mock exam · C2

mastery self-test · C2

· raven popolnosti (C2)

There is no official C2 exam for Slovene — the Center za slovenščino's highest paper is C1 (raven odličnosti). This is a self-test beyond that ceiling: a dense literary text, a nuanced discussion, a stylistics check, a critical essay and abstract speaking. Graded, like the C1 paper, at 60%.

C2 ⏱️ ≈90 min ✅ pass: 60% per part (C2 self-test)

Reading

· Branje

Read the text on Ivan Cankar and the Moderna, then answer the questions.

Ivan Cankar velja za največjega slovenskega pisatelja. Z deli, kot so črtice in drame, je opisoval malega človeka in družbene krivice. Skupaj s pesniki moderne je zaznamoval prelom 19. in 20. stoletja. Njegov jezik je čustven in oster hkrati, poln simbolov in domotožja. Še danes njegova dela beremo v šolah, saj ostajajo presenetljivo aktualna.

show English

Ivan Cankar is considered the greatest Slovene writer. With works such as sketches and plays, he depicted the common man and social injustice. Together with the poets of the Moderna he marked the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries. His language is emotional and sharp at once, full of symbols and longing for home. We still read his works in schools today, since they remain surprisingly relevant.

Za kaj velja Cankar?

What is Cankar considered?

✓ za največjega pisatelja — “… največjega slovenskega pisatelja.”

Koga je opisoval?

Whom did he depict?

✓ malega človeka — “… malega človeka in družbene krivice.”

Kakšen je njegov jezik?

What is his language like?

✓ čustven in oster — “… čustven in oster hkrati …”

Zakaj ga še beremo?

Why do we still read him?

✓ ostaja aktualen — “… ostajajo presenetljivo aktualna.”

Listening

· Poslušanje

ℹ️ On a real paper this is audio. Here it's the transcript — tap 🔊 to hear it, then answer.

– Se ti ne zdi, da danes premalo beremo? – Po eni strani res, klasiko bere malokdo. Po drugi strani pa beremo ves dan — le na zaslonih. – Drži, a to je drugačno branje. Poglobljenost se izgublja. – Strinjam se. Brez zbranosti ostane le drsenje po površini. – Navsezadnje je vprašanje, kako beremo, ne le koliko.

show English

– Don't you think we read too little nowadays? – On the one hand, true — hardly anyone reads the classics. On the other hand, we read all day — just on screens. – That's right, but it's a different kind of reading. Depth is being lost. – I agree. Without concentration, only skimming the surface remains. – After all, the question is how we read, not just how much.

Kdo bere klasiko?

Who reads the classics?

✓ malokdo — “… klasiko bere malokdo.”

Kaj se po njunem izgublja?

What, in their view, is being lost?

✓ poglobljenost — “Poglobljenost se izgublja.”

Kaj je pravo vprašanje?

What is the real question?

✓ kako beremo — “… kako beremo, ne le koliko.”

Style & usage (bonus)

· Slog in raba

ℹ️ A bonus check of the C2 nuance, stylistics and word-order lessons.

Strong (heavy) rain: ___ dež.

heavy rain (collocation)

✓ močan — močan dež = heavy rain

'Aktualen' means ___, not 'actual'.

false friend

✓ current — aktualen = current/topical

Slim (flattering): ___; the unkind word is 'mršav'.

connotation

✓ vitek — vitek = slim (positive)

'Zdrav kot ___' (healthy as a fish).

fixed simile

✓ riba — zdrav kot riba

Giving human traits to things is ___.

name the figure

✓ poosebitev — poosebitev = personification

Most formal sign-off: 'S ___.'

formal register

✓ spoštovanjem — S spoštovanjem = Yours faithfully

Writing — a critical essay

· Pisanje/ 20

Write a short critical essay (150–180 words): “Why does literature still matter in the age of screens?” Take a clear position and develop it with reasons and at least one concession.

Open with a clear thesis.
Develop two or three distinct arguments, each in its own sentence-group.
Concede a counter-argument (kljub temu, po drugi strani …) and answer it.
Use varied connectors (namreč, zato, torej, navsezadnje) and a rhetorical figure or two.
Close with a conclusion that restates the thesis in fresh words.

show a model answer

Mnogi trdijo, da knjige v dobi zaslonov izgubljajo pomen. Sam menim nasprotno: prav zato so danes pomembnejše kot kdaj prej. Literatura namreč uči poglobljenosti — branja, ki zahteva čas in zbranost, ne le drsenja po površini. Poleg tega nam odpira tuje izkušnje in nas uči sočutja; v junaku spoznamo sebe. Res je, da imamo manj časa in da nas zasloni vsak hip zmotijo. Kljub temu prav ta nemir kaže, kako potrebujemo prostor za tišino in razmislek. Knjiga ni nasprotnica tehnologije, temveč njeno dopolnilo. Navsezadnje se ne meri, koliko beremo, temveč kako: globoko in pozorno. Zato literatura ne umira — le tiho čaka, da se ji znova posvetimo.Many claim that books are losing their meaning in the age of screens. I think the opposite: precisely for that reason they matter more today than ever. Literature, namely, teaches depth — a reading that demands time and concentration, not just skimming the surface. Moreover, it opens foreign experiences to us and teaches compassion; in a character we recognise ourselves. It's true that we have less time and that screens distract us at every moment. Nevertheless, this very restlessness shows how much we need a space for silence and reflection. The book is not the rival of technology but its complement. After all, what counts is not how much we read but how: deeply and attentively. That's why literature is not dying — it merely waits quietly for us to devote ourselves to it again.

marked on: task completion 6 · vocabulary 6 · grammar 6 · structure & style 2 — max 20, pass 12

Speaking

· Govorjenje

1. Analyse: take a book or film you know and discuss its main theme, the narrator and the mood — as in a literary analysis.

show a model answer

Vzel bom roman, ki ga dobro poznam. Glavna tema je osamljenost posameznika v družbi. Pripovedovalec ni avtor, temveč lik, ki vidi le del resnice, zato mu ne moremo povsem zaupati. Pisatelj z mračnim, odsekanim jezikom ustvarja tesnobno razpoloženje. Prav ta razkorak med tem, kar lik vidi in kar bralec sluti, daje delu globino.I'll take a novel I know well. The main theme is the loneliness of the individual in society. The narrator is not the author but a character who sees only part of the truth, so we can't fully trust him. The writer creates an anxious mood with dark, clipped language. It is precisely this gap between what the character sees and what the reader senses that gives the work its depth.

2. Debate: “Globalizacija ogroža male jezike.” (Globalisation threatens small languages.) Argue a position and answer the obvious objection.

show a model answer

Strinjam se, da globalizacija pritiska na male jezike, a trditev je preveč črno-bela. Po eni strani angleščina prevzema znanost in splet, kar slovenščino potiska na obrobje. Po drugi strani pa ravno tehnologija omogoča, da slovenščino digitaliziramo, učimo na daljavo in ohranjamo. Odločilna ni globalizacija sama, temveč naš odnos do jezika. Če ga negujemo, preživi; če ga zanemarimo, ga noben sistem ne reši.I agree that globalisation puts pressure on small languages, but the claim is too black-and-white. On the one hand, English takes over science and the web, which pushes Slovene to the margins. On the other hand, it is precisely technology that lets us digitise Slovene, teach it remotely and preserve it. What is decisive is not globalisation itself but our attitude to the language. If we nurture it, it survives; if we neglect it, no system will save it.

3. Reflect: what does it mean to “master” a language — is fluency enough, or is something more required? Give your view.

show a model answer

Po mojem obvladati jezik ne pomeni le tekoče govoriti. Tekočnost je šele začetek. Pravo obvladovanje se kaže v občutku za odtenke — kdaj je beseda topla in kdaj žaljiva, kdaj je primeren šala in kdaj resnost. Pomeni razumeti ironijo, prebrati, kar ni izrečeno, in se izraziti natanko tako, kot želiš. Navsezadnje jezika nikoli povsem ne obvladamo; vse življenje se ga učimo, in prav to je lepo.In my view, to master a language doesn't only mean speaking fluently. Fluency is just the beginning. Real mastery shows in a feel for nuance — when a word is warm and when it wounds, when a joke fits and when seriousness does. It means understanding irony, reading what isn't said, and expressing yourself exactly as you intend. After all, we never fully master a language; we learn it all our lives, and that is precisely the beauty of it.

marked on: task 5 · vocabulary 5 · grammar 4 · interaction 3 · pronunciation 3 — max 20, pass 12

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answer the 13 marked questions · pass at 60%

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