School: Level: 3rd year lit.phil.

School year: 2018-2019 Duration: 1hr.

The First Term English Language Test n°01

READING

A/ Comprehension
Read the passage below then do the activities that follow.

The ancient Phoenicians were an exceptional civilisation that inhabited the east coast of
the Mediterranean Sea. The Phoenician civilisation lasted over 1,000 years. It emerged about 1550
BC and fell to ruins about 300 BC. The Phoenicians were the finest shipbuilders and sailors of the
ancient world. For more than 400 years, they governed the seas. They were the first people to
learn how to sail using the stars at night.
The Phoenicians were brilliant traders too. They sailed their ships around the
Mediterranean and sold merchandise like wood and glass. One special item that they traded made
them very rich. It was a purple-coloured dye. Purple was the colour of royalty in ancient times.
No one in the ancient world knew how to make purple clothes except the Phoenicians.
Historians think the Phoenicians were the first civilisation in the world to use an alphabet.
They also believe that all the alphabets in the world today come from the Phoenician alphabet.
The Phoenicians invented an alphabet and a writing system around 1,400 BC because they wanted
to communicate with their trading partners. It consisted of 22 letters based on sounds. Although
the Phoenicians were a small population, they still managed to make a huge impact on the world.
Adapted from the Internet.

Questions
1. Choose the letter that corresponds to the right answer.
The text is…
a. argumentative b. expository c. narrative
2. Are the following statements true or false? Write T or F next to the letter corresponding to
the statement.
a. The Phoenician civilisation vanished around the fourth century.
b. The Phoenicians were the only people who knew how to make purple clothes.
c. The Phoenicians developed their alphabet to record their history.

3. Answer the following questions according to the text.

a. Were the Phoenicians good at building ships? Justify from the text.
b. What did the Phoenicians barter?
c. What is the most beneficial invention that the Phoenicians brought to humanity?

4. In which paragraph is it mentioned that the Phoenicians’ wealth increased thanks to

commerce?
5. Who or what do the underlined words refer to in the text?
a. It (§2) b. They (§3)

1
B/ Text Exploration

1. Find in the text words that are closest in meaning to the following.

a. collapsed (§1) b. influence (§3)

2. Complete the chart as shown in the example.
Verb Noun Adjective
Example: to civilise civilisation civilised
……………………. ……………………. governmental
……………………. emergence …………………….

3. Combine each pair of sentences with the connectors given between brackets. Make changes
where necessary.
a. The Arabs improved the process of papermaking. The Chinese discovered papermaking.
(after)
b. The Greek civilisation is quite ancient. The modern country of Greece is recent. (although)
4. Classify the following words according to the pronunciation of their final “ed”.
invented – established – achieved – expanded

/t/ /d/ /Id/

5. Fill in the gaps with the words from the list below.
therefore - organised – achieved - develop

Each of the great civilisations of the past contributed some way or another to enhance the
technical level of human communities. They all……….1…………realisations that gradually
transformed the destiny of nations and turned them to highly…………2………….groups, having
in their hands more efficient means that enabled them to…………3……………a better capacity
in the fight for survival and………….4…………to lead a more comfortable life.