(BEP 2012: Informatique, Comptabilite, Stenodactylographe Correspondancier, Administration Commerciale Et Comptable)

The problem of price rise is a worldwide phenomenon. Prices of all articles have increased in all countries. The purchasing power of money has declined and is still declining. People are finding it hard to make both ends meet. The rich do not mind the rise in prices because they have money to buy anything at any price. The problem is more serious only in the case of the people of lower economic levels like mechanics, small traders etc. Their income has not increased in proportion to the increasing price. Before the Second World' War in the year 1938-39, one rupee could buy ten small cans of fine rice.

Today for the same quantity of rice, we have to pay fifty times more. The scale of rise in the price of gold, a precious metal, is the same. But has our income increased on the same scale? It has not, in addition people feel price-rise seriously since their meager income is inadequate to buy their basic necessities such as food, cloth, safe water etc. a large majority of people are facing these problems.
In villages, life is more miserable. In every village, only a few families have enough to eat while the others, a majority of them, let alone leading a hand to mouth existence, are condemned to live in absolute poverty. And this situation is worsened by the family problems and the great number of children. Slowly, they keep sinking into a morass of despair, misery and anguish.

Adapted from English Grammar and Composition, P.276, G.S. Mudambadithaya

Vocabulary
- The purchasing power: le pouvoir d’achat
- To make both ends meet: joindre les deux bouts
- The scale: l’échelle, niveau
- Rupee: standard unit of money in India, Pakistan and others

QUESTIONS

I.    VOCABULARY (4 pts.)

A.    Turn these adjectives into adverbs: (2 pts.)
1.    Hard
2.    Serious

B.    Find in the text, an opposite for each of these words: (2 pts.)
1.    Poor
2.    Decreased

II.    COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS (10 pts.)

A.    Read the text and say if these sentences are true or false: (4 pts.)
1.    The text is about the high price of articles.
2.    Very few countries in the world are concerned by price rise
3.    The rich are affected by the high price of articles.
4.    In villages, the price rise is harder.

B.    Answer these questions according to the text: (6 pts.)
1.    Why don’t rich people worry about price rise? (2 pts.) '
2.    Who are the most affected by price rise? (1 pt.)
3.    What are the consequences of price rise on people living in villages? (3 pts.)

III.    LANGUAGE PRACTICE (6 pts.)

A.    Complete these sentences with the appropriate tag question (2 pts.)
1.    Prices of all articles have increased in all countries,......?
2.    This trader never increases the price of his articles, ....... ?

B.    Fill in the gap with one of the relative pronouns: who, which, whose (2 pts.)
1.    Here is the man .......... has the most expensive car in the town.
2.    I have seen the accountant ....... book has been stolen.

C.    Put the following sentences into the active voice (2 pts.)
1.    The taxes are paid by our company every month.
2.    A prize will be given by this school to the best pupils.