Questão nº 26
Questão de Língua Inglesa · CEBRASPE TCU 25 AUFC 2025 (nº 26)
Electoral accountability is a distinctively democratic form of accountability. Since officials typically seek reelection or election to a higher office, this potential sanction is regarded as a powerful inducement for them to explain their actions to electorates and serve their electorates‟ interests. In this conventional view, much of the activity of elected officials takes place “in the shadow of elections,” with the awareness that potential opponents may publicize their actions, if these seem likely to be unpopular with their electorates.
On the other hand, some recent work suggests that even in democracies, there is much less retrospective electoral accountability than the conventional view suggests. In a sense, this failure should not be surprising in light of democratic theory. Alexis de Tocqueville and John Stuart Mill emphasized in the mid-19th century the importance, for effective control of government, of alert and involved citizens. Alexis de Tocqueville observed that “the inhabitant of New England is attached to his township not so much because he was born there as because he sees in that township a free and strong corporation that he is a part of and that is worth his trouble to seek to direct.” Democracy, in Tocqueville‟s view, also relies on the existence of multiple voluntary associations, linked to political associations in multiple ways. In the words of John Stuart Mill, “the rights and interests of every or any person are only secure from being disregarded when the person is himself able, and habitually disposed, to stand up for them.”
Considering the preceding text, judge the following items.
The text mentions authors to whom the concept of accountability appeared in the 1800s due to the necessity of effective control of government.
Resposta comentada
Conceito-chave: O texto não diz que o conceito de accountability (prestação de contas) surgiu no século XIX. Ele apenas cita Tocqueville e Mill para mostrar que, já naquela época, eles alertavam que o controle efetivo do governo depende de cidadãos atentos e envolvidos — ou seja, eles falavam da condição para a democracia funcionar, não da origem histórica do termo.
- Correta: Errado. O item inventa uma relação de causa e data que não existe no texto: ele afirma que o conceito de accountability "apareceu" nos anos 1800, mas o texto apenas menciona os autores como pensadores que enfatizaram a importância de cidadãos alertas, sem dizer que o conceito "surgiu" ali.
No trecho, a pegadinha está em "o conceito de accountability apareceu nos 1800s" — o texto nunca afirma isso; ele só diz que Tocqueville e Mill "enfatizaram" (em meados do século XIX) a importância de cidadãos envolvidos para o controle do governo. O conceito de accountability em si não é datado no texto.
Como ficaria certo: "O texto menciona autores do século XIX que enfatizaram a importância de cidadãos alertas e envolvidos para o controle efetivo do governo."
Fonte: CEBRASPE TCU 25 AUFC 2025 Auditor Federal de Controle Externo - Área de Controle Externo / Orientação: Auditoria de Tecnologia da Informação. Reproduzida para fins de estudo.