Question

OPTION B

THE NOTTING HILL CARNIVAL

1 The Notting Hill Carnival traces its origins back to the culture of the Caribbean. When African slaves were first
2 brought to Trinidad, they were not permitted to dance or play their own music. However, as the slavery regime settled
3 down, a strong local tradition of carnival emerged. Once a year, enslaved people symbolically escaped from the
4 oppression of their daily routine by playing music, dancing, and dressing up in costumes which mimicked the European
5 fashions of their masters. They even whitened their faces with flour or wore white masks.
6 The tradition came to London with the migration of workers and their families from the Caribbean to Britain after the
7 Second World War. By the late 1950s, many Caribbeans were living in Notting Hill, a poor area. There, they faced
8 racism, bad housing conditions and, in 1958, violent attacks from white youths. The idea of a Caribbean carnival
9 emerged as a way of reasserting community cohesion after the 1958 disturbance.
10 Claudia Jones, the editor of the West Indian Gazette, was the moving spirit behind the idea. The first carnival
11 celebration was held in the town hall building in St. Pancras in 1962. This was a great success and became an annual
12 event. In 1965, local social worker Rhaune Laslett suggested holding some outdoor festivities in Notting Hill. The two
13 celebrations were combined, and so the Notting Hill carnival began. The skills of costume-making, steel drumming and
14 calypso music gradually came together to establish a festival of music, arts and culture.
15 The Notting Hill Carnival is the largest European street party and the second major street festival in the world after
16 Rio’s Carnival. It is truly a spectacle not to be missed.

ARE THESE STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWERS WITH THE PRECISE WORDS OR PHRASES FROM THE TEXT,
OR USE YOUR OWN WORDS. (0.5 points each)

3. Caribbean immigrants introduced the carnival tradition in London.
4. Claudia Jones played a minor role in organising the first carnival in London.
5. The earliest editions of the London carnival took place in the open air.
6. The Notting Hill Carnival attracts more people than any other carnival around the world.

Prueba de Selectividad, Comunidad de Andalucia, Junio 2015-2016, INGLES

Answer 1

ARE THESE STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWERS WITH THE PRECISE WORDS OR PHRASES FROM THE TEXT, OR USE YOUR OWN WORDS. (0.5 points each)



3. Caribbean immigrants introduced the carnival tradition in London.

True.  The need to stay true to their culture caused it. “The tradition came to London with the migration of workers and their families from the Caribbean”

4. Claudia Jones played a minor role in organising the first carnival in London.
False. The role this woman played was essential. ” Claudia Jones, the editor of the West Indian Gazette, was the moving spirit behind the idea” .


5. The earliest editions of the London carnival took place in the open air.

False. On the contrary, the firsts editions were celebrated under a roof. “The first carnival celebration was held in the town hall building in St. Pancras in 1962”

6. The Notting Hill Carnival attracts more people than any other carnival around the world.
False. It is almost the biggest carnival, but not quite. “The Notting Hill Carnival is the largest European street party and the second major street festival in the world after Rio’s Carnival”.

Prueba de Selectividad, Comunidad de Andalucía, Junio 2015-2016, INGLÉS.