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Post by Bonobo on Nov 21, 2016 23:28:05 GMT 1
It is a very demanding contest, apart from cosmic grammar and translations, it also includes extensive history, culture and literature. For a few decades now it has been created by one genius guy - prof. Henryk Krzyżanowski from Poznań Uni. I have always admired his competence and knowledge as well as his perfect memory - he creates 3 tests per school year (local, regional, state stages) and has never given the same word/question/sentence/task twice for so many years. I took part in the contest in the last year of my high school but didn`t achieve a good enough result to move further to the second stage. However, the points I scored were enough to cause my English teacher`s admiration and respect as she had always considered me a good for nothing idler. Also my classmates were impressed as they thought I was a party animal, wino and playboy rather than a swot/ween/crammer. 2015 edition Local stage oja.wsjo.pl/wp-content/uploads/2015/12/TEST_ETAP_SZKOLNY_2015.pdfRegional stage - try the culture task pages 10-11! oja.wsjo.pl/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/40_oja_okreg_test.pdfState stage oja.wsjo.pl/wp-content/uploads/2016/06/40_oja_final_test.pdfCheck this out:  13. Meanwhile American boys are increasingly raised by single women and taught almost only by female teachers. In addition, they are often taught to be ashamed of their masculine natures and to reject traditional masculine virtues. ____________, the amount spent on national defense will continue to decline (while the amount spent on welfare will continue to increase), and America will confront the world’s evils less and less. A/ Whichever trend prevails B/ No matter how much we oppose it C/ As a result of the above two trends D/ Bar some unpredictable scourges Which answer is correct? |
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Post by jeanne on Nov 22, 2016 2:16:46 GMT 1
Check this out: 13. Meanwhile American boys are increasingly raised by single women and taught almost only by female teachers. In addition, they are often taught to be ashamed of their masculine natures and to reject traditional masculine virtues. ____________, the amount spent on national defense will continue to decline (while the amount spent on welfare will continue to increase), and America will confront the world’s evils less and less. A/ Whichever trend prevails B/ No matter how much we oppose it C/ As a result of the above two trends D/ Bar some unpredictable scourges Which answer is correct? I would say "C." By the way, those exams are quite difficult! Any high school student that does well deserves recognition! |
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Post by Bonobo on Dec 17, 2016 22:30:08 GMT 1
Check this out: 13. Meanwhile American boys are increasingly raised by single women and taught almost only by female teachers. In addition, they are often taught to be ashamed of their masculine natures and to reject traditional masculine virtues. ____________, the amount spent on national defense will continue to decline (while the amount spent on welfare will continue to increase), and America will confront the world’s evils less and less. A/ Whichever trend prevails B/ No matter how much we oppose it C/ As a result of the above two trends D/ Bar some unpredictable scourges Which answer is correct? I would say "C." By the way, those exams are quite difficult! Any high school student that does well deserves recognition! Yes, C! Extremely difficult. I have been teaching my son since he was 3, we used two dozen textbooks and did a few dozen exam sheets for three stages of education and now I see it hasn`t been enough. I wonder what kind of students get the highest places in that competition - nerds who spent 10 years in America/GB and cram for 3 hours a day? And they probably peruse a dictionary in bed before going to sleep. |
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Post by jeanne on Dec 22, 2016 14:33:08 GMT 1
Extremely difficult. I have been teaching my son since he was 3, we used two dozen textbooks and did a few dozen exam sheets for three stages of education and now I see it hasn`t been enough. I wonder what kind of students get the highest places in that competition - nerds who spent 10 years in America/GB and cram for 3 hours a day? And they probably peruse a dictionary in bed before going to sleep. Hmmm...I tend to think that there are students to whom language comes more easily and readily. Just like there are natural "math whizzes" I feel there are "language whizzes." It makes sense based on the theory of multiple intelligences that some students' brains are just wired to find language easy...these are the students that win the prizes! Other students can make good progress and achievement through diligent studying and cramming, but it's hard for them to compete with the "naturals!" |
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Post by Bonobo on Dec 24, 2016 19:06:46 GMT 1
Extremely difficult. I have been teaching my son since he was 3, we used two dozen textbooks and did a few dozen exam sheets for three stages of education and now I see it hasn`t been enough. I wonder what kind of students get the highest places in that competition - nerds who spent 10 years in America/GB and cram for 3 hours a day? And they probably peruse a dictionary in bed before going to sleep. Hmmm...I tend to think that there are students to whom language comes more easily and readily. Just like there are natural "math whizzes" I feel there are "language whizzes." It makes sense based on the theory of multiple intelligences that some students' brains are just wired to find language easy...these are the students that win the prizes! Other students can make good progress and achievement through diligent studying and cramming, but it's hard for them to compete with the "naturals!" The problem is that I always considered him a language whizkid too. |
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Post by Bonobo on Jan 15, 2017 16:35:20 GMT 1
I think the key is wrong because it says
The reading the second text took no more than ten minutes is correct
Instead of
The reading of the second text....
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Post by jeanne on Jan 15, 2017 20:10:12 GMT 1
I think the key is wrong because it says
The reading the second text took no more than ten minutes is correct Instead of The reading of the second text.... I agree with you that the key is wrong... |
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Post by Bonobo on Jan 15, 2017 20:21:41 GMT 1
I think the key is wrong because it says
The reading the second text took no more than ten minutes is correct Instead of The reading of the second text.... I agree with you that the key is wrong... Thanks, I will tell it to my son who is taking part in the second stage tomorrow. PS. Today we did last revision exercises and I again wondered at the ingenuity of the guy who has been creating those Olimpiada tests for decades. He is a genius in setting traps for students who perfectly know formal grammar but do not realise all subtle intricacies of the language. E.g., he comes up with such variations of conditional sentences which aren`t covered by any textbooks. 10. If the place where they ............. themselves at the end of the operation doesn`t have electricity, they will have to use their car battery. a/ will find b/found c/ find d/ will have found Of course, my son followed formal grammar and wrongly chose find. Or one more wrong answer: 9. If at that point the situation ................. well in hand, then why did they react so brutally? a/had been b/ were c/was d/would be The guy behind all of it: Prof. Henryk Krzyżanowski  I just read his biography in Polish, he deserves a seperate thread. |
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Post by jeanne on Jan 16, 2017 1:31:44 GMT 1
10. If the place where they ............. themselves at the end of the operation doesn`t have electricity, they will have to use their car battery. a/ will find b/found c/ find d/ will have found Of course, my son followed formal grammar and wrongly chose find. I don't know about Mr. Henryk Krzyzanowski, but I think "find" was the correct answer...What was the correct answer according to Krzyzanowski? You didn't mention what the wrong answer was, but I think the right answer is "was." Again, what was the "correct" answer? |
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Post by Bonobo on Jan 16, 2017 20:39:28 GMT 1
10. If the place where they ............. themselves at the end of the operation doesn`t have electricity, they will have to use their car battery. a/ will find b/found c/ find d/ will have found Of course, my son followed formal grammar and wrongly chose find. I don't know about Mr. Henryk Krzyzanowski, but I think "find" was the correct answer...What was the correct answer according to Krzyzanowski? You didn't mention what the wrong answer was, but I think the right answer is "was." Again, what was the "correct" answer? The first correct answer is will find and it is understandable because the part of the sentence starting with where they ........ doesn`t really constitute proper conditional No 1, it is a sort of an addition. Was is the correct answer in the other one, my son chose had been, thinking it was a mixed conditional. |
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Post by jeanne on Jan 16, 2017 21:55:27 GMT 1
The first correct answer is will find and it is understandable because the part of the sentence starting with where they ........ doesn`t really constitute proper conditional No 1, it is a sort of an addition. Hmmm....maybe, but I'm not convinced. Does strict adherence to grammatical rules take precedence over not sounding awkward? In the case of this exam of course it does, but as a native speaker, I protest.  |
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Post by Bonobo on Jan 28, 2017 13:23:56 GMT 1
The first correct answer is will find and it is understandable because the part of the sentence starting with where they ........ doesn`t really constitute proper conditional No 1, it is a sort of an addition. Hmmm....maybe, but I'm not convinced. Does strict adherence to grammatical rules take precedence over not sounding awkward? In the case of this exam of course it does, but as a native speaker, I protest. Most native speakers prefer to use simplified mother tongue. It is writers and university professors of linguistics who go to great pains with their language. So must be the case with those tests above. Either professor Krzyżanowski invented this sentence himself or he copied it from a native publication and pasted in the exam, with the same intention - to trap students who only think they are perfect, but in reality aren`t. Thousands take part, but only a dozen may win. |
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Post by jeanne on Jan 28, 2017 19:02:17 GMT 1
So must be the case with those tests above. Either professor Krzyżanowski invented this sentence himself or he copied it from a native publication and pasted in the exam, with the same intention - to trap students who only think they are perfect, but in reality aren`t. Thousands take part, but only a dozen may win. With that large a number of students participating, I guess Prof. K. has to use some trick to pare down the numbers...a lesson in humility for the students...! |
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Post by Bonobo on Feb 3, 2017 18:07:29 GMT 1
A lot of sentences in grammar exercises concern local matters with social, cultural or political context. I suppose Professor copied them from original papers. E.g., In that production Hamlet`s role was played by a very attractive young actress, which many spectators regarded as an unnecessary oddity. Today we have again run into a few crazy examples concerning conditionals: 1 If, as the radio says, there ............... ice on the pools in the morning, the temeprature could have been -2 or lower. At zero no ice is formed on the surface of water. a/had been b/was c/were d/would be 2 I was slow to react because I saw no reason why I should trust the man. I can imagine myslef reacting differently if I ....... him. a/had trusted b/did trust c/did trusted d/have trusted 3 Most experts say we should be glad if one third of ........... will be suitable for further use. a/all flooded buildings. b/the all flooded buildings c/all buildings flooded d/all the buildings flooded 4 I know how much you dislike him, but when you meet him you should behave as if you ......... to your best friend. a/had been talking b/would talk c/were talking d/talk PS. Such tests are a good opportunity to take advantage of an adult refresher course. I have been reminded that cattle is countable and can be used with many. |
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Post by jeanne on Feb 4, 2017 20:58:49 GMT 1
At risk of embarrassing myself, here are my best guesses for the correct answers:
1. b/was
2. a/had trusted
3. a/all flooded buildings (I'm assuming the period at the end is not supposed to be there.)
4. c/were talking
How did I do?
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Post by Bonobo on Feb 4, 2017 21:14:30 GMT 1
At risk of embarrassing myself, here are my best guesses for the correct answers: 1. b/was 2. a/had trusted 3. a/all flooded buildings (I'm assuming the period at the end is not supposed to be there.) 4. c/were talking How did I do? Very well, except no 3 where the correct answer is "all the buildings flooded." I suppose the sentence suggests specific, known buildings, they have a list of them, that`s why there must be a definite article. |
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Post by jeanne on Feb 4, 2017 21:46:45 GMT 1
At risk of embarrassing myself, here are my best guesses for the correct answers: 1. b/was 2. a/had trusted 3. a/all flooded buildings (I'm assuming the period at the end is not supposed to be there.) 4. c/were talking How did I do? Very well, except no 3 where the correct answer is "all the buildings flooded." I suppose the sentence suggests specific, known buildings, they have a list of them, that`s why there must be a definite article. Taken out of context, it's hard to determine to which buildings the sentence refers. But, I think the "official" answer is a fair one. |
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