Sydney Grammar Scholarship Test

You start with a booklet with questions about you and your personality, for example: what sports do you do? What noticeable sports achievements? Where have you been coaching and how long?

On the first paper, you have English, two essays, a cloze passage and reading comprehension.
The cloze passage is about the Aurora Borealis. You have to fill the gaps yourself.
Then you have to write about a natural wonder outside of Australia, possibly the world!
Then you have a reading comprehension about the museums in Bendigo.
The writing is a letter from you in the future.

On the second paper is basic mathematics.

On the third paper is also English.
You write a letter to the editor in response to another letter about the school curriculum.
You read and do the reading comprehension about a convict.
And lastly you write about being a convict at the time of the convict.

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Canberra

About Canberra

Canberra is the capital city of Australia. Canberra has a population of about 358,000. Canberra was founded when Sydney and Melbourne, the two largest cities of Australia, wanted to be the capital. Canberra was said to be built between them to settle the two cities. Canberra is the largest city. Canberra also has the highest income rate in Australia. Beyond Canberra, the other settlements in the ACT are no bigger than villages.

Etymology

The word ‘Canberra’ comes from the aboriginal word ‘kanbera’ which means meeting place.

Geography

Canberra covers an area of 814.2 kilometres squared. The native forest was nearly wholly eucalyptus trees.

Economy

In May 2012, the unemployment rate of Canberra was 3.4% which is lower than the national 5.1%. Due to this, Canberra has a gross average weekly wage of $1,554.50 while the national average is $1,345.20.

Demographics

Of the population of 323,056 people, the 2006 census showed that 1.2% of Canberra's population was of indigenous origin and 21.7% were born overseas.

Arts and entertainment

Canberra is home to many national monuments and institutions such as the Australian War Memorial, the National Gallery of Australia, the National Portrait Gallery, the National Library, the National Archives, the Australian Academy of Science, the National Film and Sound Archive and the National Museum. Many Commonwealth government buildings in Canberra are open to the public, including Parliament House, the High Court and the Royal Australian Mint.

Ode To The West Wind by Percy Bysshe Shelley

I

O wild West Wind, thou breath of Autumn's being,
Thou, from whose unseen presence the leaves dead
Are driven, like ghosts from an enchanter fleeing,

Yellow, and black, and pale, and hectic red,
Pestilence-stricken multitudes: O thou,
Who chariotest to their dark wintry bed

The winged seeds, where they lie cold and low,
Each like a corpse within its grave, until
Thine azure sister of the Spring shall blow

Her clarion o'er the dreaming earth, and fill
(Driving sweet buds like flocks to feed in air)
With living hues and odors plain and hill:

Wild Spirit, which art moving everywhere;
Destroyer and preserver; hear, oh, hear!

II

Thou on whose stream, 'mid the steep sky's commotion,
Loose clouds like earth's decaying leaves are shed,
Shook from the tangled boughs of Heaven and Ocean,

Angels of rain and lightning: there are spread
On the blue surface of thine aery surge,
Like the bright hair uplifted from the head

Of some fierce Maenad, even from the dim verge
Of the horizon to the zenith's height,
The locks of the approaching storm. Thou dirge

Of the dying year, to which this closing night
Will be the dome of a vast sepulchre,
Vaulted with all thy congregated might

Of vapors, from whose solid atmosphere
Black rain, and fire, and hail will burst: oh, hear!

III

Thou who didst waken from his summer dreams
The blue Mediterranean, where he lay,
Lulled by the coil of his crystalline streams,

Beside a pumice isle in Baiae's bay,
And saw in sleep old palaces and towers
Quivering within the wave's intenser day,

All overgrown with azure moss and flowers
So sweet, the sense faints picturing them! Thou
For whose path the Atlantic's level powers

Cleave themselves into chasms, while far below
The sea-blooms and the oozy woods which wear
The sapless foliage of the ocean, know

Thy voice, and suddenly grow gray with fear,
And tremble and despoil themselves: oh, hear!

IV

If I were a dead leaf thou mightest bear;
If I were a swift cloud to fly with thee;
A wave to pant beneath thy power, and share

The impulse of thy strength, only less free
Than thou, O uncontrollable! If even
I were as in my boyhood, and could be

The comrade of thy wanderings over Heaven,
As then, when to outstrip thy skiey speed
Scarce seemed a vision; I would ne'er have striven

As thus with thee in prayer in my sore need.
Oh, lift me as a wave, a leaf, a cloud!
I fall upon the thorns of life! I bleed!

A heavy weight of hours has chained and bowed
One too like thee: tameless, and swift, and proud.

V

Make me thy lyre, even as the forest is:
What if my leaves are falling like its own!
The tumult of thy mighty harmonies

Will take from both a deep, autumnal tone,
Sweet though in sadness. Be thou, Spirit fierce,
My spirit! Be thou me, impetuous one!

Drive my dead thoughts over the universe
Like withered leaves to quicken a new birth!
And, by the incantation of this verse,

Scatter, as from an unextinguished hearth
Ashes and sparks, my words among mankind!
Be through my lips to unawakened earth

The trumpet of a prophecy! O Wind,
If Winter comes, can Spring be far behind?

What are silverfish and how to avoid them

Silverfish are a type of insect that is known for its silver colour and fish-like movements. They eat sugar and starch (fibre) and so that includes clothes, books and dandruff. They usually are found (in homes) in cupboards with damp objects, wardrobes and are found during wet times. These are non-toxic items to help avoid and remove them: Diatomaceous earth and Boric acid.

Nice tricks for typing

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v('-')v

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I Dare You

"Truth or dare?" I spun around immediately as if I was pricked by a pin.

"Dare."

"I dare you to kiss tha-"

"No no no, truth."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! If you won't again bother me!"

"Ok ok- which girl do you-"

"JUST STOP TALKING."

"Ok Ok, just don't be M-A-D."

So that's my friend Ben. He's always like-

"Gidday' mat-"

"Didn't I tell you to, oh forget it. So what is it this time?"

"I dare you to spend a night in the cemetery. I'll bet you, you can't for ten bucks- well, when we get there."

Oh god. I forgot totally about it. We're heading to a cabin in a town close to a cemetery to stay for the night as our REAL destination is still pretty far away.

Ok so now we're there but I wasn't in a good mood anyway.

At night I tiptoed out of the cabin and guess who's waiting outside?

"Hey Ben what are you doing out here with pajamas on?"

"Oh, just to check if are REALLY going to do the dare."

"No, I mean why do you have pajamas on outside at nine o'clock when people in cars can see you?"

"Oh, accident now just go to the cemetery and sleep or stay there for a couple of hours."

"Ok I'm timing it myself."

At the cemetery I have to admit that I AM a bit spooked. Starting nine fifteen.

9:30 : What is that shuffling sound?

9:45 : Playing with my phone.

10:00 : Best playing experience ever.

10:10 : AAAHHHH! Oh it's just my friend Ben.

"You win I quit. Here's your ten bucks."

"Ok thanks but I thought that you would make it through."

"Yeah whatever but we're still friends right?"

"Right."

After that we went to our cabins to sleep and then when I stepped through the door there was a sudden downpour.

"BEN!"