Baccalaureate English National Exam Humanities June 2009: practise the full Moroccan national English exam for the Humanities stream, session June 2009, 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 June 2009: Interactive Practice
English National Exam — Humanities June 2009
Interactive practice: Reading (15 pts) · Language (15 pts) · Writing (10 pts)
[1] Dropping out of school is a serious problem in Morocco. Each year, nearly 200,000 children leave school before completing their primary education. A new government initiative in Morocco offers some measures to reduce the number of students who withdraw from school. This initiative is part of an awareness campaign targeting parents.
[2] Researchers and government officials largely attribute the phenomenon to the ignorance of poor parents who do not realize the importance of education. Some parents, for example, withdraw their children from school due to the competing demands for household income which often push children to work. Drop-out rates are higher among children of illiterate parents. These rates can be reduced if we sensitize parents about the importance of sending their children to school. In 2006, Morocco launched a number of awareness campaigns to address this growing problem. These campaigns aim at introducing a national programme which encourages school children to make a list of non-registered children and children who have dropped out. More than 14,000 teachers and headmasters will also be responsible for implementing this plan.
[3] The initiative is considered a logical one because it will get children who have dropped out back into the school system, and it will act as a preventive measure because it raises students’ awareness to the negative consequences of dropping out. The initiative was tested last year in a few regions. Fatima Lharti, a seventeen-year-old schoolgirl from Tangiers, says she managed to stop approximately one dozen children from dropping out and persuaded a number of others who had already dropped out to come back to school. “The most difficult part of the work is convincing parents.” However, “when they hear children – the same age as their own – talking about the consequences of dropping out of school, most of them come around within a few minutes,” Fatima proudly told Magharebia website reporter.
[4] Samir El Garoumi missed a year of school to work for his family. He is now back in school and has struck a healthy balance between work and studies. In the morning, he goes to school and in the evening, he helps his father in his workshop. This year, he is taking part in the initiative to make a list of children who are not in school. He also advises parents in his family circle to allow their children to finish their education. (Adapted from: www.magharebia.com) BASE YOUR ANSWERS ON THE TEXT
A. Choose the right answer from the list given. (1 pt)
The text is about:
B. Answer the following questions. (3 pts)
1. How many students drop out of primary school in Morocco every year?
2. Why do poor parents withdraw their children from school?
3. How can drop-out rates be reduced?
C. Are these sentences true or false? Justify. (3 pts)
1. The programme encourages parents to make lists of children who have dropped out of school.
2. Fatima Lharti convinced nearly one dozen children to stay at school.
3. Samir studies and helps his father as well.
D. Complete the following sentences. (2 pts)
1. As a preventive measure, the initiative aims at
2. Fatima Lharti found it difficult to
E. Find in the text words that mean almost the same as: (3 pts)
1. minimise (paragraph 1):
2. money we get from work or investment (paragraph 2):
3. participating (paragraph 4):
F. What do the underlined words or expressions in the text refer to? (3 pts)
1. the phenomenon:
2. they:
3. he:
A. Put the verbs between brackets in the correct tense. (3 pts)
Najib Sidqi (get) his degree in marketing before he started work at the bank. In 2007, he (conduct) a piece of research on developing customer services. Now, he (be) the manager of a bank agency.
B. Rewrite the following sentences as suggested. (3 pts)
The government launched an educational programme in 2006.
An educational programme
“The film has attracted a lot of viewers,” the film director said.
The film director said that
Saida left school at an early age.
The teacher wishes
C. Give the correct form of the words between brackets. (3 pts)
1. Reducing the rates of drop-outs in Morocco will be an important (achieve) .
2. Fatima will be (promotion) for her hard work.
3. Many NGOs contribute to the (develop) of citizenship values.
D. Fill in the gaps with the right phrasal verbs from the list. (1.5 pts)
stand for · fill in · bring about · look up · get off · apply for
1. The father encouraged his son to another job.
2. The letters VIP Very Important Person.
3. The new initiative tries to change in education.
E. Join the following sentences using the words given. (3 pts)
Hamid did a great job. He was not offered a better position. (though)
1.
Souad did not come to the show. She was sick. (because of)
2.
We were unable to get financial support. We had to abandon the project. (therefore)
3.
F. Match the words that go together to make appropriate collocations. (1.5 pts)
1. natural
2. formal
3. brain
Writing: Write an essay about illiteracy. (10 pts)
A lot of people in developing countries suffer from illiteracy. Write a short essay about the causes and consequences of this phenomenon and suggest some solutions. (Approximately 250 words)
– poverty / parents’ ignorance
– lack of awareness of the importance of education
– remote schools in rural areas
– role of youth organizations, NGOs, government, etc.
Answer key: Reading, Language and Writing
Reading
A. Choose the right answer from the list given. (1 pt)
b. Dropout students in Morocco
The text deals with children who leave school and the initiative to reduce this.
B. Answer the following questions. (3 pts)
- Nearly 200,000 children.
- Because they do not realize the importance of education and because of the need for household income, which pushes children to work.
- By sensitizing parents about the importance of sending their children to school.
C. Are these sentences true or false? Justify. (3 pts)
- False. The programme “encourages school children to make a list of non-registered children and children who have dropped out.” (paragraph 2)
- True. She “managed to stop approximately one dozen children from dropping out.” (paragraph 3)
- True. “In the morning, he goes to school and in the evening, he helps his father in his workshop.” (paragraph 4)
D. Complete the following sentences. (2 pts)
- …raising students’ awareness of the negative consequences of dropping out.
- …convince parents.
E. Find in the text words that mean almost the same as: (3 pts)
- reduce
- income
- taking part
F. What do the underlined words or expressions in the text refer to? (3 pts)
- Dropping out of school
- Parents
- Samir (El Garoumi)
Language
A. Put the verbs between brackets in the correct tense. (3 pts)
had got · conducted · is
B. Rewrite the following sentences as suggested. (3 pts)
- An educational programme was launched by the government in 2006.
- The film director said that the film had attracted a lot of viewers.
- The teacher wishes Saida hadn’t left school at an early age.
C. Give the correct form of the words between brackets. (3 pts)
achievement · promoted · development
D. Fill in the gaps with the right phrasal verbs from the list. (1.5 pts)
- apply for
- stand for
- bring about
E. Join the following sentences using the words given. (3 pts)
- Though Hamid did a great job, he was not offered a better position.
- Souad did not come to the show because of her sickness.
- We were unable to get financial support; therefore, we had to abandon the project.
F. Match the words that go together to make appropriate collocations. (1.5 pts)
- disaster
- education
- gain
Writing
Writing: Write an essay about illiteracy. (10 pts)
Illiteracy is a serious problem in many developing countries. Millions of people cannot read or write, and this affects their lives and their countries.
There are several causes of illiteracy. First, poverty forces many families to send their children to work instead of school. Second, some parents are ignorant and do not realize the importance of education. Moreover, in rural areas schools are often far away from homes.
The consequences are serious. Illiterate people find it hard to get good jobs, they are more likely to live in poverty, and they cannot participate fully in society. As a result, the whole country develops slowly.
However, there are solutions. The government should build more schools in remote areas and offer free education. NGOs and youth organizations can organize literacy classes and awareness campaigns. In conclusion, if we all work together, we can reduce illiteracy.
Download the full exam (Reading, Language and Writing) with the answers as a PDF.
Source: Moroccan Baccalaureate English National Exam, Humanities, June 2009 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 June 2009 Humanities exam is about school dropout in Morocco and a campaign to reduce it. 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
- drop out: يترك الدراسة
- withdraw: يسحب
- awareness: وعي
- sensitize: يحسّس
- income: دخل
- preventive: وقائي
- persuade: يقنع
- illiterate: أمّي
- initiative: مبادرة
- consequence: نتيجة
Grammar points in this exam
- Past perfect, past simple and present simple
- Passive voice, reported speech and wish
- Word formation (achievement, promoted, development)
- Phrasal verbs (apply for, stand for, bring about)
- Linking words (though, because of, therefore) and collocations
Revise these structures: the Language section of this exam is built on them.
Writing tips
The writing task asks for an essay about illiteracy. Explain the causes, then the consequences, and finish with solutions. Use linking words to connect your ideas.
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.
