PRUEBA DE GRADO IDIOMA INGLÉS

(Comprensión)
PARA EL GRADO DE BACHILLERATO

NOMBRE: ______________________________ CARNÉ: ________________

CARRERA____________________________/ FECHA: 23 de febrero de 2018.

PRUEBA DE IDIOMA
La Primera Prueba tendrá una duración máxima de dos horas. El examen consistirá en
una comprensión de lectura de un texto de aproximadamente setecientas palabras, en cuya
lectura el estudiante podrá emplear diccionario. Luego deberá contestar por escrito diez
preguntas sobre comprensión de lectura, escritas en inglés, las que el estudiante podrá
contestar en español o en inglés. La Primera Prueba únicamente tendrá voto de aprobado
o reprobado, y no se promediará su resultado para el cálculo de la mención de graduación.
Es requisito haber superado la primera Prueba para presentar las siguientes en cualquiera
de las modalidades. El estudiante que no la apruebe deberá repetirla hasta su aprobación
o su retiro de la Universidad. En la respuesta al examen, el estudiante debe contestar
estrictamente según el texto.

INSTRUCCIONES GENERALES: El estudiante deberá responder obligatoriamente las

10 preguntas de la Prueba. No se permitirá el uso del corrector o lápiz. Es indispensable
trabajar de la forma más ordenada y clara posible, ya que no se calificarán aquellos
exámenes que se encuentren ilegibles o desordenados. Deberá contestar únicamente
en el espacio dispuesto para las respuestas, en caso de necesitar hojas adicionales
deberá solicitarlas al Oidor encargado; no podrá responder en la parte posterior de las
hojas. El estudiante podrá hacer uso del diccionario para la realización de la Prueba, no
se permitirá el uso de ningún dispositivo electrónico.

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 ELECTIONS IN COSTA RICA 2018

In days of yore, Costa Rican elections were called a “fiesta electoral,” a

celebration of democracy where many Costa Ricans were fiercely and visibly
proud of their political parties and their candidates. Party flags filled the windows
of homes and cars, and Election Day brought honking, music and colors to the
streets.

It seems that that spirit is at least partly a thing of the past: the people of Costa
Rica are more critical, have more complex demands, upset about parties’
perceived failure to attend to their needs, and disillusioned by corruption cases
such as the so-called “cementazo,” the case related to Chinese cement imports
that implicated members of all three branches of government in 2017.

However, no matter how we feel about it, the country will choose its next
president and national legislators in February, and one of the continent’s most
stable democracies will put its institutions to the test. Here are ten keys to
understanding the political campaign and its potential results.

A. What’s at stake

On Sunday, Feb. 4, Costa Rica will elect its president, two vice presidents and 57
new members of the Legislative Assembly. (At the time of this writing in
December 2017, it appears highly likely that the country will go, for a third time,
to a second round of voting, which takes place if no candidate surpasses 40
percent of the vote in the first round.) These are the political authorities who will
preside over the country from 2018-2022, a period during which we will celebrate
200 years of independence.

During their term, we will also face huge challenges in modernizing our state and
its institutions, avoiding further increases in crime, improving the state of our
economy, sustaining public health and creating jobs. The biggest task of all:
putting the brakes on increasing inequality so that our population’s general well-
being can live up to our international reputation.

B. A neutral president

In contrast to democracies such as the United States, the Costa Rican system
forbids the President of the Republic from intervening in any way in the electoral
process, including expressing his voting preference. Costa Rican law requires that
a president, once elected, renounce the party that brought him or her to power.

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Legislators do have total freedom to participate in the campaign, as long as they
do not use public resources to do so.

C. The ‘electoral blackout’

As part of the Executive Branch’s neutrality, a “veda electoral,” or

communications ban, is imposed on public institutions in order to avoid favoring
the party in power. The government is only allowed to communicate urgent news
about public services. The parties have their publicity, of course, but not during
a “Christmas truce” from Dec. 16 through Jan. 1, except for three holiday-themed
messages. This is designed to provide a breather for voters and time for the
parties to prepare for a jam-packed January.

Campaigns may not pay for advertising during the last four days before the
election, nor may the media publish poll results during that time. In theory, this
allows voters to reflect on their decision without new information coming in
(although no one can guarantee that this works).

D. Who’s voting – or not

In Costa Rica, voting is mandatory by law for all those inscribed in the Electoral
Rolls (3.2 million), which takes place automatically for all those over 18. However,
those who do not vote face no direct consequences. Absenteeism was
consistently around 20 percent until the 1990s, when it jumped to nearly 30
percent. At the time of this writing, authorities from the Supreme Elections
Tribunal have expressed concern that it could increase more in 2018.

E. Unprecedented gender equality

This Legislative Assembly election will have the greatest gender equality in Costa
Rican history. This is because all parties were required to alternate men and
women on their legislative candidate rosters in all seven provinces, and no more
provincial lists could be headed by a single gender – that is, a party could have
four top-ranked men and three top-ranked women, or vice versa. (In Costa Rican
legislative elections, voters choose a party, not a specific legislative candidate.
The percentage of the vote each party receives in a given provinces determines
how many of the candidates on that party’s legislative roster get a seat. The top-
ranked candidate has the best chance of earning a spot in the Assembly.)

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 ELECTIONS IN COSTA RICA 2018

1. Why are ticos upset and disillusioned today?

2. What does Costa Rica system forbid the President of the Republic to do in any
electoral process?

3. Refer to absenteeism before and after the 1990’s.

4. What is not allowed four days before the election and why?

5. What is Christmas Truce for?

6. Why were the elections called “fiesta electoral” in the past?

7. Why is the period 2018 -2022 meaningful?

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8. Who will be elected on Sunday February the fourth? Mention all of them?

9. What happens if no candidate surpasses 40% in the first round?

10. Which huge challenges will Costa Rica face in the coming four years?

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