“Bring a plate for Saturday’s potluck,” the message said in the group chat. Ana, from Brazil, had just joined…

Questão

“Bring a plate for Saturday’s potluck,” the message said in the group chat. Ana, from Brazil, had just joined an international volunteer group that organizes a community dinner. People from different countries used English to plan the event. Ana read “bring a plate” and answered: “No problem, I can bring two.” On Saturday, she arrived with clean plates, but no food. The coordinator from the UK looked surprised and asked where her dish was. Ana explained that in her mind, the request was about plates, not food. Another volunteer then clarified that, in the UK, “bring a plate” is often used to mean “bring a plate of food to share.” Ana felt embarrassed, but she also realized the problem was not her grammar: it was the meaning of an expression in a specific culture. Based on the text, infer the main factor that prevented Ana from understanding the request in English.

1. A) Misunderstanding words because of a strong accent
2. B) Interpreting a local expression in a literal way
3. C) Feeling offended by a rude tone in the request
4. D) Confusing the time format used in another country
5. E) Missing details because the message was incomplete

✅ Resposta correta: alternativa B

Resolução passo a passo

1. Leia o texto com atenção. Ana entende a expressão 'bring a plate' de forma literal, como 'traga um prato' (um objeto), enquanto, no contexto britânico, a expressão significa 'traga um prato de comida para compartilhar'.
2. O próprio texto esclarece o problema: 'Ana explained that in her mind, the request was about plates, not food' e 'the problem was not her grammar: it was the meaning of an expression in a specific culture'. Ou seja, o obstáculo não foi a gramática nem o vocabulário isolado, mas o sentido cultural de uma expressão idiomática.
3. Portanto, a alternativa correta é a B, 'Interpreting a local expression in a literal way' (interpretar uma expressão local de forma literal), que descreve exatamente o que aconteceu.
4. Por que as outras estão erradas: A) o texto não menciona sotaque algum, e a dificuldade não foi de pronúncia; C) não há tom ofensivo na mensagem, e Ana não se sente ofendida, apenas constrangida; D) não há qualquer questão de formato de horário no texto; E) a mensagem não estava incompleta, apenas tinha um sentido diferente do esperado.
5. Conclusão: o fator principal foi a leitura literal de uma expressão com significado cultural específico, concordando com o gabarito oficial.

💡 Dica: Pense no significado cultural da expressão 'bring a plate'.

Alternativa por alternativa

Raio-X da questão

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