Page 42 - index

2022 ‫מועד סתיו‬ - 41 - ‫ פרק ראשון‬- ‫אנגלית‬

Text II (Questions 18-22)

(1) On March 10, 1831, King Louis-Philippe created the French Foreign Legion, a
military force mandated with pursuing France's interests abroad. The Legion recruited
many of the foreigners who were flooding France as a result of political upheaval
elsewhere in Europe. It also provided the king with a convenient means of distancing

(5) French soldiers and officers who were felt to pose a threat to the monarchy. The
Legion's first mission was to complete the conquest of Algeria, France's newest colony.

A defining feature of the Legion was the policy of anonymat, which required new
recruits to give up their former civil identity upon becoming soldiers. A legionnaire was
thus able to escape his past, be it criminal activity, a family dispute, or a failed love

(10) affair. This was perhaps the reason that many people believed that the French Foreign
Legion harbored dangerous characters and ne'er-do-wells. Nonetheless, over the years,
the Legion acquired a reputation for bravery. Its soldiers were known to fight until the
bitter end and to put their military duties and devotion to their comrades above all else.

This combination of audacity and mystery made the French Foreign Legion an
(15) intriguing military force, the exploits of which have left their mark on popular culture

the world over. The figure of the legionnaire has often been used for dramatic effect in
books, songs, and comic strips, the most famous being P. C. Wren's 1924 novel Beau
Geste, which was adapted for film and television.

Today, in response to changing realities, the French Foreign Legion has revised
(20) its goals, with counterterrorism and peacekeeping currently two of its primary duties.

The internet is now the main source of recruitment, and there are many more soldiers
from Latin America and Asia than from Europe. Given the fact that the 7,650-strong
force consists of men from 136 different countries, it has been suggested that the Legion
could serve as the model for an international military organization.

Questions

18. According to the first paragraph, one of the reasons King Louis-Philippe established the

French Foreign Legion was to -

(1) make his throne more secure
(2) establish France as the strongest country in Europe
(3) populate the new colony of Algeria
(4) advance the careers of his favorite soldiers and officers

)‫© 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