PRUEBA: A LICENCE TO SELL

EXAM and ANSWERS

INCLUDING SMART TIPS

A LICENCE TO
SELL
Modern films and TV shows often feel like long advertisements thanks to product placement. This
advertising technique involves using a product in a film or TV programme as if it were part of the
story. Product placement owes its success to the invention of the video recorder, as owners fast‐
forwarded when adverts appeared in the middle of recorded programmes. Video recorders were a
problem for advertisers; product placement was the solution.
Today, advertisers receive scripts from producers and then look for products that fit ‘naturally’ with
the story. For example, a studio making a film about a teenager at university might ask for clothes, a
laptop computer and a mobile phone for her. The camera could easily focus on all of these objects
without greatly damaging the story. The problems begin when nobody worries about the story.
Ian Fleming, who wrote the James Bond novels, gave his hero a ‘licence to kill’. Many people say the
Bond films have given him a new licence: a licence to sell. When Bond isn’t using the latest mobile
phones, GPS devices or handheld tablets, he is driving sports cars and flying with airlines that have all
been placed in the films for enormous amounts of money. Companies paid $45 million for their
products to appear in the last Bond film. Many Bond fans think there is too much product placement
and not enough plot.
It seems that product placement is here to stay. Nevertheless, many critics feel that if TV
programmes and films just become vehicles for advertising, audiences will soon look for alternative
forms of entertainment.

I. Answer the following questions using your own words, but taking into account the
information in the text. (3 points: 1 point each)

a. What does product placement do to a lot of films and TV programmes?

Suggested answer: It turns them into non‐stop commercials.

b. What is the connection between video recorders and product placement?

Suggested answer: The video recorder enabled viewers to fast forward during the adverts so
they didn’t have to watch them. Advertisers had to think of another way to show viewers
their products so product placement was used instead.

SMART TIP: reading the whole context

Remember that the correct information to answer a question may appear in more than one section of the text.
Always read the whole text to make sure that your answers are as complete as possible.

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 c. What is a common complaint about product placement in James Bond films?
Suggested answer: Audiences feel that the story is weak and that there is too much emphasis on
advertising products.

II. Fill in the gaps with the correct, most appropriate word in each case. (2 points: 0.25 points each)

Generally speaking people (A) get frustrated with having to watch advertisements (B) on screen.
Due to the fact (C) that the video recorder allowed people a way (D) of fast forwarding past the
advertisement, advertisers (E) have had to think of new ways of to advertise products. One of the
ways that they have found (F) to subliminally advertise is through product placement. Nowadays
we are surrounded (G) by advertisements and often we (H) don’t actually realize it.

III. Rephrase the following sentences so that their meaning is as similar to the original as possible.
(1 point; 0.25 points each)

a. Advertisements on television frustrate people.

People are frustrated by advertisements on television

b. Companies started using product placement 10 years ago.

Product placement has been used by companies for 10 years.

c. “What do you think about product placement?” she asked me.

I was asked what I thought about product placement.

SMART TIP: reported speech

You may be asked to rewrite a sentence in reported speech in your exam. Remember to check the following: 1)
correct use of the reporting verb; 2) correct tenses; 3) correct pronouns; 4) correct time and place expressions (if
any). People often forget to change pronouns and time and place expressions when they write reported speech, so
remember to use this checklist every time!

d. Product placement owes its success to the invention of the video recorder.
If it hadn’t been for the video recorder, product placement wouldn’t be a success.

IV. Write a composition about the following topic: (100-120 words) (4 points)
Does advertising influence people?

Suggested answer:
Advertising surrounds us. It’s in the media, on the internet, on hoardings and on public
transport. It’s impossible to escape.
In my opinion, all this advertising affects our behaviour. Our ideas about what the ‘perfect’ body
is come from adverts. Advertising also has a great influence on what is fashionable, whether it’s
clothing, gadgets or popular culture.
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 Another demonstration of the power of advertising is the willingness of companies to spend
millions on it. They wouldn’t invest so much if it didn’t work.
In conclusion, I believe that advertising is incredibly effective at persuading people to buy.
Without it, a lot of non‐essential products wouldn’t sell.

SMART TIP: using paragraphs

You will receive points for the way you organise your writing, as well as for the accuracy of your work. Each time you
talk about a new subject, use a new paragraph. When you are giving your answer, try to organise it into four
paragraphs:
1) introduction;
2) first subject
3) second subject
4) conclusion and your opinion.