Lycée · 1ʳᵉ · Anglais (LVA)
Pouvoirs et contre-pouvoirs
Axe culturel 2 — Espace privé et espace public : comment les citoyens résistent-ils au pouvoir et défendent-ils leurs droits dans le monde anglophone ?
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Choisis ton niveau. Questions et réponses mélangées à chaque partie. Bonne chance !
Les 36 questions du QCM en version texte
Pour réviser sans écran ou imprimer : chaque question avec ses propositions ; la bonne réponse et son explication se déplient.
Niveau facile — 12 questions
What does 'civil disobedience' mean?
- A. Obeying all laws without question
- B. Deliberately breaking an unjust law peacefully to protest it
- C. Using violence to overthrow the government
- D. Voting in elections to change the law
Réponse
B. Deliberately breaking an unjust law peacefully to protest it — La désobéissance civile = transgresser délibérément une loi injuste de façon non-violente et publique.
Who wrote the essay 'Civil Disobedience' in 1849?
- A. Martin Luther King
- B. Emmeline Pankhurst
- C. Henry David Thoreau
- D. Abraham Lincoln
Réponse
C. Henry David Thoreau — Henry David Thoreau publie 'Civil Disobedience' (1849), texte fondateur de la résistance non-violente.
What is a 'whistleblower'?
- A. A musician
- B. A sports referee
- C. A person who reveals secret wrongdoing within an organisation
- D. A government spokesperson
Réponse
C. A person who reveals secret wrongdoing within an organisation — Un whistleblower est un lanceur d'alerte qui révèle des pratiques illégales ou contraires à l'éthique.
In which year did Rosa Parks refuse to give up her bus seat?
- A. 1963
- B. 1955
- C. 1968
- D. 1948
Réponse
B. 1955 — Rosa Parks est arrêtée le 1er décembre 1955 à Montgomery, Alabama.
What is the name of the system that prevents any one branch of the US government from becoming too powerful?
- A. The Bill of Rights
- B. Federalism
- C. Checks and balances
- D. The Electoral College
Réponse
C. Checks and balances — Les 'checks and balances' permettent aux trois branches du gouvernement américain de se contrôler mutuellement.
What does the First Amendment of the US Constitution protect?
- A. The right to bear arms
- B. Freedom of speech and the press
- C. The right to a fair trial
- D. Protection against unreasonable searches
Réponse
B. Freedom of speech and the press — Le 1er amendement protège la liberté d'expression, de la presse, de religion et de réunion pacifique.
Which movement fought for women's right to vote in the UK?
- A. The Civil Rights Movement
- B. The Labour Movement
- C. The Suffragette Movement
- D. The Chartist Movement
Réponse
C. The Suffragette Movement — Les suffragettes (WSPU, fondée par Emmeline Pankhurst) ont combattu pour le droit de vote des femmes.
What was the 'Montgomery Bus Boycott'?
- A. A protest against bus price increases
- B. A 381-day boycott of segregated buses in Montgomery, Alabama
- C. A campaign to build more buses
- D. A strike by bus drivers
Réponse
B. A 381-day boycott of segregated buses in Montgomery, Alabama — Le boycott des bus de Montgomery (1955-1956) dure 381 jours et conduit à la déségrégation des transports.
What is the role of the press described as in the context of counterpower?
- A. Cheerleader
- B. Watchdog
- C. Gatekeeper
- D. Advertiser
Réponse
B. Watchdog — La presse est qualifiée de 'watchdog' (chien de garde) : elle surveille le pouvoir au nom des citoyens.
Which word best describes Martin Luther King's strategy?
- A. Armed resistance
- B. Electoral campaigns
- C. Nonviolent civil disobedience
- D. Judicial appeals
Réponse
C. Nonviolent civil disobedience — MLK prônait la désobéissance civile non-violente, inspirée de Gandhi et Thoreau.
When was the Civil Rights Act passed in the United States?
- A. 1955
- B. 1960
- C. 1964
- D. 1968
Réponse
C. 1964 — Le Civil Rights Act est signé par le président Johnson en 1964, interdisant la discrimination raciale.
What does 'dissent' mean in English?
- A. Agreement
- B. Celebration
- C. Disagreement or opposition to official policy
- D. Silence
Réponse
C. Disagreement or opposition to official policy — 'Dissent' = désaccord, dissidence ; s'opposer aux positions officielles ou à la majorité.
Niveau moyen — 12 questions
Which of the following is an example of civil disobedience?
- A. Writing a letter to your MP
- B. Voting in a general election
- C. Sitting at a 'whites-only' lunch counter to protest segregation
- D. Organising a legal march with a permit
Réponse
C. Sitting at a 'whites-only' lunch counter to protest segregation — S'asseoir à un comptoir réservé aux Blancs (comme à Greensboro) est une transgression délibérée de la loi — c'est de la désobéissance civile.
What scandal was revealed by the Pentagon Papers?
- A. Government corruption in the awarding of defence contracts
- B. The government had secretly misled the public about the Vietnam War
- C. Plans to assassinate foreign leaders
- D. Tax evasion by senior officials
Réponse
B. The government had secretly misled the public about the Vietnam War — Les Pentagon Papers (1971) révèlent que le gouvernement américain avait systématiquement trompé l'opinion publique sur la guerre du Vietnam.
Which organisation did Emmeline Pankhurst lead?
- A. The National Women's Party
- B. The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU)
- C. The Women's Institute
- D. The Fabian Society
Réponse
B. The Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) — Emmeline Pankhurst fonde la WSPU en 1903 ; ses membres sont appelées 'suffragettes'.
What is 'slacktivism'?
- A. A very active form of street protest
- B. Hacktivism targeting government websites
- C. Token online support for a cause without meaningful real-world action
- D. A legal strategy used by civil rights lawyers
Réponse
C. Token online support for a cause without meaningful real-world action — Le 'slacktivism' désigne l'engagement superficiel en ligne (liker, partager) sans action concrète.
Which act granted women over 30 the right to vote in the UK?
- A. The Equal Pay Act (1970)
- B. The Representation of the People Act (1918)
- C. The Sex Discrimination Act (1975)
- D. The Suffrage Act (1910)
Réponse
B. The Representation of the People Act (1918) — Le Representation of the People Act (1918) accorde le droit de vote aux femmes britanniques de plus de 30 ans.
Choose the correct sentence using 'although':
- A. Although the protests, the government refused to negotiate.
- B. Although the activists were arrested, they continued their campaign.
- C. Although the law, the demonstrators were peaceful.
- D. Although of the danger, they marched.
Réponse
B. Although the activists were arrested, they continued their campaign. — 'Although' est une conjonction de subordination : il doit être suivi d'une proposition avec sujet + verbe.
In which city did the 'I Have a Dream' speech take place?
- A. New York
- B. Atlanta
- C. Washington D.C.
- D. Montgomery
Réponse
C. Washington D.C. — MLK prononce son discours lors de la Marche sur Washington, le 28 août 1963.
What information did Edward Snowden reveal?
- A. The existence of secret nuclear weapons
- B. The NSA's mass surveillance programme (PRISM)
- C. CIA operations in South America
- D. Pentagon Papers about the Iraq War
Réponse
B. The NSA's mass surveillance programme (PRISM) — En 2013, Snowden révèle au Guardian et au Washington Post l'existence du programme PRISM de surveillance de masse.
What does 'parliamentary sovereignty' mean in the UK context?
- A. The Queen has absolute power
- B. Parliament is the supreme legal authority in the UK
- C. The courts can override Parliament
- D. The Prime Minister has more power than Parliament
Réponse
B. Parliament is the supreme legal authority in the UK — En droit britannique, le Parlement est souverain : il peut voter n'importe quelle loi sans contrôle constitutionnel supérieur.
Which tense is used for a historical event with a specific date?
- A. Present Perfect
- B. Future
- C. Simple Past (Preterite)
- D. Present Simple
Réponse
C. Simple Past (Preterite) — Une date précise (1955, 1963…) exige le prétérit simple, pas le present perfect.
What rhetorical device is used in 'I have a dream... I have a dream...'?
- A. Metaphor
- B. Chiasmus
- C. Anaphora
- D. Alliteration
Réponse
C. Anaphora — L'anaphore = répétition d'un même groupe en début de phrase ou de clause, ici 'I have a dream'.
Choose the correct option: 'Despite ___ the law, activists remained calm.'
- A. to break
- B. breaking
- C. break
- D. broken
Réponse
B. breaking — 'Despite' est suivi d'un nom ou d'un gérondif (V-ing), jamais d'une subordonnée avec 'that'.
Niveau difficile — 12 questions
Which statement best captures the difference between 'suffragists' and 'suffragettes'?
- A. Suffragists used violent tactics; suffragettes were peaceful
- B. Suffragists pursued legal and peaceful means; suffragettes used more direct and disruptive action
- C. Suffragists were American; suffragettes were British
- D. Suffragists wanted the vote for all women; suffragettes only for upper-class women
Réponse
B. Suffragists pursued legal and peaceful means; suffragettes used more direct and disruptive action — Les 'suffragists' (NUWSS) privilégiaient la voie légale ; les 'suffragettes' (WSPU) menaient des actions directes et parfois illégales.
Thoreau argued that citizens have a MORAL RESPONSIBILITY to disobey unjust laws. Which philosopher most directly influenced this idea?
- A. Machiavelli
- B. John Locke
- C. Immanuel Kant
- D. Karl Marx
Réponse
B. John Locke — John Locke théorise le droit de résistance contre les gouvernements qui violent le contrat social, idée reprise par Thoreau.
'The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.' This quote by MLK uses which figure of speech?
- A. Anaphora
- B. Simile
- C. Extended metaphor
- D. Hyperbole
Réponse
C. Extended metaphor — L'image de l'arc se pliant vers la justice est une métaphore filée : l'univers moral est personnifié, sa trajectoire symbolise le progrès moral.
In the New York Times v. United States (1971) case, the Supreme Court ruled that:
- A. The government could prevent newspapers from publishing classified information
- B. The press had the right to publish the Pentagon Papers despite government opposition
- C. Whistleblowers were not protected by the First Amendment
- D. The President could declare a state of emergency to ban publication
Réponse
B. The press had the right to publish the Pentagon Papers despite government opposition — La Cour Suprême statue 6-3 contre la censure préalable ('prior restraint'), affirmant la liberté de la presse sur la sécurité nationale.
Which term describes the legal doctrine used to prosecute Snowden and Manning in the USA?
- A. The Freedom of Information Act
- B. The Espionage Act of 1917
- C. The Patriot Act
- D. The National Security Act
Réponse
B. The Espionage Act of 1917 — L'Espionage Act (1917), loi de l'ère de la Première Guerre mondiale, est utilisé pour poursuivre les lanceurs d'alerte modernes.
Black Lives Matter was founded in 2013 in response to which event?
- A. The murder of Trayvon Martin and the acquittal of George Zimmerman
- B. The police killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson
- C. The election of Barack Obama
- D. The death of Eric Garner in New York
Réponse
A. The murder of Trayvon Martin and the acquittal of George Zimmerman — Le hashtag #BlackLivesMatter est créé par Alicia Garza, Patrisse Cullors et Opal Tometi après l'acquittement de George Zimmerman en 2013.
What is the main criticism of 'digital activism' compared to traditional protest?
- A. It is too expensive
- B. It requires technical expertise
- C. It may produce only shallow, performative engagement ('slacktivism')
- D. It is illegal in most democracies
Réponse
C. It may produce only shallow, performative engagement ('slacktivism') — Le risque principal est le 'slacktivism' : l'illusion de participation sans mobilisation réelle des corps et des ressources.
Choose the sentence where the Present Perfect is correctly used:
- A. In 1955, Rosa Parks has refused to give up her seat.
- B. The Civil Rights Act has been passed in 1964.
- C. Black Lives Matter has forced a global rethinking of police accountability.
- D. The suffragettes has chained themselves to the railings.
Réponse
C. Black Lives Matter has forced a global rethinking of police accountability. — Le present perfect s'utilise sans date précise quand le résultat est encore perçu aujourd'hui. Les autres exemples comportent une date précise → prétérit.
'Whereas MLK advocated nonviolence, Malcolm X chose more radical methods.' What does 'whereas' express here?
- A. Concession (one fact despite another)
- B. Cause and effect
- C. Simultaneous contrast between two opposing positions
- D. A condition
Réponse
C. Simultaneous contrast between two opposing positions — 'Whereas' exprime un contraste entre deux réalités simultanées et opposées, ici deux stratégies militantes différentes.
Emily Wilding Davison's death at the 1913 Epsom Derby is significant because:
- A. She was the first woman elected to Parliament
- B. Her act drew massive international attention to the suffragette cause and showed the personal cost of the struggle
- C. She was acquitted of all charges, setting a legal precedent
- D. She inspired the creation of the Labour Party
Réponse
B. Her act drew massive international attention to the suffragette cause and showed the personal cost of the struggle — Sa mort sous les sabots du cheval du roi, filmée, fit le tour du monde et symbolisa le sacrifice des suffragettes pour leur cause.
The concept of 'parliamentary sovereignty' in the UK means that:
- A. The Supreme Court can strike down Acts of Parliament
- B. No law passed by Parliament can be overturned by any court
- C. The monarch can veto legislation
- D. The EU can override British law (post-Brexit)
Réponse
B. No law passed by Parliament can be overturned by any court — Contrairement aux États-Unis, il n'y a pas de contrôle de constitutionnalité au Royaume-Uni : le Parlement est souverain, ses lois ne peuvent pas être annulées par les tribunaux.
Which sentence correctly uses a chiasmus (chiasm)?
- A. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up.
- B. Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country.
- C. We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds.
- D. The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.
Réponse
B. Ask not what your country can do for you — ask what you can do for your country. — Le chiasme de JFK inverse la structure syntaxique : 'country → you' devient 'you → country', créant un effet de miroir rhétorique.
Cours particuliers de anglais (lva) à Marseille, en présentiel ou à distance — un prof qui s'adapte à ton rythme et reprend ce qui coince.
Prof d'anglais à Marseille · Cours particuliers au lycée · Aide aux devoirs