Ejercicio Option B - I * COMPREHENSION · Inglés PAU Andalucía Extraordinaria Titular 2013

OPTION B: “Are bucket lists a good idea?”

1 The phrase “bucket list” derives from “kick the bucket”, an expression meaning “to die” of unclear origins, but which

2 quite likely relates to the bucket kicked away at a hanging. It was popularised by the 2007 film The Bucket List, in which

3 characters played by Jack Nicholson and Morgan Freeman meet in a cancer ward of a hospital, then travel around the world,

4 packing in experiences.

5 As in that story, some people start these lists when diagnosed with incurable illnesses. Swimming with dolphins,

6 mountain-climbing, meeting pop stars or throwing tomatoes at the Tomatina festival in Spain are just a few of the popular

7 items on the lists of things people want to do before it is too late. Bill Clinton, Jane Fonda, and Cameron Diaz have spoken of

8 having a list.

9 It can be useful to have defined goals, of course, but the lists seem to encourage consumerist behaviour. There is an

10 acquisitive note to many of the lists, which usually include so many items to be obtained that they look like a shopping list.

11 There is also an innate air of competition to bucket lists, of trying hard to get the better of yourself, but also of others. In some

12 ways it is no surprise that they have risen in popularity in a showy age when we are all encouraged to exhibit ourselves,

13 treating our Facebook pages as a shop window for our achievements. Psychologist Linda Blair says that pursuing big

14 experiences is worthwhile if you enjoy the whole process. “But if you’re constantly living in the future, ignoring what’s going

15 on right now because you’re always trying to achieve difficult goals, you’re not really living.”

I * COMPREHENSION (4 points: questions 1-3, 1 point each; 4-5, 0.5 points each)

ANSWER QUESTIONS 1-3 ACCORDING TO THE INFORMATION GIVEN IN THE TEXT. USE YOUR OWN WORDS.

1.

In what sense do bucket lists encourage consumerist behaviour?

2.

Why isn't the writer surprised at the popularity of bucket lists nowadays?

3.

What is the danger of these lists, according to psychologist Linda Blair?

ARE THESE STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWERS WITH THE PRECISE WORDS OR PHRASES FROM THE TEXT, OR USE YOUR OWN WORDS.

4.

The expression “to kick the bucket” comes from the film The Bucket List.

TRUE

FALSE

5.

According to the text, many American celebrities are said to have a bucket list.

TRUE

FALSE