TEST PAPER (10th grade)

I. Give the correct comparative and superlative forms of the following adjectives: short, tall, easy,
happy, interesting, useful, careful, good, bad, much/many. (1 p x 20 correct forms = 20 p)
II. Read the following fragment from Moby-Dick, by Herman Melville:
“Call me Ishmael. Some years ago, when I had no money and life on shore bored me, I decided to
explore the sea. It is my way of fighting the sadness, boredom and trapped anger that grows in me; of
calming myself down and putting some order into my life. There is nothing surprising in this. I think
most men have felt the same desire to go to the sea at least once in their life. Take this island of
Manhattan, busy with commerce and shipping, and all of whose roads take you to the ocean. Look at
how people are drawn to the water’s edge, where the breakwater is washed by waves and cooled by sea
breezes. Look at the crowds there. People escape from the prisons of their homes and offices, the dreary
city streets and come to the very limit of the land. All these landsmen stare at the ocean as if it were a
mirror and dream their sea dreams. Some of them stand so close to the water you think they are going to
dive in! Wherever you go in the world, the sea reflects men’s desire for change and adventure.
When I say go to sea, I do not mean I go as a passenger, just for the voyage. To go as a passenger you
need money, and I want to be paid. No, I go as a member of the crew. I don’t mind obeying orders for
pay, and I enjoy the hard work and the harsh storms. Then I feel alive. I always go to sea as a sailor,
because of the wholesome exercise and the pure sea air.
I usually went to sea on merchant vessels but this time it was different. This time I decided to go on a
whaling voyage. I can’t explain why exactly. I like to think it was a deliberate choice, one I had thought
hard about. But perhaps it was what fate had in store for me all along. Most of all, though it was the idea
of the great whale himself. The mystery of whales had excited me for a long time. That, and the wild and
distant seas where they lived. I love to sail forbidden seas and land on barbarous coasts. For these
reasons the whaling voyage was welcome. I dreamed of whales; whole schools of whales swam through
my mind. And among them all there was one grand hooded phantom, like a snow hill in the air.”
a) Are the following statements CORRECT or INCORRECT? (5 p x 6 answers = 30 points)
1) Ishmael had a nervous breakdown.
2) The island of Manhattan is famous for its shipbuilding.
3) The sea made Ishmael feel sad.
4) Ishmael decided to work on a ship.
5) Ishmael liked adventure.
6) Ishmael became a whaler.
b) Translate the following words and phrases into Romanian: 1) sadness; 2) boredom; 3) anger; 4)
desire; 5) change (substantiv); 6) crew; 7) harsh storms; 8) sailor; 9) merchant vessels; 10) fate;
11) school of whales; 12) choice. (2 p x 12 correct translations = 24 points)
III. Place each of the following creatures in the right category: fly, trout, ant, dolphin, swan, tuna,
peacock, seal, bee, mackerel, rabbit, goose, shark, mosquito, whale, chicken. (4 p x 4 correct
answers = 16 points)
1) Fish:_______________________________________________________
2) Insects______________________________________________________
3) Mammals___________________________________________________
4) Birds_______________________________________________________

Note! 10 points are granted to begin with. (10 puncte se acordă din oficiu!)