Official EPSO sample questions — Verbal reasoning

Fears over the security of Internet-based telephone calls have been fuelled by the case of a man said to have made more than €700 000 by illegally gaining access to the computer systems of Internet telephone companies and fraudulently selling calls over their networks. This case is the first prosecution for alleged Internet call crime. Experts believe that it could prove a significant setback for the fast-growing European Internet calls industry. Internet telephone call services have revolutionised communications, allowing users to make free calls to anywhere in the world, provided they have a modern Internet connection and a computer with the right software. Companies offering the services pay the telephone companies to link Internet calls with the traditional telephone network.

The pagan roots of Easter can be found in the celebration of the spring equinox, a date that has been treated as an important holiday by many different religions and for many millennia. Occurring every year on March 20th, 21st, or 22nd, the spring equinox marks the end of winter and the beginning of spring. For cultures in northern climates, this date marks the renewed life of the Earth that comes with spring and is also strongly associated with fertility and reproduction.

As the number of air passengers has increased, so has the political pressure to act to curb greenhouse gas emissions. A team of researchers from Britain and the US has come up with a revolutionary new jet aircraft design that could make a dramatic contribution to curbing climate change. The design is radically different from other aircraft, with a wedge-shaped body, no tail and small wings. Crucially, it could be 35 % more fuel-efficient than any airliner currently in use, but this does not necessarily mean that it will be built. Ever since the jet age began in 1957, commercial aircraft have changed very little in their basic appearance.

Invasive species are living organisms that have been transported beyond their original native habitat to flourish in new environments, for example zebra mussels in the US, or rabbits in Australia. The enormous growth in the international mobility of people and commodities in the last fifty years means that invasive species now cause unprecedented environmental damage. This is because the predators that evolved with them and that control their population in their native habitats are generally not present in their new environment. In turn native species may be unable to compete successfully for vital resources and may therefore be driven to extinction. Indeed, invasive species are now the second most important cause of biodiversity loss, after habitat destruction.

Canadian scientists have succeeded in reconstructing the strain of influenza virus that killed up to 50 million people in the 1918 “Spanish flu” outbreak. Despite the huge number of deaths, doctors at the time had no means of preserving tissue samples from infected patients, so the reason for the virus's lethal effect was never precisely established. The scientists were, however, able to recover genetic material from the frozen body of a flu victim buried in permanently frozen ground in Alaska. They used this material to reconstruct a fully functioning virus. Tested on monkeys, the virus proved lethal — most of the infected animals died within a few days.

Of all forms of transport, air travel has seen by far the most impressive growth in the European Union over the last twenty years. Whilst the terrorist attacks of September 11th plunged the market into disarray, this disarray was short-lived and air traffic volumes have almost fully recovered. However, the boom in air travel is generating problems relating to overloaded air traffic control systems and overcrowding at airports. Each year Europe's airports come closer to the limits of their capacity, and airspace becomes more and more crowded, leading to delays and inefficiency. Saturated airports also limit access for new companies wishing to compete with well-established carriers.

Described by Aristotle as consisting of logos (the logical content of a speech) and lexis (the style of delivery of a speech), the study of rhetoric is the study of the art of persuasion. Despite a long and vigorous history, today rhetoric is rarely taught as a specific skill, a demise erroneously attributed by many to the fact that rhetorical theory and practice has not evolved fundamentally since antiquity. Yet the reality is that nowadays there is simply less need for powerful and convincing public speakers - modern media recording and broadcasting technology can support even the most unpolished presenter. Thus whilst the fundamentals of rhetoric may still be as apt as they ever were, other developments have rendered it obsolete.

The Schipperke is a breed of dog that originated in Flanders and was traditionally used as a guard on barges. The Schipperke ("little captain") is descended from the Leuvenaar, which also gave rise to the Belgian sheepdog. A short, thickset, tailless dog with a dense black coat and a fox-like head, the Schipperke stands approximately 32 cm high and weighs up to 8 kg. It has a lively, inquisitive expression and is generally hardy and energetic, a capable hunter of rats and other small vermin, and a good watchdog.

Preheating the oven and accurately measuring and combining your ingredients are the key factors in making a perfect cake. First, preheat the oven and then beat the sugar and butter together until fully blended. Next add the batter, consisting of whole milk, eggs and vanilla extract. Skimmed milk can be used instead of whole milk if preferred; however more butter must then be used during the first stage. Finally, once the batter has been blended into the mixture, mix in the flour and a teaspoon of baking powder. Baking powder is necessary for the cake to rise, although how much it rises is determined by the quality of the mixing process, the relative quantities of ingredients and the oven temperature.

DNA tests have confirmed that a white bear with brown patches that was shot dead in northern Canada is the first grizzly-polar hybrid found in the wild. Until now, grizzly-polar hybrid bears have been found only in zoos, because they rarely even meet, let alone mate, in the wild. There are also differences such as the timing of mating seasons, which not only make such hybrids highly unusual but also limit the survival chances of any resultant offspring. Indeed, it is likely that the only chance of such a union occurring is when, after emerging from hibernation, a disoriented grizzly bear ventures across the ice into polar bear territory.

Cruz Cars is one of Spain's last independent car makers. The plant, based in Vigo, is also one of the smallest and most discreet manufacturers: outsiders are not allowed in, and its long-standing director Antonio De La Cruz (who until recently ran the firm single-handed) never discloses any detail about how sales are going or about who owns the cars, most of them tycoons and celebrities. Essentially, Cruz has been building the same car for more than fifty years, using Spanish labour and Spanish components apart from the powerful V8 engines, supplied from the outset by a large United States manufacturer.

In 1815 a volcanic eruption, the largest ever recorded, smothered villages on the small island of Sumbawa in Indonesia and claimed the lives of an estimated one hundred thousand people. Such was the impact of the eruption that 1cm of ash fell on locations up to 500km away. The eruption had far reaching effects; crop damage was reported in parts of France and Germany. The amount of material ejected by the volcano into the atmosphere caused a global drop in temperature of nearly one degree Centigrade. Over ninety thousand people died in the weeks following the eruption from starvation and disease, with only a minority of deaths occurring on the day of the eruption.

Botswana is a large country bordering Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa. The Kalahari Desert covers most of the southern and western parts of the country, while the eastern and northern parts get more rain and have better soils, and are therefore the part of Botswana where most of the country's agriculture is found. Agriculture made up about 40 % of the economy when Botswana became independent in 1966, but that figure has now fallen to 4 %. Mining, by contrast, which previously did not exist, now makes up 35 % of the total economy, and 75 % of all exports are diamonds. The rest of the economy consists of other trade and of financial and public services.

In America the variety and the kinds of food now available, compared with thirty years ago, have changed eating habits. Grocery stores now carry a wider range of products. Pre-packaged food, fast food and soft drinks are ever more popular. Such products are quick and convenient, but they are also often high in fat, sugar and calories. This is unfortunate, because these foods have replaced less calorie-dense food in most Americans' diets. Choosing pre-packaged food contributes to a higher calorie intake. People also eat more at meals and between them, because portions have become larger. Unless you exercise to burn off the extra calories from larger portions or more calorie-dense food, the result is weight gain.

Hybrid cars, powered by a combination of petrol and battery, have been praised as a possible solution to the problem of making cars more environmentally friendly. Recent tests show, however, that their petrol use is not as efficient as the manufacturers claim. The tests, on a leading hybrid marque, showed that fuel consumption in real driving conditions was far higher than claimed and no better than that of many petrol-driven cars. What the tests did show was that the cars, in line with the manufacturer's figures, emitted less carbon dioxide than equivalent petrol cars. One conclusion is that until hybrid technology improves, buying a petrol car of an equivalent size is an environmentally friendly and much cheaper option.

Rhetoric is the art of persuading through the use of the spoken language and is one of the original liberal arts originating in ancient Greece, the others being grammar and dialectic. Grammar covers the use of correct, pleasing and effective language through the study and critical reading of literature. Dialectic is about creating and testing new knowledge through discussion and a method of question and answer. Rhetoric concerns persuasion in public and political settings such as assemblies and courts. Rhetoric is said to flourish in open and democratic societies with freedom of speech and freedom of assembly.

The American space agency NASA has announced plans to begin work on a permanently manned base on the Moon. The base is to serve as a research centre and as a convenient point of departure for manned space travel to Mars. It will most probably be sited at one of the Moon's poles, since these have a more moderate climate and more sunlight, which will be necessary if the plans for the base to run on solar energy are realised. NASA has already said that it plans to build a new lunar vehicle, the first since the last Apollo mission in 1972. Funds will be reallocated from the space shuttle flights, the last of which is planned for 2010. NASA is expected to ask companies, and other countries too, to help build the base.

There are an estimated one million alligators in Florida. In general they do not attack people unless provoked, although attacks have recently become more frequent. In the 1960s, when shoes and bags made of alligator skin sold at high prices, the animals were hunted intensively. This caused their numbers to fall, which is why the federal government placed alligators on the list of species threatened with extinction. The rise in their numbers following that measure, together with the building of housing and golf courses on the marshland that is the alligators' natural habitat, has brought people into immediate proximity with alligators and so increased the risk of attacks. In addition, according to experts, the recent lack of rain has driven alligators out of their own environment and into ponds and canals along residential areas.

Children who cannot swim to an acceptable standard by the end of primary school are to be offered additional lessons. Among children aged 11, almost one in five cannot swim the required distance of 25 metres, despite the compulsory lessons they attend at primary school. The measure, which consists of daily lessons over two weeks for those who cannot swim, is expected to help children feel more confident in the water and to improve their fitness. The pilot schemes carried out showed that where additional lessons are given and smaller groups are formed, a larger number of children are able, at the end of the two weeks, to swim the required minimum distance of 25 metres. Children living in many rural areas may, however, face practical difficulties, since getting to a swimming pool every day is harder for them.

Most methods of separating gold rely on the fact that particles of gold sink faster in moving water than the particles of earth in which they are found. The main traditional method of extracting gold consists of panning the gold in a special vessel into which gold-bearing earth and a large quantity of water are placed. By agitating the contents of the vessel the earth is carried away, leaving particles of gold at the bottom. Another method is sluicing, which uses a sloping wooden trough as a channel along which gold-bearing earth or gravel is carried by a stream of water. Because of the grooves cut into the bottom of the trough the water forms eddies, so the flow is slowed and the gold can settle.

Barriers to trade in the form of differing and sometimes conflicting import/export rules and requirements from country to country can, and do, make it difficult for food businesses to get started in overseas markets. Food safety and public health concerns are frequently given by individual nations as the explanation for food legislation and for building trade barriers that restrict free trade in food. Unfortunately, in some cases, the science used to justify food-safety policymaking can be inconsistent or contradictory. This often means that governments can be accused of choosing to listen to the science which best suits their agenda of protecting local suppliers from foreign competition.

A common blood-pressure drug could help people who witness traumatic events to block out their distressing memories. Post-traumatic stress disorder affects around one third of people caught up in distressing events and memories can be triggered just by a sound or smell. People with this disorder are given counselling, but because it is not always effective, researchers have been looking for alternative therapies. Studies have shown that rats which have been conditioned to fear certain laboratory events lose the fear following the administration of the drug. This suggests that the drug could have benefits in treating post-traumatic stress disorder. However, some critics say that post-traumatic stress disorder is a natural response to traumatic events and should not be treated with drugs.

The Least Squares Method is a statistical method for finding a straight line or curve that best represents a relationship between two measured quantities. When the measurements are plotted as points on a graph and seem to fall near the same line, the Least Squares Method may be used to determine what the best-fitting line looks like. The method uses calculus techniques to find the minimum of the sum of the squares of the vertical distances of each data point from the proposed line. More generally, the process is called regression or, when the fitted line is straight and not curved, linear regression.

All cells in the body have a specific structure and perform a specialised function, apart from stem cells. Stem cells have a number of remarkable properties. Unlike most specialised cells they are capable of replicating themselves many times. They can also develop into different types of specialised cells, such as muscle cells or red blood cells. These properties, in theory, mean that stem cells could repair the body, by multiplying and then replacing badly damaged tissue. It is believed that, in time, stem cell research could revolutionise medicine, as stem cells could be used to repair tissues or even to grow replacement organs.

Haiku is an unrhymed Japanese poetic form consisting of 17 syllables printed on either a single line or arranged in three lines containing five, seven, and five syllables respectively. It always contains a word that describes the season in which the verse is set. Haiku expresses as much as possible in the smallest possible number of words. The form gained prominence in the 17th century, when the poet Basho elevated it to a highly refined art form. It remains Japan's most popular poetic form.

The creation of a European-centred world economy in the 19th century was characterised by a system of nation states in economic competition with each other. A significant feature of the period was that no single state was strong enough to dominate the others; this situation produced a world economy. However, unlike earlier systems such as the Hapsburg Empire, where the stability of the economy was dependent on the stability of the empire, in this new world system the economy would continue even if a state or government collapsed. It no longer mattered which states were involved; economic activity would continue because of the competition between different countries and political groups.

By far the coldest continent, Antarctica has the world's lowest recorded temperature. Ninety per cent of the world's glacial ice is contained in Antarctica's massive ice sheet. The harsh climate supports only a tiny number of land plants, but the rich offshore food supply sustains penguins and large colonies of seabirds. The Russian, F.G. von Bellingshausen, was amongst a group of explorers who claimed to be the first to see the continent in 1820, but it wasn't until the early 20th century that expeditions from many countries explored the interior of Antarctica. This resulted in seven nations claiming territories on the continent, despite never having permanent human inhabitants there. In 1958, twelve nations, in a spirit of cooperative study, established research stations on the continent.

Genetic testing is a medical procedure that identifies changes or specific problems in genes and chromosomes. Most of the time, genetic testing is used to identify inherited illnesses such as haemophilia. The results of a genetic test can confirm or rule out a suspected condition or help determine a person's chance of developing or passing on a genetic illness. Several hundred genetic tests are currently in use and more are being developed. Because testing has both benefits and limitations, the decision about whether to be tested is voluntary. A counsellor can give advice and information about the testing, but many people still doubt its usefulness. They believe that genetic testing is associated only with the heredity of fatal conditions and, on that basis, do not want to know.

Moldavia is a region in north-eastern Romania. A former independent state until its union with Wallachia in 1859, Moldavia now forms much of the modern state of Romania. Moldavia has, at various times in its history, included the regions of Bessarabia and Bukovina. The larger part of Bessarabia is today the Republic of Moldova while the rest of it and the northern part of Bukovina are territories of the Ukraine.

EUROCEAN 2004, the blue landmark of the European Research Area Seas and oceans are a vital resource for Europe and the world, particularly in terms of fishing and extracting minerals. But our oceans are now under intense pressure from over-exploitation and more than ever need to be managed in a sustainable way. To help ensure the protection and sustainable use of marine resources, 500 leading scientists, policy makers and other stakeholders will meet for three days starting today at the EUROCEAN 2004 conference. The Commission will present the latest EU research on marine science, with 130 projects. EUROCEAN 2004 is jointly organised by the European Commission and the Irish Presidency of the European Union. EU-funded marine research project participants will showcase their research and development (R&D) results at the Conference.

Amateur sport: European Commission seeks to end discrimination. Is there any reason why a European citizen established in a Member State other than his or her own should be able to vote, and indeed stand in local elections when their children, educated in the same country, are not allowed to take part in amateur sports competitions? According to the European Commission, this paradox could arise in certain Member States. The practice of an amateur sport is essential to European citizens living in other EU countries as it helps them to integrate more fully into the life of their host country. The Commission considers that the right to take part in certain competitions organised by a sports federation must be regarded as a social benefit and that restrictions in this field based on nationality cannot be justified. The principle of equal treatment in social benefits has already been established in the area of the free movement of workers .

How to submit a complaint to the European Ombudsman Write to the Ombudsman in any of the European Union languages, setting out clearly who you are, which institution or body of the European Union you are complaining against and the grounds for your complaint. A complaint must be made within two years of the date on which you learned the facts on which your complaint is based. You need not be individually affected by the maladministration. You must have contacted the institution or body concerned already, for example by letter. The Ombudsman does not deal with matters that are currently before a court or that have already been settled by a court. The Ombudsman will examine your complaint and will inform you of the outcome of his investigation. A complaint can be made by writing a letter to the European Ombudsman or by using the form enclosed.