11-Candidates Handbook English The

THE CANDIDATES HANDBOOK: ENGLISH
MINISTRIO DAS RELAES EXTERIORES
Ministro de Estado Secretrio-Geral
Embaixador Antonio de Aguiar Patriota Embaixador Ruy Nunes Pinto Nogueira
FUNDAO ALEXANDRE DE GUSMO
Presidente
Embaixador Gilberto Vergne Saboia
A Fundao Alexandre de Gusmo, instituda em 1971, uma fundao pblica vinculada ao Ministrio das Relaes Exteriores e tem a finalidade de levar sociedade civil informaes sobre a realidade internacional e sobre aspectos da pauta diplomtica brasileira. Sua misso promover a sensibilizao da opinio pblica nacional para os temas de relaes internacionais e para a poltica externa brasileira.
Ministrio das Relaes Exteriores Esplanada dos Ministrios, Bloco H Anexo II, Trreo, Sala 1 70170-900 Braslia, DF Telefones: (61) 3411-6033/6034/6847 Fax: (61) 3411-9125 Site: www.funag.gov.br
SARA BURKITT WALKER
The Candidates Handbook: English

2 edio atualizada assisted by Paulo Kol
Braslia, 2011
Direitos de publicao reservados Fundao Alexandre de Gusmo Ministrio das Relaes Exteriores Esplanada dos Ministrios, Bloco H Anexo II, Trreo 70170-900 Braslia DF Telefones: (61) 3411-6033/6034 Fax: (61) 3411-9125 Site: www.funag.gov.br E-mail: [email protected]
Equipe Tcnica: Maria Marta Cezar Lopes Henrique da Silveira Sardinha Pinto Filho Andr Yuji Pinheiro Uema Cntia Rejane Sousa Arajo Gonalves Fernanda Antunes Siqueira Fernanda Leal Wanderley Juliana Corra de Freitas Pablo de Rezende Saturnino Braga Reviso: Andr Yuji Pinheiro Uema Fernanda Antunes Siqueira Fernanda Leal Wanderley Programao Visual e Diagramao: Juliana Orem e Maria Loureiro
Impresso no Brasil 2011 W192c Walker, Sara Burkitt. The candidate's handbook: English / Sara Burkitt Walker, Paulo Kol. Braslia : FUNAG, 2010. 224p. : il. ISBN: 978.85.7631.285-7 1. Diplomacia - Estudo e ensino. I. Kol, Paulo. II. Ttulo. CDU: 341.7(07)
Depsito Legal na Fundao Biblioteca Nacional conforme Lei n 10.994, de 14/12/2004.
Contents
Special thanks, 7 Acknowledgements, 9 Introduction, 11 Foreword, 13 Chapter 1 - Reading Comprehension [TPS], 19 Types of question and the skills they require, 20 Identifying main ideas, 21 Checking factual information, 23 Recognising inference, 25 Vocabulary and language questions, 28 Complete Sample TPS Test [English Section], 32 Key and notes to Chapter 1, 39 Chapter 2 - Composition Writing, 53 General Information and advice (2010), 54 Structure of the composition, 55 Other good things to find in compositions, 58 The problem analysis composition, 61
The for and against composition, 68 The define and illustrate composition, 76 The historical approach composition, 83 The narrative-descriptive composition, 85 The sustained analogy composition, 88 Planning Exercises, 92 List of topics 1970-2010, 95 List of cohesive links, 102 Chapter 3 - Translation from English to Portuguese by Paulo Kol, 107 General advice, 107 Model texts, 108 Chapter 4 - Translation from Portuguese to English, 119 General advice, 120 Model texts, 122 False cognates (exercise), 141 Chapter 5 - Summary Writing, 143 General advice, 144 Model texts, 145 Chapter 6 - Language Notes and Exercises, 167 Key to Language Practice exercises, 199 Key to False Cognates exercise, 217 Bibliography, 219
Special Thanks
Ambassador Georges Lamazire, Director of the Instituto Rio Branco, Primeiro Secretrio Mrcio Rebouas, responsible for the CACD [Concurso de Admisso Carreira de Diplomata], Instituto Rio Branco, for their support and interest. Dr Mark Ridd for his helpful orientation on many occasions. Ministro Joo Pedro Corra da Costa for specific comments on the 2010 examination. Paulo Kol for reviewing all the Chapters and writing Chapter 3. Colleagues, diplomats and candidates for the examination. Macmillan Education for permission to make free use of definitions from The Macmillan English Dictionary online http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/american/ http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/
Acknowledgements
All the contributors, named and unnamed, whose texts are included in this Handbook, and specifically to Ambassador Celso Amorim A.G Noorani and The Hindu Times / Frontline Ana Viseu Don Cupitt Gwynne Dyer Kenan Malik M. A. Muqtedar Khan Maya Jasanoff Mino Carta Niall Ferguson Pedro Gmez-Valads Peter Weilemann Richard Gott Roberto Candelori The Economist The Guardian The Daily Telegraph for their kind permission to reprint texts from their published work and/or their websites.
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The authors would also like to thank those listed below, for contributions previously published by the Instituto Rio Branco in the Guia de Estudos for CACD.
Thomaz Alexandre Mayer Napoleo Llian Cristina Burlamaqui Duarte Felipe Krause Dornelles Joo Augusto Costa Vargas Sophia Magalhes de Sousa Kadri Maria Clara de Abreu Rada Daniel Roberto Pinto Felipe Augusto Ramos de Alencar Costa Henrique Luiz Jenn Rodrigo Domingues Matos Guilherme Fitzgibbon Alves Pereira Joaquim Aurlio Correa de Arajo Neto Marclio Falco Cavalcanti Filho Ricardo Martins Rizzo Jos Roberto Hall Brum de Barros Marcelo Lacerda Gameiro de Moura Janana Monteiro de Barros Frederico Gustavo Henrique Sachs Mnica S. F. de Sales Barth Tambelli Diogo Rosas Gugisch Maria Auxiliadora Pinho de Carvalho Abraho Andr de Arajo Marcus Vinicius da Costa Ramalho Glauber David Vivas Camilo Licks Rostand Prates Cesar Almeida de Meneses Silva
While serious efforts have been made to locate copyright holders, this has not always been possible. Further contact is welcome. Sara Walker, August 2010 [email protected]
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Introduction
The Fundao Alexandre de Gusmo (Funag) offers a series of new, updated editions of the Candidates Handbooks [Manuais do Candidato] designed to help candidates study for the Diplomatic Service Entrance Examination [CACD]. Members of the academic community, experts in their fields, have been invited to prepare these Handbooks. The ideas expressed in the texts are the exclusive responsibility of their authors. The Candidates Handbooks provide a benchmark for the concepts, analysis and bibliography in the subjects they cover. They should not be considered pass notes which will, by themselves, be sufficient to enable the candidate to succeed in the entrance examinations.
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Foreword
My association with the Instituto Rio Branco now goes back more than 40 years. It was in the summer of 1968 that I first taught there, soon after my arrival in Brazil. I have also worked for many years with candidates preparing for the diplomatic service examinations and have shared some of their triumphs and disasters in relation to the difficult English test in the entrance examination. In this Handbook, my aim is to pass on a little of the experience acquired in this area. Since 2005, English has ceased to be an eliminatory subject in the CACD exams. However, the level of English required from diplomats remains as high as ever, both for the entrance examination and in the Diplomatic Service. The Regulations [Edital], published each year make it clear that an advanced level of English is required. However, an examination which involves Composition, Translation from and into English and Summary writing inevitably contains a strong element of chance: it is virtually impossible to prepare for all the vocabulary and topic areas that might come up. This Handbook aims to help serious candidates with their preparation for the exam by offering models and a small amount of advice.
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It is organized as follows: Chapter 1 Reading Comprehension [TPS]. Key to Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Composition. Chapter 3 Translation from English to Portuguese [written by Paulo Kol]. Chapter 4 Translation from Portuguese to English. Chapter 5 Summary Writing. Chapter 6 Language Notes and Exercises. Key to Chapter 6 Preparing for Phase 1 Phase 1 [TPS] requires excellent comprehension skills and a very wide vocabulary. At the time of writing, the TPS tests set since 2003 are available at concursos e selees IRBr Diplomacia 2010 antigos http://www.cespe.unb.br/concursos/_antigos/default.asp The TPS test examines your passive skills, in text comprehension and recognition of vocabulary. In addition to this Handbook, you may find it useful to use materials prepared for advanced international English tests, such as Cambridge CAE and CPE, or TOEFL. Preparing for Phase 3 The Phase 3 English exam tests your active skills in Translation from English to Portuguese. Translation from Portuguese into English. Summary writing [with or without other text-based language exercises]. Composition. It requires a very advanced knowledge of English, as well as good intellectual ability.
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INTRODUCTION
General advice The Phase 3 English examination contains 4 sections, to be done in 4 hours. One of the main problems you will face is the relatively short time allowed and the number of questions to be answered. This is not mere caprice on the part of the examiners: one of the language skills most needed by diplomats is the ability to translate or draft English texts fast, during a meeting or in regular office work. New diplomats in training often come up against this requirement during their first trainee post. Thus, the ability to write English accurately under pressure is a skill worth testing. Plan your time First read the Regulations [Edital] for the test you are taking, or for the last examination if the Regulations have not yet been published, to get an idea of the exercises the English exam will contain and the number of marks of each section. Bearing in mind the exercises involved, the distribution of marks and your own strengths and weaknesses in English, make a game plan or overall strategy before you take the test. Think about questions like these: How will you use the four hours allowed for the whole test? How much time will you spend on each section? How and when will you check each section? Will you start and finish each exercise systematically, or will you do a rough draft of one section and then move on to the next part of the test? Obviously the answers will vary according to your personality, your skills and your learning style. Here is a possible scenario for use of the 4 hours: Translation from English to Portuguese: 35 minutes Translation from Portuguese to English: 35 minutes Summary writing: 50 minutes Composition: 90 minutes Checking and copying final drafts: 30 minutes
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If this looks like a time-scheme that will suit you, work to achieve these times as you do your practice exercises. If it doesnt, adapt it to suit your needs. In either case, keep practising in order to produce good work under pressure. Remember to develop a game plan and work hard to stick to it. Do all you can to avoid spending too long on any section of the test. During your preparations, try to write fast and accurately. Gradually reduce the time you need to plan and write a composition, produce a summary or translate a text. Check your work Everything you write needs to be checked for accuracy at some stage. Decide when and how to do your checking and what you particularly need to check [e.g. spelling, subject-verb agreements, use and omission of the, possessive forms, and so on] And get into the habit of checking carefully from the start of your preparations.
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INTRODUCTION
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T/F = True or False MC = Multiple Choice AM = Morning PM = Afternoon
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Chapter 1 Reading Comprehension [TPS]
Teste de Pr-Seleo / Pre-Selection Test Types of questions and the skills they require Identifying main ideas Checking factual information Recognising inference Vocabulary questions Sample TPS [English section] Key and notes to Chapter 1 Information collated from www.cespe.unb.br concursos e selees IRBr Diplomacia 2010 antigos http://www.cespe.unb.br/concursos/_antigos/default.asp
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Types of question and the skills they require Good reading skills in English are essential for diplomacy. In your future career, you will often need to deal with large amounts of information in English in short periods of time. You need to be able to distinguish main ideas, inferences, types of argument, the authors attitude, the target audience and points of detail. For the purposes of the entrance test (CACD), it is important to recognise the types of question which require: An overall appreciation of the text (skimming, reading for gist) Drawing inferences (skimming, reading for gist and detailed reading) Locating and analysing a specific fact (scanning, followed by detailed study of part of the text) Defining vocabulary (scanning, followed by detailed study of part of the text for the purpose of choosing the definition that best fits the text) Grammatical analysis (scanning, followed by detailed study of part of the text to analyse the grammatical function of a word or phrase) The CACD Teste de Pr-Seleo (TPS) is a multiple choice test. You do not need to write any English, merely to recognise correct answers. But the language level is advanced, and the questions are often subtle, as you will see from the Sample Questions and Sample TPS (English) test used below. Two main types of question are used: Multiple choice items with 5 options, only one of which is correct (1 mark per question) True / False items (C/E in Portuguese) normally in a question with 4 items, each worth 0.25 marks. Wrong answers are penalised, so there is skill in deciding when to take a risk and when it is safer to leave a question blank. As you read each question, try to decide which answer is correct, before consulting the KEY and Notes, at the end of this Chapter.
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READING COMPREHENSION [TPS]
1. Identifying main ideas These generally require you to read [or re-read] the whole text fast for a general impression, and then to comment on main content, the authors attitude to a situation or the target audience for the text. Sample question 1 One task that requires you to search for the main idea is to ask you to select the best headline for a text. Two weeks after the Islamists of Hamas toppled the border fence, letting hundreds of thousands of inhabitants of the Gaza Strip spill briefly into Egypt, the situation appears to have returned to what counts as normal. But normal is not good. Gazas 1.5 million people remain besieged, generally unable to leave, and with imports restricted to minimal amounts of staple food and fuel. The Hamas militants who have run Gaza since ousting their secular-minded Fatah rivals last summer have continued to fire rockets and mortars into Israeli towns and farms. As a possible harbinger of more violence to come, Hamas has also taken again to sending suicide bombers into Israel. In the first such Hamas operation since blowing up two buses in Beersheba in 2004, a pair of suicide bombers, reportedly former inmates of Israeli prisons from Hebron in the West Bank, killed a 73-year-old woman in the southern Israeli town of Dimona on February 4th 2008. Israel responded the same day with new missile attacks, killing nine armed Hamas men. Now, a fortnight since Hamas forces engineered the Gaza break-out, the Egyptian authorities have resealed and reinforced the border, some 12 km (7.5 miles) long, with thick coils of razor wire and hundreds of extra troops; they say they will resist another attempt to knock a hole in it. Their will was tested this week, when Egyptian security forces clashed with stone-throwing Palestinians. In accordance with the text, judge right (C ) or wrong (E). Based on the text, it can be deduced that ( ) a possible title for this article could be: Back to abnormal.
[From:TPS 2008 CESPE Caderno Norte Question 48.3] 21
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Sample question 2 A slightly different approach to main ideas is to ask about the authors approach to the chosen topic. For heavens sake, my father said, seeing me off at the airport, dont get drunk, dont get pregnant and dont get involved in politics. He was right to be concerned. Rhodes University in the late 1970s, with its Sir Herbert Baker-designed campus and lush green lawns, looked prosperous and sedate. But the Sunday newspapers had been full of the escapades of its notorious drinking clubs and loose morals; the Eastern Cape was, after the riots of 1976, a place of turmoil and desperate poverty; and the campus was thought by most conservative parents to be a hotbed of political activity. The Nationalist policy of forced removals meant thousands of black people had been moved from the cities into the nearby black homelands of Transkei and Ciskei, and dumped there with only a standpipe and a couple of huts for company; two out of three children died of malnutrition before the age of three. I arrived in 1977, the year after the Soweto riots, to study journalism. Months later, Steve Biko was murdered in custody. The campus tipped over into turmoil. There were demonstrations and hunger strikes. For most of us, Rhodes was a revelation. We had been brought up to respect authority. Here, we could forge a whole new identity, personally and politically. Out of that class of 1979 came two women whose identities merge with the painful birth of the new SouthAfrica: two journalism students whose journey was to take them through defiance, imprisonment and torture during the apartheid years. One of the quietest girls in the class, Marion Sparg, joined the ANCs military wing, Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), and was eventually convicted of bombing two police stations. An Asian journalist, Zubeida Jaffer, was imprisoned and tortured, yet ultimately chose not to prosecute her torturers. Today you can trace the footprints of my classmates across the opposition press in South Africa and the liberal press in the UK The Guardian, the Observer and the Financial Times. Even the Spectator (thats me). Because journalism was not a course offered at black universities, we had a scattering of black students. It was the first time many of us would ever have met anyone who was black and not a servant. I went to hear Pik Botha, the foreign
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minister, a Hitlerian figure with a narrow moustache, an imposing bulk and a posse of security men. His reception was suitably stormy, even mocking students flapping their arms and saying, Pik-pik-pik-P-I-I-I-K!, like chattering hens. But students who asked questions had to identify themselves first. There were spies in every class. We never worked out who they were, although some of us suspected the friendly Afrikaans guy with the sharks tooth necklace.
Janice Warman. South Africas Rebel Whites. In: The Guardian Weekly, 20/11/ 2009 (adapted) [Copyright Guardian News & Media Ltd 2009 Reproduced by permission of The Guardian]
The overall view the author outlines of late 70s South Africa is A. unduly optimistic, coloured by the typically unattainable idealism of young people. B. predictably hopelessly distorted by the authors white middle-class background and petit bourgeois values. C. inherently flawed and, therefore, pointless for it fails to place the country in a broader regional, African or world context. D. basically descriptive and provides information about a politically, socially, and racially unequal and unfair society poised on the verge of momentous changes. E. oddly detached and unemotional due, perhaps, to the fact that she can only sympathize with the oppressed black populations plight up to a point.
[From:TPS 2010 Cespe Caderno C Question 50]
2. Checking factual information Questions about factual information contained in the text should be, and usually are, relatively easy to answer. However, sometimes these questions may require interpretation of a graph or other visual information, or be couched in difficult language.
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Sample question 3 Factual information based on a graph.
( ) According to the graph, from 1970 to 2001, accumulated corporate income tax receipts in North American countries displayed better results than the European ones.
[From: TPS 2004 CESPE Question 37 [C/E]]
Sample question 4 Factual questions may involve a paraphrase of a particular sentence, as occurs here. [Extract from a longer text] It is the success of the BBCs news website that most troubles newspapers. Newspapers need to build up their online businesses because their offline businesses are flagging. Total newspaper readership has fallen by about 30% since 1990 and readers are getting older as young people
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increasingly get their news from other sources principally the Internet. In 1990, 38% of newspaper readers were under 35. By 2002, the figure had dropped to 31%.
Adapted from Old News and a New Contender, The Economist, June 18th 2005, p. 27-8.
Choose the correct statement, according to the text. A. Mr. Birts headstart made the success of the BBC on the Internet a cinch. B. Readership of British newspapers is graying because young cohorts flock to other media. C. The BBCs success on the Internet is due to its being a state monopoly. D. State ownership of the BBC smothers the competition on the Internet. E. The BBCs venture into site creation sought to rein in the Internets content.
[From:TPS 2006 CESPE Caderno Delta Question 65]
3. Recognising inference Some questions ask you to assess the tone of a passage [neutral, positive or negative] or the authors opinion in favour of an idea/ against it. In these questions, there are usually some specific words or phrases often adjectives or adverbs which reveal the writers opinion. Sample question 5 An example of an inference/ opinion question. Israel is in the dock again. The International Court of Justice (ICJ) is analysing the legality of the security fence being erected on the West Bank. Even a number of Israels traditional friends are alarmed by the policy. Some fear that the fence will harm the Palestinian economy, cutting off
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workers from their factories and farms. Others see it as an attempt to extend Israels border beyond its pre-1967 limit and feel that such walls have no place in the modern world. These are major objections and they deserve to be answered separately. First, though, it is worth asking why this issue should have come before the Hague judges at all. The ICJ is not a supreme court; it is an arbitration panel. It provides a mechanism whereby two states can, by mutual agreement, refer a dispute to third-party lawyers. By sending this case to the Hague, the UN is striking at the principle of territorial jurisdiction that ultimately underpins diplomatic relations. That principle is already threatened by the European courts at Strasbourg and Luxembourg, and by the refusal of Spanish and Belgian judges to recognise national sovereignty. We are slowly returning to the pre-modern idea that lawmakers need not be accountable to the people, but rather to abstract ideals. Faced with a choice between international disapprobation and more Israeli deaths, Mr Sharon has understandably opted for the former. He believes that the fence would have prevented yesterdays atrocity in Jerusalem, and he is almost certainly right. Gaza is already cordoned off, and no Palestinian terrorists have penetrated the barrier in the past three years (although two British Muslims were able to do so on the strength of their UK passports).
Loosely based on an article in The Daily Telegraph, London, February 23rd , 2004 (with adaptations).
( ) It is correct to conclude from the text that its author seems to favour Mr Sharons decision to raise a fence on the West Bank, despite the reaction from some of Israels traditional friends. Although the author himself refers to some points which could have negative effects on the Palestinians, he does not show a counterargument to them. [C/E]
[From TPS 2004 CESPE question 49]
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Sample question 6 Wording of questions which ask you to recognise inference often begin with It can be inferred / concluded from the text that, as in this example. (Extract from a longer text) Yet doubt still hangs over the big economies like a cloud, producing an increasingly joyless recovery. As global chieftains gather this week at the World Economic Forum in Davos to mull over the theme of prosperity and security, they are finding that prosperity is returning most brightly outside the major markets, in places like China, Southeast Asia and even parts of Latin America and Africa. There is plenty of talk of bubbles and overheating in some emerging markets, but not all markets are created equal, and a pack of bulls believes a new golden age is falling on these countries as a whole.
Newsweek, January 26th , 2004 (with adaptations).
( ) From the text it can be inferred that the global recovery is oddly joyless in big markets, newly confident in emerging ones. [C/E]
[From:TPS 2004 CESPE question 39]
Sample question 7 Inference questions may also be based on a single sentence or phase of the text. In the example below, it is necessary to scan the whole text to find the passage that mentions smoking. (Extract from a longer text) It didnt hurt that she was petite and beautiful, with perfect cheekbones, straight, smooth hair that she wore parted in the middle or in pigtails, melancholy blue-grey eyes, set off by eye-liner, a cigarette-cured voice; and an adorable Italian accent.
Internet: <www.newyorker.com>
( ) Fallaci had either been a heavy smoker or had smoked for a long time.
[From:TPS 2010 CESPE Caderno C question 42 item 2] 27
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4. Vocabulary and language questions Gap fill Detailed meaning is often tested through vocabulary questions. The following sample questions illustrate some types of vocabulary question used in past TPS tests. One way of checking on vocabulary and knowledge of English is to ask you to fill gaps. These have tended to be gaps for prepositions or phrasal verbs. Sample question 8 Vocabulary questions asking you to fill gaps in the text have commonly involved prepositions, as in the example below. (Extract from a longer text, concerning a poem called Ozymandias by the English Romantic poet, Shelley) Written in 1818, when Britains global hegemony was greater than ever before, Ozymandias expressed a timely and moving indictment of empire. The Napoleonic Wars had left Britain triumphant. But they had also left it with massive debts, widespread unemployment, huge numbers of demobilized soldiers, industrial discontent, and a visibly unrepresentative Parliament in need of reform. The Peterloo massacre of 1819, at which soldiers opened fire on an apparently peaceful workers rally at St. Peters Fields in Manchester, pointed to the uglier possibilities of the peace. It looked as if just the things that Napoleon had represented might be visited on Britain, too. Ozymandias held a mirror up _________ Britain that reflected a frightening image _________ .
(Adapted from Jasanoff, Maya. Edge of Empire: lives, culture, and conquest in the East, 1750-1850. N. York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005. p. 261)
The last sentence of the text has been left with two blank spaces. Choose the option below that contains the correct sequence of prepositions that fill in the blanks.
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Ozymandias held a mirror up________ Britain that reflected a frightening image _________. [Reproduced by kind permission of Maya Jasanoff] A. B. C. D. E. to back at back for over for back to over
[From: TPS 2006 CESPE Caderno Beta question 36]
Sample question 9 The gap to be filled in here involves correctly identifying the particle of a phrasal verb. The BBC, Britains mammoth public-service broadcaster, has long been a cause for complaint among its competitors in television, radio and educational and magazine publishing. Newspapers, meanwhile, have been protected from it because they published in a different medium. Thats no longer the case. The Internet has brought the BBC and newspapers in direct competition and the BBC looks like coming _________ best. Choose the option that fills in the following blank with the correct preposition. ... and the BBC looks like coming ____ best. (1.6) A. at B. on C. by D. over E. off
[From:TPS 2006 CESPE Caderno Delta question 63] 29
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Sample question 10 Vocabulary questions may depend on straightforward definitions. ( ) The word harbinger (l.8) means: a sign that something will happen soon, often something bad.
[From: TPS 2008 CESPE Caderno Norte question 46 item 4- text printed for Sample question 1 on page 11 above]
Sample question 11 A relatively common type of vocabulary item is (X) can be correctly replaced by (Y) The example here is on the borders between grammar and vocabulary. (Final sentences of a longer text) Oh, and leading the world in the fight against climate change need not cost jobs, even in the most polluting branches of heavy industry. We want to keep our industry in Europe, insisted Mr Barroso. ( ) In the text, need not cost can be correctly replaced by does not need to cost.
[From:TPS 2006 CESPE Caderno Norte question 45, item 4]
Sample question 12 A variation of this type of vocabulary question phrases the question as x and y are interchangeable. (Sentence from the last-but-one paragraph of the text printed for sample question 2 on page 12) I went to hear Pik Botha, the foreign minister, a Hitlerian figure with a narrow moustache, an imposing bulk and a posse of security men. ( ) posse (l.2) and entourage are interchangeable
[From: TPS CESPE 2010 Caderno C question 51 item 4] 30
Sample question 13 Instead of a synonym, the question may ask for an antonym. You must read the rubric very carefully! (Extract from a longer text) Recently a former British foreign secretary, Jack Straw, caused a row by causing his Muslim constituents to remove their veils when they met him; and a lawsuit confirmed that that British schools could sack teachers who wore face-covering garments. In the fragment Recently a former British foreign secretary, the antonym of former is A. B. C. D. E. latter current actual chief previous
[From: TPS CESPE 2007 Caderno Papa question 24]
Sample question 14 Some questions require more than one definition, as in (Extract from a longer text) In her interview with Kissinger, she told him that he had become known as Nixons mental wet nurse, and lured him into boasting that Americans admired him because he always acted alone like the cowboy who leads the wagon train by riding ahead alone on his horse, the cowboy who rides all alone into the town.
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In the fragment lured him into boasting that Americans admired him (l.2), the words lured and boasting mean, respectively, A. B. C. D. E. pressed and stating tempted and denying enticed and bragging challenged and acknowledging coerced and showing off
[From: 2010 CESPE Caderno C question 41]
Complete Sample TPS Test TPS [English questions] 2009 CESPE Sample Test [English Section] 2009 TPS CESPE questions 43-51 This text refers to questions 40 to 43. Fundamentalism has one interesting insight. It perceives the science-based, libertarian, humanist culture of the modern era as being itself a kind of new religion and its deadly enemy. We fail to see this because we are immersed in it, it dominates more than nine-tenths of our lives, and it is so amorphous. It has no officially recognised scriptures, creeds, prophets or organisation. Rather, it is a loose coalition of many different forces, kept on the move and in constant self-criticism and self-correction by an active and striving ethic derived from Protestantism. So far as this new faith if that is what it is has theologians, priests and prophets, they are, respectively, the scientists and scholars whose business it is to criticise and increase knowledge, the artists who refine our perceptions and open up new life-possibilities, and the armies of idealistic campaigners who urge us to become active in hundreds of good causes. So seductive and compelling is this new faith that it is somehow impossible to avoid adopting its language and its way of thinking. They are everywhere, and irresistible. That is what makes it like a religion: once we are in the midst of it and do not appreciate how strong and distinctive a flavour it has, we are largely unaware of its awesome, unstoppable, disruptive evangelistic power.
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Don Cupitt. The Sea of Faith. London: British Broadcasting Corporation, 1985, p. 181 (adapted). [Reproduced by kind permission of Don Cupitt]
Question 40 It can be concluded from the text that A. fundamentalism is more intuitively perceptive than secular culture. B. scientists and scholars act the same way as theologians, priests and prophets. C. modern humanist culture is subliminally pervasive. D. idealism compels people to join good causes. E. Protestantism is the backbone of modern humanist culture. Question 41 Judge right (C) or wrong (E) the following items with reference to the text. 1. ( 2. ( 3. ( 4. ( ) ) ) ) The pronoun its (1.3) refers to humanist culture. The word Rather (1.5) means more or less. In context, the expression So far as (l.7) means as though. The word business (l.9) could be appropriately replaced by concern.
Question 42 Indicate which of the following words or phrases would not be an appropriate synonym for the word once in the phrase once we are in the midst of it (l.14). A. B. C. D. E. because since as whenever inasmuch as
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Question 43 In the phrase That is what makes it like a religion (l.14), the word That refers to A. the fact that one cannot avoid adopting its language and rationale. B. the language and way of thinking being everywhere. C. the pervasiveness of modern humanist culture. D. the seductiveness of science-based thinking. E. the ubiquitousness of the new faith. This text refers to questions 44 to 47. German scientists have reconstructed an extraordinarily detailed picture of the domestic life of Martin Luther, the 16th-century reformer and father of Protestantism, by trawling through his household waste uncovered during archaeological digs on sites where he used to live. Despite the widespread belief that Luther lived in poverty, evidence suggests he was a well-fed man weighing in at a hefty 150 kg when he died in 1546 at the age of 63. Even Luthers claim that he came from humble circumstances has been dismissed. New evidence has shown that his father owned land and a copper mill besides lending money for interest. His mother meanwhile was born into an upper middle class family and it is unlikely, as Luther suggested, that she carried all her wood on her back. Extensive research carried out at the family home in Wittenberg showed that Luther wrote his celebrated texts with goose quills under lamps lit by animal fat, in a heated room which overlooked the River Elbe. It obviously suited him because he churned out 1,800 pages a year. It debunks something of the Luther myth to know he wrote the 95 theses on a stone toilet, which was dug up in 2004. But the claim by historians which will arguably be most upsetting for followers is the recently uncovered written evidence that it was not, as thought, a lightning bolt which led to the then 21-year-olds spontaneous declaration he wanted to become a monk. Rather, it was his desperation to escape an impending arranged marriage.
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Kate Connolly. History digs up the dirt on Martin Luther, In: The Guardian, Monday, 27 Oct. 2008. Internet: <www.guardian.co.uk> (adapted). [Copyright Guardian News & Media Ltd 2008 Reproduced by permission of The Guardian]
Question 44 According to the text, recent archaeological finds A. have revealed that Luther was not truly religious. B. have supplemented and adjusted the portrait of Luther. C. have perturbed Lutherans beliefs. D. have proven that Luther misrepresented his parents financial status. E. date back to the year 2004. Question 45 Indicate which of the following statements is not consistent with information the text provides. A. Luthers weight belies his supposed poverty. B. Luthers parents were relatively well-off. C. Luther lived in reasonable comfort at his home in Wittenberg. D. Luthers mother probably did not carry all her wood on her back. E. Luthers religious calling was not genuine. Question 46 The word digs (l.3) is A. a noun referring to accommodation. B. a noun referring to excavation. C. a verb referring to mocking. D. a verb referring to accommodation. E. part of an adjectival phrase qualifying sites.
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Question 47 Based on the text, judge right (C) or wrong (E) the following items. 1 ( ) The aim of describing Luther as weighing in at a hefty 150 kg when he died (l.6) is to suggest a humorous comparison with a heavy-weight boxer. 2 ( ) The phrase churned out 1,800 pages a year (l.16) suggests that Luther was a careless writer. 3 ( ) Luthers father indulged in usury. 4 ( ) The reference to a lightning bolt (l.19) was meant to allude to putative divine intervention in Luthers calling. This text refers to questions 48 to 51. Its cold and early and Detlef Fendt repeats a morning ritual, heaving himself onto the side of his 28-year-old BMW motorbike and jumping with all his might on the kick-start. It takes a few goes, but eventually the bike roars into life. After all, this is the sort of solid reliable machine that makes German goods a household name for quality. Its that good name that means Germany is the worlds top exporter. China may take the title soon, but for the moment Germany is still a world-beater. Detlef is part of that success story. For the last 40 years hes made machine tools for Daimler cars at the Berlin plant. He started work when he was 16 and is now the plants main union representative for IG Metall. But this year, thanks to the world credit crunch, hell be getting an unwanted seasonal break from his early morning ritual. The plant is closing down for an extra-long Christmas break, from mid-December to 19 mid-January, because of falling orders. He tells me: At the moment we are in a distribution crisis the automobile industry is not selling enough cars and lorries. Consumer confidence was dented in Germany long before the credit crunch, and despite his unions recent deal it is not returning. Germany is now in recession and the figures have been worse than economists were predicting. Equally bad statistics for the whole of the European Union are expected today. While consumers in America feel
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cowed, while Asia is jittery, the rest of Europe watches fearfully as the biggest economy in Europe continues to shrink.
Mark Mardell. Germany loses revs. BBC World News. At: www.bbc.co.uk (adapted).
Question 48 Based on the text, judge right (C) or wrong (E) the following items. 1( 2( 3( 4( ) ) ) ) Fendts motorbike starts up immediately because it is a reliable machine. German manufactures are renowned for their quality and durability. Fendt is being made redundant. IG Metall is a subsidiary of BMW.
Question 49 Judge right (C) or wrong (E) the following items with reference to the text. 1 ( ) In context, the phrase household name (l.4) could be appropriately replaced by synonym. 2 ( ) After all (l. 3) is equivalent to Eventually. 3 ( ) The Berlin factory is closing temporarily owing to a slump in demand. 4 ( ) The word dented (l.15) suggests an acute effect. Question 50 In the phrase consumers in America feel cowed, while Asia is jittery (l.19), the most appropriate synonyms for cowed and jittery are respectively A. bovine and aggressive. B. herded and troubling. C. confined and alacritous. D. threatened and apprehensive. E. bent over and trembling.
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Question 51 In context, might (l.2) and kick-start (l.3) are respectively A. a conditional verb and a noun. B. a noun and a verb. C. an auxiliary verb and a transitive verb. D. an auxiliary verb and a noun. E. a noun and a noun.
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Chapter 1 TPS - KEY AND NOTES Sample question 1 Correct option: (C) Correct. The text makes it clear that the difficult situation in the Gaza Strip changed briefly after the inhabitants gained access to Egypt by breaking down a wire fence. When the Egyptian authorities restored the fence, the status quo in itself a difficult and abnormal situation was re-established. This question involves an understanding not just of the first few lines of the text, but also of the writers attitude to the strained situation in Gaza under Hamas rule. Sample question 2 Correct option: D Selecting the correct answer requires the understanding of some difficult language both in the text and in the options. You must interpret the authors reason for writing as well as her attitude to what she describes. The phrasing of the question may be analysed in addition to the text itself. Options A, B, C and E all seem critical of the text or in some way hostile to it. Option D, on the other hand, seems more sympathetic towards the writer and her attempt to analyse the difficult situation in South Africa in the last years of the apartheid regime. Some knowledge of events in South Africa in the last few decades of the twentieth century are also a help in answering this question. Sample question 3 Correct option: (E) False. This question requires the basic general knowledge of which countries listed in the graph are in Europe here Italy, Britain, France and Germany. It also requires an analysis of the proportion of GDP represented by income tax in these European countries in contrast to the USA and Canada, between 1970 and 2001. The term accumulated is slightly ambiguous,
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since it might refer to the difference between the two figures, or to the sum of the two. You must also take a gamble on whether the figures for the regions should be taken together or individually. Sample question 4 Correct option: B The language in which the options are expressed makes the choice of answer particularly difficult. Even first-class candidates could have difficulty correlating option B [listed as correct] with the statement Total newspaper readership has fallen by about 30% since 1990 and readers are getting older as young people increasingly get their news from other sources principally the Internet. Sample question 5 Correct option: (C) Correct. Paragraph 1 supports the point raised in the question: some negative reactions from Israels friends are mentioned in the sentences Some worry that Others see it as Paragraph 3, however, definitely seems to favour Mr Sharon. Key phrases are has understandably opted and he is almost certainly right. The statement is considered correct. Sample question 6 Correct option: (C) Correct. This question is unusual, because it takes the words joyless and emerging markets from the original text and uses them in the statement to be analysed. This makes the answer easier to detect than, say, sample 4, above. The option is considered correct.
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Sample question 7 Correct option: (C) Correct. This question requires you to scan a text of some 686 words for any reference to smoking, and then to interpret the phrase a cigarette-cured voice. Note that cured here is probably used in the sense of preserved in the way ham or fish can be cured by using smoke or salt, rather than in the more common sense of recovering from a disease. Sample question 8 Correct option: A This question is extremely tricky. Sometimes, however, double option questions are actually easier than single options. Here, the collocation reflect back is more relevant to a mirror than reflect over which is more likely to concern another meaning of reflect, .i.e. think something over. This allows you to eliminate two options, C and E. Similarly held a mirror up at Britain is a little unnatural. This leaves the vexed question of the difference between to and for. Either is logically possible, but the phrase hold the mirror up to has become virtually a fixed phrase, containing an echo of Hamlet, who advises a troupe of visiting actors to hold the mirror up to nature and act as naturally as they can. Sample question 9 Correct option: (E) False. The Macmillan English Dictionary gives the following definition of the phrasal verb come off [intransitive] to achieve a particular result in an activity, especially a competition or fight come off well/badly/best/worst: He came off quite badly in the exchange of insults. http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/american/
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Sample question 10 Correct option: (C) Correct. This definition is identical with that of the Macmillan English Dictionary http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/american/ A wide vocabulary is an enormous asset both for TPS and for the Phase 3 English exam. Do everything you can to expand your vocabulary as you study. Sample question 11 Correct option: (C) Correct. This question is straightforward, for once. Sample question 12 Correct option: (C) Correct. Despite the structural impossibility of replacing a posse with a entourage, this answer was considered correct. The answer caused surprise, by apparently ignoring a grammatical issue in favour of a purely semantic choice. The answer was maintained against appeal. However, in the x can be replaced by y or x is interchangeable with y type of question, you would normally be well advised to check that a replacement word fits the grammatical context as well as the meaning of the text. If in doubt, you might leave a dubious option of this kind blank. Sample question 13 Correct option: B This question requires you to pay careful attention to the rubric (which tells you that you are looking for an antonym, not a synonym) and to avoid the
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trap of a false cognate (actual /atual). If you pay attention to both these points, you should have no greatdifficulty in choosing the correct option. Sample question 14 Correct option: C This requires a sound knowledge of vocabulary, both for the interpretation of the text and for the choice of the correct synonyms. SAMPLE TEST KEY AND NOTES Question 40 Correct option: C Comment: This could be classed as an Inference question, since it deals with a point which is not expressed in so many words, but is clearly implied. The rubric uses the words It can be concluded from the text that The key passage for the correct interpretation is the last paragraph: So seductive and compelling is this new faith that it is somehow impossible to avoid adopting its language and its way of thinking. They are everywhere, and irresistible. That is what makes it like a religion: once we are in the midst of it and do not appreciate how strong and distinctive a flavour it has, we are largely unaware of its awesome, unstoppable, disruptive evangelistic power. Option E is a distractor: the text refers to Protestantism as one of the sources from which modern humanist culture is derived perhaps not its backbone or main source of support, though.
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Question 41 Judge right (C) or wrong (E) the following items with reference to the text. Comments - with best definitions, based on the Macmillan English Dictionary. 1. (E) The pronoun its (l.3) refers to humanist culture (l.2). Logically, its cannot refer to the new humanist culture - it has to refer to Fundamentalism at the beginning of the sentence. 2. (E) The word Rather (l.8) means more or less. (Best definition) Rather. (adverb) used for introducing a true statement after saying that another statement is not true 3. (E) In context, the expression So far as (l.7) means as though. (Best definition) So far as [=insofar as] up to a particular point or degree 4. (C) The word business (1.9) could be appropriately replaced by concern. (Best definition) business [uncountable] something that affects or involves a particular person and no one else Its my business who I go out with. Ill loan money to whoever I want to its not your business.
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Question 42 D is the option selected as correct. Comment: I had expected this question to be cancelled, owing to a semantic error. The question contains a typical piece of Brazilian English, in making once equivalent to because, since, as or inasmuch as. However, beware! Once means after or when, not because. In informal conversation, a member of the examining board mentioned that it was decided that there was no need to cancel the question, since the semantic error did not affect the choice of the correct answer. Question 43 Correct option: A This question is almost unreasonably difficult, since all five options refer to ideas closely related to each other. So seductive and compelling is this new faith that it is somehow impossible to avoid adopting its language and its way of thinking. They are everywhere, and irresistible. That is what makes it like a religion: once we are in the midst of it and do not appreciate how strong and distinctive a flavour it has, we are largely unaware of its awesome, unstoppable, disruptive evangelistic power. A. B. C. D. E. the fact that one cannot avoid adopting its language and rationale. the language and way of thinking being everywhere. the pervasiveness of modern humanist culture. the seductiveness of science-based thinking. the ubiquitousness of the new faith.
Comments Careful analysis of the part of the text I have underlined may eventually reveal that Option A is, in fact, more precise than option B, C,D or E but it might take some minutes to reach that conclusion. The penalty for wrong answers might suggest leaving this question blank if you are under pressure of time.
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Question 44 Correct option: B Comments According to the text, recent archaeological finds A. have revealed that Luther was not truly religious. B. have supplemented and adjusted the portrait of Luther. C. have perturbed Lutherans beliefs. D. have proven that Luther misrepresented his parents financial status. E. date back to the year 2004. B seems a better representation of the main idea/purpose of the text. There is no evidence in the text to support A or C. E might seem possible, but 2004 is mentioned in connection with the discovery of a stone toilet, not as the starting or finishing point of excavations. There is a difficult choice between B and D, which might both be considered correct. D can perhaps be discarded because the verb have proven is unduly categorical: evidence points in this direction, but concrete proof is still missing. Question 45 Correct option: E Comment This is a type of question which has not often been used in TPS tests. It requires close attention to the word not in the rubric. That said, the answer is relatively straightforward: while the text does question Luthers reason for becoming a monk, it does not go so far as to question his religious faith itself. There is evidence in the text to support all the other four options.
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Question 46 Correct option: B The word digs (l.3) is A. a noun referring to accommodation. B. a noun referring to excavation. C. a verb referring to mocking. D. a verb referring to accommodation. E. part of an adjectival phrase qualifying sites. Comment Questions involving word-class or any kind of grammatical analysis have been rare in TPS tests. However, they can be expected where such distinctions affect comprehension / interpretation of the text. This is a clever question, in that accommodation and mocking are both possible meanings of digs and the verb to dig is more commonly used than the noun a dig (an excavation). In the last analysis, the association of words in the phrase archeological digs makes it relatively easy to classify the word as a noun and to predict the correct answer option B. Question 47 Based on the text, judge right (C) or wrong (E) the following items. 1 (C) The aim of describing Luther as weighing in at a hefty 150 kg when he died (l.5) is to suggest a humorous comparison with a heavy-weight boxer. The Macmillan Dictionary gives to have your weight checked before you take part in a sport such as boxing or horse racing as the first definition of the phrasal verb weigh in. http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/weigh-in The option is correct.
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2 (E) The phrase churned out 1,800 pages a year (l.16) suggests that Luther was a careless writer. This question is tricky. In the text, the implication is that Luther was a prolific writer, not a careless one. However, the definition given by the Macmillan Dictionary for the phrasal verb churn out is: to produce something in large quantities quickly and often carelessly. http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/american/churn-out [Note that this definition says often, not always] 3 (C) Luthers father indulged in usury. This is also tricky. Lending money for interest, in Luthers age, was actually considered usury [Medieval Latin usuria, interest, from the Latin usura]. An interesting insight into 16th century attitudes comes in Shakespeares The Merchant of Venice, where Antonio, the merchant, does not charge interest, but the Jewish money-lender, Shylock, does, and is reviled for doing so. However, a 21st century student can be forgiven for getting the answer wrong, since today usury means excessive interest, and there is no indication that Luthers father exploited his clients. 4 (C) The reference to a lightning bolt (l.19) was meant to allude to putative divine intervention in Luthers calling. This question is straightforward. Where religious conversion or belief is associated with extreme weather events [whirlwinds, hurricanes, floods, thunder and lightning], the normal Biblical and popular interpretation is that of divine intervention. The option is correct. Question 48 Based on the text, judge right (C) or wrong (E) the following items. 1 (E) Fendts motorbike starts up immediately because it is a reliable machine. This is a good example of a factual question where the language could cause difficulty. It requires an understanding of this section of the text: jumping with all his might on the kick-start. It takes a few goes, but eventually the bike roars into life. This indicates the bike takes time to start.
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2 (C) German manufactures are renowned for their quality and durability. This assertion is clearly supported by the sort of solid reliable machine that makes German goods a household name for quality. 3 (E) Fendt is being made redundant. This answer comes in lines 9-12 of the text. Fendt and his colleagues are being temporarily laid off, not made permanently redundant. But the distinction is difficult and requites a detailed knowledge of labour terms. 4 (E) IG Metall is a subsidiary of BMW. There is no evidence to support this assertion. Question 49 Judge right (C) or wrong (E) the following items with reference to the text. 1 (C) In context, the phrase household name (l.4) could be appropriately replaced by synonym. Another difficult choice: a household name is a very well-known name. In context, this is taken by the examiners to mean a synonym. Macmillan Dictionary gives this definition: be a household name/word to be very well known Microsoft has become a household name. http://www.macmillandictionary.com/dictionary/british/household_7#bea-household-name-word 2 (E) After all (l. 3) is equivalent to Eventually. After all, according to Macmillan, is used when giving a reason to explain what you have just said. Eventually, on the other hand, means at the end of a process or period of time in which many things happen. 3 (C) The Berlin factory is closing temporarily owing to a slump in demand. This answer is supported by lines 9 -12 of the text.
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4 (E) The word dented (l.15) suggests an acute effect. Something that is dented is not actually broken, but pushed or knocked inward by an impact. The effect is not normally an acute effect (i.e-very serious or severe one). Question 50 Correct option: D In the phrase consumers in America feel cowed, while Asia is jittery (l.19), the most appropriate synonyms for cowed and jittery are respectively A. bovine and aggressive. B. herded and troubling. C. confined and alacritous. D. threatened and apprehensive. E. bent over and trembling. Again, a clever question which takes up more than one association of cowed with cattle inappropriate in this case. Here, cowed means intimidated and the correct answer is clearly D. Once again, candidates with a broad range of vocabulary will benefit. Question 51 Correct option: E In context, might (l.2) and kick-start (l.3) are respectively A. a conditional verb and a noun. B. a noun and a verb. C. an auxiliary verb and a transitive verb. D. an auxiliary verb and a noun. E. a noun and a noun.
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As mentioned for question 46, grammatical questions have traditionally been rare. It is not immediately clear how this question contributes to show good understanding of the text, though it does perhaps reveal something about your knowledge of English!
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Chapter 2 Composition Writing
Recently the composition has appeared as the last exercise in the test, often on a topic linked to a theme that has been developed in the translation exercises and the English text for summary. In this Handbook, Composition Writing is dealt with before the other Phase 3 exercises here for two reasons: First, it normally carries 50% of the marks for the test. Secondly, candidates can and should work particularly hard on improving their composition skills. Doing so is likely to bring noticeable rewards in terms of improved marks. Since there is often a theme link between the various texts used, it is not normally a good idea to write your composition until you have read all the texts in the test.
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GENERAL INFORMATION AND ADVICE (2010) The Regulations [Edital] and Study Guide [Guia de Estudos] contain the following information about the English composition. This information has recently been printed in Portuguese, but was previously given in the English version used here. The basic information has barely changed at all over the last ten years, although there have been some minor changes in the total number and the distribution of marks for the composition. Composition (50 marks): The examiners expect an advanced knowledge of English combined with an ability to put it to effective use in a well-planned composition. A total of 50 marks is awarded for the composition, allocated as follows: Grammatical accuracy (20 marks): here the examiners assess the correctness and appropriacy of the writing. One mark is deducted for each serious mistake and half a mark for each minor slip (including punctuation) or spelling mistake. Candidates scoring zero in this section through weak command of English will automatically score zero for the entire composition. A composition which is shorter than the specified minimum length of 350 words will be penalised 0.2 marks for each word below the minimum number. Plan and development of ideas (20 marks): the three main considerations here are: (1)the candidates ability to think clearly and express himself/herself logically in English; (2)the relevance of ideas and exemplification to the subject of the composition; and (3)organisation of the text as expressed in features such as adequate paragraphing. Candidates should aim to make their composition as interesting as possible. Although the examiners cannot demand novel ideas, they are likely to be favourably impressed by genuine originality. Apt illustration is a useful way to achieve this end. Passages that have patently been learnt by heart and are artificially engineered into the composition will be penalised.
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Quality of language (10 marks): Marks are awarded on a positive basis in this item for good idiomatic English, varied constructions and a display of aptly chosen, broad-ranging vocabulary. Candidates producing correct but pedestrian English of a distinctly elementary nature may score zero in this section, particularly if this is seen to be playing safe. Length: In recent years the standard length was 350-450 words. Failure to observe the specified length was severely penalized. The 2011 Regulations [Edital] specify 45-60 lines, without mentioning any penalty. STRUCTURE OF THE COMPOSITION Planning Plan what you are going to say before you write. However well you may write without previous planning in your own language, you need to plan when you write in English. First sort out what you want to say, then decide how you are going to express your ideas elegantly and correctly. Organising ideas Given that 20 marks are allocated for plan and development of ideas, you not only need to have a very clear plan, you also need to make it clear to the examiners a) that you have a plan and b) what that plan is. Here are some things you might do. As you read the list, mark the following Instructions you already follow Instructions that are not part of your normal routine, but which might be useful The order in which you use / could use the instructions below.
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Coherence The final (linear) plan should contain topic headings and sub-headings By looking at these headings before you start to write, you can see if you have thought of the content in an organised, logical way. Your composition should have a clear structure. The skeleton of the composition the organisation of the ideas should be visible to the person reading the text. You should include a clear thesis statement which provides a road map for you and your reader to follow. Cohesion You should also consider how your paragraphs will be connected to one another and how the composition will form a complete text with a definite shape to it.
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Introduction and Conclusion The introduction and conclusion are particularly important, because they provide the examiners first and last impression of your writing skills. It is worth devoting some time to the content and the language of these sections. You should make a clear connection between the introduction and the conclusion, but do not just repeat the same ideas in both. Many compositions lose impact because the conclusion is (a) absent, (b) a repetition of what has been said, or (c) not related to the evidence in the composition. Stick to your plan Once you have made your plan, stick to it rigidly. As time is very limited, you cannot give yourself the luxury of having second thoughts and starting again. So if you are tempted to tear up your first draft and start again, resist the temptation and trust to your original idea. Templates It is useful to have a few templates, or types of plan, in your head. Then you can quickly choose an appropriate type of plan and use it [see Model Compositions, below].
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OTHER GOOD THINGS TO FIND IN COMPOSITIONS Audience awareness Write your composition for an intelligent adult with no specialized knowledge of the topic you are dealing with. Avoid being patronizing (I know everything and my audience is ignorant); or too sophisticated (e.g. referring to abstruse historical events or publications as if you expect your reader to know all about them). Above all, show your ability in critical thinking: you are not obliged to agree with quotations set for composition writing, and are entirely free to disagree. Above all, try to make your composition interesting to read. Even if your ideas are not new, you can present them in an interesting way. This might be done by using metaphor [see Model Composition 4 Paragraph C] or by providing pertinent evidence of your idea. Evidence Remember to provide evidence in support of your points preferably from several sources. In 2010, general compositions which did not give appropriate examples to back up their points scored very low marks for Plan and Development of Ideas. Concision Try to find succinct and incisive ways of expressing your ideas and avoid unnecessary repetition. Refer to the key words in the title, but do not repeat the whole quotation unless you have a very good reason to do so. Carefully organised paragraphs The paragraphs should also be planned. The main weaknesses in paragraphing are normally paragraphs which are too long (e.g. in Model Composition 9) or too short (e.g. in Model Composition 5 paragraphs A and B). When short paragraphs are taken to extremes, each sentence becomes a separate paragraph and the composition ends up looking like a poem. In English texts, a paragraph has a topic sentence which states the main point, plus related sub-topics or illustrations of the topic sentence. While the topic
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sentence often opens the paragraph, it does not have to. The paragraph can be constructed, for instance, with an example first and the main idea afterwards (see Planning Exercise 4 item A on page 61). Good use of English Avoid enormously long sentences, but try to vary sentence length between short and longer ones. Use a variety of sentence structures. Try to include interesting vocabulary and a few elegant structures. These might include things like hypothetical conditions [If A had not happened, B might not have ensued]. inversion after a negative adverbial [Not only did Brazil seek to find a diplomatic solution but]. and many others you can find for yourself. Try picking out interesting sentence structures, and then changing the words and the situation to adapt them to your own use, as you read texts in English to prepare for the CACD exams. Interesting and appropriate vocabulary If the composition topic is linked to the theme of the translations and the text for summary [as done in 2010, for example], you should be able to find many of the keywords you need in other parts of the test. But it is also worth working hard on vocabulary as you prepare for the exam. Store the new words and phrases you learn in a table on your computer, with examples, a translation into Portuguese and a note of the topic area e.g. economics, science, philosophy, politics elections, the United Nations, and so on. You can also record the word class [noun, verb, adjective, etc.]. Store your vocabulary in a table, so that you can rearrange it in different ways in alphabetical order, according to topic, by word class or any other way, depending on the complexity of your table. Review your vocabulary table[s] at frequent intervals. Reasonable spelling and punctuation If you use a computer to write practice compositions, use the spell checker to help you. Learn all the words you spell wrongly and try not to repeat the
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same mistakes. In the examination, try to visualize the words you find difficult to spell, rather than working from the sound of the word. English spelling is difficult, but there are a few rules that can help you. http://www.englishclub.com/writing/spelling.htm http://esl.about.com/od/writingstyle/a/g_spellrules.htm On the whole, English punctuation is very similar to Portuguese, with the exception of some uses of capital letters. (See below Chapter 6 Section 13 Language Notes) and the position of punctuation marks inside or outside inverted commas see Inverted Commas in The Economist Style Guide. http://www.economist.com/research/StyleGuide/ Legible handwriting and sensible layout You will be provided with lined paper in the exam. Dont write in the margins. Leave an uneven margin on the right rather than separating syllables up with hyphens the cultural custom is different in Britain and the USA and the right-hand margin need not be straight. Make your writing as easy to read as you can. Evidence of careful revision Make sure you re-read your work very carefully and correct it when necessary. Obviously the appearance of your work should be clear and legible without too many crossings out and changes. But occasional corrections of your final text do not matter they are vastly preferable to careless mistakes in English. As you read the Model Compositions, taken from previous CACD examinations, consider which of the items on this list are their strong points.
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THE PROBLEM ANALYSIS COMPOSITION This is a fairly common type of composition in academic writing. It normally contains a sequence running something like this: a) background to the problem; b) the problem examples and illustrations; c) further aspects of the problem and/or possible solutions; d) your choice of solution(s), pointers for the future, or similar conclusion Model composition 1 Problem analysis At the beginning of the 21st century, migration continues to loom large as a subject of media interest, of community preoccupation and of political controversy. Nevertheless, the discourse has evolved significantly in recent years, both in terms of substance and tone, and is now conducted with noticeably less acrimony than before and with much reduced levels of distrust between developed and developing countries. For instance, at [several recent high-level international conferences] participants were, in general, disposed to agree that migration holds considerable potential for economic and social development. At the same time, however, it was apparent that there is much more to be done before agreement can be reached on appropriate management strategies to be put in place, both nationally and on the international level, for that promise to be realized. The task of formulating a workable global approach to the management of international migration remains a formidable challenge, and one that will require both time and effort over the coming years. An extract from the Introduction to World Migration 2008: managing labour mobility in the evolving global economy. Geneva: International Organization for Migration, 2008, p. 1. Taking into account the points made above, discuss the main issues involved in the contemporary political debate on migration. A. Due to the persistent gap between industrialized and underdeveloped countries, migration remains a vital issue in contemporary world politics.
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As humanity evolves towards a near-consensus on the inevitability of this phenomenon and its potential to generate global progress, the topic gradually becomes less controversial. Notwithstanding this trend, numerous disagreements regarding migration policy still exist. The debate concerns three complex subjects above all others: the economic consequences of human mobility, the risks involved in terms of trafficking and terrorism, and the impact of migration upon national cultures and identities. B. The economic side of migration, if examined through the lenses of sheer and cold rationality, would seen to be utterly simple: while some countries have a diminishing workforce, others can barely feed their everexpanding population, so it would be logical to encourage human flows from the latter group of nations to the former. Unsurprisingly, the issue is not that straightforward. Not all developing states are willing to cede their best and brightest citizens, as they fear the impact of an unequal flux of skilled workers, the so-called brain drain. Conversely, some industrial countries do not feel they can accommodate every potential migrant. Hence, limits and quotas are often established. C. Secondly, the security threats possibly linked to the increasing migration flows are manifold. As the United States painfully learned on September 11th, 2001, not all foreigners legally settled are harmless. Beyond terrorism, other risks may be ushered by the uncontrolled movement of humans, namely drug trafficking and the clandestine trade of arms and other goods. Even diseases, such as the swine flu from Mexico, can be transmitted freely through migration. D. Last but not least, it is evident that the cultural features of some countries, such as their language, religion and habits, will be partially under pressure if and when large inflows of migrants arrive. This is a delicate issue in Europe, where it often leads to prejudice and even xenophobia. Two opposite sets of policies claim to offer the best solution in this sense: the British usually allow foreigners to gather and form their own separate communities, whereas the French prefer to assimilate all migrants by imposing the so-called Republican values upon them.
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E. Whether we study it from the economic perspective, the security angle, or the cultural point of view, migration continues to raise concerns and generate opportunities. One thing is clear, though: no country or society will be able to design and implement sound migration policies without paying the utmost attention to the quintessential human values of tolerance, respect, and cooperation.
Thomaz Alexandre Mayer Napoleo (40,5/50) 2009 exam Guia de Estudos 2010.
Editors comments Accuracy In my view, this composition deserves a high mark for accuracy. I had to search very carefully to find any points needing correction. #2 sheer and cold rationality: and might be considered superfluous. sheer, cold rationality would be more natural. #2 utterly simple collocation: perfectly simple is a more common combination. #3 may be ushered by: the particle in is missing from the phrasal verb to usher in = make an activity or process begin. #4 will be partially under pressure collocation: will come under pressure, will come under a certain amount of pressure. #4 the so-called Republican values replacing the with theirvalues might make the text more natural. Plan and development of ideas The introduction does two things: first, it neatly summarises the key points in the title quotation. Then, it sets a very clear road map for where the writer is going to take us in the rest of the text. He does this with the sentence: The debate concerns three complex subjects above all others: the economic consequences of human mobility (#2), the risks involved in terms of trafficking and terrorism (#3), and the impact of migration upon national cultures and identities. (#4) The body of the text takes each of these aspects in turn, with analysis and illustrations.
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The conclusion neatly refers to the points raised, before returning to the title quotation, where the need for tolerance, respect and cooperation are all either directly stated or implicit. Quality of English The English flows naturally with a native-speaker level of appropriacy. It seems to meet all the criteria laid down for this section. The mark awarded (40.5 out of a maximum of 50), seems a little low compared with other compositions printed in the Guia de Estudos for previous years.
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Model Composition 2 Problem analysis (1979) The Energy Crisis and its Effects on Brazil A. From Saudi Arabia to Sumatra, from Nigeria to the North Sea, every day the oil comes up... and the petroleum thirsting world swill it back down in desperate, energizing gulps... welcome to the Oil Game. Thus began Time magazines recent article in its l979 May issue, on the energy crisis, the consequences of which no nation on the globe can presently escape from. Oil has become of vital importance to todays industrialized countries and it has acquired an equally prominent position among those striving for development. The shortage of petroleum and its effects on Brazils economy are especially noteworthy. B. The worlds economic prosperity is so structured as to be based on the availability of oil. The latter is tightly controlled by an essentially nonprofit cartel made up by those nations belonging to OPEC. Crude oil is also essential due, above all, to the severe winters which have been afflicting the United States and Europe during the past couple of years. The former country has trouble persuading the public of the actual existence of an energy crisis. The Senate refuses to arrive at the twothirds majority required to ratify any kind of legislation concerning the rationing of gasoline. Americans are convinced that Big Oil and notably the Seven sister companies is out to swindle them and that the whole energy crisis is a hoax. C. Unfortunately, petroleum today can make or break a nation. Formerly underdeveloped countries have enriched themselves almost overnight. Prosperous world powers have been hit by a severe recession the effects of which are doubly felt by developing countries, indebted to them by millions of dollars. It appears clear that the only solution lies in finding adequate energy substitutes. The industrial future of tomorrow can no longer depend upon a product as expensive and of such dubious availability as oil. D. In an attempt to deal with this problem, Brazil has invested significant amounts in research, exploration for new oil-sources, as well as in the
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import of foreign technology. Brazil has wisely decided to deal with the situation by delving into its own wealth of natural resources. Not only has it encouraged the processing of alcohol as an energy substitute for its huge automobile requirements, it has also taken advantage of its uranium sources, and is in the process of deciding to base its industrial development on nuclear power. E. Although Brazil is also rich in hydro-electric energy, it has decided that the latter may quickly exhaust itself (1). Therefore, planning ahead, it is settling upon a side-by-side development of nuclear power plants based on its uranium deposits. Nuclear power seems to be a reasonable option, as it has proved to be efficient and reasonably safe (if one disregards the recent meltdown threat of Three-Mile-Island). The Federal Republic of Germany has been chosen to lend its know-how, engineers and technical experience to national projects such as Angra II and Angra III. Nuclear power is desirable because it means an eventual cheaper energy option and the ending of expensive fuel imports. F. Brazils economy, as well as that of other developing countries, has suffered a severe blow due to the present world-wide energy crisis. It lacks adequate petroleum sources, as its rock formation is very old and largely cristaline (2). It has even been obliged to bend to a certain extent to the demands of the Arab nations (one has only to witness the PLOs recent victory). G. Brazilian potential is apparently unlimited, however, and it appears as though the sleeping giant of yesterday is fast awakening to the reality of its growing strength. It is facing its economic problems- including the energy crisis and taking them in its stride in a mature manner. Brazil seems to be an example for other, apparently more developed nations, and justly seeking a place among them (3).
(Guia de Estudo 1980 Candidates name not given)
Examiners notes (1980) (1) hydro-electricity is not generally considered likely to exhaust itself; the point needs some clarification.
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(2) Crystalline. (3) the concluding sentence would benefit from another verb (and is justly seeking a place among them.). This was felt to be an excellent composition. It shows clarity of thought, elegance of expression and a formidable range of English vocabulary and sentence structure. Editors comments At some 650 words, this is noticeably longer than the prescribed length. This is dangerous. Whether or not excessive length is penalised, writing more than necessary is pointless and may incur further deductions for language errors. The candidate was fortunate to be able to recall a longish quotation from Time it makes a dramatic opening. Structure Background to the problem: Introduction A: the energy crisis (as it appeared in 1979). The problem Paragraph B: the oil-based economy, particularly in relation to the USA. Paragraph C: the power of oil and the need for substitutes. Brazils reactions to the problem. Paragraph D: Research into natural resources alcohol and uranium. Paragraph E: the nuclear program. Round up and conclusion Paragraph F: Effects of the energy crisis on Brazil the countrys lack of oil*. Paragraph G: Brazils potential for development.
*On close analysis, Paragraph F appears out of place it could well have come earlier in the text, perhaps after Paragraph C. But thirty years on, this still seems a remarkably good piece of writing under examination conditions.
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THE FOR AND AGAINST COMPOSITION This type of composition looks at the arguments for and against the question in the title. This can either be done in alternate paragraphs, or in two sections of the composition, one containing all the points for, the other the points against. The conclusion can contain the writers own view, based clearly on the points that have been made. This is the classic French model of thesis, antithesis, synthesis. If well produced, it can be extremely effective. Model Composition 3 For and Against Read the following excerpt adapted from Ana Viseu's "An assessment of McLuhan's prediction that electronic technologies would lead us back to an oral culture" and, in the light of it and the text by Aidan Mathews in Section 1, comment critically on the role of language and visual imagery in modern electronic culture. "It is a fact that electronic digital technologies lack a sense of linearity. In fact, they are based on a non-linearity that tends to facilitate a more associative way of organizing information, e.g., hypertext. It is also true that new technologies tend to be global and not focused that is, they influence more than one sense. A good example of this is the acoustic virtual environments which are much stronger than a visual experience. A visual experience tacitly distances you, places you in a transcendent, removed position, rather than embodying you at the center of a new context. This implies not only that digital technologies offer the possibility of creating new global spaces by using sound, but also that the perspective from the user's point of view changes. She/he is no longer a mere observer in a detached position, but rather she/he actively constructs this space. Marshall McLuhan was right in predicting that the change from mechanic technologies to electronic, digital technologies would create a new culture that more resembles ancient oral cultures than the recent visual, print culture."
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A. The word in print has been with us but a few centuries, and already many claim it is doomed. Digital technologies, with their dazzling imagery and time-saving promises, are likely to produce a revolution in the concept and role of language and communication, affecting different levels of everyday life. For those who regard this transition with concern there is, however, the comfort of witnessing the renewal of interest in books and other forms of written language. We may simply be on the verge of a breakthrough that will combine traditional and modern technologies into new forms of social practices. B. Modern technologies have brought not the end of history, but the end of geography. Personal stories can be told, filmed, transmitted and finally woven into history as popular discourse and as a unifying experience. The teenager in India has more in common with his counterpart in Britain or in Brazil than with the inhabitants of his own village. Nowadays, not only do we see world crises in real time, but also it is possible to mobilize activists all over the planet in the subsequent moments. C. Doomsayers regard all this with disgust. They criticize the progressive crumbling of the traditional pillars of clear thinking logic, imagination and memory. These abilities, they state, have supported Western achievements in science, literature and the arts. In a few years, they affirm, even the educated man will have lost his powers of expression: the imagination will have been crushed by an astounding amount of unprocessed information and images received on a daily basis; language will be reduced to fragments, probably of psychobabble or of clichs. Does this negative forecast withstand the examination of everyday facts? D. Printed materials are not another endangered species, and those who believed computer technology would nearly eliminate the need for printing have been proved wrong. Naturally, the quality of what is being printed may be questioned, but not the demand for it. Statistics reveal there are more books being published today than ever before, and bookstores are proliferating everywhere. Indeed, they maybe an update version of the old, dusty and musty bookshop, but, cappuccinos not withstanding, the aisles are always crowded. The new stores offer traditional and new technologies and have wide consumer appeal.
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E. If Proust was right and, in order to find new landscapes we must find new eyes, the controversy surrounding language and modern technologies can help us appreciate the complexity of the present moment and help us seek alternative paths in education, quality of life and in dealing with the emergence of oral cultures that encompass not a village, but large parts of the globe.
Llian Cristina Burlamaqui Duarte 2002 Examination Guia de Estudos 2003
Editors comments Although the 2003 Study Guide doesnt mention how many marks this composition scored, it is clearly an excellent answer. The writers general approach is to discuss whether standard printing/ reading techniques will disappear. After posing the question and looking at some effects of new technologies [the end of geography in Paragraph B], she uses Paragraph C to examine traditional arguments against the new digital technology. Paragraph D takes the other view, claiming the old technology of printed books and bookshops are not endangered but are surviving and adapting. The elegant conclusion suggests new technologies offer an opportunity, not a threat, and argues for alternative paths to education and better quality of life. Quality of English The English used is both free from errors and highly sophisticated. I would award full marks for accuracy and a very high mark for quality of English.
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Model Composition 4 For and Against Write a composition on the following quotation from Albert Einstein: The unleashed power of the atom has changed everything save our modes of thinking and we thus drift toward unparalleled catastrophe. (Length: 350-450 words) A. When Marx stated that revolutions were the locomotives of history, he probably envisaged the technical and scientific revolutions that would alter the course of human actions and thought. What he could not foresee, however, was the boundless destructive capacity of the atom bomb. While developments in nuclear technology have permitted many countries to expand an otherwise deficient energy base, the world continues to fear the prospect of a nuclear war. The end of the Cold War may have somewhat dissipated that fear, but the bellicose tendencies of political leaders are a constant source of preoccupation. B. Many argue today that scientific experiments with nuclear fission have produced more good than evil. Principal in what pertains to the former is the enlarged capacity which some countries now have to produce energy. With nuclear power, it is possible to provide electricity to more people at a lower cost, especially given the rising prices of fossil fuels used in thermal plants. The environmental effects, though ultimately ambiguous, are visually pleasing: less smoke and a reduction of coal mining in what have once again become pleasant rural landscapes. C. Some of these arguments, however, are difficult to sustain. On the one hand, while the European countryside seems to be regaining its idyllic wilderness, much of the nuclear waste produced is being exported to poorer countries, which have found a new, though immensely risky, source of income. On the other hand, it has not been clearly shown by world leaders that the benefits of nuclear energy outweigh the dangers of stockpiling and testing nuclear warheads. One is led to question whether nuclear experiments should be banned altogether.
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D. The problem lies in the repeated demonstrations of irresponsible behavior by Western and non-Western leaders alike. Some countries, such as North Korea and Iran, have been deemed rogue states for their disregard of international norms regulating nuclear experiments. Western leaders, however, also defy societal beliefs and needs, as they undermine world peace by maintaining arsenals and, at least until the 1990s, conducting explosions. This attitude seems to reflect an unchanging militaristic mindset within most governments and, possibly, a significant portion of voters. E. Pacifist leaders and intellectuals are, indeed, either lacking or not given enough voice. Albert Einstein himself was a vocal critic of the military uses of nuclear technology. Post-war norms which began to govern the use of this technology were imbued with a spirit of peace and development. It is this spirit which should today prevail.
Felipe Krause Dornelles (45/45) 2007 Examination Guia de Estudos 2008
Editors comments Given the time constraints of the examination, it must be something of a relief when the examiners present a simple quotation as the composition title, not a longer text or series of quotations. Here, after mentioning the scientific revolution which led to the destructive power of the atom bomb, the writer discusses the benefits for nuclear energy for the generation of electricity in paragraph B. He then counterbalances this argument by referring to the dangers of nuclear waste disposal and of nuclear weapons in Paragraph C, before raising the question of a total ban on nuclear experiments. Paragraph D develops the harmful aspects of nuclear weapons by looking at the irresponsible behaviour of political leaders both in rogues states and in the Western nuclear states, who build or maintain nuclear weapons. He concludes by mentioning Einsteins criticism of nuclear weapons and argues in favour of a return to a spirit of peace and development.
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In essence, the writer dispatches the arguments for nuclear energy raised in Paragraph B by, with a series of arguments against it in C and D, and a pacifist conclusion. Quality of English Again, the English used is both accurate and elegant. VARIATION: FOR OR AGAINST Good newspaper articles and essays often argue coherently, and sometimes passionately, for or against an idea, without necessarily considering both sides of the question. Rather than slavishly accepting the title quotation as true, it may make interesting reading to argue against it.If you decide on this approach, make sure you have a well-grounded position and plenty of evidence to support your ideas. Model Composition 5 Arguments Against Awareness that change is a constant feature of human life is as old as civilisation. However, more recently, technological development has greatly enhanced both the prospects for rapid change and the range of its social, political, and cultural impact. Bearing this in mind, comment on Bermans contention (in Muqtedar Khans text Radical Islam, Liberal Islam (in section 2 above) that those motivated by aversion for liberalism will continue to seek the downfall of the West as long as its culture continues to influence the world, the Muslim World in particular. (Set length 350-450 words) A. Bermans statement that Muslim radicals will not curb their destructive efforts as long as the West continues to influence the world seems inescapable, at first glance. One could almost be led to believe in a duel to the death between two cultures: liberalism, with its core belief in tolerance of individual choices, and Islam, with its own values.
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B. Reality, however, is never as clear-cut as the statement above would imply. Neither the liberal West nor the Muslim World are the absolute, monolithic entities they are often depicted as being. C. Islam is less like a centuries-old, undisturbed lake of values and beliefs than it is like a raging river, winding its way though the hills and valleys of history and spawning countless tributaries, each with its own personality and identity. Around the world, from the bazaars of Morocco to the streets of New York, Islam has demonstrated that many of its forms are wholly compatible with tolerance and individual liberties. D. Liberalism has revealed itself to be an entity just as complex as Islam. In spite of its guise of Enlightenment rationality, it has in many cases demonstrated that its secularity and cultural neutrality are only skin deep, and that the values and precepts of Christianity still lurk below the surface. The tolerance of liberalism can also be called into question, as evidenced by the deep-seated prejudices in many supposedly liberal polities. E. These two cultures cannot, therefore, be considered in any way homogenous. Indeed, the disputes within each regarding the ideal way to organize social life make this blindingly obvious: the European model and the American model which vie for prominence in the liberal world are as dissimilar as the Jordanian and Indonesian experiences in the Muslim one. F. It is at the very least misleading, therefore, to speak of a clash of civilizations. It is much more accurate to refer to two large, heterogeneous cultures, with no clear leader on either side. These cultures have murky, undefined borders, which frequently overlap, leading to both clashes and creation. G. This is not to say, of course, that those who speak of a clash of civilizations do so out of ignorance our navet. Leading the charge against the (supposed) enemy is an effective way to gain ascendancy within ones own group. This tendency has been aggravated by the acceleration of technology. Revolutions in science not only brought us
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closer together, but allowed the purveyors of fear to convince us that the enemy is forever close by. We have developed tools that can be of great value in reconciling estranged cultures we have just not learned how to use them properly yet.
Joo Augusto Costa Vargas (43/45) 2006 exam Guia de Estudos 2007
Editors comments The introduction neatly paraphrases the statement of the topic and sets up a position that the writer can refute. Paragraph B gives the thesis statement or roadmap for the composition. To my mind, all this could have been included in a single paragraph. But the development of the rest of the composition is impeccable. In 2 elegantly-expressed paragraphs, the writer refutes the idea that Islam [Paragraph C] or Western liberalism [Paragraph D] can be considered homogenous or monolithic. Paragraph E develops the same idea with useful examples to support it, and paragraph F refutes the idea of a clash of civilisations. The conclusion cleverly binds in the idea of the effects of technology as a tool which might one day harmonise divergent trends. Quality of English The writer reveals a literary gift in his use of metaphor in Paragraph C, and excellent use of English throughout. The text is also extremely accurate. Altogether, this composition thoroughly deserves the high mark it scored.
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THE DEFINE AND ILLUSTRATE COMPOSITION Some composition topics set in the CACD examinations lend themselves well to a fairly simple approach, on the lines of: a) Define and interpret the topic involved in the quotation or title; b) Produce examples to illustrate your interpretation; c) Agree (or disagree) with the quotation. In essence, this kind of composition just gives the arguments for a topic, without working on arguments against it. Model Composition 6 Define and illustrate Nationalism Internationalism. These abstract words, so often abused, so often misunderstood, cover high ideals and strong emotions, reflect modes of thought and action that shape our world. We often see the word nationalism used in a derogatory sense. The same is true of the word internationalism. When nationalism connotes, for example, a go-italoneisolationism, and internationalism an outlook that belittles the significance of national life and of nations as centres of political action and spiritual tradition, the words become contradictory and the attitudes they describe irreconcilable. From such interpretations of the words comes the tendency to think of nationalism as in fundamental conflict with an internationalist attitude. Discuss the above statement, adapted from an address by then United Nations Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjld at Stanford University in 1955, in the light of current international political events. (Length:350-450 words) A. Nationalism and internationalism may seem a contradiction in terms. As former Secretary-General Dag Hammarsjkld highlighted, nationalism appears to be the tendency to act single-handedly, without taking into account other countries opinions or thoughts. As for internationalism, most people think of it as downplaying the importance of states in the international community. Reality, however,
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is less clear-cut, as one can believe in the weight of nations and still have a tendency towards international cooperation. B. Take the case of environmental degradation. Some of the problems nations have to address can be dealt with locally, for example, deforestation and non-productivity of soil caused by unsustainable agriculture. Other major issues, such as global warming and the hole in the ozone-layer, must be discussed globally, for unilateral measures would be of no use. Therefore, without underestimating the significance of nations as centers of political action, international cooperation is, at times, of absolute importance. C. When it comes to security issues, the usual distinction between nationalism and internationalism seems even more exaggerated. Many argue that sovereignty and international military operations do not match. It is interesting to note that Dag Hammarsjkld made his speech at Stanford University in 1955, exactly one year before the first official peacekeeping operation under the UN flag. Since that first mission, there has been a profusion of other mandates in almost every continent of the world. These operations illustrate how multilateral actions can be fully compatible with national sovereignty. In fact, the former president of Egypt, Nasser, was known for his nationalist tendencies, yet he agreed to have blue helmet troops in his territory. He was aware that international peace was also in his best interest. When he decided to withdraw the UN troops, it resulted in a large loss of territory in favor of Israel. D. International politics is, by definition, a two-level game. Even when considering only its own national interest, one cannot discard international cooperation. Sometimes domestic and global interests meet. However, even when this is not the case, in an interdependent world there can be no such thing as absolute isolationism. The same can be said about internationalists who believe that states have lost their primacy. The international community still is and will probably always be dominated by power-maximizing states.
Sophia Magalhes de Sousa Kadri (47/50) 2008 exam Guia de Estudos 2009
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Editors comments The writer gives an interpretation of nationalism and internationalism in the introduction, pointing out that they are not necessarily clear-cut. She goes on to show the need for international cooperation, first in the case of environmental issues, then in questions of security and peace-keeping. Finally, she returns to the idea that nationalism and internationalism are hard to separate, concluding that The international community still is and will probably always be dominated by power-maximizing states. This text is free from errors, succinct [375 words], and very well illustrated. Model Composition 7 Define and Illustrate (1995) Comment on the following quotation: When I am abroad, I always make it a rule never to criticise or attack the government of my own country. I make up for lost time when I come back. (Sir Winston Churchill) A. At a first glance at Winston Churchills statement, quoted above, one may be led to believe that the former British Prime Minister was simply rephrasing the saying Dirty laundry (1) is to be washed at home, never in public, yet there are more implications to his remark than merely jest. He here expresses his understanding of three major concepts of political life: the role of the diplomat, external affairs versus internal affairs, and the Sovereignty of the State. B. At the external level of affairs in political life, these three concepts are often intertwined. It is the diplomats role to be aware of what may be said, when abroad, and what must be omitted with regard to his or her country. Not rarely does a countrys foreign policy reflect (2) an internal problem it may be undergoing, but the diplomat must convey the impression that these problems are no hindrance to the furthering of the negotiations with another country. He may often feel he walks on a razors edge while attempting to push forward his countrys interests and that, if he slips, he will be responsible for its loss of face. Churchill
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sees the diplomat as the politician who must know the right time and place to say things. C. External and internal affairs are to be understood as two different government spheres of action. When abroad it is at the level of external governmental policies that negotiations are to be undertaken, regardless of whether or not internal conflicts or problems exist. In foreign affairs, it is the State as a whole that is being represented, and not various interests of divergent segments of its society. Churchill notes that, even if there are reasons to criticise his government, it is only appropriate to do so at the level of internal affairs. D. It is also an issue of State Sovereignty not to bring up a nations internal problems to the level of foreign affairs. A countrys government alone is responsible for its political decisions, and can be judged solely by its people. By bringing these problems to another country, it is allowing an alien (3) to the process to interfere in the natural course of events. There can be no hierarchy between nations. Each must be responsible for its own business. E. Mr Churchill (4) was thus not simply suggesting that he was behaving as a polite guest to a foreign host, when choosing not to criticise his own government abroad. On the contrary, he was defending the principles of valuable political concepts.
Maria Clara de Abreu Rada 1995 exam Guia de Estudos 1996
Editors Language Notes (1) normally dirty linen in the English proverb. (2) Perhaps in an attempt to show off her knowledge of a complex grammatical construction, the candidate has produced a very unnatural sentence, which appears to echo the Portuguese No raramente.... It would be more natural to write A countrys foreign
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policy sometimes reflects.. or It is not unusual for a countrys foreign policy to reflect... (3) an alien is perhaps too specific a term someone alien would sound better. Not Mr Churchill, because he is identified as Sir Winston Churchill in the composition title. Correct forms are therefore: Sir Winston Churchill (in full); Sir Winston (Sir + first name) or Churchill (surname only). Editors Comments The quotation is a challenge, in that it does not obviously offer a clear field for discussion. The candidate deserves high praise for a lucid and entirely relevant answer to the question set. This composition shows a simple structure which is easy to follow- interpretation of the quotation and definition of three areas, each of which is then analysed. Model Composition 8 Define and llustrate Discuss the following statement in relation to the issue of state secrets and the role of the press. The greatest triumphs of propaganda have been accomplished, not by doing something, but by refraining from doing. Great is the truth, but still greater, from a practical point of view, is silence about the truth. (Aldous Huxley) A. Propaganda is originally a Latin word meaning (things) to propagate, to divulge. It implies, thereby, action, doing something. How are we, then, to understand Aldous Huxleys statement that the greatest triumphs of propaganda have been accomplished, not by doing something, but by refraining from doing? As a starting point, let us suppose Huxley meant that, in certain contexts, governments should refrain from doing things the way they have announced they would. B. Consider Operation Bodyguard, perhaps the greatest propaganda triumph of the 20th century. The British managed to persuade the
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Germans that the allied invasion of France would take place in Calais not in Normandy. To this end, inflatable tanks, cardboard aircraft and a sizeable number of troops led by none less than General Patton were concentrated in Southeastern England, facing Calais. Also, radio transmissions, intended to be overheard by the enemy, mentioned that city. And even British spys (1) were told that the actual invasion would take place there, in order to confess accordingly if captured. C. The operation borrowed its name from Churchills famous statement: In times of war, truth is so precious that it should be surrounded by a bodyguard of lies. Now, this seems to complement and, to some extent, clarify, the second part of Huxleys statement: Great is the truth, but still greater, from a practical point of view, is silence about the truth. No word about Normandy ever leaked to the enemy. As for the press, it was kept under strict military censorship anyway. D. Wartime is one of those very few certain contexts where this might be justifiable. Regrettably, the control of the press, for the same reason of silence about the truth has been a distinctive mark of authoritarian regimes everywhere. Everything falls into the state secret category, truth is deemed dangerous, and a bowdlerized version of reality is substituted for it. A strong case in point is Albania, where television was banned during Enver Hoxhas dictatorship. After its introduction, in the mid 1980s, access to foreign programs helped create a critical state of mind, thus accelerating the fall of communism. E. True, state secrets do exist, and every democratic country has norms to protect them. To muzzle the press under the excuse of protecting state secrets is something no country indeed no government can afford (2). After a decade or so of an arguably competent administration, Mussolini began himself to believe that Mussolini is always right, as the slogan had it. He soon got his country involved in a succession of disastrous wars, with direful (3) consequences.
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F. Yes, Lord Acton is right, ...that power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely. The only antidote to absolute power is an educated population, with full access to reliable information, something only a free press can provide. Over time, this is best for the country and also for its government. Maybe this is the hidden, truer meaning of the first part of Huxleys statement.
Daniel Roberto Pinto (53,50/60) 1999 Exam Guia de Estudos 2000
Editors Language Notes (1) spelling: spies. (2) punctuation: indeed no government (second dash required at end of bracket). (3) Word form: dire (without ful). Editors Comments This composition has a number of excellent features: audience awareness: the writer assumes his reader will know something about the Second World War, but not the details of Operation Bodyguard. He therefore narrates the episode, providing an interesting and relevant illustration; level of information: the facts chosen to illustrate the arguments show a good knowledge of history; use of quotation: the candidate uses two relevant quotations, and reveals an impressive cultural level; an excellent level of accuracy and some fine use of vocabulary.
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VARIATION: THE HISTORICAL APPROACH COMPOSITION If you are sufficiently well informed you can take your examples to illustrate the opening title or quotation from different periods in history. This is done with admirable assurance in Model Composition 8. Model Composition 9 The Historical Approach In the light of the following quotations, comment on the relations between economics, warfare, and the forging of the modern state. What a country calls its vital economic interests are not the things which enable its citizens to live, but the things which enable it to make war.
Simone Weil in: W.H. Auden, A Certain World. 1971
Think of political economy as an historical process rather than some kind of established model. It begins and this is often forgotten with war, the father of all things. It was war, time and again pushing up the expenses of governments, that fostered the development of modern systems of taxation. For most of history, men lived in warfare states, not welfare states. Those who prefer their political history to be finance-free need to remember that it was in large measure the quest for taxation that led to the spread of representative government. No taxation without representation was not just a slogan of the American Revolution; it accurately describes a historical process stretching back to medieval England, and indeed to ancient Athens. And as many states have sought to increase the taxation they exact, so they have found it hard to refuse a concomitant widening of political representation. A case in point was the great democratisation that occurred after the First World War, which can be understood as the political price for high wartime sacrifices. Money does not make the world go round, but it establishes the framework the cage, if you like within which we live our lives. To understand this is not to be let out the cage. It does not even tell us who has the key. But at least it shows us where the bars are.
Niall Ferguson, The Cash Nexus. Harmondsworth: Penguin, 2001 [Reproduced by Kind permission of the Niall Ferguson 2001, Niall Ferguson. All rights reserved]
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A. As the American economy grinds to a halt and as its bourses hit record lows, the newly-elected American President makes the bombing of Iraq his first foreign policy statement. There are well-established links between economics and warfare. In fact, the making of the modern state can be explained by the relations between warfare and economics. B. Clausewitz described warfare as the continuation of politics by other means. Although the twentieth century man has come to abhor warfare, it is, historically speaking, a natural state of events. It was through warfare that modern states came about. In medieval Europe, the need to raise large armies and to wage costly wars led to the centralizing of political power and to the development of modern systems of taxation in order to finance the wars. The power of the nobles decreased with the alliance between the king, who began to monopolize political power, and the bourgeoisie, who wielded economic power and financed the kings wars. C. A few centuries later, the alliance between the bourgeoisie and the monarch began to break down as the bourgeoisie sought political recognition to match its growing economic power. Thus were created constitutional monarchies and republics during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Both systems increased political representation and created parliaments.Economics is crucial to financing warfare. The opposite is also true. Warfare is often the basis of economic prosperity. Peace and prosperity do not always go hand in hand. The United States is a perfect example of this. Although the U S. suffered great human losses, the United States northern industrialized states greatly benefited from the American Civil War. During the First and Second World Wars, the United States territory remained unscathed by the conflicts, but its economy grew rapidly in order to supply food, clothes, weapons and ammunition to the warring nations in Europe. D. What a country considers to be its vital economic interests, according to Simone Weil, are not the things the country needs to live, but the things it needs in order to wage wars. Alsace and Lorraine were small pieces of territory disputed by France and Germany because they were rich in coal an iron ore, two key ingredients in building weapons and in
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fighting wars. It was no coincidence that the European Union, initially aimed at avoiding another major conflict on the continent, began with the joint administration of its members iron ore and coal production. E. Economics is crucial to financing warfare and warfare is often the key to economic prosperity. A new Gulf war may be the means of pulling the world s largest economy out of recession. After the previous Gulf war, the United States enjoyed ten full years of economic growth. Military spending may be the way out of recession.
Felipe Augusto Ramos de Alencar Costa 2001 Exam Guia de Estudos 2002
Editors Comments The writer interprets the title texts with In fact, the making of the modern state can be explained by the relations between warfare and economics. He illustrates this thesis with a series of well-chosen historical examples. Altogether an impressive achievement, in excellent English. Model Composition 10 Narrative / Descriptive (a fable) Man and the Balance of Nature A. The small and useless weathervane pointed out (1) to a powerful aircraft which has (2) landed just a while ago, though the Dotard could see a tiny patch of grass right in the middle of the tracks there were no other green places all over the airport (3). Tarmac and cement grew unhesitatingly everywhere and his efforts to establish some more green areas were useless. Right after the arrival of the chromed bird two bowers have come (4) to refuel it. A gale force wind and the hot sun mingled with the wry smell of gas and oil which caused the birds to keep far away from that region. Nevertheless he was used to spotting
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dizzy gulls flying around the track and being caught and utterly destroyed by the huge jet engines. He remembered when he remembered the old hags stopped their tattling, obstreperous children did not cry, young executives clad in gaudy suits and neckties halted suddenly the old times when you could go anywhere and see the green, bring pure air into your lungs, watch hundreds of colourful birds (even the spoonbills and albatrosses) in a day. People who stopped to listen to the Dotard reacted saying that he was a lunatic maundering around and fled. They fled because they were conscious of the fall of nature in human hands. They were afraid of opening their wrinkled eyes and of getting a purchase on the facts so as to jump into Truth. Everybody knew about it and when children asked about blue lagoons, crystal-clear fountains and wonderful butterflies soaring high above green wells which they had seen in old books and heard about in fairy tales they were told that it had been a dream, an old dream of Grandpa and Grandma generations. The old man in the airport was aware of that so he tried to dredge fresh memories out of his brains, bringing out new solutions to help men to rebalance Nature. His suggestions were never accepted though almost all the wildlife preservations societies members liked his style of writing. According to these technicians his reports had the sweet taste of the old days that is why the world would never publish his words which stood against the new techniques of creating artificial bisons and plastic birds. These world-wide known (5) societies even thought of building up radio controlled elephants and duck-billed platypuses. B. The more the Dotard reflected about this the angrier (6) he looked towards the milling crowd being brushed aside by busy porters driving their carts on their way to and from the gates. All that muddle reminded him of the great cities which were spreading to the countryside, polluting the already foamy rivers and barren prairies. Then he tried to keep his eyes averted from those gloomy aspects of civilisation, searching (7) something good with his mind. Eventually he found the small patch of grass between the tracks and knew it represented hope in the future. The old man does not know it but I am sure that it is polyurethane grass.
Henrique Luiz Jenn 1978 exam Guia de Estudos 1979
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Examiners Language Notes (Guia de Estudo 1979 + 2010 notes) (1) pointed out seems odd here: pointed alone was considered preferable or pointed out towards. (2) & (4) serious error in tense usage: the Past simple, not the Present Perfect, must be used in both cases, since past time is clearly indicated. (3) all over the airport should read anywhere in the airport. (5) world-wide known sounds clumsy and is not normal usage. (6) angrier should be more angrily (adverb, not adjective). (7) for is normally used after searching seeking is a viable alternative. I am grateful to the writer for clarification of his meaning and a few corrections in recent correspondence (June 2010). Editors comments Here, the writer uses the form of a fable to give his perception of the title and the problems it involves. This text is a startlingly original response to the title, with some brilliant use of vocabulary. It could be criticised for its sparing use of commas and for a rather unwieldy second paragraph (a break before People who stopped to listen might have made the text easier for the reader to digest). However, the examiners were willing to overlook minor weaknesses of this kind in view of the refreshing approach and the quality of the language used. More than thirty years on, this is still the most original answer I have seen in an English examination.
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POSTSCRIPT: USING ANALOGY Model composition 11 Sustained Analogy The composition below shows a high degree of coherence in its sustained use of analogy. The topic below was set in connection with this quotation: For spills are hardly the most baleful consequence of Americas oil addiction: global warming and the funding of foreign despots surely come higher up the list. Perversely, this spill is likely to set back efforts to get a bill on climate change through Congress, and to increase the flow of dollars to despots. [From an article on the Mexican Gulf oil spill in The Economist, My 6th 2010] Brazil needs to be aware that pollution is not the only noxious sideeffect of oil. A. Having oil is good; becoming addicted on it is the problem. Recently, a huge oil reservoir was discovered on Brazils coast. Like an injection of drugs, the news spread rapidly, caused a state of euphoria and, eventually, resulted in disharmony at home. So, the metaphor is not senseless. Keeping the parallel, it is possible to point out pernicious consequences of the use of oil, besides pollution. Oil can cause physical and psychological dependence, as well as alienation. B. Production and consumption structures based exclusively on oil may be a type of physical dependence. Here, Brazil has a medical history. In the 1950s, the automotive industry became the nervous centre of Brazils development. Since then, the flow of vehicles throughout the country has given oxygen to the economy, along with jobs and a great consumer market. The economy has become oil addicted. The supply shock of the 1970s, followed by a reduction in investment flows in the 1980s, led to a serious crisis in Brazil. C. The nationalist propaganda on oil and excessive expectations in the last century could epitomise Brazils psychological dependence. But, undergoing such severe economic crisis has made Brazilians more
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conscious of the perils of an economy centred in a single energy source. The change of attitude was of paramount importance for developing new strategies to cope with energy problems. Today, with discoveries of oil and Petrobras success, a new rush of great expectations is fulfilling Brazilians thoughts again. D. Following that feeling, Brazils may face another symptom: alienation. In this case, demagogy should reign over pragmatism, while glib patriotism should colour politicians rhetoric. What is more convenient than transferring the responsibility of a countrys development to nature? Take the many cases of nations in Africa and the Middle East in which the people concentrate all their hopes in some commodity such as oil. Those controlling the oil industry head the country and any crisis in the sector is a disaster. E. A metaphor is just a metaphor. In fact, oil can be good, if it generates development to the country as a whole. The comparison is certainly not to deny its benefits, but rather to highlight the importance of being careful and to remember that a nation whose future depends on a single possibility is hopeless. Brazil is in its best shape ever, but basing the national development on oil may cause it to collapse. As Brazilians say, optimism and chicken soap can do no harm.
Rodrigo Domingues Matos
Notes #A line 1 line 2 line 2 #B #C line 3 line 3 addicted to it huge oil reserves were discovered might be more normal usage off Brazils coast [on the coast = on land / off the coast = in the sea]. the nerve centre. crises [the singular would require such a crisis but this is not a single crisis, but a series of them].
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line 4 line 7 #D lines 2-3 line 6 #E line 7
centred on / centred around. filling. could or might seem more appropriate verb forms than should = ought to. concentrate all their hopes on. chicken soup.
Editors comments This composition is the only example of the work of a student preparing for CACD, rather a text by a successful candidate. The sustained analogy is apposite, and the points are elegantly made and well illustrated. I would give this text a high mark for Plan and Development. The writer gives a clear road map in his introduction with his use of addicted and it is possible to point out pernicious consequences of the use of oil, besides pollution. Oil can cause physical and psychological dependence, as well as alienation. He then sustains the metaphor in # B with an analysis of Brazils physical dependence on oil and its background. In #C, he looks at twentieth-century propaganda as psychological dependence and in #D at alienation, when the responsibility for development is left to nature in this case oil. The conclusion is an elegant rationalisation of the use of analogy and, appropriately, introduces a note of optimism about the future after a composition devoted to warning us of dangers.
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SUMMARY OF COMPOSITION TYPES This list is not exhaustive, but it is designed to give you a set of templates or quick planning, both to save time and to make sure ideas are carefully organised. Type 1 Problem analysis Introduction: The background and the problem. Paragraphs 2-4: Analysis of possible solutions. Conclusion: Choice of solution (or other appropriate conclusion). Type 2 For and against Introduction: Analyse the composition topic/ meaning & implications. Paragraph 2 : Give arguments in favour. Paragraph 3: Give arguments against. Conclusion: Give your reasoned opinion. Type 3 Arguments against Introduction: Analyse the composition topic/ meaning & implications. Paragraphs 2-4: Provide arguments against the statement. Conclusion: Give your reasoned opinion. Type 4 Define and illustrate Introduction: Explain what you think the title means. Paragraphs 2-4: Provide illustrations to back up your interpretation. Conclusion: Draw an appropriate conclusion and agree with the title. Type 5 Historical Approach Define and illustrate with examples from different periods of history. Type 6 Narrative- Descriptive Devise a fable or story to illustrate the topic. Type 7 Sustained analogy Introduction: Find an appropriate metaphor. Paragraphs 2-4: Find different examples to illustrate aspects or your metaphor. Conclusion: Evaluate the metaphor or other appropriate ending.
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Planning Exercises Exercise 1 Which type of plan would you choose for each of the following? 1. The gap between rich and poor in Brazil is vast, but with the World Cup and Olympics both being hosted here in a matter of years, development is giving many a chance to prosper. 2. What divides the rich from the poor and rich nations from poor nations today is not so much wealth as the digital divide. 3. Since 9/11, a new problem has appeared in Western democracies: the need to reconcile measures to prevent terrorism with continued respect for fundamental human rights. 4. Every day we are reminded of the need for a strengthened United Nations, as we face a growing array of new challenges, including humanitarian crises, human rights violations, armed conflicts and important health and environmental concerns. Seldom has the United Nations been called upon to do so much for so many. I am determined to breathe new life and inject renewed confidence into a strengthened United Nations firmly anchored in the twenty-first century, and which is effective, efficient, coherent and accountable. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Discuss. 5. At the G20 summit of leading economies in Washington on November 15 2008 there was widespread agreement that emerging nations should have a greater say in international financial institutions such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (IMF). President Lula said that the existing multilateral organizations and the international rules in place have been rejected by history. Both the IMF and the World Bank should open themselves to greater participation by developing economies. Discuss President Lulas comment. 6. The idea that Brazils Amazon rainforest, the largest in the world, is coveted by the international community because its drinking water and forest resources are seen as collective public goods, is a recurring fear in Brazil. In
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their desire to help protect the worlds largest rainforest, environmental groups have raised the fear of foreign interference. Some people worry that the international community believes it can do a better job of managing Brazils natural resources than the governments of Brazil. 7. Owners of capital will stimulate working class to buy more and more of expensive goods, houses and technology, pushing them to take more and more expensive credits, until their debt becomes unbearable. The unpaid debt will lead to bankruptcy of banks which will have to be nationalized and State will have to take the road which will eventually lead to communism. Karl Marx, 1867. Discuss. 8. Good fences make good neighbours. Exercise 2 Go back over each of the model compositions to analyse its introduction and conclusion. Which show particularly good coherence between the beginning and the end of the text? Which do you find the most interesting? Why? Exercise 3 Go back over each of the model compositions to analyse its quality of English. Underline words and phrases that might score marks for quality. Underline the cohesive links used in the text.
Exercise 4 For each of the introductions below, Devise a title for the composition or article Consider the approach / type of composition each one seems to suggest.
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A. Imagine, if you can, a world in which energy could not be produced, stored, distributed or used as it is today. Think of the silent roads, buildings halfcomplete, factories halted. Imagine no cement, no steel, no glass. Think of homes unheated and food uncooked. The need for energy pervades human life, especially in western countries where the day revolves around its use from the moment the central heating comes on in the morning to the flick of a switch that turns out the lights at night. B. Pollution is undoubtedly one of the greatest problems facing mankind today. We can hardly pick up a newspaper or turn on the TV without reading or seeing evidence of another environmental disaster. The pall of black smoke over Malaysia caused by uncontrollable forest fires in Indonesia is just one recent example. Many people seem almost resigned to the situation, as if there were no practical solutions. However, the problem is not insoluble. It can be tackled on three levels: internationally, nationally and, last but not least, personally. C. The man of a certain age who returns to a university after an absence of many years is assailed by images of youth. The students, beautiful and intense, resemble his children. Laboratories gleam with the latest high technology. Everything seems to point to the future. All this makes it difficult to remember that the university is one of the worlds most ancient institutions, older indeed than the nation-state itself. D. Walking out on Mondays U.N. speech by Irans President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad may have been good domestic politics for the Obama Administration and its closest European allies, but it wont necessarily help them prevail at the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) review conference that began Monday. In fact the move by delegates from the U.S., Britain, France, Canada, Hungary, New Zealand and the Netherlands, among others, may have perversely played to Ahmadinejads advantage. E. Forty-two years ago, the biologist Paul Ehrlich warned in The Population Bomb that mass starvation would strike in the 1970s and 1980s, with the worlds population growth outpacing the production of food and other critical resources. Thanks to innovations and efforts such as the green revolution in farming and the widespread adoption of family planning, Ehrlichs worst fears did not come to pass. In fact, since the 1970s, global economic output has increased and fertility has fallen dramatically, especially in developing countries.
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Composition Topics set in the IRBr Entrance Examination 1970-2010
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Cohesive Links words and phrases to join ideas
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Chapter 3 Translation from English to Portuguese

by Paulo Kol
Guia de Estudos 2010 Orientao para estudo Traduo Translation, Part A (20 pontos) A traduo do Ingls para o Portugus deve ser feita de forma fidedigna, respeitando a qualidade e o registro do texto original. Subtrai-se 1 (um) ponto para cada um dos seguintes erros: falta de correspondncia ao(s) texto(s)-fonte, erros gramaticais, escolhas errneas de palavras e estilo inadequado. Erros de pontuao ou de ortografia sero apenados em 0,5 (meio) ponto. Consideraes gerais sobre traduo para o portugus As consideraes que sero feitas no Captulo 4 sobre os cuidados necessrios para se realizar uma verso com a qualidade esperada pela banca servem perfeitamente para o trabalho de traduo para a lngua-me. Entretanto, sempre til lembrar os critrios que invariavelmente so destacados nos editais no que se refere traduo ingls-portugus: fidelidade ao texto-fonte; respeito qualidade e ao registro do texto-fonte; correo
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morfossinttica e lexical. (Guia de Estudos 2006). Em outras palavras, esperase que a traduo corresponda ao original no somente no que tange seu contedo, como tambm no nvel de formalidade ou informalidade em que foi redigido. desnecessrio dizer que a traduo precisa ainda apresentar um padro de estrutura e vocabulrio que atenda norma culta do portugus. A exceo a esta regra seria quando o texto-fonte apresenta variantes regionais ou populares do idioma, caso em que a traduo deve procurar acompanhar com variantes equivalentes na lngua-alvo. Aqui reside um imenso desafio para o tradutor, mas que felizmente os textos propostos pela banca nos ltimos anos tm sabiamente evitado. Um ltimo e importante quesito para se avaliar a qualidade de uma traduo diz respeito sua naturalidade, ou seja, se o texto traduzido se apresenta no como uma traduo literal que abusa de estruturas ou vocbulos que causem certo estranhamento a quem o l. Uma boa traduo, portanto, no deveria parecer que uma traduo, mas sim um texto que foi redigido originalmente no idioma-alvo. Em sntese, seriam trs as consideraes que o candidato deve fazer ao avaliar suas prprias tradues: 1) fidelidade; 2) gramaticidade; 3) naturalidade. Com exceo do primeiro texto, as tradues a seguir foram selecionadas entre as melhores respostas de candidatos do CACD, reproduzidas pelo Guia de Estudos nos anos subsequentes sua realizao. Texto 1 2010 Text A (20 Marks) Translate into Portuguese the following excerpt adapted from Eleanor Roosevelts speech opening a series of United Nations seminars at Brandeis University on December 17th, 1954: You hear people say, Why hasnt the United Nations done this or that? The United Nations functions just as well as the member nations make it
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function, no better or worse. So the first thing to look at is the kind of machinery that was set up, and what it was meant to do. Now we have to cast our minds back to the time when the Charter was first planned. The war was not over, and this was a dream an idea to set up an organization, the object of which was to keep peace. Great tracts of the world had first-hand knowledge of war on their doorsteps. We did not know what it was like, either to be occupied or to be bombed. We need to use our imaginations, because we really must grasp what the nations felt then and still feel. What happened, of course, was that peace has never been found, so this organization has had to face questions that were not on its mind at the outset. But talk itself can have great value. You have to envisage it as a bridge, to think of the General Assembly as a place where bridges are built between peoples. Ouvimos as pessoas dizerem: Por que a ONU deixou de fazer isso ou aquilo? As Naes Unidas funcionam na medida em que os pases membros a fazem funcionar, nem melhor nem pior. Ento, a primeira coisa a fazer olhar para o tipo de estrutura que foi criada, e 5 o propsito com que foi criada. Ora, precisamos remontar poca em que a Carta foi concebida. A guerra no acabara, e o que havia era um sonho a ideia de criar uma organizao cujo objetivo era manter a paz. Grandes extenses do mundo conheceram a guerra em primeira mo, bem na porta de casa. No se sabia o que significava 10 ser ocupado ou ser bombardeado. Precisamos usar nossa imaginao para poder realmente entender o que as naes sentiam na poca e ainda sentem. O que aconteceu, claro, foi que a paz jamais foi alcanada, de forma que esta Organizao teve de enfrentar questes que no estavam em sua pauta desde o incio. Mas o dilogo em si 15 pode ter grande valor. Temos que consider-lo como uma ponte, pensar a Assembleia Geral como um lugar onde so construdas pontes entre os povos. (Traduo do editor) 1 Notas: 1. Linha 1: Desde o incio, fica patente que o registro do discurso relativamente informal e possivelmente feito de forma mais espontnea, sem
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recurso a um texto pronto. Entretanto, o uso da segunda pessoa do singular (you) na primeira orao, no soaria natural se traduzido literalmente para o portugus, tendo-se optado, ento, pela primeira pessoa do plural (sem a necessidade do pronome, dada a redundncia existente na lngua portuguesa), preservando-se da mesma forma o sentido de generalizao pretendido. 2. Linha 5: Cast our minds traduz-se literalmente como lanar nossas mentes, o que no faz muito sentido na lngua-alvo, e foi devidamente recusado pela banca. 3. Linha 6: O sentido do pronome this no est muito claro, a princpio. Entretanto, analisando-se o contexto, pode-se inferir que uma aluso ideia de se criar uma organizao vocacionada para a manuteno da paz. A soluo encontrada (o que havia) parece atender adequadamente ao sentido pretendido, resgatando ainda uma clareza maior do que o permitido pelo recurso traduo literal (isto). 4. Linha 12: Embora o sentido de peace has never been found seja inequvoco, a traduo literal pecaria for falta de naturalidade. 5. Linha 13: A expresso on its mind seria em outro contexto traduzida literalmente como ter em mente. Porm, em se tratando de uma organizao de cunho poltico, o uso da expresso estar em sua pauta mais apropriado. Texto 2 2009 Text A (20 Marks) PART A (20 marks) Translate into Portuguese the following excerpt adapted from Edward Saids 1993 Reith Lecture Intellectual exile: expatriates and marginals. What is the proper role of the intellectual in todays society? Exile means being neither entirely at one with the new setting, nor fully disencumbered of the old; beset with half-involvements and half-detachments; nostalgic and sentimental yet equally a consummate mimic or secret outcast. Being adept at survival becomes the imperative, with the dangers of getting too comfortable and secure constituting a threat constantly to be guarded against. Salim, the main character of V.S. Naipauls novel A Bend in the River, is an affecting instance of the modern intellectual in exile: an East African Muslim of Indian origin, he has left the coast and journeyed into the interior, where he
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survives precariously in a new state modelled on Mobutus Zaire. Naipaul portrays Salims life at a bend in the river as a no-mans-land, to which hail the European intellectual advisers (who succeed the idealistic missionaries of colonial times), as well as the assorted mercenaries, profiteers, and other Third World drifters in whose ambience Salim is forced to live, gradually forfeiting his property and integrity in the mounting confusion. As the novel unravels, the natives themselves have become exiles in their own country, so preposterous and erratic are the whims of the ruler, Big Man, a symbol of all post-colonial regimes. Guilherme Fitzgibbon Alves Pereira (19/20) 1 Exlio significa estar nem integrado por completo ao novo ambiente, tampouco totalmente desprendido do antigo; acometido de semi-envolvimentos e semi-destacamentos; nostlgico e sentimental, mas em igual medida um mmico contumaz ou um excluido secreto. A maestria na sobrevivncia torna-se um imperativo, os perigos de acomodar-se e de tornar-se seguro demais constituindo uma ameaa contra a qual deve-se proteger constantemente. Salim, o personagem principal do romance "Uma curva no rio", de V. S. Naipaul, um exemplo tocante do intelectual exilado moderno: muulmano de origem indiana do leste africano, ele deixou o litoral e rumou ao interior, onde sobrevive precariamente em um Estado baseado no Zaire de Mobutu. Naipaul retrata a vida de Salim em uma "curva no rio" como uma terra de ningum, para onde dirigem-se os conselheiros intelectuais europeus (sucessores dos missionrios idealistas de pocas coloniais), bem como diversos mercenrios, gananciosos e outros golpistas terceiromundistas em cuja companhia Salim forcado a viver, gradualmente renunciando a suas propriedades e sua integridade no ambiente de crescente agitao. Conforme o romance se desenvolve, os prprios nativos tornam-se exilados em seu prprio pas, tao absurdos e errticos so os desmandos do governante, Grande Homem, um smbolo de todos os regimes politicos ps-coloniais. Notas: 1. Linha 9: A manuteno da ordem original das palavras, o intelectual moderno no exlio soaria mais natural.
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2. Linhas 9-10: A associao da ndia com o leste africano, em muulmano de origem indiana do leste africano, poderia ser evitada invertendo-se a ordem das palavras para muulmano do leste africano, de origem indiana. 3. Linha 15: A traduo mais adequada para drifters seria andarilhos, e no golpistas. Texto 3 2008 Text A (25 marks) Translate into Portuguese the following excerpt from James Baldwins Notes of a native son (1955) [in: The United States in Literature. Glenview: Scott, Foresman & Co., 1976, p. M 132.]: I was born in Harlem thirty-one years ago. I began plotting novels at about the time I learned to read. The story of my childhood is the usual bleak fantasy, and we can dismiss it with the restrained observation that I certainly would not consider living it again. In those days my mother was given to the exasperating and mysterious habit of having babies. As they were born, I took them over with one hand and held a book with the other. The children probably suffered, though they have since been kind enough to deny it, and in this way I read Uncle Toms Cabin and A Tale of two Cities over and over and over again; in this way, in fact, I read just about everything I could get my hands on except the Bible, probably because it was the only book I was encouraged to read. I must also confess that I wrote a great deal and my first professional triumph occurred at the age of twelve or thereabouts. Joaquim Aurlio Correa de Arajo Neto (25/25) 1 Eu nasci no Harlem h trinta e um anos. Comecei a idealizar romances to logo aprendi a escrever. A histria de minha infncia uma fantasia montona e normal, e podemos descart-la mediante a observao contida de que, certamente, eu no consideraria a 5 possibilidade de reviv-la. Naquele tempo, minha me dedicava-se ao hbito irritante e misterioso de ter bebs. medida que eles nasciam, eu os segurava com uma das mos e, com a outra, segurava um livro. As crianas provavelmente sofriam, embora, desde aquela poca, elas
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tenham sido gentis o bastante em negar essa situao. Assim, eu lia 10 "Uncle Tom's Cabin" e "A Tale of two Cities" seguidas vezes. Na verdade, eu lia quase tudo que chegava s minhas mos, com exceo da Bblia; provavelmente, devido ao fato de que era o nico livro que me encorajavam a ler. Devo confessar, tambm, que eu escrevia muito e que meu primeiro triunfo profissional ocorreu quando eu tinha doze 15 anos, ou por volta dos doze anos. Notas: A nota mxima atribuda a esta resposta exemplifica a inclinao da banca a premiar tradues que, embora sejam passveis de melhorias, apresentam boa clareza, coeso e gramaticidade. Cabe, entretanto, salientar alguns pontos na traduo que poderiam ser melhor trabalhados. 1. Linha 10: Em se tratando de clssicos amplamente conhecidos e traduzidos para a lngua portuguesa, os ttulos das obras poderiam ter sido traduzidos como A Cabana do Pai Toms e Um Conto de Duas Cidades, respectivamente. Isso no somente tornaria a traduo mais profissional, como poderia causar boa impresso banca, o que pode vir a ser til como critrio de desempate, por exemplo. 2. Linha 11: A traduo de I could get my hands on seria traduzida de forma mais literria como que me chegava s mos. 3. Linhas 14-15: Doze anos, ou por volta dos doze anos no acompanhou a conciso do original (twelve or thereabouts). Seria mais enxuto simplesmente traduzir a frase como por volta dos doze anos, evitando assim uma repetio inexistente no original. Texto 4 2007 Text A (15 marks) Translate into Portuguese the following text adapted from John Cornwells Seminary Boy (New York: Doubleday, 2006): By late 1944, and after four wartime home removals, I was attending a Catholic primary school run by Irish nuns and spinsters, surrounded by a hostile world of unbelief. One Sunday a V-2 rocket destroyed a nearby
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Anglican church, killing most of the congregation. The next day Miss Doonan, who taught us so piously to make the sign of the cross, informed us that these people had been struck down by God because they were Protestants. The day before we celebrated the end of the war in Europe, I was humming to myself, skipping ahead of the girl who took me to school, when two bull terriers hurtled round the corner and sank their teeth into my plump legs. I spent the morning in a doctors surgery being stitched up and painted with iodine. According to the policeman who visited our house on Victory Day, the dogs owner claimed that I had made the animals bite me by my singing and dancing. Marclio Falco Cavalcanti Filho (14/15) No fim de 1944, aps quatro mudanas de residncia por causa da guerra, eu freqentava uma escola primria administrada por solteironas e freiras irlandesas, cercada por um mundo hostil de descrena. Num domingo, um foguete V-2 destruiu uma igreja Anglicana 5 que ficava prximo, matando a maior parte da congregao. No dia seguinte, a senhorita Doonan, que nos ensinou to fervorosamente a fazer o sinal da cruz, informou-nos que aquelas pessoas haviam sido golpeadas por Deus porque eram protestantes. Um dia antes de celebrarmos o fim da Guerra na Europa, eu estava cantando bem 10 baixinho, pulando frente da garota que me levava para a escola, quando dois cachorros da raa bull terrier pularam de trs da esquina e cravaram os dentes na minha perna rolia. Eu passei a manh em um consultrio mdico levando pontos e pinceladas de iodo. De acordo com o policial que visitou nossa casa no Dia da Vitria, o dono dos 15 ces afirmou que eu havia provocado a mordida dos animais com a minha dana e a minha msica. Notas: 1. Linhas 4-5: Embora nomes de religies exijam letra mascula em ingls, o mesmo no se aplica lingua portugesa. A frase que ficava prximo tambm soa algo deselegante. A nearby Anglican church poderia, ento, ser traduzida como uma igreja anglicana nas redondezas. 1
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2. Linha 10: Skip significa pular, pular corda, saltitar. Em se tratando de uma criana indo para a escola, seria natural que estivesse saltitando em frente pessoa que a acompanhava. 3. Linha 11: Hurtled round the corner cria uma imagem que seria mais fielmente traduzida como dobraram a esquina em disparada. 4. Linha 16: Traduzido como msica, a palavra singing adquire uma conotao de obra musical, quando o sentido pretendido o cantarolar despretensioso de uma criana. Portanto, a palavra cantoria poderia transmitir melhor essa idia e ainda sugerir algo que pudesse provocar os cachorros, segundo alegou seu dono. Texto 5 2006 Text A (15 marks) Translate the following text adapted from Don Cupitts The Sea of Faith (London: BBC, 1984) into Portuguese: Prometheus Unbound The minds power to innovate and fashion pure fictions was traditionally seen as a source of sin. Saints sallied forth into the desert to do battle against the evil thoughts that rose unbidden in their imaginations. As we now view it, they were actually tussling with their own creativity, not Satan. Since ancient times, the common theme in mythology is that there are appointed limits to human power and knowledge. Overstepping the bounds the gods had set was tantamount to courting disaster. So powerfully alluring has been the theme of mans technological pride being brought low that new myths have continued to be hatched well into the modern age. As late as the 1960s techno-sceptics posited that the space programme might bring down divine wrath upon mankind. This ethic of tradition was patently designed to discourage unbridled innovation and social change. [Reproduced by kind permission of Don Cupitt]
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Ricardo Martins Rizzo (14,5/15) Prometeu Libertado O poder da mente para a inovao e a criao de puras fices foi tradicionalmente visto como uma fonte de pecado. Santos refugiavam-se no deserto para travar batalha contra os maus 5 pensamentos que emergiam desembaraadamente na imaginao. Da forma como os vemos hoje, eles estavam em conflito com a sua prpria criatividade, no com Sat. Desde tempos antigos, o tema comum da mitologia a existncia de limites definidos para o poder e o conhecimento humanos. 10 Ultrapassar a linha traada pelos deuses era equivalente a cortejar o desastre. O tema do orgulho tecnolgico do homem tem sido rebaixado de forma to poderosamente persuasiva que novos mitos continuaram a surgir mesmo na poca moderna. Em plena dcada de 1960, "tecno15 cticos" defendiam que o programa espacial poderia atrair a ira divina contra a humanidade. Esta tica da tradio estava patentemente projetada para desencorajar inovaes e mudanas sociais desabridas. Notas: A prova de 2006 a primeira que contm um teste de traduo para o portugus, alem da verso para a lngua inglesa. Talvez por isso, a banca parece ter sido relativamente generosa em sua avaliao. 1. Linhas 3: Sally [forth] definido pela verso eletrnica do Macmillan Dictionary (http://www.macmillandictionary.com) como to leave a place to go on a trip or for a definite purpose, showing confidence and energy.. Uma traduo mais adequada para essa expresso, no contexto acima, seria partir com determinao. 2. Linhas 5-6: O uso do pronome os na traduo da frase As we now see it inadequado. Seria mais fiel traduzir o trecho como Da forma como encaramos isso hoje. 3. Linhas 12-13: O trecho mans technological pride being brought low no foi bem interpretado pelo candidato. O comeo da referida orao ficaria mais fielmente traduzido como : A temtica alusiva ao rebaixamento do orgulho tecnolgico do homem tem exercido tamanho fascnio...
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4. Linha 16: A palavra desabridas que significaria insolentes, atrevidas (Michaelis Moderno) no corresponde ao sentido pretendido no texto para a palavra unbridled, que seria descontroladas ou desenfreadas.
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Chapter 4 Translation from Portuguese to English
Guia de Estudos 2010 Verso Translation, Part B (15 pontos) A verso do Portugus para o Ingls deve ser feita de forma fidedigna, respeitando a qualidade e o registro do texto original. Subtrai-se 1 (um) ponto para cada um dos seguintes erros: falta de correspondncia ao(s) texto(s)-fonte, erros gramaticais, escolhas errneas de palavras e estilo inadequado. Erros de pontuao ou de ortografia sero apenados em 0,5 (meio) ponto. English version of this description Guia de Estudos 2003 The examiners are looking for a correct, natural rendition in English of one or more texts in Portuguese. Points are deducted for translation faults, grammatical errors, wrong word choice, and bad style, should the latter impair the reading of the text. Half points are deducted for minor mistakes, including punctuation and spelling.
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Editors General Advice The marking of the examination translation into English is done entirely by subtracting marks for inaccurate vocabulary or grammar mistakes. There are no marks available to give a bonus for good, creative translation. It therefore follows that the safest way to deal with the text is a literal translation, free from serious mistakes. Use cognate words and keep as close as possible to the meaning of the original text. You may still have a problem knowing whether cognate words exist and are correct. But where they do, use them. This was not always the case. Working from Text 1 to Text 10, you can observe that in the days when English was an eliminatory examination (before 2005), more literary texts were sometimes set as a challenge, requiring greater translation skills. These days, some candidates try to play safe and omit the Translation into English [worth 15 marks] to devote more time to the composition [worth 50 marks]. This seems a rather cowardly policy and is definitely not recommended. There are two reasons for this: 1. The translation text is normally very short and unless your English is particularly inaccurate, you are unlikely to score zero. 2. The most important skill for the purposes of the CACD English exam, and for your future career as a diplomat, is time management. Work on this skill until you are able to do ALL the exercises in the time available. Studying for the Translation examination Practise translating short texts regularly. Use the Internet to read newspapers in English and compare the reports of current events with those in the Brazilian press. A useful search engine is http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/ which gives access to newspapers from all over the world. Make lists of vocabulary for areas related to international relations and current affairs. Take down examples of how these words are used in phrases or sentences. Note down the prepositions associated with verbs, nouns and adjectives.
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TRANSLATION FROM PORTUGUESE TO ENGLISH
Tips for Translation (short texts) 1. Read the whole text before you begin to translate. Information contained at the end of the extract may affect your choice of words in the earlier sentences. 2. In the context of the CACD English exam, it is very important to show that you have understood the Portuguese text and can interpret difficult passages intelligently. 3. When you have read the Portuguese text, think about it and make a mental summary of it in English, or make a few notes in English on paper. You need to switch your mind from Portuguese to English to translate well. 4. When you translate in any professional context, you will normally have access to a dictionary. In an examination you will not. Dont let particular vocabulary items you dont know upset you too much. You can either paraphrase the word as well as you can, or you can hope there is a cognate word in English and anglicise the Portuguese word, particularly if it has a Latin origin. Remember: if you leave gaps in your text, you will certainly lose marks. If you paraphrase or create successfully, there is a chance you will not. 5. When you translate, try to convey each fact or idea clearly, simply and correctly in English. This may mean shortening very long sentences or changing the word order, where necessary. In translating a newspaper or magazine article, conveying information clearly and accurately is the main aim. You only need to worry about trying to give an idea of the authors style when the text is from a work by a famous author, or possibly a humorist. 6. Revise everything you have written very carefully. It is sometimes difficult to spot your own slips immediately after finishing a translation. You might therefore consider doing a draft translation, then working on the composition then returning to the translation and finally finishing the composition. 7. Make sure your handwriting is fully legible. Leave time to copy your translation out before you hand it in. With the exception of Text 1, the translations that follow are all excellent efforts produced by candidates for CACD, reproduced in the Guia de Estudos for the following year. As you go through the texts below, cover the English version and try to produce your own translation into English.
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Text 1 2010 examination Translation B (15 marks) Translate into English the following excerpt adapted from a lecture delivered by Ambassador Celso Amorim as guest speaker at the Portuguese Ministry of Foreign Affairs Diplomatic Seminar on 5th January 2009: A reforma das Naes Unidas pea-chave da agenda de mudanas. O multilateralismo a expresso normativa da multipolaridade. O mundo multipolar que emerge neste sculo deve encontrar seu paralelismo lgico no reforo das instituies multilaterais. A reforma da ONU, em particular de seu Conselho de Segurana, decorre da necessidade de aumentar a legitimidade, transparncia e representatividade nas suas decises. Mesmo sem resolver todos os problemas (como o do veto, por exemplo), um Conselho ampliado enviaria aos Estados-membros uma mensagem de confiana na capacidade da ONU de se adaptar aos novos tempos. O Brasil fez uma clara opo pelo multilateralismo. A contribuio brasileira Minustah no Haiti constitui uma demonstrao concreta desse compromisso. Reflete a nossa no-indiferena diante de uma situao difcil vivida por uma nao com a qual temos muitas afinidades. Coaduna-se, ademais, com os princpios de ao coletiva para prevenir ameaas paz e segurana internacionais. The reform of the United Nations is the key to the agenda of change. Multilateralism is the normative expression of multipolarity. The multilateralism that is emerging this century should find a logical parallel in the strengthening of multilateral institutions. 5 UN reform, particularly that of the Security Council, stems from the need to increase the legitimacy, transparency and representativity [representativeness] in its decisions. Even without solving all the problems, (such as that of the veto, for example), an expanded Council would send the Member-States a message of confidence in the capacity 10 of the UN to adapt to new times.
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Brazil has made a clear option for multilateralism. The Brazilian contribution to [the] Minustah in Haiti constitutes a concrete demonstration of this commitment. It reflects our "non-indifference" towards the difficult situation a nation with which we have many affinities 15 is experiencing/ living through. It is coherent with collective action to prevent [avoid?] threats to international peace and security. Literal translation by the Editor Comments 1. Line 2: Multilateralism [in general]- is used without an article. But the multilateralism that is emerging takes an article. See Chapter 6 Language Notes and Practice Exercises #1 use and omission of the definite article. 2. Lines 5 and 8: that of is used to refer to an uncountable noun (reform) and a countable noun (problem[s]). It is formal. 3. Line 13: compromisso is a false cognate, best translated by commitment. 4. Line 16: the examiners appear to have marked prevent as incorrect perhaps because the text for summary in the same exam refers to avoiding another world war. In my personal opinion, prevent is more appropriate, as it is more proactive. See also Chapter 6 Language Notes and Practice Exercises #16 Words easily confused. Text 2 2009 Examination (Guia de Estudos 2010) PART B (15 marks) Translate into English the following excerpt adapted from a special Folha de So Paulo report on Sri Lanka by Roberto Candelori published 18th May 2009: O Sri Lanka v-se diante de um conflito que j dura um quarto de sculo. Com uma populao dividida entre cingaleses budistas (74%) e tmeis de orientao hindu (18%), o antigo Ceilo tornou-se um banho
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de sangue, segundo a ONU. O pas conquistou a independncia dos britnicos em 1948, quando comeou a implantao de polticas discriminatrias contra a minoria tmil, que tivera lugar de destaque na administrao colonial. Sucessivos governos baixaram leis que cercearam os direitos dos tmeis ao impor-lhes o cingals como lngua oficial e restringir-lhes o acesso educao superior e a cargos pblicos. Revoltados, os tmeis passaram a reagir, exigindo a igualdade lingustica, social e religiosa. Em 25 anos de conflito, estima-se que tenham ocorrido at 100 mil mortes, e o futuro parece no menos assustador. Mais de 250 mil tmeis encontram-se agora sob a mira dos fuzis e sob o silncio da comunidade internacional. A ordem atirar. Jos Roberto Hall Brum de Barros (13,5/15) Sri Lanka faces a conflict that has already been going on for a quarter of a century. With a population divided between Buddhist Singalis (74%) and Hindu Tamils (18%), former Ceylan has become a "blood bath", according to the UN. The country achieved its 5 independence from the British in 1948, when it started the implementation of discriminatory measures against the Tamil minority which had occupied key positions in the colonial administration. Successive governments passed laws that curtailed Tamils' rights, by imposing Singali on them as an official language and denying them 10 access to higher education and public offices. The Tamils, outraged, began to fight back, demanding linguistic, social, and religious equality. In 25 years of conflict, one hundred thousand deaths have been estimated, and the future seems no less dreadful. Over 250 thousand Tamils are now under guns' sights and under the silence of international 15 society. The order is to shoot. Corrections and comments 1. Line 3: Sinhalese (ethnic group) and line 7: Sinhalese (the language). 2. Line 3: Ceylon 3. Line 13: Numbers in the thousand do not normally mix figures and words: 250,000 would be more natural 4. Line 14: preposition: in is the normal preposition with sights 1
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in your sights
1. used about things that you intend to have or achieveShell already have Lornas job in her sights. Shell already have Lornas job in her sights. 2. used about someone that you intend to defeat or deal with severely They have last years champions in their sights. [Macmillan English Dictionary online]
To maintain the parallelism of the original, in the guns sights [or: in the sights of the guns] and in the silence Text 3 2008 Examination (Guia de Estudos 2009) The 2008 test was the first one to be four hours in length instead of 5 hours. It did not contain a summary, just two longer translation texts, worth 25 marks each. Part B (25 marks) Translate into English the following excerpt adapted from Mrio Henrique Simonsens Brasil 2002 (5 ed. Rio de Janeiro: APEC, 1974, p. 11): A ideia de prever a evoluo econmica dos povos segundo modelos rgidos de determinismo histrico sempre seduziu os cientistas sociais. O futurlogo uma espcie de cartomante recheado de lgebra, e que procura satisfazer uma das maiores angstias da humanidade, o pr-conhecimento do futuro. Alm disso, o contedo de suas formulaes parece, pelo menos para os leigos, bem mais fundamentado cientificamente do que a simples leitura de um baralho. Fora o aspecto psicolgico, h a questo esttica. Os modelos que prevem o futuro da humanidade segundo uma trajetria imutvel, inabalvel por hipteses acessrias, possuem uma grandiosidade apocalptica, inacessvel quelas construes prosaicas repletas de condicionais e condicionantes. No surpreende, por isso, que os economistas
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tantas vezes se tenham aventurado no desenvolvimento desses modelos que, com o mnimo de hipteses, apresentam o mximo de previses. A aplicao do determinismo histrico s cincias sociais envolve dois problemas: um filosfico, que consiste em questionar a validade da tese; outro, bem mais prtico, que o de saber se temos o direito de afirmar que descobrimos as leis desse determinismo. Marcelo Lacerda Gameiro de Moura (23.5/25) The idea of foreseeing the economic evolution of peoples according to rigid models of historical determinism has always seduced social scientists. The forecaster is some sort of fortune-teller filled with algebra, and who seeks to satisfy one of the greatest anguish of mankind, the 5 prior knowledge of the future. Besides, the content of his predictions seems, at least to the laymen, scientifically much better based than the mere reading of a deck of cards. Apart from the psychological aspect, there is the issue of aesthetics. The models which foresee the future of mankind according to an unchangeable trajectory, unshakeable by 10 accessory hypotheses, possess an apocalyptical grandiosity, not accessible to those prosaic constructs filled with conditions and variables. It comes as no surprise then that economists have time and again dared to develop these models, which with fewer hypotheses present most predictions. 15 The use of historical determinism in social sciences encompasses two problems: a philosophical one, which consists of questioning the validity of the thesis, and another one, more practical, of knowing whether we have the right to assert that we have found the laws of this determinism. 1. Line 4: Since anguish is uncountable, one of is inappropriate. This could be one of the greatest torments or perhaps one of the greatest sources of anguish or kinds of anguish. 2. Line 14: There seems to be a slight misinterpretation in present most predictions. A better rendering might be: which, with a minimum of hypotheses, present the maximum number of predictions. 1
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Text 4 2007 Examination (Guia de Estudos 2008) Text B (15 marks) Translate into English the following text adapted from Wilson Martins A Palavra Escrita (So Paulo: Editora tica, 1996): No havia razo para que os gregos amassem e, por conseqncia, guardassem os seus prprios livros: Scrates, como tantos outros, nada escreveu. Desprezando profundamente os brbaros, no havia igualmente razo para que amassem e, por conseqncia, procurassem guardar os livros estrangeiros. Assim, o povo letrado por excelncia da Antiguidade, a patria das letras e das artes, no possua bibliotecas. Para completar o paradoxo, um povo militar e guerreiro, comerciante e prtico, imediatista e poltico, que s admitia a palavra escrita ou oral como instrumento da ao, que vai, no mundo ocidental, possuir as melhores bibliotecas e, em particular, as primeiras bibliotecas pblicas. Nisto, alis, neste ltimo trao, est gravado o carter de um povo, voltado para a conquista do mundo e capaz de imediatamente perceber a utilidade de todas as armas: com os romanos, o livro passa da categoria sagrada para a categoria profana, deixa de ser intocvel para ser condutor, e, posto ao alcance de todos, o veculo por excelncia das ideias, dos projetos e dos empreendimentos. Janana Monteiro de Barros Frederico (13,5/15) 1 There was no reason for the Greeks to love and therefore keep their own books. Socrates, like so many others, wrote nothing. Deeply despising "barbarians", there was neither reason for them to love and therefore 5 preserve foreign books. Thus, the most remarkably literate people of the Ancient World had no libraries. In order to render the paradox complete, the best libraries and particularly the first public libraries, in the Western World, will belong to a military and bellicose, trading and practical, immediatistic and political people, who only allowed for words
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10 written or spoken as instruments for action. Indeed, this last trait summarizes the character of a people driven for world conquest and capable of instantly perceiving the utility of all weapons: with the Romans, book leave the sacred sphere to enter the profane one, shed their aura of aloofness to become means, and, available to everyone, 15 turn into the privileged vehicle of ideas, projects and entreprises. 1. Line 8: In the context of basic narration in the past, the use of will seems out of place. Possibly would belong / were to belong would be preferable. In English, as in Latin, there is a natural sequence of tenses a) Present, Present perfect + Future b) Past Simple, Past perfect + Conditional. It is unusual to switch from a) to b) in the middle of a text. 2. Line 9: immediatistic- an interesting example of an attempt to form a cognate word where none exists. A paraphrase is needed, on the lines of concerned only with immediate [or:short-term] interests. 3. Line 15: Spelling mistake: enterprises Text 5 2006 Examination (Guia de Estudos 2007) Text B (15 marks) Translate the following text adapted from an article by Mino Carta in Carta Capital (5th November 2005) into English: O Velho Mundo fica muito longe Karl Marx e Alexis de Tocqueville concordavam em um ponto: a extrema pobreza no gera revolta mas apatia. RaIf Dahrendorf retoma o assunto em artigo recente. A faixa da populao de longe mais crtica diz ele aquela que comeou a progredir para novas e melhores condies, mas, l pelas tantas, encontrou o caminho bloqueado. So estes os grupos que se mobilizam em contestaes violentas e acabam por determinar grandes mudanas. Dahrendorf pressentia, claro, os desdobramentos
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da revolta da periferia parisiense, inspiradora de outras turbulncias em vrios cantos da Europa Ocidental. Pensei no Brasil, vice-campeo mundial em m distribuio de renda, onde 70% das famlias vivem, no mximo, com dois salrios mnimos e 30% dos habitantes vegetam abaixo da linha de pobreza. Sem contar a herana da escravido que deixou nos lombos nativos a marca funda do chicote. Gustavo Henrique Sachs (14,5/15) The Old World lies very far away Karl Marx and Alexis de Tocqueville both agreed on one point: extreme poverty does not lead to uprising but rather to apathy. Ralf Dahrendorf has resumed the issue in a recent article. "The most critical 5 segment of the population by far - says he - is the one which had begun to make progress towards new and better conditions, but, at a certain point, found the path blocked. These are the groups which rally to violent protests and end up bringing about great changes". Dahrendorf anticipated, of course, the unfolding of the rising of the 10 Parisian outskirts, which has inspired additional turmoil in several corners of Western Europe. I thought about Brazil, vice-champion of the world in poor distribution of income, where 70% of the families live, at most, on two minimum wages and where 30% of the population vegetate below the poverty line. Not to mention the heritage of slavery which 15 has left on the native backs the deep scar of the whip. 1 Comments and corrections 1. Line 5: the most accurate form of punctuation would be . The most critical segment of the population by far, says he, is the one which 2. Line 9: the unfolding of the rising of sounds a little strange. Perhaps the unfolding of the rebellion [or: riots] on the Parisian outskirts. All in all, this is a particularly good translation.
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Text 6 2005 Examination (Guia de Estudos 2006) The 2005 examination contained a longer translation (worth 30 marks), summary and textual exercises (worth 25 marks) and composition (worth 45 marks). 1 TRANSLATION (Total: 30 marks) Translate the following text adapted from an article by Pedro GmezValads in La Insignia (13th June, 2005) into English: Europa, sem pressa, mas sem pausa Nunca ningum disse que o processo de construo europeia fosse fcil. Superar sculos de confrontos habitualmente resolvidos por via militar no exatamente o melhor alicerce para a construo. Ou talvez sim. A unidade poltica da Europa um caminho sem retorno. Desenham-se muito claro os espaos geopolticos que sero os pivs da poltica mundial no sculo atual: os Estados Unidos; a China, onde todos os algarismos so astronmicos, com o seu disciplinado mercado de trabalho e pujante aparelho poltico-militar a servio de uma expanso econmica de que s comeamos a vislumbrar o comeo; a India, pas que entrou devagar pela porta dos fundos, j em todas as apostas das potncias do sculo; e a Unio Europeia. evidente que os golpes contundentes que a Constituio europeia acaba de sofrer por parte da cidadania francesa e holandesa, obrigam a fazer uso daquela mxima que dizia: Estamos em guerra, temos que refletir. Claro que no se trata de um conflito blico, mas o tremor que h duas semanas sacode os campos da Europa bem merece uma reflexo. O medo da eventual entrada da Turquia mobilizou, lamentavelmente, mais do que qualquer outro argumento tirado do prprio texto constitucional em debate. A xenofobia foi um dos pilares da contestao ao Tratado Constitucional europeu. No fcil, lgico e evidente, assumir que um dos efeitos irreversveis e talvez um dos mais (permitam-me a licena potica) formosos da
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globalizao a mestiagem de culturas, naes e raas. A Europa, bero da civilizao, no deve ser mais do que exemplo de integrao. No ser fcil. Contudo, dar por morta a Constituio Europeia no deixa de ser s uma manchete de jornal. Mais nada. A sensatez obriga a abrir um tempo de reflexo de que, tenho certeza, sairo solues. Para j, o democrtico continuar com o processo de ratificao dos diferentes estados. Interromp-lo agora seria um precedente gravssimo, um fato quase orwelliano. Todos os Estados da Europa so iguais, mas uns so mais iguais do que outros.
[Reproduced by kind permission of Pedro Gmez-Valads]
Mnica S. F. de Sales Barth Tambelli (24,5/30) 1 Europe, no hurry, but no pause No one ever said that the process of building Europe would be easy. Getting over centuries of conflicts which had been usually solved by military means is not exactly the best foundation for a construction. Or maybe it is. The political unit of Europe is a path without return. The geopolitical areas which will be the center of the world politics this century are clearly designed: the United States; China, where every figure is astronomic, with its disciplined labour market and dynamic political and military apparatus in service of an economic development whose beginning we have only started to see; India, a country that entered slowly through the back door, and is already present in every bet for this century's power; and the European Union. It is obvious that the heavy strikes the European Constitution has just suffered from French and Dutch citizenship call for the use of that motto saying: "We are at war. We have to think." Of course it is not an armed conflict, but the fear that for the past two weeks has shaken the fields of Europe really deserve to be given some thinking. The fear of Turkey possibly joining in unfortunately mobilized more than any other argument taken from the constitutional text in debate. Xenophobia was one of the main bases for arguing against the European Constitutional Treaty. It is not easy nor logical or evident to recognize that one of the irreversible and perhaps (allow me to use some poetry) most gorgeous
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effects of globalization is the mixture of cultures, nations and races. 25 Europe, the cradle of civilization, must not be more than an example of integration. It will not be easy. However, considering the European Constitution dead is nothing more than mere newspaper headlines. Nothing more. In order to be reasonable, one must take some time off to reflect. I am sure that some solutions will come out. For now, it is 30 democratic to go on with the ratification process of the different states. Interrupting it now would be a really serious precedent, an almostOrwellian fact. "All European States are equal, but some are more equal than others." Comments and corrections 1. Line 5: unidade, here, should be translated as The political unity of Europe, not unit (unless the translation is on the lines of Europe as a single unit is a path without return.) 2. Line 12: here power [potncia] should be a countable noun. A better translation might be is already present in every bet on this centurys great powers. In the same line, the cognate maxim is preferable to motto. 3. Line 13: heavy blows or a paraphrase such as severe setbacks would be preferable to strikes. 4. Line 14: citizens or even citizenry would be more natural than citizenship in this context. 5. Line 15: A better word choice would be maxim rather than motto. 6. Line 17: Faulty verb agreement and use of thinking. A better translation would be the fearreally deserves to be given some thought. 7. Line 23: A more literal translation would be: allow me to use poetic licence. In general, this translation shows a fine balance between literal and freer styles of translation.
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Text 7 2004 Examination (Guia de Estudos 2005) The 2004 examination contained two translations into English (worth 15 marks each), summary and textual exercises (worth 25 marks) and composition (worth 45 marks). The translations are reproduced here as Texts 7 and 8. Traduo A: As contradies do sistema colonial tm de comum unicamente isto: refletem a desagregao do sistema e brotam dele. Veremos brancos lutar com pretos e mulatos contra o preconceito de cor; mulatos e pretos, com os brancos, a favor dele; portugueses contra a metrpole, e brasileiros a favor. A aparncia ilgica e incongruente dos fatos no s torna difcil sua interpretao como constitui a razo da dubiedade e incerteza que apresentam todas as situaes semelhantes. Dubiedade e incerteza que esto nos prprios fatos, e que nenhum artifcio de explicao pode desfazer. Os fatos claros , em seu conjunto e definidos, s vm em seguida, quando tais situaes amadurecem. Intil procur-los antes, torcendo os acontecimentos ao gosto particular do observador. o movimento eterno da Histria, do Homem e de todas as coisas que no para e no cessa, e que ns, com os pobres instrumentos de compreenso e de expresso que possumos, no apanhamos e sobretudo no podemos reproduzir seno numa parcela nfima, cortes desajeitados numa realidade que no se define esttica, e sim dinamicamente.
Caio Prado Junior. Formao do Brasil Contemporneo. So Paulo: Brasiliense/ Publifolha, 2000 (com adaptaes)
Diogo Rosas Gugisch (12,5 / 15) The contradictions of the colonial system have only this point in common: they reflect the disintegration of the system and stem from it. We will see whites fighting along blacks and mulatos against racial prejudice; mulatos and blacks teaming with whites to fight for it; 5 portuguese fighting against Portugal and Brazilians fighting for it. 1
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The apparent ilogicity and incongruity of the facts not only makes their interpretation more difficult, but it is also the reason behind the dubious and uncertain nature presented by all similar situations. Such dubious and uncertain nature belongs to the facts themselves and it 10 cannot be undone by any explanation. The clear facts, as a whole and well-defined, come only later when such situations nature. It is useless to look for them earlier, twisting the facts in order to adjust them to the observer's whishes. It is the incessant and everlasting movement of History, of Man, of all things that we cannot grosp with the poor tools 15 of comprehension and expression at our disposal, and above all, that we cannot reproduce but in a small particle; awkward grospings of a reality that cannot be defined statically, but only dinamically. Notes and comments This text shows a very good level of translation, with a few errors of spelling and capitalisation which would be picked up by a computer spellchecker in a real-life situation. 1. Line 3: Preposition missing + spelling mistake- this should read along with blacks and mulattoes or alongside blacks and mulattoes. 2. Line 5: Capital letter required for all nouns and adjectives of nationalityPortuguese. 3. Line 6 : Word form: illogicality. 4. Lines 8-9: Article missing- in this sense of the word, nature is a countable noun, and the correct form would be Such a dubious and uncertain nature.
[countable/uncountable] a basic quality or feature of something nature of: Its the nature of plastic to melt under high temperatures. They must understand the nature of our opposition to nuclear testing. [Macmillan Dictionary online]
5. Lines 13,14, 16 & 17: all the mistakes are spelling problems [possibly made when the text was transcribed from handwriting]. Correct forms: wishes, grasp, graspings, dynamically.
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Text 8 2004 Examination (Guia de Estudos 2005) Traduo B Translate the following passage from Joo Guimares Rosas O Espelho into English: O senhor, que estuda, suponho nem tenha ideia do que seja na verdade um espelho? Demais das noes de fsica, com que se familiarizou, as leis da tica. Reporto-me ao transcendente. Tudo, alis, a ponta de um mistrio. Inclusive, os fatos. Ou a ausncia deles. Duvida? Quando nada acontece, h um milagre que no estamos vendo. Fixemo-nos no concreto. O espelho, so muitos, captando-lhe as feies; todos refletem-lhe o rosto, e o senhor cr-se com aspecto prprio e praticamente imudado, do qual lhe do imagem fiel. Mas que espelho? Hos bons e maus, os que favorecem e os que detraem; e os que so apenas honestos, pois no. E onde situar o nvel dessa honestidade? Como que o senhor, eu, os restantes prximos, somos, no visvel? O senhor dir: as fotografias o comprovam. Respondo: que, alm de prevalecerem para as lentes das mquinas objees anlogas, seus resultados apiam antes que desmentem a minha tese, tanto revelam superporem-se aos dados iconogrficos os ndices do mistrio. Ainda que tirados de imediato um aps outro, os retratos sempre sero entre si muito diferentes. Se nunca atentou nisso, porque vivemos, de modo incorrigvel, distrados das coisas mais importantes.
Primeiras Estrias, 12. ed. Rio de Janeiro: Jos Olympio, 1981 (com adaptaes).
Maria Auxiliadora Pinho de Carvalho (13,5 / 15) You sir, who study, I suppose you have no idea of what in reality a mirror is? Beyond the notions of physics with which you are familiar, beyond the laws of optics. I refer, to transcendence. Everything is, by the way, the tip of a mistery, including facts, or the lack there of. Do 5 you doubt that? When nothing happens, there happens a miracle which we do not see. 1
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Let us not deviate from the concrete thing. There are many mirrors capturing your features; all reflect your face and you, sir, think of yourself as having your own and apparently immutable appearance. But which 10 mirror? There are the good ones and the bad ones, the ones that favor and the ones that detract; and the ones that are plainly honest, as well. And where are we to establish the degree of that honesty? How are you, I and everyone else externally? You would say that the photographs attest to it. I answer that besides the fact that similar objections hold 15 for the camera lenses, their results confirm rather than negate my thesis, so much so that the signs of the mistery overlap with their iconographic data. Even when they are taken one after another, the pictures will always be different from one another. If you have never noticed that, it is because we live, hopelessly unaware of the truly important things. Comments and corrections In my opinion, this candidate has risen to the challenge and produced an excellent rendering of an extremely difficult text. She has shown a real feeling for the meaning of the original. Minor corrections: 1. Line 4: spelling- mystery 2. Line 4: thereof is normally a single word. It is worth noting that since English ceased to be one of the eliminatory examinations at Phase 2 of the CACD exams, English translations have tended to be more practical and less literary. Text 9 2003 Examination (Guia de Estudos 2004) The 2004 examination contained two translations into English (worth 10 marks and 20 marks), summary (worth 20 marks) and composition (worth 50 marks). The translations are reproduced here as Texts 9 and 10. Translation A (10 marks) Translate the following passage into English:
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Depois da Sria, agora o Ir a bola da vez. Em comunicado endossado pelos EUA e outros pases, a Agncia Internacional de Energia Atmica (AIEA) declarou que Teer falhou ao deixar de cumprir as obrigaes de salvaguarda nuclear e que o programa nuclear iraniano preocupante. Washington acusa o governo iraniano de construir uma usina para o enriquecimento de urnio. Enftico, Bush afirmou que os EUA no vo tolerar armas nucleares em territrio iraniano. A comunidade internacional deve se unir para sinalizar claramente ao Ir que no toleramos o desenvolvimento de armas nucleares no Pas. O Ir torna-se perigoso caso venha a fabricar um dispositivo nuclear, disse. Washington pressiona Teer para que aceite incondicionalmente as inspees da ONU. O presidente iraniano, Mohammed Khatami, negou a fabricao de bombas atmicas. No acreditamos que armas atmicas tragam segurana nao, afirmou Khatami. Para o analista Mario Sznajder, da Universidade de Jerusalm, a razo da presso o petrleo na Pennsula Arbica. Se algum estado do Golfo Prsico ameaar usar armas nucleares, isso prejudica a extrao de petrleo e destroa a economia mundial, porque 60% da produo no mundo vem da regio, disse revista Isto.
Adaptado de Isto, 25 de junho de 2003.
Abraho Andr de Arajo (7,5/10) After Syria, it is now Iran's turn. In a communication endorsed by the USA and other countries, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) stated that Tehran failed to comply with the nuclear safeguards and that Iran's nuclear program is "worrysome". Washington accuses 5 the Iranian government of building a plant for uranium enrichment. President Bush has emphatically affirmed that the USA is not going to allow nuclear weapons in Iranian territory. "The international community should come together to clearly let Iran know that we are not going to allow the development of nuclear weapons in that country. Iran becomes 10 dangerous if it builds a nuclear artifact," he said. Washington presses Teheran to accept the UN's inspections inconditionally. Iranian President, Mohammed Khatami, has denied the building of atomic bombs. "We do not believes that atomic weapons bring security to the 1
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nation," said Khatami. According, to Mario Sznajder, an analyst from 15 the University of Jerusalem, the reason for the pressure is the oil in the Arabian Peninsula. "If any Gulf state threatens to use nuclear weapons, that jeopardizes the oil extraction and destroys the world economy, because 60 percent of the world production comes from the region," he told Isto magazine. Comments and corrections 1. Line 4: Spelling mistake [worrisome] and perhaps the choice of word could be criticized. Irans nuclear program is causing concern. might sound more appropriate. 2. Line 10: Word choice: a nuclear device is more natural. 3. Line 10: Verb tense: is pressing or has been pressing would be preferable. 4. Line 11: Wrong prefix: unconditionally is the correct form. 5. Line 18: The article could be eliminated: 60 percent of world production [or: the worlds production]. Text 10 2003 Examination (Guia de Estudos 2004) Translation B (20 marks) In 1938, Graciliano Ramos served on a panel of judges in a literary contest that passedup Guimares Rosas Sagarana to select Lus Jardims Maria Perigosa. The excerpt below is adapted from Ramos Conversa de Bastidores, which was included as a preface to the seventh edition of Sagarana. Translate this excerpt into English: Pois nesse jri cinco indivduos, murchos com o golpe de 10 de novembro, indispostos ao elogio, enfastiados, decidiram ler mais de cinquenta volumes. Podem imaginar como a tarefa se realiza. A gente folheia o troo, bocejando, fazendo caretas, admite emfim que a leitura
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desnecessria; solta-o, pega um papel, rabisca um zero, aas vezes qualquer reflexo enrgica. E passa adiante. Alguma coisa razovel e posta do lado e Mais tarde se examina. Aborrecendo-me assim, abri um cartapcio de quinhentas pginas grandes: uma dzia de contos enormes, assinados por certo Viator. Em tais casos, rogamos a Deus que o original no preste e nos poupe o dever de ir ao fim. No se deu isso: aquele era trabalho srio em demasia. Certamente de um mdico mineiro e lembrava a origem: montanhoso, subia muito, descia e os pontos elevados eram magnficos, os vales me desapontavam. No dia do julgamento, ficamos horas hesitando entre esse volume desigual e outro: Maria Perigosa, que no se elevava nem caa muito. Optei pelo segundo. Viator desapareceu sem deixar vestgio. Desgostei-me: eu desejava sinceramente v-lo crescer, talvez convencer-me de meu engano ao preterilo. Em fim de 1944, Idelfonso Falco apresentou-me J. Guimares Rosa, secretrio de embaixada, recm-chegado da Europa. O senhor figurou num jri que julgou um livro meu em 1938. Como era o seu pseudnimo? Viator. Sabe que votei contra o seu livro? Sei, respondeu-me sem nenhum ressentimento. Marcus Vinicius da Costa Ramalho (18,5/20) So it happened that in this panel five individuals desolated by the 10th of November coup, devoid of any propensity to praising, weary, decided to read more than fifty volumes. You can imagine how the task is carried out. We peruse the thing, bored, making faces, admitting 5 at last that reading is unnecessary; we drop it, take a piece of paper, scribble a zero, sometimes any kind of strong-worded comment. And move on. Something that seems reasonable is left aside to be examined later. Worsening my mood in this way, I opened a big heavy block with 10 five hundred large pages: a dozen lengthy tales, signed by a certain Viator. In such cases, we beg God that the original be not worth a dime and spare us from the obligation of going to the end. It didn't turn out that way: that was too serious a work. The author was certainly a
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"mineiro" doctor and the book resembled his origins: a landscape of 15 mountains, it would climb a lot and then come down and the peaks were magnificent, while the valleys disappointed me. On the day of the judgement, we spent hours hesitating between this uneven volume and another: "Maria Perigosa", that neither rose nor fell much. I chose the second one. Viator disappeared without leaving a trace. That upset me: I 20 sincerely wished to see him grow, maybe to convince myself of my mistake in not choosing him. At the end of 1944, Ildefonso Falco introduced me to J. Guimares Rosa, an embassy secretary who had just arrived from 25 Europe. "You took part in a panel that judged a book of mine in 1938." "What was your alias?" "Viator." "Do you know that I voted against your book?" "Yes, I do," he replied without any sign of resentment. 30 Comments and corrections 1. Line 1: The correct preposition on a panel- occurs in the introductory heading. (Where there is a heading in English, full use should be made of it.) 2. Lines 11-12: Better: ...we pray to God that the original will not be worth...and will spare us... In this case, as in Text 8, the candidate has risen impressively to a considerable challenge. Other minor corrections or changes might be made, but in general this translation deserves high praise.
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SOME COMMON FALSE COGNATES The words in the table are complete or partial false cognates. The words in Portuguese on the left do not correspond- or do not always correspond- to the words in English on the right. Find correct translations.
KEY see page 217

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Chapter 5 Summary Writing
Guia de Estudos 2010 Resumo Summary (15 pontos) Capacidade de sntese e de reelaborao em ingls correto O candidato deve apresentar capacidade de reelaborar, de forma concisa e coerente, o texto proposto. So critrios de avaliao a objetividade, a preciso, a clareza e a conciso do texto, alm naturalmente da correo e propriedade no uso da lngua inglesa. Guia de estudos 2004 [English version of this information] The examiners assess ability to work with transformation and adaptation of texts in the English language. Aspects observed in this section of the exam include ability to summarise the content of a given text and to think logically, command of grammar, vocabulary, usage, register and appropriacy.
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Editors general advice on summary writing Being able to summarise quickly and accurately will be really useful in your future career as a diplomat. It is well worth practising, as a life skill as well as merely an examination skill. You are aiming to show the examiners that you have understood the text can distinguish the main points can reproduce them coherently and concisely.
How to produce a good summary These eight steps are recommended: 1. Read the text and the instructions carefully. 2. Make sure you have understood the text. 3. Think carefully about the overall purpose of the text, its structure and the main points. 4. Make brief notes on the content. This step is very important, because writing the summary from your notes will help you to use your own words. 5. Reorganise your notes as a plan- to present the information as clearly as possible. 6. Keep your language concise, direct and straightforward. This is not the place to show off your vast command of vocabulary or to introduce new metaphors or figurative uses of language. These can be shown in the composition section. 7. Count the words- shorten [or lengthen] your summary as necessary. 8. Check your English carefully. Time: Since time is a key issue in the 4-hour CACD Phase 3 English test, learn to follow these steps quickly. Some candidates may find that it is helpful to do steps 1 and 2 at the beginning of the test, before tackling other exercises such as translation into English or composition. If the test exercises are linked to the same topic, the text for summary is likely to be an important source of ideas and vocabulary. Reading this text at an early stage will also help you to start thinking and working in English.
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Read the instructions: The length of texts set has varied over the years, but the summary has normally been 200 words. All the same, you should always read the instructions carefully, to make sure nothing has changed. Length: Observing the word-length is very important. The instructions for 2010 say Write a summary in your own words not over 200 words in length of the following excerpt. Do not write 220 or even 201 words. Adjust your text as necessary. Similarly, a text of 100 word is probably too short. Paragraphing: Group the ideas. For a 200-word text, 3-4 paragraphs should be plenty. In some previous years (up to 2007) TEXTUAL EXERCISES were also set, based on the text used for summary writing. These have also been printed for extra English practice. Text 1 2010 Summary (Total 15 marks) Write a summary in your own words not over 200 words in length of the following excerpt adapted from Gwynne Dyers Future Tense: the coming world order? (Toronto: Random House, 2004). The United Nations as constituted in 1945 was a profoundly cynical organization; more explicitly so even than the League of Nations. It accepted without demur that its member states enjoyed absolute sovereignty and would never be forced to submit to intervention in their internal affairs (with the sole and uncertain exception that acts of genocide might trigger international intervention). The UN Charter made no moral or practical distinction between the most law-abiding democracies and the most repressive dictatorships. How could it, when more than half its members were dictatorships themselves? The UN was not about love, or justice, or freedom, although words of that sort are sprinkled freely through the preamble to the UN Charter; it was about avoiding another world war.
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The problem that the surviving governments faced in 1945 was this: the existing international system is bankrupt in an era of weapons of mass destruction. The world cannot afford to allow countries armed with nuclear weapons to go to war with each other. It can certainly never again go through one of those generalized great-power melees that in the past were the main way of adjusting the international system to accommodate the changing balance between the great powers. If we fight that kind of war just once more, the whole northern hemisphere will fry. We therefore have to change the system. In fact, we have to outlaw war. Because outlaw war sounds like a naive slogan on a protesters banner, people fail to grasp how radical a change it was for the great powers of the world to sign up to such a rule in 1945. Since the first city-states of Mesopotamia five thousand years ago, war had been a legitimate tool of statecraft, with no long-lasting opprobrium attached to waging aggressive war so long as you were successful. Empires rose and fell, the militarily competent prospered. Now, all of a sudden, its over. Since 1945, according to the UN Charter, it has been illegal to wage war against another country except in two tightly defined circumstances. One is that you have just been attacked, and are fighting back pending the arrival of international help. The other exception arises when the Security Council authorizes various member states to use military force on its behalf to roll back an aggression, or to enforce its decisions on a strictly limited number of other questions. And thats it. Apart from these exceptions, international war that is, war waged by a sovereign government across an international border is illegal. It is illegal to attack a country because it is sitting on territory that previously belonged to your country. It is even illegal to attack a country because it is ruled by a wicked dictator who oppresses his own people. The rules had to be written like that because to allow exceptions on these counts would have left loopholes big enough to drive a tank through. Making war illegal does not mean that all wars have stopped, any more than making murder illegal has stopped all killings, but it has transformed the context in which wars take place. The United Nations does not always act to roll back a successful aggression, because that requires getting past the vetoes wielded by all five permanent members of the Security Council and then finding member states willing to put their troops at risk on the ground, but it almost never recognizes border changes accomplished by war.
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There is also, however, much that the United Nations cannot do. First and foremost, it cannot act against a perceived interest of any of the great powers, for in order to get them all to sign up it had to offer them a special deal: vetoes that allow the United States, Russia, Britain, France and China to block any UN action they dont like. Its neither fair nor pretty, but how else were the founders of the UN going to get the great powers to sign up and what use would the organization be if some of them were outside it? Likewise, the United Nations cannot intervene in a sovereign state or at least it could not until recently even to stop the most horrendous violations of human rights. Despite such limitations, the UN is a central and indispensable part of the modern world. It is the institution through which a politically conscious global society first came into existence, and its specialized organs are still the arena in which most of the worlds large-scale deals are made on matters ranging from telecommunications frequencies and trade to public health and the environment. It is the organizer and command centre for many of the peacekeeping missions that hold old enemies apart and try to minimize the level of violence in failed states, and the source of legal authority for many peacekeeping missions it does not directly control. Most important by far, it is the repository of the new international law which bans the use of aggressive military force, even by the great powers. It is not generally realised how important this law is because it has so often been broken, especially by the really big powers. Nonetheless, most of the wars that have not involved veto-wielding superpowers have tended not to last very long before international diplomatic intervention puts a halt to them. The Security Council busies itself with appeals for a cease-fire and offers of peace-keeping troops. This has made it hard for those involved to go on fighting. So wars have rarely ended in decisive victories, and territory has almost never changed hands in a legal and permanent way. These very significant constraints may also explain why nuclear weapons have not been used in war for the past 59 years. Of course, these same constraints can feel very burdensome if you happen to be the greatest power in the world, with overwhelming superiority in both nuclear and conventional weapons. You might even wind up filled with frustration and fury because all these Lilliput nations are trying to use the rules of the United Nations to tie you down like Gulliver.
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The best measure of any institutions real importance is how much its enemies hate it.US neo-cons, for instance, hate the UN a lot. They portray it one moment as an irrelevant excrescence and the next as an arrogant, uncaring organization of great power. The United Nations, though, was not created to fight evil wherever it appears. It was designed primarily to stop the kind of straightforward cross-border aggression that had triggered both the First and the Second World Wars, but must not be allowed to cause a Third. So, since the veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council stand to lose everything themselves in another world war, they have generally been able to act in a surprisingly coordinated and decisive manner at the UN when events elsewhere threatened to drag them into such a conflict. [1,146 words] Available at: http://www.gwynnedyer.com/chapters/futuretense5.htm Retrieved on 24/03/2010
[Reproduced by kind permission of Professor Gwynne Dwyer]
The 2010 Phase 3 summary exercise was meticulously corrected for content, and it was clear the examiners were looking for seven main points. The Editor would like to thank the examiners for providing the notes below. 1) The reason for creating the UN to avoid a possible nuclear war. 2) The radical change in the conduct of international relations and settling of disputes; war no longer an option. 3) The exceptions to the prohibition of war self-defence and with authorization from the UN. 4) Limits to action the veto as necessary to induce powers to join UN. 5) Other activities of the UN specialized agencies and repository of international law. 6) The importance of the UN reduction of wars and of taking over territories. 7) Veto system has encouraged great powers to act in a coordinated way to solve international disputes.
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Tentative summary by the Editor, based on the notes provided by the examiners. Despite the rhetoric of peace and love, the real purpose of the UN in 1945 was to avoid world war in the nuclear era. The change is radical: throughout history, disputes had always been settled by wars. Since World War II, the UN has been the repository of this new law that prohibits warfare, with two exceptions. One is self-defence while awaiting international support, the other collective action by the UN. The UN has not abolished war altogether, and its action faces limitations. It cannot intervene in sovereign states, or against cruel dictators, nor prevent territorial aggression- exceptions to the law, when drafted, were simply too difficult. Yet most illegal occupations remain unrecognized and war is no longer a legitimate tool of statecraft. Furthermore, the veto system, which was the only way to induce the major powers of 1945 to join the system, has not proved entirely negative, since it has sometimes enabled the permanent members of the UNSC to coordinate their action. The UN is, thus, central to the international system through its ban on war, its peace-keeping operations and its specialized agencies, and the main purpose of avoiding further world wars has been fulfilled. [196 words]
2009 The text is not reproduced for copyright reasons. The 2008 exam did not contain a summary exercise.
Text 2 2007 Examination (Guia de Estudos 2008) 2 SUMMARY & TEXTUAL EXERCISES (Total: 25 marks) A. Read the following text from Empires with Expiration Dates by Niall Ferguson in FOREIGN POLICY, nr. 156 (Sept./Oct. 2006), and complete the exercises at the end. (10 marks) B. Summarize the text, in your own words, in up to 200 words. (15 marks)
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Empires, more than nation-states, are the principal actors on the stage of world history. Much of history consists of the deeds of the few score empires that once ruled alien peoples across large tracts of the globe. Yet the lifespan of empires has tended to decline. Compared with their predecessors, the empires of the last century were singularly shortlived. Reduced imperial life expectancy has profound implications for our own time. Officially, there are no empires now, only 190-plus nation-states. Yet the ghosts of empires past continue to stalk the Earth. Regional conflicts are easily nay, often glibly explained in terms of imperial sins of yore: an arbitrary border here, a strategy of divide-and rue there. Moreover, many of todays most important states are still recognizably the progeny of empires. Imperial inheritance is apparent from the Russian Federation to Great Britain, Italy and Germany. India is the heir of the Mughal Empire and the British Raj, China the direct descendant of the Middle Kingdom. In the Americas, the imperial legacy is patent from Canada to Argentina. Todays world, in short, is as much one of ex-empires and former colonies as it is of nation-states. Even institutions designed to reorder the world after 1945 have a distinctly imperial bent. For what __________ are the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council if not a cozy __________ of empires past? And what, pray, is humanitarian intervention if not a more politically correct-sounding version of the western empires old civilizing mission? Empires life cycles and geographic reach are remarkably irregular. Whereas the average Roman empire lasted over 800 years, equivalents elsewhere before the modern age survived no more than half that time. The empires forged in the 20th century, by contrast, were comparatively short. Why did they prove so ephemeral? The answer lies partly in the unprecedented degrees of centralized power, economic control, and social homogeneity to which the Communists in Russia and China, the Fascists in Germany and Italy and the expansionist Japanese aspired. They were not content with the haphazard administrative arrangements that had characterized the old empires. Though they inherited from the 19thcentury nation-builders an insatiable appetite for uniformity, these new empire states repudiated religious and legal constraints on the use offorce. They relished sweeping away old political institutions and existing social structures. Above all, they made a virtue of ruthlessness.
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The empire states of the mid-20th century were to a considerable extent the architects of their own demise. In particular, the Germans and Japaneses imposed their authority on other peoples with such unbridled ferocity that they undermined local collaboration thus laying the foundations for indigenous resistance. At the same time, their territorial ambitions were so boundless that they swiftly conjured into being na unassailable coalition of imperial rivals in the form of the British Empire, the Soviet Union, and the United States. Empires do not survive for long if they cannot establish and sustain local consent and if they allow more powerful coalitions of rival empires to unite against them. The crucial question is whether or not todays global powers behave differently from their imperial forebears. Publicly, the leaders of the American and Chinese republics deny entertaining imperial designs. Both states are the product of revolutions and have entrenched anti-imperialist traditions. Yet the mask does slip on occasions. In 2004 a senior presidential advisor confided to a journalist: Were an empire now and when we act, we create our own reality. Similar thoughts may cross the minds of Chinas leaders. In any case, it is perfectly possible for a republic to behave like an empire in practice, while remaining in denial about its loss of republican virtue. A historical pattern of U.S. imperial intervention underpins the widespread assumption that the U.S. military presence in Afghanistan and Iraq will not long outlast President Bushs term in office. Empire especially unstated empire is ephemeral in a way that sets our own age quite apart. In the American case, however, the real snag is not the alienation of conquered peoples or threats posed by rival empires (the prime solvents of other 20thcentury empires) but domestic constraints.These take three distinct forms. The first can be classified as a troop deficit. The United States prefers to maintain a relatively small proportion of its population in the armed forces, at 0.5 percent. Moreover, only a small and highly trained part of this military is available for combat duties overseas. Members of this elite are not to be readily sacrificed. Nor are they easy to replace. The second constraint on Americas tacit empire is the burgeoning budget deficit. The costs of the war in Iraq have substantially exceeded the administrations forecast: $290 billion since the invasion in 2003. Finally, there is the attention deficit. Past empires were not sorely taxed to sustain public support for protracted conflicts. The American public, by
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contrast, tires quickly. It has taken less than 18 months for a majority of American voters to start viewing the invasion of Iraq as a mistake. An empire will thrive and endure so long as the benefits of exerting power overforeign peoples outstrip the costs of doing so in the eyes of the imperialists; and so long as the benefits of knuckling under a foreign yoke exceed the costs of resistance in the eyes of the subjects. Such calculations implicitly take stock of the potential costs of relinquishing power to a rival empire. For the time being, the costs of empire building look too high to most Americans while the benefits seem at best nebulous. Moreover, a rival equipped or willing to do the job is clearly wanting. With its republican institutions battered but still intact, the United States hardly passes muster as a latter-day Rome. All that may change, however. In a world where natural resources are destined tobecome scarcer, the old mainsprings of imperial rivalry resist. Empire today is both unstated and unsung. History suggests, though, that the calculus of power could well swing back in its favor tomorrow.
2006, Niall Ferguson. All rights reserved.
TEXTUAL EXERCISES (Total: 10 marks, 2 per correct answer) a) Fill in each of the two gaps in paragraph four of the text above with an appropriate word or phrase: For what ______ are the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council if not a cozy __________ of empires past? b) Choose the most appropriate substitute in context for the words underlined in paragraph twelve: I. taxed: Past empires were not sorely taxed to sustain public support for protracted conflicts. 1) drained 2) compelled 3) levied 4) hurt 5) pressed
II. protracted: Past empires were not sorely taxed to sustain public support for protracted conflicts.
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1) dreadful
2) damaging
3) drawn out 4) costly 5) withering
c) Re-write the following sentence from the antepenultimate paragraph of the text starting as indicated below: An empire will thrive and endure so long as the benefits of exerting power over foreign peoples outstrip the costs of doing so in the eyes of the imperialists. Only when the benefits ____________________________________ _______________________________________________________ Model summary Glauber David Vivas (15/15) Despite the historical importance of empires, modern history has seen a marked decline in their lifespan. Today, nearly 200 nation-states exist and, officially, there are no empires. Notwithstanding, the impact of empires on the modern world is pervasive. Many countries are the result of imperial actions of the past, as are many of todays conflicts. Even international organizations appear to be influenced by the offspring of empires. The short-lived empires of the 20th Century were greatly responsible for their own downfall: their ruthlessness bred resistance and their expansionism contributed to the creation of opposing coalitions. Empires cannot overcome lack of local consent and powerful opponents. The leaders of todays powers, such as China and America, deny having imperial intentions, thus the question of whether they behave differently when compared to their predecessors gains importance. In the American case, among several factors, one appears to make a significant difference: the lack of popular support for long wars. Empires exist only while imperialists and their subjects believe there is a benefit. The American peoples lack of support for long conflicts seems to prevent imperial designs. Notwithstanding, the increasing scarcity of resources could change that picture, and empires could stage a comeback. (199 words)
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Editors comments 1. While the examiners do not expect the summary to be written in a single paragraph, five paragraphs for a text of 199 words in length seems a little excessive. For most topics, three paragraphs should be enough. These might be an introductory paragraph presenting the topic and the authors approach to it; a body of the summary with the main ideas and possibly a concluding paragraph for coherence and elegance. 2. This summary, however, covers the main points very efficiently, in accurate and concise English. Key to Textual exercises: a) (missing words) truly gathering b) (choice of substitute word) I.5) pressed II.3) drawn out c) (re-write) Only when the benefits of the exercise of power over alien civilizations outweigh their price in the eyes of the conquerors, will an empire grow or survive. Text 3 2006 Examination (Guia de Estudos 2007) 2 - SUMMARY & TEXTUAL EXERCISES (Total: 25 marks) A. Read the following text, adapted from Radical Islam, Liberal Islam by M. A. Muqtedar Khan (CURRENT HISTORY, Vol. 102, n. 688, December 2003), and complete the exercises at the end. (10 marks) B. Summarise the text, in your own words, in up to 200 words. (15 marks) American foreign policy currently faces a critical menace from the Muslim World in the guise of burgeoning, embedded anti-Americanism in the Muslim World. That has already bred a catastrophic attack on America, two wars, and a significant compromise of American democracy. It is therefore of utmost importance that anti-Americanism in the Muslim world be addressed, extenuated and even reversed.
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The root of Muslim anti-Americanism is twofold: the manifestly unjust consequences of American foreign policies; and the casting of America as the designated other in Islamist discourse. Islamist discourse has concocted the idea of an Islamic civilization diametrically opposed to a caricaturized West. Islamists define the West as imperial, morally decadent, ungodly (secular). Western power and values are vilified as the source of all Muslim grievances. They proceed to envisage a reinvigorated Islamic civilization depicted as just, moral and god-centered. Thus, the routing of the West and the rebuffing of Western values are sine qua non conditions for the revival of Islam. Independence from the West has ever been the overriding goal of political Islam. Failure to achieve that goal, compounded by real and perceived injustices committed by America and its allies, has grafted vitriolic hatred of America in the hearts of radical Islamists. They and their hate mongering are perverting the moral fabric of the Muslim World and subverting Islams message of justice, mercy, submission, compassion and enlightenment. It is my contention that the best anti-dote to radical Islam is liberal Islam, which is sympathetic to liberal values. Islam is essentially a set of revealed values designed to help prod humanity along the path to enlightenment and virtue. Many such values were nurtured in the heyday of liberal Islam in Islamic Spain, under Emperor Akber in Mughal India and under the Abbasid caliphate in the heartlands of Islam. The atmosphere of religious tolerance under their rule was comparable to the best of times in America. Educational and scientific fervor was at its peak and pluralism was widely practiced. Indeed, Islam was a byword for learning and culture. Moderate is commonly taken to mean lukewarm. This is misleading and demeaning. Moderate Muslims can be best understood as having achieved a negotiated peace with modernity. They treat it as the existential condition of our time while submitting to the message of Islam. By grasping the distinction between historical Islam and Islamic principles, they are able to bridge the gap between text and context through rational interpretation. Moderate Muslims, who favor peace without being pacifists, are critical of American foreign policy for the Muslim World. They too denounce the prejudiced view of Islam in the West. Muslim moderates refuse, though, to blame the West or modernity for all the afflictions besetting the Muslim World. Islamists, both moderate and radical, use an imaginary, caricaturized version of the West as a foil for Islamic identity. Islam is the reverse of the West: it is moral, it is just, it is righteous and it is not secular. This image of the
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West in the minds of many Islamists is partly the consequence of a radical reading of Syed Qutbs diatribes against secularism and modernity in Nasserite Egypt. Islamists, however, are not alone in their misrepresentation of Syed Qutb. In a recent article in the New York Times Paul Berman argued that it was Qutbs philosophy and understanding of Islam that provided the ideological underpinning for Al Qaeda and its affiliates. The revulsion of liberalism and the desire to preserve Islam from the cultural impact of modern secularism combined with a desire to become martyrs in the cause of Islam, Berman argues, are the cornerstones of Qutbs ideology. He also insists that while Qutb is indeed critical of the US, its perfidious foreign policy and its support for Israel, he does not really focus on it. Qutb, according to Berman, and in my opinion correctly, is more concerned with ideas, values and norms that shape society than with geopolitical conflicts. Berman also holds that it is not American foreign policy but the challenge of liberalism, particularly its morality that vexes Qutb. By implication, the US ____________ change its foreign policy but those motivated by aversion for liberalism will continue to seek the downfall of the West as long as its culture continues to influence the world, the Muslim World in particular. Bermans reading not ____________ absolves US foreign policy from being a major cause of incitement ___________ rebellion and resistance among Islamic militants, but also suggests that this is indeed a clash of civilizations Islam versus liberalism. While advancing the notion that there can be alternative readings of Muslim ideologues, I am also arguing that discourse is what we make of it. Ideas have an impact on reality, but reality in turn affects the formation of ideas and how ideas are apprehended. Some Muslims read Qutb and are motivated to use violence against their regimes and the West, whom they perceive as tyrannical. Others read him as an advocate of freedom, social justice and responsible governance. The different readings of Syed Qutb underscore the diversity within Islam and among Muslims. Profiles of Islam and Muslims cannot be painted with broad brushes. Quick, single variable explanations as to why Muslims are angry at the US will not suffice. Muslim realities, like Muslim thinking, are complex, diverse and challenging. As policy makers in Washington rethink the Muslim World, they would do well to remember that ethnocentric
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interpretations and sweeping judgments will only heighten misunderstanding and lead to bad policy. Bad things ensue from bad policy. A liberal reading of Qutb reveals him as a philosopher of freedom and justice, not a philosopher of terror. Similarly, a sympathetic view of the Muslim World will reveal a thirst for freedom and justice, not a penchant for violence or hate. American policy makers do recognize the significance and potential of liberal Islam and the strategic value of supporting moderate Muslims. However, they have so far shown interest only in using moderates to lend legitimacy to certain US policies in the Muslim World. They have not taken on board moderate Muslim input in shaping post-September 11 policies nor have they sought their assistance in moderating the governments rhetoric and messages to the Muslim World. But then the current US administration has proven to be secretive, closed, and insular, excluding even moderate conservatives from policy making. It would be pie in the sky to expect this administration to include diverse opinion. The potential of moderate Muslims thus remains untapped. [Text reproduced by kind permission of Professor M. A. Muqtedar Khan] A. TEXTUAL EXERCISES (TOTAL: 10 marks, 2 marks per correct answer) a) Fill in the three gaps in the text above with an appropriate word or phrase. Berman also holds that it is not American foreign policy but the challenge of liberalism, particularly its morality that vexes Qutb. By implication, the US _________ change its foreign policy but those motivated by aversion for liberalism will continue to seek the downfall of the West as long as its culture continues to influence the world, the Muslim World in particular. Bermans reading not _______ absolves US foreign policy from being a major cause of incitement ________ rebellion and resistance among Islamic militants, but also suggests that this is indeed a clash of civilizations Islam versus liberalism.
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b) Choose the most appropriate substitute in context for the words underlined: I. grafted: Failure to achieve that goal, compounded by real and perceived injustices committed by America and its allies, has grafted vitriolic hatred of America in the hearts of radical Islamists. 1) etched 2) transplanted 3) inserted 4) corrupted 5) instilled
II. lukewarm: Moderate is commonly taken to mean lukewarm. 1) aloof 2) half-hearted 3) frail 4) neutral 5) gutless
B- Model Summary Joo Augusto Costa Vargas (15/15) Anti-Americanism in the Islamic world poses a significant challenge to American foreign policy, which must be faced. This anti-Americanism has two sources: the foreign policy of the United States and the use of America as a discursive Other by Muslims, who see the West as the negation of all that Islam holds sacred. Islams continued dependence on the Western world it despises has led to hatred of America, epitomized by Muslim terrorists. Liberal Islam is the best possible response to radical Islam. This moderate tradition of thought, which reconciles the Koran with modernity, is not uncritical of the United States and its policies, but neither does it demonize the West. Both Muslim radicals and Western commentators have identified the writings of Syed Qtub as the genesis of Islamic anti-Americanism, especially in light of his critique of the effects of liberalism on Muslim society. Qtubs works can, however, be read in a more tolerant light, emphasizing justice and tolerance. Like Qtubs legacy, Islam as a whole is multifaceted and diverse, and must be seen as such by Western policymakers, if these wish to craft adequate policies towards the Muslim world. (189 words)
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Editors comments 1. The writer shows an impressive grasp of the main points. 2. This summary, like the previous one, shows a native-speaker command of English and a high level of coherence and cohesion. Key to Textual exercises: a) Missing words: may only b) (choice of substitute word) Text 4 2005 Examination Guia de Estudos 2006 2 - SUMMARY & TEXTUAL EXERCISES (Total: 25 marks) A. Read the following text, adapted from a report by Richard Gott, in The Guardian (Saturday, 11th June, 2005) and complete the exercises at the end of it. (10 marks) B. Summarise the text, in your own words, in up to 200 words. (15 marks) A seismic upheaval among Latin Americas Indians The crisis in Bolivia has put the continents balance of power in question When the Spanish conquistadors arrived on the immense plains of the westerly part of Bolivia, they paused at a settlement not far from the rim of a great canyon. At 12,000ft they found it too cold, and they made their permanent base in the relative shelter of the slopes below and founded the city of La Paz. The village of El Alto on the high plateau, which 30 years ago was home only to the capitals international airport, has now become a huge metropolis of nearly a million Indians,driven there over the past 20 years by the irresistible force of neo-liberal economics. The prevailing economic system, devised by
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US economists in the 1980s, succeeded in destroying the countrys agricultural system and its embryonic industries, and closing down the state-owned tin mines once the source of the wealth of Spain. This predictable disaster brought hundreds of thousands of workless but highly politicised families to live at the gates of the capital city, from where they have been able to hold it to ________ at will. Others migrated to the lower regions of the country, to the Chapare, to grow the profitable crop of coca leaf, the base of cocaine. The demands of the Indians have been uncompromisingly radical. They make no mention of work or food, education or health. They have only two specific requests: a new constitution that would recognise the part that they should play in the government of the country (in which they form more than 60% of the population of 8 million), and the return to the hands of the state of the countrys reserves of oil and gas. Oil was nationalised in Bolivia first in 1937, a year before the Mexican wells were expropriated, and again in 1970. The shell of the state company, YPFB, still exists, and most Bolivians remain implacably ____________ to foreign ownership, but private oil companies have kept coming back. When immense reserves of natural gas were discovered in the 1990s, some 50 trillion cubic feet at the last estimate, Bolivia became ever more attractive to external predators, its reserves second ___________ to those of Venezuela. The government and the companies (British Gas and Spains Repsol among them) were keen to get the gas out of the ground and down to the coast, to be shipped off to California. Others, notably the spokesmen for the Indian majority, thought that the gas might be better used to fuel Bolivias own industrial development. The governments attempts to secure the export of the gas through Chile, Bolivias traditional enemy, ended in October 2003 when violent protests in El Alto led to the overthrow of President Snchez de Losada, Bolivias last elected president. This weeks events have been an almost exact replay, with the resignation of the stop-gap president, Carlos Mesa, after prolonged Indian demonstrations and roadblocks had made the country ungovernable by his regime. Something new was required. The chief emerging protagonist in the next stage of Bolivias drama is Evo Morales, an Aymara Indian from the high plateau who became the organiser of the coca growers in the Chapare, in the headwaters of the Amazon. From this base of desperate landless peasants and politicised former tin miners, he has become a national figure, allying the socialist rhetoric of the traditional Bolivian left with the fresh language of the indigenous population, now mobilised and
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angry. Morales leads the Movement Towards Socialism, and is an outspoken supporter of Castros Cuba. He is also a favourite son of Venezuelas Hugo Chvez, whose wider ambition has been to replicate the revolution of Simn Bolvar, whose name is immortalised in that of Bolivia. The Americans have accused Chvez of providing Morales with assistance at the presidential election in 2002 (in which he came second), and this would hardly be unusual since all parties in Bolivia depend on external patrons, whether from Europe or the US. Morales has certainly taken a leaf from Chvezs book in demanding the holding of a constitutional assembly to draft a new constitution. This was Chvezs triumph in 1999, modernising and radicalising the country with a single blow before the forces of opposition could mobilise to prevent him. The crisis came to a head as the Congress met to accept President Mesas resignation in the old colonial capital of Sucre (away from the protesters in La Paz). According to the Constitution, the presidency would then fall to Hormando Vaca Daz, the president of the Senate and a wealthy white landowner from the lowland eastern region, centred on the city of Santa Cruz. The area around Santa Cruz is the principal wealth-producer of the country, with the soya fields of agribusiness on the surface, and oil and gas underground. This is the land of more recent white settlers who have been opposed to the political emergence of the Indian majority in the western high lands, and to the Indian resistance that has emerged to challenge them in the lowlands. Elite white groups have been asking for autonomy some even argue for independence and have unilaterally called for a referendum on this issue in August. Vaca Daz had the support of the largest parties in Congress but was unacceptable to the Indians and, under pressure from the leaders of the armed forces and the Catholic Church, he declined the task. So too did Mario Cossio, the second constitutional choice. It fell to the third in line, Eduardo Rodrguez, president of the Supreme Court and a man without political affiliation, to take up the challenge. Fresh elections will be held before the end of the year, and Moraless demand for a constituent assembly is on the agenda. If Morales eventually emerges as Bolivias elected president, the relation of forces in the countries of the Andes will be changed, since comparable indigenous movements in neighbouring countries are also demanding their proper share of power.
[Text reproduced by kind permission of Richard Gott.]
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A. TEXTUAL EXERCISES (2 marks per correct answer) a) Fill in the three gaps in the text above with an appropriate word or phrase. I. This predictable disaster brought hundreds of thousands of workless but highly politicized families to live at the gates of the capital city, from where they have been able to hold it to _________________________ at will. II. The shell of the state company, YPFB, still exists, and most Bolivians remain implacably ______________ to foreign ownership, but private oil companies have kept coming back. III. When immense reserves of natural gas were discovered in the 1990s, some 50 trillioncubic feet at the last estimate, Bolivia became ever more attractive to external predators, its reserves second __________ to those of Venezuela. b) Choose the most appropriate substitute for the words or phrases underlined: I. Stop-gap: the resignation of the stop-gap president (1) replacement (2) dithering (3) transient (4) interim (5) filler II. Shell: The shell of the state company, YPFB, still exists (1) core (2) husk (3) wealth (4) trappings (5) wherewithal B- SUMMARY: Camilo Licks Rostand Prates (13,5/15) The text discusses the recent crisis in Bolivia. Neo-liberal reforms in the country have caused thousands of unemployed Indians to migrate to the Chapare regions and to El Alto, on the outskirts of the capital, La Paz. These populations have organised large scale political demonstrations in the capital, demanding a more representative constitution and the
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nationalisation of oil and gas reserves, which have been exploited by private companies increasingly since the 1990s. A socialist Aymara Indian, Evo Morales, has become the most important political figure on the demonstrators side. He is supported by the indigenous population and has demonstrated affinity with Cubas Castro and Venezuelas Chavez. Since the overthrow of President Losada in 2003, the demonstrations have brought about the resignation of three other presidents, including a representative of the countrys white landowners, who demand autonomy and oppose the Indian movement. The presidency is currently in the hands of Eduardo Rodriguez, but elections have been scheduled. A victory by Evo Morales may affect neighbouring countries, where similar Indian movements are taking place. (172 words) Textual Exercises KEY 1. (missing words) I ransom II hostile III only 2. Multiple choice vocabulary (4) interim Text 5 2004 Examination Guia de Estudos 2005 Read the following text and in your own words summarise it in up to 200 words. Summit meetings can have their drawbacks. The assumption that personal acquaintances between the leaders of states will forestall future conflicts has often been gainsaid by history. Summits that peacefully negotiated the settlement of conflicts seldom produced outcomes with long-term consequences. During the Cold War debate as to their value abounded. Some of the arguments fielded then still provide ammunition for critics today. How can the he ad of a democratic country deal successfully with the leader of a totalitarian system or dictatorship? With the main actors rooted in different cultures it is suggested that such encounters can but lead to shallow understandings. In the long term, they could actually
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deepen the divide. Heads of state are not experts in the highly complex matters that clutter summit agendas. They lack the diplomatic skills of professional diplomats and are often ill-prepared for these debates. Under pressure of time and the weight of expectations from the public at home, politicians are often tempted to compromise with false solutions. Since summit agreements are mostly not legally binding, statesmen do not even feel politically obliged to deliver. Critics also complain that calling summit meetings compels politicians and bureaucrats to set spurious priorities with respect to time, political resources, and energy. Nevertheless, most of these arguments can be countered. They have nothing to do with summits as such, but rather with the way these meetings are prepared and conducted as instruments of modern diplomacy. The advantages of multilateral summitry cannot be easily measured in short -term tangible results. In the long haul, however, they certainly can render more than just an improved atmosphere for international political negotiation, although that is a value in itself if handled properly and used with the right political nous. Summit meetings have acquired new roles and special functions. From this standpoint, I want to argue that summits are an important element of international political negotiation and yield the following benefits. Personal contact between heads of state and government adds new factors to the equation of power. Military and economic might certainly count still, but the personality of a leader, the way he performs in debate, and the thrust of his intellect will be factored in to obtain results universally accepted as legitimate. After all, summitry is a democratic invention and not much to the liking of dictators. Summit meetings have eminently practical effects. To prepare for a summit and avert failure, bureaucrats are constrained to set goals and time-frames for solutions that might otherwise have been stalled or shelved. Summits have a legitimizing function, nationally as well as internationally. Commitments undertaken by a political leader during a summit meeting can open up new avenues in domestic political debate or provide fresh opportunities to break deadlocks. On the other hand, an agreement or even a mere understanding on the interpretation of facts reached by several heads of state also has normsetting qualities for the international community. Such guidelines not only bind the participating nations together in implementing their policies, but also set standards for others. To retain its useful role, however, the summit must evolve and be constantly subject to review. One expedient reform would address the
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problem of how to stem or reverse the current trend toward ever larger, more elaborate summits. These meetings can and should be reduced in size, the numbers of aides and fellow participants slashed and more strenuous efforts made to muffle the media spectacle surrounding the event itself. It has become fashionable to demand greater participation by NGOs in the summit process. This is tantamount to insinuating that heads of state are out of tune with the public and not liable to democratic domestic control. The rights and duties of such organizations should be carefully defined, though. Certainly, it might help if state and nonstate actors work more closely together in the future than they have to date. Finally, it sometimes makes sense to have the broadest political participation by all states. But opening up each summit can also exact a price, impairing States capacity to act. Likewise, if outcomes merely reflect the least common denominator, they will prove hollow. Legitimacy is not just a question of numbers. If these considerations are heeded, summits have a bright future. In todays world, summitry belongs to the dramaturgy of globalism which in turn pertains to the future of world politics.
(Adapted from Peter Weilemanns The Summit Meeting: The Role and Agenda of Diplomacy at its Highest Level. In: NIRA Review. Spring 2000.)
Cesar Almeida de Meneses Silva (19/20) Weighing up the pros and cors of summit meetings leads us to conclude that, despite numerous shortcomings, mostly associated with their management, they present enough benefits to justify retaining their status in world politics, albeit under an altered design. Among the usual criticism of summit meetings, it is alleged that they rarely lead to long -standing solutions, since they rely on the momentary agreement between persons of very different cultures. Furthermore, political leaders, unlike professional diplomats, do not have the abilities required in such negotiations and tend to conduct matters in a manner which brings little effect, and is, in any case, seldom legally binding. In their favour, it must be said that summits often shift the balance of power, depending in the personal charisma of the participants, and tend to
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bring about changes that would maybe otherwise never occur. In addition, they often send out an important message, both domestically and internationally, setting an example for home and foreign actors. In order that they may continue to positively contribute to resolve global issues, summits should be kept at a reasonable, manageable size, and there should be a reassessment of the best way NGOs should take part. (197 words)
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Chapter 6 Language Notes and Exercises
It is beyond the scope of this handbook to give a comprehensive account of English grammar or to deal with all the mistakes that commonly occur. Several good grammar books are suggested in the Bibliography provided by the IRBr Examiners for the Guia de Estudo. This section will simply indicate a few common problems, with brief practice exercises for most of them. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. Articles Possessive forms, noun modifiers, prepositional phrases Defining and non-defining clauses which and that Use of WHICH and WHAT Present Perfect versus Past Simple Tense Word order adverbs Other word order problems Another, other, others Uncountable nouns Collective nouns: the + adjective Irregular plurals Spelling rules Capital letters
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14. As, like, how 15. Although, despite, etc. 16. Words that are easily confused The answers to the exercices are in the KEY 1. ARTICLES In both essay writing and translation, incorrect use of the definite article (the) is perhaps the most common error.
Use and omission of the
Practice exercise 1.1
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Exercise 1.1 (continued) Re-write each sentence, using each word in brackets in turn and the when necessary. Underline the words that require the. Example a) Children play an important part in the family. Children play an important part in the community. Children play an important part in the tribe. Children play an important part in society. (no article) b) We are told that ______________________________ originated in a big bang. (world / universe / solar system/ cosmos) c) ______________ should be asked to give its views on the question. (public / public opinion / nation / state) d) ______________ has only existed for a short space of geological time. (man / mankind / humanity/ human race)
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e) ___________________ plays an important part in the British constitution. (opposition / cabinet / rule of law / political system) f) In Brazil, special efforts are being made in the field of _______. (diplomacy / civil service / education / educational system) g) We hope to see important improvements in _______________ in the next decade. (economy / financial system / justice / legal system) h) That crime should be dealt with by _____________________. (police / law / capital punishment / death penalty) i) Diplomats are involved with problems such as ________________. (economic order / human rights / development / International aid) j) A lot of attention has been paid to ___________________ recently. (climate change / global warming / greenhouse effect / ozone layer). From exercise 1.1 make two lists: nouns which normally take the and nouns normally used without the definite article. Add to your lists as you study. Practice exercise 1.2 Put THE in the gaps only where necessary. Mark X where no article is needed. Unemployment falling to record low, says Mantega (18 June 2010) ______ Finance Minister Guido Mantega said this week that______ Brazilian economy has been growing with "______ redoubled vigour" since ______ international financial crisis and is on ______ course to generate ______ 2 million new jobs during ______ 2010 - an increase in ______ employment of 6.5%. Almost a million new jobs were created between ______ January and ______ April. ______ longer-term forecasts suggest ______ employment
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will continue to grow by an average of over ______ 5% in ______ next few years. In ______ proportion to ______ size of ______ economy ______ Brazil's rate of ______ job creation has been ______ highest in ______ world, ______ Mantega said. He also predicted that ______ average rate of ______ unemployment during ______ 2010 will have been ______ lowest since ______ records began. It currently stands at ______ 6.8%. Mantega noted that ______ Brazil's rapid growth has not led to ______ inflation or ______ balance-of-payments problems, unlike in ______ past. Nor, he predicted, will it cause any 'bottlenecks' in ______ terms of ______ infrastructure or ______ energy generation.
Source: Agncia Brasil and Embassy of Brazil in London
Economic surge continues 21 May 2010 ______ Brazil's economy has been growing vigorously in ______ recent months, with ______ most analysts predicting it will achieve an annual rate of at least 5% over ______course of ______ 2010. Speaking in Rio de Janeiro on 20 May, ______ head of ______Institute of ______Applied Economic Research, Marcio Pochmann, pointed out that ______ global economic recovery is being led not by ______ most industrialised nations but by ______ developing countries. He suggested ______ Brazil could become ______ world's fifth biggest economy by ______ end of this decade. Pochmann added, however, that ______Brazil's objective should not be ______ fast growth in itself, but to combine ______ growth with ______ social welfare and ______ environmental sustainability.
Source: Agncia Brasil and Embassy of Brazil in London [Extracts]
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Practice exercise 1.3 Definite Article - Use and omission of THE
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2. POSSESSIVE RELATIONSHIPS AND NOUN GROUPS The apostrophe (s)
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Practice Exercise 2.1 With or without a / the? Choose the correct form(s). Delete the wrong ones.
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2 B Noun Modifiers
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2 C Noun + preposition (of)
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Practice exercise 2.2 Find a good translation for each of these noun phrases [many of them taken from texts in Chapter 3]. Use possessive (s) + noun, noun modifier + noun , adjective + noun or adverbial phrase, according to what you think sounds best.
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3. RELATIVE CLAUSES
Practice exercise 3
4. WHICH versus WHAT
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Practice exercise 4 Choose WHICH or WHAT
5. VERB TENSES: PRESENT PERFECT or PAST SIMPLE?
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Practice 5.1: Go through the English texts in English in Chapters 1-5 underlining any verbs in the Present Perfect. Then consider why the writer has chosen the Present Perfect tense. Practice exercise 5.2 Delete the inappropriate verb form. 1. Since the 19th century, Brazilian decision-makers (often) said / have (often) said it would be better to seek partnerships that have not restricted / did not restrict the countrys capacity to act in the international arena.
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2. By increasing the number of trading partners, Brazilian foreign policy reduced / has reduced the countrys economic dependence on developed countries, where the current financial crisis began/ has begun. 3. In the last few years, Brazil played / has played a growing global role, due to its ever increasing weight in crucial debates, such as the economic crisis and climate change. 4. Brazilian foreign policy is usually characterised by scholars as being pragmatic, because it did not change/ has not changed much over time. However, a few years ago, our diplomatic focus moved / has moved towards new partnerships, such as cooperation with Africa and Asia. 5. The Brazilian government promoted / has promoted a realignment in its international priorities in recent years. 6. When Brazil voted / has voted against the Security Council resolution to strengthen sanctions against Iran, in June 2010, its action marked / has marked a new assertion of independence. Practice exercise 5.3 Translate the sentences, paying particular attention to correct verb tenses.
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6. WORD ORDER IN ENGLISH (1): Position of adverbs
Pratice exercise 6.1
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Pratice exercise 6.2 Translate these sentences, paying attention to adverbs and adverbial phrases):
7. WORD ORDER IN ENGLISH (2): other common problems
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Practice exercise 7 Translate the sentences, paying attention to correct word order.
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8. ANOTHER, OTHER, OTHERS
Practice exercise 8 Choose the correct form to fill each gap. At the end of the sentence, circle A (=Adjective) or P (=Pronoun) a) The village is will be submerged if ___________ dam is built on the river. A P b) The Sardar Sarovar dam project will displace 12,000 people, and some estimates suggest 400,000 ___________ will be affected. A P c) Researchers can never prove their theories. They can only wait for _____________ to knock them down. A P d) Among ___________ uncertainties, the draft report asks about the effects of melting ice on the North Atlantic. A P
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e) Recent events in Brazil-Iran relations have focused on aspects ________ than nuclear issues. A P f) Conflict in the Balkans, as in __________ parts of Europe, had socioeconomic causes. A P g) Companies will find it easier to outsource and to use communications to develop deeper relations with suppliers, distributors and many __________ who might once have been vertically integrated into the firm. A P h) The Internet will push __________ industries in the same direction. A P
9. PROBLEM NOUNS (1) Uncountable
Practice Exercise 9 Translate the sentences, watching out for uncountable nouns.
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10. PROBLEMS NOUNS (2)
Practice exercise 10 Replace the underlined phrase with a suitable noun (the + adjective, singular noun, or plural noun) 1. The government is concerned to improve the welfare of people who have very little money. There is a proposal to tax people who have a lot of money. 2. People from Britain are said to be more reticent than people from Italy. 3. The people of China recently celebrated the anniversary of their revolution. 4. Old people are a significant section of the community. 5. There is a law prohibiting discrimination against people who have handicaps.
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11. PROBLEM NOUNS (3) Singular and plural forms
Practice exercise 11 Complete the sentences with appropriate plural nouns from the table. 1. Before the big event, the roads and the ____________ of transport must be improved. 2. The UN and the OAS are two of the main ____________ for regional discussions. 3. He studies violence, drug-related crime and other similar social _________________. 4. We must establish clear rules and __________________ for the evaluation of schools.
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5. State universities often have _________________ in several towns or cities. 6. Six supersonic ___________________ suddenly flew over our heads. 7. International sanctions normally involve ________________ on various aspects of trade. 8. There are several theories or _____________________ about the origin of those plant ___________. 12 SPELLING RULES Two spelling rules help to form plurals and the 3rd person singular of present simple verbs.
Practice exercise 12.1 Complete the following sentences with the correct plural form of the word in brackets. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. [fox] Urban __________ have become a serious problem in England. [way] There are several __________ of solving this problem. [library] Brazil needs to invest more in public ________________. [batch] The postman delivered two large ____________ of letters. [puppy] ___________ make enchanting pets. [key] I seem to have lost my _________ again. [dish] They served the fruit on silver ____________. [miss/ class] He never ____________ any _____________.
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Practices exercise 12.2
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Practice exercise 12.3 Adverbs formation and spelling Complete the table
What rules govern the spelling of adverbs? a) ending in -e b) ending in -ble c) ending in - al d) ending in - ic f) ending in -y g) What happens when an adjective ends in ly [e.g. friendly, cowardly, etc.]
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General advice on English spelling 1. Learn the rules included in 12 above. 2. Always try to visualise how words are written. In general, this is much more effective than concentrating on what words sound like. 3. Make sure you know how to use your computer spell checker to correct your spelling. Every time your computer corrects you, learn the correct spelling of the word. 13. USE OF CAPITAL LETTERS
Practice exercise 13.1 Punctuate the text by putting in capital letters where required.
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Practice exercise 13.2 Now do the same with this text.
14. LIKE, AS AND HOW
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Practice exercise 14 Translate the following sentences, paying particular attention to como. Texts in Chapter 4 Translation into English.
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15. ALTHOUGH, DESPITE, ETC.
Practice exercise 15 Link the sentences in different ways, as indicated. 1. The crisis was severe. It did not last long. a) Although b) Despite 2. The president made efforts to pacify the rioters. He did not succeed. a) In spite of b) Even though c) ...albeit 3. Aid was sent to the disaster rea. Many people died. a) Despite b) However c) Even though d) Notwithstanding
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16. WORDS THAT ARE EASILY CONFUSED This section seeks to indicate a few problem words. Candidates are encouraged to do further research with dictionaries, as these notes are very superficial.
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Practice Exercise 16 Complete each sentence correctly, with one of the words in brackets. In the case of verbs, choose a correct tense and form. 1. (rise / raise) Participants ________________ many interesting questions at the last meeting. 2. (rise / raise) Interest rates have been _______________ recently. 3. (revert /reverse) After a while, the cleared area of the forest ______________ to jungle. 4. (revert/reverse) The judge _______________ the ruling, overturning the previous sentence. 5. (arise/ arouse) The tragic images of Angolan children ____________ __________ compassion. 6. (arise/ arouse) A crisis _____________ in 1997, when there was a run on Asian currencies. 7. (find/ find out) He wants to _____________ who his ancestors were. 8. (find/find out) He _____________ some documents in the archives. 9. (scene/ scenario) The most frightening _______________ would be an all-out attack on Iran to prevent it from developing nuclear weapons. 10. (scene / scenery) A ____________ of chaos met our eyes, when we returned to the house. 11. (lie / lay) The WTO seeks to ___________ down rules for the settlement of trade disputes. 12. (lie / lay) The roots of the problem __________ in the patterns of colonialism imposed on the country.
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13. (once / since) ________ the USA was colonised by people who intended to settle, cultural patterns are quite different from those of Brazil. 14. (once / since) In general, the Portuguese colonial rulers returned to Portugal ________ they had served their term in Brazil. 15. (economic / economical ) When there is an ________________ squeeze, the government always asks us to be _________________. 16. (historic / historical) Shakespeares history plays are based on _______________ accounts of certain _____________ events. 17. (replace/ substitute) The Brazilian alcohol programme was designed to ___________ imported petrol with home-produced alcohol. Alcohol can be _______________ for petrol relatively easily in tropical countries. 18. (especially/ specially) They made a cake ______________ for my birthday party. Im very partial to cake, ________________ chocolate cake. 19. (remember/ remind) _____________ me to give you back the book I borrowed last month. Im afraid I didnt ________________ to bring it today. 20. (avoid/ prevent) I always hope to ____________ traffic jams when Im driving around the city. The new one-way system is designed to ______________ traffic jams in the rush hour.
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KEY SECTION 6 LANGUAGE NOTES AND EXERCICES Exercise 1.1 Remember these answers are a guide only
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Practice exercise 1.3 Definite Article - Use and omission of THE
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Find a good translation for each of these noun phrases. Use possessive (s) + noun, noun modifier + noun , adjective + noun or adverbial phrase, according to what you think sounds best.
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Practice exercise 3 Relative clauses (who, which and that) 1. Yesterday I attended a meeting that /which dealt with development loans 2. The UNDP, which operates in many countries, helps to set up and manage projects. 3. The children who/ that live in shanty towns have health problems. 4. Brazil is a large country that/ which has many problems. Brazil, which has many problems, is a large country. (Note: Brazil that is impossible- there is only one Brazil, so the clause is non-defining) 5. The North East is a relatively poor region that/ which needs assistance in the field of health. The North East, which is a relatively poor region, needs assistance in the field of health. 6. At that time, the President of the USA. was Ronald Reagan who had been a film star. Practice exercise 4 WHICH or WHAT
1. What Id like to know is which of the candidates will win the election, which will be held in October. 2. I dont know which sweater to buy, the red one or the blue one. 3. Either decision is likely to bring criticism, which the government would prefer to avoid. But what is really important is to raise more money for social programmes, which need to be carried out urgently. Practice exercise 5.2 a. Since the 19th century, Brazilian decision-makers have often said it would be better to seek partnerships that did not restrict the countrys capacity to act in the international arena. Answers: have said [depends on since + present perfect] did not restrict which here has the force of would not restrict.
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b. By increasing the number of trading partners, Brazilian foreign policy has reduced the countrys economic dependence on developed countries, where the current financial crisis began. Answers: has reduced an effect continuing or visible now; began refers to an unspecified point of time in the past. c. In the last few years, Brazil has played a growing global role, due to its ever- increasing weight in crucial debates, such as the economic crisis and climate change. Answer: has played in the past few years can be considered to introduce an effect which is continuing now. d. Brazilian foreign policy is usually characterised by scholars as being pragmatic, because it has not changed much over time. However, a few years ago, our diplomatic focus moved towards new partnerships, such as cooperation with Africa and Asia. Answers: has not changed [effect still present/ continuing]- present is characterized + present perfect. moved the word ago excludes the use of the Present Perfect by specifying a past time. e. The Brazilian government has promoted a realignment in its international priorities in recent years. Answer: has promoted compare #3, Expressions like in recent years, in the last few years extend time from the past into the present. f. When Brazil voted against the Security Council resolution to strengthen sanctions against Iran, in June 2010, its action marked a new assertion of independence. Answers: voted past time clearly expressed- action completed marked also referring to the same point of time.
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Practice exercise 5.3 [Literal translations]
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Word order in English: A . Position of adverbs
Pratice exercise 6.1 Possible positions for the adverb are marked X.
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Pratice exercise 6.2 Translate these sentences, paying attention to position of adverbs and adverbial phrases):
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Practice exercise 7 Translate the sentences, paying attention to correct word order.
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Practice exercise 8
Choose the correct form to fill each gap. At the end of the sentence, circle A (=Adjective) or P (=Pronoun) 1. The village is will be submerged if another dam is built on the river. A
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2. The Sardar Sarovar dam project will displace 12,000 people, and some estimates suggest 400,000 others will be affected. P 3. Researchers can never prove their theories. They can only wait for others to knock them down. P 4. Among other uncertainties, the draft report asks about the effects of melting ice on the North Atlantic. A 5. Recent events in Brazil-Iran relations have focused on aspects other than nuclear issues. A 6. Conflict in the Balkans, just as in other parts of Europe, had socioeconomic causes. A 7. Companies will find it easier to outsource and to use communications to develop deeper relations with suppliers, distributors and many others who might once have been vertically integrated into the firm. P 8. The Internet will push other industries in the same direction. A Practice Exercise 9
Practice exercise 10 1. The government is concerned to improve the welfare of the poor. There is a proposal to tax the rich. 2. The British are said to more reticent than people from Italy. 3. The Chinese recently celebrated the anniversary of their revolution. 4. The old are a significant section of the community. 5. There is a law prohibiting discrimination against the handicapped
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Practice exercise 11 (Intended answers - alternatives may be possible.) 1. Before the big event, the roads and the means of transport must be improved. 2. The UN and the OAS are two of the main forums for regional discussions. 3. He studies violence, drug-related crime and other similar social phenomena. 4. We must establish clear rules and criteria for the evaluation of schools. 5. State universities often have campuses in several towns or cities. 6. Six supersonic aircraft suddenly flew over our heads. 7. International sanctions normally involve embargoes on various aspect of trade. 8. There are several theories or hypotheses about the origin of those plant species. Practice exercise 12.1 Complete the following sentences with the correct plural form of the word in brackets. 1. [fox] Urban foxes have become a serious problem in England. 2. [way] There are several ways of solving this problem. 3. [library] Brazil needs to invest more in public libraries. 4. [batch] The postman delivered two large batches of letters. 5. [puppy] Puppies make enchanting pets. 6. [key] I seem to have lost my keys again. 7. [dish] They served the fruit on silver dishes. 8. [miss/class] He never misses any classes.
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Practice exercise 12.2 Verbs
Practice exercise 12.3 Adverbs
formation and spelling
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What rules govern the spelling of adverbs?
Practice exercise 13.1 Punctuate by putting in capital letters where required. Last Thursday, Mrs Wilson drove to the centre of Oxford in her little Peugeot to meet some Asian friends who were studying English at St Clares College. She knew they would be leaving in August and she wanted to have tea with them to say goodbye. She had thought of inviting them to the Randolph Hotel and offering them dry Martinis, but realised it would be inappropriate for the Moslems in the group, so they decided to meet at the Kadena Caf instead.
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Practice exercise 14
[Literal translations]
Practice Exercise 15 Link the sentences in different ways, as indicated. 1. The crisis was severe. It did not last long. a) Although the crisis was severe, it did not last long. b) Despite the severity of the crisis, it did not last long. /Despite being severe, the crisis did not last long. 2. The president made efforts to pacify the rioters. He did not succeed. a) In spite of making efforts to pacify the rioters, the president did not succeed. /In spite of his efforts to pacify the rioters, the president did not succeed. b) Even though the president made efforts to pacify the rioters, he did not succeed. c) The president made efforts to pacify the rioters, albeit unsuccessfully.
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3. Aid was sent to the disaster area. Many people died. a) Despite aid being sent to the disaster area, many people died/ Despite the aid sent to the disaster area, many people died. b) Aid was sent to the disaster area. However, many people died. c) Even though aid was sent to the disaster area, many people died. d) Notwithstanding the aid sent to the disaster area, many people died.
Practice Exercise 16 Complete each sentence correctly, with one of the words in brackets. In the case of verbs, choose a correct tense and form. 1. (rise/raise) Participants raised many interesting questions at the meeting. 2. (rise/raise) Interest rates have been rising recently. 3. (revert/reverse) After a while, the cleared area of the forest reverts to jungle. 4. (revert/reverse) The judge reversed the ruling, overturning the previous sentence,. 5. (arise/arouse) The tragic images of Angolan children aroused compassion. 6. (arise/arouse) A crisis arose in 1997, when there was a run on Asian currencies. 7. (find/find out) He wants to find out who his ancestors were. 8. (find/find out) He found some documents in the archives. 9. (scene/scenario) The most frightening scenario would be an all-out attack on Iran... 10. (scene/scenery) A scene of chaos met our eyes, when we returned to the house. 11. (lie/lay) The WTO seeks to lay down rules for the settlement of trade disputes. 12. (lie/lay) The roots of the problem lie in the patterns of colonialism 13. (once/since) Since the USA was colonised by people who intended to settle, cultural patterns are quite different from those of Brazil. 14. (once/since) In general, the Portuguese colonial rulers returned to Portugal once they had served their term in Brazil.
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17. (replace/substitute) The Brazilian alcohol programme was designed to replace imported petrol with home-produced alcohol. Alcohol can be substituted for petrol relatively easily in tropical countries. 18. (especially/specially) They made a cake specially for my birthday party. Im very partial to cake, especially chocolate cake. 19. (remember/remind) Remind me to give you back the book I borrowed last month. Im afraid I didnt remember to bring it today. 20. (avoid/ prevent) I always hope to avoid traffic jams when Im driving around the city. The new one-way system is designed to prevent traffic jams in the rush hour.
15. (economic/economical ) When there is an economic squeeze, the government always asks us to be economical. 16. (historic/historical) Shakespeares history plays are based on historical accounts of certain historic events.
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CHAPTER 4 KEY to False Cognates [see page 141]
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Bibliography
Bibliography [from: Guia de Estudos 2010, with some additions] Jornais e revistas A Internet permite o acesso a vasto nmero de publicaes em lngua inglesa. Para preparar-se para o concurso, til a leitura de publicaes do padro do The Times de Londres, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian, The International Herald Tribune, The Financial Times, The Economist, Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, e Newsweek. Pode-se encontrar a verso impressa de muitas dessas publicaes em livrarias e bancas de revistas das principais cidades do Pas. http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/ http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/magazines/ Dicionrios de ingls Macmillan English Dictionary. Oxford: Macmillan Education http://www.macmillandictionary.com/ Cambridge Advanced Learners Dictionary of English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press http://dictionary.cambridge.org/
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Collins Cobuild English Language Dictionary. Londres: Collins. Language Activator. Londres: Longman. The Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English. Londres: Longman. The Oxford Advanced Learners Dictionary of Current English. Oxford: University Press. Oxford English Dictionary. Oxford: Oxford University Press. The Random House College Dictionary. New York: Random House. The Random House Dictionary of the English Language. New York: Random House. Rogets Thesaurus. Londres: Longman. Websters Collegiate Dictionary. New York: BD&L. Websters Third International Dictionary. New York: BD&L. Dicionrios ingls-portugus e portugus-ingls Cambridge Word Routes-Ingls/Portugus: Dicionrio temtico do ingls contemporneo. So Paulo: Martins Fontes, 1996. Dicionrio Portugus-Ingls, Ingls-Portugus. Porto: Porto Editora. Novo Michaelis: Portugus-Ingls, Ingls-Portugus. So Paulo: Melhoramentos. Taylor, J. L. Portuguese-English Dictionary. Rio de Janeiro: Record.
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gramticas BENSON, M. et alii.. The BBI Combinatory Dictionary of English: A guide to word combinations. Amsterd/Filadlfia: John Benjamins. Collins Cobuild English Usage. Londres: Harper Collins. Comprehensive Grammar of the English Language. Londres: Longman. CUTTS, M. The Plain English Guide. Oxford, Oxford University Press. FRANK, M. Modern English. Englewood-Cliffs: Prentice-Hall. LEECH, G.; SVARTVIK, J. A Communicative Grammar of English. Londres: Longman. HILL, J.; LEWIS, M. (Orgs.) LTP Dictionary of Selected Collocations. Hove: Language Teaching Publications CARTER, RONALD & MCCARTHY, MICHAEL Cambridge Grammar of English. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. SANTOS, Agenor. Guia Prtico de Traduo Inglesa. So Paulo: Cultrix. SWAN, M. A Practical English Usage. Oxford: Oxford University Press. THOMPSON, A. J.; MARTINET, A.V. A Practical English Grammar. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Exerccios de gramtica e vocabulrio MURPHY, RAYMOND. English Grammar in Use. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press HEWINGS, MARTIN. Advanced Grammar in Use. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press
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MACARTHY, MICHAEL & ODELL,FELICITY: Acacdemic Vocabulary in Use Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Outras fontes The Economist Style Guide http://www.economist.com/research/StyleGuide/ Internet: H numerosos dicionrios e glossrios disponveis em linha, bem como variadas fontes de informaes e de consulta. Duas referncias iniciais, a ttulo meramente indicativo: http://www.yourdictionary.com; http://www.bbc.co.uk
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Formato Mancha grfica Papel Fontes
15,5 x 22,5 cm 12 x 18,3cm plen soft 80g (miolo), duo design 250g (capa) Times New Roman 17/20,4 (ttulos), 12/14 (textos)

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THE CANDIDATES HANDBOOK: ENGLISH

MINISTRIO DAS RELAES EXTERIORES

Ministro de Estado Secretrio-Geral

Embaixador Antonio de Aguiar Patriota Embaixador Ruy Nunes Pinto Nogueira

FUNDAO ALEXANDRE DE GUSMO

Embaixador Gilberto Vergne Saboia

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The Candidates Handbook: English

Depsito Legal na Fundao Biblioteca Nacional conforme Lei n 10.994, de 14/12/2004.

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T/F = True or False MC = Multiple Choice AM = Morning PM = Afternoon

Chapter 1 Reading Comprehension [TPS]

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READING COMPREHENSION [TPS]

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READING COMPREHENSION [TPS]

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Sample question 3 Factual information based on a graph.

READING COMPREHENSION [TPS]

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READING COMPREHENSION [TPS]

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READING COMPREHENSION [TPS]

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READING COMPREHENSION [TPS]

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READING COMPREHENSION [TPS]

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READING COMPREHENSION [TPS]

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READING COMPREHENSION [TPS]

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READING COMPREHENSION [TPS]

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READING COMPREHENSION [TPS]

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READING COMPREHENSION [TPS]

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READING COMPREHENSION [TPS]

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READING COMPREHENSION [TPS]

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READING COMPREHENSION [TPS]

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READING COMPREHENSION [TPS]

Chapter 2 Composition Writing

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