Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and problems for Competitive examination

Regional Economic Integration: Benefits & Types

Regional economic integration, also known as regionalism, is the process whereby countries in a geographic region cooperate to reduce or eliminate barriers to the international flow of products, people, or capital. There are five main types of regional economic integration:

• Free Trade Area: Member countries eliminate tariffs and quotas among themselves, but each maintains its own external trade policies.
• Customs Union: Builds on a free trade area by adding a common external trade policy.
• Common Market: Extends a customs union by allowing the free movement of labor and capital among members.
• Economic Union: Combines a common market with the coordination of national economic policies (e.g., monetary,

Predictions

Impossible: People DEFINITELY WON’T live on Mars. / Unlikely: People PROBABLY WON’T choose to have holidays in space. / IT’S UNLIKELY that the earth WILL be hit by a meteorite. / I DON’T THINK the use of smartphones WILL increase. / Possible: Food MAY become more expensive. / Tablets MIGHT replace textbooks. / IT’S POSSIBLE that everyone WILL speak English. / Likely: IT’S LIKELY that in the future we’LL import more. / The cost of mobile technology WILL PROBABLY fall. / I THINK the use of smartphones WILL increase. / Certain: The use of smartphones WILL DEFINITELY increase. / I AM SURE the use of smartphones WILL definitely increase.

Usage

Will: predictions about the future.
Might/May/Be Likely/Unlikely/Possible: degree... Continue reading "English Grammar and Vocabulary Guide" »

Market Structures: An Economic Analysis

In the global economy, industries are categorized into three distinct types of markets based on the number of buyers, sellers, and competitors. This analysis identifies and describes these primary market structures and classifies a specific company accordingly.

The Three Primary Market Structures

The three main types of markets are:

• Perfect Competition
• Oligopoly
• Monopoly

1. Perfect Competition

Perfect competition is a market characterized by a large number of buyers and sellers who are well-informed about products and pricing. In this environment, no single entity can control the price because numerous competitors will either match or undercut the lowest price.

2. Oligopoly

An oligopoly is a market dominated by... Continue reading "Understanding Market Structures: Monopoly, Oligopoly, and Perfect Competition" »

Rhetoric and Poetica

As a general concept, rhetoric refers to the art of speaking or writing correctly and elegantly to move, delight, or persuade. Different authors have defined it in various ways:

• Cockcroft: Art of persuasive speech
• Lopez Eyre: Art of properly using language
• Arist: Ability to achieve something
• Quintilian: Science to work and take care of the ability to speak
• Protagoras: Man as a measure of all things

The natural origin of rhetoric is legal and political. Its roots can be traced back to Syracuse in the 5th century BC when eloquence became necessary to persuade during land expropriation disputes. Rhetoric was the capacity for oratory, the art of persuading. The first discourse on this topic was written by Corax of Syracuse, but it... Continue reading "The Art of Persuasion: A Guide to Rhetoric from Ancient Greece to Modern Advertising" »

Essential English Irregular Verbs

Here's a list of common irregular verbs in English, with their base form, past simple, and past participle, along with a Spanish translation.

• Be - Was/Were - Been - Ser, Estar
• Beat - Beat - Beaten - Golpear
• Become - Became - Become - Llegar a ser
• Begin - Began - Begun - Empezar
• Bend - Bent - Bent - Doblar
• Bet - Bet - Bet - Apostar
• Bite - Bit - Bitten - Morder
• Bleed - Bled - Bled - Sangrar
• Blow - Blew - Blown - Soplar
• Break - Broke - Broken - Romper
• Bring - Brought - Brought - Traer
• Build - Built - Built - Construir
• Burn - Burnt/Burned - Burnt/Burned - Quemar
• Burst - Burst - Burst - Reventar, Estallar
• Buy - Bought - Bought - Comprar
• Catch - Caught - Caught - Coger
• Choose - Chose - Chosen - Elegir
• Come - Came - Come - Venir
• Cost

Description of Human Faculties

Primitive Christianity made a huge effort to absorb the essential elements of Greek philosophy. A basic element is reason. According to the Platonic model, there are two different meanings or types of reason.

Universal Reason (LOGOS)

It governs the order of the world. According to Plato, this one lies in a superior world. Its supreme essences are the ideas: good, truth, and beauty.

Individual, Partial, and Limited Reason in Each Man

It allows captivating the superior order. However, the ascendance of the sensible world to the intelligible world is never produced completely. It is always done with difficulties.

Classical Notion of Human Freedom

It is the power, rooted in reason and will, to act or not to act, and so to... Continue reading "Understanding Human Faculties and Freedom in Christian Morality" »

Understanding Adult Education: Definitions & Objectives

Core Definitions of Adult Education

• The term "adult education" denotes the entire body of organized educational processes, whatever the content, level, and method, whether formal or non-formal, and whether they prolong or replace initial education.
• Aimed at developing adults’ abilities, enriching their knowledge, improving their technical or professional qualifications, or reorienting them towards new directions, fostering changes in their attitudes or behavior to achieve full personal development and societal participation.
• Adult education, however, must not be considered an entity in itself; it is a subdivision and an integral part of a global scheme for lifelong education and learning.

Around 40,000 BCE, the first humans lived in China. Cultivation began around the Yellow and Yangtze Rivers. The Yangshao and Longshan cultures were the earliest settlements. There was a big difference between northern and southern agriculture. The Tibetan Plateau and the Gobi Desert were the natural barriers of the Chinese civilization.

The Shang Dynasty

The Xia was the first dynasty in China, around 2000 BCE. It was replaced by the Shang Dynasty around 1600 BCE. Shang China was governed by a warrior aristocracy. The rulers in Anyang ruled with local and central bureaucracy, but it wasn't hereditary. The king's position was demonstrated by the large sacrifices at his death. He was an intermediary between Heaven and Earth. Socially, the village/... Continue reading "Ancient China: From Prehistory to the Qin Dynasty" »

Economic Integration

• Free Trade Area: In such an area, trade barriers amongst member countries are removed, but they keep their own barriers with third countries. In this situation, countries still need customs to check that no product from a third country is passed as a product from the union. For example, Mexico and the United States are in the NAFTA, but the United States has a higher tariff on rice coming from India. It could go through Mexico if there were no customs between Mexico and the United States.
• Customs Union: Members not only remove trade barriers amongst them but also adopt a common set of external barriers. That way, it is not necessary to have customs inspections at the borders.
• Common Market: Members not only remove trade barriers

Informal Letter

Introduction

Dear Ana,

How is everything going? Sorry I haven't written for ages, but I’ve been very busy looking for a job in Pamplona.

Conclusion

Well, I’d better sign off now, as I have to go on studying for my English test. I’m looking forward to hearing from you soon! Take care of yourself! We’ll be in touch.

Best wishes.

Migration

Introduction

What would you do if you weren’t able to get a job in your own country or make a living? According to a recent survey carried out by El Mundo newspaper, the number of immigrants who have reached our country has been increasing significantly since 2009.

People migrate for different reasons:

• Many people migrate because human rights are not respected in their countries.
• Most of them want