FIRST TERM EXAMINATION OF ENGLISH
Level 3, LFL streams
2011-2012
PART ONE: Reading (15 pts)
Read the following passage and then do the activities given below:
The Incan civilization rose in Cuzco, a city in south-eastern Peru, near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes
mountain range, around 1200 AD. As the city was growing larger and wealthier, the Inca people felt the need
to conquer other territories. Thus, what was before a city became soon a great empire, stretching northward
and southward to the present-day Bolivia and Argentina, then eastward and westward to the dry coastal
desert and the steamy Amazonian forest of today’s Chile and Brazil.
In addition to their well-developed system of agriculture that allowed them to live in abundance, the Incas
achieved many more amazing things; amongst them a very developed system of roads and a well-refined
architecture. Given the geographic characteristics of the Andes Mountains, one will indeed be perplexed
about how those small Indians managed to lay out thousands of miles of stone-paved roads and build gigantic
temples with huge blocks of decorated stones.
The Incas lived in a stratified society in which Sapa Inca held the supreme position of the emperor. As in
many ancient societies, the Incas believed in several divinities. For instance, they worshipped Pachamama,
the Earth goddess, and Inti, the Sun god. The Inti Raymi was the most important of the Incan festivities and it
was carried out in the public place of Cuzco City, every year on June 21, i.e., in the winter solstice.
Unfortunately, around 1500 AD, the Incan Empire had to face a deadly disease, the plague, and a better
armed enemy, the Spanish conquistadors. More and more weakened by the disease and continuously
harassed by the gold-thirsty Spaniards, the Incas had finally to yield in 1532, marking the end of their empire.
But today, even though the remains of this empire are only ruins, they are still there to bear witness to the
greatness of the Incan civilization.
Source: Internet,
Adaptation: D.Messaoudi
A/ Comprehension and interpretation (7pts)
I. Answer the following questions according to the text; (precision & conciseness are required) :
a) Where did the Incan civilization rise ? In India ? In Spain ? Or in America ?
b) Did the Incas suffer from lack of food ? Justify your answer.
c) Who was the Incas’ most important ruler ? How was he called ?
d) What caused the fall of the Incan civilization ?
e) How long ago did the Incan civilization start ? And how long did it last ?
f) What is the evidence today that a great civilization had developed in the time of the Incas?
II. Reorder the following ideas according to their occurrence in the above text:
a) Civilizational achievements of the Incas.
b) The fall of the Incan civilization.
c) The Incas’ lifestyle.
d) The time and the place the Incan civilisation emerged and developed in.
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B/ Text exploration: (08 pts)
1. Find in the text words closest in meaning to the following ones:
a) richer (§1), b) large quantity (§2), c) gods (§3), d) give up (§4)
2. Find in the text words opposite in meaning to the following ones:
a) ancient (§1), b) very small (§2), c) lowest (§3), d) harmless (§4)
3. Find in the text words corresponding to the definitions given below:
a) The profession of designing buildings with consideration for their aesthetic effect. (§2)
b) Divided into social classes and castes. (§3)
c) Historical or archaeological relics. (§4)
4. What does the sentence written in italics express (§4) ? Rewrite it, using “yet”.
5. Which quantifier can replace the phrase in italics (§2) ? “so much” or “so many” ? Justify.
6. Find in (§3) two prepositional verbs and then use one of them in a sentence of your own.
7. What does the underlined phrase express (§4) ? Put it in a sentence of yours, using a time
adverb or an adverbial phrase of time to indicate the time the action has taken place in.
PART TWO: Written expression (05 pts)
Choose only one topic:
Topic 1: Write a short composition in which you compare the past and the present ways of
life of a society of your choice.
Topic 2: Rely on the following plan & clues to write a composition about the way of life in
ancient Saudi Arabia.
Introductory paragraph (make an overall comparison of the Saudi Arabian lifestyle before & after Islam)
Developing paragraph (deal with food habits, beliefs, clothing, transport, etc.)
Concluding paragraph (synthesize your ideas & give your point of view about the treated lifestyle)
Pay attention !
Keeping your paper clean and well-organized will help the corrector understand its content;
that will help him also to assign you a fair mark.
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