Énoncé

« "So-oo-oo?" my daughter Norah once asked me - she was about nine years old. "Why exactly is it
that you and Daddy aren't married?" I had been waiting for the question for some years, and was
prepared. "We really are married," I told her. "In the real sense of the word, we are married." She
and I were in Orange Town on a Saturday morning, in the only shoe store in town not counting the
ones out at the mall, and Norah was trying on new school shoes. "We're married in that we're
together for ever." "But, she said, you didn't have a real wedding." "We had a reception." I told her
cheerily. This diversion from wedding to reception had always been part of my plan. "We had a
dinner for friends and family at your father's apartment." "What kind of reception?" How easily I
managed to lead her sideways. "We had pizza and beer," I said "And champagne for toasts." "Was
Grandma Winters there?" "Well, no. She and Grandpa Winters had another reception for us later.
Sort of a tea party." "What did you wear?" "You mean at the pizza party?" "Yes." "I had a caftan that
Emma Allen made out of some African cotton. A blue and black block print. You've seen the
picture. Only she was Emma McIntosh then." "Was she the bridesmaid?" "Sort of. We didn't use
that word in those days." "Why not?" "This was back in the seventies. Weddings were out of style
back then. People didn't think they were important, not if two people really loved each other." "I
hate these shoes." She wiggled in the chair. "Well, we won't buy them, then." "What kind of shoes
did you have?" "When?" "At the pizza thing." "I'm not sure I remember. Oh, yes, I do. We didn't
have shoes. We were barefoot." "Barefoot? You and Daddy?" "It was summertime. A very hot
summer day." "That's nice," she said. "I wish I'd been there." This was much too easy. "I wish you'd
been there too." I said, meaning it. "That would have made the day perfect." »
Carol Shields, Unless, 2003

Compréhension
1.
a) List up the characters present in the text and explain how they are related.
b) Who are the characters only mentioned?
2. Where does the scene take place? (two elements)
3.
What is the topic of the text? Choose the appropriate answer.
a) A discussion between a mother and her daughter about a pizza party.
b) Choosing a new pair of school shoes.
c) A daughter wanting to know more about her parents.
Justify your choice.
4.
Choose the correct answer. The narrator…
a) … was embarrassed by Norah's first question.
b) … did not answer Norah.
c) … had no trouble answering her daughter.
Justify your choice.
5. From the following list, choose two adjectives which best define each character:
• regretful
• unconventional
• curious
• insolent
• shocked
• approving
• honest
 • embarrassed
Norah:
• adjective 1
• adjective 2
The narrator:
• adjective 1
• adjective 2
6. In your own words, describe the relationship between the two characters. (20 words)
7.
Choose the proposition that fits the text and justify it with a quotation.
a) The narrator had invited friends and relatives including Norah's grandparents.
b) The reception and the pizza party were two separate parties.
c) Norah's grandparents did not come to the reception.
8.
In the text, find equivalents of the following words or expressions:
a) the shopping centre;
b) happily;
c) an unmarried young woman or girl attending the bride at a wedding;
d) old-fashioned;
e) without shoes on;
f) (to) move with quick side to side movements;
g) saying something seriously.
9. Explain what the narrator means when she says: "That was back in the seventies. Weddings were
out of style back then." (20 words)
10. In your own words and in one complete sentence, explain the narrator's personal definition of
marriage.

Expression
Write the two essays and indicate the number of words.
1. The next day, Norah talks to Grandma Winters about the reception her parents had to celebrate
their union. Continue the dialogue.
"Grandma, why weren't you invited…" (80 words)
2. How do you explain the fact that an increasing number of people refuse to get married? (120
words)
Corrigé

Compréhension
1.
a) The characters in the text are the narrator and Norah, her daughter.
b) The characters only mentioned are the father/ (Daddy), Grandma and Grandpa Winters, Emma
Allen/ McIntosh and friends and family.
2. The scene takes place in Orange Town at a shoe store.
3. The topic is about a daughter wanting to know more about her parents (answer c).
–"Why exactly is it that you and Daddy aren't married."
–"But, she said, you didn't have a real wedding."
–"What kind of reception?"
–"Was Grandma Winters there?"
–"What did you wear?"
–"Was she the bridesmaid?"
–"What kind of shoes did you have?"
4. The narrator had no trouble answering her daughter (answer c).
–"I had been waiting for the question for some years, and was prepared."
5. Norah is: curious and regretful.
The narrator is: unconventional and honest.
6. The relationship between the two characters is good since the mother is open-minded and frank
and the girl knows she can ask her mother whatever she wants to know.
7.
Norah's grandparents did not come to the reception (answer c).
–"Well, no. She and Grandpa Winters had another reception for us later."
8.
a) the shopping centre: the mall.
b) happily: cheerily .
c) an unmarried young woman or girl attending the bride at a wedding: the bridesmaid.
d) old-fashioned: out of style.
e) without shoes on: barefoot .
f) (to) move with quick side to side movements: to wiggle .
g) saying something seriously: meaning it.
9. The narrator refers to the "Peace and love" years and to the women's liberation movements when
traditional values were criticised and being unmarried was a way to protest.
10. For the narrator, marriage consists in inviting people and relatives to a party to celebrate a kind
of "unofficial" wedding between two people who love each other.

Expression
1. Production personnelle. Garder en tête que la petite fille est très curieuse et pose beaucoup de
questions pour obtenir le maximum de détails. Penser aussi à présenter le travail en fonction de la
forme : s'agissant d'un dialogue, il faudra passer à la ligne suivante à chaque changement de
locuteur et utiliser les guillemets.
2. For more than two decades now, an increasing number of people have not wanted to get married
but have lived together as husband and wife.
This trend may first be mainly due to the women's liberation and the sociological revolution which
took place at the end of the 60s and during the 70s.
At that time, old values where regarded as restricting and constraining like a yoke. Getting married
was seen as shackles from which it was difficult to get free. Moreover, many young adults and
teenagers have seen their parents divorce when they were young, which was less frequent in the
past. That's why they probably do not see marriage as a good thing since these unions ended up in
squabbles and quarrels. They also suffered from that kind of situation and do not trust marriage to
be what it is supposed to be. They don't want to live the same situation later. That's why nowadays
people often choose to live together without being married. They do not believe that marriage is a
secure and safe status but they think it's an old-fashioned institution without any real value any
longer.