Examen de Inglés PAU Madrid 2018 · Ordinaria

OPCIÓN A

Romanian’s Medieval Marital Prison

Biertan is a Transylvanian village that feels frozen in time. Horse-drawn carts are still a part of daily life, and local residents gather to trade their wares in a cobbled village square. At the heart of the village, next to a 15th-century fortified church that stands on a hill, there is a small building with a very small room. For 300 years, couples whose marriages were on the rocks would find themselves here, locked away for up to six weeks by the local bishop in hope that they would iron out their problems and avert a divorce.

It may sound like a nightmare, but records show that this form of marriage counselling in Transylvania was rather effective. "Thanks to this blessed building, in the 300 years that Biertan had the bishop's seat, we only had one divorce," said Biertan's current priest. Today, the small, dark prison is a museum. The room has low ceilings and thick walls, and is equipped with a table and chair, a storage chest and a bed that looks small enough to belong to a child. As couples attempted to repair their marriages inside this tiny space, everything had to be shared, from a single pillow and blanket to the lone table setting.

Lutheranism was the religion that governed most aspects of Biertan's life. Although divorce was allowed under certain circumstances, such as adultery, it was preferred that couples attempt to save their union. So, a couple seeking divorce would voluntarily visit the bishop, who would send them to the marital prison to see if their differences could be reconciled before they parted ways. The prison was then an instrument to keep society in the old Christian order. It also protected women and children, who were dependent on the family unit to survive.

QUESTIONS

1.- Are the following statements TRUE or FALSE? Copy the evidence from the text. No marks are given for only TRUE or FALSE.

(Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)

a)

Biertan's marital prison was situated far away from Biertan.

TRUE

FALSE

b)

Despite the Bishop's policy, several couples in Biertan couldn't save their marriage.

TRUE

FALSE

2.- In your own words and based on the ideas in the text, answer the following questions. Do not copy from the text.

(Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)

a)

What was this marital prison like?

b)

Why did the Bishop, with his marital prison, try to avoid divorces?

OPCIÓN A

Romanian’s Medieval Marital Prison

Biertan is a Transylvanian village that feels frozen in time. Horse-drawn carts are still a part of daily life, and local residents gather to trade their wares in a cobbled village square. At the heart of the village, next to a 15th-century fortified church that stands on a hill, there is a small building with a very small room. For 300 years, couples whose marriages were on the rocks would find themselves here, locked away for up to six weeks by the local bishop in hope that they would iron out their problems and avert a divorce.

It may sound like a nightmare, but records show that this form of marriage counselling in Transylvania was rather effective. "Thanks to this blessed building, in the 300 years that Biertan had the bishop's seat, we only had one divorce," said Biertan's current priest. Today, the small, dark prison is a museum. The room has low ceilings and thick walls, and is equipped with a table and chair, a storage chest and a bed that looks small enough to belong to a child. As couples attempted to repair their marriages inside this tiny space, everything had to be shared, from a single pillow and blanket to the lone table setting.

Lutheranism was the religion that governed most aspects of Biertan's life. Although divorce was allowed under certain circumstances, such as adultery, it was preferred that couples attempt to save their union. So, a couple seeking divorce would voluntarily visit the bishop, who would send them to the marital prison to see if their differences could be reconciled before they parted ways. The prison was then an instrument to keep society in the old Christian order. It also protected women and children, who were dependent on the family unit to survive.

3.- Find the words in the text that mean:

(Puntuación máxima: 1 punto)

a)

b)

c)

d)

4.- Complete the following sentences. Use the appropriate form of the word in brackets when given.

(Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)

a)

Last year, the number of divorces was much

(high) than ever before, as

(show) by the latest figures from the Office for National Statistics.

b)

I'd prefer to spend six weeks in prison instead of

(get) a divorce, which

(mean) I'd have to leave home and children.

c)

I don't remember the name of that Biertan bishop

story is written on that church wall in order

justify his actions.

d)

Complete the following sentence to report what was said.

“What shall I do next?”

He asked

.

5.- Write about 150 to 200 words on the following topic.

Single life vs. married life. What would be best for you? Explain your choice.

(Puntuación máxima: 3 puntos)

OPCIÓN B

Clara Barton: American Red Cross Founder

Clara Barton was born on December 25, 1821 in Massachusetts. As the youngest of five children, young Clara often felt as if she had six parents instead of two. Her older sisters were schoolteachers and they taught her everything they knew since they found the little girl to be an eager pupil.

In April 1860, the Civil War began. She asked the War Department if she could go to the battlefield to distribute medicine and food to the troops. Imagine their shock! No unmarried woman had ever gone to the battlefield before, but Barton was determined to go and she didn’t stop until someone gave her permission. She had found a way to serve her country. Her work of soliciting and distributing supplies, as well as nursing the wounded was gruelling. She often criticized the Army about the lack of food and supplies for the fighting men. When the war was about to finish, she also set up an office to sort out the difficult business of locating and identifying prisoners, missing men, and the dead buried in unmarked graves. But she was ordered to go to Europe by her doctor for a rest cure in 1869.

While abroad, Barton came into contact with the International Committee of the Red Cross. After recovering, she returned to the USA and campaigned to establish an American branch of the Red Cross. In 1882, the US Senate ratified the Geneva Convention, forming the American Association of the Red Cross. Then, Barton became its president. Her subsequent domestic program was impressive. Her energy and commitment to humanitarian causes over a forty-year period made her a household name, a symbol of charitable self-sacrifice. However, her inflexibility forced her to resign in 1904 from the organization she had founded and built. Nevertheless, Barton remained active in relief work until her death in 1912 at the age of ninety-one.

QUESTIONS

1.- Are the following statements TRUE or FALSE? Copy the evidence from the text. No marks are given for only TRUE or FALSE. (Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)

a)

Clara Barton couldn’t help soldiers in the battlefield because she wasn’t married.

TRUE

FALSE

b)

Clara first learned about the Red Cross while she was away from home.

TRUE

FALSE

2.- In your own words and based on the ideas in the text, answer the following questions. Do not copy from the text. (Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)

a)

What did Clara do just before the end of the American Civil War?

b)

What did she do after coming back from Europe?

OPCIÓN B

Clara Barton: American Red Cross Founder

Clara Barton was born on December 25, 1821 in Massachusetts. As the youngest of five children, young Clara often felt as if she had six parents instead of two. Her older sisters were schoolteachers and they taught her everything they knew since they found the little girl to be an eager pupil.

In April 1860, the Civil War began. She asked the War Department if she could go to the battlefield to distribute medicine and food to the troops. Imagine their shock! No unmarried woman had ever gone to the battlefield before, but Barton was determined to go and she didn’t stop until someone gave her permission. She had found a way to serve her country. Her work of soliciting and distributing supplies, as well as nursing the wounded was gruelling. She often criticized the Army about the lack of food and supplies for the fighting men. When the war was about to finish, she also set up an office to sort out the difficult business of locating and identifying prisoners, missing men, and the dead buried in unmarked graves. But she was ordered to go to Europe by her doctor for a rest cure in 1869.

While abroad, Barton came into contact with the International Committee of the Red Cross. After recovering, she returned to the USA and campaigned to establish an American branch of the Red Cross. In 1882, the US Senate ratified the Geneva Convention, forming the American Association of the Red Cross. Then, Barton became its president. Her subsequent domestic program was impressive. Her energy and commitment to humanitarian causes over a forty-year period made her a household name, a symbol of charitable self-sacrifice. However, her inflexibility forced her to resign in 1904 from the organization she had founded and built. Nevertheless, Barton remained active in relief work until her death in 1912 at the age of ninety-one.

3.- Find the words in the text that mean: (Puntuación máxima: 1 punto)

a)

b)

c)

d)

4.- Complete the following sentences. Use the appropriate form of the word in brackets when given. (Puntuación máxima: 2 puntos)

a)

If I (know) that the Red Cross helped in so many countries, I (join) as a volunteer years ago.

b)

From a shy little girl talked in a low voice, Clara Barton (become) a teacher, government clerk and battlefield nurse.

c)

After (resign) from the American Red Cross, she founded the National First Aid Society, mission was to promote local first aid programmes.

d)

Complete the following sentence to report what was said:

“When was the Red Cross founded in your country?” he asked Mary.

5.- Write about 150 to 200 words on the following topic. (Puntuación máxima: 3 puntos)

Are humanitarian organisations important today? Give reasons to explain your answer.