Língua Inglesa: reading comprehension for banking contexts
What is tested
The English section is essentially a reading comprehension test on short texts about banking, technology, digital payments, fraud and financial inclusion. You are rarely asked to translate; you are asked to locate information, infer meaning, identify the author's purpose and recognize vocabulary in context. Grammar items, when present, focus on verb tenses, connectors, modals and passive voice.
Core concepts
Train skimming (main idea in the first and last sentences of paragraphs) and scanning (numbers, dates, names, keywords). Learn connector families: however/nevertheless (contrast), therefore/thus (consequence), moreover (addition), although/despite (concession), in order to (purpose). Recognize modal force: must (obligation), should (recommendation), may/might (possibility), can (ability). Notice false friends: actually = na verdade; eventually = finalmente; library = biblioteca; pretend = fingir; policy = política; support = apoiar. Banking vocabulary: loan, overdraft, savings, checking account, interest rate, default, collateral, wire transfer, phishing.
Typical traps
Options that are true in the real world but not stated in the text; options that use the same words as the text but reverse the logic (not, never, unlikely); questions about the tone or purpose where the answer must be supported by the whole text, not one sentence. Watch pronoun reference: it, they, this often point backward to a noun phrase, not to the nearest word.
Rule of thumb
Answer only from the text. If an option requires outside knowledge to be true, mark it wrong. For vocabulary-in-context, substitute each option into the sentence and check whether the meaning still fits.
Worked example: “Banks must verify customer identity before opening accounts.” Question: what does must express? Obligation, not possibility - an option saying banks “might” verify is wrong.