Québec Primary 6 French Ministerial Examination flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Narrative arc stages

The five typical stages of a story: initial situation, trigger event, rising action with complications, climax, and resolution. Identifying each helps answer plot and structure questions accurately.

Omniscient narrator

A narrator who knows the thoughts and feelings of all characters and can report events from multiple perspectives. Distinguish it from a limited narrator who knows only one character's viewpoint.

Indirect characterization

Revealing a character's traits through actions, dialogue, and others' reactions rather than direct description. Readers infer personality from evidence in the text.

Simile versus metaphor

A simile compares using 'comme' or 'tel que' (fort comme un lion); a metaphor states the comparison directly without a comparator (cet homme est un lion). Both create figurative meaning.

Topic sentence

The sentence, usually first in a paragraph, that states the paragraph's main idea. All other sentences in the paragraph should support or develop it.

Cause-effect structure

An expository organization that explains why something happens and what results. Signal words include parce que, donc, en conséquence, à cause de, c'est pourquoi.

Explicit versus implicit

Explicit information is directly stated in the text; implicit information must be inferred from clues. Exam answers should cite the textual evidence that supports either type.

Author's purpose

The reason a text was written: to inform, explain, persuade, describe, or entertain. Purpose is revealed by verb choice, structure, and presence of opinion markers.

Inference

A conclusion drawn by combining textual clues with background knowledge when the information is not stated directly. A valid inference must be supported by evidence in the text.

Critical response structure

A justified reaction to a text: state a clear position, support it with at least two pieces of textual evidence, and explain how each piece supports the position.

Bias indicators

Words and patterns that reveal one-sided presentation: overgeneralizations (tous, toujours, jamais), emotional appeals, and absence of counterarguments. Noting them supports critical evaluation.

Text comparison markers

Connectors used to compare texts: alors que, tandis que, contrairement à, de même, comme, par contre. They signal similarity or difference between content, tone, or viewpoint.

Planning sequence

The steps before drafting: analyze the prompt (topic, purpose, audience), brainstorm, select and rank ideas, group them into paragraphs, and write an outline with topic sentences.

Paragraph unity

The principle that each paragraph develops one main idea, stated in a topic sentence, with all supporting details directly related to that idea. Unrelated details break unity.

Argumentative plan

An outline for persuasive writing: introduction with thesis, body paragraphs each presenting an argument with evidence, a counterargument with response, and a conclusion reaffirming the thesis.

Register consistency

Maintaining the same level of language (formal or informal) throughout a text. Mixing 'ça' and 'truc' with formal vocabulary creates incoherence and weakens the writing.

Cohesion connectors

Words that link sentences and show relationships: addition (de plus), cause (parce que), consequence (donc), opposition (cependant), illustration (par exemple). They ensure logical flow.

Pronoun antecedent clarity

Every pronoun (il, elle, le, en, y) must refer unambiguously to a previously stated noun. When two nouns share gender and number, repeat the noun instead of using a pronoun.

Tense consistency

Maintaining the tense frame appropriate to the text type: past tenses for narrative (passé composé, imparfait), present for explanation. Switch tenses only for a clear, signaled reason.

Conclusion function

The final paragraph restates the main idea in new words and, in argumentative texts, reaffirms the thesis. It may open a perspective but should not introduce a new main argument.

Precise verb choice

Selecting specific verbs (murmurer, s'écrier, scruter) instead of vague ones (dire, faire, regarder) to convey exact meaning and strengthen description in writing.

Subordination

Joining ideas by making one clause dependent on another using conjunctions or relative pronouns (qui, que, dont, où; parce que, lorsque, si). It shows logical relationships between ideas.

Si-clause tense sequence

In hypothetical sentences: si + présent → futur (si tu viens, je serai là); si + imparfait → conditionnel présent (si tu venais, je serais là). The sequence must be respected.

Object pronoun placement

Object pronouns precede the conjugated verb in most tenses (je le vois), but follow the verb in an affirmative imperative (vois-le). In negative imperative they precede (ne le vois pas).

Plural of -al nouns

Nouns ending in -al form plural with -aux (cheval → chevaux), except bals, carnavals, festivals, which take -s. This exception is frequently tested.

Past participle with avoir

With avoir, the past participle agrees with a preceding direct object (les fleurs que j'ai cueillies), but not with the subject. With être, it agrees with the subject.

Homophones a and à

'a' is the verb avoir (il a); 'à' is a preposition (à Paris). Substitute 'avait' to test: if it works, use 'a' without accent.

Adjective agreement

Adjectives agree in gender and number with the noun they modify (une grande maison, des maisons grandes). Color adjectives derived from nouns are invariable (des chaussures marron).

Comma splice

An error joining two independent clauses with only a comma. Correct by using a period, semicolon, or coordinating conjunction (mais, ou, et, donc, or, ni, car).

French quotation marks

French uses « » with non-breaking spaces inside. A colon introduces the quotation, and the quoted sentence's final punctuation usually goes inside the closing guillemet.

Negation placement

In French, ne ... pas (or jamais, plus) surrounds the conjugated verb: je ne sais pas. With an infinitive, both parts precede it: ne pas savoir.

Adjective position

Most French adjectives follow the noun (une voiture rouge), but short common adjectives (grand, petit, beau, jeune, bon, nouveau) usually precede it (une petite voiture).