UNISINOS

UNISINOS:

The subscription to Unisinos’s vestibular was opened on October 14, and close on november 11. The test wiil be take on november 21.

                There are 50 questions, 10 of portuguese, 10 of humanities , 10 of natural sciences, 15 of exacts and 5 of foreign languages. There is also an essay. The eassey will be taken from 9h30m to 11h30m. The objective test from 14h30m to 18h30m.

                Vocabulary               
                What is the level of difficulty?
                Easy questions at all
                Check the presence of translation. How is it done?
                Alltough it been a English exam, the question are written in Portuguese and usually require translation of English terms of the text into Portuguese language
                Any peculiarity?
                No, the exam is short and simples
                What is asked in the vocabulary questions?
                The significate of a term in bold or a preposition 

               

                Grammar:

                The Unisinos’s english test has Always only one text, and 5 questions asking about this text. Of this five questions, three or four are Reading and comprehension, and the others about grammar. The grammar questions are about pronouns, conjuctions or preposition and their functions in the text. Usually, with a minimum knowledge of English it’s possible to do the test easily.

                Questions:

            “To live the longest and healthiest life possible, get smarter. Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) data show that past a certain threshold, health and wealth are just weakly correlated. However, overall health is closely tied to how many years people spend in school. Mexico, for instance, has a fifth the per capita gross domestic product (GDP) of the United States, but, for women, more than 50 percent of the latter’s schooling.

In line with the trend, Mexico’s female adult mortality rate is only narrowly higher. Vietnam and Yemen have roughly equivalent per capita GDP. Yet Vietnamese women average 6.3 more years in school and are half as likely to die between the ages of 15 and 60. “Economic growth is also significantly associated with child mortality reductions, but the magnitude of the association is much smaller than that of increased education,” comments Emmanuela Gakidou, IHME’s director of education and training. “One year of schooling gives you about 10 percent lower mortality rates, whereas with a 10 percent increase in GDP, your mortality rate would go down only by 1 to 2 percent.”

1.      O argumento central do texto é o de que níveis mais altos de escolaridade estão diretamente relacionados a:

a) Índices baixos de mortalidade;

b) Destacado crescimento na economia;

c) Maior disponibilidade de emprego para mulheres;

d) Taxas menores de natalidade;

e) Melhoras nos serviços de saúde prestados.

2. A expressão “between” destacada no texto pode ser corretamente traduzida para o português como:

  1) Depois;

2) Entre;

3) Antes;

4) Até;

5) De sorte que

Eduardo Finck, Eduardo Dutra, João Pereira e Pedro Pacheco

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.

ITA (Instituto Tecnológico de Aeronáutica)

On the entrance exam of ITA:

Subjects: Physics; Portuguese; English; Mathematics; Chemistry. 

Inscription: 8/1/2015-9/15/2015

Days of carrying out the tests:

12/15/2015 (Tue)	Physics	8:00-12:00 h
12/16/2015 (Wed)	Portuguese and English	8:00-12:00 h
12/17/2015 (Thu)	Mathematics	8:00-12:00 h
12/18/2015 (Friday)	Chemistry	8:00-12:00 h

The evidence to be applied shall be composed of:

Evidence of Math, Physics and Chemistry

               - twenty multiple choice questions and ten essay questions

Proof of Portuguese

               - twenty multiple choice questions and an essay

Proof of English

               - twenty multiple choice questions

In the last three tests of the English language of the ITA's vestibular there is presence of cartoons, all of them with some social commentary (bullying, pollution, loss of privacy from social networks). The issues, all multiple choice, shall assess the candidate's ability to predict content, inferring meanings, recognize vocabulary in different contexts and also identify grammatical structures essential to the understanding of the content shown. In matters relating to texts is often asked about the meaning of some terms and expressions or words, as well as possible changes to maintain the same direction and gaps in the text itself to be completed later in the question (of the three editions analyzed only in 2012 this kind of question was presented). Each text presented in the evidence is used for more than one issue, being those of various sizes.

What types of text are included? 

Cartoon, comment, article.

What areas/topics are more common?

Technology, environmental issues.

What previous knowledge should we have? 

Grammar and text interpretation knowledge.

What is mainly asked?

Manly the questions ask about the meaning of some word or expression and what is correct out the text. 

Any peculiarity?

Some questions ask for the wrong answer about the text or grammar.

Suggestions for the English test:

-know the meaning and synonymous with conjunctions;

-practice reading so that the interpretation is encouraged;

-the knowledge of the pronoun placement and what words they match is important too, because many questions address on it.

As questões 1 e 2 referem-se ao texto a seguir:

Questão 1. De acordo com o texto:

A ( ) a incerteza é comum nos dias de hoje e leva a um estado de ansiedade e medo paralisante.

B ( ) mostrar o contraste entre incerteza e oportunidade.

C ( ) é possível usar medo e ansiedade a nosso favor.

D ( ) para que se tenha oportunidades é necessário ser treinado.

E ( ) não há como superar a incerteza, até mesmo por isso, pode levar a morte.

Questão 2. A expressão “The head-to-toe butterflies” (linha 20), no contexto em que se insere, significa:

A ( ) incertezas que confundem a mente.

B ( ) autoquestionamentos que imobilizam o corpo da cabeça aos pés.

C ( ) aflições que acabam interferindo no bom funcionamento do organismo.

D ( ) sensação de formigamento nas extremidades do corpo.

E ( ) medos e anseios que dão a sensação de “frio na barriga”.

Group: João Victor and Tiago Machado

3E

PUC - São Paulo

Group: Vitória Tessmann e Isabela Teixeira
University: PUC-SP

About the exam: The test is composed by 45 objective questions (10 questions of Portuguese and literature, 5 questions of mathematics, 5 questions of physics, 5 questions of chemistry, 5 questions of biology, 5 questions of history, 5 questions of geography and 5 questions of English), 3 discursive questions and an essay. You have 5 hours to complete the test. The questions of English are all about one single text, they are normally divided in 2 questions of vocabulary and 3 questions about the subject of the text. The text has no grammar questions and the level is medium. You can apply for PUC-SP entrance exam till November 19^th and it will occur in December 6^th.

Questions:

Teen suicide is preventable

Teen suicide is a growing health concern. It is the third-leading cause of death for young people ages 15 to 24, surpassed only by homicide and accidents, according to the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

According to experts Michelle Moskos, Jennifer Achilles, and Doug Gray, causes of suicidal distress can be caused by psychological, environmental and social factors. Mental illness is the leading risk factor for suicide. Suicide risk-factors vary with age, gender, ethnic group, family dynamics and stressful life events. According to a 2004 report distributed by the National Institute of Mental Health, research shows that risk factors for suicide include depression and other mental disorders, and substance-abuse disorders (often in combination with other mental disorders). More than 90 percent of people who die by suicide have these risk factors. The risk for suicide frequently occurs in combination with external circumstances that seem to overwhelm at-risk teens who are unable to cope with the challenges of adolescence because of predisposing vulnerabilities such as mental disorders. Examples of stressors are disciplinary problems, interpersonal losses, family violence, sexual orientation confusion, physical and sexual abuse and being the victim of bullying.

National suicide prevention efforts have focused on school education programs, crisis center hotlines, screening programs that seek to identify at-risk adolescents, media guidelines (suicide prevention strategies that involve educating media professionals about the prevalence of copy-cat suicides among adolescents, in an effort to minimize the impact of news stories reporting suicide) and efforts to limit firearm access.

Screening programs have proven to be helpful because research has shown that suicidal people show signs of depression or emotional distress. Referrals can be made for treatment, and effective treatment can be employed when signs are observed in time. Intervention efforts for at-risk youth can put them in contact with mental health services that can save their lives.

Suicide is a relatively rare event and it is difficult to accurately predict which persons with these risk factors will ultimately commit suicide. However, there are some possible warning signs such as talking about dying, recent loss, change in personality, change in behavior, change in sleep patterns, change in eating habit, fear of losing control, low self steem and no hope for the future.

Adapted from http://www.apa.org/research/action/suicide.aspx

1) O foco principal do texto é: a) Como são feitos os suicídios nas idades entre 15 e 24 anos. b) Sobre como pessoas que sofrem mais abusos tem mais tendências suicidas. c) Sinais e fatores de jovens que comentem suicídio. d) Mostrar como funcionam programas em escolas que ajudam jovens que querem cometer suicídio. e) Programas que ajudem pessoas que pensem em suicídio.

2) "Suicide is a relatively rare event and it is difficult to accurately predict which persons with these risk factors will ultimately commit suicide." A palavra "accurately" pode ser substituida corretamente sem mudança no sentido por:

a) Precisely b) Correctly c) Strongly d) Actually e) Definitely

Alternativas corretas: 1- C; 2- A

UNISINOS - Marina, Julia Sarkis and Rafaela

Names: Julia Sarkis, Marina Prediger and Rafaela Eichler
Class: 3C

                                                          UNISINOS

Last day to apply for Unisinos: 16/11

Day of the test: 21/11

Information about the exam: The test is divided in objetive questions and an essay. You have four hours to answer the objetive questions which totals 10 points. You'll have to answer 50 question and each one totals 0,2 points. The questions are divided in groups: 10 questions related to Portuguese, 10 questions related to Human Sciences (History, Geography, Philosophy and Sociology) and culture in general, 15 questions related to Math and Physics, 10 questions related to Nature Sciences and 5 related to a foreign language (which you can choose between Spanish and English) . You have two hours to do the essay and it totals 10 points. The essay is 30 to 35 lines and you can choose between two themes. You can also use your score from ENEM to make your final grade higher.

To see how would you do on the real test, you can try and exercise on this "pre-test", really similar to the real one: http://www.unisinos.br/vestibular/sobre-o-vestibular/simulado-online

TEXT 1:

How do I recycle aluminum cans?
By Anna Dieterich, Demand Midia

According to the EPA, in 2009, Americans recycled only about 51 per- cent of aluminum beverage cans.

Recycling aluminum cans offers a dual benefit. It redu- ces the solid waste stream and may put money in your pocket. According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, in 2009, soda and beer cans made up the lar- gest source of aluminum waste. Of 1,360,000 tons of cans, consumers discarded 670,000 tons (see Referen- ces 1, pages 47 and 49). That’s a lot of cash in the trash. Every can you recycle reduces the stress on landfills and may be worth money to you.

References

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; Municipal Solid Waste in the United States: 2009 Facts and Figures; December 2010

About the Author

Ann Deiterich has been a writer since 1984 in business-to-business communi- cations, specializing in TQM, business/fi- nancial topics, office management and production efficiency. As an environmen- tal proponent, nature and science are her areas of interest. Deiterich holds a Bachelor of Arts in English from Albright college and has three expert rating certifications including Grammar, Words/Phrases and Advertising Skills.

_________________________________________________________________________________


O texto foi escrito por uma:

a) executiva financeira.
b) jornalista na área de Economia e Negócios. 
c) bacharel em Inglês e escritora.
d) pesquisadora na área ambiental.
e) professora de Língua Inglesa. 

 ANSWER:  C

_________________________________________________________________________________


 De acordo com o texto, quais são os benefícios do uso da reciclagem de garrafas de alumínio?

a) Reduz os sólidos extremos e joga dinheiro fora.
b) Reduz o desperdício de alumínio e pode render dinheiro.
c) Aumenta o dinheiro em seu bolso dando a possibilidade de comprar mais garrafas.
d) Reduz o gasto de dinheiro e possibilita a reciclagem mundial.
e) Ajuda ao planeta reduzindo a taxa de estresse corporal gerada pelo remorso.

 ANSWER: B

Information about UFSC entrance exam

                                                                      UFSC

EXAM INFO: The UFSC entrance exam this year will be held on 13,14 and 15 December . The first day will appy the tests of Portuguese , Foreign Language ( German , French , English, Spanish, Italian ) , Literature, Mathematics and Biology . The second day is history, geography , physics and chemistry. In the last exam  day are held the discurse questions and writing . There are 80 questions of summation and 4 discourse .

ENGLISH EXAM:

What types of text are included? The most common type of text are the articles and comments
What areas/topics are more common? the most common subjects are people / movies / famous series .
What previous knowledge should we have? Have the knowledge to interpret texts .
What is the main focus of the comprehension questions? In the vast majority they want to know what are the real informations about the text .
Do they follow any pattern?  Yes, they give you a text and want to know which statements are correct 
What can we do to master these questions? To master this test have  to read articles in English and be very careful not to point out wrong information because an error nullifies a hit. 

 VOCABULARY AND GRAMMAR QUESTIONS:

There are few questions of this type but when they appear, they ask the meaning of the words highlighted in the text and the explanation of  expressions.

QUESTIONS:

TEXT 1

Six months ago, Malala Yousafzai was lying in a hospital bed, recovering from a Taliban attack in which she was shot in the head and neck. The shooting was intended to silence the Pakistani teenager who had defied the Taliban's ban against girls in school. But it had the opposite effect: Instead of silencing the 15-year-old, the attack only made her voice more powerful. Malala's story has raised global awareness of girls' education. And now that she's out of the hospital and back in school, she is determined to keep fighting for equality. "God has given me this new life," she said in February, her first public statement since the shooting. "I want to serve the people. I want every girl, every child, to be educated." Worldwide, there are 66 million girls out of school, according to UNESCO – many more than boys, who don't have to face the same discrimination and obstacles that girls do in some countries. Malala was critically injured in the attack, but she suffered no permanent brain injuries. She underwent several successful surgeries in Pakistan and the United Kingdom, where she now lives after her father was given a job with the Pakistani Consulate. In March, she went back to school for the first time since the attack, attending an all-girls high school in Birmingham, England. And while she recovers from her injuries, she is continuing to raise awareness and money for education. Last month, she announced a $45,000 grant to a fund that was set up in her name – and the first to benefit will be girls from the Swat Valley.

1.      Select the CORRECT proposition(s) according to the information in text 1.

 01. Malala still lives in Pakistan.

02. All of Malala’s surgeries were performed in the United Kingdom.

04. Malala got injured because her family was irresponsible.

08. The attack could have killed Malala.

16. Currently Malala attends a school for female students.

32. The Pakistani government has donated money to help Malala in her campaign.

64. Malala has already raised money to help girls.

          2. Select the appropriate title(s) for text 1

01. Malala’s battle for life and education.

02. Schools around the world.

04. Fighting for women’s right to study.

08. Malala gender equality fight.

16. Raising money to build hospitals.

32. Schools for boys and girls.

     

GROUP: Gabriela, Jéssica e Sophia          3E

3º TRI PROJECT - All about tests

Hey guys,

We are going to finish this year learning all about entrance exams and their English tests.

Setting - groups of 3
Deadline - November, 3rd 

WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO?

1. CHOOSE ONE UNIVERSITY OF YOUR INTEREST (BRAZIL). IT MUST HAVE ENGLISH TEST IN ITS ENTRANCE EXAMS.

2. SELECT THE LAST 3 TESTS TO ANALYZE (PREFERABLY FROM SUMMER EXAMS)

3. CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING TOPICS TO STUDY: Reading, Vocabulary, Grammar. THEN WRITE DOWN ALL THE INFORMATION THE GROUP STUDIED ABOUT THE ENGLISH QUESTIONS, GIVING TIPS AND EXAMPLES. 

4. MAKE 2 QUESTIONS WITH CHARACTERISTICS FROM THIS UNIVERSITY EXAM.

STUDY GUIDELINES:

A. EXAM INFO

• How is the exam organized? 
• What are the subjects?
• How many questions? What kind?
• How many days?
• When is the subscription?
• When is the test?

B. ENGLISH EXAM

What are the main characteristics?

READING COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1. What types of text are included (article, interview, song, poem, cartoon, comment, letter, etc.)?
2. What areas/topics are more common?
3. What previous knowledge should we have? 
4. What is the main focus of the comprehension questions? 
5. Do they follow any pattern? Give examples.
6. What can we do to master these questions? Add Suggestions!

VOCABULARY QUESTIONS

1. What is asked in the vocabulary questions?
2. What is the level of difficulty? 
3. Check the presence of translation. How is it done?
4. Any peculiarity? Any tips? Give examples.

GRAMMAR QUESTIONS

1. What is mainly asked?
2. What are the most common grammar topics?
3. What is the level required? 
4. Are they all related to the text? 
5. Any peculiarity? Any tips? Give examples.

C. QUESTIONS MAKING PROCESS

1. Choose a text (article, interview, song, poem, cartoon, comment, letter, etc.)
2. Decide on the types of the questions
3. Create 2 questions following the same characteristics of the exams analyzed.
4. Post your questions on the blog without the answers.

We are counting on you!!!

Helena & Jana