IELTS® General Reading Practice 20

The answer is D. The correct person is Mark Pagel. In the sixth paragraph, it states: '“Your brain and mine are different from the brain of someone who speaks French, for instance,” Pagel says, “The patterns and connections we make among various concepts may be structured by the linguistic habits of our community.”' This means that the way we see and interpret the world may be affected by which language we speak, according to Pagel.

Associated Text:
“Your brain and mine are different from the brain of someone who speaks French, for instance,” Pagel says, “The patterns and connections we make among various concepts may be structured by the linguistic habits of our community.”

The answer is B. The correct person is Salikoko Mufwene. In the seventh paragraph, it says: 'Language and culture are intertwined in a way that’s difficult to separate; it is often impossible to fully understand one without the context the other provides. ‘If a person shifts from Navajo to English, they lose something,’ Mufwene says.' This shows that changing language can lead to a loss of traditional culture, according to Mufwene.

Associated Text:
Language and culture are intertwined in a way that’s difficult to separate; it is often impossible to fully understand one without the context the other provides. ‘If a person shifts from Navajo to English, they lose something,’ Mufwene says.

The answer is E. The correct person is Nicholas Ostler. In the fourth paragraph, it states: '“People lose faith in their culture,” he says of the issue, “When the next generation reaches their teens, they might not want to be induced into the old traditions.” Simply put, the languages of communities considered to be prestigious exert a powerful influence over members of younger generations, who may then reject their native languages.' This shows that Ostler remarked on younger generations losing connection with their native languages.

Associated Text:
“People lose faith in their culture,” he says of the issue, “When the next generation reaches their teens, they might not want to be induced into the old traditions.” Simply put, the languages of communities considered to be prestigious exert a powerful influence over members of younger generations, who may then reject their native languages.

The answer is B. The correct person is Salikoko Mufwene. In the fifth paragraph, the passage says: “Native Americans have not lost pride in their language, but they have had to adapt to socio-economic pressures,” says Salikoko Mufwene, who chairs the Linguistics department at the University of Chicago, “They cannot refuse to speak English if most commercial activity is in English.” This clearly supports the idea that people who work in business have no option but to use English.

Associated Text:
“Native Americans have not lost pride in their language, but they have had to adapt to socio-economic pressures,” says Salikoko Mufwene, who chairs the Linguistics department at the University of Chicago, “They cannot refuse to speak English if most commercial activity is in English.”

The answer is C. The correct person is Doug Whalen. In the eighth paragraph, it says: 'Doug Whalen, founder, and president of the Endangered Language Fund in New Haven, Connecticut states that “The key to fostering diversity is for people to learn their ancestral tongue, as well as the dominant language,” he claims that “Most of these languages will not survive without a large degree of bilingualism.' This means that endangered languages cannot be saved unless people learn to speak more than one language, according to Whalen.

Associated Text:
Doug Whalen, founder, and president of the Endangered Language Fund in New Haven, Connecticut states that “The key to fostering diversity is for people to learn their ancestral tongue, as well as the dominant language,” he claims that “Most of these languages will not survive without a large degree of bilingualism,”

The answer is B. The correct person is Salikoko Mufwene. At the end of the eighth paragraph, the passage states: 'Mufwene suggests that preventing the death of a language by revival isn’t the same as natural usage. “Preserving a language is more like preserving fruits in a jar,” he says.' This suggests that preserving or reviving a language is different from keeping it alive in a natural way, according to Mufwene.

Associated Text:
Mufwene suggests that preventing the death of a language by revival isn’t the same as natural usage. “Preserving a language is more like preserving fruits in a jar,” he says.

The answer is A. The correct person is Michael Krauss. In the third paragraph, it says: 'According to Michael Krauss, director of the Alaska Native Language Center, languages with many young speakers are considered safe, while languages with very few young speakers are at risk.' This means that a language with numerous younger speakers is unlikely to become extinct, according to Krauss.

Associated Text:
According to Michael Krauss, director of the Alaska Native Language Center, languages with many young speakers are considered safe, while languages with very few young speakers are at risk.