Concursul pentru ocuparea posturilor didacticecatedrelor declarate [622937]

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Concursul pentru ocuparea posturilor didactice/catedrelor declarate
vacante/rezervate în unitățile de învățământ preuniversitar
11 iulie 2018
Proba scrisă la Limba și literatura engleză

Model de rezolvare

Subiectul I.
a. Contextualize the text. Suggested answer:

The end of the 17th century marked the beginning of a literary and philosophical movement in Europe,
known as the Enlightenment, a movement associated with scientific and social revolutions, which
opened up the way for independent thought in the fields of mathematics, physics, politics, medicine
and astronomy.
The 17th century had been a time of political and religious divisions, with tumultuous changes (the
Civil War, the Restoration, the Glorious Revolution). There were three main religious groups (the
Church of England, the Roman-Catholic Church and the Puritans.
In the first half of the 18th century, which is known as the Augustan Age, the two historic conflicts
seemed to have been resolved: the Church of England had established itself as the dominant church
and the Parliament started to gain power at the expense of the monarchy. It was also the start of the
Industrial Revolution (innovative work practices appeared, small factories and workhouses were built).
The two-party political system was established: the Tories (represented by the aristocracy and the
Church of England) and the Whigs (the emerging middle classes).
A new social class appeared – the middle class, whose members had become rich thanks to the
industrial and agricultural revolutions. For centuries power had rested with the aristrocracy, but in the
18th century it started to be associated with money.

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b. Discuss. Suggested answer:

At the beginning of the 18th century, literature became highly instructive and there was a high interest
in travelling. The extravagance of the Renaissance was replaced by Puritan pragmatism and morality.
It was also known as an age of reason, due to the scientific revolution. The best manifestation of the
spirit of the age in literature was the prose, which took the form of journalism, essays, political satire
and pamphlets.
The 18th century saw the rise of the novel, which was an evolution of the non-fictional prose of the
time. The middle-class readers wanted to read about themselves and about their world. Thus, the
dominant literary trend of the time was Realism, the writers attempting to produce work that was
convincing and recognisable to the common reader, with ordinary characters, familiar settings and
language. Remarkable writers of the time were D. Defoe, S. Richardson, H. Fielding, J. Swift and L.
Sterne.
The Irish born writer, Jonathan Swift, belonged to the more radical group of writers who were active
in the Enlightenment period. He is one of the greatest satirists of all ages, whose lasting literary fame
and popularity rests on his “Gulliver’s Travels”. Gulliver’s Travels is a satirical novel, written in the
context of religious and political fighting, and through which Swift exposes the vices of his time.
The novel consists of 4 parts, each describing a journey and being the reverse of the previous one. The
book is a satire on four aspects: politics and religion (Lilliput), war (Brobdingnag), science (Laputa)
and the moral side (the Houyhnhnms). It is also a brilliant parody of travel literature, it expresses
indignation at the follies, vices and stupidities of men. At the same time, it is a great comic masterpiece.
The given fragment is illustrative of Swift’s style, showing that he is a master of irony, while treating
a very delicate issue at the time – colonization of other nations. Ironically, to Swift, the Europeans
who conquer other lands with the declared purpose of civilizing them, should instead be conquered by
the Houyhnhnms, who could teach them “the first principles of honor, justice, truth, temperance, public
spirit, fortitude, chastity, friendship, benevolence and fidelity”.
Swift’s fierce satire is directed at the so-called civilizing methods employed by the British: they “rob
and plunder”, they “murder two or three dozen of the natives”, “bring away a couple more, by force,
for a sample”, “a free license given to all acts of inhumanity and lust”. The colonizers are called “this
execrable crew of butchers” who “are sent to convert and civilize an idolatrous and barbarous people”.
Thus, Swift reveals the inhumane practices hidden behind the declared mission of the colonizers.

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Swift’s irony and satire is not only directed at the society of his time, but also at the reader and at
Gulliver himself. He uses verbal and situational irony – when the intended meaning of a statement or
action is opposite to what is presented. For instance, in the selected fragment, he “confesses” that the
description of the inhumane practices “does by no means affect the British nation, who may be an
example to the whole world for their wisdom, care and justice in planting colonies”.
Although the novel is written in the first person, which should normally increase the credibility of the
narration, the narrator is unreliable/fallible, because Gulliver’s interpretation and evaluation of events
is at odds with the author’s beliefs, which adds a great deal of humour.

Subiectul al II-lea

a. Suggested answers:
Ways of expressing purpose:
– the long infinitive – He went to the supermarket to buy milk.
– so that/in order that – Dad woke him up so that he could catch the bus .
– so as not to – The man whispered so as not to disturb the others.
– for fear (that) + might/should/would – He asked a friend to join him, for fear that he
might get lost.
– lest + might/should + infinitive – He informed the authorities lest he might get into
trouble.
– for + noun – He went out in the garden for some fresh air.
– with a view to – He took part in the competition, with a view to winning the first prize.

b. Suggested answers:

1. No matter how hard they tried , they could not get the old car starting.
2. It’s high time Dad got someone to repair the roof.
3. Not paying in time will result in your booking being cancelled.
4. Hearing that piece of news came as a total shock to me.
5. The train would have arrived on time if it hadn’t been held up by the heavy snow
on the line.

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c. Suggested answers:
1. that/which, 2. then, 3. its, 4.be, 5. had, 6. on, 7. no, 8.until/till, 9.a/any, 10. how.

Subiectul al III-lea
Suggested answers

a. After-reading activity that integrates reading into writing, based on the text in Subject I.

 Objectives : to prepare a 2/3-minute news report in groups, based on the given text and
present it in front of the class
 Estimated time : 20 minutes
 Level: C1
 Description of the activity – The teacher organizes the class in groups of four and tells
the students to imagine that the events narrated in the fragment took place in modern
times. They are to prepare a news report based on the text, following a common
structure: a catchy headline, a short summary (answering questions like: who, what,
where, when and why), the current situation, quotes from witnesses/people involved.
When they have finished, the groups take turns to present their news report in front of
the class. The teacher and the other students provide feedback and in the end vote for
the best news report.

b. Devise three exercises:

Exercise 1 – Read the sentences and decide which answer best fits in each space:

1. Each passenger …… present a passport when crossing the border.
a) can b) should c) must
2. I …. wake up early tommorow as I am on holiday.
a) had better not b) don’t need to c) shouldn’t

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3. You …. at the door because this way you awoke the baby.
a) shouldn’t have knocked b )needn’t knock c) mustn’t knock
4. Mary …. tell her daughter a story every night.
a) needs b) has to c) may
5. Tim …. buy any more bread as we have enough.
a) needn’t b) mustn’t c) can’t
Level: B2
Learning objectives: given 3 options, the students will identify the correct modal
verb.
Answer key: 5×5=25p
1-c); 2-b); 3-a); 4-b); 5-a)

Exercise 2 – Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first, using
the word given. Do not change the word given and use between 3-8 words.

1. It is necessary that you go there at once! MUST
You ……………………….. at once.
2. Don’t worry about the high number of people, as we have enough chairs.
NEED
You ………………………… the high number of people, as we have enough chairs.
3. It is obligatory for all participants to have a badge . MUST
All …………………………………………… a badge.
4. It was not necessary for Tony to buy any more milk, as there was enough in the
fridge. NEED
Tony …………………………………..…, as there was enough in the fridge.
5. It isn’t necessary to send an e-mail, you can simply ring me up. HAVE
You ………………………………….., you can simply ring meu up.

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Level: B2
Learning objectives: given a key-word transformation exercise, students will
transform each of the five sentences, using the word given
Answer key: 5×5=25p
1. must go there
2. do not need to worry about/ need not worry about
3. participants must have
4. need not have bought any more milk
5. do not have to send an e-mail

Exercise 3 – You see this announcement in an international magazine for teenagers:
Having pets – a good or a bad idea? We’re looking for articles giving us
opinions on having pets. What do you think are the advantages and
disadvantages of having pets?
Write your article (140-190 words).
Level: B2
Learning objectives: students will write an article expressing their opinion on the
topic in 140-190 words.
Marking criteria: task achievement – 10p
organisation and cohesion – 10p
language (grammar and vocabulary) – 10p
overall impression – 10p
Total: 40p