‫ العاديـة‬2023 ‫دورة العام‬ ‫امتحان الشهادة الثانوية العامة‬ ‫وزارة التربية والتعليم العالي‬

2023 ‫ تموز‬10 ‫اإلثنين‬ ‫فرع االجتماع واالقتصاد‬ ‫المديرية العامة للتربية‬

‫دائرة االمتحانات الرسمية‬
:‫االسم‬ ‫مسابقة في مادة اللغة اإلنكليزية‬
:‫الرقم‬ ‫ ساعتان‬:‫المدة‬

Part One: Reading Comprehension (Score: 12/20)

In the following selection, a team of researchers at Michigan State University argues against the
harmful impact of screen time on teens. Read it carefully, and then answer the questions that follow.
The Threat of Internet Disconnection
1 A new study has lately examined the impact of the time teens spend on the screens of their devices
watching videos, playing games, or using social media. The study compares the self-esteem and social
activities of teens having no or poor home internet access to teens who are the heaviest users of screens
as well as teens having parents who seriously control their screen use. While many parents are worried
about teens spending too much time on screens, a different opinion has been lately provided by the
study’s researchers.
2 Keith Hampton, a professor and director of academic research at Michigan State University, said that
instead of worrying about screen time, he is concerned about adolescents who are disconnected because
they have limited access to the internet. “Teens who are disconnected from today’s technologies are
more isolated from their peers, which can lead to problems. While adolescents often grapple with self-
esteem issues related to body image, peers, family, and school, disconnection is a much greater threat
than screen time,” Hampton said. According to him, social media and video games are deeply integrated
into youth culture, and they do more than entertain. They help kids to socialize, contribute to identity
formation, and provide a channel for social support,” he explained.
3 Hampton and his colleagues believe that internet access is a part of most teens’ everyday life. These
teens only experience disconnection when they want to limit their device use or when their parents want
to control the time they spend online. However, many teens, living primarily in rural areas, are
disconnected because they live in households where there is an extremely weak infrastructure for
connectivity. They often have no internet access outside the school, very slow access at home, or spotty
data coverage using a smartphone.
4 Based on their survey of 3,258 rural adolescents, Hampton and his team compared the self-esteem
and social activities of teens having internet access problems to teens who spend most of their time
using screens. In addition, they compared the same sample with teens whose parents have serious control
over their time online. The findings of their survey showed that one of the main causes of lower self-
esteem, for girls and boys, was poor grades in school. In addition, teens who had poor internet access at
home and teens who had parents exerting control over their media use also had considerably lower self-
esteem.
5 The amount of time teens spent on their devices did not have a considerably harmful impact on their
self-esteem. Even teens who were “excessive” users of screens reported higher self-esteem than those
who were disconnected because they had poor internet access or their parents had a lot of control over
their time online. That shows to what extent media is integrated into youth culture.
6 “Isolation does not come from being online; it comes from being disconnected from those sources of
entertainment and socialization that permeate many areas of teens’ lives,” the researchers concluded.
For most teens, social media is playing video games and sharing the videos they watch online with their
friends. It is often related to how teens get their information, communicate, and share things with others.
7 This does not mean that teens are not spending time socializing in person. Teens who spend more
time using social media and watching videos, spend more time socializing. Hampton found that every
hour spent on social media was accompanied by 21 minutes spent with friends. Excessive users of
screens were spending more time with family and friends.
8 “Preserving the myth that teens who spend more time on their devices spend less time with friends
and family and that excessive time online is harming most teens’ mental health does more harm than
good,” Hampton said. When parents exert too much control over the time their teens spend on screens,
they cut kids off from peers and the social support that protects mental health.
9 However, Hampton clarified that this does not imply that social media platforms are always safe.
According to him, there are real dangers to mental health from online bullying and certain contents that
can be harmful. Besides, some teens are more subjected to harm than others. Yet, their research shows
that when parents have conversations with their teens about the risks of media use, they should focus
on helping them develop critical media skills and give them greater autonomy over their media use so
that they can report higher self-esteem.
10 “I advise parents not to focus on how long their teens spend on screens, but to take an interest in
what their teens are doing online and spend more time with them,” Hampton added.
Questions
A. Answer each of the following questions in 1-4 sentences in your own words.
1. Based on Paragraph 2, what two negative effects does internet disconnection have
on teens? (01)
2. Based on Paragraphs 4 and 5, explain how Hampton and his team relate screen time
to self-esteem. (01)
3. In reference to Paragraphs 6 and 7, explain whether online connection has the same
impact on isolation and personal socialization. (01)
4. Refer to Paragraph 9 to deduce why Hampton highlights the harmful side of social
media platforms. (01)
B. Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
1. What two purposes does the introduction serve? Justify your answer. (1.5)
2. Identify the cohesive device/link between Paragraphs 4 and 5 and between
Paragraphs 8 and 9. (01)
3. What adjective best describes the writer’s tone in Paragraph 10? Justify your
answer. (01)
4. Identify two types of audience, other than the general reader, that might be interested
in reading the selection. Then state what interest each type finds in it. (1.5)
C. Refer to Paragraphs 2, 3 and 6 to find words that almost have the following
meanings. (02)
1. to fight or struggle without weapons
2. for the most part; mainly
3. bad or lacking uniformity especially in quality
4. to spread through something and be present in every part of it; invade

D. What does each of the following pronouns, bold-typed in the selection, refer to? (01)
1. They (Paragraph 2) 2. That (Paragraph 5)

Part Two: Writing (Choose ONE of the following prompts.) (Score: 08/20)
Prompt A: “Although the Internet was once considered the savior of education, today many
educators say that they are trying to control the harmful and distracting uses of
electronic media when children are at school.” In a well-organized problem-solution
essay of 250-300 words, discuss the issue of the harmful and distracting uses of
electronic media on teens (bullying, health problems, educational issues, etc.), and
then suggest at least two practical solutions that might help address these
problems.

Prompt B: “Digital transformation has influenced all areas of teens’ lives, including the way they
maintain friendships and communications while online. Although online
communication may provide teens with opportunities to expand their social contacts,
these opportunities can be risky.” Write a well-organized persuasive essay of 250-
300 words in which you convince teens to control their online communication with
others especially when it is with unknown people.

Content and organization of ideas (3.5), language and style (3.5), tidiness and legible handwriting (01)