11th grade

INITIAL TEST
A. Read the text and then decide if the ten statements below are true, false or there is no such
information in it. Mark your answer on the sheet of paper by choosing from RIGHT, WRONG
or DOESNT SAY: (30 p)
One of Canada's best-known writers, Margaret Atwood is an internationally famous novelist,
poet, and critic. She is also committed to positive change in our way of life. Margaret Eleanor Atwood
was born in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, in 1939. She moved with her family to Sault Ste. Marie,
Canada, in 1945 and to Toronto, Canada, in 1946. Until she was eleven she spent half of each year in
the northern Ontario wilderness, where her father worked as an entomologist (insect scientist). Her
writing was one of the many things she enjoyed in her "bush" time, away from school. At age six she
was writing morality plays, poems, comic books, and had started a novel. School and preadolescence
brought her a taste for home economics. Her writing resurfaced in high school, though, where she
returned to writing poetry. Her favorite writer as a teen was Edgar Allan Poe (18091849), who was
famous for his dark mystery stories.
Atwood was sixteen years old when she made her commitment to pursue writing as a lifetime
career. She studied at Victoria College, University of Toronto, where she received a bachelor's degree
in 1961. Then she went on to complete her master's degree at Radcliffe College in Cambridge,
Massachusetts, in 1962. Atwood also studied at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts,
from 1962 to 1963 and from 1965 to 1967.
Atwood has received more than fifty-five awards, including two Governor General's Awards,
the first in 1966 for The Circle Game, her first major book of poems; the second for her 1985 novel,
The Handmaid's Tale, which was made into a movie. In 1981 she worked on a television drama,
Snowbird, and had her children's book Anna's Pet (1980) adapted for stage (1986). Her recognition is
often reflective of the wide range of her work. She is also a major public figure and cultural
commentator.
Most of Atwood's fiction has been translated into several foreign languages. A new Atwood
novel becomes a Canadian, American, and international bestseller immediately. There is a Margaret
Atwood Society, a Margaret Atwood Newsletter, and an ever-increasing number of scholars studying
and teaching her work in women's studies courses and in North American literature courses
worldwide.
Atwood is known as a very accessible writer. One of her projects, the official Margaret
Atwood Website, is edited by Atwood herself and updated frequently. The Internet resource is an
extensive, comprehensive guide to the literary life of the author. It also reveals a peek into Atwood's
personality with the links to her favorite charities, such as the Artists Against Racism site, or
humorous blurbs she posts when the whim hits. As well, the site provides dates of lectures and
appearances, updates of current writing projects, and reviews she has written. Margaret Atwood's

contribution to Canadian literature was most recently recognized in 2000, when she received Britain's
highest literary award, the $47,000 Booker Prize. Atwood donated the prize money to environmental
and literary causes. Her generosity is not at all a surprising development to her many fans.
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Margaret Atwood used to roam in the forest when she was a child.
When she was a teenager, her favorite author was F. Scott. Fitzgerald.
The University of Harvard had Atwood for a student during her academic studies years.
Atwood was a firm believer in having an optimistic outlook on life.
She attended universities both in Canada and the United States.
Margaret Atwood first became a mother at the age of 29.
Atwood had a preference for the exploration of the epic genre.
One of her most appreciated novels is The Handmaids Tale.
Atwood received a Nobel Prize for literature in 1985.
Her generosity is notorious as she donated a lot of money to environmental and literary

causes.
B. Fill in the blanks with words that belong to the lexical field of the words that are marked in

bold and underlined in your fragment. Pay attention to the contextual meaning of the sentence:
(30 p)
1. Celine Dion found her way to _________ and fortune, even though she comes from a rather
poor, large and underprivileged family. (famous)
2. It takes a lot of effort, good morals and a good job for a man to become the epitome of
____________. (father)
3. Ray took his PhD Degree in __________. (scientist)
4. One of Shakespeares _____________ is entitled The Merry Wives of Windsor. (comic)
5. Jimmy did a very _________ gesture for his wife when he bought her one hundred red roses
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and wrote her a romantic card. (poems)

Sophia went for a __________ makeup and look for last years Halloween Party. (drama)
Prince Helvigs ___________ was very beautiful and happy. (children)
Albert Einstein was a man of great _________. (known)
Tinna has always been a ___________ person: one day she says she likes Tommy, the next

day she changes her mind and doesnt like him anymore. (whim)
10. Michael Jackson reached the ________ of his fame back in the 1990s. (highest)

C. Write a letter of intent that would be addressed to the HR manager of Radisson Hotel in
Bucharest, as you want to take a summer job, during your holiday, working either as a waiter /
waitress, a chambermaid or a sous-chef. (30 p)