Baccalaureate National Exam 2011 June Humanities

Baccalaureate National Exam 2011 June Humanities

Touria returned to Morocco together with her French spouse Michel and their one-year-old child. She wanted to introduce her husband to her family and celebrate their marriage in the Moroccan way. She is just one of a growing number of Moroccan women deciding to marry men from other backgrounds and traditions.

“Michel, now named Mehdi, is a friendly person. He tries to understand our traditions and social habits,” she said. Her husband agrees to raise their child in accordance with traditional Moroccan values while she respects his French roots. Although Touria’s mother accepted the marriage, she is worried about the success of the relationship because of cultural differences. According to her, marrying a foreigner would only cause problems, especially if there was a lack of understanding.

According to a recent study conducted by the Ministry of Justice, the number of Moroccan women who married foreigners increased from 2,507 in 2001 to 5,664 in 2009. Meanwhile, the number of Moroccan men who married foreigners rose from 1,366 in 2001 to 4,320 in 2009.

Meriem, another Moroccan woman who is married to a Spanish man, said: “My marriage took place by chance. I went to a friend’s house on a weekend where I met Pedro. My father insisted on testing him for a month; so we invited him over to our house in Morocco. My father told him about the traditions of our society, family habits, and the teachings of our religion. My husband accepted all that with an open heart.”

Mustafa al-Ashhab, a lawyer, said: “Girls looking for opportunities to emigrate often choose to marry foreigners. Similarly, young men, looking for moral or financial support while living in a foreign country, get married to women in that country”. Yet, such mixed marriages often affect children’s identity and psychological stability.

Jamal Al-Zayadi, a sociologist, believes that although spouses may have a good relationship with each other, children born into mixed marriages will still face problems. “They are foreigners when they come to Morocco, and they are Moroccans when they go to a foreign country despite the legal residence they have in that country,” Al-Zayadi explains. Consequently, they feel that they are marginalized, and this creates more problems for them and their parents. Fortunately, a new citizenship law has given mothers the right to pass their Moroccan citizenship on to their children of foreign husbands.

I. COMPREHENSION (15 POINTS) BASE ALL YOUR ANSWERS ON THE TEXT

A. ARE THESE SENTENCES TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY. (3 pts)

1. When Touria returned to Morocco, she was not married to Michel yet.
2. Touria can raise her child according to Moroccan values.
3. Children born into mixed marriages have no identity problems.

B. ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS. (3 pts)

1. Why is Touria’s mother not sure about the success of her daughter’s marriage?
2. Where did Meriem meet Pedro?
3. What do statistics show about the number of Moroccan men marrying foreigners?

C. COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES. (3 pts)

1. Meriem’s family invited Pedro to their house because……..
2. Young men living in a foreign country marry women there in order to………..
3. An advantage of the new citizenship law is …….

D. FIND IN THE TEXT WORDS THAT MEAN ALMOST THE SAME AS. (3 pts)

1. husband (paragraph.1): ………………
2. origins (paragraph.2): ………………
3. thinks (paragraph.6): ………………

E. WHAT DO THE UNDERLINED WORDS IN THE TEXT REFER TO? (3 pts)

1. her: ………………
2. him: ………………
3. They: ………………

II. LANGUAGE (15 POINTS)

A. FILL IN EACH GAP WITH AN APPROPRIATE WORD OR EXPRESSION FROM THE LIST. (2 pts)

1. My parents ……………………… travel at the weekend if the weather is nice.
   have – may – need
2. You …………………… have bought all this food. There aren’t many guests.
   won’t – wouldn’t – needn’t
3. Try to avoid ……………………… food that contains too much fat.
   to eat – eating – eat
4. The village …………………….. we grew up has completely changed.
   where – which – whose

B.REWRITE THE SENTENCES BEGINNING WITH THE WORDS GIVEN. (3 pts)

1. We didn’t send the invitations on time.
   The invitations …………………………
2. It’s a pity I didn’t study Biology.
   I wish …………………………
3. “How can you remember all those phone numbers?” I asked Tom.
   I asked Tom …………………………

C. PUT THE VERBS BETWEEN BRACKETS IN THE CORRECT TENSE. (2 pts)

Jane: (you take) …………………… your driving test yet?
Badre: Not yet, I’m still taking driving lessons; I hope I (finish) ……………………
next month.
D. FILL IN EACH GAP WITH AN APPROPRIATE WORD FROM THE LIST. (2 pts)

harmful – connection – consumption – common – powerful

1. The main objective of advertising is to encourage ……………………
2. Excessive use of mobile phones can be ……………………… to your health.

E. GIVE THE CORRECT FORM OF THE WORDS BETWEEN BRACKETS. (2 pts)

1. I finally got a job. I now feel (independence) …………………… of my parents.
2. The city council has made the necessary (arrange) …………………… for the summer
   festival.

F. MATCH EACH EXPRESSION WITH ITS APPROPRIATE FUNCTION. (2 pts)

1. Many people attended the match despite the bad weather.
2. The wedding party was delayed due to financial problems.
3. He’s learning Spanish so as to communicate with his Spanish wife.
4. Physical exercise helps you keep fit. It can also make you feel relaxed.
   a. Cause and effect
   b. Concession
   c. Addition
   d. Purpose.
5. . . . . . . 2. . . . . . . . 3. . . . . . . 4. . . . . . . . .

G. WRITE APPROPRIATE RESPONSES TO THE FOLLOWING SITUATIONS. (2 pts)

1. You are staying in a hotel. The room is dirty.
   You: (complain to the hotel manager)………………………………………………………
2. Teacher: You are late again!
   You: (apologize) …………………………………………

III. WRITING (10 POINTS)
In Morocco, road accidents are responsible for the death and injury of many people. You think that students in your school should know more about this serious problem.
Write an article for your school magazine explaining the causes and consequences of the problem and suggesting ways to reduce the number of road accidents in Morocco. (Approximately 250 words)
The following notes may help you:

• Causes: bad drivers/bad roads/bad cars/corruption/ using mobile phone while driving.
• Consequences: dead/handicapped people, orphans, widows, waste of money
• Suggestions: educate/inform people, punish bad drivers,

Key Answers to Baccalaureate National Exam 2011 June Humanities