HAVE you ever looked at Oxford students and wondered how they got into university?

Now the city has its answer, after Oxford University published some of the brain-teasing questions it asks prospective undergraduates when they apply for a place.

Some read like the questions nagging four-year-olds ask their exasperated parents: “Why do lions have manes?” and “Ladybirds are red. So are strawberries. Why?”

Others are a little more surreal: “How hot does the air have to be in a hot air balloon if I wanted to use it to lift an elephant?”

And some questions seem to be quite obvious.

“In a world where English is a global language, why learn French?” one academic asked applicants last year, finally catching up with generations of schoolchildren.

We took to Oxford’s streets to ask shoppers some of the interview questions.

With the closing date for Oxford applications less than two weeks away, Director of Undergraduate Admissions Mike Nicholson said strange questions helped show up students’ potential.

He said: “The interviews are an important but often misunderstood part of Oxford’s admissions process.

“We want to show as much as possible what the interviews are really like so students aren’t put off by what they might have heard.

“They are all about giving candidates the chance to show their real ability and potential – while this may sound intimidating, all it means is that candidates will be pushed to use their knowledge and apply their thinking to new problems in ways that will both challenge them and allow them to shine.”

He said asking challenging questions would start a conversation which would “move into areas students have not studied before, introducing new material or ideas.”

Oxford University French tutor Dr Stephen Goddard said: “The object is not to trick them, but give them the chance to show what we are looking for, which is the ability to think cogently and intelligently.”

And the secret of passing the test?

“Some of the best interview questions do not have a ‘right’ or a ‘wrong’ answer, and can potentially lead off in all sorts of different directions,” said biological sciences interviewer Owen Lewis, who asks students whether it matters if tigers become extinct.

“It’s not about hoping students will display their expert knowledge of tigers. Most applicants would instinctively answer ‘Yes’, but it is the ‘because...’ that interests me, and helps to distinguish critical thinkers.”