The researchers analyzed ___ first names of babies.
Millennials Are Giving Their Babies Increasingly Strange Names
Mandy Oaklander
Sept. 29, 2016
The people having the most kids in this country, Millennials, are giving their babies stranger
and stranger names. In a time when actual people are naming their children Legendary and
Sadman and Lux, that should perhaps come as no surprise.
Jean Twenge, a psychology professor at San Diego State University, and research assistant
Lauren Dawson analyzed the first names of 358 million babies in a U.S. Social Security
Administration database. Between 2004 and 2006, 66% of boys and 76% of girls had a name
that wasn’t one of the 50 most common names of that time period. By contrast, in 2011-2015,
72% of boys and 79% of girls had names that were not in the top 50 most popular. In the top
10 for 2015 in the U.S. were Harper, Liam, Mason, Isabella, Olivia, Ava, and Mia. Brooklyn was
ranked 31st most popular for girls across the U.S. (though not for girls in New York, where the
name didn’t rank in the top 100).
Twenge credits the rise of stranger names on our increasingly individualistic culture: one that
focuses on the self and is less concerned with social rules. “Millennials were raised with
phrases like, you shouldn’t care what anyone else thinks of you, you can be anything you
want to be, it’s good to be different, you have to love yourself first before you love anyone
else,” says Twenge. Our obsession with celebrities is also a hallmark of individualism.
Twenge found that Millennials are much more accepting of same-sex relationships and
experiences. “What we’re seeing is this movement toward more sexual freedom,” Twenge told
TIME. “There’s more freedom for people to do what they want without following the traditional,
often now seen as outdated, social rules about who you’re supposed to have sex with and
when.”
Adaptado de: http://time.com/4511927/millennials-parents-baby-names/
Acesso em: 01º outubro 2016
Millennials Are Giving Their Babies Increasingly Strange Names
Mandy Oaklander
Sept. 29, 2016
The people having the most kids in this country, Millennials, are giving their babies stranger and stranger names. In a time when actual people are naming their children Legendary and Sadman and Lux, that should perhaps come as no surprise.
Jean Twenge, a psychology professor at San Diego State University, and research assistant Lauren Dawson analyzed the first names of 358 million babies in a U.S. Social Security Administration database. Between 2004 and 2006, 66% of boys and 76% of girls had a name that wasn’t one of the 50 most common names of that time period. By contrast, in 2011-2015, 72% of boys and 79% of girls had names that were not in the top 50 most popular. In the top 10 for 2015 in the U.S. were Harper, Liam, Mason, Isabella, Olivia, Ava, and Mia. Brooklyn was ranked 31st most popular for girls across the U.S. (though not for girls in New York, where the name didn’t rank in the top 100).
Twenge credits the rise of stranger names on our increasingly individualistic culture: one that focuses on the self and is less concerned with social rules. “Millennials were raised with phrases like, you shouldn’t care what anyone else thinks of you, you can be anything you want to be, it’s good to be different, you have to love yourself first before you love anyone else,” says Twenge. Our obsession with celebrities is also a hallmark of individualism.
Twenge found that Millennials are much more accepting of same-sex relationships and experiences. “What we’re seeing is this movement toward more sexual freedom,” Twenge told TIME. “There’s more freedom for people to do what they want without following the traditional, often now seen as outdated, social rules about who you’re supposed to have sex with and when.”
Adaptado de: http://time.com/4511927/millennials-parents-baby-names/ Acesso em: 01º outubro 2016
Gabarito comentado
Tema central: O objetivo desta questão é avaliar o conhecimento sobre quantificadores em inglês — especialmente na escolha do adequado para indicar “uma grande quantidade” de nomes de bebês, um substantivo contável no plural.
Explicação Teórica: Os principais quantificadores para esse contexto são “a lot”, “lots of”, “much” e “some”. Para substantivos contáveis no plural (“first names of babies”), usamos expressões que indicam grande quantidade, mas que sejam gramaticalmente compatíveis.
A lot: é um advérbio (modifica verbos), não é usado direto antes de substantivo.
Lots of: é um determinante adequado para indicar grande quantidade, compatível com contáveis/plurais.
Much: usado apenas com incontáveis geralmente em frases negativas/interrogativas.
Some: usado para quantidade indefinida, geralmente em sentido positivo ou quando não há especificidade.
Justificativa para a alternativa correta (B):
“Lots of” é o quantificador apropriado aqui. O texto base fala em 358 million babies, ou seja, uma quantidade imensa e absolutamente plural. “Lots of” transmite esse sentido, funcionando como determinante antes de “first names”. Exemplos: “Lots of students”, “lots of questions”. A concordância está perfeita tanto em número quanto em função.
Análise das alternativas incorretas:
A) "a lot": Incorreta. Só usado sozinho como advérbio, não antes do substantivo. Ex.: "I study a lot".
C) "much": Incorreta. Só para incontáveis e raramente em sentenças afirmativas no inglês do dia a dia. Ex.: "There isn’t much milk." Aqui, “first names” é contável/plural.
D) "some": Incorreta. Quantidade indefinida, mas geralmente pequena ou não especificada; não transmite a grandeza da amostra analisada, como pede o texto.
Dicas de Interpretação:
- Observe o substantivo (contável/incontável, singular/plural);
- Avalie o contexto: “358 million” pede um quantificador de grande escala;
- Nunca use “a lot” direto antes de substantivo;
- Evite “much” em frases afirmativas com contáveis;
- Não se deixe confundir por alternativas semelhantes em significado, o uso gramatical precisa estar correto!
Alternativa correta: B) lots of
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