Domande e risposte esame di Lingua inglese

Corso di lingua inglese

Domande di ripasso per l’esame

Importanza dell'inglese nel contesto legale internazionale

Why is English important in the international legal context?

In the international legal context, English is important because it is the most spoken language in the world and because in international trade it becomes a lingua franca. But English isn’t the official language of the law, because there isn’t a language that has this status.

Nelson Mandela e la sua eredità

Who was Nelson Mandela?

Nelson Mandela was the first president of South Africa. He was born in 1918 and he died in 2013. Mandela fought all his life against apartheid, which was the discrimination of black people by the government, and for this reason, he spent 27 years in prison.

What is "The Long Walk to Freedom"?

The Long Walk to Freedom is an autobiography of Nelson Mandela that he wrote during his time in prison. The book isn’t a legal text, but in some sections, he talks about legal matters.

Legislazione e trattati

What is an Act of Parliament?

An Act of Parliament is a law or statute enacted by the legislature of the UK, which is composed of the monarch, the House of Lords, and the House of Commons. Acts of Parliament are primary legislation because they are legally binding and they are set of a short title, the numerical reference, a long title, and the enacting words. In particular, the short title is used to cite the Act, the numerical reference is important to find the Act in the statute book, the long title describes the aims of the law, and the enacting words are a standard formula that indicates that the law was enacted by the Queen in Parliament.

What is a treaty?

A treaty is a source of international law and in particular, it is an agreement between two states or between a state and an international organization. The treaty is composed of the High Contracting Parties, the preamble, and the body of the treaty.

What does "ratification" mean?

Ratification is the last step to conclude a treaty; it consists in the approval of the treaty by signatories States or High Contracting Parties.

Contratti e decisioni

What is a contract?

A contract is a legally binding agreement between two parties. It is composed of the parties of the agreement, the recitals (premesse), the provisions (disposizioni), the clauses (clausole), and the signatures of parties.

What is a decision of international organs?

A decision of an international organ is the result of the negotiation and the agreement between the parties on a specific matter. It is legally binding. Usually, it is composed of the reference of the decision, the recitals (premesse), and the bullet list with decisions.

Costituzione e fonti del diritto

What is a Constitution?

A Constitution is the fundamental law of a State and it determines the organs of power and their functions. It also regulates the relationship between citizens and the State.

What does it mean that the Constitution is entrenched?

Entrenched means that a special legislative procedure must be followed in order to make amendments.

Are there differences between the Italian Constitution and the English Constitution?

Yes, the difference between the two constitutions is that the English Constitution isn’t in a single written text but is the result of legislation, judicial precedents, and conventions. The Italian Constitution is contained in a single text.

What is an affidavit?

An affidavit is a sworn statement (deposizione giurata) that is used as evidence in legal proceedings.

What is a judgement?

A judgement is the legal reasoning and the decision of the court about a case.

What is a directive of the EU?

A directive of the European Union is a law addressed to one or some States with the aim to achieve specific results. It can’t be applied directly.

Which are the differences between directives and regulations?

The difference between a directive and a regulation in the EU is that the regulation is directly applied without the need for the State to enact it, while the directive needs to be enacted by State’s parliaments. However, both are part of the secondary legislation of the European Union.

What does it mean that a legal text is primary and which are primary texts?

Primary texts in the legal context are texts that produce legal effects. Some examples of primary texts are treaties, directives, regulations, judgements, and resolutions of international organs.

What does it mean that a legal text is secondary and which are secondary texts?

Secondary texts are texts that don’t produce legal effects, such as textbooks, casebooks, and law reviews.

Which are the sources of law in the English legal system?

In the English legal system, the two sources of law are legislation and judicial precedent.

What does the English Constitution derive from (legal sources of it)?

The English Constitution derives from legislation, judicial precedent, and conventions.

Is the Bill of Rights a source of the Constitution?

Yes, the Bill of Rights is a source of the Constitution.

Il legislatore e il Parlamento

What is the legislature?

The legislature is composed of the monarch, the House of Lords, and the House of Commons, it is also called “the Queen in Parliament”. It is responsible for the enactment of legislation.

What is a MP?

MP means Member of Parliament.

Which is the most important member of the legislature and why?

The most important member of the legislature is the House of Commons because it is the only representative chamber, elected by universal adult suffrage.

Forma di governo del Regno Unito

Which form of government has the UK today?

Today the UK is a Constitutional monarchy, this means that the Queen's powers are limited by the Constitution.

What does it mean that the Queen reigns but does not rule?

This sentence indicates that the Queen maintains her Crown and the symbolic role of national unity (reigns), but she doesn’t govern the country (rule).

Convenzioni costituzionali

What is a constitutional convention?

A constitutional convention is an unwritten law that isn’t part of legislation but is imposed by usage and it is binding for the actors in the Constitution.

Which of the two chambers is the Upper House and which is the Lower House?

The House of Lords is also called the Upper House because of its importance.