No mesmo trecho do terceiro parágrafo – (...) particularly ones tailored for community colleges and low-income young people. – a palavra tailored pode ser substituída, sem alteração do sentido do texto, por
In Higher Education, a Focus on Technology
By STEVE LOHR
The education gap facing the nation’s work force is evident in the numbers. Most new jobs will require more than a high school education, yet fewer than half of Americans under 30 have a (2) postsecondary degree of any kind. Recent state budget cuts, education experts agree, promise to make closing that gap even more difcult. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and four nonproft education organizations are beginning an ambitious initiative to address that challenge by accelerating the development and use of online learning tools. An initial $20 million round of money, from the Gates Foundation, will be for postsecondary online courses, particularly ones tailored for community colleges and low-income young people. Another round of grants, for high school programs, is scheduled for next year.
Just how efective technology can be in improving education - by making students more efective, more engaged learners - is a subject of debate. To date, education research shows that good teachers matter a lot, class size may be less important than once thought and nothing improves student performance as much as one-on-one human tutoring. If technology is well designed, experts say, it can help tailor the learning experience to individual students, facilitate student- teacher collaboration, and assist teachers in monitoring student performance each day and in quickly fne-tuning lessons. The potential benefts of technology are greater as students become older, more independent learners. Making that point, Mr. Gates said in an interview that for children from kindergarten to about ffth grade “the idea that you stick them in front of a computer is (3) ludicrous.”
(1)
higher education: educação superior.
(2)
postsecondary: termo que se refere aos cursos feitos após o high school ou, no modelo educacional brasileiro, o Ensino Médio.
(3)
ludicrous: ridícula, absurda.
By STEVE LOHR
The education gap facing the nation’s work force is evident in the numbers. Most new jobs will require more than a high school education, yet fewer than half of Americans under 30 have a (2) postsecondary degree of any kind. Recent state budget cuts, education experts agree, promise to make closing that gap even more difcult. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, and four nonproft education organizations are beginning an ambitious initiative to address that challenge by accelerating the development and use of online learning tools. An initial $20 million round of money, from the Gates Foundation, will be for postsecondary online courses, particularly ones tailored for community colleges and low-income young people. Another round of grants, for high school programs, is scheduled for next year.
Just how efective technology can be in improving education - by making students more efective, more engaged learners - is a subject of debate. To date, education research shows that good teachers matter a lot, class size may be less important than once thought and nothing improves student performance as much as one-on-one human tutoring. If technology is well designed, experts say, it can help tailor the learning experience to individual students, facilitate student- teacher collaboration, and assist teachers in monitoring student performance each day and in quickly fne-tuning lessons. The potential benefts of technology are greater as students become older, more independent learners. Making that point, Mr. Gates said in an interview that for children from kindergarten to about ffth grade “the idea that you stick them in front of a computer is (3) ludicrous.”
(1)
higher education: educação superior.
(2)
postsecondary: termo que se refere aos cursos feitos após o high school ou, no modelo educacional brasileiro, o Ensino Médio.
(3)
ludicrous: ridícula, absurda.
Gabarito comentado
Resposta: Alternativa B — adapted
Tema central: Sinônimos em contexto. A questão verifica se você reconhece que tailored funciona como adjetivo/particípio passado com o sentido de “ajustado/feito sob medida” — ou seja, “desenvolvido especificamente para um público”. Para responder, é preciso identificar sentido, classe gramatical e coloração semântica no contexto.
Resumo teórico rápido:
- “Tailor” (verbo) = ajustar, adaptar para um propósito específico (Cambridge Dictionary; Merriam‑Webster).
- Em textos, substituir uma palavra por sinônimo exige manter: significado, função gramatical e adequação ao contexto imediato (collocation: “tailored for” = “designed/ adapted for”).
Justificativa da alternativa correta (B — adapted): “Adapted” significa “adaptado/ajustado”, preservando o sentido de “feitos sob medida para community colleges e low‑income young people”. Gramaticalmente, ambos são particípios passados usados como adjetivos e encaixam perfeitamente na construção “...particularly ones tailored/adapted for ...”. Dicionários (Cambridge; Merriam‑Webster) definem “tailor” como “to adapt or modify for a particular purpose”, confirmando a equivalência com “adapted”.
Análise das alternativas incorretas:
- A — studied: significa “estudados/avaliados”; altera o sentido (não indica customização para um público).
- C — bought: “comprados” — sentido totalmente diferente (compra), incompatível com “for community colleges and low‑income young people”.
- D — sold: “vendidos” — idem; não expressa adaptação ou design específico.
- E — lent: “emprestados” — novamente mudança de sentido e incompatível com a ideia de cursos projetados para um público.
Estratégias práticas para resolver questões assim:
- Identifique a função gramatical (aqui: particípio/adjetivo).
- Leia a frase inteira para captar o sentido global (quem se beneficia? qual a intenção?).
- Substitua mentalmente cada opção na frase — a correta manterá coerência e sentido.
- Conheça collocations comuns (ex.: “tailored for/about/ to meet”).
- Elimine palavras de campo semântico diferente (comprar, vender, emprestar etc.).
Fontes consultadas (recomendações): Cambridge Dictionary; Merriam‑Webster — entradas “tailor” e “adapt”.
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