BRIDE PRICEThe custom of paying a bride price before marriag

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following questions.BRIDE PRICEThe custom of paying a bride price before marriage is still a well-established part of many African cultures. In paying a bride price, the family of the groom must provide payment to the family of the bride before the marriage is allowed. The bride price can vary greatly from culture to culture in Africa. In the Zulu and Swazi tribes of southern Africa, the bride price often takes the form of cattle. In Western African, kola nuts, shells, and other goods are often used for the payment of the bride price. The actual payment of money sometimes takes place, but the payment of goods is more frequent. The amount of paid in a bride price can also vary. In modern times, the bride price is occasionally quite small and its value is mainly symbolic. However, the bride price can still be quite high, especially among prominent or highly traditional families.There are a number of justifications used to explain the payment of bride price. The first is that the bride price represents an acknowledgement of the expense the bride's family has gone in order to raise her and bring her up as a suitable bride for the groom. It also represents payment for the loss of a family member, since the bride will officially become a member of her husband's family and will leave her own. On a deeper level the bride price represents payment for the fact that the bride will bring children into the family of the groom, thereby increasing the wealth of the family. This concept is reinforced by the fact that the bride price must often be returned if the bride fails to bear children.The payment of the bride price has quite a number of effects on African society. First, the payment of bride price acts to increase the stability of African family structures. Sons are dependent on their fathers and older relatives to help them pay the bride price of their wives, and this generally leads to greater levels of obedience and respect. The negotiations between the two families concerning the bride price allow the parents and other family members to meet and get to know one another before the marriage. Finally, since the bride price must often be repaid in case of divorce, the bride's family often works to make sure that any marital problems are solved quickly. Bride prices also work as a system of wealth distribution in African cultures. Wealthier families can afford to support the marriage of their son, and thus their wealth is transferred to other families.Not all of the effects of bride price are so positive, however. One major disadvantage to the system of bride price is that women are often married to men much older than themselves. In many African cultures, the typical age for marriage amongst women is still quite young, lower than in many cases. Yet few men at this age would have the ability to raise the bride price to marry. Thus there is sometimes a significant age gap between husbands and wives. This cuts short the education of many young women. In addition, the husband, being far older, may die whilst the wife is still relatively young, leaving her with the burden of raising the children alone.

Câu 1: According to paragraph 1, all of the following are true of the bride price EXCEPT ______.

A. its amount and form can vary

B. its practice is occasionally only symbolic

C. it is a relatively new practice in Africa

D. it is generally higher among traditional families

Câu 2: Why does the author mention “the payment of money” in paragraph 1?

A. To stress that the use of goods in the payment of bride price is most common.

B. To demonstrate the differences in how rich and poor families pay the bride price.

C. To illustrate how the practice of bride price has changed over time.

D. To demonstrate how expensive a bride price can be sometimes.

Câu 3: The word "prominent" in the passage is closest in meaning to _______.

A. educated        

B. important    

C. religious        

D. conservative  

Câu 4: The phrase "The first" in the passage refers to the first _________.

A. marriage        

B. bride price  

C. payment    

D. justification  

Câu 5: It can be inferred from the paragraph 2 that African families ________.

A. never see their daughters after marriage

B. pay the bride price on the day of the wedding    

C. place more value on men than women

D. place great importance on childbirth    

Câu 6: The author uses the word "marital" to indicate that the problems are related to ________.

A. money      

B. laws    

C. marriage  

D. pregnancy

Câu 7: According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. Sometimes the bride's family has to return the bride distribution of wealth.

B. The initial negotiations over the bride price provide opportunities for two families to meet each other.

C. Animals are not an acceptable form of payment when it comes to paying the bride price

D. Without having to pay the bride price, African men would not respect their family members

Câu 8: Why are women often married to older men, according to the passage?

A. Young men lack the financial ability to marry.

B. The legal age for marriage is lower for women than for men.

C. Families are eager to gain the bride price from their daughter's marriage.

D. Women live longer than men on average.

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