Based on the following passage of Diéz’s article:
“‘While ProEnglish establishes on its website that 'the right to use other languages
must be respected”, the group has been criticised by those who consider their
agenda to be discriminatory. 'They are careful to be called ProEnglish and not “antiSpanish”. But it is clear that their ideology is supremacist, referring to English as a
symbol of US cultural heritage when this country has never been a project only in
English,’ says SPLC researcher Heidi Beirich”.
From the alternatives below, choose the option that best represents the primary rhetorical effect of the
passive voice in the passage above:

Question

Question must be answered based on the following text.
“‘English Only': The movement to limit Spanish speaking in US’”
“The reactions against people who speak Spanish are probably not new," says Heidi
Beirich, a researcher at the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC). The SPLC
monitors hate groups in the US, which they define as any organisation that - based
on its official statements or principles, the statements of its leaders, or its activities
- has beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for
their immutable characteristics. In this sense, the SPLC qualifies as hate groups
several organisations that it considers anti-immigrant, such as the Federation for
American Immigration Reform (FAIR) and the Washington DC-based Center for
Immigration Studies (CIS).
Also on their list is ProEnglish, which advocates for English to be designated as the
official language of the United States. All of them were created in recent decades
by John Tanton, a white American far-right nationalist, who died in July of this year.
Mr. Tanton founded at least 12 anti-immigrant organisations, six of which have been
designated hate groups by the SPLC. The aforementioned ProEnglish is one of the
main organisations pushing the "English Only" movement, also known as "English
First" or "Official English" movement. Part of ProEnglish's official platform states:
"In a pluralistic nation such as ours, the function of government should be to foster
and support the similarities that unite us, rather than institutionalise the differences
that divide us." The organisation focuses its efforts on lobbying to convince
legislators and public opinion of the need to adopt English as an official language
at all levels of government.
While ProEnglish establishes on its website that "the right to use other languages
must be respected", the group has been criticised by those who consider their
agenda to be discriminatory. “They are careful to be called ProEnglish and not ‘antiSpanish’. But it is clear that their ideology is supremacist, referring to English as a
symbol of US cultural heritage when this country has never been a project only in
English, says SPLC researcher Heidi Beirich.
Adapted from: DIÉZ, Beatriz. “‘English Only': The movement to limit Spanish speaking in US’”.
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-50550742  Based on the following passage of Diéz’s article:
“‘While ProEnglish establishes on its website that 'the right to use other languages
must be respected”, the group has been criticised by those who consider their
agenda to be discriminatory. 'They are careful to be called ProEnglish and not “antiSpanish”. But it is clear that their ideology is supremacist, referring to English as a
symbol of US cultural heritage when this country has never been a project only in
English,’ says SPLC researcher Heidi Beirich”.
From the alternatives below, choose the option that best represents the primary rhetorical effect of the
passive voice in the passage above:  Alternativa A: It deliberately obscures who is responsible for the criticism against ProEnglish. Ou Alternativa B: It weakens the argument by making both ProEnglish and its critics appear less accountable for their
positions. Ou Alternativa C: It creates an ironic contrast between ProEnglish's claims and how they are perceived. Ou Alternativa D: It emphasizes institutional actions over individual actors, focusing on the criticism rather than the critics.

Qconcursos · Accepted Answer

Alternativa [D] It emphasizes institutional actions over individual actors, focusing on the criticism rather than the critics. Alternativa correta: D - It emphasizes institutional actions over individual actors, focusing on the criticism rather than the critics.

1. Tema central:
A questão aborda o uso da voz passiva em inglês, especificamente o efeito retórico que ela causa em um texto jornalístico. Compreender quando e por que usar voz ativa ou passiva é fundamental para interpretar e construir textos com clareza e precisão, especialmente em provas de interpretação de inglês para concursos.

2. Teoria resumida:
Em inglês, a voz ativa destaca quem faz a ação (“John criticizes the group”), enquanto a voz passiva enfatiza a ação ou o resultado, sem necessariamente identificar quem a realizou (“The group has been criticized”). Segundo gramáticas como Murphy (“English Grammar in Use”), a voz passiva é usada frequentemente para dar mais importância à ação ou para omitir o agente da ação quando este não é relevante ou é desconhecido.

3. Justificativa da alternativa correta (D):
No trecho “the group has been criticised by those who consider their agenda to be discriminatory”, a estrutura passiva (“has been criticised”) coloca em destaque a ação de ser criticado, e não o agente (“those who consider…”). Isso faz com que a atenção do leitor recaia sobre a ação institucional (a crítica recebida), não sobre quem critica. Esse foco na ação/dinâmica social é uma estratégia comum para tratar temas sensíveis, como políticas públicas ou questões sociais, priorizando os efeitos ou debates em vez de indivíduos específicos.

4. Análise das alternativas incorretas:
A - Errada: Embora a voz passiva possa omitir agentes, neste caso o agente (“those who consider...”) é citado, ainda que indiretamente.
B - Errada: Não há enfraquecimento argumentativo; a questão é o foco na ação, não na diminuição de responsabilidade.
C - Errada: Não há ironia expressa na construção passiva; a ironia, se existente, viria do conteúdo, não da estrutura gramatical.

5. Estratégia de interpretação:
Ao identificar frases na voz passiva, questione sempre: quem está em destaque: a ação/resultados ou quem faz? Em textos jornalísticos, a passiva costuma ser usada para institucionalizar críticas, elogios ou acusações, deslocando o foco do indivíduo para o processo.

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