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P. 48

2020 ‫מועד חורף‬  - 47 -  ‫ פרק שני‬- ‫אנגלית‬

Reading Comprehension

This part consists of two passages, each followed by several related questions. For each
question, choose the most appropriate answer based on the text.

Text I (Questions 13-17)

(1)		 On an April night in 2003, 14 authors from 12 countries met in Athens, Greece, and
       began a curious collaboration: the writing of a novel that would take its hero on a
       journey around the world, transported by the imaginations and pens of one writer after
       another. Inspired by their Greek surroundings, the writers decided to base their novel

(5)	 on Homer's Odyssey, the ancient Greek classic. The product, a global novel, is an epic
       tale of adventure. The novel's modern-day Odysseus is a young woman named Maria
       Teresa Almendros, who sets out from Central America on a quest to find her lost father.
       While the ancient Greek hero must overcome difficulties sent his way by the Olympian
       gods, Maria Teresa's challenges come from more earthly sources: politicians and

(10)	revolutionaries.

		 The contributing novelists ranged in age from 30 to 80, and their writing styles, like
       their cultural backgrounds, varied greatly. Each author contributed two chapters of the
       novel. As soon as one author finished, the chapters were given to an army of translators,
       who worked around the clock to make sure that all the other authors received the new

(15)	 material in their own language before the next author began to write. Editorial input
       was minimal, consisting mainly of correcting inconsistencies and contradictions (such
       as hair and eye color) and persuading the authors to deliver their chapters on time.

		 "The meeting we had in Athens was a fascinating, frustrating, inspiring, sometimes
       hilarious experience, and I had high hopes that we could produce something good,"

(20)	 said Michel Faber, a Dutch-born novelist who was raised in Australia and now lives in
       Scotland. However, Faber was disappointed with the final result. "Those old clichés
       about 'national character' have a lot of truth in them," he noted. "As a novel, it lacks
       structure and emotional believability." Still, Faber said he found it miraculous that
       anything was achieved at all. "Look at what usually happens when countries attempt to

(25)	 communicate – political tension, competition, and even war. Instead, we managed to
       write a novel together."		

Questions

13.	 The main purpose of the text is to -

       (1) describe a modern-day Odysseus
       (2) present contrasting opinions of the global novel
       (3) describe an experiment in collaborative writing
       (4) present the benefits of global cooperation

                                                                                                           )‫© 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
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