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Abd errahmane Ibn Aouf High School -Ain Khadra- School Year: 2018/2019
The First Term English Examination
Date: Tuesday, December 4th,2018 Level: 3rd year Literary streams (L & Flgs) Time : 2hours
Part One: Reading & Interpreting
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it.
In the middle Ages, historians spoke of the two Spains, one Christian and the other Muslim. By
Spain they meant the Iberian Peninsula: Spain and Portugal. On the other hand Muslims spoke of Andalusia
that embraced all parts of Iberia which were Muslim. Europeans called the Andalusians Moors and their
culture, Moorish.
Andalusia was among the greatest manifestations of civilization Europe has ever witnessed. It was
tolerant and cosmopolitan. It embraced Muslims, Christians and Jews. The Muslim population was diverse:
Iberians, Berbers, Arabs, Tautens, Sub-Saharan Africans, Slavs, Persians and others. Musa Ibn Maimun a
Jew physician once said that the greatest danger for an Andalusian Jew was attraction to Islam.
However, Christians and Jews took pride of the Andalusian way of life, habits, styles and the Arabic
tongue. Several Jews wrote on the virtues of Arabic and recognized it was superior to Hebrew. A Jew
physician and translator of Arabic works said that Arabic was the richest language in the world and the
best suited for every type of writing. He felt Arabic was the supreme poetic language for science and the
perfect language for philosophy, since it penetrated the hearts of matters and made the obscure clear.
Even Moorish music was an advanced science. Andalusian music being among the most highly
developed music forms in the world. Thanks to Ziryab “the Nightingale”, who was also known for “Al
Muwashahat”.
A/Comprehension
1) The text refers to: a) Ancient Europe b) Ancient Spain c) Arabs civilization
2) Choose the best answer according to the text:
a) In the fifteenth century, the Muslim world spread from:
1- Asia to Europe. 2- Andalusia to Spain. 3- Europe to Spain.
b) For former historians, the two Spains consisted of:
1- Europe and the Iberian Peninsula. 2- Spain and Portugal. 3-Spain, Portugal and the Iberian Peninsula
c) Arabic was the language of:
1- science. 2- science and philosophy. 3- science, philosophy and poetry.
3) What do the underlined words refer to in the text?
a) By Spain they meant.... (§1) b) It was tolerant....... (§2)
4) In which paragraph is it mentioned that Andalusia was one of the giant demonstrations of European
civilizations?
5) Answer the questions according to the text
a) What were the two Spains according to historians?
b) Did the Jews recognize the superiority of Arabic to Hebrew?
c) Why was Arabic said to be the language of science and philosophy?
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B) Text exploration:
1) Find in the text words whose definitions follow:
a- Containing people from different countries and influenced by their culture. (§2)
b- Accepting somebody/something, opinions, behaviors that you may not agree with (§3)
2) Combine the pairs using the connector between brackets making any necessary changes.
a- Islamic Civilization built a brilliant civilization / they left Spain in 1492. (Before)
b- Andalusia was governed by Muslims / all the other religions were respected. (However)
c- Invaders came and took power over ancient civilizations / Ancient civilizations flourished. (Until)
3) Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form:
a- When did the Chinese (to start) the construction of the great wall?
b- After the Muslims (to leave) Spain, they (to go) to North Africa in places which (to become) flourishing
centers.
4) Classify the following words according to the pronunciation of final “ed”.
Advanced - separated - called – recognized
/t/ /d/ /id/
5) Reorder the following sentences to make a coherent paragraph
a) Consequently, many civilizations could write their history.
b) The letters were written on clay tablets.
c) It was the Sumerians who first used a writing system.
d) because paper had not been invented yet.
Part Two: Written Expression
Choose only one topic.
Topic one: Civilizations emerged, grew, developed, expanded...then, collapsed and sometimes
disappeared without a trace. Use the following notes to write a composition about the causes of the rise
and fall of civilizations throughout time, giving examples of famous ancient civilizations
-Causes of the rise: Peace, Sovereignty, Water, self-reliance, unity, strong government....
-Causes of the collapse: Epidemics, wars, climate change, natural catastrophes.
Topic two: Many ancient civilizations have made major contributions to the modern world. Write a
paragraph of about 80 words on some of their contributions.
-Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery but today is a gift. That is why, it is called present
- Civilization begins with order, grow with liberty and dies with chaos.
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صÙرة ذات صÙØ©
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Abd errahmane Ibn Aouf High School -Ain Khadra- School Year: 2018/2019
The First Term English Examination
Date: Tuesday, December 4th,2018 Level: 3rd year Literary streams (L & Flgs) Time : 2 hours
Part One: Reading & Interpreting
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it.
The Alhambra in Granada was built by the Muslims when Spain was known as Al Andalus. Originally it
was a fortress, a palace and a small city all in one. Today, it is one of the most popular tourist attractions in
Spain. The name ‘Alhambra’ comes from an Arabic word and means ‘red castle.’ This probably refers to the
colour of the clay used to build the walls and towers. The Alhambra was completed in the 14th century by
Yusuf I and Muhammed V, Sultan of Granada. Until the end of Al Andalus, it was the home of the Muslim
rulers and their court. In 1492, the Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella conquered Granada, the last
Muslim kingdom on the peninsula. The Christian court was established and the Muslims had to leave their
beautiful palace.
During the 18th and 19th centuries, the Alhambra fell into neglect. Its walls began to fall down and its
gardens became overgrown. After public protests, it was declared a national monument in 1870. Since
then, a lot of work has been done to preserve the building for future generations.
The Alhambra contains some wonderful examples of Moorish architecture and engineering. Colored
tiles cover the walls and delicate arches surround the many patios. The gardens are watered by a
sophisticated irrigation system. One of the most impressive aspects of the Alhambra is its position. It is
built on a hill on the south-eastern border of the city and behind it are the mountains of the Sierra Nevada.
Adapted from Reinforcement and Extension Worksheets (essential science p55)
A/ Comprehension:
1- Choose the right answer:
a-The text is about:
a-The conquest of Andalusia b- The fall of Granada c- A famous Islamic monument in Spain
b- The type of the text is: a- descriptive b- argumentative c- narrative
2. Put the following sentences in the order they appear in the text.
a) Signs of Andalusians′ architecture and art
b) Muslims were expelled from Spain after the fall of Granada.
c) The Alhambra Palace meant a lot for the Muslim world.
3. Answer the following questions according to the text.
a- What was Spain called when the Alhambra was built?
b- Why was the Alhambra given its name?
c- Who lived in the Alhambra until 1492 and after 1492?
d- Why was the Alhambra made a national monument?
4. In which paragraph is it mentioned:
a- the names of two Spanish monarchs captured the city of Granada.
b- two examples of Moorish art and architecture.
5. What do the underlined words refer to in the text?
a) It .... (§1) b) their....... (§1)
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B/ Text Exploration
1. Find in the text:
a- a synonym of: -invaded (§ 1)=................ declined ( § 2)=................
b- a word whose definition is: - a strong building used for defense ( § 1)
- the system of bringing water to crops and land ( § 3)
2. Complete the following table.
Verbs Nouns Adjectives
................... significance ............................
............................ ...................... beautiful
Translate ....................... .......................
3. Join the following pairs of sentences using the appropriate connector. Make any necessary changes.
After, although, in spite of
a-The Alhambra Castle was built by the Arabs, the Spanish consider that it is part of their patrimony.
b- They are not Muslims, the Spanish are proud of the buildings the Islamic Civilization left in their
country.
c-The Arabs conquered many rich provinces, they became powerful.
4. Reorder the following sentences into a coherent paragraph.
a- have made it a popular tourist attraction.
b- its manufacture of gold and silver ornaments
c- Córdoba’s Moorish character and its fine buildings
d- The city is noted for its traditional medieval handicrafts,
e- as well as, the manufacture of machinery parts and metal working.
5. Classify the following verbs according to their final “ed” pronunciation.
developed - planted - produced - civilized
/ T / / d / / id /
Part Two: Written Expression
Choose only one topic
Either topic one: Explain why most of the ancient civilizations developed along rivers.
You may use these ideas: Water for agriculture / daily household use / irrigating lands / farming / breeding
animals / transport / building...
Or topic two: Write a letter to one of your pen friends to invite her/him to visit a famous historical place
in your country. Locate the place, say what is it famous for and who used to live there, what people could
do and invent.
-Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery but today is a gift. That is why, it is called present
- Civilization begins with order, grow with liberty and dies with chaos.
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صÙرة ذات صÙØ©
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Abd errahmane Ibn Aouf High School -Ain Khadra- School Year: 2018/2019
The First Term English Examination
Date: Tuesday, December 4th,2018 Level: 3rd year Literary streams (L & Flgs) Time : 2 hours
Part One: Reading & Interpreting
Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below it.
Civilization developed slowly in different parts of the world. People began to settle in areas with
abundant natural resources. For thousands of years, people have given up their nomadic lifestyles to settle
in a part of the world archaeologists later called the Fertile Crescent. This latter is a boomerang or crescent
-shaped region that extends from the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. The
Fertile Crescent is a rich food-growing area in a part of the world where most of the land is too dry for
farming.
Some of the best farmland of the Fertile Crescent is on a narrow strip of land between the Tigris and
Euphrates Rivers. The two rivers travel near one another for thousands of miles before they combine to
drain into the Persian Gulf. The Greeks called this area Mesopotamia, which means "land between the
rivers." Water from the Tigris and Euphrates soaks into the surrounding land, so although Mesopotamia
has very little rainfall, the land is rich in nutrients.
Many different civilizations flourished in this small region. The Sumerians slowly developed one of the
first civilizations in the southeastern region of Mesopotamia as long as 7,500 years ago. The Sumerians
created the first written language called Cuneiform. This wedge shaped language was the first recorded
language that did not use hieroglyphics or pictures to represent words. The Sumerians would imprint the
letters onto clay tablets using a stylus, or writing tool, to make the triangle shaped letters. The first forms
of writing were created to keep track of the crops and trade.
Several other civilizations dominated part or all of the Fertile Crescent the Persians of modern day Iran,
the Greeks under Alexander the Great, the Romans, the Assyrians, the Egyptians, and the Ottoman Turks.
A/ Comprehension:
1-Circle the letter that corresponds to the right answer
The text is: a) expository b) prescriptive c) narrative.
2-Choose the right answer.
1-The western end of the Fertile Crescent touches the:
a- Mediterranean Sea b- Persian Gulf c - Red Sea
2-The term Mesopotamia means:
a- fertile land b- land between the rivers c- gift of the gods
4- The first group of people to create a great civilization in Mesopotamia were:
a- Persians b-Egyptians c-Sumerians
3. Answer the following questions according to the text.
a- What is the Fertile Crescent and where is it located?
b- What two rivers make up Mesopotamia?
c- Why was the first form of writing created?
4. In which paragraph is it mentioned that the Sumerians created the first form of writing?
5. What do the underlined words refer to in the text?
a) This latter .... (§1) b) they....... (§2)
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B/ Text Exploration
1. Find in the text:
a- A synonym of: -various (§ 1) =................... -named (§ 2)=................
b- An opposite to: - rare ( § 1) ≠................ - wide ( § 2) ≠..................
2. Complete the following table.
Verbs Nouns Adjectives
................... significance ............................
............................ ...................... beautiful
Translate ....................... .......................
3. Rewrite sentence (b) so that it means the same as (a)
a- Although It rarely rained in Mesopotamia. The Sumerians developed a strong system of irrigation.
b- In spite of................................................
a- After the Arabs had conquered many rich provinces, they became powerful.
b- Before.......................................................................................................
4. Reorder the following sentences into a coherent paragraph.
a) Consequently, many civilizations could write their history.
b) The letters were written on clay tablets.
c) It was the Sumerians who first used a writing system.
d) because paper had not been invented yet.
5. Classify the following verbs according to their final “ed” pronunciation.
developed - planted - produced - civilized
/ T / / d / / id /
Part Two: Written Expression
Choose only one topic
Either topic one: Explain why most of the ancient civilizations developed along rivers.
You may use these ideas: Water for agriculture / daily household use / irrigating lands / farming / breeding
animals / transport / building...
Or topic two: Write a letter to one of your pen friends to invite her/him to visit a famous historical place
in your country. Locate the place, say what is it famous for and who used to live there, what people could
do and invent.
-Yesterday is history, tomorrow is a mystery but today is a gift. That is why, it is called present
- Civilization begins with order, grow with liberty and dies with chaos.
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صÙرة ذات صÙØ©