Read the following passage, paying attention to the words numbered 1-5
Gene Wilder’s passing away, the eternal Willy Wonka
Gene Wilder, (1) who established himself as one of America’s foremost comic actors with his
delightfully neurotic performances in three films directed by Mel Brooks; his eccentric star turn in the
family classic “Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory”; and (2) his winning chemistry with Richard
Pryor in the box-office smash “Stir Crazy,” died early Monday morning at his home in Stamford, Conn. He
was 83. With his haunted blue eyes and an empathy born of his own history of psychic distress, he aspired
to touch audiences much as Charlie Chaplin had. The Chaplin film “City Lights,” he said, had “made the
biggest impression on me as an actor; (3) it was funny, then sad, then both at the same time”.Mr. Wilder was an accomplished stage actor as well as a screenwriter, a novelist and the director of
four movies in (4) which he starred. (He directed, he once said, “in order to protect what I wrote, which I
wrote in order to act.”) But he was best known for playing roles on the big screen that might have been
ripped from the pages of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. He made his movie
debut in 1967 in Arthur Penn’s celebrated crime drama, “Bonnie and Clyde,” in which he was memorably
hysterical as an undertaker kidnapped by the notorious Depression-era bank robbers played by Faye
Dunaway and Warren Beatty. He was even more hysterical, and even more memorable, a year later in “The
Producers,” the first film by Mr. Brooks, (5) who later turned it into a Broadway hit.Available at: <http://www.nytimes.com/2016/08/30/movies/gene-wilder-dead.html?_r=0>. Accessed on: 20 ago. 2016
As far as textual cohesion is concerned, analyze the following statements about the text above.
I – The pronoun “who” (in 1) refers forward to “America’s foremost comic actors”.
II – The pronoun “his” (in 2) refers back to the subject “Richard Pryor”.
III – The pronoun “it” (in 3) refers back to either “Chaplin” or “actor”, resulting in
ambiguity.
IV – The pronoun “which” (in 4) refers back to “Mr. Wilder”.
V – The pronoun “who” (in 5) can be replaced by “which”, without any problem.
After analyzing items I-V, check the CORRECT option.
Read the following passage, paying attention to the words numbered 1-5
Gene Wilder’s passing away, the eternal Willy Wonka
Only statement I is correct.
Gabarito comentado
Resposta correta: E — Todas as afirmações são incorretas.
Tema central: coesão referencial em inglês — identificação do antecedente de pronomes e pronomes relativos (who, which, his, it). Esse conteúdo é vital em provas porque exige leitura atenta do contexto, concordância e distinção entre pessoas e coisas.
Breve teoria prática (essencial): Pronome relativo "who" refere-se a pessoas; "which" a coisas; pronomes como his/it retomam um antecedente já mencionado — e normalmente apontam para o substantivo mais lógico e próximo no contexto. (Ver: Cambridge Dictionary — "relative pronouns" para referência conceitual.)
Justificativa detalhada (por que E):
I — Incorreta. O "who" do item (1) é um pronome relativo não restritivo ligado imediatamente a Gene Wilder (nome próprio antes da vírgula). Não se antecipa a “America’s foremost comic actors”. Portanto a afirmação que diz que refere-se adiante a “America’s foremost comic actors” está errada.
II — Incorreta. O "his" em (2) remete a Gene Wilder (posse/atributo de Wilder: sua "winning chemistry with Richard Pryor"), não a Richard Pryor. A leitura correta: a química de Wilder com Pryor.
III — Incorreta. O "it" em (3) refere-se ao filme "City Lights" (o antecedente lógico e imediato). Não há ambiguidade entre “Chaplin” (pessoa) ou “actor” — o comentário diz que o filme era engraçado e triste, logo “it” = o filme.
IV — Incorreta. O "which" em (4) retoma “four movies” (coisa/filmes). Não pode referir-se a “Mr. Wilder” (pessoa); aí seria esperado "which" não concordaria semanticamente nem sintaticamente.
V — Incorreta. O "who" em (5) refere-se a Mr. Brooks (pessoa). Substituir por "which" é inadequado para pessoas — portanto não pode ser trocado “without any problem”.
Dicas de estratégia para provas: - Busque o antecedente mais próximo que faça sentido lógico. - Verifique se o pronome é para pessoa (who/whom) ou coisa (which/that). - Releia a sentença com o possível antecedente substituído para testar a coerência.
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