EXAM WITH ANSWERS

PAU Practice Examination (Valencia)

Stockholm Syndrome
In 1973, during a bank robbery in Stockholm, Jan-Erik Olsson took four people hostage for six days. It
was the first criminal event to be shown live on Swedish television. During the robbery, Olsson
demanded that a friend be brought from his prison cell to the bank. Together, the two men kept a close
eye on the hostages. Despite the threats made against them, the hostages sympathised with their captors,
and not only refused to give evidence against them in court, but actually helped to raise money for their
defence.

A criminologist, Nils Bejerot, who investigated the case, came up with the phrase “Stockholm
Syndrome” to describe what happened to the hostages. Although the syndrome is estimated to affect
only about 8% of victims, it soon caught the public’s attention. In 1975, the film Dog Day Afternoon,
based on a 1972 robbery in New York, was released. The hostages in that siege had also sympathised
with the bank robber. In the same year as the film came out, Patty Hearst, the daughter of a millionaire
publisher, was arrested. She had been kidnapped 19 months earlier, but had subsequently been seen
joining in the group’s criminal activities, even armed with a gun during one bank robbery. Despite her
lawyer claiming that she had been suffering from Stockholm Syndrome, she was found guilty and
sentenced to seven years in prison.

Psychologists are still trying to understand what causes the condition. One theory is that hostages start
off by pretending to sympathise with their captors in the hope that this will keep them safe and, over
time, their brains start to believe that these fake emotions are actually true.

On a more basic level, during a long siege, victims and criminals interact and show their humanity.
Olsson gave his jacket to one woman who felt cold and comforted her when she had a nightmare. He
also sympathised with another woman who couldn’t get through to her husband on the phone and he
encouraged her to keep trying.

Whatever the reason, when the siege ended, the two criminals and their victims hugged and kissed
before the criminals were taken away, with the hostages pleading with police officers not to hurt the two
men.

Part I Reading Comprehension

1. Answer the following questions using your own words but taking into account the
information in the text. (2 points: 1 each)
a. How did the hostages help Olsson after the crime ended?
They refused to testify against him in court and they raised money to pay for his legal
fees.
b. How might hostages’ views towards their captors change during a siege?
They might begin to feel safe and protected by them and develop compassion for them
as well.

1/2
2. Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)? Identify the part of the text that supports
your answer by copying the exact passage on the answer sheet. (1.5 points: 0.5 each)
a. The actor didn’t play a very sympathetic character in the film Dog Day Afternoon.
F: “The hostages in that siege had also sympathised with the bank robber.”
(paragraph 2)
b. Psychologists have now agreed on the causes of Stockholm Syndrome.
F: “Psychologists are still trying to understand what causes the condition.”
(paragraph 3)
c. The victims’ attitude towards their captors didn’t change, even after they were freed.
T: “Whatever the reason, when the siege ended, the two criminals and their victims
hugged and kissed before the criminals were taken away …” (paragraph 5)

3. Find a synonym for each of the four words or phrases below from these six options.
All words are underlined in the text. (1 point: 0.25 each)
pleading fake released encouraged kept a close eye on came up with
a. invented came up with
b. asking, begging pleading
c. watched carefully kept a close eye on
d. not real fake

4. Choose a, b, or c, in each question below. Only one choice is correct.

(1.5 points: 0.5 each)
1. What do we know about the robbery in Sweden?
a. The authorities agreed to one of the robber’s demands.
b. Olsson spoke live to television cameras.
c. Olsson planned the robbery with a friend.
2. We can definitely say that …
a. Dog Day Afternoon was based on the Stockholm robbery.
b. the events in Dog Day Afternoon actually happened.
c. Patty Hearst was kidnapped in 1975.
3. When writing about Olsson’s relationship with the hostages, the writer mentions …
a. a dream Olsson had.
b. a conversation Olsson had with a victim’s family member.
c. an article of clothing that Olsson offered to a hostage.

Part II Composition (130 to 150 words approximately) (4 points)

5. What is your opinion about enabling victims of crime to be allowed to help decide the
punishment given to criminals? Explain your reasons.
Answers will vary.

PAU Valencia – Stockholm Syndrome 2/2