Questões de Inglês

........ September 11, 2001, at 8:46 A.M., a  

hijacked airliner crashed into the north tower  

of the World Trade Center in New York. At  

9:03 A.M. a second plane crashed into the  

[5] south tower. The resulting infernos caused  

the buildings to collapse, the south tower  

after burning for an hour and two minutes, the  

north tower twenty-three minutes after  

that. The attacks were masterminded by 

[10] Osama bin Laden in an attempt to intimidate  

the United States and unite Muslims for a  

restoration of the caliphate. 

9/11, as the happenings of that day are now  

called, has set off debates on a vast array of  

[15] topics. But I would like to explore a lesser-

known debate triggered by it. Exactly how 

many events took place in New York on that  

morning ........ September? 

It could be argued that the answer is one.  

[20] The attacks on the two buildings were part of  

a single plan conceived by one man in service  

of a single agenda. They unfolded ........ a few  

minutes and yards of each other, targeting  

the parts of a complex with a single name,  

[25] design, and owner. And they launched a  

single chain of military and political events in  

their aftermath. 

Or it could be argued that the answer is two.  

The towers were distinct collections of glass  

[30] and steel separated by an expanse of space,  

and they were hit at different times and went  

out of existence at different times. The  

amateur video that showed the second plane  

closing in on the south tower as the north  

[35] tower billowed with smoke makes the twoness  

unmistakable: while one event was frozen in  

the past, the other loomed in the future.  

The gravity of 9/11 would seem to make this  

discussion frivolous to the point of impudence,  

[40] a matter of mere "semantics," as we say, with  

its implication of splitting hairs. But the  

relation of language to our inner and outer  

worlds is a matter of intellectual fascination  

and real-world importance. 

[45] ______ "importance" is often hard to  

quantify, ........ this case I can put an exact  

value on it: 3,5 billion dollars. That was the  

sum in a legal dispute for the insurance  

payout to Larry Silverstein, the leaseholder of  

[50] the World Trade Center site. Silverstein’s 

insurance policies stipulated a maximum  

reimbursement for each destructive "event."  

If 9/11 comprised a single event, he stood to  

receive 3,5 billion dollars; if two, he stood to  

[55] receive 7 billion. In the trials, the attorneys  

disputed the applicable meaning of the term  

event. The lawyers for the leaseholder defined  

it in physical terms (two collapses); those for  

the insurance companies defined it in mental  

[60] terms (one plot). There is nothing "mere"  

about semantics! 

Adapted from: PINKER, Steven. The Stuff of Thought. New York: Penguin, 2007. p. 1-2.  

Which of the alternatives below could replace the phrase closing in on (l. 34) as used in the text?

........ September 11, 2001, at 8:46 A.M., a  

hijacked airliner crashed into the north tower  

of the World Trade Center in New York. At  

9:03 A.M. a second plane crashed into the  

[5] south tower. The resulting infernos caused  

the buildings to collapse, the south tower  

after burning for an hour and two minutes, the  

north tower twenty-three minutes after  

that. The attacks were masterminded by 

[10] Osama bin Laden in an attempt to intimidate  

the United States and unite Muslims for a  

restoration of the caliphate. 

9/11, as the happenings of that day are now  

called, has set off debates on a vast array of  

[15] topics. But I would like to explore a lesser-

known debate triggered by it. Exactly how 

many events took place in New York on that  

morning ........ September? 

It could be argued that the answer is one.  

[20] The attacks on the two buildings were part of  

a single plan conceived by one man in service  

of a single agenda. They unfolded ........ a few  

minutes and yards of each other, targeting  

the parts of a complex with a single name,  

[25] design, and owner. And they launched a  

single chain of military and political events in  

their aftermath. 

Or it could be argued that the answer is two.  

The towers were distinct collections of glass  

[30] and steel separated by an expanse of space,  

and they were hit at different times and went  

out of existence at different times. The  

amateur video that showed the second plane  

closing in on the south tower as the north  

[35] tower billowed with smoke makes the twoness  

unmistakable: while one event was frozen in  

the past, the other loomed in the future.  

The gravity of 9/11 would seem to make this  

discussion frivolous to the point of impudence,  

[40] a matter of mere "semantics," as we say, with  

its implication of splitting hairs. But the  

relation of language to our inner and outer  

worlds is a matter of intellectual fascination  

and real-world importance. 

[45] ______ "importance" is often hard to  

quantify, ........ this case I can put an exact  

value on it: 3,5 billion dollars. That was the  

sum in a legal dispute for the insurance  

payout to Larry Silverstein, the leaseholder of  

[50] the World Trade Center site. Silverstein’s 

insurance policies stipulated a maximum  

reimbursement for each destructive "event."  

If 9/11 comprised a single event, he stood to  

receive 3,5 billion dollars; if two, he stood to  

[55] receive 7 billion. In the trials, the attorneys  

disputed the applicable meaning of the term  

event. The lawyers for the leaseholder defined  

it in physical terms (two collapses); those for  

the insurance companies defined it in mental  

[60] terms (one plot). There is nothing "mere"  

about semantics! 

Adapted from: PINKER, Steven. The Stuff of Thought. New York: Penguin, 2007. p. 1-2.  

Consider the following propositions for rephrasing the clause It could be argued that the answer is one (l. 19).

I - One might argue that the answer is one.

II - You could say that the answer is one.

III- They should argue that the answer is one.

If applied to the text, which ones would be correct and keep the literal meaning? 

........ September 11, 2001, at 8:46 A.M., a  

hijacked airliner crashed into the north tower  

of the World Trade Center in New York. At  

9:03 A.M. a second plane crashed into the  

[5] south tower. The resulting infernos caused  

the buildings to collapse, the south tower  

after burning for an hour and two minutes, the  

north tower twenty-three minutes after  

that. The attacks were masterminded by 

[10] Osama bin Laden in an attempt to intimidate  

the United States and unite Muslims for a  

restoration of the caliphate. 

9/11, as the happenings of that day are now  

called, has set off debates on a vast array of  

[15] topics. But I would like to explore a lesser-

known debate triggered by it. Exactly how 

many events took place in New York on that  

morning ........ September? 

It could be argued that the answer is one.  

[20] The attacks on the two buildings were part of  

a single plan conceived by one man in service  

of a single agenda. They unfolded ........ a few  

minutes and yards of each other, targeting  

the parts of a complex with a single name,  

[25] design, and owner. And they launched a  

single chain of military and political events in  

their aftermath. 

Or it could be argued that the answer is two.  

The towers were distinct collections of glass  

[30] and steel separated by an expanse of space,  

and they were hit at different times and went  

out of existence at different times. The  

amateur video that showed the second plane  

closing in on the south tower as the north  

[35] tower billowed with smoke makes the twoness  

unmistakable: while one event was frozen in  

the past, the other loomed in the future.  

The gravity of 9/11 would seem to make this  

discussion frivolous to the point of impudence,  

[40] a matter of mere "semantics," as we say, with  

its implication of splitting hairs. But the  

relation of language to our inner and outer  

worlds is a matter of intellectual fascination  

and real-world importance. 

[45] ______ "importance" is often hard to  

quantify, ........ this case I can put an exact  

value on it: 3,5 billion dollars. That was the  

sum in a legal dispute for the insurance  

payout to Larry Silverstein, the leaseholder of  

[50] the World Trade Center site. Silverstein’s 

insurance policies stipulated a maximum  

reimbursement for each destructive "event."  

If 9/11 comprised a single event, he stood to  

receive 3,5 billion dollars; if two, he stood to  

[55] receive 7 billion. In the trials, the attorneys  

disputed the applicable meaning of the term  

event. The lawyers for the leaseholder defined  

it in physical terms (two collapses); those for  

the insurance companies defined it in mental  

[60] terms (one plot). There is nothing "mere"  

about semantics! 

Adapted from: PINKER, Steven. The Stuff of Thought. New York: Penguin, 2007. p. 1-2.  

Consider the following propositions for rephrasing the fragment of sentence the south tower after burning for an hour and two minutes (l. 06-07).

I - the south tower after having been burning for an hour and two minutes

II - the south tower after it was burning for an hour and two minutes

III- the south tower after it had been burning for an hour and two minutes

If applied to the text, which ones would be correct and keep the literal meaning?

........ September 11, 2001, at 8:46 A.M., a  

hijacked airliner crashed into the north tower  

of the World Trade Center in New York. At  

9:03 A.M. a second plane crashed into the  

[5] south tower. The resulting infernos caused  

the buildings to collapse, the south tower  

after burning for an hour and two minutes, the  

north tower twenty-three minutes after  

that. The attacks were masterminded by 

[10] Osama bin Laden in an attempt to intimidate  

the United States and unite Muslims for a  

restoration of the caliphate. 

9/11, as the happenings of that day are now  

called, has set off debates on a vast array of  

[15] topics. But I would like to explore a lesser-

known debate triggered by it. Exactly how 

many events took place in New York on that  

morning ........ September? 

It could be argued that the answer is one.  

[20] The attacks on the two buildings were part of  

a single plan conceived by one man in service  

of a single agenda. They unfolded ........ a few  

minutes and yards of each other, targeting  

the parts of a complex with a single name,  

[25] design, and owner. And they launched a  

single chain of military and political events in  

their aftermath. 

Or it could be argued that the answer is two.  

The towers were distinct collections of glass  

[30] and steel separated by an expanse of space,  

and they were hit at different times and went  

out of existence at different times. The  

amateur video that showed the second plane  

closing in on the south tower as the north  

[35] tower billowed with smoke makes the twoness  

unmistakable: while one event was frozen in  

the past, the other loomed in the future.  

The gravity of 9/11 would seem to make this  

discussion frivolous to the point of impudence,  

[40] a matter of mere "semantics," as we say, with  

its implication of splitting hairs. But the  

relation of language to our inner and outer  

worlds is a matter of intellectual fascination  

and real-world importance. 

[45] ______ "importance" is often hard to  

quantify, ........ this case I can put an exact  

value on it: 3,5 billion dollars. That was the  

sum in a legal dispute for the insurance  

payout to Larry Silverstein, the leaseholder of  

[50] the World Trade Center site. Silverstein’s 

insurance policies stipulated a maximum  

reimbursement for each destructive "event."  

If 9/11 comprised a single event, he stood to  

receive 3,5 billion dollars; if two, he stood to  

[55] receive 7 billion. In the trials, the attorneys  

disputed the applicable meaning of the term  

event. The lawyers for the leaseholder defined  

it in physical terms (two collapses); those for  

the insurance companies defined it in mental  

[60] terms (one plot). There is nothing "mere"  

about semantics! 

Adapted from: PINKER, Steven. The Stuff of Thought. New York: Penguin, 2007. p. 1-2.  

Mark the statements below T (true) or F (false) according to the text.

( ) The semantic conflict between our inner and outer worlds frames the thesis of the text.

( ) Semantics provides undisputed evidence to the claim that 9/11 comprised two events.

( ) The author suggests that the amounts insured determine the importance of 9/11 as an event.

( ) The legal dispute ensuing 9/11 aimed to determine either the oneness or the twoness of the event.

The correct sequence of filling in the parentheses, from top to bottom, is

........ September 11, 2001, at 8:46 A.M., a  

hijacked airliner crashed into the north tower  

of the World Trade Center in New York. At  

9:03 A.M. a second plane crashed into the  

[5] south tower. The resulting infernos caused  

the buildings to collapse, the south tower  

after burning for an hour and two minutes, the  

north tower twenty-three minutes after  

that. The attacks were masterminded by 

[10] Osama bin Laden in an attempt to intimidate  

the United States and unite Muslims for a  

restoration of the caliphate. 

9/11, as the happenings of that day are now  

called, has set off debates on a vast array of  

[15] topics. But I would like to explore a lesser-

known debate triggered by it. Exactly how 

many events took place in New York on that  

morning ........ September? 

It could be argued that the answer is one.  

[20] The attacks on the two buildings were part of  

a single plan conceived by one man in service  

of a single agenda. They unfolded ........ a few  

minutes and yards of each other, targeting  

the parts of a complex with a single name,  

[25] design, and owner. And they launched a  

single chain of military and political events in  

their aftermath. 

Or it could be argued that the answer is two.  

The towers were distinct collections of glass  

[30] and steel separated by an expanse of space,  

and they were hit at different times and went  

out of existence at different times. The  

amateur video that showed the second plane  

closing in on the south tower as the north  

[35] tower billowed with smoke makes the twoness  

unmistakable: while one event was frozen in  

the past, the other loomed in the future.  

The gravity of 9/11 would seem to make this  

discussion frivolous to the point of impudence,  

[40] a matter of mere "semantics," as we say, with  

its implication of splitting hairs. But the  

relation of language to our inner and outer  

worlds is a matter of intellectual fascination  

and real-world importance. 

[45] ______ "importance" is often hard to  

quantify, ........ this case I can put an exact  

value on it: 3,5 billion dollars. That was the  

sum in a legal dispute for the insurance  

payout to Larry Silverstein, the leaseholder of  

[50] the World Trade Center site. Silverstein’s 

insurance policies stipulated a maximum  

reimbursement for each destructive "event."  

If 9/11 comprised a single event, he stood to  

receive 3,5 billion dollars; if two, he stood to  

[55] receive 7 billion. In the trials, the attorneys  

disputed the applicable meaning of the term  

event. The lawyers for the leaseholder defined  

it in physical terms (two collapses); those for  

the insurance companies defined it in mental  

[60] terms (one plot). There is nothing "mere"  

about semantics! 

Adapted from: PINKER, Steven. The Stuff of Thought. New York: Penguin, 2007. p. 1-2.  

Consider the following statements about the text.

I - To take 9/11 as a single event ensues not only a smaller reimbursement from the insurance company, but also the acknowledgement of Osama bin Laden as the mastermind of the terrorist attacks.

II - Larry Silverstein’s attorneys’ attempt to pin 9/11 as two events so as to collect twice as much the insurance reimbursement verges on impudence, since it gives way to frivolous discussions concerning a catastrophe.

III- The text states that there is nothing simple about semantics because the meaning of the words we use to encompass reality are neither fixed nor unchanging, which allows several valid interpretations.

Which ones are correct according to the text?

........ September 11, 2001, at 8:46 A.M., a  

hijacked airliner crashed into the north tower  

of the World Trade Center in New York. At  

9:03 A.M. a second plane crashed into the  

[5] south tower. The resulting infernos caused  

the buildings to collapse, the south tower  

after burning for an hour and two minutes, the  

north tower twenty-three minutes after  

that. The attacks were masterminded by 

[10] Osama bin Laden in an attempt to intimidate  

the United States and unite Muslims for a  

restoration of the caliphate. 

9/11, as the happenings of that day are now  

called, has set off debates on a vast array of  

[15] topics. But I would like to explore a lesser-

known debate triggered by it. Exactly how 

many events took place in New York on that  

morning ........ September? 

It could be argued that the answer is one.  

[20] The attacks on the two buildings were part of  

a single plan conceived by one man in service  

of a single agenda. They unfolded ........ a few  

minutes and yards of each other, targeting  

the parts of a complex with a single name,  

[25] design, and owner. And they launched a  

single chain of military and political events in  

their aftermath. 

Or it could be argued that the answer is two.  

The towers were distinct collections of glass  

[30] and steel separated by an expanse of space,  

and they were hit at different times and went  

out of existence at different times. The  

amateur video that showed the second plane  

closing in on the south tower as the north  

[35] tower billowed with smoke makes the twoness  

unmistakable: while one event was frozen in  

the past, the other loomed in the future.  

The gravity of 9/11 would seem to make this  

discussion frivolous to the point of impudence,  

[40] a matter of mere "semantics," as we say, with  

its implication of splitting hairs. But the  

relation of language to our inner and outer  

worlds is a matter of intellectual fascination  

and real-world importance. 

[45] ______ "importance" is often hard to  

quantify, ........ this case I can put an exact  

value on it: 3,5 billion dollars. That was the  

sum in a legal dispute for the insurance  

payout to Larry Silverstein, the leaseholder of  

[50] the World Trade Center site. Silverstein’s 

insurance policies stipulated a maximum  

reimbursement for each destructive "event."  

If 9/11 comprised a single event, he stood to  

receive 3,5 billion dollars; if two, he stood to  

[55] receive 7 billion. In the trials, the attorneys  

disputed the applicable meaning of the term  

event. The lawyers for the leaseholder defined  

it in physical terms (two collapses); those for  

the insurance companies defined it in mental  

[60] terms (one plot). There is nothing "mere"  

about semantics! 

Adapted from: PINKER, Steven. The Stuff of Thought. New York: Penguin, 2007. p. 1-2.  

Select the alternative that adequately fills in the gap in line 45.