Baccalaureate National Exam 2016 June Arts

Baccalaureate National Exam 2016 June Arts

[1] As men try to find work in big cities in Morocco, women in the countryside are traditionally destined to do the hard work. Every day after lunch, the women of Tizi Oussem (a village in the heart of the High Atlas Mountains) work in the fields, herd the sheep, do the washing by the river, and gather wood for the fire. Even before that, they work for half a day doing housework and taking care of the children. At the end of the day, they gather the wood or crops into bundles which they carry on their shoulders back to the village. Then they start preparing dinner and doing their chores for the evening.

[2] “It’s a tough life, but it is what it is,” says Yamna, a woman from the village. Like all the old women who never attended school, she can’t read or write, and she doesn’t really know how old she is. “This is the life of the mountains. It’s not that good, but we don’t really have a choice. Why don’t men carry the heavy burden? I’m not sure, but most of them just don’t.”
[3] Malika, a 16-year-old girl, dropped out of school before she could graduate because of health problems. But that is only part of the reason why she quitted school. She also has to work and take care of her siblings. Every day she gets up at 6 a.m. to prepare breakfast, and then goes down to the valley to work in the fields or do the laundry by the river. In her free time, she weaves beautiful and colorful carpets. “I regret now that I’ve left school,” she says. “I wish I had continued to become a preschool teacher to help children in the
village.”
[4] Lahcen, 52, is one of the key figures who has multiple responsibilities in the village. He has to call an emergency when someone is in danger, when a woman has to give birth or when the roads are blocked in winter. He also settles disputes and makes sure other villagers help when a family is in need. He admits that life can be difficult in the valley, especially for women. “They carry heavy loads here. It is our tradition. Some people think it’s bad for a man’s reputation to do a woman’s work. That’s why many men leave their wives and children behind to find jobs in big cities. They usually don’t make enough money,” says Lahcen. “They work for about 70 dirhams a day, but the cost of living in the city is higher. The families here don’t really profit from them, and neither does the village. It would be better if they stayed here to make it a better place,” he adds.

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

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

1. Women in Tizi Oussem have a lot to do when they come back from the fields.
   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2. Yamna is happy with her life in the mountains.
   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3. The village does not benefit from the men who go to work in the cities.
   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

B. ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS. (3 pts)

1. What do women in Tizi Oussem do before lunch?
   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2. What was Malika’s dream?
   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3. Is Lahcen a good citizen? (Give one example to justify your answer)
   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

C. COMPLETE THESE SENTENCES WITH INFORMATION FROM THE TEXT. (3 pts)

1. As Yamna has never been to school, she. . . . . . . . . . .
2. Malika left school in order to . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3. In the village of Tizi Oussem, men don’t do women’s work because . . . . . . . . . .

D. FIND IN THE TEXT WORDS OR PHRASES THAT MEAN THE SAME AS (2 pts)

1. collect (paragraph 1) : . . . . . . . .
2. important people (paragraph 4) : . . . . . . . .

E. WHAT DO THE UNDERLINED WORDS IN THE TEXT REFER TO? (2 pts)

1. them (paragraph 2) : . . . . . . . . . .
2. here (paragraph 4) : . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

F. CHOOSE THE BEST TITLE FOR THE TEXT. (2 pts)

1. Girls’ education in Tizi Oussem
2. The beauty of nature in Tizi Oussem
3. Women’s hard life in Tizi Oussem
   The best title is . . . . . . . . . . . .

II. LANGUAGE (15 POINTS)
A. FILL IN THE GAPS WITH THE APPROPRIATE WORDS FROM THE LIST. (2 pts)

opportunities – create – concerned – take – environmental – educated – issues

Global citizens are . . . . . . with the world’s stability and prosperity. They . . . . . . .
action to deal with global . . . . . . such as poverty, war, child abuse and . . . . . . .
degradation.

B. GIVE THE CORRECT FORM OF THE WORDS IN BRACKETS. (2 pts)

1. The teacher gave three examples to (illustration) . . . . . . . the concept of sustainable
   development.
2. The objective of this cultural event is to promote (tolerate) . . . . . . . . . . within the community.

C. FILL IN THE GAPS WITH THE APPROPRIATE WORDS FROM THE LIST. (1 pt)

who – where – which – when – whose

This school, . . . . . . . was built last year, is now receiving hundreds of students . . . . . . . . . used to walk a long way to attend classes.

D. PUT THE VERBS IN BRACKETS IN THE CORRECT FORM. (3 pts)

I (not be able) . . . . . . . to attend Adil’s birthday party yesterday because I (have) . . . . . . .
a lot of work to do. If he had called me earlier, I (arrange). . . . . . . . . to join him.

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

1. I can’t drive my father’s car because I don’t have a driving licence.
   If only. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
2. “I will be at the train station before 9:30,” Mr Carlson said.
   Mr Carlson said that . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
3. In this hotel, they serve breakfast at 7 a.m.
   In this hotel, breakfast . . . . . . . . .

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

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

1. You are in a hotel. There is no hot water in the shower.
   You (Complain to the manager): . . . . . . . .
2. You forgot to buy your friend a present for her birthday.
   You (Apologize to her): . . . . . . . . . .

Key Answers to Baccalaureate National Exam 2016 June Arts

III. WRITING (10 POINTS)

TASK 1: Complete the following email. (4 pts)

Hi Jane,
You said you’re looking for a good place to spend your holiday. Well, I advise you to visit Morocco for the following reasons. First, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

I hope you can make it. You’ll certainly enjoy your stay here. 

Take care.

TASK 2: Write a reply to the following email. (6 pts)

Hello everyone,
My two sons spend too much time chatting and playing video games. I’m really worried about their studies and social life. What should I do? Please, help.

Worried father

Dear worried father,
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .