Baccalaureate National Exam 2009 June Arts

Baccalaureate National Exam 2009 June Arts

Traditionally, the idea of a working woman was not accepted by many people; they saw it as a radical change in family life. The reasons were simple: a woman’s place is at home. Who is going to clean, cook, feed the kids, and look after them?

Batool, a 29-year-old Kuwaiti pharmacist and mother of two children says: “I feel guilty.” Now that my eldest daughter is going to school, I’m starting to have second thoughts about being a career woman.” She says that when she was a kid, her mother would wake her up every morning for school. “She made us breakfast, me and five other siblings, whereas I find difficulty taking care of only two daughters,” she added.

Like many other young Kuwaiti women, Batool finds it necessary to be taking a share in the household finances. “It’s not as easy as it used to be with my mother’s generation,” explained Batool. “A woman now has to have her own income, if not to support her family, then to satisfy her needs. Life is too expensive compared to twenty or thirty years ago.” The number of working women in Kuwait is continuously increasing, with 42 percent participating in the total of Kuwait’s working force, according to a recent study conducted by the Arab Planning Institute.

Reem, a student, says: “I’m studying hard to get a degree, have a good career and make a difference. Moreover, at this point in my life, I don’t want to have any kids. Maybe five years after my marriage, I will start to consider it. But I want to do my master’s degree abroad and I can’t do that unless I’m married; otherwise, my dad won’t permit it.”

Aisha, a 51-year-old mother, has been a housewife all her life. She says: “I got married when I was seventeen and didn’t have time to finish high school. Most of my friends studied further. Some of them are successful in their careers.”

Staving at home to take care of children or working to increase the family’s income is apparently a personal choice. “I believe that you can do well in what you believe in if you have your family supporting you,” says Aisha. The debate over working women versus housewives is one that has been going on for generations. This is the issue that women around the world have to deal with. They are under the pressure of supporting a household with an additional income and the guilt of not being available for the kids. Finding the balance between both worlds is what is expected of women, something that is not always feasible.

I- COMPREHENSION (15 points) N.B. Base all your answers on the text

A/ WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING WOULD BE THE BEST TITLE FOR THE PASSAGE? (2pts)

1. 1. The problem of illiterate women in Kuwait
2. 2. The problem of working women in Kuwait 
3. 3. The problem of housewives in Kuwait
4. THE BEST TITLE IS : ………………………………….

B/ ARE THESE STATEMENTS ‘TRUE’ OR ‘FALSE’? JUSTIFY: (2 pts)

1. 1. Reem will be able to study abroad if she gets married
   ……………………..
2. 2. Aisha has never had a chance to work. 
   ………………………

C/ ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS: (3 pts)

1. According to Batool, why is it important for a woman to have her own income?
……………………………..

2. What is Reem doing for the moment? 
……………………………..

3. According to the author, what is expected of working women?
……………………………..

D/ COMPLETE THESE SENTENCES: (2 pts)

1. Unlike her mother, Batool finds it difficult to ……………

2. The study of the Arab Planning Institute shows that…………..

E- FIND IN THE TEXT WORDS THAT MEAN THE SAME AS: (3 pts)

1. child (paragraph. 2): …………………………..
2. allow (paragraph. 4): …………………………..
3. look after (paragraph. 6): …………………………..

F/ WHAT DO THE UNDERLINED WORDS IN THE TEXT REFER TO? (3 pts)

1- it (Parag 1): ………….. 
2- she (Parag 2): …………. 
3- them (Parag 5): ………..

II- LANGUAGE (15 points)

A/ Fill in the gaps with the appropriate collocations from the list: (3 pts)

film making – have access – take place – have fun – note taking – take care

1. Many people do not ……………………..to the Internet in the countryside.

2. Listening and ……………………..are important skills to understand presentations at the university.

3. “Where will the next conference ……………………..?” the journalist asked.

B/ Give the correct form of the words in brackets: (3 pts)

Parents often worry about their children’s (addict) ………. to computer games. They think that playing games for a long time can be (harm) ………… to their children’s health. They are also afraid of changes that might occur in their (behave) …………

C/ Put the verbs between brackets in the correct tense: (1.5 pts)

Last Monday, while firemen (try) ……………. to put the fire in the forest, two helicopters (join) ……… them. Unfortunately, most of the trees were destroyed. We hope that by the end of 2011, the local authorities (replant) …………. the forest.

D/ Fill in the gaps with the appropriate words from the list: (1.5 pts)

where – which – who – whom – whose

Many Moroccan immigrants ……………. live abroad would like to return to Morocco ……………. they can invest their money. They have promising projects ……………. which will certainly help to improve the local economy.

E/ Rewrite the sentences beginning with the words given: (3 pts)

1. “I won’t be able to attend the wedding party.”
Kamal said……………………………………………………………………

2. The association has funded many social projects.
Many social projects………………………………………………………..

3. Mounir dropped out of school at an early age.
Mounir wishes……………………………………………………………….

F/ Fill in the gaps with the appropriate words or expressions from the list (3 pts)

whereas – due to – as a result – despite – though – so as to

1. Jane was often absent from work; …………………., her director dismissed her.
2. I’ll try to find some time to see you this afternoon …………………. I have so many things to do.
3. Thousands of people are driven out of their homes …………………. civil wars in many parts of the world.

III- WRITING (10 points)

Young people often face many problems at home and at school. Write an email to a friend telling him/her about a problem that you or one of your friends once faced. (Approximately 250 words)
– What was the problem? When was it?
– Who was involved? (father, mother, teacher, headmaster, classmates etc)
– Was the problem solved? How? – How did you or your friend feel?

Key Answers to Baccalaureate National Exam 2009 June Arts