Examen de Anglès de selectivitat — Múrcia 2026

NOTA IMPORTANTE
La Section I Reading Comprehension contiene un único texto con tres tareas (1, 2, 3). Es necesario
responder todas las cuestiones incluidas en esas tres tareas. La Section II Use of English contiene
dos tareas (4 y 5). En la 4 se responden todas las cuestiones y, en la 5, se responden solo tres de
las cinco cuestiones propuestas. En la Section III Writing se incluye solo una tarea (6). En esta tarea,
se elegirá solo una de las dos opciones propuestas. En las tareas que corresponda, si se responde
a un número de cuestiones superior al requerido, se corregirán solamente las primeras respuestas
hasta llegar al número indicado.

Before there was Tik Tok, before social networks were even an everyday thing, there were people who
described feeling a deep and inexplicable connection with certain animal species. Not as a metaphor,
nor as a hobby, but as something they perceived as central to their very being. The term therian, which
comes from therianthrope, a Greek word meaning half-human and half-animal, began to appear in the
1990s on an internet forum that was first created to discuss fictional stories, but later became a place
where people could meet and talk about feelings and experiences they felt were part of their real
identity. The community grew discreetly, almost clandestinely, through mailing lists and websites of the
pre-Facebook era. They called themselves 'otherkin' at first, an umbrella term for those who identify as
non-human beings in a broad sense, dragons, elves, angels, and from there the subgroup that identifies
specifically with real animals (wolves, foxes, deer, cougars, birds) became distinct.

For decades, therians remained largely ‘invisible’ to the wider public. That changed around the
turn of this decade when TikTok's algorithm began to amplify videos in which young people, many of
them teenagers, showed what they call 'shifts' or 'quadrobics': movements that mimic the locomotion
of quadrupeds, sometimes with masks or accessories that evoke the animal with which they identify.
The impact was twofold. On the one hand, the visibility allowed people who had never had a name for
what they felt to find a community and a language. On the other, the virality brought with it an inevitable
distortion: the short format of TikTok tends to flatten any identity into an aesthetic, and what for some
is a profound question of identity was, for many viewers, reduced to a dance or an extravagant
costume.

Today the hashtag #therian accumulates billions of views. There are YouTube channels
dedicated to explaining identity from the inside, podcasts, Discord servers with tens of thousands of
members and a constant production of content on Reddit. The community has developed its own
vocabulary, such as 'kintype' for the animal you identify with, or 'awakening' for the moment you
become aware of it, and also has its own internal debates about who can be considered therian and
who cannot.

A frequent confusion equates therians with furries, and although they share certain cultural
spaces, the underlying difference is significant. Furries are people who feel an affinity with
anthropomorphic animal characters, usually fictional, and participate in a subculture with a playful and
creative dimension: costumes, conventions, illustration. Their interest in the animal does not imply
identification with it. A furry can have a 'fursona', an animal alter ego, without this meaning that she/he
perceives herself/himself as non-human. Therians, on the other hand, argue that their identification is
not a hobby or an aesthetic choice, but something they experience as part of who they are.

SECTION I: READING COMPREHENSION [30 MARKS]

Ejercicio 1

1. Read the text and, for items 1.1 and 1.2, choose the best option (A, B, or C) and copy the
   corresponding letter onto your answer sheet. Then, decide whether statements 1.3 and 1.4 are
   true or false and find a text fragment which confirms your answer in either case. Write “TRUE”
   or “FALSE” plus the fragment (one or two lines maximum) on your answer sheet. [Score: 4
   items x 4 marks = 16 marks]

Part 1: Multiple-choice items

1.1. The early therian community developed…
a) through small online spaces where people shared personal feelings and experiences.
b) from a Facebook page originally created to promote non-human fantasy role-playing.
c) as a result of TikTok videos that helped young people connect with others.

1.2. What was the main effect of TikTok on the therian community?
a) It helped therians replace online communities with real-life social interaction.
b) It increased visibility but also caused some people to misunderstand therian identity.
c) It reduced interest in therian identity by making the content repetitive.

Part 2: True-False items

1.3 The therian community has created specific terms to describe its identity and experiences.

1.4. Confusion exists between therians and furries because of shared cultural spaces.

Ejercicio 2

2. Complete each sentence with information from the text but using your own words (about 10-
   15 words of your own per sentence). DO NOT COPY LITERALLY from the text nor from the items
   in 1 (1.1-1.4). Write the two sentences on your answer sheet. [Score: 2 items x 5 marks = 10
   marks]

2.1. Before TikTok, ______________________________________________________________.
2.2. Furries can _________________________________________________________________.

Ejercicio 3

3. Find in the text words that match definitions 3.1 to 3.4 below. Copy the words from the text
   onto your answer sheet. [Score: 4 items x 1 mark = 4 marks]

Paragraph #1
3.1. Definition: In a way that is planned or done in secret, especially when something is
not officially allowed.
Text word? (Adverb) ____________.
Paragraph #2
3.2. Definition: to copy the way in which a particular person usually speaks and moves.
Text word? (Verb) ____________.
Paragraph #2
3.3. Definition: To reduce something complex to something simple and superficial.
Text word? (Verb) ____________.
Paragraph #4
3.4. Definition: To consider two things as the same, even if they are not.
Text word? (Verb) ____________.

SECTION II: OVERALL LANGUAGE ABILITY (USE OF ENGLISH) (30 marks)

Ejercicio 4

4. Complete the text choosing the best option (A, B, or C) for each gap (1-15). On your answer
   sheet, draw a table like the one below and, for each gap (1-15), copy the letter that corresponds
   to your answer (A, B, or C). Use CAPITAL LETTERS. [Score: 15 items x 1 mark = 15 marks]

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

Are air-fryers secretly improving indoor air quality? Scientists say ‘yes,’ under one condition.
(1) ___ air-fryer may be secretly helping the planet, (2) ___ you have a liking for fatty foods.

These mini-appliances (3) ___ in popularity in recent years, quickly becoming a mainstay in kitchens
across Europe. Air-fryers (4) ___ use less electricity compared to conventional ovens, meaning they’re
a great (5) ___ to keep energy bills low in the face of growing costs. (6) ___, new research says air-
fryers may be better for indoor air quality too.

Researchers from the University of Birmingham have used custom-made air quality chambers
(7) ___ volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other airborne particles (8) ___ are emitted during
cooking. VOCs are carbon-based chemicals emitted from items (9) ___ paint, cleaning products and
materials that are often found in greater concentrations indoors. The team used a commercially
available 4.7 litre air-fryer for the experiments, cooking frozen fried, fresh low-fat, (10) ___ fresh high-
fat foods to compare emissions. Scientists found that frozen onion rings, smoked bacon and unsmoked
bacon produced the (11) ___ levels of cooking-related emissions. It is thought this is (12) ___ their
high-fat content. However, cooking high-fat foods in a traditional fryer produces 10 to 100 times higher
levels of VOCs. “This study is the latest that shows the potential benefits (13) ___ indoor air quality of
using air fryers for cooking,” says the study’s leading researcher, Professor Pfrang. “(14) ___ our
previous study only looked at one type of food (lean chicken), we wanted to look at a greater range of
foodstuffs including (15) ___ with higher fat content to see how they compare specifically when cooked
in an air-fryer.”

The condition is you should always clean your air-fryer, as food residue can increase the number
of harmful particles they emit.

1. a) Your b) An c) This
   c) however

2. a) even if b) although c) have grown
   c) should

3. a) are growing b) have been grown c) way
   c) Instead

4. a) often b) don’t c) for measurement
   c) whom

5. a) reason b) answer c) included
   c) or

6. a) Now b) However c) highest
   c) due to

7. a) which measures b) to measure c) to
   c) While

8. a) that b) who c) each

9. a) as if b) such as

10. a) and b) but

11. a) high b) higher

12. a) because b) so that

13. a) of b) for

14. a) When b) After

15. a) ones b) none

Ejercicio 5

5. Complete THREE of the following sentences so that each sentence keeps the meaning of the
   sentence printed before it and includes a clear change of linguistic structure. COPY THE
   COMPLETE SENTENCES (including the beginnings already given to you) onto your answer
   sheet. [Score: 3 items x 5 marks = 15 marks]

5.1. He loses his temper easily, so people avoid discussing serious issues with him.
If he ____________________, people would discuss serious issues with him.

5.2. It is not allowed to park here after 6 p.m.
Cars ____________________ here after 6 p.m.

5.3. She didn’t keep a copy of the contract, so she can’t check the details now.
She wishes ____________________ a copy of the contract.

5.4. This year’s results are not as bad as last year’s.
Last year’s results ____________________ this year’s.

5.5. “Did you begin the project on time?” the supervisor asked her.
The supervisor wanted to know ____________________ the project on time.

SECTION III: WRITING (40 marks)

Ejercicio 6

6. Choose ONE of the two options below (a or b) and write the corresponding text (150-175
   words). Write your answer on your answer sheet. [Score: 1 item x 40 marks = 40 marks]

a) For-and-Against writing. Students should work part-time while studying at university. Discuss.
WRITE A FOR-AND-AGAINST TEXT. Make sure you include arguments in favor of and against
this statement and provide a balanced discussion.

b) Formal email writing. Complaining about a disappointing stay.
WRITE A FORMAL EMAIL BASED ON THE FOLLOWING SITUATION:

You recently stayed in accommodation that you booked online. When you arrived, the accommodation
did not match the description on the website, and several promised services or conditions were missing
or unsatisfactory. Write a formal email to the booking company to make a complaint. In your email, be
sure to a) state when and where you stayed; b) explain (not just enumerate) what problems you
experienced during your stay; c) describe how these problems affected your stay; and d) politely
request appropriate compensation.

NOTA IMPORTANTE
La Section I Reading Comprehension contiene un único texto con tres tareas (1, 2, 3). Es necesario
responder todas las cuestiones incluidas en esas tres tareas. La Section II Use of English contiene
dos tareas (4 y 5). En la 4 se responden todas las cuestiones y, en la 5, se responden sólo tres de
las cinco cuestiones propuestas. En la Section III Writing se incluye sólo una tarea (6). En esta tarea,
se elegirá sólo una de las dos opciones propuestas. En las tareas que corresponda, si se responde
a un número de cuestiones superior al requerido, se corregirán sólo las primeras respuestas hasta
llegar al número indicado.

Before there was Tik Tok, before social networks were even an everyday thing, there were people who
described feeling a deep and inexplicable connection with certain animal species. Not as a metaphor,
nor as a hobby, but as something they perceived as central to their very being. The term therian, which
comes from therianthrope, a Greek word meaning half-human and half-animal, began to appear in the
1990s on an internet forum that was first created to discuss fictional stories, but later became a place
where people could meet and talk about feelings and experiences they felt were part of their real
identity. The community grew discreetly, almost clandestinely, through mailing lists and websites of the
pre-Facebook era. They called themselves 'otherkin' at first, an umbrella term for those who identify as
non-human beings in a broad sense, dragons, elves, angels, and from there the subgroup that identifies
specifically with real animals (wolves, foxes, deer, cougars, birds) became distinct.

For decades, therians remained largely ‘invisible’ to the wider public. That changed around the
turn of this decade when TikTok's algorithm began to amplify videos in which young people, many of
them teenagers, showed what they call 'shifts' or 'quadrobics': movements that mimic the locomotion
of quadrupeds, sometimes with masks or accessories that evoke the animal with which they identify.
The impact was twofold. On the one hand, the visibility allowed people who had never had a name for
what they felt to find a community and a language. On the other, the virality brought with it an inevitable
distortion: the short format of TikTok tends to flatten any identity into an aesthetic, and what for some
is a profound question of identity was, for many viewers, reduced to a dance or an extravagant
costume.

Today the hashtag #therian accumulates billions of views. There are YouTube channels
dedicated to explaining identity from the inside, podcasts, Discord servers with tens of thousands of
members and a constant production of content on Reddit. The community has developed its own
vocabulary, such as 'kintype' for the animal you identify with, or 'awakening' for the moment you
become aware of it, and also has its own internal debates about who can be considered therian and
who cannot.

A frequent confusion equates therians with furries, and although they share certain cultural
spaces, the underlying difference is significant. Furries are people who feel an affinity with
anthropomorphic animal characters, usually fictional, and participate in a subculture with a playful and
creative dimension: costumes, conventions, illustration. Their interest in the animal does not imply
identification with it. A furry can have a 'fursona', an animal alter ego, without this meaning that she/he
perceives herself/himself as non-human. Therians, on the other hand, argue that their identification is
not a hobby or an aesthetic choice, but something they experience as part of who they are.

1. Read the text and, for items 1.1 and 1.2, choose the best option (A, B, or C) and copy the
   corresponding letter onto your answer sheet. Then, decide whether statements 1.3 and 1.4 are
   true or false and find a text fragment which confirms your answer in either case. Write “TRUE”
   or “FALSE” plus the fragment (one or two lines maximum) on your answer sheet. [Score: 4
   items x 4 marks = 16 marks]

Part 1: Multiple-choice items

1.1. The early therian community developed…
a) through small online spaces where people shared personal feelings and experiences.
b) from a Facebook page originally created to promote non-human fantasy role-playing.
c) as a result of TikTok videos that helped young people connect with others.

1.2. What was the main effect of TikTok on the therian community?
a) It helped therians replace online communities with real-life social interaction.
b) It increased visibility but also caused some people to misunderstand therian identity.
c) It reduced interest in therian identity by making the content repetitive.

Part 2: True-False items
1.3 The therian community has created specific terms to describe its identity and experiences. TRUE.
Evidence: “The community has developed its own vocabulary, such as ‘kintype’ for the animal
you identify with, or ‘awakening’ for the moment you become aware of it…”

1.4. Confusion exists between therians and furries because of shared cultural spaces. TRUE.
Evidence: “A frequent confusion equates therians with furries, and although they share certain
cultural spaces, the underlying difference is significant.”

2. Complete each sentence with information from the text but using your own words (about 10-
   15 words of your own per sentence). DO NOT COPY LITERALLY from the text nor from the items
   in Task 1 (1.1-1.4). Write the two sentences on your answer sheet. [Score: 2 items x 5 marks =
   10 marks]

2.1. Before TikTok, ______________________________________________________________.
2.2. Furries can _________________________________________________________________.

3. Find in the text words that match definitions 3.1 to 3.4 below. Copy the words from the text
   onto your answer sheet. [Score: 4 items x 1 mark = 4 marks]

Paragraph #1
3.1. Definition: In a way that is planned or done in secret, especially when something is
not officially allowed.
Text word? (Adverb) ____________. CLANDESTINELY

Paragraph #2
3.2. Definition: To copy the way in which a particular person usually speaks and moves.
Text word? (Verb) ____________. MIMIC

Paragraph #2
3.3. Definition: To reduce something complex to something simple and superficial.
Text word? (Verb) ____________. FLATTEN

Paragraph #4
3.4. Definition: To consider two things as the same, even if they are not.
Text word? (Verb) ____________. EQUATE

SECTION II: OVERALL LANGUAGE ABILITY (USE OF ENGLISH) (30 marks)

4. Complete the text choosing the best option (A, B, or C) for each gap (1-15). On your answer
   sheet, draw a table like the one below and, for each gap (1-15), copy the letter that corresponds
   to your answer (A, B, or C). Use CAPITAL LETTERS. [Score: 15 items x 1 mark = 15 marks]

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15
A A C A C A B A B A C C B C A

Are air-fryers secretly improving indoor air quality? Scientists say ‘yes,’ under one condition.
YOUR air-fryer may be secretly helping the planet, EVEN IF you have a liking for fatty foods.

These mini-appliances HAVE GROWN in popularity in recent years, quickly becoming a mainstay in
kitchens across Europe. Air-fryers OFTEN use less electricity compared to conventional ovens,
meaning they’re a great WAY to keep energy bills low in the face of growing costs. NOW, new research
says air-fryers may be better for indoor air quality too.

Researchers from the University of Birmingham have used custom-made air quality chambers
TO MEASURE volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and other airborne particles THAT are emitted
during cooking. VOCs are carbon-based chemicals emitted from items SUCH AS paint, cleaning
products and materials that are often found in greater concentrations indoors. The team used a
commercially available 4.7 litre air-fryer for the experiments, cooking frozen fried, fresh low-fat, AND
fresh high-fat foods to compare emissions. Scientists found that frozen onion rings, smoked bacon and
unsmoked bacon produced the HIGHEST levels of cooking-related emissions. It is thought this is DUE
TO their high-fat content. However, cooking high-fat foods in a traditional fryer produces 10 to 100
times higher levels of VOCs. “This study is the latest that shows the potential benefits FOR indoor air
quality of using air fryers for cooking,” says the study’s leading researcher, Professor Pfrang. “WHILE
our previous study only looked at one type of food (lean chicken), we wanted to look at a greater range
of foodstuffs including ONES with higher fat content to see how they compare specifically when cooked
in an air-fryer.”

The condition is you should always clean your air-fryer, as food residue can increase the number
of harmful particles they emit.

1. a) Your b) An c) This
   c) however

2. a) even if b) although c) have grown
   c) should

3. a) are growing b) have been grown c) way
   c) Instead

4. a) often b) don’t c) for measurement
   c) whom

5. a) reason b) answer c) included
   c) or

6. a) Now b) However c) highest
   c) due to

7. a) which measures b) to measure c) to
   c) While

8. a) that b) who c) each

9. a) as if b) such as

10. a) and b) but

11. a) high b) higher

12. a) because b) so that

13. a) of b) for

14. a) When b) After

15. a) ones b) none

16. Complete THREE of the following sentences so that each sentence keeps the meaning of the
    sentence printed before it and includes a clear change of linguistic structure. COPY THE
    COMPLETE SENTENCES (including the beginnings already given to you) onto your answer
    sheet. [Score: 3 items x 5 marks = 15 marks]

5.1. He loses his temper easily, so people avoid discussing serious issues with him.
If he didn’t lose his temper (so) easily, people would discuss serious issues with him.

5.2. It is not allowed to park here after 6 p.m.
Cars cannot be parked // must not be parked here after 6 p.m.

WATCH OUT! “are not allowed to park” is grammatically correct but there’s NO STRUCTURAL
CHANGE

5.3. She didn’t keep a copy of the contract, so she can’t check the details now.
She wishes she had kept a copy of the contract.

5.4. This year’s results are not as bad as last year’s.
Last year’s results were worse than this year’s.

WATCH OUT! “were not as good as” is grammatically correct but there’s NO STRUCTURAL
CHANGE

5.5. “Did you begin the project on time?” the supervisor asked her.
The supervisor wanted to know if she had begun // whether she had begun the project on time.

SECTION III: WRITING (40 marks)

6. Choose ONE of the two options below (a or b) and write the corresponding text (150-175
   words). Write your answer on your answer sheet. [Score: 1 item x 40 marks = 40 marks]

a) For-and-Against writing. Students should work part-time while studying at university. Discuss.
WRITE A FOR-AND-AGAINST TEXT. Make sure you include arguments in favor of and against
this statement and provide a balanced discussion.

b) Formal email writing. Complaining about a disappointing stay.
WRITE A FORMAL EMAIL BASED ON THE FOLLOWING SITUATION:

You recently stayed in accommodation that you booked online. When you arrived, the accommodation
did not match the description on the website, and several promised services or conditions were missing
or unsatisfactory. Write a formal email to the booking company to make a complaint. In your email, be
sure to a) state when and where you stayed; b) explain (not just enumerate) what problems you
experienced during your stay; c) describe how these problems affected your stay; and d) politely
request appropriate compensation.