Baccalaureate English National Exam Humanities July 2020: practise the full Moroccan national English exam for the Humanities stream, session July 2020, with interactive questions, instant checking, an answer key and a free PDF with answers. For official information about national exams, visit the Moroccan Ministry of National Education.
Table of Contents
- Practice the exam online
- Answer key (Reading, Language and Writing)
- Exam tips and key vocabulary
- More Baccalaureate English national exams
Baccalaureate English National Exam Humanities July 2020: Interactive Practice
English National Exam — Humanities July 2020
Interactive practice: Reading (15 pts) · Language (15 pts) · Writing (10 pts)
[1] The Brazilian journalist Sebastião Salgado and his wife Lélia decided to show that dedicated people can make a change. They were able to completely restore an entire forest that had been devastated by human action in their home town Minas Gerais in Brazil.
[2] Upon returning to his homeland from a duty as a journalist in Rwanda, Salgado felt very sad when he found the forest was lost and the animals had gone. It was not the tropical paradise that he remembered as a child. Then his wife came up with the fabulous idea of replanting the forest, something which they started later in 1994. Salgado said: “The land was as sick as I was; everything was destroyed. Only about 0.5% of the land was covered with trees. And when we began to do that, all the insects, birds and fish returned. This was the most important moment.”
[3] To make their dream come true, Salgado and his wife recruited partners to plant trees. They also raised funds for their project. Also, in April 1998, they founded the Instituto Terra, a small organization that has since planted 4 million trees and has brought the forest back to life. Through the Instituto Terra, the couple managed to replant 2.7 million trees over two decades. They have completely transformed the environment back into its original condition. An entire ecosystem was built again thanks to this organisation. Now, the forest is thriving with animals and wildlife: 172 bird species, 33 species of animals, 293 species of plants and 15 species of reptiles have returned.
[4] The process has provided Salgado with one of the answers to climate change. He believes that “we have a solution. We need to replant the forest. You need forests with native trees if you want the serpents and the other insects to come back. And if you plant forests that don’t belong to the area, the animals don’t come there and the forest is silent.”
[5] The reforestation effort of Sebastião and Lélia is incredible, but it will only last if people learn to respect the importance of the ecosystems. That’s why the couple started the Center for Environmental Education and Recovery (CERA) in 2012. The aim is to educate farmers, teachers, businesses and government officials about environmental recovery and conservation techniques. The hope is that they will inspire those working near the forest to adopt more sustainable practices. Many organizations and individual volunteers are doing their best to protect the forest worldwide. The world needs more individual support and involvement to save the planet.
A. Choose the right answer. (1 pt)
This text is about:
B. Are these statements true or false? Justify. (3 pts)
1. Salgado thought about the replanting project when he was in Rwanda.
2. The Salgado couple started the replanting project in 1998.
3. Other people worked with the Salgado couple to replant trees.
C. Answer these questions. (4 pts)
1. Why was Salgado sad when he returned to his hometown?
2. Who first suggested the idea of replanting the forest?
3. How did the Salgado couple finance their replanting project?
4. Why did Salgado and his wife start the Center for Environmental Education and Recovery?
D. Complete the following sentences. (2 pts)
1. When Salgado was a child, the forest
2. Animals like serpents and insects will come back to the forest only if
E. Find in the text words or expressions that mean the same as: (3 pts)
1. destroyed (paragraph 1):
2. brilliant (paragraph 2):
3. protection (paragraph 5):
F. What do the underlined words in the text refer to? (2 pts)
1. this organisation (paragraph 3):
2. the couple (paragraph 5):
A. Fill in the gaps with the appropriate collocations. (2 pts)
social support · computer technologies · local customs · young people · generation gap · financial difficulties · voluntary work
1. The new have helped people do their work efficiently.
2. The government should make more efforts to engage in political life.
3. Most entrepreneurs face when they start their business.
4. The ministry of tourism produced this documentary to promote the and traditions.
B. Put the words in brackets in the correct form. (2 pts)
1. Every year our school organizes different educational and (culture) days.
2. Because our students have a sense of (responsible) , they always volunteer to clean our school.
C. Fill in the blanks with the correct words from the lists. (2 pts)
needn’t · shouldn’t · wouldn’t
1. Rachida miss her interview tomorrow because she needs the job to support her family.
whose · which · whom
2. Local authorities should give priority to areas suffer from poverty and crime.
D. Put the verbs in brackets in the correct tense. (2 pts)
1. When I got to the office yesterday, the meeting (already / start) .
2. By the end of next August, I (spend) four years in Morocco.
E. Rewrite the following sentences as indicated. (3 pts)
“The interview will be at the director’s office,” the secretary said.
The secretary told Amine that
The school clubs organized an interesting environmental campaign.
An interesting environmental campaign
Most countries closed schools because of the spread of Covid-19.
Due to
F. Fill in the blanks with the right option from the lists. (2 pts)
1. Rick: What about creating a new Facebook page for our school?
Suzan: …
2. Teacher: You are making too much noise.
Student: …
G. Complete the following exchanges. (2 pts)
1. Mark: The conference will come up with solutions to the problem of unemployment.
Brad: (Express disagreement) …
2. Sue: Could you drive me to the airport, please?
Nancy: (Respond to Sue’s request) …
Task 1: Complete the paragraph. (4 pts)
Doing sports has a lot of advantages. First, …
Task 2: Write an article encouraging students to take part in school activities. (6 pts)
Many students do not take part in school activities. Write an article for your school magazine in which you encourage students to actively participate in these activities and in various school clubs.
Answer key: Reading, Language and Writing
Reading
A. Choose the right answer. (1 pt)
2. the efforts of a family to save the forest in Brazil.
The text tells how the Salgado couple restored a destroyed forest.
B. Are these statements true or false? Justify. (3 pts)
- False. His wife “came up with the fabulous idea” after he returned from Rwanda and found the forest lost. (paragraph 2)
- False. They started replanting in 1994; in April 1998 they founded the Instituto Terra. (paragraphs 2 and 3)
- True. “Salgado and his wife recruited partners to plant trees.” (paragraph 3)
C. Answer these questions. (4 pts)
- Because he found the forest was lost and the animals had gone; it was not the tropical paradise he remembered.
- His wife, Lélia.
- They raised funds for their project.
- To educate farmers, teachers, businesses and government officials about environmental recovery and conservation, so that the reforestation effort will last.
D. Complete the following sentences. (2 pts)
- …was a tropical paradise.
- …we plant forests with native trees.
E. Find in the text words or expressions that mean the same as: (3 pts)
- devastated
- fabulous
- conservation
F. What do the underlined words in the text refer to? (2 pts)
- Instituto Terra
- Sebastião and Lélia (Salgado and his wife)
Language
A. Fill in the gaps with the appropriate collocations. (2 pts)
computer technologies · young people · financial difficulties · local customs
B. Put the words in brackets in the correct form. (2 pts)
cultural · responsibility
C. Fill in the blanks with the correct words from the lists. (2 pts)
- shouldn’t
- which
D. Put the verbs in brackets in the correct tense. (2 pts)
had already started · will have spent
E. Rewrite the following sentences as indicated. (3 pts)
- The secretary told Amine that the interview would be at the director’s office.
- An interesting environmental campaign was organized by the school clubs.
- Due to the spread of Covid-19, most countries closed schools.
F. Fill in the blanks with the right option from the lists. (2 pts)
- c. What a good idea!
Rick makes a suggestion; Suzan accepts it. - b. I’m really sorry.
A reproach calls for an apology.
G. Complete the following exchanges. (2 pts)
- I don’t agree. I don’t think a conference alone can solve it.
- Sure, no problem. What time do you need to be there?
Writing
Task 1: Complete the paragraph. (4 pts)
Doing sports has a lot of advantages. First, it keeps our bodies healthy and strong. Second, it helps us reduce stress and feel more relaxed. In addition, team sports teach us to cooperate and respect others. Finally, doing sports regularly gives us more energy to study.
Task 2: Write an article encouraging students to take part in school activities. (6 pts)
Join Your School Clubs!
Many students come to school only to attend classes and then go home. In my opinion, they are missing a lot of fun and learning opportunities.
First, school clubs help you discover and develop your talents, such as acting, drawing or writing. Second, they allow you to make new friends and work in a team. Moreover, they improve your confidence and your communication skills, which will be useful in your future career.
So, do not hesitate. Choose the club that interests you and join it today. You will not regret it!
Download the full exam (Reading, Language and Writing) with the answers as a PDF.
Source: Moroccan Baccalaureate English National Exam, Humanities, July 2020 session. The score counts only the questions that can be checked automatically; open answers (chart, sentences, dialogues, writing) are for self-checking against the model answers. More than one correct answer is often possible.
Exam Tips and Key Vocabulary
What this exam tests
The reading text of the July 2020 Humanities exam is about the Salgado couple who replanted a whole forest in Brazil. The paper tests Reading, Language and Writing, so read the text twice before answering and base every answer on the text.
Key vocabulary from the text
- restore: يعيد / يرمم
- devastated: مدمَّر
- recruit: يستقطب
- raise funds: يجمع التبرعات
- ecosystem: نظام بيئي
- thrive: يزدهر
- native: محلي
- reforestation: إعادة التشجير
- conservation: حماية / حفظ
- wildlife: حياة برية
Grammar points in this exam
- Collocations (computer technologies, local customs)
- Word formation (cultural, responsibility)
- Modals (shouldn’t) and relative pronouns
- Tenses (past perfect, future perfect)
- Reported speech, passive voice, cause (due to) and language functions
Revise these structures: the Language section of this exam is built on them.
Writing tips
The writing paper has two tasks. In task 1, complete the paragraph about the advantages of sports. In task 2, write an article for your school magazine encouraging students to join school activities and clubs.
FAQ
Where can I download this exam with answers?
Use the download button under the exam: the PDF contains the original exam pages and a one-page answer key.
Are the answers on this page official?
No. They are model answers written for practice; any appropriate answer is accepted.
