Reading Comprehension - Author's purpose

Text 3

South Africa's highest court has ruled that husbands can take the surname of their wives, overturning a law that barred them from doing so. In a victory for two couples who brought the case, the Constitutional Court ruled that the law was a "colonial import" that amounted to gender-based discrimination.

Henry van der Merwe was denied the right to take the surname of his wife Jana Jordaan, while Nicolas Bornman could not hyphenate his surname to include Donnelly, the surname of his wife. The two couples had argued that the law was archaic and patriarchal, and violated equality rights enshrined in the constitution that South Africa adopted at the end of apartheid in 1994. They successfully challenged the law in a lower court, but asked the Constitutional Court to confirm its ruling. The Constitutional Court noted that "in many African cultures, women retained their birth names after marriage, and children often took their mother's clan name" but this changed after the "arrival of the European colonisers and Christian missionaries, and the imposition of Western values".

Parliament will now have to amend the Births and Deaths Registration Act, along with its regulations, for the ruling to take effect. South Africa had made a significant advancement in gender equality, but some laws and practices that perpetuated "harmful stereotypes" still remained in place, as it denied men a choice available to women.

(Adapted from Chothia F. (2025). South African court rules that men can take wife's surname. BBC.)

What is the main topic of the text?

Texto 3 (en inglés)

The latest Education at a glance report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) reveals sharp contrasts across the European Union (EU), with Ireland at the top and Italy and Hungary at the bottom. In Ireland, two in three people aged 25 to 34 held a university degree, such as a bachelor's, master's or PhD degree, in 2024. This is followed by Luxembourg, at 65 %, and Lithuania, at 58 %. By contrast, at the bottom are Czechia with 33 % and Hungary and Italy with 32 %.

The report also highlights that young people's education level remains closely tied to that of their parents. In all EU countries surveyed, children of disadvantaged backgrounds are far less likely to go to university or college than those from more advantaged backgrounds. The gap between the share of young adults with parents holding a university degree (70 %) and that of young adults whose parents do not have one (49 %) is the lowest in Denmark. On the other hand, this gap is the widest in Poland (79 % among young adults whose parents have a degree and 11 % among those whose parents do not).

The OECD also stresses the benefits of higher education. A degree is linked to better chances of employment, higher salaries, and improved health. Education is not only about knowledge but also about the quality of life.

Adapted from Where in the EU Do Most Young Adults Have a University Degree? Euronews. 12 September 2025.

Question

What is the main topic of the text?

Texto 3 (en inglés)

The latest Education at a glance report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) reveals sharp contrasts across the European Union (EU), with Ireland at the top and Italy and Hungary at the bottom. In Ireland, two in three people aged 25 to 34 held a university degree, such as a bachelor's, master's or PhD degree, in 2024. This is followed by Luxembourg, at 65 %, and Lithuania, at 58 %. By contrast, at the bottom are Czechia with 33 % and Hungary and Italy with 32 %.

The report also highlights that young people's education level remains closely tied to that of their parents. In all EU countries surveyed, children of disadvantaged backgrounds are far less likely to go to university or college than those from more advantaged backgrounds. The gap between the share of young adults with parents holding a university degree (70 %) and that of young adults whose parents do not have one (49 %) is the lowest in Denmark. On the other hand, this gap is the widest in Poland (79 % among young adults whose parents have a degree and 11 % among those whose parents do not).

The OECD also stresses the benefits of higher education. A degree is linked to better chances of employment, higher salaries, and improved health. Education is not only about knowledge but also about the quality of life.

Adapted from Where in the EU Do Most Young Adults Have a University Degree? Euronews. 12 September 2025.

Question

From the text, what is the antonym for the word SHARP?

Texto 3 (en inglés)

The latest Education at a glance report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) reveals sharp contrasts across the European Union (EU), with Ireland at the top and Italy and Hungary at the bottom. In Ireland, two in three people aged 25 to 34 held a university degree, such as a bachelor's, master's or PhD degree, in 2024. This is followed by Luxembourg, at 65 %, and Lithuania, at 58 %. By contrast, at the bottom are Czechia with 33 % and Hungary and Italy with 32 %.

The report also highlights that young people's education level remains closely tied to that of their parents. In all EU countries surveyed, children of disadvantaged backgrounds are far less likely to go to university or college than those from more advantaged backgrounds. The gap between the share of young adults with parents holding a university degree (70 %) and that of young adults whose parents do not have one (49 %) is the lowest in Denmark. On the other hand, this gap is the widest in Poland (79 % among young adults whose parents have a degree and 11 % among those whose parents do not).

The OECD also stresses the benefits of higher education. A degree is linked to better chances of employment, higher salaries, and improved health. Education is not only about knowledge but also about the quality of life.

Adapted from Where in the EU Do Most Young Adults Have a University Degree? Euronews. 12 September 2025.

Question

According to the text, it is inconsistent to say that

Nota: Este ejercicio depende de un texto de referencia en inglés ("Texto 3", sobre contaminantes en la comida para perros) que no ha sido extraído. Debe añadirse manualmente antes de importar.

The author's primary purpose in the passage is to