Colonel Lotfi Secondary School Level: 3rd Year Lit&Phil Date: May 12th, 2014 Duration: 3 Hours

Third Term English Exam Part One: Reading A. Comprehension (07 points) Read the text carefully then do the activities.

On the Yucatàn Peninsula, a major civilization arose that of Maya, which flourished between A.D. 300 and 900. It was one of the most sophisticated civilizations in the Americas. The Maya built splendid temples and pyramids and developed a complicated calendar. Maya civilization came to include much of Central America and southern Mexico. Maya civilization was composed of city states, each governed by a hereditary ruling class. These Maya city-states were often at war with each other. Ordinary soldiers who were captured in battle became slaves. Captured nobles and war leaders were used for human sacrifice.

Explanations for the decline of the Maya civilization include invasion, internal revolt, or a natural disaster such as volcanic eruption. A more recent theory is that overuse of the land led to reduced crop yields. Whatever the case, Maya cities were abandoned and covered by dense jungle growth. They were not rediscovered until the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.

As the Maya civilization declined, new peoples rose to prominence in the central part of Mexico. Most significant were the Toltec. The Toltec Empire reached its high point between A.D. 950 and 1150. The capital of the Toltec Empire was at Tula, built on a high ridge northwest of present-day Mexico city. The Toltec had a flourishing agriculture, which enabled Tula to support a population of between 40,000 to 60,000 people. Another 60,000 people lived in the surrounding territory. The city itself was between 5 and 6 square miles (13 to 16 sq km). The Toltec were a fierce and warlike people who extended their conquest into the Maya lands of Guatemala and the northern Yucatàn.

The Toltec were also builders who constructed pyramids and palaces. They brought metalworking to Mesoamerica and were the first people in the region to work in gold, silver, and copper. They controlled the upper Yucatàn peninsula from another capital at Chichén Itzá for several centuries, beginning around A.D. 900. The Toltec Empire began to decline around A.D. 1125 as a result of fighting.

National Geographic, Cultures of Mesoamerican, 900 B.C.–A.D.1500

1. Circle the letter that corresponds to the right answer. The text is... a) descriptive b) narrative c) argumentative 2. Write the letter that corresponds to the right answer. A) The Maya civilization was a form of .......................

a) cities and states b) dependent states c) independent states B) Soldiers were captured because of ....................... a) having been defeated in battles b) having won battles c) having been slaves of battles C) The overuse of land caused ....................... a) the abundance of crops b) the scarcity of crops c) the need for crops 3. In which paragraph is it mentioned that... a) The Maya civilization was succeeded by another great civilization? b) The Maya cities-states disappeared? 4. Answer the following questions according to the text. a) What was the problem with the Maya city-states. b) In what way were some achievements of the Maya and the Toltec similar? c) What were the Toltec people like?

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5. Fill in the table with information from the text.Civilization

sPlace of

riseDate of

riseCauses of collapse

B. Text Exploration (08 points) 1. Find in the text words, phrases or expressions that are close in meaning to: a) complex (§1) b) made up of (§1) c) given up (§2) d) built (§4) 2. Give the opposite of the following words keeping the same root. a) complicated b) governed c) significant d) abled 3. Give the correct form of the verbs in brackets. After the Pharaohs (succeed) to unify Egypt, their nation (become) stable and (gain) respect from their neighbours. But today's Egypt (be) forced into a chaos because of some political problems. All the Egyptians wish their country (get out) of this situation soon. 4. Rephrase the following sentences. 1(A) Ancient Rome fell into ruin because its people were involved in wars. (B) If ... 2(A) Nabopolassar made great effort to make Babylon a true empire, however he was unable to achieve his glory. (B) In spite of ... 3(A) The history book was so interesting that he read it all.. (B) It was ... 4(A) The Toltec constructed pyramids and palaces. (B) Pyramids and palaces ... 5. Underline the silent letter in the following words. a) well-known b) built c) honoured d) fighting 6. Reorder the following sentences to make a coherent paragraph. a) Human sacrifices were also used for special ceremonial occasions. b) war captives were tortured and then beheaded. c) The Maya practiced human sacrifice as a way to appease the gods. d) When a male heir was presented to the throne, Part Two: Written Expression (05 points) Choose one topic. Topic One: Using the following notes, write a composition of 120-150 words on the following topic:

A lot of factors caused the collapse of the civilizations of the past. - external conflicts: invasions - wars - conquests - greed for power and control - spying - internal conflicts: disorder within governments - social classes - slavery - natural disasters: drought - floods - earthquakes - volcanoes - storms - epidemics: malaria - tuberculoses - unknown diseases Topic Two: Write a composition of 120-150 words on the following topic: Corruption in Algeria is an evil that is prone to destroy both the economy and the society. What do you think should be done to eradicate this phenomenon.

Page 2/2 امتحان الفصل الثالث اإلجابة النموذجية

فلسفة آداب و 3الشعبة: العالمة عناصراالجابة

المجموع

مجزأة

07 pts

08 pts

05 pts

0,5

0,5x3=1,5

0,5x2=1

0,5x4=1,5

0,25x10=2,5

0,25x4=1

0,25x4=1

0,25x5=

1,250,75

0,750,750,5

0,25x4=1

0,25x4=1

A. Comprehension 1. The right answer: The text is: narrative 2. The right answers: A) independent states (c) B) having been defeated in battles (a) C) the scarcity of crops (b) 3. In which paragraph : a) §3 b) §2 4. Answering questions: a) They were ofetn at war with each other. b) In the way they built pyramids. c) They were fierce and warlike. 5. Filling in the table.Civilizati

onPlace of rise Date of

riseCauses of collapse

Maya Yucatan Peninsula

A.D. 300 invasion - internal revolt - disaster

Toltec Central part of Mexico

A.D. 950 fighting

B. Text Exploration 1. Words of close meaning: a) complex= complicated b) made up of= composed of c) given up= abandoned d) built= constructed 2. Opposite words: a) complicated≠ uncomplicated b) governed≠ misgoverned c) significant≠ insignificant d) abled≠ disabled 3. The correct form of the verbs: had succeeded - became - gained - is - would go out 4. Rephrasing sentences: 1(B) If the people of Rome had not been involved in wars, they would not have fallen into ruin. 2(B) In spite of making great effort to make..., Nabopolassar was unable to achieve... 3(B) It was such an interesting history book that he read it all. 4(B) Pyramids and palaces were constructed by the Toltec. 5. Silent letters:

a) well-known b) built c) honoured d) fighting 6. Reordering sentences: 1 - c 2 - a 3 - d 4 - bWritten Expression: topic one: form 3,5 - content 2,5 / topic two: form 3 - content 3

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