Racy Telenovelas Inspire Social Change Reading Answers

Dec 21, 2023

Racy Telenovelas Inspire Social Change Reading Answers is an academic topic taken from Exam Essentials Practice Tests: IELTS 1 with Multi-ROM. It contains 12 questions and answers about the story of how Racy telenovelas inspire social change. Racy Telenovelas Inspire Social Change Reading Answers contains which paragraph contains the following information and yes, no, or not given type of questions. Candidates are required to read the IELTS Reading passage and answer by choosing which paragraph contains choose the correct letter, and classify the following ideas type of questions. Answers for each type of question in the passage are based on their understanding. Candidates can gain proficiency on diverse topics by undertaking IELTS Reading practice papers to get more topics like Racy Telenovelas Inspire Social Change Reading Answers.

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Section 1

Read the following passage to answer the questions given below.

Racy Telenovelas Inspire Social Change Reading Answers

Racy telenovelas inspire social change

Brazil's popular soap operas have done more than just entertain people - they have reduced the birth rate by three million and driven up the rate of divorce, a new report has found. Their colourful storylines of glamorous love triangles, paternity mysteries and ragsto-riches successes have long dominated Brazilian airwaves. Now the racy telenovelas that are the mainstays of the country's powerful TV Globo network are being credited with more than just their audience pulling-power.

A study of population data stretching back to 1971 has revealed that Brazil's popular and often fanciful soap operas have had a direct impact on the nation's divorce and birth rates, as the main channel that broadcast them gradually extended its reach across the country. According to the report, prepared for the Inter-American Development Bank, the rate of marriage break-up rose and the number of children born to each woman fell more quickly in areas receiving the TV Globo signal for the first time.

Over the two decades that were studied, an estimated three million fewer Brazilian babies were born than would have been if telenovelas had never been broadcast, and 800,000 more couples separated or divorced. If the effect continued to the present day, the numbers would be even greater. 'Exposure to modern lifestyles as portrayed on television, to emancipated women's roles, and to a critique of traditional values, was associated with increases in the share of separated and divorced woman across Brazil's municipal areas, the report's authors said.

Every Brazilian knows that what happens on TV Globo can affect the real world. Its schedules dictate kick-off times for football matches, its costumes influence design and fashion and the telenovelas' plotlines have influenced the outcome of elections. However, the revelation that the cult of the telenovela has had such impact on the most intimate aspects of its viewers' fives will startle Brazilians. Maria Immacolata Lopes, the coordinator of the Telenovela Centre at USP, one of Brazil's leading universities, said it was the first time that research had been undertaken on such a wide scale.

Alberto Chong, one of the study's authors, said the reason for the change was the

'aspirational ethos' of the country's soaps, which, unlike their grittier equivalents in Britain, tend to portray the upper levels of Brazilian society. That generally means characters are whiter, wealthier and better educated than most of Brazil's 190 million people. They have fewer children and are more likely to be separated or divorced.

Viewers instantly took to that image. 'If the leading female character of a telenovela was divorced or separated, the divorce rate rose, by an average of 0.1 percentage point', Mr Chong said. 'At the same time, women in areas reached by the Globo signal had 0.6 per cent fewer children than those in areas with no signal. This may appear to be a small impact, but equates to millions fewer babies born over two decades.

TV Globo reacted with hostility to the study, saying that it underestimated the intelligence of the channel's viewers. A spokesman asserted that the soaps' portrayal of divorce and smaller families reflected the trends of the time, rather than brought them about. 'Our dramas are attuned to the questions being asked in society. While we don't doubt the novelas make people think, we don't believe they actually influence their opinions or choices, said Luis Erlanger, Globo's communications director. Mr Chong rejected the view, pointing out that the chances of a new-born baby being named after a soap star were significantly higher in areas where the soaps were broadcast.

Other international studies have shown that television can infuence behaviour and transform social mores, especially where the population does not have constant access to mixed media. In India, the arrival of cable television in remote areas caused pregnancy rates to fall and enrolment in education among girls to rise.

Inhabitants of Lutsaan, a village in northern India, were passionate fans of the radio drama Tinka Tinka Sukh. The programme is claimed to have promoted gender equality and encouraged renouncement of the local custom of demanding a bridal dowry. Enrolment of girls in the local school rose by 25 per cent. In other parts of the country, soap viewers were more likely to refute the commonly held view that a husband was justified in beating his wife.

A Rwandan radio serial Musekeweya has had an even more notable impact. Devised and broadcast by Radio La Benevolendja, a partner of Oxfam, the story centres on the conflict between two fictional tribes and the doomed romance between two of its characters. The project has the high hope of mending ethnic tension and encouraging reconciliation. This may be fiction, but the backdrop is very evidently the period just before the horrendous events of 1994.

One of the earliest programmes to have a far-reaching impact on audiences was the Peruvian telenovela Simplemente Maria first aired in the late 1960s. The central character was a rural girl who escaped to the city to find work as a maid. She learnt to read and, more importantly, to sew, enabling her to become a successful fashion designer. The show was so popular that when Maria married her literacy teacher, thousands of avid viewers collected outside the church to bestow gifts on the happy couple. Across the country, increased enrolment in literacy classes coincided with the storyline.

Back in Brazil, although they have lost viewers to the internet, the influence of the novelas remains evident. The increased presence of slender blondes is credited with driving a shift away from what was once a nationwide preference for guitar-shaped brunettes. 'Novelas in Brazil take on a greater importance than a simple drama because they move people, said Mauro Alencar, the author of several books about the genre. 'But the novela is above all a reflection of society. It feeds off what is exposed in day to day life and recreates a fictional version.'

Section 2

Answers and Explanation

Questions 1-4

Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D. Write your answers in boxes 1-4 on your answer sheet.

According to the text, which of the following features is typical of Brazilian telenovelas?

There is a tendency to favour large families.
Relationships are often unstable.
Characters cannot escape their social class.
Storylines are generally realistic.

TV Globo soap operas

are more popular than football matches.
are frequently set in the fashion industry.
have a degree of political content.
frequently shock the viewing public.

Viewers are attracted to Brazilian soap operas because

they would like to be more like the characters in them.
they reflect what happens in their own lives.
the characters are excellent role models.
they clearly show viewers how to behave.

What is the point made in the sixth paragraph?

TV networks deserve criticism for their irresponsible storylines.
TV drama should be seen purely as entertainment.
People are behaving just like the characters they see in the telenovelas.
There is disagreement about how influential TV drama really is.

Questions 5-11

Classify the following ideas as referring to the country.

Write the correct letter A-D in boxes 5-11 on your answer sheet.

Brazil
India
Peru
Rwanda

changes to wedding tradition
a relationship destined to fail
a desire to learn how to read
a reflection of real-life social and political unrest
domestic violence being less tolerated
changing perceptions of beauty
an apparent inability to separate reality and fantasy

Question 12

Choose the correct letter A, B, C, or D.

What is the conclusion that should be drawn from reading this passage?

In the future, soap operas will shape the way many people live.
People being influenced by what they watch on TV has some obvious benefits.
Soap opera writers should ensure that their characters behave responsibly.
Average family size will continue to fall in countries where soap operas are very popular.

Question 1

Answer: B
Supporting statement: An estimated three million fewer Brazilian babies were born.
Keywords: Brazilian
Keyword Location: 1st line, 3rd paragraph.
Explanation: In the third paragraph, it clearly states that an estimated three million fewer Brazilian babies were born than would have been if telenovelas had never been broadcast, and 800,000 more couples separated or divorced. If the effect continued to the present day, the numbers would be even greater.

Question 2

Answer: C
Supporting statement: Every Brazilian knows that what happens on TV Globo can affect the real world. Its schedules dictate kick-off times for football matches, its costumes influence design and fashion and the telenovelas' plotlines have influenced the outcome of elections.
Keywords: TV Globo.
Keyword Location: 3rd line, 4th paragraph.
Explanation: The 4th paragraph talks about the TV Globo effects, and how its impact on every part of peoples, including politics.

Question 3

Answer: A
Supporting statement: Viewers instantly took to that image. 'If the leading female character of a telenovela was divorced or separated, the divorce rate rose.
Keywords: took to that image.
Keyword Location: 1st line, 6th paragraph.
Explanation: The 6th paragraph talks aboutbrazilian viewers attracted to Brazilian soap operas and they would like to be more like the characters in them.

Question 4

Answer: D
Supporting statement: This may appear to be a small impact, but equates to millions fewer babies born over two decades.
Keywords: impact
Keyword Location: last line, 6th paragraph.
Explanation: The 6th paragraph states about the impct on Viewers. Mr Chong said, 'If the leading female character of a telenovela was divorced or separated, the divorce rate rose, by an average of 0.1 percentage point'. 'At the same time, women in areas reached by the Globo signal had 0.6 per cent fewer children than those in areas with no signal. This may appear to be a small impact, but equates to millions fewer babies born over two decades.

Question 5

Answer: B
Supporting statement: Inhabitants of Lutsaan, a village in northern India, were passionate fans of the radio drama Tinka Tinka Sukh. The programme is claimed to have promoted gender equality and encouraged renouncement of the local custom of demanding a bridal dowry.
Keywords: India
Keyword Location: First line, 9th paragraph.
Explanation: In the first 2 lines of the 9th paragraph it clearly states that villagers of Lutsaan were passionate of Tinka Tinka Sukh radio drama. That program promoted gender equality, and for that drama people of that village are encouraged to changed the bridal dowry system.

Question 6

Answer: D
Supporting statement: The story centres on the conflict between two fictional tribes and the doomed romance between two of its characters
Keywords: Romance
Keyword Location: 3rd lines, 10th paragraph
Explanation: The third paragraph is mentioned about A Rwandan radio serial Musekeweya has had an even more notable impact. Devised and broadcast by Radio La Benevolendja, a partner of Oxfam, the story centres on the conflict between two fictional tribes and the doomed romance between two of its characters

Question 7

Answer: C
Supporting statement: Across the country, increased enrolment in literacy classes coincided with the storyline.
Keywords: Literacy.
Keyword Location: Last line, 11th paragraph.
Explanation: in the 11th paragraph it clearly states that the Peruvian telenovela Simplemente Maria’s central character was a rural girl who escaped to the city to find work as a maid. She learnt to read and, more importantly, to sew, enabling her to become a successful fashion designer. The show was so popular that across the country, increased enrolment in literacy classes coincided with the storyline.

Question 8

Answer: D
Supporting statement: The project has the high hope of mending ethnic tension and encouraging reconciliation.
Keywords: ethnic, reconciliation.
Keyword Location: 4th line, 10th paragraph
Explanation: The 10th paragraph mentioned about a Rwandan radio serial Musekeweya that has an more notable impact. The story centres on the conflict between two fictional tribes and the doomed romance between two of its characters. The project has the high hope of mending ethnic tension and encouraging reconciliation. This may be fiction, but the backdrop is very evidently the period just before the horrendous events of 1994.

Question 9

Answer: B
Supporting statement: In other parts of the country, soap viewers were more likely to refute the commonly held view that a husband was justified in beating his wife.
Keywords: beating
Keyword Location: Last line, 9th paragraph.
Explanation: The 9th paragraph states that In other parts of India, soap viewers were more likely to refute the commonly held view that a husband was justified in beating his wife.

Question 10

Answer: A
Supporting statement: That generally means characters are whiter, wealthier and better educated than most of Brazil's 190 million people.
Keywords: whiter
Keyword Location: 3rd line, 5th paragraph
Explanation: In the last 2 lines of 5th paragraph it clearly states that the soap characters in Brazil are whiter, wealthier and better educated than most of Brazil's 190 million people.

Question 11

Answer: C
Supporting statement: Across the country, increased enrolment in literacy classes coincided with the storyline.
Keywords: increased
Keyword Location: last line, 11th paragraph
Explanation: The 11th paragraph talks about a programmes of Peruvian telenovela Simplemente Maria first aired in the late 1960s. The central character was a rural girl who escaped to the city to find work as a maid. She learnt to read and, more importantly, to sew, enabling her to become a successful fashion designer. Across the country, increased enrolment in literacy classes coincided with the storyline.

Question 12

Answer: B
Supporting statement: Brazil's popular soap operas have done more than just entertain people - they have reduced the birth rate by three million and driven up the rate of divorce, a new report has found.
Keywords: done more than just entertain people
Keyword Location: 1st 2 lines, 1st paragraph.
Explanation: After reading the whole paasage, it is easy to say hat soap operas and done more than just entertain people, we can see examples in every passage that the shows influenced people to reduce birth rate, increased admission in schools, stopped dowry and many more.