Online Catalog
Sample English Questions
Instructions
- The essay is to be completed on the computer. If you do not feel comfortable using a computer, notify the test proctor, and you will be given a pen-and-paper version.
- Type your name and social security number at the top of the page. All essays should be doubled-spaced.
- Choose a topic from page 2 of these instructions and write an essay of 250-300 words on that topic. You will have one and a half hours to complete this essay. (We suggest that you spend time in planning your essay before you begin typing it. You can use the back of these two pages for planning, or you can do your planning on the computer. Either way, be certain to allow enough time for writing and proofreading your final essay.)
- We recommend that you save your essay draft periodically as you work on it. Essays should be saved as a file using your name as the filename. If you are unsure about how to do that, please contact the test proctor.
- It is important that you proofread your final draft before printing it, and you may use grammar and spell checking features of the word processing program as part of proofreading. However, you are not allowed to ask the test proctor for assistance with using those features.
- Once you have a final draft completed and saved, ask the test proctor to print it for you
Explanation of Placement:
Your essay will be read and evaluated by at least two Vermont Tech English instructors. They will assess your ability to write an essay in which you:
- clearly state a main idea;
- develop that main idea logically and coherently;
- write organized paragraphs that show internal unity, are connected by transitions, and support your main idea;
- use grammar, spelling, punctuation, and vocabulary of accepted American English usage.
As a result of this evaluation you may be:
- exempted from freshmen English
- placed in English Composition ENG-1061 (a standard 3-credit English course)
- placed in English Composition ENG-1060 (a 4-credit course which includes a weekly writing lab)
- placed in Basic College Writing ENG-1041
- placed in Expository Writing ENG-1042
- required to take the exam over at a later date because you did not write enough or did not select one of the topics as directed.
English Placement Exam Sample
Below are three topics. After reading them carefully, choose one and prepare an essay of 250 - 300 words by using details from your own experience, your observation, and/or your reading. Please circle A, B, or C to indicate your choice of topic.
You will be required to hand in the entire booklet. However, only the finished essay, written in ink, on the lined pages, will be read.
A.
It is generally accepted that the way we grow up affects who we are. Pick out one particular fact about the way you grew up (for example, as an oldest child, in a rural community, with a single parent, in a city, as a lover of animals or of scientific experiments, or any other characteristic which especially suits your life). Give vivid examples of the particular situation you have chosen to write about and explain how it has shaped how you feel and what you think today.
B.
Intelligence is not measured only by school psychologists using I.Q. tests. We make judgments about intelligence every day. "She's" very smart," we say, or "What a dumb thing to do." Using specific examples of people you know, explain what you mean by "intelligence."
C.
Choose something you would like to see done away with and write your essay advocating its legal banning. Some possible topics are cigarettes, alcohol, divorce, F grades, seat-belt requirements or professional boxing.