Textual genres bring together different types of texts, being classified according to their characteristics in relation to language and content.
To become an expert on this topic, check out 10 exercises of textual genres commented by our teachers below.
question 1
Read the excerpt below:
"The most imperative and predominant science above all is political science, as this determines which other sciences should be studied in the polis. To that extent, political science includes the purpose of the others, and, therefore, that purpose must be the good of man."
(Aristotle. Adapted)
The textual genre used by the author is
the advertising
b) encyclopedia
c) textbook
d) opinion text
e) prescriptive text
Alternative d) opinion text
The excerpt above exposes a theme through argumentation and, therefore, brings the author's opinion about political science.
question 2
São Paulo, August 18, 1929.
Carlos [Drummond de Andrade],
I was amused and enjoyed his enthusiasm for the Getúlio Vargas – João Pessoa candidacy. É. But look how we are... exchanged. That enthusiasm should be mine and it is I who retain the skepticism that should be yours. (...). Me... I contemplate, in an only sympathetic crowd, the Getúlio Vargas candidacy, which I had wanted so much before. But for me, at present, this candidacy (the only one acceptable, of course) is tarnished by these fragile governmental peaces Minas Gerais, Gauchos, Paraíbas (...), with democratic people from São Paulo (who stopped attacking Bernardes) and oppositionists from Rio de Janeiro and gauchos. All this does not sadden me. I continue to recognize the existence of necessary evils, but I distance myself from my country and from the Getúlio Vargas candidacy. I repeat: only acceptable.
Mário [de Andrade] Renato Lemos. Well-drawn lines: the history of Brazil in personal letters. Rio de Janeiro: Bom Texto, 2004, p. 305 (Enem - 2007)
The letter is a textual genre in which there is always a sender (sender) and a receiver (recipient). In the excerpt above, the letter written to Carlos reveals an example of
a) personal letter
b) reader's letter
c) open letter
d) argumentative letter
e) business letter
Alternative a) personal letter
The personal letter is written by people who already know each other and have some degree of intimacy.
In it, the sender (who writes) can address personal issues by demonstrating their opinion on a certain topic.
In the excerpt above, Mário reveals to Carlos that Getúlio Vargas' candidacy, in his opinion, is the only one acceptable at the moment.
question 3
Eça de Queirós, one of the greatest writers of Portuguese realism, is known for his prose where he created new forms of languages, neologisms and changes in syntax.
The excerpt below is from his most emblematic work “O Cousin Basilio”
"She had been sitting at the table reading the Diário de Notícias, in her black cloth morning robe, embroidered in sutache, with wide buttons of mother-of-pearl; her blond hair, a little tousled, a dry shade from the warmth of the pillow, curled, twisted on top of her tiny, pretty-profiled head; her skin had the soft, milky whiteness of blondes; with her elbow on the table she caressed her ear, and in the slow, gentle movement of her fingers two tiny ruby rings gave off scarlet glints.."
According to the textual genres, the author's intention was
a) report on the character's morning
b) narrate the usual facts of that morning
c) describe aspects of the character and his actions
d) present the main newspaper read by the character
e) dissertation about the clothes worn by the character
Alternative c) describe aspects of the character and his actions
In the excerpt above, the writer's intention is to describe, detail, show some aspects that characterize the character at that moment: the clothes she is wearing, the way her hair is, the color of her skin, the way she is leaning on the table and the movements she makes with the fingers.
question 4
Which of the alternatives below contains textual genres only?
a) novel, description, biography
b) autobiography, narration, dissertation
c) medicine insert, advertising, cooking recipe
d) short stories, fables, exhibition
e) seminar, injunction, declaration
Alternative c) medicine insert, advertisement, cooking recipe
Textual genres are peculiar structures that arise from the five types of texts: narrative, descriptive, dissertation, expository and injunctive.
We must not confuse the types of texts and textual genres that can be: novel, biography, autobiography, medicine leaflet, advertisement, cooking recipe, short stories, fables, seminar and declaration.
question 5
Bill provides fine and imprisonment for those who create and share fake news
Punishment can reach up to 10 years in prison if the author of the news is behind a fake news dissemination group
Authored by Deputy Rejane Dias, Bill 2389/20 amends the Penal Code and provides for punishment with detention for those who benefit from sharing false news. The initiative is to reduce the number of fake news on the internet, which are shared out of naivety but can also be created on purpose to favor people and/or institutions.
If the benefit of the person with the proliferation of fake news is proven, PL 2389/20 provides for detention of 2 to 4 years. The penalty can be increased to up to 10 years if the author of the false news is the leader or coordinates a group responsible for dissemination – the infamous bots.
“It is a disservice to the population and an attack on collective security, a gesture of inhumanity and frontal damage (…). False news, in addition to seriously affecting people's lives, can also help to reinforce erroneous thinking," said the deputy author of the project, which reinforced how the dissemination of fake news in the current time of pandemic that we are experiencing is extremely dangerous and an attempt on the lives of people.
Under analysis in the Chamber of Deputies, the text is already making waves and some people, including those who work with politics, are saying that PL is a plot and is biased. The question is: for whom?
To avoid falling into false news, always check the vehicle in which it was published, if it is renowned, for example, doubt sites few known and shared content in WhatsApp groups, mainly copied and pasted texts that do not have links or sources.
(By Isabella Otto, Capricho Magazine)
The editorial is a textual genre being essentially a text
a) narrative-descriptive
b) descriptive-narrative
c) prescriptive-descriptive
d) essay-argumentative
e) injunctive-opinionate
Alternative: d) essay-argumentative
The editorial text is a type of journalistic text that has an informative character, however, with opinions and arguments of its authors. Therefore, it is considered a dissertation-argumentative text.
In the excerpt above, we have an informative character about the dissemination of fake news, and in the last paragraph, the author offers some tips for people not to fall into this problem:
"To avoid falling into false news, always check the vehicle in which it was published, if it is renowned, for example, doubt sites few known and shared content in WhatsApp groups, mainly copied and pasted texts that do not have links or sources."
question 6
The horse and the donkey were heading into town together. The happy horse of life, slacking off with a load of only four arrobas, and the donkey—poor! Groaning under the weight of eight. At one point, the donkey stopped and said:
- I can not anymore! This load exceeds my strength and the remedy is to share the weight equally, six arrobas each.
The horse bucked and whinnied with laughter.
— Naive! So you want me to bear six arrobas when I can just as well keep on with four? I look like a fool
The donkey moaned:
- Selfish, remember that if I die you will have to carry on with the load of four arrobas plus mine.
The horse joked again and that was it. Just ahead, however, the donkey tropics, comes to the ground and bursts.
The drovers arrive, curse the luck and without delay arrange with the eight arrobas of the donkey over the four of the selfish horse. And as the horse refuses, they give him a whip on top, without pity or pity.
- Well done! exclaimed the parrot. Who ordered to be dumber than the poor dumb and not understand that the real selfishness was to relieve him of the excess load? Take it! Folded yolk now...
(LOBATO, Monteiro. Fables. São Paulo, Brasiliense, 1994)
The fable is a literary textual genre that has a strong moral charge, being a fanciful narrative that distances it from reality. In this regard, check the INCORRECT alternative for this textual genre below:
a) is a short narrative
b) always propose some teaching
c) uses animals as characters
d) has a quick and easy understanding
e) is synonymous with parable
Alternative e) synonymous with parable
The fable is not synonymous with the parable, as it goes beyond the limits of reality, using, for example, animals as the main characters in the plot, conveying human characteristics to them.
The parable is also a short narrative with a moral charge, however, it contains human characters. A great example of a parable is the texts of the bible.
question 7
"Try the delicious new Aztec chocolate bar: with more than 70% cocoa and 0% saturated fat."
The sentence above is part of the textual genre
the news
b) advertising
c) editorial
d) ticket
e) declaration
Alternative b) advertising
Advertising is a textual genre that is part of injunctive texts. This type of text is intended to persuade the reader, indicating an order. Therefore, most advertising texts have verbs in the imperative “try”.
question 8
tomboy's foot
Ingredients
3 cups of roasted and ground peanuts
3 cups of sugar
1 ½ cups of milk
Way of doing
Bring all the ingredients to the fire, stirring constantly and until they come off the pan. Then pour into marble and wait for it to cool and harden. Finally, cut into small pieces.
Cooking recipes are textual genres that instruct people to do something, following a step by step. This type of genre belongs to texts
a) prescriptive
b) narratives
c) descriptive
d) injunctives
e) exhibitions
Alternative d) injunctives
Injunctive texts, also called instructional, aim to explain the realization of something. Thus, they indicate the method, the procedure that should be performed, transmitting to the receiver explanations, instructions and indications on how to do something.
They usually have imperative verbs indicating an order: light, pour, cut.
question 9
Textual genres also include some oral genres. Generally, they are considered expository texts that are intended to expose some idea. Of the alternatives below, the one that is not part of the oral genres is
a) the email
b) the seminar
c) the lecture
d) the colloquium
e) the interview
Alternative a) the email
Email is an electronic message. Its structure is similar to that of letters: subject, vocative, text, farewell and signature.
question 10
HAMLET observes Horácio that there are more causes in heaven and on earth than our philosophy dreams. It was the same explanation that the beautiful Rita gave to the young Camilo, one Friday in November 1869, when he was laughing at her for having gone the day before to consult a fortune teller; the difference is that she did it in other words.
"Laugh, laugh." Men are like that; they don't believe in anything. Well, know that I did, and that she guessed the reason for the appointment, even before I told you what it was. She just started laying out the cards, said to me: "You like a person..." I confessed that I did, and then she continued to put the cards, she combined them, and in the end she told me that I was afraid that you would forget me, but that it wasn't truth.
— Missed! Camilo interrupted, laughing.
— Don't say that, Camilo. If you only knew how I've been, because of you. Do you know; I've already told you. Don't laugh at me, don't laugh...
Camilo took her hands and looked at her seriously and intently. He swore that he loved her very much, that her fears were like a child's; in any case, when he had any fears, the best fortune-teller was himself. Then he scolded her; he told her that it was unwise to walk through these houses. Vilela could know it, and then.
— What to know! I was very cautious when entering the house.
- Where is the house?
— Nearby, on Rua da Guarda Velha; no one passed on that occasion. Rests; I'm not crazy.
Camilo laughed again:
"Do you really believe in these things?" she asked him.
It was then that she, not knowing that she was translating Hamlet into vulgar, told him that there was much mysterious and true in this world. If he didn't believe it, patience; but the truth is that the fortune teller had guessed everything. What else? The proof is that she was now calm and satisfied.
(The Fortune teller, Machado de Assis)
The short story is a kind of short textual genre, written in prose and formed only by a story and a conflict. About this textual genre, we can say that
a) is an essentially descriptive text with the presence of dialogues between characters.
b) it is a dissertation text and shorter than the novel and the novel, both of the same textual type.
c) is a narrative text that involves plot, characters, time and space.
d) is an opinionated text formed by direct and indirect speeches.
e) is an expository text in which a theme is presented to the public.
Alternative c) is a narrative text involving plot, characters, time and space.
The short story is a narrative textual genre with a closed and objective structure formed by just a story and a conflict. It contains the elements of the narrative:
- Plot: The theme or subject of the story.
- Narrator: represents the "voice of the text".
- Characters: people who are present in the story.
- Time: determines the period in which the story takes place.
- Space: place where the narrative develops.
Learn more about this topic:
- Textual genres
- Types of Texts
- textual typology
- 10 classic fairy tales