Many readers of this blog, and friends, have asked me about the details of the examination to become a tour guide.
The exams are held twice a year by the Ministry of Tourism, and are in two parts.
First is the written exam, taken by hundreds of candidates simultaneously in Jerusalem’s International Convention Centre. The written exam itself consists of two parts. Part A is a series of 50 multiple choice questions testing your knowledge of history, geology, geography, flora, fauna, religion, politics and culture, and lasts for one hour. It is worth 30% of the exam. After a short lunch break, you return for Part B, a grueling three hour marathon where you have to build an itinerary for one of three groups, fill in a table with details of timings, logistical points (payments, toilets, advance reservations etc) and the outline of your guiding. A whopping 20% of the marks for the exam are awarded for an ‘elaborated point’ in this section – you choose one part of one site in your itinerary and write a full page of A4 with exactly the text as you would guide it. For Part B, you are allowed to bring in a map of Israel, but the rest has to come from your memory.
Assuming you hit the 65% pass mark (and many don’t) in the written exam, you are then invited to a 30 minute oral exam in the Ministry of Tourism offices. More on that to come!
Having now taken (and passed – hurrah!!) the written exam, I feel happy to share some details of what I went through. For now, I have uploaded Part A of the written exam (the multiple choice) I took for you to test yourselves and see whether you might be able to qualify as a tour guide in Israel! If you are interested in Part B (the itinerary), keep an eye on the blog and I shall post it next week.
[please note: all the spellings have been copied from the test I was given – I took the exam in English and the translation from the original Hebrew as not always the best!]
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Information
Iyar 5774
May 2014
LICENSING EXAMINATION – TOUR GUIDE COURSE
Part A: Knowledge Questions – Total of 30 Points
Time allotment for this section: 1 hour
Auxiliary material: non-electronic dictionary only.
Please select and answer no more than 45 [although in this online version you will have to answer all of them I am afraid!] of the 50 multiple-choice questions below. Select the most correct answer. Each correct answer is worth 0.66 points.
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Wow – an incredible result! Are you a licensed guide?
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A very solid performance! Keep it up in Part B of the exam and you are well on the way to getting your licence!
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Not bad for a beginner! Keep it up in Part B of the exam and you are well on the way to getting your licence!
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65% is the pass rate and you are making it through by the skin of your teeth. Get a solid result in Part B and hopefully you will get your licence!
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Not really good enough…65% is the pass rate. Maybe you can get a great result in Part B and still pull through?
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Back to the drawing board I’m afraid!
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Question 1 of 50
1. Question
Ruhama was established:
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Question 2 of 50
2. Question
With which region in Israel is modern olive oil production associated?
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Question 3 of 50
3. Question
A desalination plant connected to the national system is located in:
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Question 4 of 50
4. Question
On which type of rock is Tel Aviv built?
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Question 5 of 50
5. Question
Which of the following can be found in the desert?
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Question 6 of 50
6. Question
Tristram’s grackle (tristramit) can be seen at:
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Question 7 of 50
7. Question
Where can we show tourists evidence of volcanic activity?
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Question 8 of 50
8. Question
The camel’s major adaptations to the desert are:
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Question 9 of 50
9. Question
The ‘Egyptian Gate’ is associated with the journey of:
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Question 10 of 50
10. Question
According to the Bible (Old Testament) which of the following prophets was active at the time of Sennacherib’s march?
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Question 11 of 50
11. Question
The flat ’round structure’ at Tel Megiddo is usually associated with:
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Question 12 of 50
12. Question
Indisputable evidence for Biblical names was found at the archaeological excavations at:
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Question 13 of 50
13. Question
Alexander the Great captured the Land of Israel from the:
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Question 14 of 50
14. Question
Where can tourists see a remnant of the aqueduct that transported water to the Temple Mount?
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Question 15 of 50
15. Question
For which emperor was Caesarea named?
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Question 16 of 50
16. Question
One of the main reasons Masada was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site was:
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Question 17 of 50
17. Question
Who is believed to have been buried in Beit She’arim?
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Question 18 of 50
18. Question
There is a hypothesis that the Church of the Sepulcher was built on the spot where there formerly stood a temple to:
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Question 19 of 50
19. Question
Where can remains of Umayyad palaces be found?
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Question 20 of 50
20. Question
In which compound were the Maria Grande and Maria Latina churches located in [sic]?
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Question 21 of 50
21. Question
Remains of Crusader fortresses built along the coastal plain can be seen at:
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Question 22 of 50
22. Question
The decisive battle between the Mamluks and the Mongols took place in:
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Question 23 of 50
23. Question
During which period was the institution of the waqf established?
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NB: this question was disputed – it may have been before the Mamluks.
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Question 24 of 50
24. Question
With which aliyah was the beginning of modern Jewish settlement in the Yizre’el and Harod valleys primarily associated with?
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The answer to this question was disputed as Merchavia was founded in 1911 in the Second Aliyah period – the question emphasises the ‘beginning’ of settlement. However most agree that it is ‘primarily’ associated with the Third Aliyah
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Question 25 of 50
25. Question
The following settlement was included in the Arab state according to the UN resolution of November 29:
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Question 26 of 50
26. Question
Lova Eliav’s name is associated with establishing settlements in:
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Question 27 of 50
27. Question
Where is the closing ceremony of the Holocaust Remembrance Day held?
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Question 28 of 50
28. Question
Which of the following paratroopers from the Yishuv in the Land of Israel fought against the Nazis in Europe?
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Question 29 of 50
29. Question
The obelisk in Ashdod was erected:
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Question 30 of 50
30. Question
The monument next to the Locomotive enclosure in Be’er Sheva was erected in memory of the:
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Question 31 of 50
31. Question
Tel Shilo is located:
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Question 32 of 50
32. Question
What is an ‘optional tour’?
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Question 33 of 50
33. Question
The following tourist sites are free of charge:
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Question 34 of 50
34. Question
According to Jewish tradition, the walls of Jerusalem were breached on the:
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Question 35 of 50
35. Question
The eruv wire is associated with the:
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Question 36 of 50
36. Question
Which sacraments to Protestants have?
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Question 37 of 50
37. Question
The following sites in the Church of the Sepulcher that are not part of the 14 Stations:
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Question 38 of 50
38. Question
A feature specific to the Orthodox Church:
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Question 39 of 50
39. Question
In Muslim tradition El-Hader is a figure associated with:
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Question 40 of 50
40. Question
Eid al-Fitr is a festival commemorating:
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Question 41 of 50
41. Question
What is the subject of the ‘Prawer Plan’?
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Question 42 of 50
42. Question
Which of the following is associated with the tradition of Mount Precipice?
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Question 43 of 50
43. Question
Which of the following mountains is the highest?
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Question 44 of 50
44. Question
The Elazar HaKappar inscription was found at:
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Question 45 of 50
45. Question
Biriya was established by a group affiliated with the:
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Question 46 of 50
46. Question
The monument in memory of Ethiopian Jews who died trying to reach Israel is located on:
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Question 47 of 50
47. Question
The Nachum Gutman Museum is located in:
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Question 48 of 50
48. Question
Which of the following was produced from the Dead Sea in ancient times:
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Question 49 of 50
49. Question
During which period is the name Haifa first mentioned?
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Question 50 of 50
50. Question
The origin of the ‘Kisui Sands’ is probably?
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NB: this question was very controversial – arguably none of the answers is really correct! Still, the most correct answer is the first one.
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NB: this question was very controversial – arguably none of the answers is really correct! Still, the most correct answer is the first one.
Thanks this was fun! I already am a tour guide so I guess 80 % is not too bad. Some questions I had no clue about… Always good to learn more. Good for you that you passed! Good luck with the oral exam!
80% seems pretty solid to me! Thanks for the good wishes 🙂
Thanks.Would you say speaking different languages is an advantage as a tour guide or tourism companies have their own tour guides for partuclar language?
As I understand you can’t take a license exam in Spanish or Russian for example,but speaking these kanguages is an advantage to be more competitive,isn’t it?
Hi Ron
Sorry for the delayed response, I was out with a group and your message somehow got lost.
Definitely speaking different languages is a huge advantage, particularly Chinese which is in big demand at the moment.
Thanks for this — I got 60% and I’ve never taken the course. That encourages me to apply for the course.
Glad to hear it Sarah! Good luck with the studies.