According to the text, stress
Read the text below and answer following four
questions according to it.
How stress affects your health
Stress: We've all felt it. Sometimes stress can be a positive
force, motivating you to perform well at your piano recital or
job interview. But often — like when you're stuck in traffic —
it's a negative force. If you experience stress over a
prolonged period of time, it could become chronic — unless
you take action.
Even short-lived, minor stress can have an impact. You
might get a stomach-ache before you have to give a
presentation, for example. More major acute stress, whether
caused by a fight with your spouse or an event like an
earthquake or terrorist attack, can have an even bigger
impact.
Multiple studies have shown that these sudden emotional
stresses — especially anger — can trigger heart attacks,
arrhythmias and even sudden death.
When stress starts interfering with your ability to live a
normal life for an extended period, it becomes even more
dangerous. The longer the stress lasts, the worse it is for
both your mind and body. You might feel fatigued, unable to
concentrate or irritable for no good reason, for example. But
chronic stress causes wear and tear on your body, too.
Stress can make existing problems worse. In one study, for
example, about half the participants saw improvements in
chronic headaches after learning how to stop the stressproducing habit of “catastrophizing,” or constantly thinking
negative thoughts about their pain. Chronic stress may also
cause disease, either because of changes in your body or
the overeating, smoking and other bad habits people use to
cope with stress. Other forms of chronic stress, such as
depression and low levels of social support, have also been
implicated in increased cardiovascular risk. And once you're
sick, stress can also make it harder to recover. One analysis
of past studies, for instance, suggests that cardiac patients
with so-called “Type D” personalities — characterized by
chronic distress — face higher risks of bad outcomes.
Adaptado de: <http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/stress.aspx>
Acessado em 01 de maio de 2015.
Read the text below and answer following four
questions according to it.
How stress affects your health
Stress: We've all felt it. Sometimes stress can be a positive force, motivating you to perform well at your piano recital or job interview. But often — like when you're stuck in traffic — it's a negative force. If you experience stress over a prolonged period of time, it could become chronic — unless you take action.
Even short-lived, minor stress can have an impact. You might get a stomach-ache before you have to give a presentation, for example. More major acute stress, whether caused by a fight with your spouse or an event like an earthquake or terrorist attack, can have an even bigger impact.
Multiple studies have shown that these sudden emotional stresses — especially anger — can trigger heart attacks, arrhythmias and even sudden death.
When stress starts interfering with your ability to live a normal life for an extended period, it becomes even more dangerous. The longer the stress lasts, the worse it is for both your mind and body. You might feel fatigued, unable to concentrate or irritable for no good reason, for example. But chronic stress causes wear and tear on your body, too.
Stress can make existing problems worse. In one study, for example, about half the participants saw improvements in chronic headaches after learning how to stop the stressproducing habit of “catastrophizing,” or constantly thinking negative thoughts about their pain. Chronic stress may also cause disease, either because of changes in your body or the overeating, smoking and other bad habits people use to cope with stress. Other forms of chronic stress, such as depression and low levels of social support, have also been implicated in increased cardiovascular risk. And once you're sick, stress can also make it harder to recover. One analysis of past studies, for instance, suggests that cardiac patients with so-called “Type D” personalities — characterized by chronic distress — face higher risks of bad outcomes.
Adaptado de: <http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/stress.aspx>
Gabarito comentado
Tema central da questão:
O tema central é a interpretação de texto (reading comprehension), com foco em perceber como o estresse pode afetar a saúde das pessoas de maneiras diversas.
Conceitos essenciais:
O texto explora tanto os efeitos positivos (motivação) quanto negativos (problemas de saúde) do estresse. O domínio do skimming – leitura geral para captar a ideia principal – é fundamental aqui. Já o scanning serve para localizar exemplos específicos (como impactos emocionais, físicos e comportamentais descritos no texto).
Justificativa da alternativa correta (C):
A alternativa C ("might actually affect a person in different ways") está correta porque o texto deixa claro que o estresse pode ser tanto benéfico (ao motivar) quanto prejudicial (ao causar doenças físicas e problemas emocionais/psicológicos). Veja:
- Trechos relevantes: “Sometimes stress can be a positive force... But often... it’s a negative force” e “Even short-lived, minor stress can have an impact.”
Assim, o estresse pode afetar uma pessoa de formas diferentes, positiva ou negativamente – que é a resposta central pedida na questão.
Análise das alternativas incorretas:
- A) “may have never been felt by a person.” — Errado. O texto afirma “We’ve all felt it.”, ou seja, todos já sentiram estresse.
- B) “will steadily have a positive force...” — Errado. O texto ressalta tanto aspectos positivos quanto negativos, não sendo sempre positivo.
- D) “should keep someone from acting angrily in traffic.” — Errado. O texto apenas usa o trânsito como exemplo de estresse, não sugere controle comportamental nessa situação.
- E) “will hardly ever impact a person negatively.” — Errado. O texto enfatiza diversos impactos negativos do estresse, especialmente quando crônico.
Estratégia de prova e alerta a pegadinhas:
Fique atento a palavras como “nunca”, “sempre”, “todos” que levam à generalização, muitas vezes usadas em alternativas erradas (A, B, E). Busque sempre identificar a ideia principal antes de analisar as alternativas – isso evita distrações com detalhes menos importantes.
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