Model subiect olimpiada de Engleza, clasa a 9-a, faza judeteana

SUBIECTUL A – USE OF ENGLISH (40 points) 
 
I. Read the text below and do the tasks that follow. (10 points) 
 
How Agatha Christie created the modern murder mystery 
 
They are assembled – maybe eight or nine people – in a small place: a snowbound train, a girls’ school, an 
English country house. Then – oh no! A body drops. Who did this? And why, and how? Among those 
gathered, there is a detective saying: ’No one should leave, please!’ He then begins questioning the people 
concerned, one by one. In the end, he collects all the interested parties and delivers the “revelation”: he 
names the murderer and the motive and the method. Almost never does the culprit protest. Occasionally, 
he goes off and commits suicide and exits quietly, under police escort. Anyone who has ever seen a Charlie 
Chan movie, or played Clue, or, indeed, read a detective story of the past half century will recognize this 
scenario, created by Agatha Christie, the so-called Queen of Crime, in the 1920s. 
The murder that sets the plot in motion is rarely shocking. For one thing, we almost never see it happen. 
Furthermore, the victim is ordinarily someone with whom we do not sympathize, even when we feel we 
should. Much more often, however, the victim is a rich, nasty old person who enjoys taunting his prospective 
heirs with the accusation that they wish him dead, so that they can collect their inheritances. He’s usually 
right. Rather boringly, the most common motive for homicide in Christie is money. 
 
A. Choose the right synonym for the words given below, according to their meaning in the text.  
3 points 
 
1. culprit:   a) offender;   b) shoplifter;  c)smuggler; d) accomplice 
2. sympathize: a) soothe;  b) empathize;  c) sustain;  d) care 
3. taunting:  a) threatening;  b)  encouraging; c)  joking;  d) mocking  
B. Rephrase the following sentences so as to preserve the meaning. Use the word given WITHOUT 
changing it.             3 points 
 
1. In the end, he collects all the interested parties and delivers the “revelation”.  AFTER 
Only ......................... the “revelation”. 
 
2. The victim taunts his prospective heirs with the accusation that they wish him dead, so that they can 
collect their inheritances.        VIEW 
The victim taunts his prospective heirs with the accusation that they wish him dead .................... their 
inheritances. 
 
3. Rather boringly, the most common motive for homicide in Christie is money. CONSIDERED 
Rather boringly, money ……………………………………homicide in Christie. 
  Ministerul Educaţiei  
Centrul Naţional de Politici și Evaluare în Educație 
Probă scrisă la limba engleză   clasa a IX-a secțiunea B 
Pagina 2 din 4 
 
 
C. Four words have been removed from the summary of the text above. Choose the right words to 
fill-in the summary. There are four extra words which you do not need to use.   4 points 
 
demand, classy, testimony, opting, provoke, classic, staple, begging 
 
In a (1) …….. mystery setting – a train, a school, or a country house – a group of individuals gathers, only 
for a murder to occur. A detective takes charge, prohibiting anyone from leaving as he meticulously 
interrogates each suspect. Eventually, he reveals the murderer, motive, and method. The culprit typically 
accepts their fate, sometimes (2) …….. for suicide. This timeless scenario, crafted by Agatha Christie, 
epitomizes the murder mystery genre. The victims, often unpleasant and wealthy, (3) …….. little sympathy, 
with financial gain serving as the primary motive. Christie's formula, established in the 1920s, remains a (4) 
…….. of detective fiction, recognizable to fans of Charlie Chan, Clue, and detective stories. 
 
II. Use the word given in brackets to form a word that best fits in each sentence.   10 points  
 
I've always been fascinated with ancient (1) _____ (CIVILIZE), so when I got the chance to visit Egypt, I 
was (2) _____ (INCREDIBLE) excited. The pyramids and the Sphinx were even more impressive than I'd 
imagined. However, what (3) _____ (STRIKE) me the most was the ( 4) ______ (INTRICATE)  of the 
hieroglyphics. It was amazing to see these symbols that had been carved thousands of years ago still so 
well-preserved. During the tour, our (5) ______ (KNOWLEDGE)  guide regaled us with tales of pharaohs, 
gods and everyday life in ancient times . Their explanations brought to life the (6) _____ (GRAND)  and 
mystique of Egypt's past, making the experience all the more enriching. As we explored the temples and 
tombs, I couldn't help but marvel at the (7) ______ (CRAFT) and ingenuity of the ancient Egyptians, who 
left behind a legacy that continues to captivate the world.  Overall, my visit to Egypt was a truly (8) ______ 
(FORGET) experience, one that (9) _____ (DEEP)  my appreciation for history and the remarkable (10) 
_____ (ACHIEVE) of humanity across the ages. 
 
III. For questions 1 -10, read the text below and look carefully at each line. Some of the lines are 
correct and some have a word that should not be there. On your response sheet, if a line is correct, 
put a tick (√) by the number on your response sheet. If a line has a word which should not be there, 
write the word down next to the number on your response sheet.     10 points 
 
0. .both. Reading books is a profund activity that enriches both the mind and  
00. ....√.. expands horizons. Beyond mere entertainment, it fosters critical  
1. ........ thinking and empathy. Engaging with diverse characters and any narratives 
2. ........ enhances understanding of the human experience. Moreover, books serve  
3. ........ as a gateway to different cultures, not allowing readers to explore worlds  
4. ........ beyond their own. Through our reading, one can acquire new knowledge and 
5. ........ perspectives, continuously evolving intellectually. It also improves language 
6. ........ skills and vocabulary, making it communication more effective. Whether  
7. ........ or delving into fiction or non-fiction, each book offers a unique journey of  
8. ........ discovery and self-reflection. Thus, by cultivating a habit of reading not only  
9. ........ entertains but also enlightens, empowering individuals to ever navigate  
10. ........ life with wisdom and insight.  
 
IV. Translate the following text into English.        10 points 
Ștefana a traversat șoseaua și-a continuat drumul pe trotuarul celălalt, către Doamna Ghica. Mergeam după 
ea cu mâinile-n buzunarele paltonului, fără să mă feresc măcar, căci ea nu se uitase niciodată în urmă și 
simțeam că nici n-avea s-o facă. Nu trecuse un an, ci o viață de când, pe aceeași șosea [...] merseserăm 
împreună pe mijlocul drumului și mai înzăpezit ca acum, și tramvaiul oprise între stații ca să ne ia, și lumea 
dinăuntru ne aplaudase cu palmele înghețate, râzând și bucurându-se, în ciuda nefericirii generale.  
(Mircea Cărtărescu, Solenoid) 
  Ministerul Educaţiei  
Centrul Naţional de Politici și Evaluare în Educație 
Probă scrisă la limba engleză   clasa a IX-a secțiunea B 
Pagina 3 din 4 
 
 
B. Integrated Skills (60 points) 
 
1. Five sentences have been removed from the following interview. Choose from the sentences A-F 
the one which fits each gap 1-5. There is one extra sentence which you do not need to use.  
             10 points 
 
Playing has been shown to improve the mental health of adults, but most people stop in childhood. 
How can we rediscover the benefits of playfulness after the toys have been put away? 
After Federica Pallavicini's father was treated for brain cancer, she wanted to help him with his 
recovery from the surgery. Inspiration came from an unusual source – video games.  Pallavicini has a 
personal connection with gaming. As a psychologist who studies the applications of virtual reality and video 
games for mental health and psychological wellbeing at the University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy, she noticed 
the improvement on her own mental health and lower stress levels after she played Call of Duty (CoD).  
1) ....... Pallavicini, however, says playing became a form of therapy that was highly beneficial in her 
day-to-day life, and later inspired her career in research. With this in mind, she wondered if play could help 
her father, too.  Pallavicini had good reason to believe it could.  Adults who demonstrate more playful 
personality traits are more motivated, creative and spontaneous.  
2) ....... While less playful people struggle in their leisure time to relax and often feel bored when their 
minds are not preoccupied, those that are more playfully inclined are aware of new opportunities and open 
to trying a wider variety of activities. 
René Proyer, professor of psychology at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, Germany, says 
that playful adults are those able to frame everyday situations in such a way that they become entertaining 
and intellectually stimulating. Whether it's an obsession with Candy Crush on the morning commute, playing 
video games with friends or even sharing a private joke with your partner or colleague, most people are 
playful, and yet the benefits might go unnoticed or nurtured. 
The benefits of playfulness can be embraced again in adulthood, says Proyer, adding that in the 
same way that you might take part in meditation or exercise, playfulness should be viewed as a skill that 
can be developed, harnessed and used for mindfulness.A good place to start is by simply observing. Proyer 
suggests listing three moments at the end of every day where something spontaneous happened. It could 
be a funny interaction with a stranger while getting your coffee or a joke shared with your colleague. 3) ....... 
But Proyer urges people not to be afraid to find fun in something not normally associated with adults. 
Socially acceptable adult games, like board games for instance, are often accompanied by a list of rules 
and require a specific environment to be played.   4) .....  Sometimes activities like this also involve 
competition and the related frustration with winning and losing. Essentially, the more unexpected the 
interaction or activity, the better for experiencing and enhancing your playfulness, he says.  
Your enjoyment of play can depend on both your personality and your willingness to be open to new 
forms of conversation and experiences. 5) ..... With the evidence so strongly pointing towards a wide array 
of social benefits, it can't hurt to look a little harder for those small moments that make a much bigger 
difference than you might think to both yourself and the people you interact with. 
Video games are one of the few forms of adult play therapy that carry less social stigma, says 
Pallavicini. While some adults might feel the need to hide their playfulness, the market for video games and 
mobile gaming among adults has boomed in recent year s. Playing to find the flow state can provide an 
enjoyable challenge and distraction from mental health issues, she says, meaning the player can work on 
their wellbeing without feeling pressured to improve. So with all the benefits that come along with it, it's not 
a stretch to say that making an effort to be a little more playful should be a part of your day. Do you ever 
think wistfully about your childhood toys and envy that lost feeling of playfulness? Well maybe that feeling 
never really left you at all – it can be just a little harder to find. 
(adapted from BBC-why-adults-should-embrace-their-playfulness) 
 Ministerul Educaţiei  
Centrul Naţional de Politici și Evaluare în Educație 
Probă scrisă la limba engleză   clasa a IX-a secțiunea B 
Pagina 4 din 4 
 
 
A. But these moments make up the most memorable parts of the everyday and the funniest memories of 
friends and family. 
 
B. This does less to encourage creativity and spontaneous playful behaviour despite the elements of luck 
and strategy, says Proyer. 
 
C. Proyer suggests that if you're most playful at home with your partner or family, for example, try using 
similar conversational techniques with colleagues or more distant friends and observe the results. 
 
D. This will help you to begin to feel confident in being playful and make you more aware of joy in your 
everyday life. 
 
E. The first-person shooting game put players into a simulated war, and so is more commonly associated 
with violence and stress than as a way of improving mental health. 
 
F. There have even been links between people with more playful characteristics  having lower blood 
pressure. 
 
2. Starting from the text above, response the following announcement on a website.   50 points 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Write your review in 220-250 words. 
 
Reviews   wanted- A video game you can learn from 
Have you recently played an instructive computer game? Write a review of the game, including: 
• a brief description of the game 
• what you learned while playing it 
• whether you would recommend it to people your age and why  
We’ll post the best reviews on the website next month.