UNIVERSITETET
I OSLO
Institutt f or litteratur, områdestudier og europeiske språk
WRITTEN EXAMINATION
2013/AUTUMN
3 pages
ENG1111 – The English Language, Awareness and Writing Skills, an Introduction
4 hours
Thursday, 5 December 2013
The questions must be answered in English. The answers must be given in complete sentences,
and be written on the copy sheets provided. Candidates must receive a pass mark on all three
questions.
Candidates may use 1 English-English dictionary.
Question 1 (25%)
The following text contains 10 errors of grammar, 5 of which have been identified. Find
the remaining 5 errors, and correct all 10. Explain your corrections with reference to
rules of grammar and/or contextual clues.
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
Europe Speaks Back
Three weeks ago, TIME magazine was publishing a story titled “The Incredible Shrinking
Europe”, in which the journalist argued that “if Europe wants to become a global power
to rival US and China, then it needs to stop acting like a collection of rich, insular states
and start fighting for its believes.” Simon Robinson’s story, that was accompanied by an
interview with Europe’s new Foreign Minister and an impassioned column by the dean of
a school of public policy in Singapore, prompted readers and European leaders alike to
write. Some thought our assessment was spot-on, plenty thought that we had got it all
wrong. To encourage further debate, we publish here a selection of views.
Europe are criticized for being too preoccupied with itself, which has a ring of
truth to it. But have a broader look at the facts: over the last 15 years, the EU has taken
on board 15 new members, doubling its size without compromising on its strict accession
criteria. This required massive transfers of wealth and a high degree of solidarity.
The EU also refined its giant single market, created a new world currency, and
introduced elements of a common foreign policy under the leadership of Javier Solana.
The EU is not only the strongest economic union in the world but also the main source of
aid for developing countries. Thus is the criticism that Europe is too preoccupied with
themselves both shallow and unfair. On the contrary, Europeans are busy creating a
model that is internationally relevant, especially for Asian countries and groupings.
Europes commitment to human rights, the empowerment of women, civil rights,
freedom of speech, the protection of natural resources, and combating child labor, is not
just a Western hobbyhorse. These are universal values derived from the ancient wisdom
of Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, Jews and Christians, and are based on the lessons
taught from our own painful history. No sustainably economic order can disregard these
basic values.
Side 1 av 3
Question 2 (25%)
Answer EITHER question A OR question B below.
EITHER
A. Rewrite the following text for adult readers (‘general public’) in a more formal
style, keeping the basic meaning intact. Explain briefly (about 1 page) any
changes you have made regarding syntax, grammar and lexis.
Types of Energy
Energy is the power we use to transport ourselves from one place to another, to warm up
and put light in our homes, and to make all kinds of products. There are two sources of
energy: energy that can be renewed and energy that cannot be renewed.
Most of the energy we use comes from fuels from fossil remains, such as coal,
natural gas and petroleum. Fossil remains are actually what is left of plants and animals
which have been dead for millions of years. Uranium is another non-renewable source of
energy, but it is not a fossil fuel. Uranium is turned into a fuel and used in nuclear power
plants. Once these natural resources are used up, they are gone forever.
The process of gathering these fuels can be harmful to the eco-systems (biomes)
which they come from. Fossil fuels are put through a process of burning called
combustion in order to produce energy. Combustion releases harmful material (pollution),
such as carbon monoxide and sulfur dioxide, which may lead to polluted rain (acid rain)
and to heating up our planet, which is harmful.
OR
B. Write an instruction on how to get from the University of Oslo campus at Blindern
to the Parliament buildings in downtown Oslo by public transport. Your target
audience is made up of adult readers from an English-speaking country. Then
explain what linguistic choices you made, and why your text qualifies as an
instruction.
Question 3 (50%)
Read the two texts below. Identify the similarities and differences between the two
texts as regards field, tenor, mode, purpose and style, and describe how any
differences in these areas are reflected in lexical, grammatical, and syntactic choices.
Provide examples from both texts to support your claims. Your answer should be in
the form of an academic essay of AT LEAST 500 words.
Text 1
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Biography of Queen Victoria
Queen Victoria was born in 1819, at the Kensington Palace, to Princess Victoria of SaxeCoburg-Saalfeld and Prince Edward Augustus, Duke of Kent. She earned the nickname
'Grandmother of Europe' early in life, having arranged the marriages of all her children
and forty-two grandchildren in countries across the continent. This political move was read
as an attempt to bind European power.
In 1836, Princess Victoria met Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, her future
husband, at the tender age of seventeen. He was her first cousin, the son of her mother's
brother. They were married in 1840, in the Chapel Royal, London. Victoria and Albert
were part of a long and happy union. When William IV died in June 1837, Victoria became
Queen of England. The coronation ceremony took place on 28 June 1838.
When Victoria ascended the throne, England was an established constitutional
monarchy. Although the ruling monarch held limited political power and basically
Side 2 av 3
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
exercised influence via the Prime Minister, Victoria was a very symbolic political figure
during her tenure. The Victorian Era witnessed expansion of the British Empire, making it
a strong global power.
An attempt was made on the queen's life, during her first pregnancy. Edward
Oxford attempted an assassination by firing at the monarch while she was riding with
Prince Albert. Although he was tried for treason, he was acquitted as 'insane'. Another
attempt was made to assassinate Queen Victoria at St. James' Park by one John Francis.
Francis was charged with treason and given the 'transportation for life' sentence.
When the Prince Consort succumbed to typhoid on 14 December, 1861, the
Queen, who was only just mourning the demise of her mother, was devastated. Queen
Victoria wore black for the rest of her life and avoided public appearances, earning the
name 'Widow of Windsor'. This isolation took a toll on the popularity that monarchy
enjoyed in England and is held responsible for the growth of the republican movement. On
22 January, 1901, Queen Victoria succumbed to cerebral hemorrhage. She was buried
beside Prince Albert. Victoria's death meant a cessation of House of Hanover monarchy.
Text 2
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
How to Become a Queen, Or Monarch-Making the Easy Way on International
Women's Day!
What better way to celebrate International Women’s Day than honoring the queen that
lives in every female on the face of this planet. If truth be told, there are a lot of females
the world over hankering for a piece of the patriarchal pie. Most are bored to death waiting
around for Prince Charming to show up and claim them (not to mention their glass
slipper). Others are not so thrilled about having to compete in a beauty pageant for the
honor of being crowned Queen for a Day, Queen of May, or Homecoming Queen.
Considering the fact that very few females can claim the title Queen (by virtue of
their bodacious blueblood lineage), that leaves a limited number of alternatives to purse in
order to fulfill their dazzling destiny.
One option for ascending a throne is to marry a monarch. Those wishing to
pursue this alternative should keep their eyes peeled for a dude who has a decent
prospect of becoming a King in very short order; better yet, choose one that already has
his crown, a well-stocked treasure chest, and some tantalizing territory over which to rule.
If the lady in question wishes to join the ranks of royalty, she would also be well advised to
attend a posh pre-school and a rather fine Ivy League college, not to mention befriend
oodles of glitterati.
By far the more reliable option entails following the path of least resistance, which
involves proclaiming oneself queen. Forget the royal rigmarole that usually comes with
inheriting a royal title or joining a connubial clan of cockamamie characters; instead, hoist
your own flag, grab your glittering garb and tantalizing tiara, sit upon your very own throne
with a plush red velvet cushion, and declare to all the world that you are a wondrous
woman of spunk and substance!
Remember, every woman possesses her own compelling, distinctive, and
incredible, personal power. When all is said and done, it’s up to women to bring forth their
unique talents, share their precious wisdom of life with others, and never to forget to leave
the world a better place than when they arrived.
Explanation: For an explanation of the mark obtained, contact the teacher responsible for
the course no later than 1 week after the exam results have been published in StudentWeb.
Remember to include your name and candidate number. The examiner will then decide
whether to give a written explanation or call you in for an interview.
Side 3 av 3