mental pictures, which are firmly imprinted upon the memory. Thus, the best way to
memorise narratives is to stimulate the act of memorising by using visual aids such as emotion-
provoking representations, or so-called ‘word-pictures’. Descriptive language can also be used to
create a kind of mental painting , although no actual pictures are present (Carruthers, 1990). As
Albertus Magnus (1193 – 1280) puts it: ‘something is not secure enough by hearing, but it is made
firm by seeing’ (Albertus I.1, II. 6 – 7).

The second, and more popular, strategy for memorising narratives was by rote learning. This was
achieved by the frequent repetition of a text until it was accurately memorised. In this case, the
process of memorising, was aided by the use of rhythmic and/to formulaic expressions, and by
breaking longer texts into numbered segments and then memorising them one by one (Carruthers,
1990).

The followers of this strategy criticised the use of visual imagery because of its inaccuracy. It was
argued that the use of visual aids was marginally helpful at best, providing cues for recollection, but
could not in itself guarantee the accuracy of the memorising process (Carruthers, 1990). The latter
countered the criticism by arguing that, while in ordinary circumstances the accuracy of visual
imagery could not be trusted, this problem would disappear if the visual imagery was strong enough
to make a person emotionally engaged with the text. Indeed, they argued, it is the creation of string
emotional responses that makes the use of visual images such a powerful tool for memory creation
(Carruthers, 1990).

QUESTIONS 1 – 8
Look at the following theories (questions 1 – 8) and the list of people (A – H). Match each person
with the correct theory. Write the correct letter (A – H) below questions 1 – 8.

(1) Early European storytelling came about because of a traditional form of memorising.
_____

(2) Cognitive fluidity allowed early humans to make and change arrangements.
_____

(3) Telling stories allows us to relate to our surroundings.

_____

(4) The brain changes our recollection of past events to match our current circumstances.
_____

(5) Telling stories is a trait which is common to all nations.

_____
 (6) Early humans became more inventive when they were able to make a connection between
different ideas.
_____

(7) Your memory of something will be improved if you visualise it rather than just listen to it.
_____

(8) Humans adjust to their surroundings as well as changing them.

______

List of people
A Hernadi E Edelman
B Mink F Holyoak & Thagard
C Plotkin G Carruthers
D Mithen H Albertus

QUESTIONS 9 – 12
Complete each sentence with the correct ending A -F from the box. Write the correct letter (A – F)
next to questions 9 – 12.

(9) Those who memorised using Aristotle’s theory were helped by _____.

(10) The experts who used rote learning were helped by _____.

(11) Those who supported rote learning believed that _____.

(12) Supporters of Aristotle’s methods of memorising believed that _____.

A ….. writing down their stories.

B ….. using paintings aided the memory.

C ….. visual aids were of limited help when memorising text.

D ….. if images evoked a passionate response, then the memory would be more
accurate.

E ….. creating a vivid image in their mind.

F ….. turning a long text into a series of short parts.

PART D

Choose only ONE task; either TASK 1 or TASK 2 and complete the essay as per instructions given.
Each task carries equal marks.

TASK 1

Finding it hard to remember important facts and figures? Improve your

memory in 10 weeks with our Memory Course. Places are limited and the
course is available for only a short time.
Apply in writing to:

You see the above advertisement for a course designed to help improve your memory. Write a letter
to the organisers of the course. In the letter
 give some background information about yourself
 explain your own problems and why you would like to do the course
 enquire about the methods used on the course
 enquire about course fees and dates
You should write at least 150 words. You do not need to write any addresses.

You should begin your letter

Dear Sir or Madam

TASK 2

Present a written argument or case to an educated reader with so specialist knowledge of the
following topic.

In today’s job market it is far more important to have practical skills than
theoretical knowledge. In the future, job applicants may not need any formal
qualifications.

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

You should use your own ideas, knowledge and experience and support your arguments with
examples and relevant evidence. You should write at least 150 words.

END OF QUESTION PAPER