PAAU Practice Examination (Galiza)

Read the text and the instructions to the questions very carefully. Answer all the questions
in English.

You may love your pet, but does your pet love you? Most animal lovers claim that animals
definitely experience emotions. Many stories are told of older dogs who become jealous when a
new dog (or a baby) arrives home. For many years, however, scientists did not agree that animals
experienced emotions; these behaviours, they said, were simply physiological reactions to
external stimuli. But now new research is beginning to confirm that animals may have feelings
much like ours.
Recent studies have shown that many animals, including chimpanzees, dogs, horses, rats and
birds, experience emotions similar to human jealousy, grief and love. Fear has also been widely
observed by scientists, perhaps unsurprisingly, since this emotion helps in survival. Biologist
Samuel Gosling claims that dogs exhibit four dimensions of personality: affection, sociability,
emotional stability and “competence”, a combination of intelligence and obedience. These are
similar to the categories of human personality generally found in basic psychological tests.
Other studies have shown that when a recording of dogs’ “laughter” is played to other dogs, they
start to play with each other, and rats who “laugh” frequently seem to be popular among other
rats, offering further proof of emotions among animals. In addition, animals respond to anti-
depressant drugs and this proves that their brain chemistry, which is affected by the drug, must
be similar to ours. Experts believe that their emotions must therefore be similar, too.
However, if animals really do have human-like emotions, there are some serious issues to
consider: how fair is it, for example, for humans to keep animals in cages, or use them for
pharmaceutical testing?

Questions
1. Write a summary of the text in English, including the most important points, using your own
words whenever possible. (maximum 50 words, 1 point)

2. Find words or phrases in the text that correspond in meaning to the words and definitions
given here. (1 point: 0.25 each)
a) a direct response to something (paragraph 1)
b) sadness (paragraph 2)
c) evidence (paragraph 3)
d) to think about (paragraph 4)

3. Complete the second sentence of each pair so that it has the same meaning as the first one.
(2 points: 0.5 points each)
a) Rats like to play with other rats that “laugh” a lot.
Rats enjoy ……………………
b) Fear has also been widely observed by scientists.
Scientists ……………………
c) It seems that many animals can experience human-like emotions.
It seems that many animals are ……………………
d) The scientist asked, “Is it fair to keep animals in cages?”
The scientist asked if ……………………

PAAU Galiza – Animal Emotions 1/2

4. Answer the following questions in your own words. (2 points: 1 point each)
a) Why are scientists not surprised that animals experience fear?
b) Under what circumstances does the writer suggest it may be unfair to keep animals in
cages?

5. Write about the advantages and disadvantages of using animals in pharmaceutical

experiments. (approximately 120 words; 3 points)

PAAU Galiza – Animal Emotions 2/2

 PAAU Practice Examination (Galiza) – Answer Key
1. Answers will vary.

2. a) reaction
b) grief
c) proof
d) consider

3. a) playing with other rats that “laugh” a lot.

b) have also widely observed fear.
c) able to experience human-like emotions. / capable of experiencing human-like emotions.
d) it was fair to keep animals in cages.

4. a) Because fear helps in survival.

b) If animals feel the same emotions that humans do.

5. Answers will vary.

PAAU Galiza – Animal Emotions