Model subiect olimpiada de Engleza, clasa a 10-a, faza judeteana

SUBIECTUL A – USE OF ENGLISH (40 points) 
 
I. Read the paragraph below and do the tasks that follow. (20 points) 
 
Decoded secret letters reveal royal plot against Queen Elizabeth I 
 
The imprisoned Mary, Queen of Scots used sophisticated ciphers as she conspired to overthrow 
her cousin, Elizabeth I. Long thought lost, the letters were hiding in plain sight. 
Mary, Queen of Scots, was a master at sending secret prompt and codebreakers have spent 
centuries frustrated by her sharp ciphering skills. Whenever her  surviving exchanges have been 
cracked, scholars thrill to the information found inside.  
 
But the existence of one set of letters, believed lost, has tantalized historians for centuries: the 
ones she penned during her nineteen years in English prisons. Prior to her execution on February 
8, 1587, Mary Stuart wrote dozens of secret letters to French officials believed to contain 
sensitive information about her plot s to regain the Scottish throne and to usurp her first cousin 
and political rival, Queen Elizabeth I.  
 
For centuries, scholars thought these letters were either irretrievably hidden or destroyed, but an 
international trio of amateur codebreakers has just proven them wrong. Using a complex 
combination of computer software and traditional codebreaking techniques, the three sleuths 
were able to crack Mary’s cryptograms, revealing a wealth of new information about the monarch 
and her political milieu. 
 
 
A. response the following questions, according to the text.   8 points 
1. Why did Mary Stuart use ciphers? 
2. How do scholars react when they have deciphered some codes?  
3. Whose support was Mary Stuart trying to get to regain the throne of Scotland? 
4. How did the amateur codebreakers manage to decipher the letters? 
 
B. Choose the right synonym for the words given below, according to their meaning in the 
text.          6 points 
 
1. overthrow a. chase  b. wobble  c bring down  d. agitate 
2. tantalized  a. intrigued  b. ingratiated   c. displeased  d. satisfied 
3. irretrievably a. irresponsibly b. irreversibly   c. irrationally  d. incurably 
  Ministerul Educaţiei  
Centrul Naţional de Politici și Evaluare în Educație 
 
Probă scrisă la limba engleză   clasa a X-a secțiunea B 
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C. Rephrase the following sentences so as to preserve the meaning.  6 points 
 
1. Long thought lost, the letters were hiding in plain sight. 
In spite of  .............., the letters were not actually lost. 
2. Mary was a master at sending secret prompt and codebreakers have spent centuries 
frustrated by her sharp ciphering skills. 
If Mary ………………  a master at sending secret prompt, codebreakers wouldn’t have 
spent centuries deciphering them. 
3. The three sleuths were able to crack Mary’s cryptograms, revealing a wealth of new   
information about the monarch. 
A wealth of new information about the monarch …………….. the three sleuths. 
 
II. Use the word given in brackets to form a word that best fits in each sentence.  10 points  
 
Mark Twain was an American (1) …. (HUMOR), journalist, lecturer, and novelist who acquired (2) 
….. (NATION)  fame for his travel narratives and for his adventure stories of (3) ….. (BOY) , 
especially “The Adventures of Tom Sawyer” and “The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”. A gifted 
raconteur and irascible moralist, he transcended the (4) ….. (APPEAR) limitations of his origins to 
become a popular public figure and one of America’s best and most beloved writers. He was born 
two months (5) ….. (MATURE)  and was in relatively poor health for the first 10 years of his life. It 
is not surprisi ng that the pleasant events of youth might (6) … (WEIGH)  disturbing realities. In 
many ways his childhood was a rough one. In 1847 his father died of pneumonia, which further 
led to the family’s financial (7) ….. (STABLE). He worked at several odd jobs in town, and aged 
13 he became a printer’s apprentice. He lived (8) …. (SPARE)  in the Ament household but was 
allowed to continue his (9) …. (SCHOOL)  and, from time to time, indulge in boyish (10) …. 
(AMUSE). 
 
III. Translate the following text into English.      10 points 
 
În dimineața zilei ei de naștere, cineva trimisese un buchet imens de flori cu un plic și când 
Maitreyi a văzut scrisul s-a tulburat toată, a citit repede scrisoarea tem ându-se neîncetat să nu o 
surprindă cineva.  
- Ascunde-o în birou și vezi să nu o ia nimeni. Am să ți-o cer mai târziu, îmi spuse ea, roșind. 
Păstrez și acum acea scrisoare, deși nu m-am încumetat încă să o citesc.Mă gândesc adesea ce 
adorator i-o fi trimis atunci florile și de ce a mințit Maitreyi, spunând că primise buchetul de la o 
colegă de școală care nu putuse veni...  
(Mircea Eliade, Maitreyi) 
 
 
SUBIECTUL B – INTEGRATED SKILLS (60 points) 
 
Read the following text and do the tasks. 
 
Art history tells the complex story of human civilization through art and d esign. It ranges from 
prehistoric art of the Neolithic period through Renaissance masterpieces, Impressionism, 
Modernism, the Bauhaus and contemporary art. 
 
Impressionism was a radical art movement that began in the late 1800s, centered primarily 
around Parisian painters. Impressionists rebelled against classical subject matter and embraced 
modernity, desiring to create works that reflected the world in which they lived. Uniting them was 
a focus on how light could define a moment in time, with colour providing definition instead of 
black lines. The Impressionists emphasized the practice of plein air painting, or painting outside. 
Initially derided by critics, Impressionism has since been embraced as one of the most popular 
and influential art styles in Western history. 
  Ministerul Educaţiei  
Centrul Naţional de Politici și Evaluare în Educație 
 
Probă scrisă la limba engleză   clasa a X-a secțiunea B 
Pagina 3 din 4 
 
Impressionism coalesced in the 1860s when a group of painters including Claude Monet, Alfred 
Sisley and Pierre-Auguste Renoir pursued plein air painting together. American John Rand never 
joined their ranks as a preeminent artist, but as a painter living in London, he designed in 1841 a 
device that would revolutionize the art world: paint in a tube. His clever new technology offered 
easily portable, pre -mixed paint, and allowed painters to bring their process outdoors. Rand’s 
technological leap allowed spontaneity and a casual quality to the work of Impressionists. Over 
time, other artists joined in the practice, and their exploration together moved from indoor studios 
to outdoor cafes, with regular get-togethers to discuss their ideas. 
 
Realist painter Edouard Manet was part of this crowd and is often referred to as an Impressionist 
because of his early influence on and close friendships with the members of the movement. The 
Impressionists took many of Manet’s techniques to heart, particularly his embrace of modernity as 
subject matter and the spontaneity of his brush strokes, along with his use of colour and lighting. 
All these qualities are displayed in his 1863 painting Le Dejeuner sur l’herbe. 
 
The movement made its official debut in 1874 in a show hosted by the Paris photography studio 
of Félix Nadar. This show was an alternative to the Académie des Beaux -Arts’ Salon de Paris, 
which had been the official exhibition and overseer of art world standards since 1667. The 
Impressionists took their name from an insult hurled by the press at one of Monet’s paintings, 
Impression, Sunrise. Critics heaped scorn on the work presented in the show as “unfinished” and 
compared it unfavourably to wallpaper. 
 
Monet was a leader of the movement, and his brie f brush strokes and fragmented colour 
application found their way into the works of others. He was particularly interested in the passage 
of time in his portrayal of light. His series of paintings capturing Rouen Cathedral at different 
times of the year an d day offer clear examples of Monet’s ideas on how a subject can be 
transformed by properties around it. His most famous of this series is 1894’s Rouen Cathedral: 
The Facade at Sunset. Monet expanded his Impressionist practice throughout his life, culminating 
in his multiple studies of the Water  Lily Pond, produced from 1898 to 1926, of which the later 
works in the series (done just before his death) achieve an almost abstract quality.  
 
Renoir was considered the other leader of the Impressionist movement. He shared Monet’s 
interests but often preferred to capture artificial light in places like dance halls and directed his 
studies of the effects of light on figures, particularly the female form, rather than scenery, and he 
frequently focused on portraiture. Everyday life was Renoir’s preferred subject matter, and his 
portrayal of it is drenched in optimism. His 1876 painting Moulin de la Galette, which depicts the 
crowded dance garden on the Butte Montmartre, utilizes both artificial and natural light to portray 
a jolly party atmosphere and highlights many of Renoir’s interests. 
 
 
 
I. For each question decide which response (A, B, C or D) fits best according to the text.    10 points 
 
1. Impressionism has stood out to this day as 
A. a style of art which did not reflect the contemporary world. 
B. one of the most influential art styles of the Renaissance. 
C. a style which praised the practice of painting outside. 
D. an attempt to rebel against modernity. 
 
2. The Impressionist artist who is better known for an invention rather than his painting is 
A. Claude Monet. 
B. Alfred Sisley. 
C. Pierre Auguste Renoir. 
D. John Rand. Ministerul Educaţiei  
Centrul Naţional de Politici și Evaluare în Educație 
 
Probă scrisă la limba engleză   clasa a X-a secțiunea B 
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3. Which of these is NOT one of Manet’s innovations? 
A. The modernity in the choice of subject matter 
B. The clever invention of paint in a tube 
C. The spontaneity of his brush strokes 
D. The use of colour and lighting 
 
4. The Impressionist movement took its name from 
A. one of Monet’s paintings. 
B. Renoir’s interest in capturing light. 
C. Felix Nadar’s photography studio. 
D. Edouard Manet’s earlier influence. 
 
5. Renoir was an influential Impressionist painter for 
A. his studies of the Water Lilly Pond. 
B. the abstract quality of his painting. 
C. his studies of the effects of light. 
D. his female portraits. 
 
 
 
II. Starting from the text above, write a for -and-against essay on t he following topic: While 
some people think art is an important subject for children to study, others think it is a waste of 
time. (200-220 words)         50 points