In 1913, three people sat down to take the first Cambridge English exam. They were all teachers and all of them failed. But would you?
This is one of the many questions. Why not give it a go? You can find the answers at the end.
Correct or justify four of the following sentences, giving your reasons:
(a) I hope you are determined to seriously improve.
(b) Comparing Shakespeare with Aeschylus, the former is by no means inferior to the latter.
(c) I admit that I was willing to have made peace with you.
(d) The statement was incorrect, as any one familiar with the spot, and who was acquainted with the facts, will admit.
(e) It has the largest circulation of any paper in England.
(f) The lyrical gifts of Shakespeare are woven into the actual language of the characters.
The exam comprised a series of papers on phonetics, grammar, and translation, which took a whopping 12 hours to complete.
The Cambridge English exam has, thankfully, evolved in the 100 plus years since then. There are now different versions tailored to the needs of schools, higher education, and businesses.
"More than 100 million people across 130 countries have now sat our English exams," says marketing director for higher education, Ian Cook. "They're recognised by more than 25,000 organisations from governments - which use them for immigration purposes - to employers and universities."
So, how do you think you did?
Cambridge University Press and Assessment says opinions about correct English grammar have changed, but in 1913, these would have been the expected answers:
(a) This is a split infinitive which would have been considered wrong. It should have said "to improve seriously"
(b) This is a hanging participle. It should have read "Shakespeare is by no means inferior to Aeschylus". Now we would say "Shakespeare is just as good as".
(c) Wrong tense. It should be "to make peace".
(d) "Would admit" not "Will admit".
(e) Correct
(f) Correct
Fail or pass?