GRADUATION EXAM English minor - Winter 2011 Section A. A. I.

Rewrite the sentences, using the correct tense of the verbs in brackets (active or passive voice). (1p.X10=10p) 1. I ... just ... (ring) the receptionist to say that the TV was not working in my room when the engineer arrived to fix it. 2. I had invited Pat and Peter for supper at 8.00, but I didnt start getting things ready until 7.30 because I knew they ... (be) late. They always were. 3. We all (realize) what a lucky escape we (have). 4. A friend of mine (return) to his house after a holiday to find it (break into). 5. None of his teachers understood how he (succeed) in (pass) the exam. 6. I (write) to the suppliers asking why the goods (not arrive) yet. They replied to say the commodities (already send). 7. Once they settle the agenda, the committee (circulate) it to all members of the society. 8. Nothing (move) in the room until the police (take) photos. 9. He avoided (sign) the agreement until after certain points (clear up). 10.She admitted (steal) some cosmetics from that shop. A. II. Complete the following sentences so that they mean exactly the same as the previous ones (2X5=10p): 1. Irrespective of his courteous manners, he is still a very demanding boss. No matter.... 2. You dont mind paying my phone bill if you happen to drop by the post office, do you? Should... 3. Therapists advise you how to surpass certain difficulties unless you refrain from asking for counselling. On condition ... 4. I would stand by him at all costs! Come............. 5. He was looking forward to going to the reunion. He couldn't ............ A. III. Detect and correct the error(s) (2X5=10p): 1. Pamela asked Jim why would he not join them. 2. She clang at the money as the pickpocket wanted to snatch them. 3. Will you remember me to lie the table by 7 p.m.? 4. A dog bited him as he was passing by a fence. 5. She took up so many activities that she had a little time on her hands. Section B. B. I. Translate into Romanian (30p): People always said that Irene had total recall. She seemed to remember the smallest details of things they had long forgotten the words of old pop songs, the shades of old lipsticks, minute-by-minute reconstructions of important events like Graduation Day, or peoples weddings. If ever you wanted a step-by-step account of times past, they said to each other: ask Irene. Irene rarely took herself through the evening before the day she was due to be married. But if she had to then she could have done it with no difficulty. It wasnt hard to remember the smells: the lilac in the garden, the

polish on all the furniture, the orange blossom in the house. She even remembered the rich smell of the hand-cream that she was massaging carefully into her hands when she heard the doorbell ring. It must be a late present, she thought, or possible yet another fussy aunt who had come up from the country for the ceremony and arrived like a homing pigeon at the house. (Maeve Binchy Telling Stories) B. II. Translate into English (30p): Aproape se nserase cnd cineva l strig pe btrn i Ana, treaz de-a binelea dar fr puterea de a se ridica din pat, i ascui ct putu auzul. Nu auzi dect un mormit de voci i salutul de plecare al celui care strigase mai devreme. n aceeai stare letargic, urmri trebluiala btrnului prin camera de alturi fr s-i poat imagina ce anume face i, cnd ea tocmai se ridicase n sfrit i voia s mearg n curte s se spele pe fa, l auzi btnd cu sfial n u. Era mbrcat n haine negre i avea o cma curat, era cu capul descoperit i voia s-i ia plria cea bun din dulapul din camera ei. i spuse apoi c fcuse de mncare i o chem s-i arate de unde se poate servi n caz c i se face foame pentru c el trebuia s plece, murise un om, un btrn i se ducea i el la priveghi. (Mircea Nedelciu Zmeura de cmpie) Section C (100p). C. I. Consider the following text: The most notable guestswere Ralph and Caroline Messenger.Messenger is his late forties, I would say, with a big handsome head: thick, grizzled hair combed back from a broad brow, a hooked nose and a strong chin. In profile he reminded me of a Roman emperor on an old coin. Caroline, or Carrie as she is familiarly known, is American. She must have been stunningly beautiful in her youth, and still has a lovely face, with big cow-like eyes, and braided blonde hair, but her figure is too matronly by todays exacting standards. She was wearing a lovely billowing silk dress which flattered her ample form. They certainly make striking couple. She addresses him as Messenger, which has a curious, ambivalent effect, half-deferential and half-ironic. In a way it seems to collude in placing him above ordinary mortals, who have their domestic first-name selves and their professional second-name personae; but at the same time the incongruous formality of a wife addressing her husband by his surname seems to mock his pretensions and set a cool distance between them. (David Lodge, Thinks) Taking the given text as a starting point, write an essay (not in excess of 300 words a page) on the theme of portrayal strategies. Illustrate your options by reference to a fictional or real life character. 1. An adequate title (10p) 2. Clarity and consistency of main argument (30p) 3. Composition structure (30p) 4 Adequate expression (30p) Total 10 p