Questões de Concurso sobre Língua Inglesa - Compreensão e Interpretação de Texto

In the first paragraph of the text, the phrase “these systems” (in the fourth sentence) is referring back to both “financial systems” (in the third sentence) and “artificial intelligence systems” (in the fourth sentence).

Daria's testimony provides insight into the teaching practices she encountered at the school in Wrocław. Evaluate the statements regarding the educational practices described:

I. The teachers' performance of epistemic humility—publicly acknowledging knowledge limitations and errors—functions to democratize the classroom power structure and reduce student anxiety about their own imperfect knowledge.

II. Daria's characterization of teacher behavior as "very natural and supportive" following their apologies indicates that pedagogical vulnerability enhances rather than undermines instructional authority.

III. The text implies that this collaborative learning approach was specifically designed as a refugee integration strategy rather than reflecting the school's general pedagogical philosophy.

IV. The bilingual school psychologist's presence represented a sufficient condition for psychological adaptation, rendering the teachers' collaborative approach supplementary rather than essential.

Which combination contains statements supported by the text?

The text presents Daria's career aspiration through her articulated statements about working with formerly incarcerated individuals. Her professional goals reflect a particular worldview regarding human behavior and social reintegration.

Which alternative most accurately captures the ideological foundation that informs Daria's professional aspiration?

Why does the author mention that the course was titled “Contemporary Moral Problems: The Value of Human Life”?

It is correct to conclude from text 11A2-I that “the concept of ‘funds of perezhivanie’” (first sentence of the third paragraph) encourages educators in bilingual education to recognize and value

According to the text, mark the INCORRECT item.

It is correct to infer from text 10A1-I that the author believes intercultural competence is

According to text 10A1-II, a Guiness award was given to Hannet-Price

Migrant children living, and often working, in the USA

Internet: <https://www.nytimes.com> (adapted).

Carla, an English language teacher in Piauí, wants to give a class on a specific subject: migrant children in the Unites States of America (USA). To do so, she presents her students with the preceding picture before they read a text on the topic. She asks her students what they imagine the text will tell them based on the graph they see and on its title.

In this hypothetical situation, Carla is orienting her students to apply the reading strategy known as prediction. This strategy, in the presented situation, has the benefit of

In the first paragraph of text 10A1-III, the author

According to the analysis from the Union of Concerned Scientists, referred to in text 10A2-III, the percentage of increase in USA electricity demand expected through 2050 is

According to text 10A2-III, data centers are expected to

(original poem in Jamaican patois)

Wat a joyful news, Miss Mattie,

I feel like my heart gwine burs

Jamaica people colonizing

Englan in reverse. …

[…]

For wen dem ketch a Englan,

And start play dem different role,

Some will settle down to work

An some will settle fe de dole…

[…]

Me say Jane will never fine work

At de rate how she dah look,

For all day she stay pon Aunt Fan couch

An read love-story book.

Wat a devilment a Englan!

Dem face war an brave de worse

But me wonderin how dem gwine stan

Colonizin in reverse.

[…]

(“translated” poem)

What joyful news, Miss Mattie,

I feel like my heart is going to burst

Jamaica people colonizing

England in reverse. …

For when they get to England,

And start to play their different role,

Some will settle down to work

And some will settle for the dole

I say Jane will never find work

Given how she is looking,

For all day she stays on Aunt Fan’s couch

And reads a love-story book.

Goodness me, England!

They faced war and braved worse

But I am wondering how they are going to stand

Colonizing in reverse.

Available in: https://www.poetrybyheart.org.uk/poems/colonization-in-reverse. Acess on: Jan. 30, 2026.

From a decolonial perspective, select the correct interpretation of the poem.

CHAPTER 2

Adult Literacy and Popular Libraries

To speak of adult literacy and popular libraries is to speak of the problems of reading and writing: not reading and writing words in and of themselves, as if the reading and writing of words did not imply another reading, anterior to and simultaneous with the first, the reading itself. The critical comprehension of literacy, which involves the equally critical comprehension of reading, demands the critical comprehension of reading, demands the critical comprehension of the library. However, upon speaking of a critical vision, authenticated in a practice of the same critical form of literacy, I not only recognize but also emphasize the existence of a contrary practice, an understanding that, in an essay published a long time ago, I called naive.

It would be tiresome to insist on points referred to on other occasions when I discussed the problems of literacy. Nevertheless, at the risk of repeating myself, I will try to clarify or reclarify what I call the critical practice and understanding of literacy, as opposed to the naive and so-called “astute” practice and understanding. The naive and astute, while identical from the objective point of view, differentiate themselves with respect to the subjectivity of their agents.

The myth of the neutrality of education — which leads to the negation of the political nature of the educational process, regarding it only as a task we do in the service of humanity in the abstract sense — is the point of departure for our understanding of the fundamental differences between a naive practice, an astute practice, and a truly critical practice.

From the critical point of view, it is as impossible to deny the political nature of the educational process as it is to deny the educational character of the political act. This does not mean, however, that the political nature of the educational process and the educational character of the political act drain the understanding of that process and this act. Just as a neutral education that claims to be at the service of humanity, of human beings in general, is impossible, so is a political practice devoid of educational meaning.

FREIRE, Paulo; MACEDO, Maldonado. Literacy: Reading the Word and the World. London: Routledge, 2005, p. 46. (Adapted).

After reading this excerpt from chapter 2 of the book titled Literacy: Reading the Word and the World, select the correct alternative that completes the sentence: Reading is

The humanistic approach to boost self-confidence in English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ oral skills

[…] Oral communication skills are crucial in the process of learning English as a Foreign Language (EFL), with many students wrestling with a lack of self-confidence when it is time to speak in English, whether in academic or personal situations. Speaking is a skill that requires a high level of self-confidence. Lack of confidence will affect students’ learning process because talking in English requires not being shy or rude.

Grammar and vocabulary are tools that are often used over fluency and proficiency in traditional methods, which has resulted in this problem. When in educational environments there is a neglect of the socio-emotional part at the time of the teaching-learning process, there is a series of negative consequences, such as introversion and lack of motivation to participate in classes […].

The central question that this research aims to address is how the Humanistic Approach can be used to enhance learners' selfconfidence in EFL contexts. This research work explores the potential of the humanistic approach to increase the self-confidence of English as a foreign language learner, focusing specifically on the development of their oral skills. By investigating the theoretical underpinnings, methodologies, and teacher perceptions, this study aims to provide educators with information about a type of teaching that will help them approach learners and foster a supportive learner-centered environment that can lead to significant improvements in both confidence and oral skills […].

In the past, when emphasis began to be placed on teaching English as a foreign language, traditional methods were used, which did not produce results in the emergence of meaningful knowledge, as there was no emphasis on interaction with students and the use of appropriate strategies for teaching a new language [...].

The humanistic approach, based on the principles of empathy, individualization and self-realization, offers a transformative way to address these challenges. By placing the learner at the center of the educational process and fostering an environment of trust and encouragement, this approach emphasizes emotional well-being in language acquisition [...].

Humanistic Approach, rooted in the principles of Carl Rogers (1969), emphasizes a holistic teaching methodology, focused on fostering a supportive, inclusive and learner-centered learning environment. This approach focuses on students as the authors of their own knowledge, with students having the agency to explore and acquire meaningful knowledge according to their experiences, with the teacher being more of a guide who provides instructions and creates an appropriate and harmonious environment for an effective teaching and learning process, taking into account the affective and social needs of each individual […].

Available in: https://repositorio.upse.edu.ec/items/5caf2c50-6627-4f44-87f2-9220acfb1cc8. Acess on: Jan. 25, 2026.

According to the text,

lt is often a delicate decision as to how to provide learners with feedback on their errors when their attention is primarily focused on the content of what they are saying, rather than on the way they are saying it. Interrupting learners ‘in full flight’ to give them corrections seems to run counter to the need to let them experience autonomy. If the teacher is constantly intervening to assist their performance, whether by providing unknown words or correcting their errors, they can hardly be said to be self-regulating. And it may have the counterproductive effect of inhibiting fluency by forcing learners’ attention on to accuracy. Nevertheless, many teachers feel uncomfortable about ‘letting errors go’, even in fluency activities, and there is support for the view that maintaining a focus on form – that is, on formal accuracy – is good for learners in the long run. lt is important, therefore, that such a focus should be effected at minimal cost to the speaker’s sense of being in control. What is agreed is that in cases of correction of oral fluency, the teacher’s corrections, while explicit, are unobtrusive, and these are picked up by the learners with no real loss of fluency: ln the above extract, the teacher's interventions should be economical and effective, and the conversational flow should not threatened. However, it could be argued that such overt monitoring deprives the learners of opportunities to take more responsibility for their own monitoring and selfrepair. This is especially the case with regard to their mistakes, as opposed to their errors. By mistake is meant the learners’ momentary failure to apply what they already know, due mainly to the demands of online processing. An error, on the other hand, represents a gap in the speaker’s knowledge of the system. Mistakes can usually be self-corrected, but errors cannot. A deft hint to the learner that they have used a present verb form instead of a past one, for example, may be all that is needed to encourage selfcorrection. And self-correction, even if prompted by the teacher, is one step nearer self-regulation and the ultimate goal of full autonomy. Sometimes, however, the learner’s message is simply unintelligible, and some kind of more obtrusive intervention is necessary to repair the breakdown. ln this case, an intervention that is perceived by the learner as repair is likely to be less inhibiting than one that is perceived of as correction. Repair is facilitative, while correction can be construed negatively, as judgmental. In repairing, the teacher's intervention takes the form of a conversational repair, one that is consistent with the meaning-orientation of the interaction

THORNBURY, Scott. How to Teach Speaking. Cambridge: Longman, 2005, pp. 91-2. (Adapted).

One of the main problems when dealing with oral fluency is to know if a student should be corrected when interacting or after it. After reading this passage about feedback and correction in fluency, select the alternative that agrees with the point of view discussed in the passage.

The application of Bakhtinian theories on Second Language reading comprehension: a qualitative case study

[...] Reading comprehension has been recognized as one of the most important areas in second and foreign language research. Due to the dominance of behaviorism, applied linguistics, and cognitive psychology since 1960s, many research studies focused on the accuracy and speed required for successful comprehension. The epistemological assumptions behind these studies regarded reading as merely a skill-getting process. Readers have to be equipped with the skills and strategies required for successful comprehension, which is mainly based on their performance on multiple-choice tests. Applied linguist Koda (2005) believes that reading depends mainly on the decoding of textual cues: “Successful comprehension is heavily dependent on knowledge of individual word meanings. The widely recognized relationship between vocabulary and reading comprehension attests to the crucial role word knowledge plays in text understanding among both L1 and L2 readers” [...].

This viewpoint is also supported by Hauptman (2000), who mentioned that grammar, vocabulary, and the length of the text determine the level of difficulty of the reading task. According to Mackey‘s (1997) definitions of “good enough reading”, good readers have to strike “a balance between the need for accountability to the text and the need for momentum”. It seems that all it takes to be a good reader is to read accurately with a reasonably fast speed and to have a large vocabulary size.

I do not object the importance of speed, accuracy, and vocabulary knowledge in second language reading. However, I argue that there are individual differences which are deterministic toward the comprehension of a text. The meanings that readers created from texts and the depth of the meaning actively constructed by them are also critical in the reading comprehension processes. Second language reading comprehension used to acquire a deficit model, which asked questions like “What do learners need to do in order to decode the sentence?” and “What is required to correctly understand the passage?” Alderson‘s famous question on second language reading was raised in 1984, “Is reading in a foreign language a reading problem or a language problem?” But my question is, “Are there any other factors influencing the second language reading process, other than the language barrier and the reading strategies?”.

On an ideological level, the reason for the emphases on accuracy, speed, and vocabulary size is based on the belief in “abstract objectivism” that

i) Language is a stable, immutable system of normatively identical linguistic forms…; ii) The laws of language are the specifically linguistic laws of connection between linguistic signs within a given, closed linguistic system…; iii) Specifically linguistic connections have nothing in common with ideological values…; and iv) Individual acts of speaking are, from the viewpoint of language, merely fortuitous refractions and variations or plain and simple distortions of normatively identical forms (Voloshinov, 1986, p. 57).

Researchers in traditional reading studies believe that there is (1) a correct or incorrect interpretation of meaning and (2) a generalized speed that a non-native speaker of English should achieve, and that (3) word meanings are fixed meanings which are traceable in dictionaries. They conclude that, when reading a text in another language, the plight of the reader is to master speed, accuracy, and vocabulary knowledge. All research methods or pedagogies are rooted in certain philosophies. I take on an alternative perspective by referring to the Bakhtin Circle that there can be no correct or incorrect interpretations of a text, and that the dialogic process involved in reading comprehension is crucial toward the active construction of meaning by the reader. By “Bakhtinian theories”, I refer here to the ideas and thoughts proposed by “the principal members of the Bakhtin Circle during the 1920s — Valentin Voloshinov, Pavel Medvedev, and Mikhail Bakhtin”.

It is true that for beginning second language readers, language barriers can be an obstacle in constructing meaning. However, this case study was conducted with a native speaker and an advanced learner of English with near native proficiency, and thus the language issue is not the most prominent concern; rather, the research focused on the depth of meaning constructed by the two readers, and the dialogic interactions between the readers and the author of the text [...].

Available in: https://www.readingmatrix.com/. Acess on: Jan. 27, 2026.

Based on the text, it is correct to affirm that

Certain people from certain places (the Global North) in certain languages (overwhelmingly English) produce the vast amount of knowledge about language, second language learning, education, language policy, and so on, and make universal claims to the applicability of that knowledge to the rest of the world. This is not just vaguely inappropriate knowledge, but rather knowledge that seeks to colonize. To oppose this requires several kinds of action that can bring a strong element of renewal to a discipline that all too often speaks only to itself, and largely in English. A central part of this is a process of decolonization of knowledge and practices, of language and theories of second language acquisition, of language policies, and language in education. We need to systematically and thoroughly deconstruct cultural hegemony in our own discipline and beyond and enlist more and more scholars from especially developing Third World societies to participate in the construction or re-invention of various cultural frameworks of research including both aboriginal, native cultural and intellectual resource and local specific conditions, needs and aspirations.

Decolonizing applied linguistics suggests first of all the need to decolonize ‘language’– or the way that language is framed in linguistics and applied linguistics – aspart of any reclamation project. We can identify several key northern ideas about language that are at best inappropriate when applied to southern contexts and at worst are downright harmful. These include a legacy of considering languages in terms of cognitive, literate systems rather than embodied and embedded cultural processes; a tendency to reify languages as if they exist outside of human relations; and a set of assumptions about languages as repositories of knowledge that once lost, lead simultaneously to the loss of shared forms of culture and knowledge. Language reclamation itself can be understood as a process of decolonization both in terms of giving new life to a language that has been cast aside by processes of coloniality and modernity, and in terms of changing the ways in which language is understood (resisting the colonial archives of linguistic modernity). Decolonization from this point of view involves community needs and goals rather than top-down assumptions about grammatical fluency, and above all, community ontologies of language.

PENNYCOOK, Alastair; MACONI, Sinfree. Innovations and Challenges in Applied Linguistics from the Global South. London and New York: Routledge, 2019, pp. 126-7.

After reading the excerpt, think about the possible relation between applied linguistics and language reclamation and choose the alternative that best associates them.

It is correct to conclude from the text that, when the authors state that the limits of diplomatic practices are 'constantly being renegotiated' (second sentence of the second paragraph), they mean that diplomatic boundaries are not fixed but are continually revised as political and technological conditions evolve.

Read the text below and answer question 48.

Sometimes when we have talked or written about using ideas from complexity theory, we have been challenged as to whether we are 'just' being metaphorical. There are two ways to answer this question: firstly, to reject the 'just' and to assert the importance of metaphor; and secondly, to discuss what it would mean to say that the comparison between systems in applied linguistics and complex systems is more than metaphor. Our contention, to be supported throughout this book, is that complexity theory offers applied linguistics at least an important new metaphor that brings with it new ways of thinking about issues in the field, and, maximally, may push the field towards radical theoretical change. (…) Metaphors are not just literary tools for ornamenting language; they are indispensable to the human mind. Whenever we have to contemplate the abstract, voice the difficult, or make sense of the complicated, we turn to metaphor. Metaphor enables us to 'see' or understand one thing in terms of another, through analogies or mappings between two conceptual domains.

(Cameron 1999). LARSEN-FREEMAN, Diane; CAMERON, Lynne. Complex systems and applied linguistics. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2008. p. 11.

Judge the statements I to V as True (T) or False (F) according to the text and choose the alternative that shows the correct sequence from above to below.

I. The authors argue that complexity theory should be seen primarily as a rhetorical or literary device in applied linguistics.

II. According to the text, one response to the criticism about metaphor is to emphasize the fundamental importance of metaphors in human cognition.

III. The authors claim that complexity theory may contribute not only to new ways of thinking but also to potentially radical theoretical changes in applied linguistics.

IV. The text suggests that metaphors are mainly used to embellish language rather than to support understanding of abstract or complex ideas.

V. Metaphor is presented as a cognitive tool that allows understanding one conceptual domain in terms of another through analogies or mappings.