PRUEBA/PROVA: A LICENCE TO SELL - EnglishCanónigo

PRUEBA/PROVA: A LICENCE TO SELL

EXAM and ANSWERS

PART A. Reading Comprehension Read the following text:

A LICENCE TO SELL

Modern films and TV shows often feel like long advertisements thanks to product placement. This advertising technique involves using a product in a film or TV programme as if it were part of the story. Product placement owes its success to the invention of the video recorder, as owners fast-forwarded when adverts appeared in the middle of recorded programmes. Video recorders were a problem for advertisers; product placement was the solution. Today, advertisers receive scripts from producers and then look for products that fit `naturally' with the story. For example, a studio making a film about a teenager at university might ask for clothes, a laptop computer and a mobile phone for her. The camera could easily focus on all of these objects without greatly damaging the story. The problems begin when nobody worries about the story. Ian Fleming, who wrote the James Bond novels, gave his hero a `licence to kill'. Many people say the Bond films have given him a new licence: a licence to sell. When Bond isn't using the latest mobile phones, GPS devices or handheld tablets, he is driving sports cars and flying with airlines that have all been placed in the films for enormous amounts of money. Companies paid $45 million for their products to appear in the last Bond film. Many Bond fans think there is too much product placement and not enough plot. It seems that product placement is here to stay. Nevertheless, many critics feel that if TV programmes and films just become vehicles for advertising, audiences will soon look for alternative forms of entertainment.

I. Answer the following questions using your own words, but taking into account the information in the text. (2 points: 1 point each)

a. What does product placement do to a lot of films and TV programmes? Suggested answer: It turns them into non-stop commercials.

b. What is a common complaint about product placement in James Bond films? Suggested answer: Audiences feel that the story is weak and there is too much emphasis on advertising products.

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SMART TIP: answering open questions When answering open questions, try to use your own words. Find the information you need in the text and see if you can think of any synonyms, especially for the verbs and the nouns. Also make sure that you write complete sentences in your answers, not just notes.

II. Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)? Identify the part of the text that supports your answer by copying the exact passage on the answer sheet. (1.5 point: 0.5 each)

a. TV and film producers send scripts to advertising companies so they can find suitable products to go with the story. True. `Today, advertisers receive scripts from producers and then look for products that fit "naturally" with the story.' b. Product placement contributes to increasing the film production costs. False. ` ... that have all been placed in the films for enormous amounts of money. Companies paid $45 million for their products to appear in the last Bond film.' c. In the future, audiences might consider product placement a reason for finding different types of entertainment. True. ` ... many critics feel that if TV programmes and films just become vehicles for advertising, audiences will soon look for alternative forms of entertainment.'

SMART TIP: answering `true or false' questions `True or false' questions often use the same vocabulary that appears in the text so the sentence appears correct. However, the question might express a negative idea when the text expresses a positive one, and vice versa.

III. Find a synonym for each of the four words below from these six options: (1 point: 0.25 each)

device advertisement licence owner script plot a. commercial advertisement (paragraph 1) b. story plot (paragraph 3) c. appliance device (paragraph 3) d. screenplay script (paragraph 2)

SMART TIP: deciding on the meaning of a word If you're not sure about the meaning of a word, reread the sentence (and, if necessary, the paragraph) in which it appears in the reading text, and use the context to help you. For example, the word `plot' appears at the end of the third paragraph. The second and third paragraphs discuss the effects of product placement on the story of films. We are told that Bond fans think that recent Bond films contain too much product placement. All this information should help you to realize that `plot' is a synonym for `story'.

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IV. Choose a, b or c in each question below. Only one choice is correct. (1.5 point: 0.5 each)

1. Product placement ... a. first appeared in video recordings of TV programmes and films. b. describes a TV programme that is about a product. c. makes products part of a TV programme or film.

2. TV viewers' habits changed because of ... a. a new device. b. repeated programmes and films. c. the introduction of product placement.

3. Product placement causes problems when ... a. the products become more important than the story. b. the products fit naturally with the story. c. there aren't many products in the story.

SMART TIP: answering questions with three options When answering questions that offer three possible answers, first read the question and find the part of the text that it refers to. Reread that part of the text and see if you can answer the question before you look at the options. This will help you to choose the correct option and avoid being `tricked' by options that use vocabulary from the text but are wrong.

PART B. Composition (130?150 words approximately) (4 points)

Does advertising influence people?

Advertising surrounds us wherever we go. It's in the media, on the internet, on hoardings in the streets and on public transport. It's impossible to escape it. In my opinion, the fact that we constantly see advertising does have an effect on our behaviour. I think that the ideas we have about what the `perfect' human body is all come from adverts. Advertising also has a great influence on what is considered fashionable, whether it's clothing, electronic gadgets or popular culture. Another fact that demonstrates the power of advertising is the willingness of companies to spend millions on it. They wouldn't continually invest all this money if it didn't work. In conclusion, I believe that advertising is very effective at persuading people to buy things. Without it, a lot of products that are not essential in our daily lives would probably not sell.

SMART TIP: giving an opinion When you have to give an opinion, remember to use useful opinion expressions to introduce your ideas. For example, I think / believe that ... , In my opinion ... , In my view ... , It seems to me that ...

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