Answer explanations MC

1. In the passage as a whole, a major shift in the development of the argument occurs at which of the following points?

• "More than five hundred years ago" (line 13)

• "Take a straightforward example" (line 20)

• "So what's really going on" (line 40)

• "Language often becomes" (line 54)

• "Compare the reactions of many Australians" (lines 64-65)

The author presents John Wallis (line 6), Samuel Johnson (lines 7-8), and Jonathan Swift (line 55) as hostile to

• faulty studies of word origins

• tedious debates about grammar

• local misunderstandings of historical events

• snobbish rejections of modern vocabulary

• unnecessary changes in word usage in their eras

The chief effect of the word "hygienists" (line 16) is to

• lend a tone of mocking humor to the discussion

• expand the argument to a subject other than language

• establish a deferential attitude about the subject

• provide an objective approach to the argument

• set up a contrast between Roman and modern English standards of usage

What the author refers to as "weeds" (line 34) are

• usage changes

• obsolete terms

• diction errors

• cliches

• metaphors

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

The word "chopsticked" (line 38) is used as an example of

• a new usage that is unlikely to persist

• a verb form created from a noun

• a verb in the past tense used as an adjective

• fashionable slang used by international travelers

• foreign-language words becoming part of English

Tags

CCSS.L.2.4B

CCSS.L.3.2E

Paragraph three (lines 40-53) implies that those who would strictly follow rules of the English language feel

• timid whenever they must correct others' linguistic errors

• admiring of others' linguistic creativity

• free to break rules of social etiquette

• satisfied that the flexibility of the English language is superior to that of all others

• anxious about how their use of language affects others' perceptions of them

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2

In paragraphs three and four (lines 40-74), the author's discussion of reaction to changes in language develops by

• accumulating evidence of changes in language that occur unintentionally and changes that are intended to manipulate situations

• broadening from people's immediate circle of contacts to their own larger society and then to an international perspective

• intensifying as it moves from spelling variations that annoy to word choices that express bias to larger communications that antagonize

• contrasting examples of changes that reflect social concord and examples of changes that reflect social discord

• drawing a parallel between examples from the world of business and examples from the world of international relations

Tags

CCSS.RI.11-12.5

CCSS.RI.6.5

CCSS.RI.7.5

CCSS.RI.8.5

CCSS.RI.9-10.5

Examples in paragraph 4 (lines 54-74) provide evidence that

• language usage can survive political turmoil

• nationalism influences reactions to linguistic changes

• generalizations about language usage are usually inaccurate

• linguistic changes occur more frequently now than in the past

• dominant nations undergo more linguistic changes than less powerful nations

Tags

CCSS.RI. 9-10.2

CCSS.RI.11-12.2

CCSS.RI.8.2

CCSS.RL.11-12.2

CCSS.RL.9-10.2