Comprensió escrita amb preguntes obertes: exercicis de la PAU d’Anglès resolts

Les 36 preguntes de comprensió escrita amb preguntes obertes de la PAU d’Anglès de Catalunya de 2025 a 2026: l’enunciat i el text de l’examen, una resposta model d’EducaIA de cada pregunta i, a part, les formulacions que accepta la pauta oficial, en anglès i literals. Marca la idea de la pauta que tenia la teva resposta.

Explicacions i respostes model d’EducaIA. La pauta oficial del 2025 i 2026 dona diverses formulacions vàlides de cada pregunta, no una resposta model única.

Exàmens sencers amb aquest tema:2026 · juny · sèrie 12026 · juny · sèrie 52026 · extraordinària2025 · juny · sèrie 12025 · juny · sèrie 42025 · extraordinària

El que més s’ha repetit als exàmens

Els tipus d’apartat que més s’han repetit en aquest tema, com es resolen i en quants dels 6 exàmens amb exercicis d’aquest tema (2025–2026) han sortit. És el que ha passat, no una predicció.

En 6 de 6 exàmens

  1. Localitza al text el paràgraf de la resposta i contesta amb una frase completa, com demana l’examen («Answer the questions below using complete sentences»). El 2025 (ordinària, sèrie 1), «When and how did the practice of tipping start in America?» demana dues coses, quan i com.

  2. L’examen deixa fer servir fragments del text, tret que digui el contrari: pots copiar el que necessitis, però la frase que escriguis s’ha d’entendre sola, sense dependre de la pregunta.

  3. Quan la pregunta demana un nombre de coses («Mention TWO characteristics», 2026 extraordinària, 2.6), dona exactament aquest nombre: ni una menys ni deu de farciment.

En 6 de 6 exàmens

  1. Quan l’enunciat diu «IN YOUR OWN WORDS», «USE YOUR OWN WORDS» o «DO NOT COPY DIRECTLY FROM THE TEXT» (2025, ordinària, sèrie 4, 2.4), copiar frases del text no serveix: l’examen ho prohibeix.

  2. Llegeix el passatge, tapa’l i explica la idea com la hi explicaries a un amic, amb les teves frases. Després comprova que has dit tot el que demana la pregunta (de vegades hi ha tres raons, com el 2026, ordinària, sèrie 1, 2.6).

  3. Si l’enunciat et deixa conservar unes paraules («You may use the words pay, minimum and businesses», 2025, ordinària, sèrie 1, 2.3), pots fer-les servir tal qual; canvia la resta.

En 5 de 6 exàmens

  1. Llegeix la paràfrasi que et donen (2025, ordinària, sèrie 1, 2.2: «Since the early days of the United States, people have routinely added a small bonus to their payments») i pensa quines paraules clau podrien ser al text amb una altra forma.

  2. Copia la frase o la paraula del text exactament com és, sense canviar-la ni resumir-la: aquí el que es demana és localitzar-la, no reescriure-la.

  3. Si et demanen «a synonym» (2026, ordinària, sèrie 5, 2.5), comprova que la paraula té la mateixa categoria gramatical i es pot posar a la frase de la pregunta.

En 3 de 6 exàmens

  1. L’examen et dona la frase i, de vegades, les paraules que pots conservar: «You may keep grammatical words… and the following words: tips, service» (2025, ordinària, sèrie 1, 2.5). Aquestes són les úniques que no has de canviar.

  2. Canvia les paraules de contingut i l’estructura (per exemple, d’activa a passiva o amb una altra conjunció) sense canviar el significat.

  3. Llegeix-la en acabar i comprova que no has deixat fora cap idea de la frase original.

En 4 de 6 exàmens

  1. La frase comença («Complete the following sentence:…» o «Finish the following sentence:…», 2025, ordinària, sèrie 4, 2.5) i tu l’acabes. La primera part no es torna a escriure.

  2. Acaba amb el que diu el text, de manera que la frase sencera sigui correcta gramaticalment en llegir-la de principi a fi.

  3. Quan l’enunciat afegeix «IN YOUR OWN WORDS» (2025, extraordinària, sèrie 3, 2.1), val la mateixa regla que a explicar: amb les teves paraules, conservant només les que et permet.

Els exercicis, del més recent al més antic

2026Convocatòria ordinària · Sèrie 1 · Exercici 2Part 2: Reading comprehension, the search for a sixth basic taste

3 puntsDona les idees que demana la pauta
Enunciat oficial
Enunciat oficialAquest examen només es va publicar en anglès.

WHAT’S AFTER UMAMI? SCIENTISTS ARE HUNTING FOR THE SIXTH BASIC TASTE

In 1908, Japanese chemist Kikunae Ikeda was studying the active substances in seaweed, when he made a discovery that would change food science forever. Ikeda realized that a compound called glutamic acid was what gave seaweed its distinctive taste—nothing like the existing basic tastes of sweet, salty, sour, and bitter. He named that taste umami.

Yet even though people have been eating seaweed, mushrooms, miso, cheese, and fermented foods for ages, it took nearly a century of scientific debate for umami to be recognized worldwide as the fifth basic taste. It wasn’t until the 1990s that it gained universal recognition, and only after extensive scientific studies confirmed that it was unlike any other existing taste.

Is it time to add a sixth taste to the list? Some scientists argue that the answer is yes, though there is still debate about what it should be. Scientists have not been intentionally searching for a sixth taste. Rather, “there’s a fundamental science-based search for different ways we can experience the world in terms of taste and how it’s detected,” explains neuroscientist Emily Liman.

Advances in understanding the science of taste would allow food scientists to create more delicious foods—and could also help doctors diagnose and treat related disorders that involve a loss of your sense of taste. But getting the scientific community to agree on a sixth sense is not easy. To qualify as a basic taste, any competitor must be proven to be as distinct as the sweetness of berries or the bitterness of kale.

First, it’s important to note that “there’s a difference between taste and flavor,” says Marisa Moore, a dietitian in culinary nutrition from Atlanta. “Taste begins on the tongue when food molecules we eat mix with saliva and activate our taste buds, which then send signals to the brain and cause the perception of distinct tastes.” Contrary to popular belief, the tongue does not have specific areas that detect each type of taste. Instead, basic tastes can be picked up by taste buds on various parts of the tongue, though different cells may have varying levels of sensitivity to sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami.

While taste begins in the mouth, flavor is what registers in the brain when it combines the entire experience of taste, texture, temperature, and aroma. “Taste and other senses do interact in the brain to put together flavor,” says Richard Mattes, professor of nutrition science at Purdue University, “but that’s different from taste.”

Various criteria have been proposed over the years to define a new taste. For starters, a taste needs to have a “chemical signature”—a set of chemical components that are distinct from that of other substances. Then, Mattes says, “you need to have a receptor anywhere on the tongue, palate, or throat where the chemical component can interact with a cell in a taste bud.” That cell in the taste bud must then have a mechanism “to change the component’s chemical signal to an electrical signal that is then transmitted through nerves to the brain,” Mattes adds. The electrical signal carried by taste nerves must activate regions in the brain that are associated with taste, and it needs to generate a unique taste perception in the brain that is independent from other tastes. Finally, there needs to be a response in the body that results from these effects. For example, Mattes says, “the perception of sweetness triggers the release of insulin throughout the body.”

In short, a major challenge to getting the scientific community to accept a new taste has to do with the complexity of the research that needs to be conducted. “You have to go through a lot to prove a taste exists,” says Dawn Jackson Blatner, a dietitian nutritionist in Chicago. None of the candidates for a sixth basic taste have passed all experimental tests yet—but some of them are closer to doing so than others. Despite all these complications, scientists continue to study taste—and debate what the next big one might be—because taste is important, as it is about what we crave, how we cook, and how satisfied we feel after eating.

Text adapted from an article by Stacey Colino. National Geographic [online] (November 25, 2025)

seaweed: alga
taste bud: papil·la gustativa / papila gustativa
palate: paladar
crave: tenir desig de / tener antojo de

QUESTIONS

Answer the questions below using complete sentences. You may use fragments from the text unless specified not to do so.

[3 points: 0.5 points for each correct answer. Up to 0.3 points might be deducted from the total mark for lack of intelligibility in the answers provided.]

2.1 How did umami become recognized as the fifth basic taste? USE YOUR OWN WORDS TO ANSWER THE QUESTION. You may keep the words in the question.

[0.5 points]

2.2 Complete the following sentence:
Improving the diagnosis of taste-related illnesses and permitting researchers to make food tastier are...

[0.5 points]

2.3 Find a phrase in the text that means the following: “Unlike what people usually think”.

[0.5 points]

2.4 According to the text, what is flavor the result of?

[0.5 points]

2.5 Name TWO of the different criteria that have been proposed over the years to define a new taste.

[0.5 points]

2.6 In what sense does the study of taste continue to be important? In your answer, mention the THREE reasons given in the text. USE YOUR OWN WORDS.

[0.5 points]

Escriu la teva resposta i compara-la amb la de la pauta: marca el que tenia la teva.

2.10,5 punts

La resposta model

Umami was accepted as the fifth basic taste only after decades of arguments among researchers, when a large body of research finally confirmed that no other taste was like it.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts. La pauta no reparteix idea per idea els punts del contingut d’aquest apartat.

La pregunta demana les teves paraules: no copiïs frases del text com «it took nearly a century of scientific debate for umami to be recognized worldwide»; sí que pots repetir les paraules de la pregunta. La resposta ha de dir que es va acceptar com a cinquè sabor quan els estudis van demostrar que era diferent dels altres.

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • Umami was recognized as the fifth basic taste after research/investigations corroborated/stated/proved that it was different from other tastes we already know/have.

2.20,5 punts

La resposta model

Improving the diagnosis of taste-related illnesses and permitting researchers to make food tastier are two advantages that a better understanding of how taste works could bring.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts. La pauta no reparteix idea per idea els punts del contingut d’aquest apartat.

Cal completar la frase i que continuï sent gramatical: comença amb les paraules de l’enunciat i continua amb el que són aquestes dues coses, per exemple avantatges o aplicacions d’entendre millor el gust. El text ho diu així: «Advances in understanding the science of taste would allow food scientists to create more delicious foods».

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • two effects/consequences/applications/results of understanding the science of taste.

2.30,5 punts

La resposta model

Contrary to popular belief

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts. La pauta no reparteix idea per idea els punts del contingut d’aquest apartat.

Es demana una expressió del text, no una explicació: copia la frase tal com apareix, sense canviar-la ni afegir-hi res. Busca-la al paràgraf que parla de les zones de la llengua.

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • Contrary to popular belief

2.40,5 punts

La resposta model

Flavor results from the brain putting together the taste with the food’s texture, its temperature and its aroma.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts. La pauta no reparteix idea per idea els punts del contingut d’aquest apartat.

El text ho explica al paràgraf que distingeix gust i sabor: «flavor is what registers in the brain when it combines the entire experience of taste, texture, temperature, and aroma». N’hi ha prou amb dir que el sabor resulta del fet que el cervell combini el gust amb la textura, la temperatura i l’aroma; pots fer servir fragments del text.

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • Flavor is the (result of the) interaction between taste and other senses in the brain.
  • Flavor is the (result of the) combination of taste, texture, temperature and aroma in the brain.
  • Flavor is what registers in the brain when it combines the entire experience of taste, texture, temperature and aroma.

2.50,5 punts

La resposta model

1

Firstly, a candidate taste needs a chemical signature, meaning a group of chemical components unlike those found in other substances.

2

Secondly, there has to be a receptor somewhere in the mouth or throat, so that the components can interact with a cell of a taste bud.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts: la pauta en demana dues de les idees següents.

  1. §1
  2. §2

Amb les regles de la pauta. Si una idea hi és, ho decideixes tu; si la tens a mitges, el tribunal en pot donar una part.

Demanen DOS criteris: dona’n dos. El text n’enumera sis (una «chemical signature», un receptor, un mecanisme a la cèl·lula, l’activació de zones del cervell, una percepció única i una resposta del cos): tria’n dos i escriu-los en frases completes, amb les teves paraules o amb fragments del text.

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • A taste needs to have a “chemical signature” -a set of chemical components that are distinct from that of other substances.
  • You need to have a receptor anywhere on the tongue, palate, or throat where the chemical component can interact with a cell in a tastebud.
  • That cell in the tastebud must have a mechanism “to change the component’s chemical signal to an electrical signal that is then transmitted through nerves to the brain”.
  • The electrical signal carried by taste nerves must activate regions in the brain that are associated with taste.
  • It needs to generate a unique taste perception in the brain that is independent from other tastes.
  • There needs to be a response in the body that results from these effects.

2.60,5 punts

La resposta model

The study of taste remains important because it is related to the foods we long for, the ways in which we prepare our meals and the degree of satisfaction we get once we have eaten.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts. La pauta no reparteix idea per idea els punts del contingut d’aquest apartat.

Demanen les TRES raons i amb les teves paraules. El text les dona a l’última frase: el gust té a veure amb el que ens ve de gust menjar, amb com cuinem i amb com de satisfets ens sentim després de menjar. No copiïs «it is about what we crave, how we cook, and how satisfied we feel after eating»: digues-ho d’una altra manera i no et deixis cap de les tres.

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • The study of taste continues to be important because/since/as taste is about what we feel like eating, how we prepare food, and how happy we are after a meal.
  • The three reasons why the study of taste continues to be important include the relationship between taste and what we feel like eating, how/the way we prepare food and how happy we are after a meal.

Enunciat: Generalitat de Catalunya, Consell Interuniversitari de Catalunya, Oficina d’Accés a la Universitat. PAU d’Anglès 2026, convocatòria ordinària. La imatge és l’examen oficial tal qual i el text el reprodueix; les explicacions i les respostes model són d’EducaIA. Consultat el 7 de novembre de 2026; el document no declara data d’última actualització.

L’examen sencer, resoltExamen (PDF)Pauta de correcció (PDF)Reutilitzat segons l’avís legal de la Generalitat

2026Convocatòria ordinària · Sèrie 5 · Exercici 2Part 2: Reading comprehension, the science of fear

3 puntsCobreix totes les idees de la pauta
Enunciat oficial
Enunciat oficialAquest examen només es va publicar en anglès.

THE SCIENCE OF FEAR: HOW IT AFFECTS YOUR BODY AND MIND

Fear is a natural response that has helped humans survive dangerous situations for centuries. While, unlike those faced by our ancestors, today’s threats are less likely to involve sabre-tooth tigers, haunted houses, scary movies, and harmless pranks still trigger the same physical and emotional reactions. The body’s fight-or-flight response releases stress hormones and prepares [5] us to either face the challenge or escape it. But how exactly does fear work, and what happens when it is activated too often?

The amygdala is a part of the brain that handles the processing of emotions and detection of danger. The fear response originates from it; upon detecting an apparent peril, signals are sent to the hypothalamus. The hypothalamus is an organ that initiates nervous and endocrine [10] systems. Further, it encourages the release of stress hormones like cortisol, adrenaline, and noradrenaline. These chemicals cause a chain reaction in the body: your heart beats faster to pump oxygen-rich blood to your muscles and brain, your breathing quickens, your pupils dilate for better vision, and your muscles tense up ready for action. Adrenaline also reduces pain and heightens focus, allowing you to respond effectively to a threat. Interestingly, the release of [15] dopamine, another hormone, can create a feeling of happiness during fear-inducing situations, which explains why some people enjoy being scared.

Your brain doesn’t instantly distinguish between actual and imagined dangers. When an actor in a haunted house jumps out wearing a scary mask, for example, your body automatically behaves as if the danger were real. This is the automatic and brief initial phase [20] of the fear response. However, the prefrontal cortex, the part of the brain that is responsible for reasoning, quickly weighs this event. It confers with the hippocampus, an organ that retrieves the memories of similar events from storage to determine if there really is any danger. If you have been through a haunted house before, your brain knows the threat is not real, and the fear response turns off. But when the situation is unfamiliar—say, some terrifying scene in a horror [25] movie—your body may release stress hormones, and physical effects—such as a racing heart or sweaty palms—may be more obvious.

While the fear response is necessary for survival, frequent activation can damage the body. Continuous release of stress hormones may lead to high blood pressure, heart problems, digestive issues and immune system dysregulation because your body is constantly in “high [30] alert” mode. Chronic exposure to jump scares can also desensitize the brain to real threats, potentially dulling critical survival instincts.

Some groups should take more care with scary activities. For instance, people with heart diseases, chronic pain, and anxiety disorders are more sensitive to the negative side effects of scares. According to experts, scary activities are not recommended in order to protect mental [35] and physical health.

Controlled scares—the ones in haunted houses or elsewhere—are enjoyable to many. The temporary flash of stress hormones followed by relief creates an exhilarating sensation. But just like with any other activity involving health risks, moderation must be observed. When you become aware of what fear is, you can appreciate its role in survival and entertainment but also [40] treat its impact on your health with respect.

Text adapted from an article by Daryl Austin. National Geographic [online] (October 2, 2024)

prank: bretolada, broma / gamberrada, broma
retrieve: recuperar
exhilarating: emocionant, excitant / emocionante, excitante

QUESTIONS

Answer the questions below using complete sentences. You may use fragments from the text unless specified not to do so.

[3 points: 0.5 points for each correct answer. Up to 0.3 points might be deducted from the total mark for lack of intelligibility in the answers provided.]

2.1 According to the text, which threat is not usually encountered today?

[0.5 points]

2.2 Paraphrase the following sentence: “The release of dopamine [...] can create a feeling of happiness during fear-inducing situations” (lines 14-15). You may keep the word dopamine.

[0.5 points]

2.3 How does the hippocampus help in distinguishing real threats from fake ones? DO NOT COPY DIRECTLY FROM THE TEXT. You may keep the words hippocampus, brain, and past.

[0.5 points]

2.4 How can frequent exposure to scary experiences affect someone’s reaction to real danger?

[0.5 points]

2.5 Find a synonym in the text for consider in the sense of “assess, evaluate, and analyze.”

[0.5 points]

2.6 Complete the following sentence:
It’s important to understand what fear is so that you...

[0.5 points]

Escriu la teva resposta i compara-la amb la de la pauta: marca el que tenia la teva.

2.10,5 punts

La resposta model

Today we rarely have to face sabre-tooth tigers, which were a threat to our ancestors.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts. La pauta no reparteix idea per idea els punts del contingut d’aquest apartat.

La pregunta busca l’amenaça que avui dia ja no solem trobar. El primer paràgraf ho diu: «today’s threats are less likely to involve sabre-tooth tigers». Compte amb les cases encantades i les pel·lícules de por: són exemples de coses que encara provoquen por.

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • Sabre-tooth tigers are not usually encountered anymore.

2.20,5 punts

La resposta model

Dopamine, when released, can make us feel joyful even in the middle of frightening situations.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts. La pauta no reparteix idea per idea els punts del contingut d’aquest apartat.

Parafrasejar és dir el mateix amb altres paraules: pots conservar «dopamine», però canvia l’estructura (per exemple, passa de «The release of dopamine» a un verb) i els altres termes. Mantén el sentit: la dopamina pot donar sensació de felicitat en situacions que fan por.

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • The production of dopamine can cause a sense of joy/satisfaction/bliss when experiencing/during/in frightening moments/events.

2.30,5 punts

La resposta model

The hippocampus brings up what the brain remembers about similar situations from the past, so that we can judge whether the danger is genuine or not.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts. La pauta no reparteix idea per idea els punts del contingut d’aquest apartat.

La pregunta prohibeix copiar del text i només deixa conservar «hippocampus», «brain» i «past». La idea: l’hipocamp recupera records de situacions semblants i així el cervell decideix si el perill és real. No copiïs «retrieves the memories of similar events from storage to determine if there really is any danger».

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • The hippocampus recalls familiar past events/thoughts/actions to aid the brain know whether the present danger is true or unreal.

2.40,5 punts

La resposta model

It can make the brain less sensitive to real threats, so that survival instincts may slowly become dull.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts. La pauta no reparteix idea per idea els punts del contingut d’aquest apartat.

El text diu que l’exposició continuada «can also desensitize the brain to real threats»: la reacció davant d’un perill real es fa menys intensa. Respon amb una frase completa; pots fer servir fragments del text.

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • Frequent exposure to scary experiences can desensitize the brain, reducing its ability to react strongly to real threats.

2.50,5 punts

La resposta model

Weighs (line 21), as in “quickly weighs this event”.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts. La pauta no reparteix idea per idea els punts del contingut d’aquest apartat.

Es demana una sola paraula del text amb el sentit d’«assess, evaluate, and analyze»: és al tercer paràgraf, a «quickly weighs this event» (línia 21). Copia-la del text i no la canviïs per un sinònim teu.

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • weigh(s) (line 20)

2.60,5 punts

La resposta model

It’s important to understand what fear is so that you can value the role it plays in keeping us safe and in entertaining us, while also taking its effects on your health seriously.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts. La pauta no reparteix idea per idea els punts del contingut d’aquest apartat.

Cal completar la frase començant amb les paraules de l’enunciat i seguint la gramàtica de «so that you…» (subjecte «you» i un verb com «can» més infinitiu). La idea de l’última frase del text té dues parts: valorar el paper de la por (supervivència i entreteniment) i tenir cura del seu efecte sobre la salut.

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • It’s important to understand what fear is so that you... can appreciate its role in survival and entertainment but also treat its impact on your health with respect.

Enunciat: Generalitat de Catalunya, Consell Interuniversitari de Catalunya, Oficina d’Accés a la Universitat. PAU d’Anglès 2026, convocatòria ordinària. La imatge és l’examen oficial tal qual i el text el reprodueix; les explicacions i les respostes model són d’EducaIA. Consultat el 7 de novembre de 2026; el document no declara data d’última actualització.

L’examen sencer, resoltExamen (PDF)Pauta de correcció (PDF)Reutilitzat segons l’avís legal de la Generalitat

2026Convocatòria extraordinària · Sèrie 2 · Exercici 2Part 2: Reading comprehension, late bloomers

3 puntsDona les idees que demana la pauta
Enunciat oficial
Enunciat oficialAquest examen només es va publicar en anglès.

YOU MIGHT BE A LATE BLOOMER

Today we live in a society structured to promote early bloomers. Our school system has sorted people by the time they are 18, using grades and university entrance exam scores. Some of these people zoom to prestigious academic trajectories while others get left behind. Many of our most prominent models of success made it big while young—Bill Gates, Mark [5] Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, Taylor Swift, Michael Jordan. Magazines publish lists to glamorize youthful superstars on the rise. Age discrimination is a fact of life. But for many people, the talents that bloom later in life are more consequential than the ones that bloom early. Even brilliant people apparently need at least a couple of decades to master their field.

Successful late bloomers are all around us. Morgan Freeman had his first key roles in Street [10] Smart and Driving Miss Daisy in his early 50s. Colonel Harland Sanders started Kentucky Fried Chicken in his 60s. Isak Dinesen published the book that established her literary reputation, Out of Africa, at 52. Morris Chang founded Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing, the world’s leading chipmaker, at 55. If Samuel Johnson had died at 40, few would remember him, but now he is considered one of the greatest writers in the history of the English language. Copernicus [15] came up with his theory of planetary motion in his 60s.

Why do some people hit their peak later than others? In his book Late Bloomers, the journalist Rich Karlgaard points out that late bloomers are not simply early bloomers on a delayed timetable—they didn’t just do the things early bloomers did but at a later age. Late bloomers tend to be qualitatively different. They possess a different set of abilities that are [20] mostly invisible to or discouraged by our current education system. They usually have to invent their own paths. Late bloomers “fulfill their potential frequently in novel and unexpected ways,” Karlgaard writes, “surprising even those closest to them.”

If you survey history, a taxonomy of achievement emerges. In the first category are the “early bloomers,” the precocious geniuses. These are people like Picasso or Fitzgerald who [25] succeeded young. As the University of Chicago economist David Galenson has pointed out, these high achievers usually made a conceptual breakthrough. They came up with a new idea and then executed it. Then there are the “second-mountain people,” exemplified by, say, Albert Schweitzer. First, they conquer their career mountain; Schweitzer, for instance, was an accomplished musician and scholar. But these people find their career success unsatisfying, so [30] they leave their career mountain to serve humanity—their whole motivational structure shifts from acquisition to altruism. Schweitzer became a doctor in the poorest parts of Africa, and won the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in 1952. Finally, there are the people Galenson calls “the masters.” These are people like Cézanne or Alfred Hitchcock or Charles Darwin, who were not all that successful—and in some cases just not even very good at what they did—when they were [35] young. This could have been discouraging, but they just kept improving.

Late bloomers don’t do as much advance planning as the conceptual geniuses, but they regard their entire lives as experiments. They try something and learn, and then they try something else and learn more. Their focus is not on their finished work, which they often throw away haphazardly. Their focus is on the process of learning itself, which they enjoy. They [40] live their lives as a long period of trial and error, trying this and trying that, a slow process of accumulation and elaboration, so the quality of their work peaks late in life. They are the ugly ducklings of human achievement, who, over the decades, turn themselves into swans. Slow at the start, late bloomers are still sprinting during that final lap—they do not slow down as age brings its decay. They are seeking. They are striving. They are in it with all their heart.

Text adapted from an article by David Brooks. The Atlantic [online] (June 26, 2024)

hit their peak: assolir el cim / alcanzar la cima
breakthrough: descobriment / descubrimiento
haphazardly: de qualsevol manera / de cualquier manera

QUESTIONS

Answer the questions below using complete sentences. You may use fragments from the text unless specified not to do so.

[3 points: 0.5 points for each correct answer. Up to 0.3 points might be deducted from the total mark for lack of intelligibility in the answers provided.]

2.1 What evidence does the author of the text use to claim that our society is structured to promote early bloomers? Mention ONE piece of evidence.

[0.5 points]

2.2 Explain what the examples of late bloomers in the second paragraph have in common (besides being well-known figures).

[0.5 points]

2.3 Explain IN YOUR OWN WORDS the consequence of late bloomers’ invisibility to the current education system.

[0.5 points]

2.4 What is meant by the term second-mountain people (line 27)?

[0.5 points]

2.5 Rewrite the following sentence: “They possess a different set of abilities that are mostly invisible to or discouraged by our current education system” (lines 19-20). You may keep grammatical words (i.e. articles, pronouns, conjunctions, etc.) and the word education.

[0.5 points]

2.6 Mention TWO characteristics of late bloomers.

[0.5 points]

Escriu la teva resposta i compara-la amb la de la pauta: marca el que tenia la teva.

2.10,5 punts

La resposta model

The author notes that magazines regularly publish lists celebrating young superstars who are on the rise.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts: la pauta en demana una de les idees següents.

Amb les regles de la pauta. Si una idea hi és, ho decideixes tu; si la tens a mitges, el tribunal en pot donar una part.

Demana UNA prova: dona’n només una. El text n’ofereix tres: el sistema escolar «has sorted people by the time they are 18», els models d’èxit que van triomfar de joves (Bill Gates, Taylor Swift…) i les revistes que publiquen llistes de joves estrelles. Tria’n una i no hi afegeixis les altres.

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • Our school system sorts people by the time they are 18.
  • Many models of success became successful when they were young.
  • Magazines publish lists of young superstars.

2.20,5 punts

La resposta model

What they share is that their most important achievements came late in life, often when they were in their fifties or sixties, rather than when they were young.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts. La pauta no reparteix idea per idea els punts del contingut d’aquest apartat.

Es demana què tenen en comú els exemples del segon paràgraf, més enllà de ser famosos: tots van triomfar ja grans. Fixa’t en les edats que dona el text: «in his early 50s», «in his 60s», «at 55». No n’hi ha prou amb dir que són famosos ni que són persones de diferents camps.

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • They are all people who became successful late in life.

2.30,5 punts

La resposta model

Because schools hardly notice their strengths, late bloomers must find their way on their own, so they reach success by routes nobody expected.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts. La pauta no reparteix idea per idea els punts del contingut d’aquest apartat.

Demana les TEVES paraules. El text diu que les seves habilitats són invisibles per al sistema educatiu i que «They usually have to invent their own paths»: la conseqüència és que triomfen per camins diferents dels habituals. No copiïs aquesta frase; digues el mateix d’una altra manera.

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • Late bloomers accomplish success/live their lives/succeed in life/make progress (...) in ways that are different from the usual ones.

2.40,5 punts

La resposta model

They are people who first reach success in their careers but find it unsatisfying, so they abandon that career to dedicate themselves to serving others.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts. La pauta no reparteix idea per idea els punts del contingut d’aquest apartat.

La definició té dues parts: primer aconsegueixen l’èxit professional («they conquer their career mountain») i, com que no els satisfà, el deixen per servir la humanitat. Si en falta una, la definició queda incompleta; pots fer servir fragments del text.

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • Second-mountain people conquer their career mountain first/succeed early in life but find their success unsatisfying and they leave their careers to serve humanity.

2.50,5 punts

La resposta model

They have a distinct range of skills which today’s education largely fails to notice or even suppresses.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts. La pauta no reparteix idea per idea els punts del contingut d’aquest apartat.

Cal reescriure la frase amb altres paraules mantenint-ne el sentit: habilitats diferents que el sistema educatiu amb prou feines veu o fins i tot frena. Només pots conservar les paraules gramaticals (articles, pronoms, conjuncions…) i la paraula «education»: canvia verbs, substantius i adjectius per uns altres.

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • They have distinct characteristics that are not considered/seen/taken into account/encouraged by the present-day education authorities/laws.

2.60,5 punts

La resposta model

Late bloomers see their whole lives as a series of experiments, and what interests them most is the process of learning.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts: la pauta en demana dues de les idees següents.

Amb les regles de la pauta. Si una idea hi és, ho decideixes tu; si la tens a mitges, el tribunal en pot donar una part.

Demanen DUES característiques, exactament dues. El text en dona diverses (no planifiquen tant, veuen la seva vida com un experiment, se centren en el procés d’aprendre, gaudeixen d’aquest procés, viuen un llarg assaig i error, comencen a poc a poc): tria’n dues i escriu-les en frases completes.

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • Late bloomers do not plan ahead.
  • They regard their lives as experiments.
  • They focus on the process of learning.
  • They enjoy the process of learning.
  • They live their lives as a long period of trial and error.
  • They are slow at the start but fast as they age.

Enunciat: Generalitat de Catalunya, Consell Interuniversitari de Catalunya, Oficina d’Accés a la Universitat. PAU d’Anglès 2026, convocatòria extraordinària. La imatge és l’examen oficial tal qual i el text el reprodueix; les explicacions i les respostes model són d’EducaIA. Consultat el 7 de novembre de 2026; el document no declara data d’última actualització.

L’examen sencer, resoltExamen (PDF)Pauta de correcció (PDF)Reutilitzat segons l’avís legal de la Generalitat

2025Convocatòria ordinària · Sèrie 1 · Exercici 2Part 2: Reading comprehension, tipping in the United States

3 puntsCobreix totes les idees de la pauta
Enunciat oficial
Enunciat oficialAquest examen només es va publicar en anglès.

TIPPING IS MORE CONFUSING THAN EVER. HERE’S HOW TO HANDLE IT

Tipping has never been more confusing. Americans might always have disagreed on exactly how much to tip—20, 15, 10 percent?—but they generally knew where to do it. Now, tipping screens are popping up on iPads practically everywhere, and politicians are making things even harder by trying to adjust the laws around tipping.

[5] Americans have been leaving a little extra with the bill for pretty much as long as the country has existed. But the practice really only took off after the Civil War, when travelers abroad brought the custom home to pay formerly enslaved black people, many of whom worked for a pittance as porters for the Pullman Company. Eventually, when restaurants took off as an industry separate from hotels and boarding places, gratuity became popular there, too. [10] When minimum wage laws arrived with the New Deal, it made sense to legislators to exempt workers in professions where the expected tips would account for the difference. Similar thinking held when Congress created the “tip credit” system in the 1960s: allowing businesses to pay tipped personnel a subminimum wage only as long as tips brought their earnings to or above the minimum.

[15] From there, tipping culture perpetuated itself. Americans know restaurant workers or, to a lesser extent, carwashers and hairdressers, legally don’t take home enough money without tips, so the expectation that people will tip them has become customary. And as long as Americans keep tipping, the law can stay the same. Only recently, this status quo has become unstable. The laws started to change in the 2010s, when some cities, including D.C., and several states [20] decided to experiment with cancelling the tip credit. Meanwhile, Congress passed legislation in 2018 allowing restaurants that pay servers the statutory minimum to redistribute any tips those employees do receive to back-of-house staff. Norms have changed, too, in more recent years—but in the opposite direction. Seventy-two percent of Americans said in a 2023 survey that they believe tips are expected in more places. That’s thanks in part to the dawn of the digital [25] payment era: pressing “no” on an iPad tip screen feels a lot ruder than neglecting to toss a dollar in a glass jar.

There’s plenty of reasons to wish tipping would disappear altogether. People’s tips might depend on how they look rather than the quality of their service. The unpredictability of pay—a rainy night likely means a lighter wallet—means undue financial stress for the tipped [30] worker. Cooks and dishwashers also end up worse off than servers, especially at higher-end establishments, regardless of skill. On the other hand, research suggests the existence of tipping may yield better service, at least here in the United States. And many restaurants have struggled to support themselves without the flexibility the system allows them. In short, tipping probably isn’t going to disappear anytime soon, and something like the status quo is not necessarily bad.

[35] Where does that leave customers? One principle is simple: Where there’s a subminimum wage, tip. The second factor to consider is more complicated and more personal: tip when someone is doing you a service that’s worth more to you than the person serving you is getting for it. Maybe that is someone doing an average job in an above-average way—a locksmith who spends hours in the cold to let you in your house, or a barista with a flair for latte art. Or maybe [40] it’s someone doing unpleasant work for very little—hotel cleaning staff remedying a big mess. What kind of tipper are you?

Text adapted from an article by David Shipley. The Washington Post [online] (September 23, 2024)

pittance: misèria / miseria
toss: llençar / lanzar

QUESTIONS

Answer the questions below using complete sentences. You may use fragments from the text unless specified not to do so.

[3 points: 0.5 points for each correct answer. Up to 0.3 points might be deducted from the total mark for lack of intelligibility in the answers provided.]

2.1 When and how did the practice of tipping start in America?

[0.5 points]

2.2 Find a sentence in the text that corresponds to the following rewritten/paraphrased sentence: “Since the early days of the United States, people have routinely added a small bonus to their payments.”

[0.5 points]

2.3 Explain the tip credit system that was created in the 1960s IN YOUR OWN WORDS. You may use the words pay, minimum and businesses.

[0.5 points]

2.4 Why are tips believed to be expected in more places now?

[0.5 points]

2.5 Rewrite/paraphrase the sentence: “People’s tips might depend on how they look rather than the quality of their service” (lines 27-28). You may keep grammatical words (i.e. the, might, their, how, etc.) and the following words: tips, service.

[0.5 points]

2.6 Explain IN YOUR OWN WORDS the second factor customers should consider when deciding whether to tip or not.

[0.5 points]

Escriu la teva resposta i compara-la amb la de la pauta: marca el que tenia la teva.

2.10,5 punts

La resposta model

Tipping spread after the Civil War, when Americans who had been abroad brought the habit home and used it to reward formerly enslaved Black workers, many of whom had badly paid jobs as Pullman porters.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts. La pauta no reparteix idea per idea els punts del contingut d’aquest apartat.

Demana dues dades, quan i com, i la resposta les ha d’unir en una frase completa. Busca-les al segon paràgraf: quan es va estendre el costum («the practice really only took off after the Civil War») i qui el va portar i per a què. Pots copiar fragments del text.

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • The practice of tipping started in America after the Civil War and it was brought by travellers who used to pay formerly enslaved black people, many of whom worked for a pittance as porters for the Pullman Company.

2.20,5 punts

La resposta model

Americans have been leaving a little extra with the bill for pretty much as long as the country has existed.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts. La pauta no reparteix idea per idea els punts del contingut d’aquest apartat.

Es demana una frase del text, no una explicació: copia-la tal qual, sense canviar-la. Busca la que diu des de quan es deixa un extra amb el compte als Estats Units; és al començament del segon paràgraf, a les línies 5 i 6.

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • Americans have been leaving a little extra with the bill for pretty much as long as the country has existed (lines 5-6).

2.30,5 punts

La resposta model

Businesses could lawfully give tipped employees less than the minimum wage, on condition that gratuities raised the workers’ total pay to that level or beyond.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts. La pauta no reparteix idea per idea els punts del contingut d’aquest apartat.

La pregunta demana les teves paraules: no copiïs frases del text com «allowing businesses to pay tipped personnel a subminimum wage». Pots fer servir les paraules pay, minimum i businesses. Has de dir dues coses: que es podia pagar menys del mínim a qui rep propines i amb quina condició.

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • The tip credit system permitted businesses to pay their staff less than required if tipping increased their salaries to the minimum or more.

2.40,5 punts

La resposta model

Because customers now pay on digital screens, declining a tip there seems far ruder than simply not putting any change in a jar.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts. La pauta no reparteix idea per idea els punts del contingut d’aquest apartat.

La causa és al final del tercer paràgraf, a partir de «That’s thanks in part to the dawn of the digital payment era». La teva resposta ha de donar aquesta raó (el pagament digital) i pot explicar per què rebutjar la propina en una pantalla resulta incòmode. Pots copiar fragments del text.

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • Tips are believed to be expected in more places because we are in the digital era and pressing “no” on a screen feels ruder than not leaving any dollars in a jar/neglecting to toss a dollar in a glass jar.

2.50,5 punts

La resposta model

The tips that customers leave may be based on a server’s appearance instead of the standard of the service.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts. La pauta no reparteix idea per idea els punts del contingut d’aquest apartat.

És una paràfrasi: canvia les paraules i la construcció («how they look», «the quality of their service») i conserva el sentit: la propina pot dependre de l’aspecte de qui serveix i no del bé que serveix. Pots mantenir les paraules gramaticals i tips i service.

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • The tips workers get/receive might be determined by/might be related to their appearance rather than/and not by/to how well they treat you/how good the service was. (among others)

2.60,5 punts

La resposta model

Customers should weigh up whether the service benefits them more than the pay that the person providing it receives.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts. La pauta no reparteix idea per idea els punts del contingut d’aquest apartat.

Demana les teves paraules i el segon factor, no el primer: el primer és «Where there’s a subminimum wage, tip». El segon compara el que val per a tu el servei amb el que rep qui el presta. No copiïs la frase del text.

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • The second factor we should consider when tipping is whether the service you receive/are provided with/get is better/of higher quality/more valuable than the money the person doing it is receiving.

Enunciat: Generalitat de Catalunya, Consell Interuniversitari de Catalunya, Oficina d’Accés a la Universitat. PAU d’Anglès 2025, convocatòria ordinària. La imatge és l’examen oficial tal qual i el text el reprodueix; les explicacions i les respostes model són d’EducaIA. Consultat el 7 de novembre de 2026; el document no declara data d’última actualització.

L’examen sencer, resoltExamen (PDF)Pauta de correcció (PDF)Reutilitzat segons l’avís legal de la Generalitat

2025Convocatòria ordinària · Sèrie 4 · Exercici 2Part 2: Reading comprehension, how to make Neapolitan pizza

3 puntsDona les idees que demana la pauta
Enunciat oficial
Enunciat oficialAquest examen només es va publicar en anglès.

HOW TO MAKE PIZZA LIKE A NEAPOLITAN MASTER

When you think of Italy’s most memorable dishes, its beloved pizza will most likely be among your top three favourites. It’s a comfort food that has become an obsession around the world. But what makes pizza from Italy so special, and where do you find the very best?

Like so many of the country’s most prized gastronomic delights like wine, olive oil and [5] cheese, the quintessential pie from Naples, where pizza was born, is now worthy of its own Designation of Controlled Origin (DOC). The city’s pizza-making tradition even received Unesco recognition in 2017 as an intangible cultural heritage item. Naples is the hub of the pizza napoletana, with generations of the same family groomed in the art of being a pizzaiolo (pizzamaker). And each family carefully guards its recipe variations with a passion that’s [10] matched perhaps only by the city’s love for its football team. There are three basic types of Neapolitan pizza: the Margherita, topped with tomato sauce, mozzarella cheese and fresh basil; the marinara, with no cheese and oregano and garlic instead of basil; and the “DOC”, made with mozzarella di bufala instead of the usual fior di latte made from cow’s milk.

Pizza is said to have originated in the city in the 1700s, after one of the essential ingredients, [15] the tomato, was brought from Peru. But even before that, Neapolitans had been eating a version of the pita, a kind of flatbread brought from Arabic immigrants, and which eventually evolved into “pizza” in the local dialect. Most upper-class Europeans originally considered tomatoes to be poisonous, but at a time of almost famine, local Neapolitans started topping their humble flatbreads with tomatoes, and soon the creation became a staple of the city’s cuisine. Today, there [20] are more than 500 pizzerias in Naples, but only a fifth of them are certified by the True Neapolitan Pizza Association, an organisation created in 1984 to protect and distinguish authentic pies from the wannabes. Its criteria are based not only on the ingredients that go into the pie—including everything from the type of flour in the dough to the provenance of the cheese—but also the preparation, from the dough fermentation style to oven temperature. The Association now even [25] holds an annual contest to judge which pizza makers are the best in the world.

So, how does one make an authentic Neapolitan pizza? To begin with, the dough must be made with Italian wheat flour, fresh brewer’s yeast, water and salt. The dough must be rolled by hand or with a slow speed mixer; never using a rolling pin. However, twirling it in the air to oxygenate the dough might be best left to the professional pizzaioli. Pureed tomatoes are [30] another necessary ingredient for a great pie—preferably San Marzano, which grow on the volcanic plains of Mount Vesuvius and are required for pizzas with DOC designation. Only two types of mozzarella should be used to get the designation: fior di latte made from cow’s milk; or mozzarella di bufala, made from the milk of the water buffalo that live in the Campania and Lazio regions.

[35] Of course, part of Neapolitan pizza’s fame comes from how it’s cooked. The dough must be no more than 3 mm thick and must bake for 60 to 90 seconds at a very high temperature inside a wood-burning oven, resulting in a pizza that’s crispy but not burnt. It all sounds easy enough, but there is a reason why some pizzamakers are considered true masters: that moment just before a pie becomes a burned mistake often lies in an expert’s eye. But even if you don’t [40] have DOC-qualified ingredients or a wood-burning oven, all you really need to make a good pie is flour, yeast, a can of tomatoes and cheese. Whatever ingredients you use, hopefully, the final result will be delicious.

Text adapted from an article by Ondine Cohane. BBC [online] (April 17, 2020)

intangible cultural heritage: patrimoni cultural immaterial / patrimonio cultural inmaterial
basil: alfàbrega / albahaca
yeast: llevat / levadura
rolling pin: corró / rodillo

QUESTIONS

Answer the questions below using complete sentences. You may use fragments from the text unless specified not to do so.

[3 points: 0.5 points for each correct answer. Up to 0.3 points might be deducted from the total mark for lack of intelligibility in the answers provided.]

2.1 Why is Naples’s football team mentioned in the text?

[0.5 points]

2.2 Find a sentence in the text that means the following: “The new dish rapidly gained popularity, becoming an essential element of Naples’ gastronomy.”

[0.5 points]

2.3 What is a wannabe (line 22)?

[0.5 points]

2.4 How does the True Neapolitan Pizza Association regulate Neapolitan pizzas? DO NOT COPY DIRECTLY FROM THE TEXT.

[0.5 points]

2.5 Finish the following sentence:
For a Neapolitan pizza to be considered DOC, it must have...

[0.5 points]

2.6 Explain IN YOUR OWN WORDS what the author means by “that moment just before a pie becomes a burned mistake often lies in an expert’s eye” (lines 38-39).

[0.5 points]

Escriu la teva resposta i compara-la amb la de la pauta: marca el que tenia la teva.

2.10,5 punts

La resposta model

The reference shows that Neapolitan families keep their pizza secrets with an intensity that only the city’s devotion to its football club can equal.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts. La pauta no reparteix idea per idea els punts del contingut d’aquest apartat.

La pregunta és per a què es menciona l’equip: la resposta és una comparació. Llegeix la frase del segon paràgraf sobre com cada família «guards its recipe variations» i fixa’t amb què es compara aquesta passió.

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • Naples’s football team is mentioned in order to compare the passion families from Naples have to guard pizza recipes with the love Naples’s citizens have for their football team.

2.20,5 punts

La resposta model

Soon the creation became a staple of the city’s cuisine.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts. La pauta no reparteix idea per idea els punts del contingut d’aquest apartat.

Es demana una frase del text que signifiqui el mateix, no una explicació: copia-la tal qual. Busca-la al tercer paràgraf, on s’explica com el plat nou va passar a ser bàsic a la ciutat.

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • Soon the creation became a staple of the city’s cuisine (line 22).

2.30,5 punts

La resposta model

A wannabe is a weak imitation: something that claims to be the real thing but is not genuine, such as a pizza not made the Neapolitan way.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts: la pauta en demana una de les idees següents.

Amb les regles de la pauta. Si una idea hi és, ho decideixes tu; si la tens a mitges, el tribunal en pot donar una part.

Demana el significat d’una paraula, no una traducció: mira la frase on apareix i fixa’t amb què es contrasta («authentic pies from the wannabes»). Explica en anglès què és un wannabe, amb un sinònim o amb una definició.

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • Something that is not considered authentic/original/
  • An imitation / a bad copy

2.40,5 punts

La resposta model

It certifies only the pizzerias that follow its rules about what goes into the pizza and how it is produced, starting with the ingredients and including the way the dough is prepared and baked.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts. La pauta no reparteix idea per idea els punts del contingut d’aquest apartat.

La pregunta prohibeix copiar del text: descriu amb les teves paraules què controla l’associació. Són dues coses, que apareixen a la frase del tercer paràgraf que comença «Its criteria are based not only on»: què porta la pizza i com es prepara.

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • The Association controls/ They control the ingredients that are put on the pizzas and how they must be cooked. (among others)

2.50,5 punts

La resposta model

For a Neapolitan pizza to be considered DOC, it must have mozzarella of one of two kinds, the cow’s-milk fior di latte or the buffalo-milk mozzarella di bufala, plus San Marzano tomatoes grown around Mount Vesuvius.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts. La pauta no reparteix idea per idea els punts del contingut d’aquest apartat.

Cal completar la frase i que continuï sent gramatical: comença amb «For a Neapolitan pizza to be considered DOC, it must have» i continua amb els dos ingredients obligatoris que el quart paràgraf lliga a la denominació: el tomàquet i la mozzarella, que pot ser d’un dels dos tipus. Els detalls (on creix el tomàquet, de quina llet és cada formatge) són un afegit; l’essencial són els dos ingredients.

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • San Marzano tomatoes (which grow on the volcanic plains of Mount Vesuvius) and either fior di latte (made from cow’s milk) or mozzarella di bufala (made from the milk of the water buffalo that live in the Campania and Lazio regions).

2.60,5 punts

La resposta model

The author means that spotting the exact second to take a pizza out of the oven before it burns takes the experience of a skilled pizza maker.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts. La pauta no reparteix idea per idea els punts del contingut d’aquest apartat.

Demana les teves paraules: no copiïs la frase entre cometes. Pensa què necessita qui cuina per saber quan treure la pizza just abans que es cremi, i qui ho pot saber. Amb una frase completa en tens prou.

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • Only an experienced cook / pizzaoiolo knows when a pizza is cooked to perfection / the cooking point of a pizza / when a pizza must be taken out of the oven to avoid it being burnt. (among others)

Enunciat: Generalitat de Catalunya, Consell Interuniversitari de Catalunya, Oficina d’Accés a la Universitat. PAU d’Anglès 2025, convocatòria ordinària. La imatge és l’examen oficial tal qual i el text el reprodueix; les explicacions i les respostes model són d’EducaIA. Consultat el 7 de novembre de 2026; el document no declara data d’última actualització.

L’examen sencer, resoltExamen (PDF)Pauta de correcció (PDF)Reutilitzat segons l’avís legal de la Generalitat

2025Convocatòria extraordinària · Sèrie 3 · Exercici 2Part 2: Reading comprehension, work-life balance for small business owners

3 puntsDona les idees que demana la pauta
Enunciat oficial
Enunciat oficialAquest examen només es va publicar en anglès.

GIVE YOURSELF A BREAK: WHY SMALL BUSINESS OWNERS NEED TO REGAIN A SENSE OF BALANCE

If we are honest, most of us could use a little more balance at some points in our busy lives. Getting the right mix between work and leisure time can have benefits for our physical and mental health. It can also improve the performance of a business, research has suggested. The pandemic saw the biggest change in working patterns for decades, perhaps centuries. There [5] was a surge in home working and flexible, “hybrid” working, blending work in the office with remote work. But despite this increased flexibility, work-life balance is far from standard. This is especially true among small business owners, who often feel compelled to check emails outside traditional work hours or work over the weekend.

Given the fact that small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) account for 99 % of all UK [10] businesses, that’s a lot of people who aren’t switching off when perhaps they should. However, there is some encouraging news here. According to a recent survey of UK small business leaders by American Express, there is certainly a widespread understanding of the importance of work-life balance and a desire to improve it. The research is based on responses from 500 business leaders in companies with fewer than 50 employees. Eight in 10 of the executives agree that [15] regular time off from work is important to their wellbeing. However, there is often a gap between intention and action, the research found. Almost half of those surveyed admit to feeling guilty about not spending enough time with family or friends. And one-third say that they stopped their hobbies altogether when they started running their own business. While small business owners recognise the importance of frequent breaks in improving their work-life balance and the [20] success of their business, many of them struggle to find room for downtime.

Someone who is well aware of this pressure is Michelle Ovens, director of Small Business Saturday UK, a campaign to celebrate small business success and encourage consumers to “shop local” to support businesses in their communities. People often start a business because they want more freedom and flexibility, she says, but that freedom can be reduced by them trying to [25] do everything in the business and running out of time in the day and gas in the tank.

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to a good work-life blend. Some may need to spend more time supporting elderly parents or young children, for example. Others may want more time for hobbies. There are also benefits for the business itself. The American Express survey found that almost eight in 10 respondents agree that regular breaks are important to being a [30] good leader and more than half think they and their business would benefit from them spending more time away from the workplace. Time away, especially travelling abroad or getting a change of scenery, can even offer new and different perspectives that entrepreneurs can bring back to their businesses. Tips for improving your work-life balance? Set firm boundaries between work and leisure time; for yourself, colleagues, suppliers and customers. Also, book time off work to [35] recharge your batteries and reduce the risk of “burnout”.

Ultimately, however, what constitutes the right work-life balance will vary over time and be different for each small business owner. There isn’t a magic formula and therefore we shouldn’t be too hard on ourselves if our messy lives fall short of our ideals. Balance in life is a constant work in progress. It might mean work sometimes; sometimes it might mean sport, or family, or [40] community, or rest. The key thing is to give yourself a break—we are all a work in progress here.

Text adapted from an article by Nick Huber. The Guardian [online] (September 19, 2023)

surge: augment / aumento
compelled: obligat / obligado
struggle: lluitar, esforçar-se / luchar, esforzarse
downtime: temps per a desconnectar / tiempo para desconectar
supplier: proveïdor / proveedor

QUESTIONS

Answer the questions below using complete sentences. You may use fragments from the text unless specified not to do so.

[3 points: 0.5 points for each correct answer. Up to 0.3 points might be deducted from the total mark for lack of intelligibility in the answers provided.]

2.1 Using information from the first paragraph, complete the following sentence IN YOUR OWN WORDS. You can keep the word business.
Balancing work and leisure time...

[0.5 points]

2.2 Why does the author say there is a gap between intention and action?

[0.5 points]

2.3 What seems to be the paradox in setting up one’s own business?

[0.5 points]

2.4 Find a sentence in the text that means the following: “Everyone has their own way of finding how to balance work and personal life.”

[0.5 points]

2.5 How can businesses benefit from leaders spending time away from work?

[0.5 points]

2.6 Explain the message in the last paragraph of the article IN YOUR OWN WORDS.

[0.5 points]

Escriu la teva resposta i compara-la amb la de la pauta: marca el que tenia la teva.

2.10,5 punts

La resposta model

Balancing work and leisure time brings real advantages for people’s health and can even lead a business to do better.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts: la pauta en demana una de les idees següents.

Amb les regles de la pauta. Si una idea hi és, ho decideixes tu; si la tens a mitges, el tribunal en pot donar una part.

Cal completar la frase començant per «Balancing work and leisure time» i amb les teves paraules (pots mantenir business). Serveix qualsevol de les dues idees del primer paràgraf: el que aporta aquest equilibri, o que és poc habitual, sobretot entre qui porta un petit negoci.

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • Balancing work and leisure time...can benefit our body and our mind and make our business more successful.
  • Balancing work and leisure time...is not the norm, particularly in small businesses, where the owners often work extra hours or at weekends.

2.20,5 punts

La resposta model

The author says there is a gap because many small business owners know that regular time off is good for them, but in practice they find it very hard to make time to rest.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts. La pauta no reparteix idea per idea els punts del contingut d’aquest apartat.

Busca al segon paràgraf el que els empresaris reconeixen («recognise the importance of frequent breaks») i el que els passa després a la pràctica. Pots copiar fragments del text, però la resposta ha de ser una frase completa amb les dues parts.

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • There is a gap between intention and action because small business owners recognise the importance of frequent breaks in improving their work-life balance but many of them struggle to find room for downtime.

2.30,5 punts

La resposta model

People often start their own company to gain freedom, but if they try to do everything themselves, they run out of time and lose the very freedom they were looking for.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts. La pauta no reparteix idea per idea els punts del contingut d’aquest apartat.

Una paradoxa és una cosa que sembla contradictòria. Llegeix el tercer paràgraf: el que molta gent busca en muntar un negoci («they want more freedom and flexibility») i el que acaba passant és el contrari. Pots fer servir les teves paraules o fragments del text.

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • The freedom and flexibility that starting a business might give you can be reduced if you try to do everything in the business, and then you might run out of time in the day and gas in the tank.

2.40,5 punts

La resposta model

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to a good work-life blend.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts: la pauta en demana una de les idees següents.

Amb les regles de la pauta. Si una idea hi és, ho decideixes tu; si la tens a mitges, el tribunal en pot donar una part.

Es demana una frase del text, no una explicació: copia-la tal qual, sense canviar-la. Busca la que diu que cada persona té la seva manera de trobar l’equilibri; n’hi ha una al quart paràgraf (línia 26) i una altra a l’últim (línies 36-37), i en tens prou amb una.

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to a good work-life blend (line 26)
  • ...what constitutes the right work-life balance will vary over time and be different for each small business owner (lines 36-37)

2.50,5 punts

La resposta model

Taking a break to travel or change scenery can give leaders fresh ideas, and their companies profit when they return.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts. La pauta no reparteix idea per idea els punts del contingut d’aquest apartat.

És al quart paràgraf, a la frase que parla de «Time away, especially travelling abroad or getting a change of scenery». Pots copiar fragments del text, però la teva resposta ha de ser una frase completa que digui què aporta a l’empresa que els seus líders es prenguin temps fora.

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • If leaders spend time away from work, they can come back with new and different perspectives that they can bring back to their businesses.

2.60,5 punts

La resposta model

The ideal balance of work and personal life is not fixed. It changes with time and from one person to another, so we should be kind to ourselves when life does not match our ideals.

El que puntua la pauta

0,5 punts. La pauta no reparteix idea per idea els punts del contingut d’aquest apartat.

Demana les teves paraules i el missatge de l’últim paràgraf, no un resum de tot l’article. Ha de recollir que l’equilibri adequat canvia segons el moment i la persona, i que no cal ser massa exigent amb un mateix («we shouldn’t be too hard on ourselves»). No copiïs frases del text.

La pauta accepta, en anglès i literal:

  • The right work-life balance is dynamic/variable, flexible, different for each of us and should be realistic.

Enunciat: Generalitat de Catalunya, Consell Interuniversitari de Catalunya, Oficina d’Accés a la Universitat. PAU d’Anglès 2025, convocatòria extraordinària. La imatge és l’examen oficial tal qual i el text el reprodueix; les explicacions i les respostes model són d’EducaIA. Consultat el 7 de novembre de 2026; el document no declara data d’última actualització.

L’examen sencer, resoltExamen (PDF)Pauta de correcció (PDF)Reutilitzat segons l’avís legal de la Generalitat

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