Questõessobre Sinônimos | Synonyms

1
1
Foram encontradas 292 questões
e0fbb168-7a
USS 2022 - Inglês - Análise sintática | Syntax Parsing, Sinônimos | Synonyms, Interpretação de texto | Reading comprehension

Considering dental assessments, machine learning tools should:

A
surpass them
B
replace them
C
change them
D
precede them
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USP 2021 - Inglês - Vocabulário | Vocabulary, Sinônimos | Synonyms

Em “I believe that restaurant owners that resist these apps are hurting their brands by missing out on potential customers” (3º parágrafo), a expressão sublinhada pode ser substituída, sem prejuízo de sentido, por: 

        If you take a look at my smartphone, you’ll know that I like to order out. But am I helping the small local businesses? You would think that if you own a restaurant you’d be thrilled to have an outsourced service that would take care of your delivery operations while leveraging their marketing might to expand your businesses’ brand. However, restaurant owners have complained of lack of quality control once their food goes out the door. They don’t like that the delivery people are the face of their product when it gets into the customer’s hand. Some of the delivery services have been accused of listing restaurants on their apps without the owners’ permission, and oftentimes publish menu items and prices that are incorrect or out of date.

        But there is another reason why restaurant owners aren’t fond of delivery services. It’s the costs, which, for some, are becoming unsustainable. Even with the increased revenues from the delivery services, the fees wind up killing a restaurant’s margins to the extent that it’s at best marginally profitable. Therefore, some restaurants are pushing harder to drive orders from their own websites and offering special deals for customers that use their in-house delivery people.

        The simple fact is that these delivery apps are here to stay. They are enormously popular and have significantly grown. I believe that restaurant owners that resist these apps are hurting their brands by missing out on potential customers. The good news is that the delivery platforms are not as evil as some would portray them. They have some skin in the game. They are competing against other services. They want their listed restaurants to profit. Maybe instead of fighting, the nation’s restaurant industry needs to proactively embrace the delivery service industry and figure out ways to profitably work together.

The Guardian. 02 December, 2020. Adaptado.

A
harming.
B
deceiving.
C
challenging.
D
losing.
E
disturbing.
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UFPR 2021 - Inglês - Vocabulário | Vocabulary, Sinônimos | Synonyms

In the text, the word “whether” underlined and in bold type can be replaced without losing its meaning by:

The following text refers to question.

There have been 18 opioid-related deaths in Nova Scotia so far this year

    Paramedics in Nova Scotia used naloxone to save 165 people from opioid overdoses in 2018 and 188 people in 2019. In 2020, 102 people were saved as of July 31.
    Eight years ago, Matthew Bonn watched his friend turn blue and become deathly quiet as fentanyl flooded his body. Bonn jumped in, performing rescue breathing until paramedics arrived. That was the first time Bonn fought to keep someone alive during an overdose.
    But it wouldn't be his last. Over the years, he tried more dangerous ways to snap people out of an overdose.
   "I remember doing crazy things like throwing people in bathtubs, or, you know, giving them cocaine. As we know now, that doesn't help," said Bonn, a harm-reduction advocate in Halifax. "But ... in those panic modes, you try to do whatever you can to keep that person alive."
    This was before naloxone – a drug that can reverse an opioid overdose – became widely available to the public. In 2017, the Nova Scotia government made kits with the drug available for free at pharmacies.
    Whether used by community members or emergency crews, naloxone has helped save hundreds of lives in the province. Matthew Bonn is a program co-ordinator with the Canadian Association of People Who Use Drugs, and a current drug user himself.
    Almost every other day in Nova Scotia, paramedics and medical first responders in the province use the drug to reverse an opioid overdose, according to Emergency Health Services (EHS).

(Available in: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/ehs-naloxone-opioids-drug-use-emergency-care-1.5745907.)
A
in addition.
B
besides.
C
either.
D
nevertheless.
E
otherwise.
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SÃO CAMILO 2018 - Inglês - Sinônimos | Synonyms, Palavras conectivas | Connective words

No trecho do sétimo parágrafo “However, there’s also a lot of misleading information, and information that’s simply untrue”, o termo sublinhado pode ser substituído, sem alteração de sentido, por

Leia o texto para responder à questão. 

The challenge of doctor-patient relations in the internet age



     “Let me do some research and I’ll get back to you,” my patient said. My patient, a 19-year-old student, had already taken time off from school because of her anxiety. I was her psychiatrist, with over two decades of experience treating university students, and had just explained my diagnostic impressions based on a lengthy evaluation. I’d recommended that she try a medicine I expected would help. I’d also laid out the risks and benefits of other treatment options. 
      “Do you have additional questions I can answer?” I asked. I wanted to let her know that’s why I was there, to cull the research, to help make sense of it. “No, I like to go online and look for myself,” she said.
     More and more, I see students turning away from the expertise that a live person can offer and instead turning to the vast and somehow more objective-seeming “expertise” of the digital world.
     In an age when journalism we don’t like can be dismissed as “fake news,” suggesting that the information we do like is most credible, regardless of its source, it’s not hard to understand why young people do this. The medical profession itself, under managed care, has played a role as well, providing less time for doctor-patient interactions and undermining the chances that a personal relationship and trust can develop. Under the guise of efficiency, medical test results are now often released directly to patients, sometimes before or even without the benefit of any interpretation.
     But there’s danger in trusting data over people, as there is in thinking the expertise of all people is equivalent. When it comes to health, digital natives may not be learning how to navigate effectively. And the consequences could be harmful.
    The availability of health data on the internet has its benefits. Online, for example, we can find explanations and solutions for symptoms we might be too embarrassed, or afraid, to discuss with another person, in person. Or, for lifethreatening diseases, we can locate clinical trials our doctors may not be aware of.
     However, there’s also a lot of misleading information, and information that’s simply untrue. The internet is full of people selling things – supplements, treatment regimens that have not been rigorously tested, even prescription medications – and making false promises that have not been scrutinized by regulatory agencies. Sometimes, as in the case of some websites that promote “an anorexic diet” for “aggressive” weight loss, the information can encourage life-threatening behavior.
      Years ago, when we discussed paternalism versus patient autonomy in my medical school ethics class, I came down strongly in favor of autonomy. Who but the patient could best decide what was right for him or her? But years of clinical – and personal – experience have taught me that information in and of itself is insufficient. Judgment is also indispensable, especially in complex situations, and the capacity for good judgment rests within people, not data sets.

(Doris Iarovici is a psychiatrist at Harvard University’s Counseling and
Mental Health Services and the author of Mental Health Issues and the
University Student. www.nytimes.com, 01.03.2018. Adaptado.)
A
yet.
B
furthermore.
C
therefore.
D
whenever
E
so.
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SÃO CAMILO 2019 - Inglês - Sinônimos | Synonyms

In the last panel, “miserable” means the same as

Leia a tirinha para responder à questão.


(Stephan Pastis. “Pearls Before Swine”. www.gocomics.com, 22.04.2019.)
A
appealing.
B
strange.
C
simple.
D
depressing.
E
unreliable.
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SÃO CAMILO 2019 - Inglês - Sinônimos | Synonyms

In the excerpt “that’s a special skill” (6th paragraph), the underlined word can be replaced, without changing the meaning of the sentence, by

Leia o texto para responder à questão.

The fantastic appeal of fantasy


The fantasy genre starts where science ends

     Few things can brighten up a dark morning in a Scottish seaside resort during an Atlantic storm. Yet while sheltering in a bookshop from the rain, I had a moment of sunny revelation. Stacked almost as high as my 11-year-old self were copies of The Lord of the Rings, with a cover illustration that promised mystery and magic. That chance discovery started a lifelong love of the fantasy genre1 , both as reader and writer. 
   The fantasy genre has had more and more success, but today we’re in the middle of an unprecedented fantasy boom. Sales continue to rise and it is now the biggest genre in publishing. The more rational the world gets, with super-science all around us, the more we demand the irrational in our fiction.
     Fantasy is not simply a case of swords2 and sorcery3 . Yes, there is that by the shelf. But the genre is as broad as the imagination. The genre starts where science ends.
    “In these modern times, where most of us sit at computers, fantasy books offer a chance to break out of mundane moments,” says Mark Newton, an editor with the genre. “People like to explore themes that go beyond the limited palette that literary fiction claims to offer.” 
     A search for the origins of fantasy will usually have academics muttering about Beowulf or Homer’s The Iliad, but they come from a time when all stories were fantasy: gods and monsters and supernatural artefacts with humanity caught in the middle. The first modern fantasy writer is usually considered to be William Morris, in the late 19th Century. But it was the early 20th Century where fantasy really started to gain status.
     Fantasy fiction has always been about visionary ideas. You can get artful words in plenty of literary fiction, but being able to see beyond the boundaries4 of the world around us — now that’s a special skill.
     I don’t write fantasy fiction simply to provide a trapdoor5 from the real world. For me, the genre is about the reality. But instead of coming up against it, fantasy maps the unconscious aspirations of our modern society through allegory in story- -forms as old as humanity. It’s about turning off the mobile phone and the computer and remembering who we are in the deepest parts of ourselves.

(Mark Chadbourn. www.telegraph.co.uk, 12.04.2008. Adaptado.)

1genre: gênero. Categoria distintiva de composição literária, como romance, poesia etc.
2sword: espada.
3sorcery: feitiçaria.
4boundary: fronteira.
5trapdoor: alçapão
A
reward.
B
tip.
C
ability.
D
honor.
E
peculiarity.
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FGV 2020 - Inglês - Vocabulário | Vocabulary, Sinônimos | Synonyms

In the fragment “epidemics of smallpox, measles and influenza brought unwittingly by the invaders”, the underlined word can be replaced, with no change in meaning, by

Read the text to answer question.

The aliens among us

     Humans think of themselves as the world’s apex predators. Hence the silence of sabre-tooth tigers, the absence of moas from New Zealand and the long list of endangered megafauna. But sars-cov-2 shows how people can also end up as prey. Viruses have caused a litany of modern pandemics, from Covid-19, to hiv/aids to the influenza outbreak in 1918-20, which killed many more people than the first world war. Before that, the colonisation of the Americas by Europeans was abetted – and perhaps made possible – by epidemics of smallpox, measles and influenza brought unwittingly by the invaders, which annihilated many of the original inhabitants.

(www.economist.com, 22.08.2020. Adapted.)
A
unfavorably.
B
unhopefully.
C
irresponsibly.
D
inadvertently.
E
dishonestly.
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FGV 2020 - Inglês - Vocabulário | Vocabulary, Sinônimos | Synonyms, Palavras conectivas | Connective words

In the second sentence in the text, the term “hence” can be replaced, with no change in meaning, by

Read the text to answer question.

The aliens among us

     Humans think of themselves as the world’s apex predators. Hence the silence of sabre-tooth tigers, the absence of moas from New Zealand and the long list of endangered megafauna. But sars-cov-2 shows how people can also end up as prey. Viruses have caused a litany of modern pandemics, from Covid-19, to hiv/aids to the influenza outbreak in 1918-20, which killed many more people than the first world war. Before that, the colonisation of the Americas by Europeans was abetted – and perhaps made possible – by epidemics of smallpox, measles and influenza brought unwittingly by the invaders, which annihilated many of the original inhabitants.

(www.economist.com, 22.08.2020. Adapted.)
A
For instance.
B
Accordingly.
C
Nevertheless.
D
Alternatively.
E
Furthermore.
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CESMAC 2018 - Inglês - Sinônimos | Synonyms

All of the following are synonyms of perilous except for

Read the text below and answer the following question.


Can Cellular Agriculture Feed the World?


    Within 20 years, there will be 2 billion more people than today — over 9 billion people in total. The impact to the environment could be severe. Just feeding that population using current methods is problematic.

    On average, cattle ranchers need 100 times more land than corn growers to produce a gram of food. So, if that hungry world continues to eat meat like we do, the demand for land — and fresh water — will be alarming, not to mention the environmental impact of raising so many animals. Meat production aside, the large-scale monoculture of crops like corn usually results in damaging terrestrial pollution from pesticides and soil depletion. The impact to the oceans is equally perilous.

   Instead of farming animals, fish and plants, cellular agriculture grows the proteins and nutrients we consume from a culture, cell by cell. With this alternative approach, the consumable meat and plant tissues produced don’t need to be harvested from animals or plants. It’s food production on an industrial scale.

  The technology to do this is not new. Growing meat from a scaffold embedded in growth culture is no different in theory than making bread from yeast. The vast majority of insulin for diabetics is already manufactured by genetically engineered bacteria, as is the rennet used to culture cheese. In the past 10 years, this approach has been pioneered with a variety of foodstuffs: milk, eggs, beef, chicken, fish — even coffee.

    To succeed, cellular agriculture must overcome 6,000 years of established dependence on traditional agriculture, and it has to do so via one of the most finicky human senses: taste. No one will eat manufactured meat or fish if it doesn’t have the same sensual satisfaction generated by the grown version. So, in addition to all the technical challenges in creating edible tissues from cultures, the startups pioneering this approach are working diligently to make their products tasty.

   The possibilities for cellular agriculture are seemingly limitless; it may be possible to grow human organs for transplant using the method. But it is still early days.


Adaptado de: <https://earth911.com/business-policy/cellular-agriculture/> Acessado em 19 de outubro de 2018.

A
safe
B
dangerous
C
risky
D
hazardous
E
trecherous
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UNIFESP 2015 - Inglês - Tempos Verbais | Verb Tenses, Verbos modais | Modal verbs, Sinônimos | Synonyms

Analise o trecho do terceiro parágrafo “I demand of leaders we must invest in books instead of bullets”, para responder à questão.


O termo “must” pode ser substituído, sem alteração de sentido, por

Leia o texto para responder à questão.

 

Nobel winner Malala opens school for Syrian refugees

 

Sylvia Westall

July 13, 2015

Bekaa Valley, Lebanon


 

 

  Malala Yousafzai, the youngest winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, celebrated her 18th birthday in Lebanon on Sunday by opening a school for Syrian refugee girls and called on world leaders to invest in “books not bullets”. Malala became a symbol of defiance after she was shot on a school bus in Pakistan in 2012 by the Taliban for advocating girls’ rights to education. She continued campaigning and won the Nobel in 2014.

   “I decided to be in Lebanon because I believe that the voices of the Syrian refugees need to be heard and they have been ignored for so long,” Malala told Reuters in a schoolroom decorated with drawings of butterflies. The Malala Fund, a non-profit organization that supports local education projects, provided most of the funding for the school, set up by Lebanon’s Kayany Foundation in the Bekaa Valley, close to the Syrian border. The Kayany Foundation, established by Syrian Nora Joumblatt in response to Syria’s refugee crisis, has already completed three other new schools to give free education to Syrian children in Lebanon. The Malala school can welcome up to 200 girls aged 14 to 18.

   “Today on my first day as an adult, on behalf of the world’s children, I demand of leaders we must invest in books instead of bullets,” Malala said in a speech. Lebanon is home to at least 1.2 million of the 4 million refugees that have fled Syria’s war to neighboring countries. There are about 500,000 Syrian school-age children in Lebanon, but only a fifth are in formal education. “We are in danger of losing generations of young Syrian girls due to the lack of education,” Joumblatt said in a speech at the opening of the school. “Desperate and displaced Syrians are increasingly seeing early marriage as a way to secure the social and financial future of their daughters. We need to provide an alternative: Keep young girls in school instead of being pressured into wedlock.”

    Lebanon, which allows informal settlements on land rented by refugees, says it can no longer cope with the influx from Syria’s four-year conflict. More than one in four people living in Lebanon is a refugee. The United Nations says the number of Syrian refugees in neighboring countries is expected to reach 4.27 million by the end of the year. “In Lebanon as well as in Jordan, an increasing number of refugees are being turned back at the border,” Malala said. “This is inhuman and this is shameful.”

    Her father Ziauddin said he was proud she was carrying on her activism into adulthood. “This is the mission we have taken for the last 8-9 years. A small moment for the education of girls in Swat Valley: it is spreading now all over the world,” he said.

 

(www.reuters.com. Adaptado.)

A
has to.
B
can.
C
might.
D
used to.
E
ought to.
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ABEPRO 2017 - Inglês - Sinônimos | Synonyms

The word management (3rd paragraph) is closest in meaning to:

Opportunity Cost


This phenomenon goes by the name of ‘opportunity cost,’ since by not investing in more equipment and a more rigid production flow, the company is forgoing the opportunity to earn increased profits. These costs are every bite as real as the payment of dollars out-of-pocket.


This notion _______ opportunity cost can be reinforced _________ a famous saying ______ Benjamin Franklin, no slouch himself _________ operations management. To make the point, however, we must make a brief excursion into logic. One truth of logic is the validity of the so-called contrapositive, which says simply that if the statement “If A, then B” is true, then it is also true that “If not B, then not A.” That is, of every time A occurs B follows, then we can be sure that if B does not occur, then A did not occur as well. Enough logic then, and back to Ben Franklin.


One of his Poor Richard sayings is that “A penny saved is a penny earned.” We have all recognized the truth of that since childhood, but I assert that by this saying Ben showed us he knows everything about opportunity cost. After all, what is the contrapositive of “A penny not earned is a penny not saved (i.e., a penny sent). All we are saying by this notion of opportunity cost is that “a penny not earned (an opportunity forgone) is a penny spent.” We shall often have occasion to consider opportunity costs, in analyzing and deciding various operations issues.


SCHMENNER, Roger W. Production/Operations Management. 5th Edition. Prentice-Hall, 1993.

A
the control and organization of something.
B
to deal with a difficult situation.
C
to succeed in doing something.
D
to be in charge of a business.
E
to run a career.
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ABEPRO 2017 - Inglês - Vocabulário | Vocabulary, Sinônimos | Synonyms

Match the words in column 1 to their definitions in column 2:


Column 1 Words

1. profits

2. slouch

3. issue(s)

4. flow

5. validity


Column 2 Definitions

( ) the continuous production or supply of something.

( ) the state of being legally or officially acceptable.

( ) the money you make in business or by selling things.

( ) to stand, sit or move in a lazy way, often with your shoulders and head bent forward.

( ) important topics that people are discussing or arguing about.


Choose the alternative that presents the correct sequence, from top to bottom.

Opportunity Cost


This phenomenon goes by the name of ‘opportunity cost,’ since by not investing in more equipment and a more rigid production flow, the company is forgoing the opportunity to earn increased profits. These costs are every bite as real as the payment of dollars out-of-pocket.


This notion _______ opportunity cost can be reinforced _________ a famous saying ______ Benjamin Franklin, no slouch himself _________ operations management. To make the point, however, we must make a brief excursion into logic. One truth of logic is the validity of the so-called contrapositive, which says simply that if the statement “If A, then B” is true, then it is also true that “If not B, then not A.” That is, of every time A occurs B follows, then we can be sure that if B does not occur, then A did not occur as well. Enough logic then, and back to Ben Franklin.


One of his Poor Richard sayings is that “A penny saved is a penny earned.” We have all recognized the truth of that since childhood, but I assert that by this saying Ben showed us he knows everything about opportunity cost. After all, what is the contrapositive of “A penny not earned is a penny not saved (i.e., a penny sent). All we are saying by this notion of opportunity cost is that “a penny not earned (an opportunity forgone) is a penny spent.” We shall often have occasion to consider opportunity costs, in analyzing and deciding various operations issues.


SCHMENNER, Roger W. Production/Operations Management. 5th Edition. Prentice-Hall, 1993.

A
1 • 3 • 2 • 4 • 5
B
2 • 4 • 5 • 3 • 1
C
3 • 4 • 5 • 1 • 2
D
4 • 2 • 3 • 5 • 1
E
4 • 5 • 1 • 2 • 3
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ABEPRO 2017 - Inglês - Vocabulário | Vocabulary, Sinônimos | Synonyms

The word reinforce (2nd paragraph) is closest in meaning to:

Opportunity Cost


This phenomenon goes by the name of ‘opportunity cost,’ since by not investing in more equipment and a more rigid production flow, the company is forgoing the opportunity to earn increased profits. These costs are every bite as real as the payment of dollars out-of-pocket.


This notion _______ opportunity cost can be reinforced _________ a famous saying ______ Benjamin Franklin, no slouch himself _________ operations management. To make the point, however, we must make a brief excursion into logic. One truth of logic is the validity of the so-called contrapositive, which says simply that if the statement “If A, then B” is true, then it is also true that “If not B, then not A.” That is, of every time A occurs B follows, then we can be sure that if B does not occur, then A did not occur as well. Enough logic then, and back to Ben Franklin.


One of his Poor Richard sayings is that “A penny saved is a penny earned.” We have all recognized the truth of that since childhood, but I assert that by this saying Ben showed us he knows everything about opportunity cost. After all, what is the contrapositive of “A penny not earned is a penny not saved (i.e., a penny sent). All we are saying by this notion of opportunity cost is that “a penny not earned (an opportunity forgone) is a penny spent.” We shall often have occasion to consider opportunity costs, in analyzing and deciding various operations issues.


SCHMENNER, Roger W. Production/Operations Management. 5th Edition. Prentice-Hall, 1993.

A
strong effect
B
to feel better
C
violent action
D
to make stronger
E
to bring something into force
20ef019c-fe
ABEPRO 2017 - Inglês - Sinônimos | Synonyms

The word childhood has its synonym in which alternative?

Opportunity Cost


This phenomenon goes by the name of ‘opportunity cost,’ since by not investing in more equipment and a more rigid production flow, the company is forgoing the opportunity to earn increased profits. These costs are every bite as real as the payment of dollars out-of-pocket.


This notion _______ opportunity cost can be reinforced _________ a famous saying ______ Benjamin Franklin, no slouch himself _________ operations management. To make the point, however, we must make a brief excursion into logic. One truth of logic is the validity of the so-called contrapositive, which says simply that if the statement “If A, then B” is true, then it is also true that “If not B, then not A.” That is, of every time A occurs B follows, then we can be sure that if B does not occur, then A did not occur as well. Enough logic then, and back to Ben Franklin.


One of his Poor Richard sayings is that “A penny saved is a penny earned.” We have all recognized the truth of that since childhood, but I assert that by this saying Ben showed us he knows everything about opportunity cost. After all, what is the contrapositive of “A penny not earned is a penny not saved (i.e., a penny sent). All we are saying by this notion of opportunity cost is that “a penny not earned (an opportunity forgone) is a penny spent.” We shall often have occasion to consider opportunity costs, in analyzing and deciding various operations issues.


SCHMENNER, Roger W. Production/Operations Management. 5th Edition. Prentice-Hall, 1993.

A
toddler
B
child
C
childish
D
youth
E
adulthood
20fa46a9-fe
ABEPRO 2017 - Inglês - Vocabulário | Vocabulary, Sinônimos | Synonyms

The word assert (3rd paragraph) is closest in meaning to:

Opportunity Cost


This phenomenon goes by the name of ‘opportunity cost,’ since by not investing in more equipment and a more rigid production flow, the company is forgoing the opportunity to earn increased profits. These costs are every bite as real as the payment of dollars out-of-pocket.


This notion _______ opportunity cost can be reinforced _________ a famous saying ______ Benjamin Franklin, no slouch himself _________ operations management. To make the point, however, we must make a brief excursion into logic. One truth of logic is the validity of the so-called contrapositive, which says simply that if the statement “If A, then B” is true, then it is also true that “If not B, then not A.” That is, of every time A occurs B follows, then we can be sure that if B does not occur, then A did not occur as well. Enough logic then, and back to Ben Franklin.


One of his Poor Richard sayings is that “A penny saved is a penny earned.” We have all recognized the truth of that since childhood, but I assert that by this saying Ben showed us he knows everything about opportunity cost. After all, what is the contrapositive of “A penny not earned is a penny not saved (i.e., a penny sent). All we are saying by this notion of opportunity cost is that “a penny not earned (an opportunity forgone) is a penny spent.” We shall often have occasion to consider opportunity costs, in analyzing and deciding various operations issues.


SCHMENNER, Roger W. Production/Operations Management. 5th Edition. Prentice-Hall, 1993.

A
state clearly
B
make it clear
C
an agreement
D
express an opinion
E
do something correctly
85e7eac1-04
ESPM 2019 - Inglês - Sinônimos | Synonyms

The word happenstance, boldface in paragraph 4, can be replaced by all words below, except:


Yesterday misunderstands what made the Beatles so popular


By Noah Berlatsky


    The film Yesterday has an intriguing premise: What if the Beatles never existed? Unsuccessful, moderately talented singersongwriter Jack Malik wakes up one day and is the only one who remembers the Beatles’ songs. Suddenly he can pose as the creator of the greatest music ever written. As a result, he quickly becomes a worldrenowned superstar.

    Jack is successful because the Beatles’ songs, removed from their original context, still maintain the universal, instant appeal that has canonized them in our non-fictional world, offscreen. Label execs, other musicians, and huge numbers of fans are all won over by “Jack’s” music; Even decades after the Soviet Union disintegrated, “Back in the USSR” still rocks people’s world.
    But would “Back in the USSR” really be an automatic, surefire hit if it were released today, into a music scene whose interests have evolved far beyond the Beatles? Is quality in the arts so transcendent that it can overcome all differences of era, culture, and happenstance? Is music a meritocracy — an art form that privileges natural talent over everything else?
    There’s good reason to believe that the answer to all three of those questions is no. Wonderful songs aren’t always hits; talented musicians don’t always achieve success commensurate with their abilities. 
    And sometimes a twist of fate lands the less talented in a position to reap massive rewards. 
    We tend to expect that good things don’t always come to the most deserving people. Sometimes the most successful people get that way because they’re in the right place at the right time, or know the right people, or were even born into it. And art is no exception.
    There’s research to back up the notion that fame and fortune come from more than pure talent. Sociologists Matthew Salganik of Princeton and Duncan Watts of Microsoft have conducted a number of studies to determine what makes a song popular. They discovered that when someone approaches a song knowing only that it’s popular and well-liked within the cultural mass, that person is more inclined to come away liking the song too. This can create a ripple effect, with songs becoming more and more popular because they already are popular. Salganik and Watts’s research suggests that the more visible something is the more highly regarded it is, and the more popular it is likely to become.
    Social influence has a powerful effect on which songs become popular. As art is a form of communication we often share and experience socially, it makes sense that we like art that we believe will connect us to others.
    Our instincts to spread what we like, and to like what others like, mean that what seem like small advantages for a song — perhaps a well-placed promo on Spotify, or appearing on the soundtrack of a Netflix show — can lead to a big chart presence. A good review at the right time or being used in a viral meme on a slow news day could help more people discover a song just out of happenstance. Songs that get an initial bump can ride that wave, so more people seek them out, buy them, and boost their popularity. This cycle can lead to one song, good or not, becoming a hit, while another disappears into obscurity.
    The Beatles were very good by most qualitative metrics. But the band’s quantitative achievements don’t mean they are indisputably the most meritorious musicians of all time, or even of their day. More likely, the band also managed to be in the right place at the right time, on top of everything else.
    Western racial inequalities also stymied many homegrown artists. Influential African American singers and girl groups like the Shirelles didn’t have much opportunity to turn their Billboard hits into widespread celebrity and lasting cultural recognition. Paul McCartney and John Lennon are household names, but there aren’t many casual music fans who know the name of the Shirelles’ lead singer, Shirley Owens.
    The Beatles were white, male English speakers who were able to tour and didn’t die young. But they had other advantages as well. Perhaps most obviously, they were working in a genre that was broadly popular. 
    By contrast, today’s most popular music is split between contemporary hip-hop and dance music that relies on synthesizers, electronics, and myriad crossgenre references. Pure rock ’n’ roll, built on a simple four-person setup of guitar, bass, drums, and vocals, is no longer the dominant genre. ”If a Beatles song came out today, it would sound dated,” Charlie Harding, host of Vox’s Switched on Pop podcast, told me. “There are hardly any synthesizers. It’s all live drumming. Plus, so much of their music is blues-based, and blues-based music just isn’t popular right now.”
    At their height, the Beatles famously pushed boundaries in the studio, creating psychedelic effects and soundscapes that no one at the time had ever heard before. But that’s old hat in 2019. You can do all of what the Beatles did and more in your room with a laptop, at least technically speaking.
   Sure, it’s fun to think, as Yesterday does, that our love for the Beatles is universal, true, and incontrovertible. Where’s the harm in that?
    The problem is that people often don’t see the myth of meritocracy as a myth; they really believe in it. And when they do, it can have some unfortunate effects. The myth of meritocracy can make us less willing to invest in the collective good. 
    If we convince ourselves that talented artists like the Beatles will be successful no matter what, we can also convince ourselves that we don’t really need to provide people with safety nets or resources. After all, the best will win out anyway. Why invest in school arts programs, or fund arts grants, if great musicians will be just fine on their own?
    The Beatles made wonderful, undoubtedly influential art. But if Yesterday weren’t so hypnotized by the supposedly unmatchable quality of the Beatles’ music, it might be able to see that there are great songs being written by people like Jack Malik too. The film believes that songs like “Yesterday” are just so good, they would become mega-popular under any circumstances. And yet many people who think “Yesterday” is the best song ever have been inevitably swayed by the Beatles’ popularity and legacy, the song’s quality aside.
    Maybe instead, the best song ever is one we haven’t heard yet; maybe it’s the one you’re going to write. Part of what happens when we abandon the myth of meritocracy is that we’re better able to see the merit all around us. And that gives everyone a greater chance at success.

(adapted from https://www.vox.com, Jun 29, 2019)




A
luck
B
coincidence
C
fortuity
D
chance
E
success
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MACKENZIE 2019 - Inglês - Vocabulário | Vocabulary, Sinônimos | Synonyms

Select the alternative that gives the correct meanings for these words from the text:


A – Feature

B – Nearby

C – Environment

Read the text and answer question


How to Make Friends While Traveling Solo

Even in the best cases, traveling alone can get lonely. Here’s how to connect safely with the people you meet along the way.

By Aric Jenkins April 16, 2019

Experiencing another culture on your own terms, at your own pace, with a budget of your own choosing can be an incredibly rewarding and insightful adventure. But while some may find such a journey liberating, others might worry about safety or a period of solitude in a strange, unfamiliar place. Humans, after all, are social animals.
Prospective solo travelers should know that, despite its label, solo travel does not have to mean you’re alone all the time. There are local communities to safely interact with as well as fellow globe-trotters in a similar position.
A 2016 report from travel research company Phocuswright found that a whopping 72 percent of hostel guests in the United States were traveling alone. Airbnb saw similar a trend in its data, with cities like Ho Chi Minh City, Cologne, and Johannesburg experiencing more than a 130 percent increase in individual bookings in 2016.
With solo traveling growing in popularity, it’s clear there are options to socialize with other travelers — it’s just a matter of putting yourself in the right position to do so. Here are some tactics you can use to meet and befriend people abroad, from tried-and-true methods to innovative new apps and technology.
Go on ‘free’ walking tours
The word free is in quotations because, assuming your tour guide is at least half-decent, you should tip them at the end (many earn the majority of their income on commission). But these walking tours can be worth every penny. Not only will the guide give you an informed and hopefully entertaining view of the locale, but you’ll have a chance to interact with other tourists and possibly come away with a new friend.
(…)
Use Airbnb to go on unique experiences hosted by locals
Airbnb may be known more for its lodging arrangements, but it also wants to give you something to do at your destination. Airbnb Experiences connects travelers with local guides who lead guests on paid activities ranging from city tours to bar crawls and hobby and skill classes. Launched in late 2016, Experiences quickly became a popular feature.
Connect with like-minded explorers on social travel apps
Prefer to cut out the middleman and connect directly with other travelers? Try your hand at the crop of social networking apps specifically designed for travel. Travello, free on iOS and Android, allows you to discover other travelers nearby, match itineraries for planned trips and join groups based on similar interests. You can also create a feed by posting photos and updates.
(…)
Stay in hostels
In a world of hospitable hotels and authentic Airbnbs, why do travelers elect to stay in hostels? Two reasons, really: Hostels are cheap and sociable. You’ll find college-esque dormitories with common lounge rooms and kitchens, and sometimes a bar or cafe.
It’s an ideal environment to meet other travelers, and hostel staffs are well aware of this — some will lead city tours or pub crawls designed to foster interaction between hostel mates. Others might host game nights in the common room or arrange family dinners.
(…)
Adapted from the digital edition of The New York Times: www.nytimes.com

A
characteristic, close, surroundings
B
destination, close, location
C
characteristic, close, entertainment
D
application, far, surroundings
E
application, far, location
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MACKENZIE 2019 - Inglês - Sinônimos | Synonyms

The words in the box below have been undelined in the text. Choose the option that indicates the correct synonym for each of the words in the order they appear in the text:

grabbed quivered whacked scolded

Read the text and asnwer questions:

HOME

They rose up like men. We saw them. Like men they stood.

We shouldn’t have been anywhere near that place. Like most farmland outside Lotus, Georgia, this here one had plenty scary warning signs. The threats hung from wire mesh fences with wooden stakes every fifty or so feet. But when we saw a crawl space that some animal had dug—a coyote maybe, or a coon dog—we couldn’t resist. Just kids we were. The grass was shoulder high for her and waist high for me so, looking out for snakes, we crawled through it on our bellies. The reward was worth the harm grass juice and clouds of gnats did to our eyes, because there right in front of us, about fifty yards off, they stood like men. Their raised hooves crashing and striking, their manes tossing back from wild white eyes. They bit each other like dogs but when they stood, reared up on their hind legs, their forelegs around the withers of the other, we held our breath in wonder. One was rust-colored, the other deep black, both sunny with sweat. The neighs were not as frightening as the silence following a kick of hind legs into the lifted lips of the opponent. Nearby, colts and mares, indifferent, nibbled grass or looked away. Then it stopped. The rust-colored one dropped his head and pawed the ground while the winner loped off in an arc, nudging the mares before him.

As we elbowed back through the grass looking for the dug-out place, avoiding the line of parked trucks beyond, we lost our way. Although it took forever to re-sight the fence, neither of us panicked until we heard voices, urgent but low. I grabbed her arm and put a finger to my lips. Never lifting our heads, just peeping through the grass, we saw them pull a body from a wheelbarrow and throw it into a hole already waiting. One foot stuck up over the edge and quivered, as though it could get out, as though with a little effort it could break through the dirt being shoveled in. We could not see the faces of the men doing the burying, only their trousers; but we saw the edge of a spade drive the jerking foot down to join the rest of itself. When she saw that black foot with its creamy pink and mud-streaked sole being whacked into the grave, her whole body began to shake. I hugged her shoulders tight and tried to pull her trembling into my own bones because, as a brother four years older, I thought I could handle it. The men were long gone and the moon was a cantaloupe by the time we felt safe enough to disturb even one blade of grass and move on our stomachs, searching for the scooped-out part under the fence. When we got home we expected to be whipped or at least scolded for staying out so late, but the grown-ups did not notice us. Some disturbance had their attention.

Since you’re set on telling my story, whatever you think and whatever you write down, know this: I really forgot about the burial. I only remembered the horses. They were so beautiful. So brutal. And they stood like men.

SOURCE: Excerpted from MORRISON, Toni. Home (2012), Harmondsworth: Penguin, 2012.

A
got; moved softlty; beaten; called attention
B
took; shook; put; adopted
C
captured; trembled; beaten; lectured
D
took; moved; stricken; accepted
E
got; moved in a trembling motion; stricken; censured
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UFRGS 2019 - Inglês - Sinônimos | Synonyms

The words advocates (I. 28), scrapped (I. 32) and accessory (I. 45) can be replaced, without change in meaning, by

Instrução: A questão está relacionada ao texto abaixo.  

Adapted from: SONTAG, Susan. Agaínst
lnterpretatlon and Other Essays. Penguin Modern
Classics, Straus and Giroux, 2009. p. 3-4.
A
supporters - discarded - secondary
B
lawyers - retired - dependent
C
defendants - considered - subsidiary
D
attorneys - regarded - complementary
E
campaigners - scratched - supplementary
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UFRGS 2019 - Inglês - Sinônimos | Synonyms, Interpretação de texto | Reading comprehension

Select the alternative in which the word even has the sarne rneaning and grarnrnatical class as in the fragrnent even the best palnting of a bed would be only an "imitatlon of an lmitation. `` (L. 14-15).

Instrução: A questão está relacionada ao texto abaixo.  

Adapted from: SONTAG, Susan. Agaínst
lnterpretatlon and Other Essays. Penguin Modern
Classics, Straus and Giroux, 2009. p. 3-4.
A
Courts usually have an even nurnber of rnernbers.
B
The road ran even throughout the trip.
C
The new rules helped even the cornpetition up.
D
The rnarket can run even higher as big funds out rnoney back into stocks.
E
The odds were even before the season started.