Whatever is the nature of test, it is necessary to analyse in a definite way the terms of subject put down to avoid notably being non-connected with the topic. Your attention must be immediately drawn by three main points in the swording of subject:

• Limitation of time and of space. You must be attentive to the respect for the limitations of time and of space appearing in subject. For example, if subject is legislative procedure under the 5th Republic , you should not recall procedure under the IV^th Republic.

• Peculiar / plural. It is necessary at you to look if subject uses the peculiar or the plural. For example, there is a difference when administrative jurisdiction " and administrative jurisdiction " are mentioned. The peculiar calls a theoretical answer, while the plural orders to introduce of a way more itemised every jurisdiction.

• Co-ordinating conjunction. Your attention must always be held by the co-ordinating conjunction "AND ": it means, indeed, that the examiner waits for a comparison.

Moreover, in a more specific way, for a test of summary of text, the reading of subject must allow you to determine the rules of exercise which is offered to you: the demanded number of words, the way they are counted, the permission or not quotations, the compulsory attendance or a title, etc.

For tests of answer to short questions, depending on whether the swording of subject is of type question of court or of type question of reflexion , waitings of jury can very differ.

In conclusion, the job of analysis of subject must always be led in four stages, in this order:

• definition of period. The wording of subject can mention either dates, or periods, directly or allusive. The definition of concerned period is, in no case, obvious: she must therefore be analysed always, analyses him allowing to know what gives proof, in comparison with subject, coherence of period. It is therefore necessary to identify accurately the borders of period and to display unit. For example, a called subject The act II of decentralisation returns in the period 2003/2004 when the Raffarin government made vote for a series of laws relating to decentralisation: constitutional law n 2003-276 of March 28th, 2003 relating to the organisation decentralised by republic, organic law n 2003-705 of the August 1st, 2003 relating to referendum, organic law n 2003-704 of the August 1st, 2003 relating to experimentation by regions with a measure of autonomy, organic law n 2004-758 of July 29th, 2004, taken in accordance with the article 72-2 of the Constitution, relating to the financial autonomy of regions with a measure of autonomy, and law n 2004-809 of August 13th, 2004 relating to freedom and local responsibilities.

• definition of the space. Even prior: there is obviousness never in the swording of subject and the concerned space must always be defined. This space can cause debate: Occident, Europe, Third World, for example, are geographical and political notions which require a definite definition which is at the same time a choice apparently taken in the copy. As for period, caution imposes to choose most often a broad definition of the concerned space. In Community law, a subject on " the Schengen area " therefore does not include all the countries members of the European Union.

• definition of notions. It is necessary here to be extremely definite: all terms must be positively defined first then, to avoid then the non-connected with the topic, in a negative way: why " The peasants " and not The rural? ; why democracy " and not The republic? . Many copies "fall", for lack of having thought of this negative definition, in the non-connected with the topic.

• definition of the type of approach. Subject links up the period, space and notions by words, verbs or "words-tools" the choice of which is extremely important. So, United States and Cold War the same subject is not as the United States in Cold War . The "ET" conjunction implicates the study of reciprocal relations (it is possible to reverse the notions which articulate around her): in the previous example, the copy must not only show how E.-U. influenced Cold War but also how this one had an influence on the history of E.-U. To be French from 1939 till 1945 is a subject different from Frenchmen from 1939 till 1945 . The candidate must therefore define with care the direction of subject from these lexical elements: except subjects are often linked to some negligence in their analysis.

This whole job must be led to the rough draught.

Exercise: Delimit the perimetre of subject The executives of regions with a measure of autonomy .

Return to the summary