THE MOROCCAN BACCALAUREATE ENGLISH EXAM

THE MOROCCAN BACCALAUREATE ENGLISH EXAM

Sixteen-years-old Aziza has worked in many houses in Casablanca, Fez, Meknes, and Rabat since she began working as a domestic at eight. “I’ve never stayed long in one job because all the women I worked for treated me badly. When I went home for the “Eid” I didn’t come back. And of course, I didn’t get all my salary.” Aziza told Human Rights Watch.

Aziza said that in her recent job she worked eighteen hours a day without rest, breaks or days-off : “When you finish something you start something else – even sitting you have to be doing something . I especially disliked childcare responsibilities. The family would go out and leave me with a baby who would cry and keep me awake at night. I slept in a small storage room under the stairs. It was very small”.

Actually, Aziza didn’t object to working since her family needed money. Her mother received 400 dirhams a month for her work but she herself got nothing.

Aziza told human Rights Watch that hard work and lack of sleep became too much for her to bear. So she left her last employer without permission or money. But she was fortunate because the police at Casablanca train station found her crying and asked her whether she wanted to return to the house where she worked. When she refused, they searched* her bag and clothes to see if had stolen anything, and when they found nothing, they took her to a local non – governmental organization working with street children, including former child domestics.

*Search = فتش

I- COMPREHENSION

A- ARE THESE SENTENCES TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY

1- Aziza didn’t like taking care of the children.

……………………………………………………………………………

2- The police took Aziza back to her last employer’s house.

……………………………………………………………………………

B- ANSWER THE FOLOWING QUESTIONS

1- Why did Aziza move from one house to another?

……………………………………………………………………………

2- What made Aziza accept to work in those conditions?

……………………………………………………………………………

3- Why did the police search Aziza’s clothes and bag?

……………………………………………………………………………

C- FIND IN THE TEXT WORDS OR EXPRESSIONS THAT MEAN THE SAME AS:

1- Holidays (paragraph2)…………… ………………………….

2- Lucky (paragraph 4)…………………………………………

II- LANGUAGE

A – FILL IN THE BLANKKS WITH THE APPROPRIATE WORDS FROM THE LIST:

1- The town ……………..Ali was born is famous for its historic monuments.

(who -when – whose -where)

2- We celebrate our Independence Day ………………….November 18th.

(In – on – at – for)

B/ REWRITE THE FOLLOWING SENTENCES BEGINNING WITH THE WORDS GIVEN

1-The Moroccan government has adopted a new family code.

A new family code……………………………………………………………………

2- I am sorry I didn’t write down your phone number.

If only ………………………………………………………………...

C. FILL IN THE BLANKS WITH THE APPROPRIATE WORDS OR PHRASES FROM THE LIST.

Real life / mother tongue / bilingual / oppressive / worldwide / racial discrimination

1- Immigrants are sometimes victims of………………………………

2- Moroccan Arabic is not the ………………………………..of all Moroccans.

3- English is spoken ……………………………………

III- WRITING

Use the notes below to write the biography of Fatema Mernissi.

Write complete sentences and use linking words and punctuation.

Fatema Mernissi

Moroccan writer / sociologist

Date and place of birth
1940 / Fes

Studies
Political science / Sorbonne / Paris , France

Doctorate Brandeis University , Massachusetts USA

First book
The Veil and the Male Elite

1995
Autobiography : Dreams of Trespass

Present job
Lecturer at Mohammed V University, Rabat

Interests
Feminism and Islam