Questão 234274

• Banca: NC-UFPR
• Órgão: UFPR
• Ano: 2010
• Provas: NC-UFPR - 2010 - UFPR - Bibliotecário Documentalista; NC-UFPR - 2010 - UFPR - Economista; NC-UFPR - 2010 - UFPR - Jornalista; UFPR - 2010 - UFPR - Analista de Tecnologia da Informação; UFPR - 2010 - UFPR - Contador; UFPR - 2010 - UFPR - Psicólogo
• Disciplina: Inglês
• Assuntos: Interpretação de texto | Reading comprehension

We are accustomed to thinking of military success as determined by quality of weaponry, rather than by food supply. But a
clear example of how improvements in food supply may decisively increase military success comes from the history of Maori New
Zealand. The Maori are the Polynesian people who were the first to settle New Zealand. Traditionally, they fought frequent fierce
wars against each other, but only against closely neighboring tribes. Those wars were limited by the modest productivity of their
agriculture, whose staple crop was sweet potatoes. It was not possible to grow enough sweet potatoes to feed an army in the field
for a long time or on distant marches. When Europeans arrived in New Zealand, they brought potatoes, which beginning around
1815 considerably increased Maori crop yields. Maori could now grow enough food to supply armies in the field for many weeks.
The result was a 15-year period in Maori history, from 1818 until 1833, when Maori tribes that had acquired potatoes and guns from
the English sent armies out on raids to attack tribes hundreds of miles away that had not yet acquired potatoes and guns. Thus, the
potato's productivity relieved previous limitations on Maori warfare, similar to the limitations that low-productivity corn agriculture
imposed on Maya warfare.

(Diamond, J. (2006). Collapse. London: Penguin.)

How did the arrival of Europeans change Maori warfare?

• A. They stopped fighting and started to grow potatos.
• B. They began to fight only against neighboring tribes.
• C. They were able to fight other tribes that lived further away.
• D. They became united and fought against the Europeans.
• E. They colonized distant areas that were previously uninhabited.

Gabarito: C

Comentários

• Nós éramos acostumado a pensar que o sucesso militar era determinado pela qualidade do armamento, ao invés de abastecimento de comida. Mas um claro exemplo de como melhorias no abastecimento de comida pode decisivamente aumentar o sucesso militar vem da história de Maori Nova Zelândia. Os Maori são um povo polinésio que inicialmente se estabeleceram na Nova Zelândia. Tradicionalmente, eles travavam freqüentemente de maneira feroz guerras uns contra os outros, mas somente com tribos próximas. Estas guerras eram limitadas por modestas produções de suas agriculturas, cujo alimento principal era batata doce. Não era possível crescer batatas doces suficientes para alimentar o exército no campo por um período longo ou grandes marchas. Quando os europeus chegaram na Nova Zelândia, eles trouxeram batatas, o que começou por volta de 1815 e aumentou consideravelmente o rendimento da produtividade Maori. Os Maori poderam agora colher comida suficiente para abastecer o exército no campo por muitas semanas. O resultado foi um período de 15 anos na história Maori, de 1818 até 1833, quando as tribos Maori que adquiriram batatas e armas dos ingleses enviaram seus exércitos para ataques de invasão de tribos a milhares de milhas de distância que não haviam adquirido batatas e armas ainda. Assim, a produção de batatas aliviou a prévia limitação dos Maori na guerra, igualmente as limitações que a baixa produtividade na agricultura de milho impôs na guerra Maia.

• "...when Maori tribes that had acquired potatoes and guns from the English sent armies out on raids to attack tribes hundreds of miles away that had not yet acquired potatoes and guns".

  C

• c-

  prior to the english arrival, they were restricted to fighting neighbouring tribes due to the dearth of crop yield. after they acquired access to a more varied array of harvesting options and modern artillery, they were able to work their way to further distances, thus warring outlying tribes