Exam 2 FRE 105  -----Dr. T Saint Paul
Note: Please copy and paste in a word doc. and complete. Please type or write CLEARLY . 

For full points, answer all questions, give concrete data. In essays: quote your sources (course, websites, articles).

Total:                                 /100
Your name: ________________________Your email:

 

I. Match  first and second columns.         __________    /15 pts 

1-Collège

A. High school diploma

2- BAC

B. President of the French Republic

3- "Liberty, equality, fraternity"

C.  the Prime Minister and his Cabinet

4- Lycée

D.  Prime Minister François Fillon

5- Blue-white-red

E.  Arab born on French soil

6 Canal+/ARTE

F. film :La Haine/Hate

7-Beur

G.  Symbol of the French Republic

8-La Sorbonne, Paris

H.  famous Art school

9-The Paris Beaux Arts

I .  French TV channels

10-Hotel Matignon

J.  De Gaulle

11.Nicholas Sarkozy

K. French National Anthem

12- First president of the Vth Republic

L.  French flag

13-The French term "Government"

M. high school

14- The Marseillaise

N. middle school

15- Mathieu Kassovitz

O. Oldest university in France



II.  Topics ( 44pts)
 
-a)   Education. (5 pts) Circle what is appropriate:

1.      The French school system is based on national standards and is virtually free

2.      French education is streamed early on, into academic/ vocational schools

3.      French schools and universities are mostly private

4.      France has a high literacy rate

5.      The institutions of Higher education (=Grandes Ecoles) are competitive and were created by Napoleon 1st

-b) Vth Republic (3pts)

1-When was the Vth Republic instituted ?(circle)    1792/1830/ 1958/1968

2-What made a Republic change (from 1st to 5th) in France? (circle)

  a- change of president/   b. changes to the Declaration of Human Rights/  c. changes to the Constitution

 

3-The 5 Institutions of the Vth Republic are: The President/The Government/ The Parliament/ the Constitutional Council/The Judiciary. Underline the legislative body.

-c) Media: (8pts)

1-Indicate the political tendencies of the 3 main French newspapers

                                  Le Monde< Liberation< Le Figaro

(Leftist)____________________(Centrist)__________________(Conservative)_____________

2-Name the French news channel referred to below:A challenger to CNN International, BBC World and Al Jazeera, _________________aims to present world news from a French perspective and with a French sensibility. The non-paying, uncoded channel is available on digital platforms (satellite, cable, ADSL) and the internet, with a three-language website. It has the human and material resources to guarantee its editorial independence and provide original pictures and reporting. It is aimed at opinion-leaders with a news approach intended to respect diversity and remain attentive to political and cultural differences and identities”. 

3-   READ article online: Battle for cultural diversity (source: LABEL FRANCE 2000, no38 ). Explain briefly why the French fought for “Cultural exception” regarding their cultural goods :movies/music/TV programs? 

 

 

 

d).Political Parties. (6pts)

 PS (Socialist party),  PCF (Communist Party), UMP (N. Sarkozy’s party) , FN (the National Front, LePen’s party), Verts (Green party)

 1-position these in the columns below according to their Right  (conservative) or Left (social,  democratic),  extremist or centrist  tendencies: 5 points

  Extremist Left            Left                  Centrist                Right           Extremist Right

 

 

 

 

                         

2-What is the political tendency of the French Government today?

                      Right? Left? (circle)

e)- The French election process  (6 pts  )

  1-The Presidential elections take place in 2 "turns": what is the time -frame between both votes? (circle)                                                            

                    2 days     1 month       2 weeks                                                 

   2-French law about the funding of political parties? (circle)

                 unlimited corporate funding/  limited corporate funding/  no corporate funding

 3- Who are the (French candidates and their political parties) runners-up in the “First turn”or first vote of this Presidential election (April 23, 2012)?

 

f)-  French national identity and immigration.  ( 10pts)

 1-The French have always integrated and assimilated its immigrants.  Cite 2 waves of immigrants who at various times integrated and contributed to French society.

 

 2-What are the 2 largest immigrant population groups today in France (circle)?

     Mexicans / North Africans/ East Europeans/ Chinese/ Japanese/ Scandinavians

 

3- Why are both Muslim fundamentalism and the National Front scares for French democracy?(6 pts)

g)- Economy (this section will be mainly on Exam 3):   visit 3 product websites  that represent leading French sectors of the industry and give a short comment on the products.(6 pts)

 

III. True or false? ._____  /20pts  

1- One cannot study violin at a French university but in the Conservatoire

 T/F

2- The French have an electoral college to elect their representatives in the Parliament

T/F.

3- French universities invest a lot of pride in their football games

T/F

4- The French school system starts at 2 years old (pre-school)

T/F

5-The French president is elected every 4 years

T/F

6-The Constitutional Council is a regulatory body whose role it is to see that the Constitution is being observed.

T/F

7- The Government has a Minister for Health and Sport

T/F

8- The National Assembly + the Senate form the Parliament

T/F

9- The Prime Minister is appointed by the National Assembly

T/F

10-There are no North African immigrants in France

T/F

11- The Political Left has the majority in the National Assembly today

T/F

12- Islam is now the second religion in France

T/F

13-One becomes a French citizen by blood only (if born of French parents), not by being born on French soil.

T/F

14-"Xenophobia" is an religious sect in France

T/F

15- The Prime Minister resides at the Elysée Palace

T/F

16- The French pay a TV licence-fee

T/F

17-It is anti-constitutional to have a multi-party political system in France

T/F

18-French schools are funded by the national budget

T/F

19-France is traditionally a country of asylum for political refugees.

T/F

20- France 1, France 2 are  TV channels funded by commercials

T/F

IV. Films & society (15pts)

1.      Introduction. Explain why and how a foreign film can allow a good understanding of the culture it represents. Refer to 3 films for examples: Marius & Jeannette, Hate/ La Haine, and the historical film that you saw  (10 lines) (4pts)

 

 

 

2- Marius & Jeannette (5pts)

a-      Give 3 examples that characterize Southern French lifestyle (local culture)

b-      List and explain 4 points made in the movie that focus on 1-economic, 2-historical, 3-political, 4-social aspects of French culture.

 

 

 

 3- HATE/LA HAINE (6pts)

a-Explain why the movie can be described as a tragi-comedy.

b- Explain with 2 scenes from the film why the 3 young men are cast as jew, “beur” and black, and are portrayed both as hooligans and victims by film-maker M Kassovitz.

c-Referring to your course materials on society/religion/immigration and these 2 online articles, http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/france/french-society/population-and-society/article/immigration

 and  http://www.stanford.edu/group/SHR/5-2/sussman.html, explain in your own words what messages do the films :The Class (trailer clip) and Hate have in common? Find 3 different points to make.

 

 

 

 

V.                Essays (6pts) –

1- Can you give arguments for and against the French positions described in a & b?

a)What, in the French Founding texts (Declaration of Human Rights & Constitution) allows the French school system to forbid muslim girls in France to wear their headscarfs at school or in Public services? 

b) 2011 Law prohibiting the concealment of the face in public.

 

 

 

 

 

 

2- What is the advantage of having access to news/ information/media from different cultures? Justify your viewpoint and illustrate with comparative examples (from www.france24.com or another French news website, and your favorite news website..)