In the sentence “This centred on Descartes’s daughter Francine, who died of scarlet fever …”, the underlined word
refers to the:
Ancient dreams of intelligent machines: 3,000 years of robots
The French philosopher René Descartes was reputedly fond of automata: they inspired his view that living things were biological
machines that function like clockwork. Less known is a strange story that began to circulate after the philosopher’s death in 1650.
This centred on Descartes’s daughter Francine, who died of scarlet fever at the age of five.
According to the tale, a distraught Descartes had a clockwork Francine made: a walking, talking simulacrum. When Queen
Christina invited the philosopher to Sweden in 1649, he sailed with the automaton concealed in a casket. Suspicious sailors forced
the trunk open; when the mechanical child sat up to greet them, the horrified crew threw it overboard.
The story is probably apocryphal. But it sums up the hopes and fears that have been associated with human-like machines for
nearly three millennia. Those who build such devices do so in the hope that they will overcome natural limits – in Descartes’s case,
death itself. But this very unnaturalness terrifies and repulses others. In our era of advanced robotics and artificial intelligence (AI),
those polarized responses persist, with pundits and the public applauding or warning against each advance. Digging into the deep
history of intelligent machines, both real and imagined, we see how these attitudes evolved: from fantasies of trusty mechanical
helpers to fears that runaway advances in technology might lead to creatures that supersede humanity itself.
(Disponível em: <https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05773-y)
Ancient dreams of intelligent machines: 3,000 years of robots
The French philosopher René Descartes was reputedly fond of automata: they inspired his view that living things were biological machines that function like clockwork. Less known is a strange story that began to circulate after the philosopher’s death in 1650. This centred on Descartes’s daughter Francine, who died of scarlet fever at the age of five.
According to the tale, a distraught Descartes had a clockwork Francine made: a walking, talking simulacrum. When Queen Christina invited the philosopher to Sweden in 1649, he sailed with the automaton concealed in a casket. Suspicious sailors forced the trunk open; when the mechanical child sat up to greet them, the horrified crew threw it overboard.
The story is probably apocryphal. But it sums up the hopes and fears that have been associated with human-like machines for nearly three millennia. Those who build such devices do so in the hope that they will overcome natural limits – in Descartes’s case, death itself. But this very unnaturalness terrifies and repulses others. In our era of advanced robotics and artificial intelligence (AI), those polarized responses persist, with pundits and the public applauding or warning against each advance. Digging into the deep history of intelligent machines, both real and imagined, we see how these attitudes evolved: from fantasies of trusty mechanical helpers to fears that runaway advances in technology might lead to creatures that supersede humanity itself.
(Disponível em: <https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-018-05773-y)
Gabarito comentado
Tema central da questão: A questão aborda interpretação de texto em inglês, com foco no uso do pronome demonstrativo “this” para coesão textual, isto é, como referencia elementos já mencionados no texto anterior.
Explicação do tema:
O pronome demonstrativo “this” é utilizado para retomar algo próximo no discurso ou apresentado imediatamente antes no texto. Essa técnica, chamada anafórica, é um recurso típico de coesão textual, fundamental para entender a quem ou ao que o pronome faz referência. Em provas, identificar corretamente o referente de pronomes é essencial para interpretar ideias e relações entre frases.
Justificativa da alternativa correta:
Ao analisar o trecho: “This centred on Descartes’s daughter Francine...”, observamos que a frase anterior cita “a strange story that began to circulate after the philosopher’s death in 1650”. O pronome “This” retoma imediatamente essa “strange story”. Portanto, a alternativa correta é a letra D) strange story, pois é a história estranha contada após a morte do filósofo que está sendo detalhada na frase seguinte.
Análise das alternativas incorretas:
- A) philosopher’s death: Está errada porque “this” não se refere à morte em si, mas à história que surgiu após o fato.
- B) clockwork: Incorreta; “clockwork” aparece depois como parte da história, não sendo o foco retomado por “this”.
- C) French philosopher: Errada; “this” não retoma Descartes, mas a história sobre ele.
- E) automata: Incorreta, pois “automata” refere-se à ideia geral de máquinas, não à história em questão.
Estrategicamente, atenção especial deve ser dada a pronomes demonstrativos (“this”, “that”, “these”, “those”) em contextos de coesão textual. Uma pegadinha comum em provas é sugerir elementos do texto próximos ao pronome, mas não exatamente aquilo que foi mencionado imediatamente antes ou que faz mais sentido lógico.
Resumo teórico: Para acertar questões desse tipo, lembre-se: “This” retoma o elemento mais próximo relevante já citado, quase sempre no parágrafo ou frase anterior.
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