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English entrance exam, 2005 E.C. (2013)

Real questions from the Grade 12 university entrance exam in English, as students sat it in 2005 E.C. Every question comes with the correct answer and a worked explanation.

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  • Both streams

    Who sits it

  • 2005 E.C. (2013)

    Exam year

  • 83 questions with answers

    In this set

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Answer each question yourself before opening the answer. The explanations point to the exact textbook section, so you know which page to reread when you miss one.

Question 1

She in do the what you evenings know does.

  1. A.What she does do you know in the evenings?
  2. B.In the evenings do you know what she does?
  3. C.Do you in the evenings know what she does?
  4. D.Do you know what she does in the evenings?
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: D Do you know what she does in the evenings?

Why

The sentence is a question with a smaller question inside it. The outer part keeps question order: "Do you know...". The inner part is an embedded question, so it goes back to normal statement order, "what she does" and not "what does she". The time phrase "in the evenings" sits at the end, where English usually puts time. A is tempting because it starts with the question word, but you cannot move the embedded question to the front and still leave "do you know" as the main question.

Question 4

Get to at tea six up we o?clock drink.

  1. A.To drink at six o'clock tea we get up.
  2. B.We get up at six o'clock to drink tea.
  3. C.We drink up tea to get at six o'clock.
  4. D.We get up to drink tea at sis o'clock.
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: B We get up at six o'clock to drink tea.

Why

The natural order here is subject, verb, time, then the reason: "We get up at six o'clock to drink tea." The to-infinitive at the end tells you why they get up. D carries the same meaning, and that is what makes it tempting, but it is printed with "sis" instead of "six", so as it stands it is not correct English. C swaps the verbs and produces "we drink up tea to get at six o'clock", which means nothing.

Question 5

World I the sail to around want.

  1. A._To sail around the world I want.
  2. B.I want around the world to sail.
  3. C.I want to sail around the world.
  4. D.Around the world I want to sail.
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: C I want to sail around the world.

Why

"Want" is followed by a to-infinitive, so the verb group is "want to sail". The place phrase "around the world" then follows the verb it belongs to. That gives the plain order: "I want to sail around the world." D is grammatical too, but fronting "around the world" is a marked, poetic order, and this section asks for the ordinary correct sentence rather than a stylistic one.

Question 8

A. It has only one room. b. Konjit's house is a hut. c. The room is divided into tree sections. d. The three section are bedroom, kitchen and pantry. e. A bed and a bigt wooden box are in bedroom section.

  1. A.e b a d c
  2. B.c a d b e
  3. C.e a c d e
  4. D.d e c b a
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: C e a c d e

Why

A paragraph like this moves from the whole thing to its parts. Sentence b names the house, a says it has one room, c divides that room, d names the three sections, and e goes inside one of them, so the order is b a c d e. The printed option C is damaged in this capture, but it is the alternative meant to carry that order. A is tempting because it also ends with the small detail, but it opens with e, and a paragraph cannot start inside the bedroom before we have been told there is a house.

Question 9

A. The first thing I do is work out. b. My morning ritual is the same every day. c. After that I put on my make up and leave home. d. When I have school, I have to do a lot of things. e. When I finish working out, I take a shower, fix my hair and get dressed.

  1. A.a d c e b
  2. B.d e b c a
  3. C.e a b d c
  4. D.b d a e c
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: D b d a e c

Why

Follow the time words. Sentence b announces the topic (the same ritual every day), d gives the reason there is a lot to do, a names "the first thing", e starts "When I finish working out", and c starts "After that", so the order is b d a e c. B is tempting because it also begins with the school context, but it puts e before a, which would have her finishing a workout she has not started.

Question 10

a. One of my favourite things to do is wash my car. b. People say they can tell about a person by their shoes. c. Here is the thoughtful process I follow to wash my car. d. A clean car says I?m proud and I feel good about my self. e. I say that you can tell about a person by how clean his car is.

  1. A.b e d a c
  2. B.c a b d e
  3. C.e b c d a
  4. D.a d b e c
Show the answer and explanation

Answer: A b e d a c

Why

The paragraph builds an idea before it uses it. Sentence b reports what other people say about shoes, e gives the writer's own version about cars, d explains what a clean car says about him, a tells us washing his car is a favourite thing, and c promises the process, which is what a following paragraph would give. That is b e d a c. D is tempting because a sounds like an opening line, but starting there leaves b and e stranded with nothing to lead into.

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English papers from other years

2018 E.C. (2026)2017 E.C. (2025)2016 E.C. (2024)2015 E.C. (2023)2014 E.C. (2022)2013 E.C. (2021)

Revise English before you sit this paper

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Are these the real 2005 E.C. English entrance exam questions?

Yes. They come from the national university entrance exam in English that students sat in 2005 E.C. (2013). Our set holds 83 of its questions, each with its answer and an explanation that points back to the textbook.

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Can I download the English 2005 E.C. paper as a PDF?

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