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2022 ‫מועד אביב‬ - 49 - ‫ פרק שני‬- ‫אנגלית‬

Text II (Questions 18-22)

(1) In July 1985, a twenty-five-year-old Scottish university student named Ian Rankin
finished the first draft of a mystery novel. He thought it very unlikely that his work
would ever see the light of day, referring to it as "a hundred and sixty pages of drivel".
However, not only was Knots and Crosses published, it was the first in a series that went

(5) on to become enormously successful. Over the years, Ian Rankin has won national and
international acclaim; over six million copies of his books have been sold in the United
Kingdom alone. Several of the novels have also been adapted for film and television.

Born in Fife, Rankin moved to Edinburgh at the age of eighteen. The urban
landscape of his adopted city – especially its darker corners – forms the backdrop for

(10) his tales of crime. Indeed, his books have been praised both for their colourful portrayal
of better- and lesser-known spots in Edinburgh and for the intricate plots that develop in
those settings.

Rankin fans are particularly intrigued by the protagonist of the books, police
detective John Rebus. In Rebus, Rankin has created a depressive yet driven character
(15) with an inner life as complex as the city whose streets he walks. A loner in pursuit of

justice, with a strong distrust of authority, Rebus has a gruff but essentially benevolent
nature. He is a multifaceted man with an appreciation of dark humour and a great love
of books, music, and whisky. Many readers are just as curious to unlock the secret of
what makes the quirky and rebellious detective tick as to discover how he will solve the
(20) crime.

Recipient of the prestigious Chandler-Fulbright Award and of several Crime
Writers' Association awards, Ian Rankin is more than just a best-selling mystery author:
he is an accomplished writer – one with an uncanny ability to probe the depths of the
human soul. Rankin has been awarded four honorary doctorates and, in 2002, was

(25) named an Officer of the British Empire in recognition of his contribution to literature.

Questions

18. According to the first paragraph, Ian Rankin -

(1) is more famous in the United Kingdom than elsewhere
(2) always wanted to be a writer
(3) did not think his first book was very good
(4) struggled for many years before becoming successful

)‫© כל הזכויות שמורות למרכז ארצי לבחינות ולהערכה (ע"ר‬
.‫ בלא אישור בכתב מהמרכז הארצי לבחינות ולהערכה‬- ‫ כולה או חלקים ממנה‬- ‫ או ללמדה‬,‫אין להעתיק או להפיץ בחינה זו או קטעים ממנה בכל צורה ובכל אמצעי‬