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2012 ‫מועד פברואר‬ - 39 - ‫ פרק ראשו ן‬- ‫ אנגלית‬

Text II (Questions 23-27)

(1) Name something with extraterrestrial origins and defend your hypothesis. Write a
story that begins, "Many years later, he remembered his first experience with ice."
Include references to a new pair of socks, the works of William Shakespeare and a
domesticated animal.

(5) There was a time when the questions that American universities asked their
applicants were routine and dull: "Say something about yourself in 250 words or less."
But as the authentic examples above suggest, college essay questions have changed.
This year, applicants to the prestigious University of Chicago were asked to write a
television script incorporating a German opera, the severed ear of Dutch painter Vincent

(10) van Gogh and the metric system.

The new questions have left more than a few students and parents reeling. Liz Carr
received an application form from the University of Virginia and showed it to her
parents. The required grades and test scores did not faze them; Liz has done well in
high school and on standardized college entrance exams. But when the Carrs looked at

(15) the essay topics, they were astounded. One of the questions was, "What is your favorite
word and how does it define you?"

"It's a nightmare," said Maryann Carr, who is still wondering about the hidden
meaning of that seemingly innocent inquiry. "I'm forty years old and I can't think of a
single word that defines me. So how can a teenager be expected to answer that?"

(20) "More important," she added, "how does the question tell them whether or not Liz
should be admitted?"

The answer given by admissions offices is that strange questions help identify the
best writers and thinkers. And, given the fact that many schools are vying for a limited
number of top students, unconventional questions help universities attract students who

(25) are seeking a sophisticated, imaginative approach toward intellectual life. Ted O'Neill,
the University of Chicago's Dean of Admissions, maintains that unusual questions
appeal to applicants. He points out that, even though they can choose a more mundane
subject, one third opt for the unusual.

But not everyone is convinced. Some schools that tried the innovative approach
(30) have now reversed their policy. Others are simplifying the admissions process by

adopting a common application form with standard questions. Dean Heilbruner of
Barnard College says, "the admissions process is nerve-wracking enough. Besides, we
don't need to play games to get good students."

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