The Aga Khan University

Admission Test 2010 - English

SAMPLE PAPER

There are four questions in the English test.

Total time allowed = 1 hour and 15 minutes

Part I: Vocabulary and Grammar

Question One
Question One has two parts with a total of 20 items. In both parts, you are given a
passage with numbered gaps. For each numbered gap, choose the best answer A,
B, C, or D from the choices given. Here is an example of the type of passage you
will find in both parts of Question One:

As Socrates said over 2,000 years ago, "Education is the kindling of a

flame, not the filling of a vessel." Unfortunately, report cards ordinarily
reveal how much a vessel ………. (1)……. rather than the ………(2)……… a
flame has been kindled. The emphasis in most scholastic assessment
situations is on whether a student's response is right or wrong. The
process by which the student arrived at her response is discounted or
disregarded. ……(3)…….., a response that is just as good or even
superior to the one designated as "correct" often does not get the credit
it deserves.

1.
A. had been filled
B. has been filled
C. is being filled
D. is not filled

2.
A. measurement of heat in
B. success of
C. amount at which
D. extent to which

3.
A. However
B. Despite this
C. As a result
D. Fur thermore

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Part II: Reading Skills

Question Two
Question Two asks you to read a selection of texts and then use your skimming and
scanning skills to find answers to 8 questions. Here is an example :

Geography of Malaysia

Location: Southeastern Asia, penins ula and northern one-third of the island
of Borneo, bordering Indonesia and the South China Sea, south of
Vietnam
Coordinates: 2 30 N, 112 30 E
Area: total: 329,750 sq km
water: 1,200 sq km
land: 328,550 sq km
Area
comparative: slightly larger than New Mexico
Land total: 2,669 km
boundaries: border countries: Brunei 381 km, Indonesia 1,782 km, Thailand
506 km
Coastline: 4,675 km (Peninsular Malaysia 2,068 km, East Malaysia 2,607 km)
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation;
specified boundary in the South China Sea
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical; annual southwest (April to October) and northeast
(October to February) monsoons
Terrain: coastal plains rising to hills and mountains
Elevation lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
extremes: highest point: Gunung Kinabalu 4,100 m
Natural
resources: tin, petroleum, timber, copper, iron ore, natural gas, bauxite
Natural
hazards: flooding, landslides, forest fires
Environment air pollution from industrial and vehicular emissions; water pollution
current issues: from raw sewage; deforestation; smoke/haze from Indonesian
forest fires
Geography - strategic location along Strait of Malacca and southern South
note: China Sea

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 Population of Malaysia

Population: 25,274,132 (July 2008 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 32.6% (male 4,093,859/female 3,862,730)
15-64 years: 62.6% (male 7,660,680/female 7,613,537)
65 years and over: 4.7% (male 509,260/female 645,792)
Median age: 24.1 years
Growth rate: 1.78%
Infant mortality: 17.16 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy total population: 72.5 years
at birth: male: 69.8 years
female: 75.38 years
Fertility rate: 3.04 children born/woman
Nationality: noun: Malaysian(s)
adjective: Malaysian
Ethnic groups: Malay 50.4%, Chinese 23.7%, Indigenous 11%, Indian 7.1%,
others 7.8%
Religions: Muslim, Buddhist, Daoist, Hindu, Christian, Sikh; note - in addition,
Shamanism is practiced in East Malaysia
Languages: Bahasa Melayu (official), English, Chinese dialects (Cantonese,
Mandarin, Hokkien, Hakka, Hainan, Foochow), Tamil, Telugu,
Malayalam, Panjabi, Thai; note - in addition, in East Malaysia
several indigenous languages are spoken, the largest are Iban and
Kadazan
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 88.9%
male: 92.4%
female: 85.4%

1. The land border between Malaysia and Brunei extends for:

A. 2, 699 kms.
B. 2, 607 kms.
C. 381 kms.
D. 506 kms.

2. Life expectancy for men in Malaysia is

A. just under 70 years
B. just over 70 years
C. 76.5 years
D. Less than 65 years

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Part III: Writing Skills

Question Three
Question 3 asks you to discuss a given proverb or quotation and explain what it
means to you in one paragraph.

Question Four
Question 4 gives you some information on a particular topic followed by a
proposition (or statement). You are asked to select rele vant parts of the
information and write a short argumentative essay supporting or refuting the
proposition. Use of your own words in the essay will be rewarded by the
markers. An example of a proposition would be:

“Global warming of the earth's atmosphere will significantly affect

all living things that depend on water for survival - humans, plants,
animals, and fish.”

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