VIET NAM NATIONAL UNIVERSITY-HO CHI MINH CITY Student’s full name: ............................................................

UNIVERSITY OF SOCIAL SCIENCES AND HUMANITIES Student ID: .........................................................................

FACULTY OF ENGLISH LINGUISTICS & LITERATURE Class: ..................................................................................
DEPARTMENT OF AMERICAN AND BRITISH Instructor: .........................................................................
CULTURE AND LITERATURE

FINAL EXAMINATION (CLC)

Course: BRITISH & AMERICAN IDENTITY & LIFESTYLE
Time Allotted: 75 minutes Exam Date: _________
Approved by Proctor 1 Examiner 1 Exam Score (50%) Total Score (100%)
Department Chair In figures:

Proctor 2 Examiner 2 Other Score(s) (50%) In words:

Note: No materials or dictionaries are allowed.

________________________________________________________________________

Part I: Choose the best answer to each of the following questions. Write your answers (A,
B, C, or D) in the BOX below. (1 point)

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

1. Who is the British Head of State?

A. The Prime Minister B. The Queen
C. The Lord Speaker D. The Royal Speaker
2. 10 Downing Street is the official residence of __________.
A. The Royal Family B. The British Ambassador
C. The Prime Minister D. The Cabinet
3. Which Prime Minister polarised the United Kingdom with ‘conviction’ politics?
A. Winston Churchill B. Boris Johnson
C. Tony Blair D. Margaret Thatcher
4. How many branches are the British political system divided into?
A. One B. Two C. Three D. Four
5. HM (His Majesty or Her Majesty) is enjoyed by the __________.
A. King B. Queen Mother C. Queen D. All is correct.
6. What are the 5 civil rights mentioned in Amendment 1 of the US Constitution?
A. Vote, speech, petition, religion, press
B. Speech, religion, bear arms, petition, press
C. Assembly, press, religion, bear arms, vote
D. Speech, press, assembly, petition, religion
7. What is the sport that evokes more nostalgia among Americans?
A. Football B. Basketball C. Baseball D. Golf
8. Which values lie in the American work ethics?
A. Catholic B. Puritan C. Buddhist D. Islamic

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 9. Who was called “The King of Pop” in the United States of America?
A. Elvis Presley B. Louis Armstrong C. Prince D. Michael Jackson
10. How many federal holidays in the United States of America?
A. 8 B. 9 C. 10 D. 11

Part II: Write T if the statements are true, and F if they are false. Write your answers in
the BOX below. (1 point)

11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

11. The harp is an emblem of both Wales and Ireland.

12. In the United Kingdom, the task of the House of Commons is to lead the Cabinet.
13. To become a member of the House of Lords in the UK you must inherit the seat.
14. The Sovereign acts as a focus for national identity, unity and pride; gives a sense of
stability and continuity.
15. St Patrick’s Day is a public holiday day at the United Kingdom.
16. Nickname of the state of Alaska is The Last Frontier.
17. The American economic system is based on private, free enterprise, and the self-reliant
system.
18. The 1960s were an age of fashion innovation for women.
19. The Ivy League is an association of eight prestigious private schools in the northwestern
United States.
20. The first Europeans to arrive in North America were British people.

PART III. Fill in the blanks. (1 point)

21. 22. 23. 24. 25.

26. 27. 28. 29. 30.

Text 1: Fill in the gaps with the correct words from the list. There are three extra
words. Write your answers in the BOX above.
positive, planting, gardening, allotments, conservatism, thatched, negative, tiled

THE BRITISH LOVE OF NATURE

Most of the British live in towns and cities. But they have an idealized vision of
the countryside. To the British, the countryside has almost none of the (21)
__________ associations which it has in some countries, such as poor facilities, lack
of educational opportunities, unemployment and poverty. To them, the countryside
means peace and quiet, beauty, good health and no crime. Most of them would live
in a country village if they thought that they could find a way of earning a living
there. Ideally, this village would consist of (22) __________ cottages built around an
area of grass known as a “village green”. Nearby, there would be a pond with ducks
on it. Nowadays such a village is not actually very common, but it is a stereotypical

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 picture that is well-known to the British.
Perhaps this love of the countryside is another aspect of British (23) __________.
The countryside represent stability. Those who live in towns and cities take an active
interest in country matters and the British regard it as both a right and a privilege to
be able to go into the country whenever they want to. Large areas of the country are
official national parks where almost no building is allowed. Even if they cannot get
into the countryside, many British people still spend a lot of their time with nature.
They grow plants. (24) __________ is one of the most popular hobbies in the
country. Even those unlucky people who do not have a garden can participate. Each
local authority owns several areas of land which it rents very cheaply to these people
in small parcels. On these (25) __________, people grow mainly vegetables.

Text 2: Fill in the gaps with the correct words from the list. There are three extra
words. Write your answers in the BOX above.

African American, voting rights, Hispanic Americans, men, women, Socialism,

Communism, human rights

THE CULTURAL CHANGE IN AMERICA: 1950-1980

Most Americans felt confident with their role in the world in the 1950s. They
accepted the need for a strong stance against global (26) __________ and supported
efforts to share the benefits of democracy as widely as possible. At home, they were
experiencing phenomenal economic gains and a shift to a service economy.

(27) __________ launched a movement to guarantee fair treatment everywhere.

They won a major victory in 1954 when the Supreme Court ruled that separate
educational facilities for black children were not equal to those for white children. The
decision started the process of desegregating the nation’s public schools. In the 1960s -
led by the Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. and with the support of President Lyndon
Johnson - African Americans won passage of civic rights and (28) __________ in
legislation.

During the 1960s-70s, many American (29) __________ expressed frustration that
they did not have the same opportunities as men. Led by writer Betty Friedan and
journalist Gloria Steinem, they organized a movement that helped change laws and
traditions to give women the chance to compete equally with (30) __________ in
business and education. However, their efforts to adopt a constitutional amendment
fell short when only 35 of the necessary 38 states ratified it.

PART IV. Open questions (2 points)

You have to give a detailed response to each of these 4 questions. Write your answers on
the blank lines provided.

1. Characterise the BBC in terms of its reputation, relative independence, legal status and
international image in the world.

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 2. Compare the two types of British national daily press, pointing out their characteristic
features.
3. Choose one representation of American popular culture and explain its impact into the
American cultural and social life?
4. How does the US healthcare system work?

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