Oxford's university challenge: describe this cactus
Interviewers say their pointed questions about cacti help to
find students who think rather than merely recite facts A
cactus. Describe ... Photograph: Getty  Teenagers being
interviewed for a place at Oxford might be handed a cactus and
asked to describe it, or asked whether someone who risks their
life in an extreme sport is a hero or a fool, according to
sample questions released by the university today in an attempt
to demystify its admissions procedure.  Candidates applying to
study music might be asked what kind of musical instrument they
would invent, while applicants for English literature might be
asked why Coronation Street's 50th anniversary would be of
interest to a scholar.  The university published details of the
sample interview questions to help explain the reasoning behind
apparently bizarre inquiries from admissions tutors.  The
interviewer who set the cactus question, Martin Speight, of St
Anne's College, said: "We give the student a cact