Real Oxbridge Interview Questions Answered History

Real Oxbridge Interview Questions Answered History The OE Blog History is an extremely competitive subject to study at Oxbridge, with only around one in four applicants to Oxford University being awarded a place. However, some 75% of students are invited for an interview, so it logically follows that the interview is an exceptionally important part of the candidate selection process. This week’s genuine Oxbridge interview question, from admissions tutor Ian Forrest at Oriel College, Oxford, proves that the history interview is not testing prior knowledge of any particular area of history, but your intelligence and analytical skills as a historian. “Is violence always political? Does ‘political’ mean something different in different contexts?” Play to your Strengths Forrest makes it clear that he intentionally uses this question for admissions interviews specifically because it may be used to relate to any period of history and to the history of almost any place in the world. This should debunk once and for all the common interview fear that a question might come up on something you don’t know or haven’t studied. The whole point of the interview, Forrest explains, is to understand how a candidate works as a historian; how they analyse the question and bring different historical and political ideas to bear on it. So it is extremely important to take advantage of this opportunity the interviewer is giving you to focus on whichever area of history you feel most confident discussing. It is unbelievably common for an interviewee, nervous and expecting to be caught out in their ignorance, to panic and think that an open-ended question like this demands a period-specific answer. They might try to think of a particular historical period when political violence was rife, or a geographical area where it has been particularly common, leading them into deep water if these are not areas they have particularly studied. Remember, if the interviewer asks such an open ended question, they are not trying to ‘catch you out’! They are asking you to guide them to the area you feel most comfortable discussing, so if your course has focused on the pre-Tudor period in English history, then use the Wars of the Roses as an example of political violence. If you have studied 20th Century South African history, then use the violence of apartheid as a basis for answering the question. Above all, if you haven’t studied a period that you feel is relevant to the question, then rather than trying to waffle about an area you know nothing about, it is much better to focus on the question itself and simply answer it in reference to general knowledge and modern or current affairs. Forrest himself agrees that this particular question “could also be answered extremely well from contemporary, current affairs, knowledge,” proving that a candidate who chose this option would not be disadvantaged in any way. Challenge Pre-Conceived Notions One thing you can assume the interviewer may be trying to do in an Oxbridge interview is get you to either accept or challenge pre-conceived ideas and definitions. Many of the sample interview questions released show examples of interviewers casually presenting candidates with questions that make an assumption about the meaning or application of a particular concept or phrase, to see if they will just accept it and carry on, or whether they will first interrogate the definition of the question. Here, the interviewer is hoping that the candidate will question the definition of “politics” and what constitutes “political violence” at all. A good candidate would also consider other applications of the phrase â€" such as whether the concept of “politics” can also be applied to other historical situations apart from the usual ideas of kings and governments. Give a Rounded Answer It is very rare for an interviewer to hope that a candidate will come down robustly on one side or the other of an argument â€" or indeed for them to provide a question that invites such a response. Usually the most successful approach will be a well-measured, carefully constructed assessment of the question, where an applicant explores positives and negatives on both sides. In this case, it would be useful to begin to create a scale of “political violence” where certain incidences of violence might be categorised by the candidate as more or less politically motivated than others. Considering other motivations for violence would be another useful way to interrogate the question and demonstrate an awareness of its complexity. It would be useful, for example, to consider an instance of violence whose motivations were clearly mixed, with some evidence for political influence and some for other factors. The recent London riots would be a fascinating example.

Littering And Its Effect On Our Lives - 865 Words

Littering Littering is a major issue which affecting our lives every day. A wise judgement needed to stop what happening around us every day. Littering plays a huge part in polluting our environment. A lazy action of throwing wrappers, gum, paper and many more polluting our environment which we don’t realize or not trying to realize. Littering doesn’t affect only humans; it also affects poor innocent animals along with us. Those poor creatures don’t have any understating of littering where the best creature human being is doing all the harmful behavior. Littering causes many things which we don’t want to happen. We have to find out the solution to make difference to our environment. Littering has to stop in our community by raising awareness, volunteering, distribution of garbage, and by setting punishment. The act of throwing improper garbage is call littering and leads to pollution Littering makes our surrounding looks dirty and unpleasant. Many people don’t realize that they are littering just by throwing gum or a wrapper. They don’t realize what could happen to the environment. A piece of garbage on the ground is cussing littering. Some people throw the garbage just because they are lazy and don’t want to waste their time. If everyone throws one piece of wrapper, at the end it will be huge piles of garbage. Afterward, it will be digested by the ground and cause bad smell. The bad smell will cause pollution and giving everyone hard time breathing. Some liter can beShow MoreRelatedA Brief Note On Don t Litter 1042 Words   |  5 PagesLittering Don’t litter. Don’t litter. Don’t litter. I’ve always heard those words in school, at home, in cars, and mostly anywhere that my day takes me. But isn’t it just the best, that people tend to litter in their everyday lives and don’t have any concern on what littering can do to not just the earth but to the people living on it. The world we live in is full of people telling others not to litter then go do it themselves. This is why I demand people to commit to not littering! Littering isRead MoreShould We Be Happy? Healthy?933 Words   |  4 Pagesbeen hunted, when all the waters are polluted, when all air is unsafe to breathe, only then will you realize you cannot eat money.† (Cree Prophecy) People are unappreciative of the natural world; not conservative of hardly anything, besides our battery life on our phones. To their belief this world has an abundant of sources and abuse them unknowing of the consequences. Being a little more cautious and conservative can benefit the individual as well as the environment. It is just this simple conserveRead MorePublic Health Is The Science Of Protecting And Improving The Health Of Families And Communities1499 Words   |  6 PagesI. Introduction Many people litter because they overlook the consequences it has on the environment due to not properly knowing about the effects. They know that littering is â€Å"bad†, but don’t know how or why it’s bad. Litter threatens public health because it is a breeding ground for bacteria, causes car accidents, starts fires, and harms and kills plants and animals. According to the CDC foundation, â€Å"Public health is the science of protecting and improving the health of families and communitiesRead MoreEssay on Littering1018 Words   |  5 Pages Littering is not a new issue. In fact, littering has been an ongoing topic that has seen both periods of great attention and periods of neglect. A period of great attention being the 1970s, featuring Iron Eyes Cody, the crying Indian, in the Keep America Beautiful commercial. During this time efforts were made to curb litter, and, as the title suggests, improve the appearance of the nation. Currently, the matter of litt ering is less prevalent. Reasons for this are debatable, but other concernsRead MoreThe Beauty Of America s Jeopardy1136 Words   |  5 PagesThe Beauty of America In Jeopardy Each year wildlife all throughout the world are put at risk through deforestation, littering and malnourishment. America is no different, especially with the new budget for the Trump administration. Ever since Donald Trump has been elected President of The United States of America, everything has changed. The safety from threats outside of America are greater than the threats in everyone’s backyard. Animals are becoming endangered or worse, becoming extinct. PlantRead MoreIs Littering A Psychological Habit?1795 Words   |  8 PagesLittering is a psychological habit that is formed in young developing minds by observing other humans actions. This is because cavemen and our ancestors would designate spots to leave their waste. It allowed for them to be cleanly, and not defecate where they ate. This lowered the chances of contracting viruses that would be potentially harmful to their lives; or having predators visiting their food scraps and stumbling upon an even bigger meal. We first started seeing plastics and man-made materialsRead MoreIs Littering Waste Natural Resources?1899 Words   |  8 PagesSEE Littering is the act of carelessly throwing away or leaving rubbish lying around in public places (such as schools, parks, beaches etc.) rather than disposing it in the rubbish bins or wastepaper baskets provided. It is known that litter can be washed down storm drains during periods of heavy rainfall. Eventually, this litter will travel with the water into the local river or nearest ocean. As a result of this, aquatic animals may mistake the items of litter floating in the water as food andRead MoreEffects Of Littering On Beaches1922 Words   |  8 PagesCristy Cedeno Ms. Milliner EES22QH-03 06-01-17 Littering on beaches Plastic is the most common aspect that is found in beaches. This is because littering on beaches, people like to bring food to the beaches and don’t clean up after themselves. All the garbage left behind creates pollution in the sea and to our environment. From so many sources pollution gets into the sea and they’re mostly known because we use those type of sources. It’s atrocious for the environment because it’s being pollutedRead MoreHunger, Homelessness, And Keeping The Environment Clean1126 Words   |  5 Pages John F. Kennedy once said, â€Å"Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.† There are many ways we can help make a difference in our country. So many people are starving and has no shelter from the weather and other ways of harm. According to Gunder, Dana from the National Resources Defense Council in 2012, â€Å"40% of food is thrown out in the US every year, or about $165 billion worth. All of this uneaten food could feed 25 million Americans.† While some people areRead MorePersuasive Essay Smoking995 Words   |  4 Pagesharming themselves but they are also harming the ones surrounded by them. It has a negative effect on the people around the smoker because when the nicotine gets in the air it becomes hard to breathe and it travels amongst people faster than they realize. Smoking should be banned in all public places due to the bad influences, healthier lifestyles, and negative effect on our environment, In the generation we live in today children are tempted with a variety of different things. There is a lot of

Financial Management Statement - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 4 Words: 1054 Downloads: 10 Date added: 2017/06/26 Category Management Essay Type Argumentative essay Did you like this example? Question: SAS No. 31, Evidential matter, identifies five management assertions that underlie a set of financial statements. Which of these assertions should have been of most concern to Price Waterhouse regarding the large period-ending adjustments AMRE recorded during the fourth quarter of fiscal 1989? AMREs fourth-quarter write-offs were large adjustments accepted by Price Waterhouse before issuing the unqualified opinion on the 1989 financial statements. These write-offs where fictitious assets that were written-off as losses or expenses in attempt to end the fraudulent activities that had been taking place. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Financial Management Statement" essay for you Create order SAS No. 31 on evidential matter obtained from an auditor provides a greater assurance of reliability than from an internal source. The auditor is an independent and unbiased collector of the evidential matter versus an internal source that may not be. There are five management assertions that underlie a set of financial statements. The auditors must have evidence to support the information in the financial statements that supports the existence or occurrence, completeness, rights and obligations, valuation or allocation, and presentation and disclosure. The evidential matter is obtained through inspection, observation, inquires and confirmations. The measure of the validity of such evidence for audit is the auditors judgment. The relevance, objectivity, timeliness, and the existence of the evidential matter lead to the auditors conclusions. This evidential matter is the underlying data for the auditor to make their decisions. The first assertion about existence or occurrence relates to the verification of the assets and liabilities exist at a given date. They verify that the transactions have for the assets and liabilities have been recorded during the correct period. An example is the inventories included in the balance sheet need to be verified by observing the physical inventory counts. The records need to be reviewed for the inventory, production, and purchasing. This existence assertion should have been of most concern to the Price Waterhouse auditors. Since there was a large period-ending adjustment being done by AMRE, the auditors should have first done an existence assertion to verify assets exist. The assets being written off should have been physically verified which should have shown that they were fictitious. Given that the assets being written-off were fictitious and the auditors didnt verify the existence of these assets, the fraud was not discovered during the audit. Assertions about completeness relate to the verification of all the transactions and accounts are correctly represented in the financial statements. An example is that the inventory quantities need to include all products, materials and supplies. The quantities owned by the company that are in transit or stored at outside locations need to be included. This assertion applies for the auditors in the AMRE case but should not have been of most concern. The auditors could have verified all of the transactions and accounts are in the financial statements but the issue in the AMRE case was that there were fictitious assets written-off. Verifying the transactions and accounts being in the financial statements may not have uncovered this fraud. Assertions about rights and obligations relate to the verification that the assets are owned by the company or that have the rights to the asset. Similarly, it verifies that the liabilities are obligations of the company. Auditors need to examine the vendor invoices, consignment agreements, and contracts. This assertion should not the highest concern for the auditors but it does apply. The year-end write-offs should have been verified that the AMRE had rights to the asset by verifying the invoices. This may have uncovered that the assets were fictitious. Assertions about valuation or allocation relate to the verification that the assets, liability, equity, revenue, and expenses have been included in the financial statement with the correct amounts. An example is that the inventories must be stated at the lower of cost or market. Auditors also need to review the direct labor and standard overhead rates. They need to review the inventory turnover and look at industry trends. This assertion should not have been of the most concern to the auditors in this case but is an important one. If the auditors would have done a valuation assertions to verify that the assets were included in the financial statements were the correct amount, they should have under covered that they were incorrectly stated or fictitious. I believe that the existence assertion is of most concern but this assertion would be the next most important concern related to the yearend adjustments. Assertions about presentation and disclosure relate to the verification that the components of the financial statements are properly classified, described, and disclosed. Auditors need to compare the disclosures in the financial statements to the requirements of GAAP. This assertion was not an issue in the AMRE case. There was no mention of issues found with the financial statements being properly classified, described or disclosed. In the AMRE case, Price Waterhouse auditors didnt apply any of these auditing procedures to review the large losses from the elimination of the Decks divisions. Instead, they accepted the clients explanations for these write-offs. The staff auditor inquired why the large number of unset leads was being dropped. The response from the AMRE accountant was that the unset leads had been improperly recorded. Given this, the staff auditor didnt inquire any further and concluded that it was an isolated incident. A key factor that influenced the auditors was their former colleague being the CFO. The auditors should have followed the auditing procedures in understanding these large write-offs and should not have been changed their auditing methods because they knew the CFO. In conclusion, the existence or occurrence assertion should have been of most concern to the AMRE auditors Price Waterhouse regarding the large period-ending adjustments recorded during the fourth quarter of the fiscal year 1989. The evaluation or allocation assertion would be the next highest concern because it relates to the verification that the assets and expenses have been included in the financial statement with the correct amounts. But the existence assertion relates to the verification of the assets and liabilities exist at a given date. If the auditors would have followed this, they should have found that fictitious assets that were written-off did not exist. References Contemporary Auditing Real Issues Cases by Michael Knapp Auditing Management Assertions: The Impact of SAS No. 106 by Deborah Archambeault at https://www.tncpa.org/Journal/articles/Auditing_Management_Assertions.pdf

Bow Hunting Kite Hunter Essay - 2161 Words

Bow Hunter Two new deer hunters decided to separate to increases their chances. â€Å"What if we get lost?† says one of them. â€Å"Fire three shots up in the air, every hour on the hour† says the other. â€Å"I saw it on TV.† Sure enough, one of the hunters gets lost, so he fires three shots up into the air every hour on the hour. The next day the other hunter finds his friend with the help of the Forest Ranger. â€Å"Did you do what I said?† asked the hunter. â€Å"Yes, I fired three shots up into the air every hour on the hour, until I ran out of arrows.† Bow hunting has been around for many years. Bows have evolved over the years, so much that it is easier to bow hunt now than it was years ago. Everyone should try bow hunting at least once in their lifetime. Bow hunting can be a challenging sport, an exciting sport, and a relaxing sport. Hunting whitetail deer can be an exceptional challenge when you’re using a bow and arrow. It is a prov en fact that if you’re using a bow a deer must be a great deal closer for the arrow to actually kill them because the arrow is so light weight that it drops quickly where the bullet from a rifle will travel farther before it drops. Odds are always on the deer’s side, because they have a wonderful sense of smell, their hearing is so much better, and eyesight is one hundred times more powerful than our very own. A deer can hear a twig snap from hundred yards or more away, and can tell exactly where it came from. The deer can smell our human scent no matter howShow MoreRelatedIgbo Dictionary129408 Words   |  518 Pageson to boiled pieces of yam or cocoyam, sometimes with vegetables added, and stirred and rolled thoroughly with other ingredients pepper, oil, etc. - and served) A. a warlike people living to the north of the á »Å'hafá »â€¹a, who traditionally acted as head-hunting mercenaries to the Nike and the Ará » ¥ B. a feast, celebrated to commemorate a victory o f Onitsha North people over the Ada, in which large numbers of small masquerades throw sticks and stones at people a fall fall; fall down (usually of persons ( -dà  

Future of Retail Stores for Omni Channel-myassignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about theFuture of Retail Stores for Omni Channel. Answer: Introduction In the present business scenario, retail stores will have to initiate various contemporary means in order to stay ahead in the competition. The key competitions of the contemporary retail stores are will the online marketplace. This due to the reason that, the taste and preference pattern of the customers are rapidly inclining towards the online shopping. Thus, it is important for the retail stores to enhance their online presence. Coles is one of the leading supermarkets in Australia having product portfolio for consumer goods. In the recent times, they have also opened their own online stores in order to enhance the customer convenience and to stay ahead in the competition. However there are various other means to initiate in order to secure the future of the retail stores. Importance of Omni channel marketing According to Piotrowicz and Cuthbertson (2014), Omni channel retailing is one of the most effective means of surviving in the present competitive retail scenario. This is due to the reason that, currently a major portion of the customers still prefer the offline retail markets over the online market. According to the authors, initiation of only the online market will therefore deprive the retail store in catering to this customer segments. One the other hand, online shopping is becoming a trend recently and it is covering more number of audiences and thus it is also important for the retail stores to have their online presence also. Thus, according to the authors, the future of the retail stores such as Coles is depending on how effectively they are maintaining their Omni channel retailing to cater to both customer segments. Initiation of innovation According to Aubrey and Judge (2012), using of internet should not only limit to the online marketplace only, rather the internet should be use in enhancing the innovation in the existing offline retail stores. According to the authors, initiation of online payment, credit payment and garnering the feedback from the customers through the use of online marketing techniques such as social media marketing will help to enhance the competitiveness of the retail stores. Thus, according to the authors, innovation is also one of the key aspects in securing the future of the retail stores. Recommendations Thus, in the case of Coles, they are already having their own online marketplace along with their retail stores. However, availability of their product in the third party online market place will further enhance the penetration of their online presence. Moreover, it will cater to more number of customers along with increase in the visibility of their products being available in their offline stores. Another recommended step should be initiation of online payment facilities and social media marketing in their offline stores (Rose et al. 2012). It will help them to enhance the convenience of their customers opting for their offline stores. Moreover, initiation of the social media marketing will further help to effectively determine the trend and requirement of the market along with identifying the feedback of their service and product delivery (Erdo?mu? and Cicek 2012). This will help them in modifying and enhancing the existing customer service. Reference Aubrey, C. and Judge, D., 2012. Re-imagine retail: Why store innovation is key to a brand's growth in the new normal, digitally-connected and transparent world. Journal of Brand Strategy, 1(1), pp.31-39. Erdo?mu?, ?.E. and Cicek, M., 2012. The impact of social media marketing on brand loyalty. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 58, pp.1353-1360. Piotrowicz, W. and Cuthbertson, R., 2014. Introduction to the special issue information technology in retail: Toward omnichannel retailing. International Journal of Electronic Commerce, 18(4), pp.5-16. Rose, S., Clark, M., Samouel, P. and Hair, N., 2012. Online customer experience in e-retailing: an empirical model of antecedents and outcomes. Journal of Retailing, 88(2), pp.308-322.

Ethics and Business Management

Ethics in HR Management Creates Excellence for Stakeholders HR management is one of the most important processes that affect the development of the company. This is where ethics start as employees are exposed to the values and principles accepted in the company as well as in the business world (Weiss 2008).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Ethics and Business Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Admittedly, the ethical behavior of employees is beneficial for all stakeholders involved. Ethics in the workplace creates a positive atmosphere where employees respect and support each other. If a company has a set of specific ethical norms to follow, employees tend to act according to those rules. There is also clarity in actions as ethical norms help employees choose the right patterns for each situation (Weiss 2008). The company’s clients benefit from ethical HR management policies as they obtain qualifie d services. Clients also trust the company and feel secure, which is very important in business. Adherence to ethical norms also ensures the company’s safety as there can be no legal action against a company that follows ethical norms. Companies, where employees follow ethical conventions, can cooperate with each other as there are certain clarity and certainty in their activities. Therefore, it is possible to note that ethics in HR positively affects companies’ development. Ethics Is Useful in Business Adherence to ethical norms is important for business as it provides the business world with a certain kind of code of conduct. Ethics describes behavioral patterns in a variety of situations. Thus,the company’s actions to any situation can be easily predicted and assessed if the company follows ethical principles. Conducting in an ethical way helps the company create a positive image which will attract customers. Admittedly, people tend to address companies that have a favorable image, i.e. if companies conduct in accordance with major ethical norms.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Furthermore, the favorable image will also attract investors, which is very important for any company. The company that adheres to major rules can easily get investment as investors can easily predict the way the company will function in this or that environment. Finally, adherence to ethical principles helps the company create proper partnerships. Ethics can become a universal regulatory system which will prevent various cases of misunderstanding (Weiss 2008). Companies following ethical norms move in a similar direction as they have similar values. Thus, it can also help businesses avoid legal actions as ethical conduct helps avoid illegal operations. A Specific Role in Times of Economic Crisis It has been acknowledged that the crisis of 2008 was caused by underestimation of risks which was a result of unethical behavior of companies that provided distorted data (Peck 2012). Some companies did not follow ethical norms as they provided unchecked or even wrong data to analysts who came to wrong conclusions. The crisis became an example of what can happen when businesses are run without adherence to ethical principles. Moreover, it is possible to claim that ethics can help in the period of crisis. People can become more thoughtful of ways they use. People have experienced the outcomes of unethical behavior and they have learnt the lesson. Now companies try to employ only secured data as well as provide only checked information to other stakeholders. This makes companies reliable and they develop favorable images. Of course, companies do not simply pay more attention to the reliability of the information provided but they follow other ethical norms as it is clear that breaking rules can lead to disastrous consequences in the globalize d world. This, in its turn, attracts clients and investors.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Ethics and Business Management specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Therefore, compliance with ethical norms in the period of crisis can help a business develop and remain competitive in the contemporary business world. Transparency as a Compulsory and Unavoidably Rule in Human Resources HR managers are â€Å"on the front line† as they assist managers to hire professionals (Weiss 2008, p.60). Transparency should be a core value of HR managers as they should understand their role in the company, i.e. they select people to work in specific areas. Other managers should have complete information on the newcomers to understand what tasks should be given. The newcomers should also have the necessary data to be able to fit the company and complete the tasks given. Finally, HR policies should be based on principles of transpar ency as employees should make a unified team where each member of the team trusts other members. Lack of information can lead to misunderstanding and even hostility which will negatively affect the overall performance of the department and the company. Nonetheless, it can also negatively affect the company. For instance, transparency of salaries or bonuses can lead to an unhealthy atmosphere where some employees envy others. Transparency can be also harmful in the period of cutting manpower as unhealthy competition will negatively affect each employee’s productivity. Employees can start focusing on their salaries and bonuses and their images rather than on proper completion of tasks and development of the company. Recognition Recognition is a set of ways aimed at appreciating employees’ dedication and excellence that had a number of favorable affects for the company or can potentially lead to such effects.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Reference List Peck, S 2012, Investment ethics, John Wiley and Sons, Hoboken, NJ. Weiss, JW 2008, Business ethics: a stakeholder and issues management approach, South-Western College Pub, Mason, OH. This essay on Ethics and Business Management was written and submitted by user Justus Rowland to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Take Nothing for Granted

Take Nothing for Granted Take Nothing for Granted Take Nothing for Granted By Mark Nichol Just when you think you know everything, you’re reminded that subtlety and nuance are part of even the most mundane information. It’s been said that facts are inconvenient things, but they’re especially vexing for writers, because there are facts, and then there’s what really happened. I just read today that a fellow named Gustave Whitehead preceded the Wright brothers in heavier-than-air flight by more than two years and stayed aloft longer and at a higher altitude than Orville Wright in his inaugural flight. That’s the conclusion of Jane’s All the World’s Aircraft, the world’s most authoritative resource about aviation, which claims that Whitehead’s flight, and subsequent efforts preceding the 1903 launch of the Wright Flyer, have precedence. However, Whitehead’s claim is still in dispute, and most aviation authorities credit the Wrights, although their achievement is often qualified by references, for example, to â€Å"controlled, powered, and sustained flight in a heavier-than-air aircraft.† (They are also credited with being the first aviators to develop sophisticated flying instruments.) So, what is one to do when one seeks to write, perhaps merely in passing, about the dawn of flight? It is irresponsible, of course, to say that the Wright brothers invented the airplane, and neither did Whitehead. Nor were they, or he, the first to fly: The achievement of the Wright brothers was preceded by glider flights and powered but uncontrolled flights. Lighter-than-air manned (balloon) flight was first accomplished in 1783 dirigible (steerable) flight occurred the next year and historical accounts exist of working hang-glider-like contraptions built and tested (usually with disastrous results) hundreds of years ago. How, precisely, one qualifies such milestones depends on context and on the sophistication of the audience; a history of aviation directed at children will differ in its references from a technical treatise. But it’s the in between that counts for most writers: A newspaper or magazine article, or a trade book, that mentions the advent of manned flight must concisely acknowledge that the Wright brothers were aviation pioneers but do not deserve unqualified credit for priority. You may never have the occasion to mention flight in your writing other than a passing reference to the mode of travel to your recent vacation destination, but this lesson is scalable to any topic: Unequivocal claims of priority are hazardous to one’s credibility. Take care that such discussions are backed up by documentation and accurately expressed. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Writing Basics category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Has vs. HadWhenever vs. When EverHyphenation in Compound Nouns