If the sentence “. . . PISA tested students from 79 countrie...
Text 2
(Part II) Students’ skills
But graduation rates, while important, speak little to the quality of education received. The OECD’s Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) reviews the extent to which students near the end of their compulsory education (usually around age 15) have acquired some of the knowledge and skills that are essential for full participation in modern societies, particularly in reading, mathematics and science.
In 2018, PISA tested students from 79 countries, including OECD countries, Brazil, the Russian Federation and South Africa. The students were tested on their reading ability, their skills in maths and level in sciences. Research shows that these skills are more reliable predictors of economic and social well-being than the number of years spent in school or in post -formal education. The average student in the OECD area scored 488. On average in the OECD, girls scored 491 compared with 485 for boys.
Estonia is the highest-performing OECD country, with average PISA scores of 526, followed by Japan and Korea with 520 points. The lowest performing OECD country, Colombia, has an average score of 406. This means that the gap between the highest and lowest performing OECD countries is 120 points.
The best-performing school systems manage to provide highquality education to all students. In Canada, Estonia, Finland and Ireland for example, students tend to perform well regardless of their social background. In Israel and Luxembourg however, the gap between the students with the lowest socio-economic background and the students with the highest socio-economic background reaches more than 120 points, suggesting students’ socio-economic background tends to have an impact on their results. On average across OECD countries, there is a widening 89-point difference in PISA scores between the students with the highest and lowest socio-economic background.
https://www.oecdbetterlifeindex.org/topics/education/
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Alternativa correta: D — “Students from 79 countries were tested by PISA.”
Tema central: Embora o enunciado mencione “indirect speech” (discurso indireto), as alternativas tratam de transformação da voz ativa para a voz passiva. Em provas, isso pode ocorrer; portanto, resolvemos conforme o que as opções pedem.
Resumo teórico:
- Voz passiva: transforma-se Objeto da ativa em Sujeito da passiva; usa-se be + particípio passado, mantendo o tempo verbal; o agente pode aparecer com by. Ex.: Simple Past → was/were + V-ed.
- Na frase original (ativa): PISA (sujeito/agente) + tested (Simple Past) + students from 79 countries (objeto). Passiva correta: Students from 79 countries → sujeito; verbo: were tested (plural); agente: by PISA.
- Observação: Se fosse discurso indireto de fato, esperaríamos algo como: “They reported that PISA had tested...”. Não é o caso das alternativas.
Justificativa da alternativa D:
“Students from 79 countries were tested by PISA” preserva o sentido, mantém o tempo no passado (Simple Past → were tested), concorda com o sujeito plural (students) e posiciona corretamente o agente (by PISA). É a passiva canônica da ativa dada.
Análise das incorretas:
A) “Students tested PISA from 79 countries.” — Continua na voz ativa e inverte o sentido (“students” testaram “PISA”); além de semântica inadequada.
B) “Students are tested by PISA from 79 countries.” — Tempo verbal errado (are tested = presente); além disso, “from 79 countries” fica ambíguo/modificado indevidamente.
C) “79 countries tested students from PISA.” — Muda o agente para “79 countries” e cria construção imprópria (“students from PISA”). Sentido alterado.
E) “PISA is testing students from 79 countries.” — Tempo errado (presente contínuo) e mantém a voz ativa, não pedida.
Estratégias para a prova:
- Identifique o tempo verbal da ativa e converta para be + particípio no mesmo tempo.
- Verifique a concordância: plural → were tested, singular → was tested.
- Mantenha o sentido e o agente com “by”, quando necessário.
- Atenção à posição de adjuntos (“from 79 countries” modifica “students”, não “PISA”).
- Se o enunciado mencionar “indirect speech”, confira se as opções trazem reported clause (e.g., “said that...”). Se não, é provável que a banca esteja cobrando voz passiva.
Fontes de referência: Swan, M. Practical English Usage (OUP); Cambridge Grammar and Usage (Cambridge Dictionary – Passive voice); Celce-Murcia & Larsen-Freeman, The Grammar Book.
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