Portuguese activity aimed at second-year high school students, aiming at addressing the occurrence of the comma and the analysis of the language level (formal/informal), through the touching text "Lesson of life".
You can download this Portuguese language activity in print-ready PDF, in a Word template that can be modified and also the activity answered.
Download this activity from:
SCHOOL: DATE:
PROF: CLASS:
NAME:
Read the text below very carefully and then answer the questions:
Jorge Fernando dos Santos
One thing that has always moved me (and intrigued me) is the joy of the garbage collection guys. Day in, day out, the SLU truck comes down my street and they make that racket. They are almost always joking around, making fun of each other, smiling and solicitous with the villagers. Even in the rush to pick up the garbage bags, they find time to shout “good morning, boss” or to comment on Galo's victory, Cruzeiro's defeat or vice versa.
These days I got up in a good mood, which is not always the case on hot summer mornings. As I left the house, I saw the big yellow truck appear at the top of the street. And behold, a sweaty nigga jumped out of his rear, with a white smile in the middle of his face. The neighbor next door was washing the sidewalk, wasting water as usual. The man wiped the sweat on his shirt sleeve and greeted her. “Would you let me drink some water?” he asked bluntly. “This water is not good,” she said. “Wait a minute, I get filtered water.” “What is it, ma'am? Do not need. Hose water is already too good.”
She extended the jet of water and he was delighted. After taking a good long drink, she put the carapinha under the water and refreshed herself. The sun in the blue sky was ripping castor bean and the top of the street swayed under the effect of the heat. The black man thanked the “charity” of my neighbor and continued running after the yellow truck, into which he threw the garbage bags picked up on the sidewalk.
At the bottom corner, the truck stopped, as the condominium across the street always produces a lot of plastic bags. When I passed by the black man and his companion, both were throwing bags at the truck's crusher. I stopped in the shade of a Lent to watch their work while waiting for a bus.
The driver got out of the car with a cigarette in his mouth and asked if I had a match. I lent him the lighter and, as he lit his "mouse kill", I commented: "I've always admired the joy with which you work." the driver blew the smoke, he handed me back the lighter and commented: "And why should we be sad?" “I don't know… A job like this shouldn't be soft.” “Of course not”, he retorted. “But the life of someone who digs through the garbage looking for food is really hard. At least we're not there.” Then he got into the box, the two men in yellow finished their collection and climbed into the back. The truck started and I was thoughtful while waiting for the “busun”.
Source: //umacoisaeoutra.com.br/cultura/jorge.htm
Question 1 - Explain, in his words, why the text is entitled "Life Lesson":
Question 2 - List the columns:
Excerpts from the text:
a) “Even in the rush to pick up the garbage bags, they find time to shout “good morning […]”.
b) “[…] to shout “good morning, boss”.
c) “I lent him the lighter and, while he lit his 'killer rat', I commented […]”.
d) “The neighbor next door was washing the sidewalk, wasting water as usual.”.
Justifications for the employment of comma:
___ before gerund
___ inversion in order of terms
___ insertion/merging of terms
___ to separate the vocative
Question 3 - In “At the bottom corner, the truck stopped, because the condominium in front always produces a lot of plastic bags.”, the underlined word could be replaced by:
a) however
b) since
c) and
d) for that
Question 4 - Check the alternative that does not show a trace of informality:
a) “Wait a minute, I'll get filtered water.”.
b) “The driver blew out the smoke, gave me back the lighter and commented […]”.
c) “At least we are not there.”.
d) “After drinking good gulps, he put the carapinha under the water and refreshed himself.”.
By Denyse Lage Fonseca – Graduated in Languages and specialist in distance education.
At answers are in the link above the header.
report this ad
