Grammar Warm-up – Part 57

Read the following essay. Complete the answer by filling the gaps with a word from the box below

which / at / where / if / nevertheless / though / the / that / my / nonetheless / by / than / in / when / to / however / there / yet / although / still

It is rare for there to be an equal number of male and female students on a university course. Traditionally, in Britain ……………….. least, physics students are mainly male. ……………….. contrast, students studying modern languages such as French tend to be female. This raises two important questions: is this because of discrimination, and what, if anything, should be done about it In ……………….. mind, most universities do not discriminate in terms of gender. On ……………….. contrary, they are keen to increase the number of women on physics courses, and increase the number of men on French courses. The reason why there are more women on certain courses is that more women apply. It may well also be true that, with certain courses, ……………….. equal number of male and female students apply, the female applicants, for example, have better qualifications ……………….. the male applicants, and are so given more places It is essential that universities are allowed to choose the best-qualified students for each subject. ……………….. they are forced to accept students because of their gender rather than ability, then the high standards of the university will decline. For this reason, I am opposed to rules ……………….. control how many male and female students they accept. ……………….. , that does not mean there is not a problem. In my opinion, the solution is to encourage children at a young age to take an interest in a wide range of subjects In conclusion, ……………….. is no doubt that some university courses have more male or female students. While this is not ideal, the solution is not to force universities to accept an equal number of students. Universities should always choose the best students for each course, whatever their gender

: ANSWERS

It is rare for there to be an equal number of male and female students on a university course. Traditionally, in Britain at least, physics students are mainly male. In/By contrast, students studying modern languages such as French tend to be female. This raises two important questions: is this because of discrimination, and what, if anything, should be done about it In my mind, most universities do not discriminate in terms of gender. On the contrary, they are keen to increase the number of women on physics courses, and increase the number of men on French courses. The reason why there are more women on certain courses is that more women apply. It may well also be true that, with certain courses, although/though/where equal number of male and female students apply, the female applicants, for example, have better qualifications than the male applicants, and are so given more places It is essential that universities are allowed to choose the best-qualified students for each subject. If/When they are forced to accept students because of their gender rather than ability, then the high standards of the university will decline. For this reason, I am opposed to rules which/that/to control how many male and female students they accept. However/Nevertheless/Nonetheless/Still/Yet, that does not mean there is not a problem. In my opinion, the solution is to encourage children at a young age to take an interest in a wide range of subjects In conclusion, there is no doubt that some university courses have more male or female students. While this is not ideal, the solution is not to force universities to accept an equal number of students. Universities should always choose the best students for each course, whatever their gender