maximising children 2007 (Selectividad test)

UNIVERSIDADES DE ANDALUCÍA
PRUEBA DE ACCESO A LA UNIVERSIDAD
ANÁLISIS DE TEXTO EN
LENGUA EXTRANJERA
(INGLÉS)
Instrucciones: a) Duración: Una hora y treinta minutos.
b) No se puede usar diccionario.
c) La puntuación de cada pregunta está indicada en las mismas..

“MAXIMISING” CHILDREN

Are you enrolling your small children in a violin course? Do you somehow add ballet, drama, and judo to football and
English lessons? The great news is that this will all make your children do better in school! Well, it might or it might not. It
may turn them into exhausted, disciplined automatons or it may block their imaginations, and leave them no time to
themselves.
If only middle-class parents would stop trying to maximise their children! Children don’t have 5 to be accomplished
violinists or athletics champions or black-belt karate kids. Why can’t they just have fun?
Certain enjoyable activities are very difficult to pick up as an adult, and these are worth learning when young.
Playing an instrument is one; skiing (if you can afford it) is another. But it is pointless to push children where they don’t
want to go. And you wonder: do all these children really want to be stars, or is it their parents’ ambition for them?
10 A child’s chances of success in life are determined mainly by its innate ability. There is not much you can do about
that. Mozarts are born, not made. A certain amount of application helps, particularly in secondary school. Beyond that, a
happy, loving and accepting family providing emotional stability is about all children really need.

(A) COMPREHENSION (4 points)

a) ANSWER QUESTIONS 1-2 ACCORDING TO THE INFORMATION GIVEN IN THE TEXT. USE YOUR OWN
WORDS. (1 point per answer)
1) Why are many children so busy?
2) Do these courses provide everything children need to succeed? Why?
b) ARE THESE STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWERS WITH THE PRECISE WORDS OR
PHRASES FROM THE TEXT. (0.5 points per answer)
3) Enrolling in different types of courses only has negative consequences for children.
4) Children learn more easily than adults.
5) It is useful to consider children’s opinion rather than compelling them to register for extra activities.
6) Innate abilities are necessary to become masters in most fields.

(B) USE OF ENGLISH (3 points)

7) Find in the text one synonym for ROBOT (noun) (0.25 points)
8) Find in the text the word which has the following definition:
“highly trained or skilled” (adjective) (0.25 points)
9) Give one opposite for ENJOYABLE (adjective) (line 7) (0.25 points)
10) Give a noun with the same root as ACCEPT (verb) (line 12) (0.25 points)
11) Fill in the gap with a correct form of the verb in brackets.
Those trees (grow) ___________ so high that they block the view. (0.5 points)
12) Join the following sentences using an appropriate linker (do not use AND or BUT). Make changes if necessary.
I was determined to develop my natural talent for music. I started to take lessons at an academy.
13) Complete the following conditional sentence.
If Mary had shown real passion for ballet,… (0.5 points)
14) Give a question for the underlined word:
It took Mozart only eighteen days to compose his last opera. (0.5 points)

(C) PRODUCTION (3 points)

15) WRITE A COMPOSITION (80-100 WORDS). CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS. SPECIFY
YOUR OPTION.
a) What’s your parents’ attitude regarding extracurricular activities?
b) What famous people do you consider geniuses? Why?

+KEYS (IN CAPITALS)

UNIVERSIDADES DE ANDALUCÍA
PRUEBA DE ACCESO A LA UNIVERSIDAD
ANÁLISIS DE TEXTO EN
LENGUA EXTRANJERA
(INGLÉS)
Instrucciones: MUY IMPORTANTE: por favor, aténgase a los criterios de corrección redactados por la
Ponencia de Inglés de Andalucía.
KEY TO “MAXIMISING’ PARENTS”
(A) COMPREHENSION (4 points)
a) ANSWER QUESTIONS 1-2 ACCORDING TO THE INFORMATION GIVEN IN THE TEXT. USE YOUR OWN
WORDS. (1 point per answer)
1) Why are many children so busy?
BECAUSE PARENTS ENROLL THEM IN MANY EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIES WHERE THEY SPEND A
LOT OF TIME.
2) Do these courses provide everything children need to succeed? Why?
NO THEY DON’T. BECAUSE THEY ALSO NEED LOVE AND AFFECTION PLUS SOME INNATE ABILITY.
b) ARE THESE STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWERS WITH THE PRECISE WORDS OR
PHRASES FROM THE TEXT. (0.5 points per answer)
3) Enrolling in many courses only has negative consequences for children.
FALSE: THIS WILL ALL MAKE YOUR CHILDREN DO BETTER IN SCHOOL! WELL, IT MIGHT OR IT MIGHT
NOT. (line 2)
4) Children learn more easily than adults..
TRUE: CERTAIN ENJOYABLE ACTIVITIES ARE VERY DIFFICULT TO PICK UP AS AN ADULT, AND THESE
ARE WORTH LEARNING WHEN YOUNG. (line 7).
5) It is useful to consider children’s opinions rather than forcing them to register for extra activities.
TRUE: IT IS POINTLESS TO PUSH CHILDREN WHERE THEY DON’T WANT TO GO. (lines 8-9).
6) Innate abilities are necessary to become masters in most fields.
TRUE: MOZARTS ARE BORN, NOT MADE. (line 11).
(B) USE OF ENGLISH (3 points)
7) Find in the text one synonym for ROBOT (noun) AUTOMATON(S) (line 3) (0.25 points)
8) Find in the text the word which has the following definition:
“highly trained or skilled” (adjective) ACCOMPLISHED (line 5) (0.25 points)
9) Give one opposite for ENJOYABLE (adjective) (line 7).
DISGUSTING, AWFUL, BORING, UNPLEASANT. (0.25 points)
10) Give a noun with the same root as ACCEPT (verb) (line 12) ACCEPTANCE. (0.25 points)
11) Fill in the gap with a correct form of the verb in brackets.
Those trees (grow) GREW / HAVE GROWN so high that they block the view. (0.5 points)
12) Join the following sentences using an appropriate linker (do not use AND or BUT). Make changes (0.5 points)
if necessary.
I was determined to develop my natural talent for music. I started to take lessons at an academy.
SINCE / AS / BECAUSE I WAS DETERMINED TO DEVELOP MY NATURAL TALENT FOR MUSIC, (SO) I
STARTED TO TAKE LESSONS AT AN ACADEMY.
13) Complete the following conditional sentence.
If Mary had shown real passion for ballet, SHE WOULD HAPPILY HAVE GONE ALONG WITH IT. (0.5 points)
14) Give a question for the underlined word:
“It took Mozart only eighteen days to compose his last opera.”
HOW LONG DID MOZART TAKE TO COMPOSE HIS LAST OPERA? (0.5 points)
HOW LONG DID IT TAKE HIM/ MOZART TO COMPOSE HIS LAST OPERA? (0.5 points)