Written comprehension

Read the two texts carefully, then answer the questions or do the tasks. Don’t forget to mention the number
of the line when quoting.

Strategy
 See dates, genre, types of narration, type of dialogue also, settings. Analyse this
before reading, before answering the questions.
 Here: The Crucible was written in 1952 by Arthur Miller. It’s a dramatized and
fictionalized version of the Salem witch trials. There’s a clear parallel between
the 1692 trials and those which were held in the 1950s in the U.S. A. miller
exposes the same process without taking the risk of being censored.

Typical mistakes
 Paraphraser au lieu de formuler simplement avec ses propres mots (Q1 par
exemple)
 Ne pas lire/ respecter la consigne (Q2 où “choose” n’est pas fait, certains ont
mis les 4 lettres)
 Oublier une partie de l’exercice (Q4 où b a souvent été oublié, donc la moitié
des points)
 Citer hors-passage (Q4 par exemple où il faut respecter les tronçons fixés)
 Passer à côté d’une question, ne pas répondre vraiment (Q8 “feels” sans un
seul adjectif de sentiment)
 “Friendly” est suffisamment connu pour que la définition attendue ne soit pas
celle que tout le monde connaît, mais le sens du mot dans le contexte, dans la
situation.

Fautes courantes, hélas!

The men / He doesn’t / accused of being / They want Mrs Stevens to give…
C’est une épreuve de compré
hension, certes, mais il faut tout de même rester vigilant, vous faire comprendre et
limiter les fautes qui seront pénalisées dans la deuxième partie (expression).

TEXT1
1) Say briefly what Roy Cohn and Finlay want of Mrs Stevens. They clearly want her to cooperate and give
the names -12 precisely- of those she’s been meeting in the “circle” as they call it. /2

2) Choose the sentences that correspond best to Mrs Stevens’ situation: /2

a- She is being questioned by a judge during a trial.
b-She is being questioned about her activities.
c-She is accused of spying.
d-Her name has been given to the authorities.

3) Quote a sentence showing what Cohn and Finlay have against Mrs Stevens. (l.29) “However, we believe
you are a member of a “circle” operating in this city” /1
4) What are the two men’s strategies when dealing with Mrs Stevens in these two passages: explain briefly
and quote keywords to justify.
a- from l. 2 to l.17 They’re behaving in a quiet, friendly way as if there was nothing serious at stake.
(l.4) “This is just an informal interview” – “To help you” /2
b- from l.18 to l.22 They’re trying to frighten her, to make her feel ill-at-ease. They’re close to putting on a
show, staging their actions in a way.
(l.20) “calculating the effect on the woman of the sight of the heavy automatic” /2

5) Why does Mrs Stevens think she “had better talk with a lawyer”? l.33 /2
She feels she’s cornered / she’s been found out and she’s going to be accused of something. She knows
she’ll need a lawyer to organise her defence and to support her at the trial in case there should be one.

6) Analyse Cohn’s reaction to Mrs Stevens’request.

He’s quite satisfied with the fact that Mrs Stevens is starting feeling guilty and uncomfortable. He knows
about the outcome of the conversation. It’s as if he was manipulating her from one step to another. He
says he’s a lawyer when she’s asking for one: her last hope to get away from this situation vanishes. He’s
pleased because she has no escape now and can’t but trust him and give the names. /3

7) Explain in one sentence the term “friendly” (l.44).

A “friendly” is a person who accepts to collaborate with the HUAC and to give the names of other people
who will be questioned in their own turn. /2

8) How does Mrs Stevens feel in the passage from l.31 to the end? Explain why (50 words). /4
She goes through three different stages/ types of feelings:
 She starts by becoming aware of what they know about her. She feels trapped and asks for a
lawyer to try and find a way out.
 But she quickly understands she won’t get one, which makes her feel even worse: worried,
confused, wondering what else she can do.
 She eventually breaks down / starts crying and seems to be on the verge of giving the names.

TEXT 2
9) (l.22) “And I look-and there was Goody Good”. What has Tituba just done?
She has just given the name of a person who will probably be accused, questioned, tried and convicted.

TEXT 1 and TEXT 2

Explain the similarities and the differences between Mrs Stevens’ and Tituba’s situations. (70 words)
Both of them are being put to the test: they are questioned, they are on tenterhooks because they’re
suspected of being the accomplices of Communists for one, of the Devil for the other. They are undergoing
the same process : two men are asking them questions, adjusting their strategies as the interview unfolds.
They also seem to be going through the same kinds of feelings: fear and the wish to escape such terrible
questions.
However, Tituba is innocent when we know Mrs Stevens is guilty of belonging to a group of Communist
sympathizers, but certainly not guilty of being a danger to her own country. The interview is not the same
as It is run by religious people in text2 whereas the police conducts it in text1. That’s why the strategies are
different also.