ENGLISH TEST

DATE:

NAME:
FORM:

MARK :

/ 20

COMMENTS:

NOTE IMPORTANTE AUX CANDIDATS:

Les candidats traiteront sur feuille de copie double en respectant
lordre des questions et en faisant apparatre la numrotation. Ils
composeront des phrases compltes chaque fois quil leur est demand
de rdiger les rponses. Le nombre de mots indiqu constitue une
exigence minimale. En labsence dindication du nombre de mots,
les candidats rpondront brivement la question pose (20 mots
maximum).Les citations seront limites aux lments pertinents et
prcdes de la mention de la ligne. (L.2)

COMPREHENSION
GENERAL COMPREHENSION : Read the whole text once
and answer the following questions :
In which country is the scene set ? Justify by quoting the text .
(2quotes)
1.

The scene is set in South Africa l.5 in the southern part of

this unruly Dark Continent , more precisely in
Braamfontein , which is a central suburb of Johannesburg .
l.1 out from Braamfontein Civic Centre.
2.

According to you, when does the scene take place ?

The scene must be set during the first free democratic

election in South Africa, that is on April 27 th, 1994, shortly
after the end of Apartheid.
3.

The people were waiting for the result of the vote having a political
meeting waiting to cast their vote

What sort of narrative is this?

4.

This is a first person narrative. The story is told from the

point of view of Niq Mhlongo, who is both the narrator
and the main character.
5.

What do you know about the narrator ? Tick .

a- Occupation : unemployed politician student black activist
b- He has decided to vote for : a black and white party a black party
he as no idea

 DETAILED COMPREHENSION : Read the whole text once

and answer the following questions :
6.

Use the context to deduce the French meaning of the following

words or expressions .
stretch out (L.1) : stendre/stirer/staler
What does it imply ? Explain in English. it implies that

there were many people/ it was crowded.

from all walks of life (L.7) : de tous les horizons

What does it imply ? Explain in English. It implies that

people were coming from all social backgrounds.

7.

Say who or what the following pronouns or expressions refer to in

the text .
We (L.2) :

It refers to Black voters (people) including the

narrator.
It refers to South Africa in the context.
there (L.17) : It refers to Braamfontein Civic Centre.
white counterparts (L.23) : white people / their white
homologues
those (L.28) : it refers to his Big Brothers Black leaders
, Black activists
Dark Continent (L.5) :

8.

Pick out 2 examples showing that April 27 th, 1994, was a redletter day for all these people.
Answer in your own words and give 2 quotations.

April 27, 1994 was a red-letter day, because for the first
time in South Africas history, a crowd of people from all
walks of life were waiting to cast their votes. For these
people, this opportunity to vote would bring hope and
reshape their lives. For them it was a historic /
momentous day . That day meant the start of a new era
for all black people, an era of freedom and equality for all
South African citizens, black and white alike.
9.

In the passage from line line 17 to the end , find :

an equivalent of financial help from the government :
a synonym of retired persons :

welfare grant

pensioners

an expression which means to fight with determination :

and nail
a synonym of

defeat :

overthrow

an equivalent of bringing together :

rally

fight tooth

 a word which refers to the place where you can cast your vote on an election
day :

the polling station

10. Read

again from line 12 to line 30 , and explain in your words

what black people may have expected at the time from this
election. Tick and justify your answers by quoting the text.

to find a job
decent homes
government money
to have more money
a better education
not to pay at the doctor s
to receive as much money as whites

l . 20 Some came to vote because of the promise of

welfare grants, some because of the promise of free
medical care; l.24 we had been promised access to a
better education .
11. Say

whether the following statements are true or false. Quote the

text to justify your answers.
a-

The narrator is currently studying in a place which used to be reserved for

white people .
T
F

L.26/27 I found myself admitted to a formerly

whites-only institution.
b- It was time for him to take a revenge on those who had discouraged him .
T
F

L.27 I felt morally obliged to return the favour to

my Big brothers.
c-

The day had come to thank those who had helped when he was younger .
T
F

L.28 It was payback time for those who had been

watching my back while I was sleeping.
d-

Many black activists had been struggling and lost their lives to defeat the
apartheid regime.
T
F

L.26/27 ...whoever claimed to have fought tooth

and nail to overthrow the apartheid government /
L.29 Now as an adult I felt that I had to recognise the
Big brothers sacrifices .
e-

The narrator trusts all political parties .

T
F

L.33 ..., but I definitely wanted to see a black party

in government .
f-

The narrator hesitates to vote for a black party because of their

inexperience.
T
F

 L.33/34 I didnt care that my Big Brothers were

said to be still wet behind their ears
12. Sum

up the text with the help of the following guidelines (40/50

words):
a- What incited so many South Africans to vote that day

Thousands of black South Africans waited outside

polling stations to cast their votes on April 27, 1994. It was
the first time that they had been given voting rights (= the
right to vote). They knew it was a historic / momentous / a
red-letter day in their lives. They believed that their vote
would mean a brighter future for them. They were
convinced that electing a black president would mean
improving housing , getting a job, free medical care,
welfare grants
b- Who did the narrator want to vote for ? Why?

The narrator wanted to vote for a black party, for a

party that had helped make apartheid history. He pinned
his hopes on his Big Brothers who had helped get rid of
apartheid. He also wanted a better education and thank
the Big Brothers who had enabled him to enter a formerly
whites-only institution.
13. Explain

in your own words the narrator s feelings and state of

mind that day. Find an expression that best illustrates his state
of mind. Explain why many people had their faces covered with
big smiles (L.37).
(30 words)

They must have been filled with joy (overwhelmed with

joy ). L.4 It was a crowd of limitless hope , this sentence
refers to the thousands of black people who queued up
for hours to cast their votes in the first non-segregated (=
segregation-free) democratic election in South Africa. This
election meant a lot to them. It meant that from then on,
the black majority would be free. They could hope for a
brighter future in a country where Blacks and Whites would
be on an equal footing. They were smiling (they had their
faces covered with broad smiles because they had been
waiting for this day for decades and could finally cast their
votes in the first democratic election in South Africa. They
knew that day would go down in history as the day when
Blacks could at last live as free men and women .
14. Say

who the narrator may be referring to when he mentions the

Big Brothers (l.17) for the first time. Why did
he feel morally obliged to return the favour (L.27) ? (40
words)

 The Big Brothers that the narrator mentions throughout

the text are the civil rights activists (fighters) , leaders like
Stephen Biko or nelson Mandela who fought against the
apartheid system /regime and who died or were
imprisoned because they dared to challenge the white
government by standing up for black peoples rights. The
narrator is grateful to these freedom fighters for fighting
the apartheid system. He knows that without them the
black people of South Africa would never have been
granted the right to vote.

Dog Eat Dog , Niq MHLONG (2004)

1.

sinueuse. 2. prostitues 3. gens sans qualification 4. Clochards

5. YMCA (Young Mens Christian Association) 6. inexperienced