3em/ LE. ************** Saturday, May 17th, 08.
THIRD TERM EXAM.
I) Reading and Interpreting: (14pts)
Read this passage carefully then do the activities:
All of us like to laugh, but only some of us can explain the reasons for laughing. It seems that
smiles, shared laughter and good human relationships go together. Laughter is unplanned, often unpredictable, and sometimes personal. It resists close analysis. Despite the difficulty of explaining all the causes of laughter, however, we may note a few common elements. There must be something to laugh at, whether a person, a thing, a situation, a custom, a habit of speech or a dialect.
Human beings normally know what to expect under given conditions, and anything contrary to these expectations is incongruous and may therefore generate a great deal of laughter. When the temperature is 50°c, for example, you expect people to dress lightly. But if you see a person who is dressed in a heavy overcoat, a warm hat, a muffler and large gloves who is waving his arms and stamping his feet to keep warm, this person violates your expectations. Because his clothes and behaviour are inappropriate or incongruous, you would likely laugh at him.
Finally, laughter depends on seeing something new or unique, or experiencing a known thing freshly. There will be very little or no laughter at all if the circumstances promoting laughter are not spontaneous. Perhaps you have had someone explain a joke or funny situation only to find that the explanation killed your chance to indulge in a little laughter.
(Adapted from Edgar V. Roberts, Writing themes about Literature,
pp.144-145 )
1) Choose the answer (a, b or c) that best completes the following statements: (1pts)
A) This text has been taken from: a) A magazine; b) a literary book; c) a newspaper
B) This text is : a) Expository; b) Prescriptive; c) Descriptive.
C) This text deals with: a) Friendship; b) Comedy; c) laughter.
D) The best title to this text is: a) Why we laugh; b) Laughing is Important; c)How to Laugh.
2) Are these statements true or false? Quote from the text to correct the wrong ones. (2pts)
a) Everyone knows why we laugh.
b) There are a few common elements why people laugh.
c) Unexpected situations may cause a great deal of laughter.
d) Laughter depends on seeing something new or unique.
3) Answer the following questions according to the text: (1.5)
a) Do all the people know why they laugh? Justify your answer.
b) What may make a person laugh?
c) When and why does a person violate your expectations? Quote from the text to justify your
answer.
4) What do the underlined words in the text refer to? (1)
a) Us §1; b) It §1; c)We §1; d)Who §2.
5a) Find in the text words that are closest in meaning to: (1pt)
a) causes §1; b) In spite of §1; c) provoke §2; d) a lot of §2.
b) Find in the text words that are opposite to: (0.5)
a) a little §2; b) similar §2.
6) Divide the following words into their roots and affixes: (1)
a) unpredictable; b) expectations; c) laughter; d) brighten.
Prefix******** Root*******Suffix
Eg: im********* person********* al
Eg: impersonal
7) Supply the plural form of the following words: (1pt)
a) a phenomenon; b) a difficulty; c) a joke; d) a match.
Supply the correct form of the verbs in brackets: (2.5)
People like (laugh) when they (be) very happy. But when they are sad, they’d rather (not laugh).
They prefer (remain) silent and they (not like speak).
9) Fill in each gap using only 6 words from the following list: (1.5)
Happy/ brightens/ widens/ darkens/ laugh/ shortens/ whitens/ lengthens/ Humour/
Some specialists advise us to------- as far as possible and they prevent us from watching sick-------.
They say: “If laughing, which makes us happy, ---------- and-------- our life, sick humour --------and
---------- it.
10) Underline the silent letters in the following words: (1pt)
Whether- who- know- would
II) Written Expression: (6pts)
Choose One of the following topics:
Topic One: Write a conversation between you and your friend asking and answering questions about
likes, dislikes and preferences (about spare time activities). Write 4 to 5 interactions:
A: ---------------
B: ---------------
Topic two: Write a paragraph of about 10 lines on the following topic:
In which category of people do you classify yourself? Do you have an Extrovert or an
Introvert personality? Which personality is the best according to you? Discuss the matter
Explaining and giving some supporting details and arguments.
الإثنين 26 مايو 2008 - 17:04