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Endurance test interrupts special address (8)

SURVIVAL

I get that endurance= survival but what is the rest of this clue up to, please?

Viva - a test/exam is in - S(pecial) URL (address)

Never heard of Viva but thanx

You're welcome.

a viva is a face-to-face test, in other words an oral.
Someone who has written a thesis for a higher degree may face one with several examiners who will ask a lot of searching questions! Or a viva might be used to decide a borderline case, say between a 1st or a 2:1 degree. I'm sure there are many other examples.

Yes. It's actually short for viva voce - roughly "live voice".

@Rosalind - Also at Oxford they very occasionally give a 'congratulatory viva' where the student has achieved at such an extraordinary level that the examiners simply stand up and applaud.

I speak not from personal experience.

My, this talk of vivas (vivae?) has taken me back to mine. It was over 40 years ago, with my research supervisor and the external examiner. Fortunately for me, the latter was enthralled by my work, so much so that, after asking me a few questions, he rushed over to the blackboard and spent the remaining half hour scrawling enthusiastically with further ideas. I didn't understand any of his stuff, but used my 'nodding intelligently' skill to the max! Such a relief.