Prefeitura de Biritiba Mirim 2019 — Questão 33 · Língua Inglesa - Compreensão e Interpretação de Texto

Use the following text to answer the questions 29 to 36

TEXT

Reality television is a genre of

television programming which, it is claimed,

presents unscripted dramatic or humorous

situations, documents actual events, and

features ordinary people rather than

professional actors. It could be described as a

form of artificial or "heightened"

documentary. Although the genre has existed

in some form or another since the early years

of television, the current explosion of

popularity dates from around 2000.

Reality television covers a wide range

of television programming formats, from game

or quiz shows which resemble the frantic, often

demeaning programmes produced in Japan in

the 1980s and 1990s (a modern example is

Gaki no tsukai), to surveillance- or voyeurism-

focused productions such as Big Brother.

Critics say that the term "reality

television" is somewhat of a misnomer and that

such shows frequently portray a modified and

highly influenced form of reality, with

participants put in exotic locations or abnormal

situations, sometimes coached to act in certain

ways by off-screen handlers, and with events

on screen manipulated through editing and

other post-production techniques.

Part of reality television's appeal is due

to its ability to place ordinary people in

extraordinary situations. For example, on the

ABC show, The Bachelor, an eligible male

dates a dozen women simultaneously,

travelling on extraordinary dates to scenic

locales. Reality television also has the potential

to turn its participants into national celebrities,

outwardly in talent and performance programs

such as Pop Idol, though frequently Survivor

and Big Brother participants also reach some

degree of celebrity.

Some commentators have said that the

name "reality television" is an inaccurate

description for several styles of program

included in the genre. In competition-based

programs such as Big Brother and Survivor,

and other special-living-environment shows

like The Real World, the producers design the

format of the show and control the day-to-day

activities and the environment, creating a

completely fabricated world in which the

competition plays out. Producers specifically

select the participants, and use carefully

designed scenarios, challenges, events, and

settings to encourage particular behaviours and

conflicts. Mark Burnett, creator of Survivor

and other reality shows, has agreed with this

assessment, and avoids the word "reality" to

describe his shows; he has said, "I tell good

stories. It really is not reality TV. It really is

unscripted drama."

In the first line, the writer says 'it is claimed' because: