For the gorilla,
For the gorilla,
Text 3
The gorilla joke
A gorilla went into a bar and ordered a whisky. The barman
thought that it was unusual to see a gorilla in a bar drinking
whisky and, thinking that gorillas must be stupid, he thought
he would try to take advantage of the situation and
overcharge him. He served the gorilla the whisky and said,
'That'll be fifty dollars please'. The gorilla immediately took
out his wallet and paid the barman, who was very happy.
The gorilla drank his whisky quietly and then ordered
another. The barman served him and charged him another
fifty dollars. As the gorilla was drinking his whisky, the
barman got curious and decided to find out why the gorilla
was in the bar. So, to strike up a conversation, he said, 'It's
funny, we don't get many gorillas in here'.
'I'm not surprised with the price of your whisky.' the gorilla
replied.
Disponível em:
<http://teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/joke.pfd>
Acessado em 6 de novembro de 2010.
Answer the follow question based on Text 3.
Text 3
The gorilla joke
A gorilla went into a bar and ordered a whisky. The barman thought that it was unusual to see a gorilla in a bar drinking whisky and, thinking that gorillas must be stupid, he thought he would try to take advantage of the situation and overcharge him. He served the gorilla the whisky and said, 'That'll be fifty dollars please'. The gorilla immediately took out his wallet and paid the barman, who was very happy. The gorilla drank his whisky quietly and then ordered another. The barman served him and charged him another fifty dollars. As the gorilla was drinking his whisky, the barman got curious and decided to find out why the gorilla was in the bar. So, to strike up a conversation, he said, 'It's funny, we don't get many gorillas in here'.
'I'm not surprised with the price of your whisky.' the gorilla replied.
Disponível em:
<http://teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/joke.pfd>
Answer the follow question based on Text 3.
Gabarito comentado
Alternativa correta: B — the bill could have been a lot cheaper
Tema central: interpretação de fala implícita. A questão exige inferir o sentido da resposta curta do gorila (“I'm not surprised with the price of your whisky.”) — ou seja, ler além do literal e captar a atitude ou intenção do personagem.
Resumo teórico e estratégia: em leitura, especialmente em questões de múltipla escolha, procure:
- Parafrasear a fala: o que a frase quer dizer em outras palavras?
- Identificar implicaturas (o que foi sugerido, não dito diretamente).
- Eliminar alternativas que contradizem o contexto ou que não têm relação direta.
Justificativa da alternativa B (correta): a fala do gorila sugere que ele esperava ser passado para trás — isto é, que estava sendo cobrado demais. Ao dizer que não se surpreende com o preço, ele insinua que o preço praticado é alto devido à atitude do barman (aproveitar-se). Logo, para o gorila, a conta poderia ter sido bem mais barata — equivalendo exatamente ao sentido da alternativa B.
Análise das alternativas incorretas:
- A — it was very easy to cheat the barman. Errada: nada no texto indica o gorila enganando o barman; o barman foi quem tentou explorar o gorila.
- C — the barman was just undercharging him. Errada: “undercharging” (cobrar pouco) é contrária ao contexto; o barman estava cobrando demais.
- D — the price of the drink was reasonably high. Parcialmente próxima, mas fraca: “reasonably high” minimiza a crítica. A fala do gorila indica surpresa/esperança de cobrança menor — ou seja, que o preço poderia ser muito mais baixo, não apenas “razoavelmente alto”.
- E — behaving well made it possible to go to bars. Irrelevante: o texto não relaciona comportamento à permissão de entrada; é distração.
Dica prática: em enunciados com respostas curtas e sarcásticas, busque o tom (ironia, crítica) e transforme a frase em uma afirmação explícita — isso facilita eliminar alternativas.
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