Espace privé et espace public

Compréhension écrite : exemple de devoir proposé sur le thème "Espace privé et espace public"

Document support : A Life Shared Online

When Emma received her first smartphone at the age of thirteen, she was excited to join social media. At first, she only shared photos of her pets, her holidays and her favourite books with close friends. Gradually, however, her online audience became much larger.

One day, one of her videos unexpectedly became popular. Within a few hours, thousands of people had watched it and hundreds of strangers had started following her account. Emma enjoyed receiving positive comments, but she also discovered the disadvantages of sharing her private life online.

Some people criticised her appearance, while others asked personal questions about her family and friends. She soon realised that information posted on the Internet could spread very quickly and remain accessible for years.

After discussing the situation with her parents and teachers, Emma decided to change her privacy settings and to think more carefully before publishing anything online. She now shares fewer personal details and prefers to use social media to promote her photography and environmental projects rather than her private life.

Today, Emma believes that social media can be an excellent way to communicate and express creativity, but only if users understand the difference between what should remain private and what can become public.

Adapted from a fictional article.

Questions

A.  General comprehension (6 points)

1. Choose the correct answer.

The text is mainly about:

a) learning photography
b) protecting personal privacy on social med
c) travelling with friends

2. Who is Emma?
Answer using two pieces of information from the text.

3. What is the main message of the article? 
Answer in English.

B – Detailed compréhension  (8 points)

4. Answer :

  • Emma’s age when she received her first smartphone ?
  • First posts on social media ?
  • Problems she experienced ?
  • Decision she finally made ?

5. True or False? Justify each answer with a quotation.

a) Emma immediately shared her private life with everyone.
b) Becoming popular online only had positive consequences.
c) Emma changed the way she used social media.

6. Explain the meaning of the sentence: “Information posted on the Internet could spread very quickly and remain accessible for years.”

C – Interprétation (6 points)

7. Why is it sometimes difficult to separate private life from public life on social media?  
Answer in 50 to 70 words.

8. According to the author, what are the advantages and the risks of social media? 
Answer in 60 to 80 words.

Réponses

Cliquez sur chaque item pour afficher les réponse

A : General comprehension

Question 1
Choose the correct answer

Réponse :

b) protecting personal privacy on social media

Conseil méthodologique

Le titre (A Life Shared Online) et le dernier paragraphe permettent d’identifier rapidement le thème principal. Avant de lire en détail, prenez toujours quelques secondes pour repérer le sujet général.

 

Question 2
Who is Emma?

Réponse possible :

* Emma is a teenager.
* She became popular on social media after one of her videos went viral.

Conseil méthodologique

Les informations concernant le personnage principal se trouvent généralement dans les deux premiers paragraphes.

Question 3
What is the main message of the article? 

Réponse possible :

The article explains that social media can be useful but that users must protect their private life and think carefully before sharing personal information.

Conseil méthodologique

Il faut reformuler l’idée générale avec ses propres mots plutôt que recopier une phrase entière.

Question 4

Réponses :

Emma’s age :13
First posts : Photos of her pets, holidays and books
Problems : Negative comments, personal questions, loss of privacy
Decision : She changed her privacy settings and shared fewer personal details


Conseil méthodologique

Repérez les mots-clés dans les questions (age, first posts, problems, decision), puis retrouvez-les dans le texte.

B. Detailed comprehension

Question 4
 

  • Emma’s age : 13
  • First posts : Photos of her pets, holidays and books
  • Problems : Negative comments, personal questions, loss of privacy
  • Decision : She changed her privacy settings and shared fewer personal details


Conseil méthodologique

Repérez les mots-clés dans les questions (age, first posts, problems, decision), puis retrouvez-les dans le texte.

 

Question 5
True or False? Justify each answer with a quotation.

a) False
Justification : “At first, she only shared photos… with close friends.”

b)  False 
Justification : “She also discovered the disadvantages of sharing her private life online.”

c) True
Justification : “She decided to change her privacy settings…”

Conseil méthodologique

Pour les questions True/False, la citation doit être suffisamment précise pour justifier la réponse, sans recopier un paragraphe entier.

 

Question 6
 Explain the meaning of the sentence: “Information posted on the Internet could spread very quickly and remain accessible for years.”

Réponse possible :

Everything published on the Internet can quickly be seen by many people and may stay online for a long time, even if the author later regrets sharing it.

Conseil méthodologique

Expliquez l’idée avec des mots simples. Il ne s’agit pas de traduire la phrase mot à mot, mais d’en montrer le sens.

C. Interpretation

Question 7
Why is it sometimes difficult to separate private life from public life on social media? 

Réponse possible :

Social media encourages people to share moments from their personal lives. However, once photos or messages are online, they can easily reach a large audience. It is sometimes difficult to control who can see this information, which makes the boundary between private and public life less clear.

Conseil méthodologique

Pour répondre à une question d’interprétation, combinez plusieurs informations du texte et reformulez-les dans un paragraphe cohérent.

 

Question 8
According to the author, what are the advantages and the risks of social media? 

Réponse possible :

According to the author, social media allows people to communicate, express their creativity and promote projects. However, it also presents risks because personal information can spread quickly, attract negative comments and remain available online for many years. Users should therefore think carefully before sharing private information.

Conseil méthodologique

Une bonne réponse présente les avantages puis les risques, en s’appuyant sur le document sans le recopier.

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