Triskaidekaphobia - PAU inglés 2016 Andalucía resuelto

>Exámenes selectividad inglés resueltos Andalucía

The number 13 is synonymous with bad luck. It's considered unlucky to have 13 guests at a dinner party, and most people avoid getting married or buying a house on a day marked by this dreaded number. Especially superstitious folks even avoid driving on Friday the 13th. Our fixation with the number 13 runs deep. Of course, unlucky 13 isn't the only popular superstition that has been linked to the human psyche for decades. We're also beholden to black cats, broken mirrors and umbrellas opened indoors.

Author and psychology professor Stuart Vyse explains that the number 13 has a history of very old references that tend to be associated with groups of 13 people. "At the Last Supper in Christian theology, there were 13 dinner guests, so that number is unlucky because Christ was betrayed... And in Norse mythology, 12 benevolent gods were gathering in a hall and the evil god Loki, the 13th guest, attacked the group and the god Balder was killed".

Although there isn’t any statistical proof to support the superstition that Friday the 13th — or even just the number 13 itself — is unlucky, the fear of the number 13 is so pervasive that it even has a phobia named after it: triskaidekaphobia. Based on this phobia, airlines typically do not have a 13th row, and most tall buildings do not have a 13th floor. However, many triskaidekaphobics, who count author Stephen King and former president Franklin Roosevelt among their ranks, don't need statistical evidence to back up their conviction that the number is truly cursed. As with any superstition, no matter how irrational it may be, some people will still choose to believe in it

RESPUESTAS

I * READING COMPREHENSION

CHOOSE THE CORRECT OPTION (A, B, C or D).

1. According to the text…

• (a) there are no triskaidekaphobics anymore. 
• (b) there are explanations why 13 is an unlucky number. X
• (c) black cats are related to triskaidekaphobia. 
• (d) airlines prevent planes from flying on Friday 13th.

2. Triskaidekaphobics…

• (a) often re-schedule their plans. X
• (b) believe that Roosevelt was truly cursed.
• (c) are concerned about what statistics have to say. 
• (d) know the origins of their apprehension.

ARE THESE STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWERS WITH THE PRECISE WORDS OR PHRASES FROM THE TEXT, OR USE YOUR OWN WORDS. (0.5 points each)

3. People are generally reluctant to celebrate their wedding on a 13th. 

• TRUE. (line 2) “most people avoid getting married or buying a house on a day marked by this dreaded number.”

4. Architects frequently omit a 13th floor from their plans. 

• TRUE. (lines 12-13)“most tall buildings do not have a 13th floor”

5. No data exists to confirm that 13 is an adverse number. 

• TRUE. (lines 10-11) “there isn’t any statistical proof to support the superstition that Friday the 13th — or even just the number 13 itself — is unlucky…”

6. Triskaidekaphobia is a recent phenomenon. 

• FALSE. (line 3) “Our fixation with the number 13 runs deep.”/ (line 4) “unlucky 13 isn't the only popular superstition that has been linked to the human psyche for decades” / (lines 6-7) “Stuart Vyse explains that the number 13 has a history of very old references”.

II * USE OF ENGLISH

7. FIND IN THE TEXT THE WORD WHICH HAS THE FOLLOWING DEFINITION: “preceding in time, prior or earlier”. 

• former (line 13)

8. WHICH WORD DOES NOT HAVE THE SAME MEANING? 

• scared / afraid / frightened / aware

9. GIVE A VERB WITH THE SAME ROOT AS “proof” (noun). 

• prove / disprove

10. FILL IN THE GAP WITH A CORRECT FORM OF THE VERB IN BRACKETS: 

“Rafael Nadal..... (beat) Andy Murray many times”. 

• Rafael Nadal has beaten / beat Andy Murray many times.

11. FILL IN THE GAP WITH THE CORRECT OPTION: 

“Tom admitted ….... the other car the day before”. 

• to hit / to hitting / hit / hitting

12. FIND IN THE TEXT ONE SYNONYM FOR “support” (verb) 

• base (line 12) / back up (line 14)

13. JOIN THE SENTENCES USING A RELATIVE. MAKE CHANGES IF NECESSARY. 

Kate won the tennis match. She was playing against my sister. 

• Kate, who was playing against my sister, won the tennis match. 
• Kate, who won the tennis match, was playing against my sister.

14. GIVE A QUESTION FOR THE UNDERLINED WORDS: 

The number 13 is synonymous with bad luck. 

• What is the number 13 synonymous with?

15. REWRITE THE SENTENCE WITHOUT CHANGING ITS MEANING. BEGIN AS INDICATED:
He isn’t as noisy as his brothers. His brothers are………. 

• His brothers are noisier than him / than he is.

16. USE THE WORDS IN THE BOXES TO MAKE A MEANINGFUL SENTENCE. USE ALL AND ONLY THE WORDS IN THE BOXES WITHOUT CHANGING THEIR FORM: 

listened    if     you    to    I   only    had

• If only I had listened to you.

17. COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING CONDITIONAL SENTENCE: 

• Unless I am really lucky,… I won’t get the job / I won’t pass the exam (…)

III * PRODUCTION

18. WRITE A COMPOSITION OF APPROXIMATELY 120 WORDS ABOUT THE TOPIC PROPOSED. YOU MUST FOCUS STRICTLY ON IT:

• What do you think about superstitions? Discuss.

+EXÁMENES RESUELTOS