Questões para Concursos

Read the text to answer question. No one who speaks English has any difficulty understanding the meaning of a sentence like ‘It’s warm in here’. We all recognise that it is a comment on the temperature in some place or other. But why it is being said, and what the speaker wishes to convey by saying it, depends entirely on two things: the context in which it is said and what the speaker wants people to understand (...) The meaning of language depends on where it occurs within a larger stretch of discourse, and thus the relationship that the different language elements have with what comes before and after them. In other words, speakers and writers have to be able to operate with more than just words and grammar; they have to be able to string utterances together. Our ability to function properly in conversation or writing depends not only on reacting to the context in which we are using the language, but also on the relationship between words and ideas in longer texts. Words can also mean more than one thing, for example, ‘book’ (= something to read, to reserve, a list of bets, etc.), ‘beat’ (= to win, to hit, to mix, e.g. an egg, the ‘pulse’ of music/a heart) and ‘can’ (= ability, permission, probability – and a container made of metal). Notice that, in these examples, not only can the same form have many meanings, but it can also be different parts of speech. With so many available meanings for words and grammatical forms, it is the context the word occurs in which determines which of these meanings is being referred to. If we say, ‘I beat him because I ran faster than he did’, ‘beat’ is likely to mean won rather than physically assaulted or mixed (though there is always the possibility of ambiguity, of course). (Harmer, 1998. Adaptado)

Leia o texto, para responder à questão. One pathway for converting explicit to implicit knowledge is suggested by skill acquisition theory, a branch of cognitive science studying how people develop skills. In this theory, knowledge is first seen to be declarative (conscious); then, through practice and the application of learning strategies, declarative knowledge becomes proceduralized so that it becomes automatic. Automatic processes are quick and do not require attention or conscious awareness. Many second/ foreign language learners memorize and practice vocabulary items or “chunks” of language such as greetings, idioms or collocations. Frequent practice in using these forms helps the language items to become automatic in the sense that the learner can use them quickly and unconsciously. Pienemann (1989) proposes that second/ foreign language learners will not acquire a new structure until they are developmentallly ready to do so. If there were no connection between the development of explicit knowledge about a grammar point and the eventual restructuring of the unconscious linguistic system to accommodate the point in the learner’s interlanguage, then, indeed, grammar instruction would not be of much use. However, it has been suggested that there is a connection, so grammar instruction is ultimately useful. Further, practice of language points can lead to automatization, thus bypassing natural order teachability considerations. (FOTOS, Sandra. Cognitive Approaches to Grammar Instruction . In Marianne Celce-Murcia. 3rd ed. Teaching English as a second or foreign language. 3rd edition. Boston, Massachusstes: Heinle&Heinle. 2002. Adaptado274)

Read the following text: TEXT I The teaching of English as a foreign language in the context of Brazilian regular schools: a retrospective and prospective view of policies and practices Read the following text: The movement towards a more meaningful approach to the teaching of English as a foreign language in Brazilian regular schools reached its climax in the 20th century with the publication of the Brazilian National Curricular Parameters (PCN) for the teaching of foreign languages at basic education level. Since then, the community of teachers has been divided into those who welcomed the contents, views and propositions of the document, and the ones who believed that the suggestions it contained were inappropriate. At the center of this controversy was the importance given by the official policies to the teaching of reading, as opposed to an approach, borrowed from private language institutes, which historically favored a focus on the oral skills. A brief overview of the recent history of ELT in Brazilian regular schools During the 1970s, the so-called audiolingual method, based on behaviorist and structuralist assumptions, was still considered the only scientific way of teaching a foreign language. Its emphasis on the oral skills and on the exhaustive repetition of structural exercises seemed to work well in the contexts of private language institutes. Those contexts were characterized by the gathering of small numbers of highly motivated students per class, a weekly time-table superior in the number of hours to the one adopted in regular schools, and plenty of audiovisual resources. Questionable in itself, both because of its results (which in time were revealed to be less efficient than believed, especially in terms of fluency) and its theoretical assumptions, the method ended up being adopted by regular schools due to its positive reputation at the time. The failure of the methodology in this context would soon become evident, generating extreme frustration both amongst teachers and students. From the 1980s on, with the spread of ideas connected to the so-called communicative approach and the growth of English for Specific Purposes (ESP), the community of researchers and teachers interested in the context of regular schools started reviewing the assumptions and logic of English Language Teaching (ELT). Recognizing that each and every school discipline needs to justify its presence in the curriculum socially and educationally, this movement identified the skill of reading as the most relevant one for the students attending the majority of Brazilian regular schools.This understanding was achieved by considering not only the possibility of real use outside school, but also the role this approach could play in the achievement of other educational goals, such as the improvement of student's reading abilities in Portuguese as a mother tongue. This movement reached its climax with the publication of the Brazilian National Curricular Parameters (PCN) for the teaching of foreign languages at basic education level by the end of the 1990s. The document recommended the focus on the teaching of reading within a view of language as discourse. However, it did not close the door on the teaching of any other skill, as long as the context made it possible and relevant. This understanding was achieved by considering not only the possibility of real use outside school, but also the role this approach could play in the achievement of other educational goals, such as the improvement of student's reading abilities in Portuguese as a mother tongue. This movement reached its climax with the publication of the Brazilian National Curricular Parameters (PCN) for the teaching of foreign languages at basic education level by the end of the 1990s. The document recommended the focus on the teaching of reading within a view of language as discourse. However, it did not close the door on the teaching of any other skill, as long as the context made it possible and relevant. Another important characteristic of the Parameters that should not be overlooked is their emphasis on teacher's autonomy. This emphasis can be seen clearly in the fact that no content or method is imposed upon the teachers. What one can find are suggestions and relevant information for teachers to make their own decisions, taking into consideration the context within which they work. In other words, the Parameters do not force any teacher to limit their focus on the teaching of reading, if they believe they can go further than that. To be or not to be: professional identities and beliefs When asked why they were against the focus on reading, most teachers who take this position, told me that they considered the teaching of reading to be "not enough". Most of them also added that if the teaching of reading was designed to fit a context where one cannot effectively teach the oral skills, then we should not adapt ourselves to that context, but rather demand the improvements that would make more feasible the teaching of the so-called four skills. Let us consider these statements more closely. The first one is about quantity, that is, by teaching "only" the reading skill, the teacher would be denying her/his students the opportunity for learning all the other skills. They would be denied the opportunity for learning to speak English, which is, after all, assumed to be the real goal of teaching English as a Foreign Language (EFL). Reasonable and democratic as it may seem, such an argument fails to take into consideration at least one extremely relevant issue: the fact that in Brazil there are virtually no reports of successful teaching of the four skills in contexts other than the private language institutes. Before the mid-1980s, several different attempts were made to make ELT work out at regular schools, but only those which completely changed the characteristics of the classes (making them look almost exactly like the small, homogeneous classes of the private institutes) were able to achieve some (questionable) level of success. In other words, the integrative approach to ELT, with its claim of teaching the four skills, focusing especially on the oral skills, has never been successful in our regular schools, including most of the private ones, with very few exceptions. If that is indeed the case, then it makes very little sense to speak of giving our students more or less of something that they never really had. And even if we are to speak in such terms, then it is extremely clear (at least for those who tried it) that the communicative teaching of one skill is definitely better (and more) than the pantomime of allegedly teaching the four skills, which was never successful in the context of Brazilian schools. Where do we go from here? Any attempt to establish new policies for the teaching of EFL at Brazilian regular schools should start with the recognition that the PCN were a very important step towards meaningful foreign language education in this context. Without such recognition, there will always be the suspicion that the old beliefs connected to the professional identity of the teacher as an instructor are coming back. Surely, we do not want to teach only reading forever. But sound attempts to go forward in enhancing the relevance of our teaching should start with the discussion of the three groups of reasons that justified the propositions of the PCN. The focus on reading was considered the most adequate for the majority of our schools because of practical considerations about our working conditions, social relevance, and educational relevance. As far as practical conditions and educational relevance are concerned, virtually no major change has occurred in order to justify reframing our teaching. However, in what concerns social relevance, it is undeniable that the growth of the Internet has provided a new context for the use of the English language outside schools. For that reason, it is my belief that skills other than reading may now be taught in our classes without representing a return to a rationale that is alien to our schools. The teaching of writing in the context of Internet genres and practices is definitely necessary, if we want our students to have their own voice, becoming able to project their own local identities in global contexts. Adapted from: ALMEIDA, Ricardo Luiz Teixeira de. Scielo Brazil – Revista Brasileira de Linguística Aplicada - https://www.scielo.br/j/rbla/a/ nNz3Jtj85xmms8MnNfwRpMn/?lang=en. Accessed: 05/02/2024.

TEXT: Flipped learning – could it work for you? Exploring the benefits, challenges and tips for success By Stephanie Hirschman October 2, 2023 Flipped learning is very much a buzz word these days, and it’s worth thinking about whether this approach is suitable for your lessons. It’s quite easy to define: whereas a more traditional model of teaching involves some sort of initial input (for example a lecture or demonstration) followed by some sort of related output (for example a discussion or experiment) with some homework to follow, in flipped learning, this order is disrupted. Students do their homework before the class meets by watching a recorded lecture or video or reading an article. This enables them to spend the lesson time on activities which make a more significant contribution to their deep understanding and mastery of important ideas, for example, discussion, roleplay or presentations. It sits well within blended learning as the pre-lesson homework is likely to be accessed online, while the class activities are conducted face-to-face. Why is it important? Flipped learning makes good use of technology, allowing students to approach the input at their own level. Some may need to view a video several times more than would be possible in a group classroom setting, with frequent pauses and rewinding to ensure that they have recognized the main points. It’s also possible for students to explore other aspects of a topic, either using further links that the teacher provides, or finding other relevant resources to explore on their own. Finally, they can do the work when and where they wish, and even make use of otherwise “dead” time, like waiting for a bus. How relevant is it for English language teaching (ELT)? It’s important to recognize that flipped learning was not developed with ELT contexts in mind. In a language lesson, we may find students reading a text about, say, major infrastructure projects, but this content is merely a vehicle for some other language point like expressing high numbers or making comparisons. During a conventional English lesson, the teacher would be guiding students through the text, encouraging prediction and other strategies and setting achievable reading or listening tasks to check basic understanding, before introducing key language points in a staged presentation. This would be followed by controlled practice and freer production. It’s not easy to see how this pattern of brief but meaningful interactive activities maps onto flipped learning. ELT texts, even at advanced levels, tend to be too short to be worth exploring in depth, unlike a 30-minute lecture or video thatstudents of other subjects may be watching. Of course, it could be argued that the true content of the lesson, ie the language point, could be the subject of flipped learning, with students watching a presentation on this subject before the class meets. However, this removes the language point from an engaging and meaningful context and furthermore, working alone robs students of the opportunity to ask questions and discuss emergent ideas about meaning, which are key elements of communicative learning. Tips for success Nonetheless, it is possible to flip an ELT classroom, with some adjustments: 1. Flipped learning would suit certain types of ELT which are heavily content based, like CLIL or Business. Mature students are more likely to have the motivation required to implement this approach sensibly. 2. It makes sense to devote the final stages of a lesson to introducing the content that students will explore independently before the next class meeting. This should include a justification of why the content was chosen, how students should approach it and how they can check their understanding. Providing some comprehension questions is a minimum. If answers aren’t furnished, the next class meeting could open with an activity to discuss and check these. 3. The teacher must provide an easy and reliable way for students to access the content, for example via an online learning system. 4. It’s reasonable to expect that students will require training and a settling-in period, as they come to terms with the demands of the new system. It could even be worth trialing the routine during a face-to-face lesson, with students accessing content on their phones or laptops, and with some reminders about how to approach a reading text (for example skimming and scanning) or how to make good use of technology to ensure effective listening (for example, rewinding, user slower speed settings or making use of a tape script). 5. Because of the investment required in learner training, flipped learning will be tricky to implement in programs with continuous enrolment. It’s far more suitable for a setting with a termly or yearly intake date. 6. Even when the system is up and running, there will probably always be a number of students who have not prepared adequately for the lesson. This will affect how successful follow-up activities are and the teacher needs some strategies in place to address this. Available in: https://linguahouse.com/blog/post/flipped-learning-could-it-work-for-you Acesso: 17/10/2024

Crazy Horse Crazy Horse (Tasunke Witko, 1840-1877) was an Oglala Lakota Sioux warrior and warband leader considered among the greatest defenders of Sioux lands against the forces of the US government in the 19th century. He is one of the most famous Native American figures in history and among the Sioux's most honored heroes. Although he is often referred to as a "chief", Crazy Horse was actually a "Shirt Wearer" – a kind of "subchief" – who carried out the decisions of the council and also served as a war chief of a given band of warriors. Even so, Crazy Horse inspired such devotion in his followers that he was regarded as a "chief" and is referenced as such by others. His name, Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse), is accurately translated as "His Crazy Horse" or "His Horse is Crazy" and was his father's and grandfather's name, seemingly referencing a horse that behaved erratically. According to Black Elk, however, the name correlated to Crazy Horse's famous vision in which he saw his horse dancing as though "made only of shadow" in a strange or "crazy" way. Crazy Horse dedicated himself to opposing the US military as early as 1854 following the Grattan Fight (Grattan Massacre) and the subsequent massacre of Little Thunder's camp in 1855 by Colonel William S. Harney. He continued his resistance over the next eleven years and was named a "Shirt Wearer" in 1865. He fought in the Battle of Plate River Bridge (1865), Red Cloud's War (1866-1868), the Battle of the Rosebud (1876), and the Battle of the Little Bighorn (1876). His last full-scale engagement with US forces was the Battle of Wolf Mountain in January 1877. World History Encyclopedia. Adaptation.

Maya Angelou (1928-2014) had a broad and distinguished career both inside and outside the literary realm. She is most famous for her work as a poet, memoirist, and civil rights activist, working with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X. She also worked in entertainment as a singer, a dancer, an actor, and a director. Her poetry was inspired and informed by her life and work, and this personal connection made her poems profound and powerful. Over the course of a career spanning the 1960s to her death in 2014, she captured, provoked, inspired, and ultimately transformed American people and culture. Internet: (adapted).

Instruction: answer questions 31 to 40 based on the following text. The highlights throughout the text are cited in the questions. Carnival ______ Carnival is ____ festival celebrated in _____countries of Catholic tradition, often with public parades of playful, imaginative wagons typically called "floats, masking, jokes and feasts”. Etymology The word carnival comes from the Latin "carnem levare" (=eliminate meat) and originally indicated the banquet that was held on the last day of Carnival (Mardi Gras), immediately before Lent , the period of fasting and abstinence when Christians would abstain _____ meat. The first evidence of the use of the word "carnevale" (or "carnevalo") are the texts of minstrel Matazone da Caligano of the late 13th century and writer Giovanni Sercambi around 1400. Carnival period In Catholic countries, traditionally Carnival begins on the Septuagesima Sunday (70 days to Easter, it was the first of the nine Sundays before the Holy Week in the Gregorian calendar), and in the Roman rite ends on the Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, which marks the beginning of Lent. The climax is usually from Thursday until Tuesday, the last day of Carnival. Being connected with Easter which is a moveable feast, the final dates of Carnival vary each year, though in some places it may begin already on 17 th January. Since Catholic Easter is on the Sunday after the 17first full moon of spring, therefore from 22 March to 25 April, and since there are 46 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter, then in non-leap years the last day of Carnival, Mardi Gras, can fall any time within February 3 to March 9. In the Ambrosian rite, which is followed in the Archdiocese of Milan and in some neighboring dioceses, Lent begins with the first Sunday of Lent, therefore the last day of Carnival is on Saturday, four days later than the Mardi Gras in other areas of Italy. Carnival in antiquity Although present in the Catholic tradition, Carnival has its origins in much older celebrations, such as the Greek Dionysian festivals ("Anthesteria") or the Roman "Saturnalia". During these ancient rites a temporary dissolution of the social obligations and hierarchies took place in favor of chaos, jokes and even debauchery. From a historical and religious point of view Carnival represented, therefore, a period of renewal, when chaos replaced the established order, but once festive period was over, a new or the old order re-emerged for another cycle until the next carnival. In Babylon , shortly after the vernal equinox the process of the foundation of the cosmos was re-enacted, described with the myth of the struggle of Marduk, the savior-god with Tiamat the dragon, which ended with the victory of the former. During these ceremonies a procession was held in which the forces of chaos were allegorically represented fighting the recreation of the universe, that is the myth of the death and resurrection of Marduk, the savior. In the parade there was a ship on wheels where the deities Moon and Sun were carried along a large avenue - a symbol of the Zodiac - to the sanctuary of Babylon, symbol of the earth. This period was accompanied by an unbridled freedom and a reversal of social order and morality. In the Roman world the feast in honor of the Egyptian goddess Isis involved the presence of masked groups, as told by Lucius Apuleius in the Metamorphoses (Book XI). Among the Romans the end of the old year was represented by a man covered with goat skins, carried in procession, hit with sticks and called Mamurius Veturius. Carnival is therefore a moment in a mythic cycle, it is the movement of spirits between heaven, earth and the underworld. In the spring, when the earth begins to show its power, Carnival opens a passage between the earth and the underworld, whose souls must be honored and for a short period the living lend them their bodies wearing masks. Masks therefore have often an apotropaic meaning, as the wearer takes on the features of the spirit represented. In the 15th and 16th centuries, the Medici in Florence organized large masked carts called "Trionfi" accompanied by carnival songs and dances one, the "Trionfo di Bacco e Arianna" also written by Lorenzo the Magnificent. In Rome under the Popes horse races took place and a called the "race of moccoletti" where runners bearing lit candles tried to blow out each other's candles. (Available at: http://www.italyheritage.com/traditions/carnival/2023/04/14/ – text especially adapted for this test).