Quick answer: Négritude was a literary and cultural movement started in Paris in the 1930s by Black francophone students, mainly Aimé Césaire from Martinique, Léopold Sédar Senghor from Senegal and Léon-Gontran Damas from French Guiana. For French 4 students practising Négritude, this worksheet gives 20 problems from easy to hard: writers and homelands, identity words and true or false. The answer key is on a separate page, and the worksheet is a free printable PDF.
Level: French 4 (high school, ACTFL Intermediate Mid) · Standards: ACTFL Intermediate Mid, WL 1.2 Interpretive, WL 1.3 Presentational, WL 4.1 Language Comparisons, WL 2.2 Cultural Products
Problem 1 Writers and homelands ★★★
Match each writer to the place he came from.
Problem 2 Identity words ★★★
Translate into English: les racines, la fierté, l’héritage, l’esclavage.
Problem 3 True or false ★★★
Write true or false.
- The movement began in Paris.
- Césaire was born in Senegal.
- Senghor became president of Senegal.
Problem 4 Where were they born? ★★★
Complete with en, au or à.
- Césaire est né ____ Martinique.
- Senghor est né ____ Sénégal.
- Les trois amis se sont rencontrés ____ Paris.
Problem 5 What does the movement affirm? ★★★
Choose the best answer. Négritude affirms…
- pride in Black identity and African heritage
- the superiority of French culture
- the end of poetry
Problem 6 Word box ★★★
Complete with a word from the box: fierté, racines, colonisation, exil.
- Ce poète est fier de ses ____ africaines.
- La ____ a changé la vie de millions de personnes.
- Il parle de sa ____ avec émotion.
- Loin de son pays, il vit en ____.
Problem 7 Proud of one’s roots ★★★
Translate into French: The poet is proud of his roots.
Problem 8 According to the poet ★★★
Translate into English: Selon ce poète, l’identité ne se cache pas ; elle se revendique.
Problem 9 Passé composé ★★★
Conjugate in the passé composé: Césaire (écrire) un long poème en 1939.
Problem 10 From past historic ★★★
Rewrite in the passé composé: Senghor devint président du Sénégal en 1960.
Problem 11 Correct the preposition ★★★
Correct the mistake: Damas est né à Guyane.
Problem 12 Choose the connector ★★★
Choose: ____ les difficultés, ces écrivains ont continué à publier.
- Grâce aux
- Malgré
- Selon
Problem 13 Use selon ★★★
Rewrite with selon: Le poète pense que l’identité est une force.
Problem 14 Define a word ★★★
Write a one-sentence definition in French of la diaspora.
Problem 15 Reclaiming history ★★★
Translate into French: They want to reclaim their history.
Problem 16 Reading: the exhibit ★★★
Read the text and the poster, then answer in English.
Samedi dernier, Aminata, une lycéenne de Dakar, a visité une petite exposition sur la Négritude avec sa classe. Elle a vu des photos d’étudiants à Paris dans les années 1930 et elle a lu des extraits de poèmes. Un panneau expliquait que ces écrivains ne voulaient pas copier la culture des colonisateurs : ils voulaient être fiers de leurs racines. Aminata a trouvé l’exposition passionnante et elle a décidé de lire un recueil de poèmes pendant les vacances.
- What did Aminata see and read?
- What did the panel explain?
- What does she decide to do, and what does the poster say about the price?
Problem 17 One-sentence summary ★★★
Write two sentences in French that summarize the idea of the Négritude movement in your own words.
Problem 18 Compare two poets ★★★
Write three sentences in French that compare Senghor and Césaire (origin, role, work). Use alors que or tandis que once.
Problem 19 Opinion paragraph ★★★
Write 4 or 5 sentences in French: why is it important to read these writers today? Start with À mon avis and use at least three vocabulary words from this chapter.
Problem 20 Paragraph translation ★★★
Translate into French: Three students met in Paris in the 1930s. They wrote poems about their roots and refused to hide their culture. Their work inspired many writers after them.
