Hokkaido Entrance English case studies
Hokkaido Entrance English · Put your knowledge to work in context.
The English section of Hokkaido University's general admission examination is a paper-based test used in the university's own entrance selection for undergraduate applicants. It is written and administered by the university, not by any outside testing organization, and this page is an independent study resource with no official affiliation. The exam is designed for Japanese high-school students and others applying through the general entrance route, and it assumes solid upper-secondary English: the reading passages are long and often expository or argumentative, and candidates are expected to handle them at a level well beyond simple comprehension questions. Typical tasks combine reading comprehension with written production: translating English sentences or paragraphs into natural Japanese, writing short English compositions or summaries, and answering grammar and vocabulary items in context. The Hokkaido Entrance English case studies are 5 cases and about 2,211 words.
1Concession vs. Claim in a Congestion-Charge Passage
At a Hokkaido University mock exam, a 420-word argumentative passage argues that a city should keep its congestion charge but spend the revenue differently. Paragraph 2 begins: 'Critics of the scheme are right that low-income drivers bear a disproportionate share of the cost.' It continues with evidence that the charge reduced traffic by 18 percent, then notes that bus ridership rose in the same neighborhoods.
512 words, about 3 min2Translating a Reconstructive-Memory Paragraph
A student translating an 85-word paragraph for the English-to-Japanese section produces a literal draft. The source reads: 'Many people assume that memory works like a camera, storing events intact.
421 words, about 2 min3Cutting a 92-Word Summary to 60 Words
A 320-word expository passage presents a school district's proposal for a four-day week. It gives three reasons: transport savings of about 12 percent, a 9 percent rise in teacher applications, and improved attendance on the remaining days.
439 words, about 2 min4Five Blanks: Relative Clause, Participle, Concession, Inversion
A 110-word paragraph contains five numbered blanks. The student's answers are: (1) that, (2) Have, (3) Although, (4) outweighing, (5) the public learned.
409 words, about 2 min5Ordering Five Sentences on Efficiency and Equity
Five sentences from a paragraph on efficiency and equity are printed in scrambled order. The student's order is A-D-C-B-E.
430 words, about 2 min