Bac 97
GRP 1
ES
I) COMPREHENSION
The Games may never be safe again, but they must go on
The Observer, 28 July 1996
I just froze and felt sick. I knew exactly what it was
all about. The immediate memory was Munich. I wasn't
there, but for those who were it must have brought back
a nightmare.
There may have been a difference from Atlanta, but
the end result was the same : an unspeakable act of
barbarity. In 1972, of course, the Games were
selectively targeted ; a by-product of an Arab-Israeli
conflict. We don't know yet what was behind this, but
ultimately there's no difference in the overall horror.
You can't switch on your TV without recognising
that Centennial Park has become a symbol for the city's
celebration of the Games. It's where the partying goes
on, so whoever planted the bomb knew they were likely
to inflict massive injury.
It wasn't an economic target. The bombers didn't
pick an empty broadcast centre or go for the rapid
transport system. They actually picked a place where
they knew that the people there would have had
absolutely no interest or involvement with their cause.
Of course, there are many who will say that sport is
not worth the spilling of anyone's blood, and that these
Olympics should have been abandoned there and then.
I do not agree. They went ahead in Munich and it is
right that they do so now, because you cannot concede
to terrorism or blackmail.
If you do, then you admit these people have the
ability to derail something which, for all its
imperfections, has a massive ability to unify.
We all know the Games are no longer just about
sport. They are about commercialism, politics, ego,
many things - but essentially they are about youth.
Only the other day, I went to Gatwick to see off 18
youngsters from all over the United Kingdom who
were going to attend an Olympic youth camp in
Atlanta. They were going not to compete, but to enjoy
themselves as part of the Olympic movement.
These are the sort of young people who could have
ended up as the victims of a misguided political
message.
We tend to forget the Olympics have often been
used as a political platform, whether for Nazism in
1936 or the African boycott in 1976.
Now this is the second occasion when they have
spilled over into ghastly tragedy. As a human being, a
politician and a former Olympian I am saddened and
appalled.
It would be hard for something as large as the
Olympics to avoid being a target for cranks, extremists
and terrorists, but if you decided to do away with it
because of such threats, you would also have to scrap
the World Cup and other major global gatherings.
These people are not respecters of ethos, philosophy
or tradition. To them nothing is sacred. They just
cynically target something they know is going to give
them wall-to-wall publicity for their acts of horror.
Sebastian Coe won gold medals in the 1500 metres
in the Moscow and Los Angeles Olympics. He is now
Tory MP for Falmouth and Camborne.
(1.35) a crank : a mad person
a) Global Comprehension
1) Who is the narrator ?
Name :
Present occupation :
2) What tragic event does the article refer to ?
3) Say precisely where it took place
Say when it took place
4) Why was this place chosen ?
Justify by quoting the text.
b) Detailed Comprehension
1) Pick out at least four expressions in the text showing that the narrator was deeply shocked by the event.
2) pick out three sentences or groups of words showing that the event is unforgivable.
3) Why does the narrator take such an interest in the event ?
4) Say whether the following statements are true or false and justify with a quotation from the text.
a) After the tragic event, nobody wanted the games to stop
b) The narrator thought it was necessary for the games to go on.
c) He thinks it's always safer to accept terrorists' demands
5) Find in the text the sentence that refers to the old spirit of the Olympic Games
6) Show that the Olympic Games have now lost their initial purpose. Quote one sentence from the text.
7) The author refers to three events proving the presence of politics in the Olympic Games. Which ones ?
8) Among the following adjectives, circle those which best qualify terrorists. For each adjective chosen, justify
with one quotation.
- Cruel :
- Longing for fame :
- Dedicated :
- Willing to help :
- Compassionate :
- Disrespectful :
9) Would you say this article is
- a cry of alarm ?
- a hopeful vision of sport ?
- a message of peace ?
Choose the most appropriate statement and briefly justify you choice in your own words.
10) Translate into French from 1.24 ('Only the other day...) down to 1.28 (..Olympic movement')
II) COMPETENCE LINGUISTIQUE
1. Without changing their meaning, rephrase the following sentences using modals.
a. People probably felt horrified at that tragic event.
People...
b. It is impossible that the Olympic Games should go on like this.
The Olympic Games...
c. Perhaps there were more spectators in Atlanta than in Munich.
There...
d. The author is sorry that there weren't enough policemen on the spot.
The author thinks there...
e. It isn't necessary for the organisers to postpone the Games.
The organisers...
2. Turn the following sentences into the passive (expressing the agent only when necessary)
a. People say the Olympic Games are dangerous...
b. Someone planted the bomb just before midnight.
...
c. They had to take many victims to hospital.
...
d. Doctors have given the victims much psychological help.
(Give two possible sentences.)
-...
-...
e. In the future, people won't look at the Olympic Games in the same way.
...
3. Use the prompts to rephrase the following sentences without changing their meaning.
a. The author is sorry the terrorists spoilt the Olympic Games.
He wishes...
b. It is the English youngsters' first trip to the United States.
It's the first time...
c. The terrorists wanted everybody to speak about them.
They made...
d. Most athletes don't usually take drugs.
Most athletes aren't used...
4. Translate into English
a. Cet athlète s'entraîne depuis cinq ans.
...
b. Le public reproche aux athlètes de gagner trop d'argent.
...
c. Au lieu de se lamenter, les organisateurs feraient mieux de réagir.
...
d. Si elle était restée à Atlanta, elle aurait assisté aux Jeux Olympiques.
...
COMPREHENSION : CORRIGE
a) Global Comprehension
1) Who is the narrator ?
Name : Sebastian Coe
Present occupation : Tory MP for Falmouth and Camborne
2) What tragic event does the article refer to ?
It refers to the bomb that exploded during the 1996 Olympics
3) Say precisely where it took place
It took place in Centennial Park, Atlanta
Say when it took place : July 1996
4) Why was this place chosen ? Justify by quoting the text
"It's where the partying goes on, so whoever planted the bomb knew they were likely to inflict massive injury" (L.
9 10 11)
b) Detailed Comprehension
1) pick out at least four expressions in the text showing that the narrator was deeply shocked by the event
- I just froze (L.1)
- (I) felt sick (L.1)
- I am saddened (L. 32)
- (I am) appalled (L. 33)
2) Pick out three sentences or groups of words showing that the event is unforgivable
- "an unspeakable act of barbarity" (L.5)
- "ghastly tragedy" (L. 31/32) - "acts of horror" (L. 40)
3) Why does the narrator take such an interest in the event ?
He's a former Olympian who's taken part in the Olympics twice
4) Say whether the following statements are true or false and justify with a quotation from the text
a) After the tragic event, nobody wanted the games to stop (False)
F - "sport is not worth the spilling of anyone's blood..., these Olympics should have been abandoned" (L. 16 à 18)
b) The narrator thought it was necessary for the games to go on.
T - "They went ahead in Munich and it is right (true) that they do so now" (L. 18 et 19)
c) He thinks it's always safer to accept terrorists' demands (False)
F - "To them nothing is sacred" (L. 38/39)
5) Find in the text the sentence that refers to the old spirit of the Olympic Games
"has a massive ability to unify" (L.21)
6) Show that the Olympic Games have now lost their initial purpose. Quote one sentence from the text.
"They are about commercialism, politics, ego, many things" (L. 22/23)
7) The author refers to three events proving the presence of politics in the Olympic Games. Which ones ?
He refers to the Arab-Israeli conflict (L. 6), Nazism (/. 3O) and the African boycott (L. 3O)
8) Among the following adjectives, circle those which best qualify terrorists. For each adjective chosen, justify
with one quotation.
1 - Cruel : "act of barbarity" (L.5)
2 - Dedicated :
3 - Compassionate :
4 - Longing for fame : "wall-to-wall publicity" (L. 4O)
5 - Willing to help :
6 - Disrespectful : "not respecters of ethos" (L. 38)
9) Would you say this article is
- a cry of alarm ?
- a hopeful vision of sport ?
- a message of peace ?
Choose the most appropriate statement and briefly justify you choice in your own words.
According to me, this article is a message of peace. Sebastian Coe reminds us that sport should be equated with
peace and not with war, although the original message inherent in the Olympics has repeatedly been distorted.
10) Translate into French from 1.24 ('Only the other day...) down to 1.28 (...Olympic movement').
Il y a quelques jours à peine, je suis allé à l'aéroport de Gatwick pour accompagner dix huit jeunes en provenance
de tout le Royaume-Uni. Ils se rendaient à Atlanta, dans un centre d'accueil olympique destiné à la jeunesse. Ils
n'allaient pas concourir, mais prendre part au mouvement olympique tout en s'amusant.
COMPETENCE LINGUISTIQUE : Pas de corrigé disponible
GRP 1
L
Almost the first thing he could remember was his mother standing on a stool in the kitchen, piling tins of
food into the top cupboard. On the table there were more tins : pineapple, little oranges - you could tell by the
pictures. He asked her :
- what are all those tins for ?
The sun was shining through the kitchen window behind her head, and though he screwed up his eyes against
the dazzle he couldn't see her face properly, but he remembered her looking down at him for what seemed a long
time before she said :
- Because there's a war, dear.
- What's a war ? he asked. But he could never remember what she answered.
Soon he found out that war was a Mickey Mouse gas-mask that steamed up when you breathed and his father
getting a tin hat and a whistle and Jill crying because her Dad was going away to join the Air Force and the
wireless on all the time and black paper stuck over the front-door windows and sirens going and getting up in the
middle of the night because of the raids. It was fun getting up in the middle of the night.
They didn't have their own shelter. He and his mother went up the road, to Jill's house, number 64, which had
a shelter in the back garden. Jill's Dad had made it himself.
His own Dad was usually on duty during an air raid, he was a Warden, making sure everybody was in a
shelter, and not letting any lights show through their curtains. If the German planes saw a light shining through
your curtains they would know where you were and they would drop a bomb on you. Sometimes in the middle of a
raid his father would call in at number 64 and come down to the shelter to see that they were all right. Or he would
come and fetch them after the All Clear had sounded. Sometimes he would carry Timothy home asleep, and he
would wake up in the morning in his own bed without having heard the All Clear.
The All-Clear siren was all the same noise, but the Air-Raid siren was up and down, uhhhERRR...
uhhhERRR...uhhhERRR... It was clever to have two different sirens that sounded like what they meant. The All
Clear was a tired, safe sound, like you felt going home, yawning, after a raid, but the Air-Raid siren sounded
frightened.
Not that Timothy was frightened. After a while he got so used to the Air-Raid sirens that his mother had to
wake him to go up the road to Jill's before the German bombers came over. Jill was the same age as he was, five,
but he was older because his birthday came first.
Jill was pretty. He was going to marry her when they were grown up. His sister Kath was much older than he
was, sixteen, almost grown up, but she wasn't living at home any more. She had gone away to the country, with the
nuns. Kath's school had gone away because of the raids. The raids were because of the War. They were called the
Blitz. His mother said that if the Blitz went on much longer she would take Timothy to live in the country too. They
lived in London, which was the biggest city in the whole world. Timothy didn't want to go and live in the country.
He had been there once and stung himself on some nettles and fell into a cow's business.
But he didn't want the raids to stop either, because it was fun getting up in the middle of the night.
David Lodge
Out of the Shelter
I) COMPREHENSION - COMPETENCE LINGUISTIQUE - EXPRESSION :
1) Which war is it ? Find 4 elements in the text to support your answer.
2) a) How many characters are mentioned in the text ?
b) What is the relationship between them ?
c) What did the two fathers do in the war ?
d) Say in your own words why Kath did not live with them.
3) a) What was Timothy's first recollection of the war ? (in your own words)
b) What did his father get a tin hat and a whistle for ?
c) What were they always listening to ? Why ?
d) Why were the front-door windows stuck over with black paper ?
4) The sentence : "It was fun getting up in the middle of the night" (l.14) is repeated at the end of the text (l.40) :
a) What does this repetition reveal about the way Timothy considered the war ?
b) Would you say the adults shared Timothy's impressions ? Justify your answer (about 40 words.)
5) Read the last paragraph carefully.
Whose point of view is mostly expressed in these lines ?
What do you think of the style chosen by the writer ? (about 50 words.)
6) "The All Clear was a tired, safe sound, like you felt going home, yawning, after a raid, but the Air-Raid Siren
sounded frightened". (l.26-28)
a) Underline the adjectives in the sentence.
b) Explain the author's intention in choosing these adjectives.
7) Compare the different uses of WOULD in the following sentences :
A) "If the German planes saw a light shining through your curtains they WOULD know where you were and
they WOULD drop a bomb on you." (l.18-20)
B) "Sometimes he WOULD carry Timothy home asleep, and he WOULD wake up in the morning in his own
bed without having heard the All Clear". (l.22-24)
What do they express ?
8) Choose one of following subjects. (about 250 words.)
a) Do you think that the world of adults should be kept unrevealed to children ?
Justify your point.
b) Kath is writing to her parents about her experiences away from home in the country.
COMPETENCE LINGUISTIQUE
II. VERSION
Translate into French from line 10 (Soon he found out) down to line 14 (the middle of the night).
...
CORRIGE COMPREHENSION - COMPETENCE LINGUISTIQUE
1) It was the second World War, because of the references to the Air Force (l.12), the wireless (l.12), the air raids
(l.14, 17, 24) and the German bombers (l.30,31)
2) a) Six characters are mentioned in the text.
b) Timothy, the narrator, his parents, his sister Kath. Jill, the five-year old neighbour and her father.
c) Jill's father has joined the Air Force. Timothy's father was a Warden.
d) She had gone to the country with the nuns in order to escape the war. She was a refugee.
3) a) His first memory of the war was associated with the tins of food his mother kept storing away.
b) He had a tin hat in order to protect his head and a whistle to warn people against the danger.
c) They were always listening to the wireless to get the latest news.
d) If any light filtered through the windows, it would attract the Germans' attention and they could aim at your
house.
4) a) The memories of the war are filtered through the child's eyes.It was a lot of fun for him.
b) Of course, the adults are aware of the danger and do not share Timothy's carefree vision. His father is worried
about his family when he is on duty and Timothy's mum contemplates going away to the country.
5) Timothy's point of view prevails in this last paragraph. The style chosen by the writer matches the child's vision.
The words used are quite simple. The use of free reported speech reinforces this simplistic approach to the war.
6) a) tired, safe, frightened.
b) The two sirens are described as if they were human beings. There is in fact a confusion between the adjectives
attached to each one and the feelings they provoke among the population.
7) a) The use of would in this sentence corresponds to the conditional.
b) Here would conveys a habit, something that happened on a regular basis.
COMPETENCE LINGUISTIQUE
CORRIGE
II) VERSION
Un masque à gaz en forme de Mickey qui produisait de la vapeur quand on respirait, son père qui se munissait d'un
casque et d'un sifflet, Jill qui pleurait parce que son papa s'en allait rejoindre l'armée de l'air, la T.S.F. qui marchait
tout le temps, du papier noir collé sur les fenêtres du devant, le déclenchement des sirènes, le fait de se lever au
beau milieu de la nuit à cause des raids aériens, voilà ce que voulait dire la guerre ; il ne mit pas longtemps à le
comprendre. C'était marrant de se lever en pleine nuit.
GRP 2
L
And a marvellous teacher she was. She had the gift of exciting us to desire knowledge for its own sake, quite
apart from that needed for examinations, and our reading went far beyond the humdrum authors we'd have found
for ourselves, if left to our own devices.
I, a natural born swot, was a great favourite of hers. This was a mixed blessing, which rather embarrassed me,
for 'teacher's pet' was an insult in the tenements.
Miss McKenzie refused to be kept at arm's length though, for she seemed to sense something in me which
needed encouragement. She was greatly surprised to discover, when we acted out our little bits of Shakespeare
that I had a passionate interest in the theatre. She knew, of course, that my mother was a widow with few
pennies to spare for theatres, so she it was who took me to a matinée one marvellous Saturday, to see Shakespeare
performed as it ought to be, in a real theatre in the town.
It felt very strange to be meeting Miss McKenzie at the tram-stop, dressed in my best coat, and the tammy
Grannie had knitted. I was terrified any of my school-friends would see us and jeer 'teacher's pet'", which might put
my teacher off the whole idea of taking me to the theatre, but mercifully they were all at the penny matinée, so we
were safe. Although I felt a bit ill-at-ease sitting so close to her on the tram seat, I had to say something, so I
launched into an account of how my mother had read my teacup the night before and had predicted a
disappointment for me, and I'd prayed that the disappointment might not be that something would prevent us from
seeing Shakespeare.
Miss McKensie seemed to have trouble with a cough just then, and even had to wipe her eyes, and I wondered
if she was laughing at me. When I told Grannie about this later she was scandalized that I'd told my teacher about
us believing in teacup fortunes. 'She'll think we're a lot o' heathens', declared Grannie. 'When'll ye learn to haud yer
tongue'.
Although I basked in Miss McKenzie's approval, I never really felt very
close to her. We all held our teachers in some awe, and it never dawned on me to ask her advice as to what I
should do when I left school. Surely there was only one thing to do ? Get a job and earn money to the household
purse as quickly as possible.
What sort of job ? Oh, if only I were lucky enough, it could be the Cooperative offices, a highly prized post in
our district. I'd start as an office girl, and go to night classes to try to master the mysteries of office routine. If I
couldn't get in there it would have to be a shop.
But Miss McKenzie had other ideas. We in our house knew nothing of scholarships for fatherless children.
The idea of a child from a working-class household going to college was the very stuff of story-books, and had
nothing to do with business of living as we knew it.
Unknown to us, she bullied the headmaster into putting my name forward for a special scholarship open to
children who showed some promise, and who would benefit from further education.
Molly WEIR
Trilogy of Scottish childhood
shoes were for Sunday, 1970
Notes lexicales :
line 3 - humdrum : boring, dull
line 5 - swot : hard-working student
line 7 - tenements : flats rented cheaply
line 16- tammy : béret écossais.
line 27 - heathens : people without any religion., here savages, barbarians.
I COMPREHENSION – COMPETENCE LINGUISTIQUE – EXPRESSION
1. What kind of text is it? Justify by quoting from the text.
......
2. What tense is mostly used by narrator throughout the text ? Why ?
.....
3. a) Is the narrator a boy or a girl? Justify from the text.
...
b) Using your own words, describe the narrator's family and social background (about 40 words)
...
4. Who is the main character ?
...
5. a)"And a marvellous teacher she was"(1.1)
What is the effect produced by the word order in the above sentence?
...
b) What feeling is expressed through it ?
...
c) Rewrite the following sentence (1.1) using two different structures ; make sure you keep the same idea.
"And a marvellous teacher she was".
a...
b...
6. Why was the narrator 'a great favourite of 'the teacher's'? (justify with two quotations in your answer.
...
7. THIS was a mixed blessing (1.5-6)
a) what does 'THIS' refer to ?
...
b) Why was 'this' a MIXED blessing'?
...
8. Explain the connotation of the expression 'teacher's pet'? Justify with two quotations from the text.
...
9. In your own words, say what the theatre outing represented for the narrator.
...
10. Comment on Miss Mckenzie's reaction on hearing about the teacup prediction. What did she realize then?
(about 50 words).
...
11. "When'll ye learn to haud yer tongue' (1.27-28)
a)Rewrite the sentence in standard English.
...
b)What does this type of language reveal about the grandmother's education ?
...
12. a) She bullied the headmaster into putting my name forward for a special scholarship' (1.41-42) What does this
quotation reveal about Miss Mckenzie's temperament ?
...
b) Find another quotation confirming this trait of character.
...
How decisive was the teacher's influence in the narrator's life (about 40 words)
...
13. Choose ONE of the following subjects :
a) How do you choose what your read? (about 200 words)
…
or
b) Can school arouse in pupils some particular interest which may later become a passion ? (about 200 words).
...
COMPETENCE LINGUISTIQUE
2) VERSION (6 points)
Translate into French from 1.33 "Oh, if only..."... to 1.40 "we knew it".
CORRIGE COMPREHENSION
1. It's an extract from a novel which must be an autobiography ("I"+Molly WEIR, Trilogy of Scottish Childhood).
2. The simple past is mostly used. It is the tense used for a narration.
3.a. She is a girl(l.34-35)."I'd start as an office girl..."
3.b. The narrator comes from a working-class family. Her father is dead since her mother is a widow. They are
poor(few pennies to spare for theatres).The way the grandmother speaks shows. They live in a tenement. She is not
educated. Moreover they read the future in teacups.
4. It is Miss Mac Kenzie, the teacher.
5.a. The word "marvellous" is put forward. It emphasizes the value of the teacher, the opinion the narrator has of
her.
5.b. It reveals the admiration and reverence, the consideration the narrator has for Miss Mac Kenzie.
5.c. What a marvellous teacher she was!
How marvellous a teacher she was!
6. Because she was hard-working and promising.
l.5"a natural born swot
l.8-9"she seemed to sense something in me which needed encouragement".
7.a. The fact to be a favourite of the teacher.
7.b. On the one hand, it was a source of pride, but on the other hand, it was embarrassing towards the other pupils.
8.It implies one is submissive, one is at the teacher's beck and call.
l.6" teacher's pet was an insult..."
l.16-17" I was terrified any of my school-friends would see us and jeer "teacher's pet...".
9. It was something she would never have dared to dream of since she knew her family couldn't afford it.
10. She had a fit of laughter which she tried to conceal by making as if she was coughing. At that moment, she may
have become aware of the narrator's family background.
She became conscious that they were not educated, were somewhat superstitious and realized how deserving the
girl was.
11.a. When will you learn to hold your tongue ?
b. She is not educated and speaks colloquial English.
12.a. She was determined to help the narrator and she dared challenge the headmaster's authority who must have
been reluctant at first.
b. l.37 "But Miss Mac Kenzie had other ideas".
Without her, she would never have been granted a schoolarship.
She would never have been able to make studies and climb up the social ladder.
Without her teacher, the best position she could have had was a job in an office.
CORRIGE VERSION (6 points) Translate into French from 1.33 "Oh, if only..."...to 1.40 "we knew it".
Oh, si seulement j'avais assez de chance, cela pourrait être un emploi dans les bureaux de la coopérative, une
situation hautement considérée dans notre région. Je commencerais comme simple employée et je suivrais les cours
du soir afin d'essayer de maîtriser les mystères de la routine du travail de bureau. Si je ne pouvais y entrer, alors ce
serait donc un emploi dans un magasin. Mais Mademoiselle Mc Kenzie avait d'autres projets.
.../...
A la maison, nous n'étions pas au courant des bourses d'études accordées aux orphelins de père. L'idée qu'un enfant
issu d'une famille modeste puisse aller à l'université relevait uniquement du roman et n'avait rien à voir avec la
vraie vie telle que nous la connaissions.
GRP 2
ES - S
"I'd no idea your children were so grown-up," she said, as soon as they were clear of the house.
"We've been married twenty-three years. We started a family straight away. Marjorie was only too glad to give up
work.
"What work was that ? "
"Typing pool."
"Ah".
"Marje is no intellectual", said Vic. "as you probably noticed. She left school without any O-Levels."
"Does that bother her ?"
"No. It bothers me, sometimes."
"Why don't you encourage her to do a course of some kind, then ?"
"What - O-Levels ? Marjorie ? At her time of life ?" His laughter rang out in the cold air, harsher than he had
intended.
"It doesn't have to be O-Level. There are extra-mural courses she could do, or WEA. And the Open University has
courses you can follow without doing the examinations."
"Marjorie wouldn't be up to it," said Vic.
"Only because you've made her think she isn't", said Robyn.
"Rubbish ! Marjorie's perfectly content. She has a nice house, with an EN SUITE bathroom and four lavatories, and
enough money to go shopping whenever she feels like it."
"I think that's an unbelievably patronizing thing to say about your own wife." said Robyn Penrose.
They walked on in silence for a while, as Vic considered how to respond to this rebuke. He decided to let it pass.
He led Robyn by an aimless route through the quieter residential streets. It was a cold, misty afternoon, with a low
red sun glowing through the branches of the leafless trees. They met few other people : a lone jogger, a couple with
a dog, some disconsolate-looking African students waiting at a bus stop. At every intersection, marking the
nocturnal passage of marauding vandals, uprooted traffic bollards lay on their sides, with all their wiring exposed.
"It's my kids who should be worrying about getting qualifications," said Vic. "Raymond dropped out of university
last year. Failed his first-year exams and the resists".
"What was he doing ?
"Electrical Engineering. He's clever enough, but never did any work. And Sandra says she doesn't want to go to
university. Wants to be a hairdresser, or "hairstylist", as they call it".
"Of course, hair is very important in youth culture today", Robyn mused, It's a form of self-expression. It's almost a
new form of art".
"It's not a serious job, though, is it ? You wouldn't do it for a living."
There are lots of things I wouldn't do. I wouldn't work in a factory. I wouldn't work in a bank. I wouldn't be a
housewife. When I think of most people's lives, especially women's lives, I don't know how they bear it."
"Someone has to do those jobs, said Vic".
That's what's so depressing".
"But Sandra could do something better. I wish you'd talk to her, about going to university.
DAVID LODGE Nice Work
Lexical notes :
- O-Levels : Ordinary Levels - Examen d'études secondaires
- WEA : Wicker's Educational Association
- To patronize : to treat in an offensively condescending manner
- Bollards : thick posts with a light inside which are placed in the middle of a road to mark junctions.
COMPREHENSION
1. Where and when does the scene take place ? Specify the country, place, time of day and year and justify by
quoting from the text.
...
2. What words show the area is deteriorating ? (Quote)
...
3. How many characters are present in the story ? How many are mentioned ? Give their names and as much
information as you can about them. Their sex, approximate age and relationship.
...
4. Complete the following with words from the text :
Marjory is a …………. who never went to …………. She does not have her …………. , which doesn't seem to
…………. her according to her …………. who says she is perfectly …………. with her life.
5. Explain in one sentence using your own words :
"Raymond dropped out of University last year" (28-29)
...
6. What sort of boy does Raymond seem to be ?
Cross out the adjectives which do not apply to him. Justify your choice.
Painstaking
hardworking
Assiduous
happy-go-lucky
...
lazy
intelligent.
7. Right or wrong ? Justify with one quotation.
a. Sandra is fed up with studying
 Right /  Wrong …..
b. Sandra wants to earn her living
 Right /  Wrong …..
8. Pick out sentences which suggest that :
a. Vic feel superior to his wife
...
b. He resents his wife's lack of education
...
c. He thinks his wife would be unable to resume studying
...
d. He is convinced that she's satisfied with her life
...
9. A-Which adjective in the text best sums up Vic's attitude towards his wife ?
...
B-Robyn/shares/does not share/Vic's point of view about Marjorie : circle the right answer and justify by quoting
the text.
...
C-There are lots of things I wouldn't do. I wouldn't work in a factory. I wouldn't work in a bank. I wouldn't be a
housewife.
What does this passage reveal about Robyn's character ?
...
10. Translate into French :
"It's my kids ... the resits"....
COMPETENCE LINGUISTIQUE
1) Rephrase the following sentences :
a. Why force young people to study ? It's no use...
b. We've been married for23 years. It's...
c. You've made her feel inadequate. She...
d.Marjorie regrets not having taken a University degree. She wishes...
e.Raymond is clever and yet fails all his exams. In spite...
2) Write in full :
"I wish you'd talk to her."...
3) Ask questions corresponding to the underlined words :
a. They've been married for years....
b. He had to pay thousands of pounds for Raymond's education...
c. Sandra has made up her mind to stop studying to live on her own....
d. It was cold and misty...
4) Fill in the gaps with the appropriate link-words :
a. You can go out with your friends... you come back before midnight.
b..... Raymond who doesn't know what to do, Sandra has got an aim in life.
c.....it was cold and misty, they chose to walk.
d. Marjorie has no job.....Robyn is a university lecturer.
e. They will never agree.....one of them gives up arguing.
f.....he is so narrow-minded, he'll never understand women.
5) Fill in the blanks with four different quantifiers (do not use a lot of) :
As it was a cold misty afternoon(l.23-l.24) …
… a. there wasn't .... traffic in the streets.
… b. they didn't meet ....other people.
… c. they didn't see ....policemen.
… d. there was very ....noise.
COMPREHENSION CORRIGE
1. Where and when does the scene take place ? Specify the country, place, time of day and year and justify by
quoting from the text.
It takes place in Great Britain (18 'O-Levels). The characters are walking in the street (l. 23-24 'a cold, misty
afternoon'), probably in winter (l. 24 'the leafles trees').
2. What words show the area is deteriorating ? (Quote)
"Marauding vandals" "uprooted traffic bollards" "all their wiring exposed".
3. How many characters are present in the story ? How many are mentioned ? Give their names and as much
information as you can about them. Their sex, approximate age and relationship.
Two are present : Vic is a middle aged man (he has been married for 23 years) talking with Robyn Penrose who
seems to be a friend.
Marjorie is only mentioned (she is Vic's husband and a housewife), as well as Vic's and Marjorie's two children :
Raymond (around 20) and Sandra who must be arround 16.
4. Complete the following with words from the text :
Marjorie is a housewife who never went to University. She does not have her O-Levels, which doesn't seem to
bother her according to her husband who says she is perfectly content with her life.
5. Explain in one sentence using your own words :
'Raymond dropped out of University last year' (28-29)
Raymond stopped his studies last year. He stopped going to University.
6. What sort of boy does Raymond seem to be ?
Cross out the adjectives which do not apply to him. Justify your choice.
painstaking
hardworking
lazy
assiduous
happy-go-lucky
intelligent
- lazy "But never did any work" l. 31
- happy-go-lucky "It's my kids who should be worrying about getting qualifications" l. 28
- intelligent "He is clever enough" l. 31
7. Right or wrong ? Justify with one quotation.
a. Sandra is fed up with studying.
Right : "Sandra says she doesn't want to go to University"
b. Sandra wants to earn her living.
Wrong : "It's a form of self-expression"
8. Pick out sentences which suggest that :
a. Vic feels superior to his wife
b. He resents his wife's lack of education
c. He thinks his wife would be unable to resume studying
d. He is convinced that she's satisfied with her life
'Marje is not intellectual'
'It bothers me, sometimes'.
'What -O-Levels ? Marjorie ? At her time of life ?'
"Marjorie's perfectly content"
9.
A- Which adjective in the text best sums up Vic's attitude towards his wife ?
"patronizing"
B- Robyn/Shares/does not share/Vic's point of view about Marjorie : Circle the right answer and justify by quoting
the text.
"Only because you've made her think she isn't".
C- "There are lots of things I wouldn't do. I wouldn't work in a factory. I wouldn't work in a bank.
I wouldn't be a housewife".
What does this passage reveal about Robyn's character ?
She is strong-willed and resolute. She is determined to master her life and do what she wants to.
10. "It's my kids...the resits." (l.28 -29).
"Ce sont mes enfants qui devraient se faire du souci et suivre une formation", dit Vic. "Raymond a abandonné ses
études à l'université l'année dernière. Il a raté ses examens de première année ainsi que la session de rattrapage".
COMPETENCE LINGUISTIQUE CORRIGE
1) a) Why force young people to study ? It's no use FORCING YOUNG PEOPLE TO STUDY.
b) We've been married for 23 years. It's 23 YEARS SINCE WE GOT MARRIED.
c) You've made her feel inadequate. She HAS BEEN MADE TO FEEL INADEQUATE.
d) Marjorie regrets not having taken a University degree. She wishes SHE HAD TAKEN A UNIVERSITY
DEGREE.
e) Raymond is clever and yet fails all his exams. In spite OF HIS CLEVERNESS, RAYMOND FAILS ALL HIS
EXAMS.
2) I wish you'd talk to her. I WISH YOU WOULD TALK TO HER.
3) a) They've been married for years. HOW LONG HAVE THEY BEEN MARRIED ?
b) He had to pay thousands of pounds for Raymond's education. HOW MUCH DID HE HAVE TO PAY FOR
RAYMOND'S EDUCATION ?
c) Sandra has made up her mind to stop studying to live on her own. WHAT HAS SANDRA MADE UP HER
MIND TO STOP STUDYING FOR ?
d) It was cold and misty. WHAT WAS THE WEATHER LIKE ?
4) a) You can go out with your friends PROVIDED you come back before midnight.
b) UNLIKE Raymond who doesn't know what to do, Sandra has got an aim in life.
c) ALTHOUGH it was cold and misty, they chose to walk.
d) Marjorie has no job WHEREAS Robyn is a University lecturer.
e) They will never agree UNLESS on of them gives up arguing.
f) SINCE he is so narrow-minded, he'll never understand women.
5) a) There wasn't MUCH traffic in the streets.
b) They didn't meet ANY other people.
c) They didn't see MANY policemen.
d) There was very LITTLE noise.
Les corrigés du bac 97 Cette page et la suivante sont une autre version de ce corrigé, trouvées sur un autre site
Académie : AIX-MARSEILLE
Série : S
Matière : ANGLAIS LV1
Sujet ° 1 : COMPREHENSION
Résumé du texte joint à votre sujet, non reproduit ici : Nice work de David LODGE
Un homme et une femme se promènent à travers une ville anglaise. Vic vient de présenter son amie à sa femme et
ses deux enfants.
Robyn est écoeurée par son attitude condescendante, surtout envers sa femme qui s'est mariée très jeune sans faire
d'études. Il la croit satisfaite de son sort de femme au foyer alors que
son amie la croit capable de faire mieux.
Il semble ne pas croire davantage en ses enfants. Son fils a raté sa première année de faculté, sa fille veut être
coiffeuse, mais il paraît résigné à leur médiocrité apparente.
1. Where and when does the scene take place ?
Specify the country, place, time of day and year and justify by quoting from the text.
They are walking through the streets of an English city in the winter, late in the afternoon .
2. What words show the area is deteriorating ? (Quote)
"nocturnal passage of marauding vandals"
" uprooted traffic bollards"
3. How many characters are present in the story ? How many are mentioned ?
Give their names and as much information as you can about them. Their sex, approximate age and relationship.
Vic and Robyn are present. Vic is a man, Robyn is a woman. He mentions his wife, Marjorie, his son, Raymond,
and his daughter, Sandra. Raymond dropped out of universiry, Sandra
wants to be a hairdresser, and Marjorie married early.
4. Complete the following with the words from the text :
Marjory is a housewife who never went to university . She does not have her O'Levels , which doesn't seem to
bother her according to her husband who says she is perfectly content
with her life.
5. Explain in one sentence using your own words :
He failed his exams and decided not to go back.
"Raymond dropped out of University last year."
6. What sort of boy does Raymond seem to be ?
Cross out the adjectives which do not apply to him. Justify your choice.
Painstaking / hardworking / lazy / assiduous / happy-go-lucky / intelligent
Clever enough / never did any work
7. Right or wrong ? Justify your quotation.
a. Sandra is fed up with studying?
Right Wrong "she doesn't want to go to university"
b. Sandra wants to earn her living.
Right Wrong "wants to be a hairdresser"
8. Pick out sentences which suggest that :
a. Vic feels superior to his wife.
b. He resents his wife's lack of education.
c. He thinks his wife would be unable to resume studying.
d. He is convinced that she's satisfied with her life.
"Marje is no intellectual, as you probably noticed"
"It bothers me sometimes."
"What O'Levels ? Marjorie ? At her time of life ?"
"Marjorie's perfectly content."
9. A - Which adjective in the text best sums up Vic's attitude towards his wife ?
patronizing
B - Robyn / shares / does not share / Vic's point of view about Marjorie : circle the right answer and justify by
quoting the text.
"Why don't you encourage her to do a course of some kind ?"
C - "There are a lot os things I wouldn't do. I wouldn't work in a factory. I wouldn't work in a bank. I wouldn't be a
housewife." What does this passage reveal about Robyn's character ?
She is proud and rather sure of herself.
10. Translate into French :
"It's my kids... the resits."
C'est plutôt mes gosses qui devraient se faire du soucis au sujet de leurs études, dit Vic. Raymond a laissé tomber la
fac l'année dernière. Il a raté ses examens de fin de première année, sans parler des rattrapages.
_________________________
Les corrigés du bac 97
Académie : AIX-MARSEILLE
Série : S
Matière : ANGLAIS LV1
Sujet ° 2 : COMPETENCE LINGUISTIQUE
INDEX THEMATIQUE COMPETENCE LINGUISTIQUE
Exercice de reformulation
Quantifieurs
Mots de liaison
orme interrogative
II - COMPETENCE LINGUISTIQUE
1 - Rephrase the following sentences :
a. Why force young people to study ?
It's no use forcing young people to study.
b. We've been married for 23 years.
It's been 23 years since we got married.
c. You've made her feel inadequate.
She has been made to feel inadequate.
d. Marjorie regrets not having taken a University degree. She wishes she had taken a University degree.
e. Raymond is clever and yet fails all his exams.
In spite of his cleverness, Raymond fails all his exams.
2 - Write in full :
'I wish you'd talk to her.'
I wish you would talk to her.
3 - Ask questions corresponding to the underlined words :
a. They've been married for years.
How long have they been married ?
b. He had to pay thousands of £ for Raymond's education. How much did he have to pay for Raymond's education ?
c. Sandra has made up her mind to stop studying to live on her own.
Why has Sandra decided to stop studying ?
d. It was cold and misty.
What was the weather like ?
4 - Fill in the gaps with appropriate link-words :
a. You can go out with your friends provided you come back before midnight.
b. Unlike Raymond who doesn't know what to do, Sandra has got an aim in life.
c. Although it was cold and misty, they chose to walk.
d. Marjorie has no job whereas Robyn is a University lecturer.
e. They will never agree until one of them gives up arguing.
Unless !!??
f. As he is so narrow-minded, he'll never understand women.
5 - Fill in the blanks with four different quantifiers (do not use a lot of)
As 'it was a cold misty afternoon' (l.23-24)
a. there wasn't much traffic in the streets.
b. they didn't meet any other people.
c. they didn't see many policemen.
d. there was very little noise.
STT CG / IG / ACC / ACA
LISEZ TRES ATTENTIVEMENT LE TEXTE CI-DESSOUS :
While the service station checked his oil and tyres, Doc washed his face and combed his beard and when he came
back to the car, a number of potential hitch-hikers were waiting.
"Going South, Mister ?"
Doc travelled on the highways a good deal. He was an old hand. You have to pick your hitch-hikers very carefully.
It's best to get an experience one, for he relapses into silence.
But the new ones try to pay for their ride by being interesting. Then after you have made up your mind about the
one you want to take, you protect yourself by saying you aren't going far. If your man turns up too much for you,
you can drop him. On the other hand, you may be just lucky and get a man very much worth knowing. Doc made a
quick survey of the line and chose his company, a thin- faced salesman- like man in a blue suit.
He had deep lines beside his mouth and dark brooding eyes.
He looked at Doc with dislike. "Going South, Mister?"
"Yes", said Doc, "A little way".
"Mind taking me along?"
"Get in!" said Doc.
When they got to Ventura it was pretty soon after a heavy dinner, so Doc only stopped for beer.The hitch-hiker
hadn't spoken once. Doc pulled up at a roadside stand.
"Want some beer?"
"No", said the hitch-hiker. "And I don't mind saying I think it's not a very good idea to drive under the influence of
alcohol.
It's none of my business what you do with your own life, but in this case you've got an automobile, and that can be
a murderous weapon in the hands of a drunken driver".
At the beginning Doc had been slightly startled. "Get out of the car", he said softly.
"What?"
"I'm going to punch you on the nose," said Doc. "If you aren't out of this car before I count ten. One- two-three".
The man fumbled at the door catch and backed hurriedly out of the car. But once outside he howled, "I'm going to
find an officer. I'm going to have you arrested."
Doc opened the box on the dashboard and took out a monkey-wrench*. His guest saw the gesture and walked
hurriedly away.
John Steinbeck, Cannery Row.
*a monkey-wrench : une clef à molette.
A. COMPREHENSION
1.Among the following titles, only two are acceptable. Underline them.
a) A well- chosen hitch-hiker
b) A quarrel on the road.
d) The pleasures of hitch-hiking.
e) A friendly driver.
c) An infuriating hitch-hiker
f) An uneventful ride.
2. There are five mistakes in the following summary. Find them out and write them down in the grid below. Write
down the correct phrase or sentence in front of each of them.
Doc stopped at service station where they changed his tyres. A group of hitch-hikers were waiting there. Although
he didn't travel much, Doc knew to deal with the hitch-hikers he didn't like. As the man he had chosen this time had
proved a pleasant talker, Doc stopped and invited him for a drink.
When his passenger remarked that he was extremely dangerous to drink and drive, Doc yelled he wanted him to
leave the car. Once outside, the hitch-hiker howled he was going to have him arrested by the police. Doc laughed at
the threat and the man hurried away.
Mistakes
Correct phrases
3. Choose the phrase meaning the same as the following expressions. Tick  the correct box.
a) "He was an old hand"( line4 )means: He was an ex-motorist.
 He didn't drive very well.
 He had experience.
b) "After you have made up your mind"(line 6) means:
 Once you have made a decision.
 After you have imagined a solution.
 Once you have given your opinion.
c) "If your man turns out too much for you"(line 8) means :
 If your man wants to get out too often.
 If you cannot stand the man.
 If the man moves too much in the car.
d)"I don't mind saying"( line 19) means:
 I don't mean to say.
 I would never say.
 It's no problem for me to say.
e) "A murderous weapon"(line 21) means :
 An arm that can kill.
 A ridiculous instrument.
 A monstrous tool.
4."TRUE" or "FALSE"? Tick the correct box and justify by quoting from the text.
a) Doc didn't attach much importance to the choice of a hitch-hiker.
 TRUE or  FALSE ………………………………………………………………………………………………..
b) He had a preference for men who were used to hitch-hiking.
 TRUE or  FALSE ………………………………………………………………………………………………..
c) He thought new hitch-hikers were interesting because they offered to give money for their ride.
 TRUE or  FALSE ………………………………………………………………………………………………..
d) He knew that with a bit of luck you could fall on a very interesting fellow.
 TRUE or  FALSE ………………………………………………………………………………………………..
5. "TRUE" or "FALSE"? Tick the correct box and justify by quoting from the text.
The hitch-hiker Doc chose
a) was a man with a narrow face.
 TRUE or  FALSE ………………………………………………………………………………………………..
b) seemed to be a salesman.
 TRUE or  FALSE ………………………………………………………………………………………………..
c) looked very happy.
 TRUE or  FALSE ………………………………………………………………………………………………..
d) didn't seem to like Doc very much
 TRUE or  FALSE ………………………………………………………………………………………………..
6. Quote elements from the text proving that the following statements are right (quote for each of them two
elements).
a) The hitch-hiker was very much against a driver having a drink.
1................
2................
b) Doc put an abrupt end to the conversation.
1...............
2...............
c) The passenger threatened to call the police.
1...............
2...............
COMPREHENSION
CORRIGE
1- Among the following titles, only two are acceptable. Underline them.
b) A quarrel on the road
c) An infuriating hitch-hiker
2- There are five mistakes in the following summary. Find them out and write down in the grid below. Write down
the correct phrase or sentence in front of each of them.
- Mistakes
1- they changed his tyres
2- he didn't travel much
3- he didn't like hitch-hikers
4- had proved a pleasant talker
5- Doc laughed at the threat
- Correct phrases
1- they checked his tyres
2- he travelled a lot
3- he was used to taking hitch-hikers
4- he hadn't spoken once
5- he asked him to get out of the car
3) Choose the phrase meaning the same as the following expressions. Tick the correct box.
a)  he had experience
b)  once you have made a decision
c)  if you cannot stand the man
d)  it's no problem for me to say
e)  an arm that can kill
4) "True" or "False" ? Tick the correct box and justify by quoting from the text.
a) False
"You have to pick your hitch-hikers very carefully" (L 4-5)
b) True
"It's best to get an experienced one" (L 5)
c) False
" ...the new ones try to pay for their ride by being interesting" (L 6)
d) True
"You may be just lucky and get a man very much worth knowing" (L 8-9)
5) "True" or "False" ? Tick the correct box and justify by quoting from the text.
a) True
he was "thin-faced" (L 10)
b) True
he was a "salesman-like man" (L 10)
c) False
he had "dark brooding eyes" (L 11)
d) True
"he looked at Doc with dislike" (L 12)
6) Quote elements from the text proving that the following statements are right (quote for each of them two
elements)
a) - "I think it's not a very good idea to drive under the influence of alcohol" (L 19-20)
- "an automobile (...) can be a murderous weapon in the hands of a drunken driver" (L 21-22)
b) - "Get out of the car" (L 23)
- "I'm going to punch you on the nose (...) if you aren't out of this car before I count ten" (L 25-26)
c) - "I'm going to find an officer" (L 28)
- "I'm going to have you arrested" (L 28)