Culture and civilisation (francophone world, France and its regions, daily life and customs)
Culture and civilisation questions are short-answer and factual: French geography, national symbols, the francophone world and everyday customs. They are among the easiest marks in the paper if you memorise a compact set of facts.
Geography and symbols
France is called l'Hexagone; since the 2016 reform it has 13 metropolitan regions plus 5 overseas (Guadeloupe, Martinique, Guyane, La Réunion, Mayotte), and 101 départements in all. Main rivers: la Seine, la Loire, le Rhône, la Garonne, le Rhin. Mountains: les Alpes, les Pyrénées, le Massif central, le Jura. Symbols: the tricolour (bleu, blanc, rouge), La Marseillaise, the motto Liberté, Égalité, Fraternité, Marianne, and the Gaulish cock.
La Francophonie
French is an official language in about 29 countries; the OIF (Organisation internationale de la Francophonie) counts roughly 320 million speakers. Be ready to place examples: le Québec, le Sénégal, la Côte d'Ivoire, Madagascar, Haïti, la Belgique, la Suisse, le Luxembourg. The Journée internationale de la Francophonie is 20 March.
Daily life and customs
Meals: petit déjeuner, déjeuner around midday, dîner from about 19h30. Customs: la bise as a greeting, la galette des rois at Epiphany (6 January), les crêpes at la Chandeleur (2 February), le poisson d'avril on 1 April, la rentrée in September, la Toussaint on 1 November. La laïcité, rooted in the 1905 law, keeps religion out of state schools.
Worked example
Question: Que célèbre-t-on le 14 juillet ? Answer: La fête nationale, qui commémore la prise de la Bastille (1789) et la Fête de la Fédération (1790) ; un défilé a lieu sur les Champs-Élysées. Reasoning: the date needs both the label (fête nationale) and the historical reference; a bare "the Revolution" is too vague to earn full marks.
Traps that cost marks
Confusing 20 March (Francophonie) with 21 June (Fête de la Musique). Saying France has 22 regions (the pre-2016 figure). Listing Belgium or Switzerland as French regions. Giving a date without the event it commemorates.