Art, engagement et contestation

1. a)They painted the names of four hundred miners who died in the Blackbrook pit, in white on a black ground, leaving one line empty at the bottom. The council had expected a decorative mural, something like flowers. (1 pt) (1)
2. b)The local paper rejected the work as "a black gash on a cheerful street", that is, as an eyesore spoiling the town's image, while the families accepted and completed it: they came "every evening, with chalk" to add the names the artists had missed. (1 pt) (1)
3. c)They are refusing to let the town turn a work of mourning into an official programme: a memorial belongs to the families and answers a particular loss, whereas a second commissioned wall would make remembrance a matter of council policy, and therefore of image. (1 pt) (1)
4. d)A gash is a deep open wound; the phrase compares the black wall to a cut in a bright, welcoming street. It shows that the journalist judged the mural on appearance and on the town's tourist image rather than on what it commemorates. (1 pt) (1)

Repère — Une réponse de compréhension cite le texte, puis reformule : la citation seule ne prouve pas la compréhension.

1. a)raise — to raise awareness of, collocation figée. (1 pt) (1)
2. b)self-censorship — nom composé avec trait d'union. (1 pt) (1)
3. c)lifted — to lift a ban, jamais to raise a ban. (1 pt) (1)
4. d)contested — contested heritage. (1 pt) (1)

Erreur fréquente — Les mots du chapitre s'apprennent en collocation (raise awareness, lift a ban), pas isolément.

1. a)At first glance the wall looks simple; on closer inspection, it is not. (1 pt) (1)
2. b)The artist calls into question the official story of the strike. (1 pt) (1)
3. c)The quilt stands as a testament to thousands of lives. (1 pt) (1)
4. d)In the foreground, a child faces the viewer; in the background, the street is empty. (1 pt) (1)

Le point clé — Un commentaire réussi enchaîne toujours décrire, puis interpréter : la tournure impose l'ordre.

1. a)It could be argued that the mural changed the way the town saw itself. (1 pt) (1)
2. b)Admittedly, the film is not subtle; yet its anger is justified. (1 pt) (1)
3. c)There is no denying that this memorial shifted public opinion. (1 pt) (1)
4. d)While some claim that it is history, others contend that it is propaganda. (1 pt) (1)

À retenir — La nuance (admittedly, to some extent, it could be argued) rapporte plus de points qu'une opinion assénée.

1. a)Attendus : présent de description, deux repères spatiaux, un verbe d'interprétation, pas de récit. Proposition : « In the foreground, four hundred names are painted in white; in the background, nothing but black. The wall conveys absence rather than heroism, and stands as a testament to a town that lost a generation underground. » (1 pt) (1)
2. b)Attendus : argument réellement adverse (image de la ville, tourisme, deuil imposé aux passants), introduit par la structure demandée. Proposition : « While some claim that a black wall drives visitors away and forces grief on people who simply walk to work, the town cannot pretend the pit never existed. » (1 pt) (1)
3. c)Attendus : prise de position claire + une nuance explicite. Proposition : « It could be argued that the wall does more for Larkhill than any brochure. Admittedly, it is not a cheerful sight; yet a town that hides its dead has nothing left to show. » (1 pt) (1)
4. d)Attendus : reprise du détail du texte, proposition argumentée, phrase conclusive. Proposition : « The empty line should stay empty. It is a promise: as long as no name is added, the town knows it has kept everyone above ground. » (1 pt) (1)

Attention — Un discours n'est pas un résumé : chaque consigne doit être visible dans le texte final, avec la tournure imposée.