THE MOROCCAN BACCALAUREATE ENGLISH EXAM

THE MOROCCAN BACCALAUREATE ENGLISH EXAM

As a young girl in India, Neeta Mundhra dreamed of leaving home someday, going to college and getting a job, She didn’t see herself in the traditional role of a married Indian woman, dressed in the simple elegance of a sari (Indian dress) and staying home to manage a household.

Then, when she was 21, an arranged marriage steeped in Indian tradition ended up giving Mundhra the untraditional Indian life she wanted – but in Chicago’s Northern suburbs. Neeta’s new life in the United States is a long way from the small Indian town called Farrkuhabad where she grew up. She met her husband, Rakesh, through relatives when he decided to return to India to find a wife in 1997.

Rakesh mundhra, 29, has lived in the United States since he was 7 years old, when his father came to work here as an engineer. The family has long been a part of the Indian community in the Northwest suburbs, but Rakesh Mundhra wanted a wife raised with traditional Indian values, including a willingness to live with his family.

Neeta Mundhra had the option of denying Rakesh’s marriage request, but the couple met twice and liked each other. They shared many of the same values and decided to marry. "I thought I was going to say, ‘No’, but when I saw him, everything was different," Neeta mundhra said, laughing. "He was very handsome, and I liked his family."

Neeta Mundhra explained that young, single people in the United States have different ideas about life and marriage than those in India. For many Indians, the constant support and cooperation of family members is important, while most Americans move away from home in their twenties.

Mundhra carried her beliefs with her to the United States and was surprised that American youth have multiple long-term relationships before getting married. "I just believe in one," she said. "I love American people, but we have traditions, we cooperate with each other and complement each other, and I like that." Still, the arranged marriage that brought Neeta Mundhra to the United States became a wedding of two cultures.

Local Indians said it is different living in a country even people who aren’t rich can have such lixuries as cars, cellular phones and heat in their homes. "The Indians who come here have the education and might be richer than other immigrants, but they still have more opportunities to have things here," said Sumit Roy, whose family immigrated to the Chicago area in 1981, and who now works in the technology industry. "A lot of people come here as professionals and open a business, but it doesn't’ mean they totally give up their culture to come here."

I- COMPREHENSION:

BASE ALI YOUR ANSWERS ON THE TEXT

A/ ARE THESE SENTENCES TRUE OR FALES? JUSTIFY

1. Neeta didn’t imagine herself as a traditional housewife in the future. ………………………………………………………………………..

2. Rakesh was born in the United States ………………………………………………………………………..

3. Neeta and Rakesh never saw each other before marriage ………………………………………………………………………..

B/ ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS:

………………………………………………………………………..

1. Why did Rakesh go back to India?

………………………………………………………………………..

2. What made Neeta accept to marry Rakesh?

………………………………………………………………………..

3. What surprised Neeta in the United States?

………………………………………………………………………..

C/ COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES:

1.The difference between American young single people and Indian one is that most Americans ……………………………………..

2. The two cultures the writer refers to in paragraph 6 are ……………….

D/ WHAT DO THE UNDERLINED WORDS IN THE TEXT REFER TO? ( WORDS IN BOLD TYPE AND ITALICS )

1. They (paragraph 3) ………………….

2. Those (paragraph 4) : ……………………

3. Here (paragraph 6) : ……………..

E/ FIND IN THE TEXT WORDS THAT MEAN THE SAME AS:

1. Brought up (paragraph 2): …………………..

2. Refusing (paragrapg 3) ……………………...

II- LANGUAGE

A/ MATCH A WORD FROM COLUMN A WITH ONE FROM COLUMN B TO MAKE COLLOCATIONS:

COLUMN A

1.population

2.racial

COLUMN B

a.race

b.growth

c.abuse

d.waste

e.demography

1……………. 2……………….

B/ GIVE THE CORRECT FORM OF THE WORDS BETWEEN BRACKETS:

1. I was not surprised at Nadia’s (refuse) _______________ to take the new post at the company. As she is very (ambition) _______________ she thinks that it doesn't match her (expect) _______________

C/ FILL IN THE BLANKS WITH THE APPROPRIATE WORDS FROM THE LIST:

a. which b. who c. where d. whose e. when

The nurse took care of the soldier ___________ injuries were serious. Every day, she treated his wounds, ___________were deep and infected.

D/ REWRITE THE SENTENCES BEGINNIBG WITH THE WORDS GIVEN:

1. We don’t do much to preserve the environment.

I wish ………………………………….

2. People don’t respect children’s rights in many countries.

Children’s rights ………………………………………..

3. Souad made many mistakes because she didn’t revise her composition.

If ………………………………………………….

III- WRITING

A foreign NGO (non-governmental organisation) has a budget to support a project in your area.

Write a letter to the officials of this organisation to suggest how this money can be effectively invested (build a school, a hospital, a stadium, etc). Mention in your letter the importance of the project and its benefits for the population in your area.