Salima Official School English Final Exam / 2012-2013

Class: grade 8
Score: Allotted Time:120 m.

Teacher: Nisreen Bou Reslan /40

Name:_________________

Date:__________________

Part One Reading (Score: 24/40):

Theme Area: Immigration

Read the following article in which the writer tells about the problem of losing identity because of
immigration. When you are through with the reading, answer the questions that follow.

A Korean Couple in Canada

1 My husband Kevin and I went abroad, and during that time we fought until we got
sick of it. We fought about the stupid things all couples fight about, but the main thing
that came between us was something that other couples probably didn’t have to deal with.
We constantly argued about whether I was acting more as a Canadian.

2 Kevin and I both came to Canada from Korea five years ago. Although we had this in
common, we had different opinions on everything. He would ask me why I couldn’t be like
other Korean women. To me, he was to Korean and too narrow-minded. He refused to
accept any culture except his own, and he always thought his way was the only way.

3 I eat Korean food, speak Korean, have respect for my parents, and celebrate Korean
holidays and traditional days. I even joined the Korean club at school, so that I can follow
my customs with Korean friends.

4 During the past five years, I have come to love certain customs from other cultures.
For example, I see the way my Canadian friends greet people with affection. They hug
when they say “hello”, and I love this. In Korea, people just shake hands and bow to each
other out of respect. So I started hugging my friends, too.

5 Kevin didn’t like this, and he told me so. Later on, he told me not to hug other people.
I asked him why, and he said he didn’t like it.

6 Korean men like to tell their wives what to do. He would always tell me how to dress
and how to act in front of others. He wanted me to stay next to him all the time. I would
complain that I was not his little toy and that he couldn’t just order me around. When I go
against his wishes, Kevin would say, “Why are you so Canadianized?” I didn’t know how to
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respond to this question. He said I was ashamed of my country or culture. I am proud of
being a Korean. I just want to accept other cultures, too.

7 I must say that I sometimes act like a Canadian, trying to be more independent and
outgoing than other Korean women. But I still act like a Korean, too. I want to go with the
flow, and that doesn’t mean that I don’t like my own culture. I am trying to balance two
cultures. Through Kevin, I got a chance to think about who I really am. I realized that I am
a Korean and a Canadian, too, yet the question of how we can find a way out is still urging
us to scratch our heads.

 Adapted from: Russell, Freedman. Penguin Books Ltd, 2000.

 Comprehension Questions
A) Fill in the chart below with two cause-effect relationships from the text.
Copy the chart. (4pts)

Cause Effect

B) Answer each of the following questions in complete sentences of your own

words.
1. From which point of view is this text written? Justify your answer. (1pt)
2. Find out in the passage two differences between the Korean and Canadian
cultures. (2pts.)
3. Who has the upper hand in the Korean culture: men or women? Explain with
reference to the text. (2pts.)
4. Based on Kevin’s actions and words, what can you conclude about his
character traits? Justify with a piece of evidence from the text. (2pts.)
5. Has the writer completely given up her Korean culture? How do you know?
(1.5pt)

Vocabulary:

C) With the help of context clues, write the meanings of the underlined words
in the text. Copy the chart. (3pts.)

Word Meaning Context Clue(s)

Argued
Complain
Urging

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 D) Write the referents of the bold type words in the text. (1.5pt)
1. this (paragraph 2)
2. it (paragraph 5)
3. he (paragraph 6)

Grammar:

E) Rewrite each of the following sentences by changing them into passive

voice. (3.5pts)
1. I will celebrate Korean holidays and traditional days this month.
2. We find a lot of common things between us.

F) Change the verbs into subject gerunds in the following paragraph

(3.5pts.)

1. I eat Korean food, speak Korean, have respect for my parents, and celebrate
Korean holidays and traditional days were the best moments. I even joined the
Korean club at school, so that I can follow my customs with Korean friends. (1.5 pt.)

G) Find two sentences in parg. 2 & 6 that are joined by subordinating

conjunctions. ( 2pts.)

Part Two: Writing (Score: 16/40)

Immigration has become the final choice for a lot of young Lebanese people today.
They are forced to immigrate due to several reasons, yet sometimes they face a lot of
difficulties.

In an essay of about 20 lines, explain one main cause and two difficulties
Lebanese face when they immigrate. Include the experience of people you know
or you heard about.

Provide your essay with a suitable title and an outline.

Be tidy…

(Score: 04pts for outline and title; 6pts for ideas; 4pts for form; 2pt for mechanics)

GOOD WORK!!!

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 ANSWER KEY

A) (0.5pt for each)

Accept possible answers. Students have to follow the same pattern or they lose
(0.5pt)
B) 1. It is written from the first person point of view (0.25pt). The writer is a
character who is telling her own experience. (0.25pt)
2. (0.5pt for each):
a) greeting each other
b) the relationship between the husband and the wife
3. Men have the upper hand (0.5pt). According to the text, the writer faces
difficulty with her husband who sticks to Korean ways and wants her to do what
he wants without questioning. She says he is treating her like a toy. (0.5pt)
4. Kevin refuses to accept any culture but his own. According to his wife, he is
narrow-minded because he wants his wife to be totally Korean. (1pt)
5. The writer has not given up her culture totally. She says that she is trying to
balance the two cultures, and she still practices Korean traditions (eating
Korean food, speaking Korean, . . . and even joining a Korean club). (0.75pt)

C) ((0.5 pt for each)

Word Meaning Context Clue(s)

argued Quarreled Fought about
complain To show that you don’t I was not his little toy .. .
like something done to
you
urging Pushing To scratch our heads

D) (0.25 pt for each)

1. coming to Canada from Korea five years before
2. hugging other people
3. Kevin
E) 1. (0.5pt) … will be celebrated this month (by me).
2. (0.5pt) . . . are found (by us).
3. The writer said that Kevin and she both had come to Canada the year before
and that they had had too many fights. (1pt)
4. . . . she was so Canadianized. (0.5pt)
5. . . . she had to say that she sometimes acted like a Canadian. (1pt)