Vestibular UFRGS

By Isadora Torrano, Aline Bernardes, Aléxia Scotá, Victória Nunes and Luccas Boita

Here we are going to talk a little about the English tests evaluated on the Brazilian Vestibular – UFRGS that works as an examination to select candidates for UFRGS college. The subscriptions usually starts and ends mid September – October of the previous year and the test is placed in January.

The exam is organized as a four days test, each day covering a specific area on the subjects. The first day being:  physics, Brazilian literature and foreign languages; second day: Portuguese language and wording; third day: Biology, chemistry and geography; fourth, and last day: History and mathematics. 

The foreign – English – language test has 25 questions divided in vocabulary, interpretation and grammar.

Analyzing the 2013 exam we wrote down a few topics and characteristics (from this one particularly):

Text interpretation:  The types of texts we found were articles and poems (you can often find music lyrics or pictures, but not in this one), both most likely about cultural traits and news. It would be nice to have previous knowledge regarding the trend topics around the world – variety and curiosities -  and have a nice English vocabulary (not just the basics). The suggestion is to read articles in American or British sites and if you have time to join a social media like tumblr or twitter and go to it’s English part.

Grammar: concerning grammar the tests mainly asks for easy to medium level corrections or grammatical rules. The most common topics are about the texts you’ve read and the corrects use of words or verbs, nouns and pronouns. You can master these questions with no trouble if you know the basics and use the logic.

Vocabulary: This topic can be the most difficult as well as the easiest. The test will mostly ask for vocabulary  regarding the texts, words that are less used on basic English but at the same time can be easily recognized. It’s more challenging to get prepared for a vocabulary question, you have to read and be acquainted to English written texts and manners.

And now just to warm up your brain, let’s answer these two  simple questions:

Text I

“You can be noble and brave and beautiful and still find yourself falling.”

-Book quote “Love letters to the dead” by Ava Delaira

1- The possible interpretation about text 1 would be:

a) If you are noble, brave and beautiful you will fall.

b) The fall is unavoidable.

c) You won’t fall if you are noble, brave and beautiful.

d) Even perfect things can be defective sometimes.

e) None.

Text II

“Power is tearing [the] human mind to pieces and putting [it] together again in new shapes of your own choosing.”

-Book quote “1984” by George Orwell

2 – According to text 2, what does power mean?

a) Tearing to pieces the minds of humans.

b) Being able to create and innovate the human mind.

c) Choose your own shapes of mind.

d) Being able to control and change other person’s mind for your own interest.

e) None.