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 cactus in a pot and a close-up photo of the cactus's surface structure and ask them to describe the object in as much detail as possible using the plant and the photo. We are looking for observation, attention to detail, both at the large and micro scale."

Candidates seeking a place on an undergraduate degree in biological sciences are expected to deduce why the cactus is bulbous, or why it has a particular array of spines.

"There will frequently be more than one logical answer to these questions, and we are likely to follow one answer with another question – for example: 'The big spines are to stop the cactus being eaten, yes, but by what sort of animals?'," Speight said.

"We would also bring in more general questions at the end of the cactus discussion such as what are the problems faced by plants and animals living in very dry habitats such as deserts."

The Coronation Street question is intended to show that the techniques of literary criticism can be applied to other media and open up discussion about storytelling, collaborative writing and how a writer such as Dickens can move from being regarded as "popular" to being accepted as part of the canon.

Candidates for psychology might be asked what is "normal" for humans. Dave Leal, of Brasenose College, said: "There were various ways that this question might be approached, but some approach that distinguished the normal from the statistical average was a good start. Issues such as whether normality is to be judged by biological factors that might be held to be common to humans, or whether it's normal within a particular culture or at a particular period of history, might also be worth addressing."

Mike Nicholson, director of undergraduate admissions at Oxford, said interviews were meant to replicate Oxford's tutorial system, encouraging students to think rather than recite facts.

"There are many myths surrounding Oxford interviews, and they can be the most anxiety-provoking part of the Oxford application process for students. These questions show that the interviews are not designed to see how quickly students get the 'right' answer or show off specialist knowledge, but to gauge how they respond to new ideas."

Oxford's selection process also involves assessing potential through aptitude tests, written work, exam grades and references.