How racist is Britain? In Britain, social and ethnic division is a plain

COMISSIÓ GESTORA DE LES PROVES D’ACCÉS A LA UIVERSITAT
COMISIÓN GESTORA DE LAS PRUEBAS DE ACCESO A LA UNIVERSIDAD
PROVES D’ACCÉS A FACULTATS, ESCOLES TÈCIQUES SUPERIORS I COL·LEGIS UIVERSITARIS
PRUEBAS DE ACCESO A FACULTADES, ESCUELAS TÉCNICAS SUPERIORES Y COLEGIOS UNIVERSITARIOS
COVOCATÒRIA DE
MODEL D’EXAME
MODALITAT DEL BATXILLERAT (LOGSE):
MODALIDAD DEL BACHILLERATO (LOGSE):
CONVOCATORIA DE
MODELO DE EXAME
Totes
Todas
IMPORTAT / IMPORTANTE
MODEL
MODELO
Llengua estrangera II: AGLÈS
Lengua extranjera II: INGLÉS
90 minuts
90 minutos
Comuna
Común
Barem: / Baremo:
Please answer on a separate sheet of paper.
Part A. Reading Comprehension.
Read the following text:
How racist is Britain?
In Britain, social and ethnic division is a plain fact. Ethnic minority populations concentrate in
particular areas. Although mixed-race marriages are on the rise, they still comprise only 2% of
all marriages. For the most part, people mix and marry with people mainly of their own cultural
background, as determined by a combination of country, family origin or religion.
Britain is a patchwork of almost hermetically sealed sub-worlds, in which class as much as race
is a crucial factor. We all like to feel that we are open-minded people who can be friends with
anyone, and we can also probably find a few examples of friends who do not match our
demographic profile to prove our lack of insularity. But if we are honest, the vast majority live,
work and socialise overwhelmingly with people of a similar social type. And the opportunities
to mix are limited because many areas remain deeply inhospitable to “outsiders”.
Besides, well-intentioned promotion of multiculturalism can actually exacerbate the paranoid
feeling of Britishness being under threat. When people are informed by local and national
governments that they ought to embrace minority cultures more than they do, they feel they are
being told that their own way of life simply isn’t good enough.
This is all clearly bad news for optimistic multiculturalists, and some will think that it suggests
a negative view of human nature. On this view, the best we can hope for is little tension
between communities by means of mutual tolerance. But toleration implies putting up with
something you don’t much like, not embracing difference.
Julian Baggini, The Guardian, 23-1-2007
COMISSIÓ GESTORA DE LES PROVES D’ACCÉS A LA UIVERSITAT
COMISIÓN GESTORA DE LAS PRUEBAS DE ACCESO A LA UNIVERSIDAD
PROVES D’ACCÉS A FACULTATS, ESCOLES TÈCIQUES SUPERIORS I COL·LEGIS UIVERSITARIS
PRUEBAS DE ACCESO A FACULTADES, ESCUELAS TÉCNICAS SUPERIORES Y COLEGIOS UNIVERSITARIOS
COVOCATÒRIA DE
MODEL D’EXAME
MODALITAT DEL BATXILLERAT (LOGSE):
MODALIDAD DEL BACHILLERATO (LOGSE):
CONVOCATORIA DE
MODELO DE EXAME
Totes
Todas
IMPORTAT / IMPORTANTE
MODEL
MODELO
Llengua estrangera II: AGLÈS
Lengua extranjera II: INGLÉS
90 minuts
90 minutos
Comuna
Común
Barem: / Baremo:
Please answer on a separate sheet of paper.
I. Answer the following questions using your own words but taking into account the
information in the text. (2 points: 1 point each)
a. Which facts indicate that Britain is socially and ethnically divided?
b. Why are opportunities to mix with other people limited in Britain?
II. Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)? Identify the part of the text that supports
your answer by copying the exact words on the answer sheet. (1.5 point: 0.5 each)
a. In Britain people prefer to mix with people of similar backgrounds.
b. People do not think that other cultures are a menace to Britishness.
c. Toleration is not a positive term for multiculturalism.
III. Find a synonym for each of the four words below from these six options: (1 point: 0.25
each)
plain
a. highly
b. especially
c. evident
d. increasing
on the rise
mainly
vast
similar
deeply
COMISSIÓ GESTORA DE LES PROVES D’ACCÉS A LA UIVERSITAT
COMISIÓN GESTORA DE LAS PRUEBAS DE ACCESO A LA UNIVERSIDAD
PROVES D’ACCÉS A FACULTATS, ESCOLES TÈCIQUES SUPERIORS I COL·LEGIS UIVERSITARIS
PRUEBAS DE ACCESO A FACULTADES, ESCUELAS TÉCNICAS SUPERIORES Y COLEGIOS UNIVERSITARIOS
COVOCATÒRIA DE
MODEL D’EXAME
MODALITAT DEL BATXILLERAT (LOGSE):
MODALIDAD DEL BACHILLERATO (LOGSE):
CONVOCATORIA DE
MODELO DE EXAME
Totes
Todas
IMPORTAT / IMPORTANTE
MODEL
MODELO
Llengua estrangera II: AGLÈS
Lengua extranjera II: INGLÉS
Comuna
Común
90 minuts
90 minutos
Barem: / Baremo:
Please answer on a separate sheet of paper.
IV. Choose a, b, or c, in each question below. Only one choice is correct. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)
1. Britain is…
a) a collection of sub-worlds that never mix.
b) a collection of sub-worlds that hardly ever mix.
c) a collection of sub-worlds that often mix.
2. In Britain…
a) some people socialise with socially similar people.
b) most people socialise with socially similar people.
c) few people socialise with socially similar people.
3. The promotion of multiculturalism…
a) makes British people feel that Britishness is not good.
b) makes British people feel that minority cultures have to be suppressed.
c) makes British people feel that Britain is multicultural.
Part B. Composition (130-150 words approximately). Choose one of the following topics. (4
points)
1. Do you think it is possible to have a multicultural society? What do people have to do
to achieve this?
2. Are minority cultures a danger to our society? Do they have to adapt to our culture or
do we have to adapt ourselves to these minority cultures?