OLIMPIADA DE LIMBA ENGLEZĂ

ETAPA LOCALĂ - 11 februarie 2024

CLASA a X-a, SECȚIUNEA A-Standard Varianta 1

 Toate subiectele sunt obligatorii.

 Nu se acordă puncte din oficiu.
 Timpul de lucru este de 3 ore.

SUBIECTUL A – USE OF ENGLISH (40 points)

I. Put the verbs in brackets in the right tense: (10 points):
When Francis Lee was a boy he 1) ____________ (want) to be an astronaut. He 2) ____________ (watch) TV
one day in 1969 when he 3) ____________ (see) Neil Armstrong walk on the moon. Since then he 4)
____________ (always/dream) of doing the same. Every night when there is a full moon, he stares up at it for
hours and imagines himself walking around on it. At the moment, however, he 5) ____________ (work) as a
night-watchman at a meat factory. He 6) ____________ (do) the same job since he left school fifteen years
ago, but he still hopes that one day his dream 7) ____________ (come) true. He 8) ____________ (hear) that
in the 21st century they 9) ____________ (sell) tickets to fly to the moon. For this reason he 10) ____________
(save) half of his wages every month for the past two years.
II. Read the sentences below and use the words given in capital on the right to form words that fit in the
gaps. (10 points)
1. He never regained ___________ and died a few weeks after the accident. (CONSCIOUS)
2. How can you be so ____________ to her feelings? She's just lost her father. (SENSE)
3. She claimed her ____________ and said she had never been at the scene of the crime. (INNOCENT)
4. The police got the necessary information from their _____________. (INFORM)
5. Every student must take an _____________ exam. (ENTER)
6. Most experts say that the painting is not a _____________. (FORGE)
7. The law proved to be____________. Nobody cared about it. (EFFECT)
8. She was very _____________ about her bad behaviour. (APOLOGY)
9. It was one of the many ________________ they faced on the long journey. (HARD)
10. Trees are being cut down to provide _____________ parking space. (ADD)
III. Fill in the gaps with one word (10points)
Choosing the best shades
Most of us buy a new pair 1) _____ fashionable sunglasses each year. To be honest, we probably 2) _________
more thought into looking cool than we do into ensuring that the glasses match our needs. It seems an obvious
thing to say, 3) ______ the main role of sunglasses isn’t actually to enhance your image. It is rather to protect
your eyes from the potentially harmful rays of the sun. What’s 4) ______, price isn’t necessarily the best guide
5) _______ the effectiveness of sunglasses. Indeed, expensive designer glasses may not provide the best defense
against sun damage. 6) _______ you may still want to choose a pair of sunglasses that look good on you, it’s
also crucial to check out just how effective they will be in protecting your eyes.
There are three types of light 7) ______ can harm the human eye. They are known 8) ______ ultra-violet light,
visible light and infra-red light. If you 9) ______ the choice of sunglasses seriously, then you will want to
protect yourself 10) ______ all three.

IV. Read the text below and decide which of the four words (A, B, C or D) best fits each space. (10
points)
The trend for children to multitask by juggling all sorts of electronic gadgets at the same time is (1) _______
damaging their levels of concentration, scientists have warned. The (2) ______ use of the Internet, iPods,
mobile phones and DVDs (3) _____ behind that finding. Scientists have (4) _______ the belief of many parents
that it is impossible to concentrate on more than one thing at the same time. They found that children (5)
_______ homework while sending messages via the Internet can (6) _____ up spending 50% longer than if they
had done each task (7) ____ .
David E Meyer, Professor of Cognitive Psychology at the University of Michigan, said that true multitasking is
only possible for simple activities such as ironing and listening to the radio. He (8) _____ experiments
demonstrating that young adults who had to (9) _____ from one maths problem to another wasted significant
amounts of time. Meyer said: ‘For situations involving more complex tasks, especially those requiring
language, the total time taken to get all the tasks done will increase greatly. Over long periods, this kind of
multitasking can stress you out and (10) _____ to mental and physical exhaustion.’
1 A. Quite B. seriously C. curiously D. insufficiently
2 A. ascending B. heightening C. leaping D. rocketing
3 A. lies B. rests C. sits D. stands
4 A. assured B. authorised C. confirmed D. guaranteed
5 A. attending B. engaging C. tackling D. undergoing
6 A. come B. end C. turn D. use
7 A. apart B. aside C. distinctly D. separately
8 A. put B. ran C. set D. took
9 A. alter B. exchange C. interrupt D. switch
10 A. bring B. lead C. proceed D. result

SUBIECTUL B - INTEGRATED SKILLS (60 points)

Read the text below and do the tasks that follow:
Our Great Ocean Road adventure by Donna Waverley
My family and I recently went to Australia, to see my grandparents. But before we visited them, we went
sightseeing along the Great Ocean Road, on the Australian coast.
Dad had intended to drive, but even though he was used to driving miles without getting exhausted, he then read
on the website that the road wouldn’t be an easy drive, with a number of sharp bends. Anyway, we thought he
deserved to enjoy the fantastic views too, which he couldn’t do as our driver. So instead, we persuaded him to
book discount bus tickets and off we went.
Our first stop was where wild kangaroos lived – and Dad and I were taking a walk when a big one appeared!
For a moment, it seemed to consider coming towards us, which made me slightly nervous – but then it went off
along the road, stopping to check if we were following. Although it was with us for a while, I was so excited I
didn’t even manage to pull out my camera. Then it looked back once more, and went off into the bushes.
That wasn’t the only wildlife we saw. I thought it unlikely we’d see Australia’s famous koala bears during our
short visit, as I’d heard they were rare – but we weren’t disappointed at our next stop. In fact, we discovered
there were roughly six million in that area! Sadly, some gum trees they were in had very few leaves left, which
people told us was because of the koalas, although I’d read that lack of water is actually the problem. Still, I
guess that looked cute, and were easy to find – we just followed the tourists looking up into the trees!
Dad had booked a campsite for the night, with ready-made tents – for an adventure! I wasn’t sure about that, but
they were actually luxury tents, within walking distance of some famous rocks and other places we hoped to
visit. However, Dad also said the sounds of wild creatures would help us sleep. That sounded worrying – until
the ‘wild creatures’ turned out to be frogs! So I was embarrassed by my fears – and kept awake by the frogs!
But we had fun making meals together – we’d brought food, as we knew there’d be nowhere to eat.
In fact, this whole trip was fantastic!

I. For each question decide which answer (A, B, C or D) fits best according to the text. (10 points)

1 Donna’s Dad decided not to drive the Great Ocean Road himself because
A he realised he wouldn’t enjoy the views as much.
B he thought it would be too tiring for him.
C he discovered the bus would be a cheaper option.
D he found out the route was very challenging.
2 When Donna saw a kangaroo along the route, she was
A worried that it might approach her.
B amazed at the size of it.
C sad that it didn’t stay with them long.
D disappointed that she had forgotten her camera.
3 Donna says that the koala bears they saw were
A responsible for damage to the trees.
B even more attractive than people had told her.
C more common than she’d expected.
D very skilled at hiding away from tourists.
4 What was Donna’s opinion of the place where they stayed?
A She found it was less comfortable than she’d hoped.
B She liked the fact that it was convenient for sightseeing.
C She enjoyed hearing the sounds of nature as she slept.
D She was disappointed there was no restaurant nearby.
5 What might Donna write in her blog during the trip?
A The bus we’re travelling on is pretty comfortable, with great views from the window. Grandma and
Granddad are enjoying it, too!
B We can see quite a lot as we drive along. I just wish we could stop and get out to explore properly.
C Yesterday we went to see some huge rocks near our campsite – and we were really impressed! I’m
surprised they’re not well known.
D I wasn’t looking forward to camping, in case there were wild animals, but we haven’t seen anything
at all dangerous, so I feel silly now!

II. Starting from the above text, write a narrative-descriptive essay introducing the reader to a road trip
you took with your family. (180-200 words) (50 points)
 OLIMPIADA DE LIMBA ENGLEZĂ
ETAPA LOCALĂ - 11 februarie 2024
CLASA a X-a, SECȚIUNEA A-Standard Varianta 1
BAREM DE EVALUARE

 Toate subiectele sunt obligatorii.

 Nu se acordă puncte din oficiu.
 Timpul de lucru este de 3 ore.

 Se punctează oricare alte modalităţi de rezolvare corectă a cerinţelor.

SUBIECTUL A – USE OF ENGLISH (40 points)

I. Put the verbs in brackets in the right tense and voice (10 points):
1. wanted, 2. was watching, 3. saw, 4. has always dreamt, 5. is working, 6. has been doing, 7. will come, 8.
has heard, 9. will sell / will be selling, 10. has been saving

II. Read the sentences below and use the words given in capital on the right to form words that fit in the
gaps. (10 points)
1. CONSCIOUSNESS, 2. INSENSITIVE, 3. INNOCENCE, 4. INFORMANT, 5. ENTRANCE, 6.
FORGERY, 7. INEFFECTIVE, 8. APOLOGETIC, 9. HARDSHIPS, 10. ADDITIONAL

III. Fill in the gaps with one word (10 points)

1. of, 2. put, 3. but, 4. more, 5. to, 6. Although/ Though/ While, 7. which, 8. as, 9. take, 10. against.

IV. Read the text below and decide which of the four words (A, B, C or D) best fits each space. (10
points)

1. B seriously, 2. D rocketing, 3. A lies, 4. C confirmed, 5. C tackling, 6. B end, 7. D separately, 8. B ran, 9. D

switch, 10. B lead

SUBIECTUL B - INTEGRATED SKILLS (60 points)

I. For each question decide which answer (A, B, C or D) fits best according to the text. (10 points)

1. D, 2. A, 3. C, 4. B, 5. D.
 MARKING SCHEME FOR THE NARRATIVE-DESCRIPTIVE ESSAY

Analytical Exemplary Proficient Partially Proficient Weak Incomplete P

criteria o
10p 8p 6p 4p 2p i
n
t
s
CONTENT The essay is The essay is fairly The essay is partially The essay is faulty, The essay is
completely relevant completed with completed with slight including serious wholly
to topic, describing the description of logical impediments in logical impediments inadequate the
people/places/events people/places/ev the logical in the sequencing of quality of the
/atmosphere, having ents/atmosphere, development of the events. description
a clear development having a clear description. failing the
and including the final development requirements of
reactions of the the task.
protagonist
ORGANIZATION There is complete There is a fairly There is partial There is serious Paragraphs are
AND COHESION logical connection of completion of completion of the inconsistency in the incomplete,
paragraphs due to a paragraph task. Paragraphs are organization of the both linking
judicious use of organization due partially complete due paragraphs due to devices,
linking devices, to scarce misuse to unfinished ideas the misuse of the mechanics, and
mechanics, and length of linking devices, and scarce use of linking devices, length
requirements. mechanics, and linking devices, mechanics, and requirements
length mechanics, and length length having been
requirements. requirements. requirements. disrespected.
VOCABULARY A wide range of A range of The range of A limited range of A very narrow
vocabulary is used vocabulary is used vocabulary is vocabulary is range of
appropriately and appropriately and adequately used in the present within the vocabulary is
accurately throughout accurately in the essay; errors in word essay; less common present; errors
the essay; precise essay; occasional choice /formation are items of vocabulary in word
meaning is conveyed; errors in word present when more are rare and may be choice/formatio
minor errors are rare; choice/formation sophisticated items of often faulty; spelling n predominate;
spelling is very well are possible; vocabulary are errors can make text spelling errors
controlled. The spelling is well attempted; spelling understanding can make the
register of the controlled with can be faulty at times. difficult. The essay obscure
narrative-descriptive occasional slips. The register of the register of the at times. The
essay is totally The register of the narrative-descriptive narrative- register used in
relevant to the task, narrative- essay is partially descriptive essay is the narrative-
being organically descriptive essay relevant to the task inconsistent due to descriptive
integrated all along is relevant to the with a narrow the mixture of essay is
the discourse. task with slightly inconsistency of style, styles. inappropriate
incongruent leading to halts in the for this type of
lapses within the logical development of writing.
discourse. ideas
STRUCTURES A wide range of A range of A mix of complex and A limited range of A very narrow
grammatical grammatical simple grammatical grammatical range of
structures is used structures is used structures is present structures is present grammatical
accurately and flexibly accurately and throughout the essay; along the essay; structures is
throughout the essay; with some errors are present complex language is present within
minor errors are rare; flexibility along when complex rare and may be the essay;
punctuation is very the essay; language is often faulty; errors
well controlled. occasional errors attempted; punctuation errors predominate;
are possible; punctuation can be can make text punctuation
punctuation is faulty at times. understanding errors make the
well controlled difficult. text obscure at
with occasional times.
slips.
EFFECT ON The interest of the The text has a The effect on the The effect on the The text has a
TARGET reader is aroused and good effect on the reader is satisfactory. reader non- negative effect
READER sustained throughout reader. relevant. on the reader.