The word which in “which is shown up in the pandemic too” refers to
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 da questão: Compreensão textual e análise do uso do pronome relativo “which” para identificação de seu antecedente imediato dentro do texto em inglês. Esse tipo de questão foca em interpretação eficiente e leitura criteriosa de pronomes, competência comum em provas de Vestibular.
Explicação teórica: O pronome relativo “which” refere-se sempre a coisas, conceitos ou ideias, e seu uso cria uma oração relativa que traz uma informação adicional sobre um substantivo antecedente. O entendimento correto exige localizar esse substantivo imediatamente antes da oração iniciada por “which”. Segundo a referência gramatical, “which” nunca retoma pessoas e seu antecedente costuma estar logo antes dele.
Justificativa da alternativa correta (A – a trend):
No trecho analisado, a frase é: "a trend which is shown up in the pandemic, too". O termo “which” introduz uma informação sobre “a trend” (uma tendência). Assim, seu antecedente é exatamente a palavra “trend”, já que ele está situado logo antes do pronome relativo. Portanto, a alternativa correta é a letra A.
Análise das alternativas incorretas:
B) emotional exhaustion, C) long-hours, D) physical exhaustion
Todas essas opções aparecem no texto, porém não são antecedidas pelo pronome relativo “which” na frase destacada. Uma estratégia comum de prova é citar termos do texto próximos, mas que não mantêm a relação gramatical correta com “which” (pegadinha!). Fique atento: sempre retorne à frase completa para localizar o antecedente legítimo do pronome relativo.
Dica de prova: Fique atento a questões que usam pronomes relativos – procure o substantivo imediatamente anterior. Ignore nomes, ideias e termos citados anteriormente, pois só vale o antecedente mais próximo. Evite distrações criadas por repetições de palavras ou temas parecidos!
Resumo: A alternativa A (“a trend”) é a correta porque “which” refere-se exatamente a este termo.
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