Why thin doesn`t sell

COMISSIÓ ORGAITZADORA DE LES PROVES D’ACCÉS A LA UIVERSITAT
COMISIÓN ORGANIZADORA DE LAS PRUEBAS DE ACCESO A LA UNIVERSIDAD
PROVES D’ACCÉS A FACULTATS, ESCOLES TÈCIQUES SUPERIORS I COL·LEGIS UIVERSITARIS
PRUEBAS DE ACCESO A FACULTADES, ESCUELAS TÉCNICAS SUPERIORES Y COLEGIOS UNIVERSITARIOS
COVOCATÒRIA DE
MODEL D’EXAME
MODALITAT DEL BATXILLERAT (LOGSE):
MODALIDAD DEL BACHILLERATO (LOGSE):
CONVOCATORIA DE
MODELO DE EXAME
Totes
Todas
IMPORTAT / IMPORTANTE
1r Exercici
1º. Ejercicio
Llengua estrangera II: AGLÈS
Lengua extranjera II: INGLÉS
Comuna
Común
90 minuts
90 minutos
Barem: / Baremo:
Please answer on a separate sheet of paper.
Part A. Reading Comprehension.
Read the following text:
Why thin doesn’t sell
They have been banned from the catwalk, blamed for devastating women’s self-esteem and
suspected of suffering eating disorders. Now ultra-thin models face another accusation: that
they’re not good at their job.
New research has found that instead of being admired by women, excessively thin models are
regarded as less truthful and appealing than “normal” women. ‘The advertising and fashion
industries are reluctant to use larger models because they say that thinness sells’, said Dr Helga
Dittmar, of the University of Sussex. ‘But our research has shown that thin models are less
effective in selling products than average-size models’.
Dittmar asked 800 women to rank the effectiveness of adverts featuring slim models. She
expected women to find thin models more convincing and persuasive. ‘Instead, there was a
strong message that models were evaluated more positively when they had a normal size’, she
said.
These findings come after the controversy which erupted when Madrid said models at Pasarela
Cibeles must have a weight in line with United Nations health guidelines. Dittmar said: ‘Only a
small percentage of women can ever hope to have the bodies shown in most advertising. There
are fears that images of ultra-thin models can have a number of significant consequences,
including negative self-perception, depression and disordered eating. The conclusion is that thin
models have a negative effect on the self-esteem of women, and this affects the effectiveness of
the advertising message. ‘Compared with ultra-thin models, those who appear in ads with an
average, healthy body size were viewed as more credible’.
Amelia Hill
The Observer, 15-10-2006, p. 7
COMISSIÓ ORGAITZADORA DE LES PROVES D’ACCÉS A LA UIVERSITAT
COMISIÓN ORGANIZADORA DE LAS PRUEBAS DE ACCESO A LA UNIVERSIDAD
PROVES D’ACCÉS A FACULTATS, ESCOLES TÈCIQUES SUPERIORS I COL·LEGIS UIVERSITARIS
PRUEBAS DE ACCESO A FACULTADES, ESCUELAS TÉCNICAS SUPERIORES Y COLEGIOS UNIVERSITARIOS
COVOCATÒRIA DE
CONVOCATORIA DE
MODEL D’EXAME
MODALITAT DEL BATXILLERAT (LOGSE):
MODALIDAD DEL BACHILLERATO (LOGSE):
MODELO DE EXAME
Totes
Todas
IMPORTAT / IMPORTANTE
1r Exercici
1º. Ejercicio
Llengua estrangera II: AGLÈS
Lengua extranjera II: INGLÉS
90 minuts
90 minutos
Comuna
Común
Barem: / Baremo:
Please answer on a separate sheet of paper.
I. Answer the following questions using your own words but taking into account the information in
the text. (2 points: 1 point each)
a) Why are ultra-thin models “not good at their job”?
b) What negative effects do thin models have on women?
II. Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)? Identify the part of the text that supports
your answer by copying the exact words on the answer sheet. (1.5 point: 0.5 each)
a) The fashion and advertising industries know that normal-sized women are more effective at
selling products.
b) The belief that thin models are more effective was confirmed.
c) Women’s self esteem has an impact on the effectiveness of the advertisement.
III. Find a synonym for each of the four words below from these six options: (1 point: 0.25 each)
face
a) unwilling
b) interesting
c) influence
d) confront
regarded
appealing
reluctant
featuring
affect
COMISSIÓ ORGAITZADORA DE LES PROVES D’ACCÉS A LA UIVERSITAT
COMISIÓN ORGANIZADORA DE LAS PRUEBAS DE ACCESO A LA UNIVERSIDAD
PROVES D’ACCÉS A FACULTATS, ESCOLES TÈCIQUES SUPERIORS I COL·LEGIS UIVERSITARIS
PRUEBAS DE ACCESO A FACULTADES, ESCUELAS TÉCNICAS SUPERIORES Y COLEGIOS UNIVERSITARIOS
COVOCATÒRIA DE
CONVOCATORIA DE
MODEL D’EXAME
MODALITAT DEL BATXILLERAT (LOGSE):
MODALIDAD DEL BACHILLERATO (LOGSE):
MODELO DE EXAME
Totes
Todas
IMPORTAT / IMPORTANTE
1r Exercici
1º. Ejercicio
Llengua estrangera II: AGLÈS
Lengua extranjera II: INGLÉS
Comuna
Común
90 minuts
90 minutos
Barem: / Baremo:
Please answer on a separate sheet of paper.
IV. Choose a, b, or c, in each question below. Only one choice is correct. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)
1. Thin models are...
a) better at selling products than normal-size models.
b) worse at selling products than normal-size models.
c) reluctant to wear products that normal-size models sell.
2. The research with 800 women...
a) confirmed the ideas the fashion industry is based on.
b) confirmed Dittmar’s belief about thin models.
c) changed Dittmar’s belief about thin models.
3. Female viewers of ads...
a) can never have the body of thin models.
b) can rarely have the body of thin models.
c) would love to have the body of thin models.
Part B. Composition (130-150 words approximately). Choose one of the following topics. (4 points)
1) Why are the fashion and advertising industries so obsessed with thin models? Do you think that
being thin still sells nowadays?
2) Are you influenced by the models you watch on television or see in magazines? Do you make
efforts to look like these models? Do these models have an effect on the opinion you have of
your body?