The word “can” in “a culture of overwork can be traced back to the 1950s” conveys an idea of
READ THE FOLLOWING TEXT AND CHOOSE THE OPTION WHICH BEST COMPLETES EACH
QUESTION ACCORDING TO THE TEXT:
Why do we buy into the 'cult' of overwork?
By Bryan Lufkin, 9th May 2021
Although many of us associate overly ambitious workaholism with the 1980s and the finance industry,
the tendency to devote ourselves to work and glamourize long-hours culture remains as pervasive as
ever. In fact, it is expanding into more sectors and professions, in slightly different packaging. Overwork
isn't a phenomenon exclusive to Silicon Valley or Wall Street. People work long hours all over the world,
for many different reasons.
In Japan, a culture of overwork can be traced back to the 1950s, when the government pushed hard for
the country to be rebuilt quickly after World War Two. In Arab League countries, burnout is high among
medical professionals, possibly because its 22 members are developing nations with overburdened
healthcare systems, studies suggest. Reasons for overwork also depend on industry. Some of the
earliest researchers on burnout in the 1970s asserted that many people in jobs geared toward helping
others, like employees in clinics or crisis-intervention centers, tended to work long hours that led to
emotional and physical exhaustion – a trend which is shown up in the pandemic, too. But millions of us
overwork because somehow, we think it’s exciting – a status symbol that puts us on the path to success,
whether we define that by wealth or an Instagram post that makes it seem like we're living a dream life
with a dream job. Romanticization of work seems to be an especially common practice among
"knowledge workers" in the middle and upper classes. In 2014, the New Yorker called this devotion to
overwork "a cult".
According to Anat Lechner, clinical associate professor of management at New York University. "We
glorify the lifestyle, and the lifestyle is: you breathe something, you sleep with something, you wake up
and work on it all day long, then you go to sleep. Again, and again and again."
Adapted from: Home - BBC Worklife.
Why do we buy into the 'cult' of overwork?
By Bryan Lufkin, 9th May 2021
Although many of us associate overly ambitious workaholism with the 1980s and the finance industry, the tendency to devote ourselves to work and glamourize long-hours culture remains as pervasive as ever. In fact, it is expanding into more sectors and professions, in slightly different packaging. Overwork isn't a phenomenon exclusive to Silicon Valley or Wall Street. People work long hours all over the world, for many different reasons.
In Japan, a culture of overwork can be traced back to the 1950s, when the government pushed hard for the country to be rebuilt quickly after World War Two. In Arab League countries, burnout is high among medical professionals, possibly because its 22 members are developing nations with overburdened healthcare systems, studies suggest. Reasons for overwork also depend on industry. Some of the earliest researchers on burnout in the 1970s asserted that many people in jobs geared toward helping others, like employees in clinics or crisis-intervention centers, tended to work long hours that led to emotional and physical exhaustion – a trend which is shown up in the pandemic, too. But millions of us overwork because somehow, we think it’s exciting – a status symbol that puts us on the path to success, whether we define that by wealth or an Instagram post that makes it seem like we're living a dream life with a dream job. Romanticization of work seems to be an especially common practice among "knowledge workers" in the middle and upper classes. In 2014, the New Yorker called this devotion to overwork "a cult".
According to Anat Lechner, clinical associate professor of management at New York University. "We glorify the lifestyle, and the lifestyle is: you breathe something, you sleep with something, you wake up and work on it all day long, then you go to sleep. Again, and again and again."
Adapted from: Home - BBC Worklife.
Gabarito comentado
Tema central: A questão explora a interpretação do verbo modal "can" em um contexto textual autêntico, exigindo que o candidato reconheça qual sentido – possibilidade, obrigação, necessidade ou permissão – está expresso na frase analisada. Esta habilidade faz parte do núcleo de interpretação de textos em provas de Vestibular.
Explicação teórica: O verbo modal "can" pode ser usado para:
- Possibilidade (possibility): expressando que algo pode acontecer ou ser verdadeiro.
- Habilidade (ability): indicando que alguém sabe ou consegue fazer algo.
- Permissão (permission): dando ou pedindo autorização.
- Pedidos (requests): para solicitação de ações de modo informal.
No trecho analisado – "a culture of overwork can be traced back to the 1950s" – o modal "can" indica que é possível rastrear a cultura do excesso de trabalho até os anos 1950. Logo, trata-se do sentido de possibilidade.
Justificativa da alternativa correta:
Alternativa D) Possibility (Possibilidade): Correta. "Can" está indicando que rastrear essa cultura até a década de 1950 é algo possível, e não obrigatório, necessário ou autorizado.
Análise das alternativas incorretas:
- A) Necessity (Necessidade): Incorreta. Para indicar necessidade, usaríamos "must" ou "have to".
- B) Obligation (Obrigação): Incorreta. "Can" não transmite obrigação, mas sim potencialidade. "Must" poderia carregar esta ideia.
- C) Permission (Permissão): Incorreta para o contexto. Embora "can" possa indicar permissão, aqui ele expressa possibilidade de se rastrear uma prática histórica, não uma permissão.
Estratégias de resolução e dicas para provas:
- Leia atentamente o contexto. Palavras como trace back sugerem uma análise factual ou histórica – geralmente uma questão de possibilidade, não permissão ou obrigação.
- Desconfie de alternativas que envolvem "necessidade" ou "obrigação" quando o modal é "can".
- Lembre-se: “can” de possibilidade = "algo pode acontecer ou ser feito".
Referências de apoio: Gramáticas de uso, como "English Grammar in Use" (Murphy), trazem que "can" é usado majoritariamente para possibilidade e habilidade.
Gostou do comentário? Deixe sua avaliação aqui embaixo!
