Attitudes to Language - IELTS Reading Sample With Explanation

The IELTS reading section examines a candidate’s comprehending skills within the stipulated amount of time. The IELTS reading section comprises passages followed with different kinds of questions to holistically judge a student’s grasping abilities while reading. This particular IELTS reading practice test has a passage on- Attitudes to Language, which consists of the following types of questions:

1. Yes/No/Not Given
2. Complete the summary
3. Choose the correct option

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Section1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Attitudes to Language - IELTS Reading sample

1. It is not easy to be systematic and objective about language study. Popular linguistic debate regularly deteriorates into invective and polemic. Language belongs to everyone, so most people feel they have a right to hold an opinion about it. And when opinions differ, emotions can run high. Arguments can start as easily over minor points of usage as over major policies of linguistic education.
2. Language, moreover, is a very public behaviour, so it is easy for different usages to be noted and criticized. No part of society or social behaviour is exempt: linguistic factors influence how we judge personality, intelligence, social status, educational standards, job aptitude, and many other areas of identity and social survival. As a result, it is easy to hurt, and to be hurt, when language use is unfeelingly attacked.
3. In its most general sense, prescriptivism is the view that one variety of language has an inherently higher value than others, and that this ought to be imposed on the whole of the speech community. The view is propounded especially in relation to grammar and vocabulary, and frequently with reference to pronunciation. The variety which is favoured, in this account, is usually a version of the ‘standard’ written language, especially as encountered in literature, or in the formal spoken language which most closely reflects this style. Adherents to this variety are said to speak or write ‘correctly’; deviations from it are said to be ‘incorrect’.
4. All the main languages have been studied prescriptively, especially in the 18th century approach to the writing of grammars and dictionaries. The aims of these early grammarians were threefold: (a) they wanted to codify the principles of their languages, to show that there was a system beneath the apparent chaos of usage, (b) they wanted a means of settling disputes over usage, and (c) they wanted to point out what they felt to be common errors, in order to ‘improve’ the language. The authoritarian nature of the approach is best characterized by its reliance on ‘rules’ of grammar. Some usages are ‘prescribed’, to be learnt and followed accurately; others are ‘proscribed’, to be avoided. In this early period, there were no half-measures: usage was either right or wrong, and it was the task of the grammarian not simply to record alternatives, but to pronounce judgement upon them.
5. These attitudes are still with us, and they motivate a widespread concern that linguistic standards should be maintained. Nevertheless, there is an alternative point of view that is concerned less with standards than with the facts of linguistic usage. This approach is summarized in the statement that it is the task of the grammarian to describe, not prescribe-to record the facts of linguistic diversity, and not to attempt the impossible tasks of evaluating language variation or halting language change. In the second half of the 18th century, we already find advocates of this view, such as Joseph Priestley, whose Rudiments of English Grammar (1761) insists that ‘the custom of speaking is the original and only just standard of any language’. Linguistic issue, it is argued, cannot be solved by logic and legislation. And this view has become the tenet of the modern linguistic approach to grammatical analysis.
6. In our own time, the opposition between ‘descriptivism’ and ‘prescriptivists’ has often become extreme, with both sides painting unreal pictures of the other. Descriptive grammarians have been presented as people who do not care about standards, because of the way they see all forms of usage as equally valid. Prescriptive grammarians have been presented as blind adherents to a historical tradition. The opposition has even been presented in quasi-political terms — of radical liberalism vs elitist conservatism.

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Section 2

Solution and Explanation
Questions 1-8.

Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer of the passage?
Write:

YES- if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer
NO- if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN- if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

Question 1. There are understandable reasons why arguments occur about language.

Answer: Yes

Supporting sentence: when opinions differ, emotions can run high. Arguments can start as easily over minor points of usage as over major policies of linguistic education.

Keywords: reasons, arguments, language

Keyword Location: 1st paragraph, last line

Explanation: This is the correct answer because it is clearly mentioned in the passage that when opinions are different, emotions take an upper hand which leads to arguments over minor errors in language usage. So the reasons for the arguments are quite understandable.

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Question 2. People feel more strongly about language education than about small differences in language usage.

Answer: No

Supporting sentence: Arguments can start as easily over minor points of usage as over major policies of linguistic education.

Keywords: feel strongly, language education, usage, small differences

Keyword Location: 1st paragraph, last line

Explanation: This is the correct answer because in the passage it is mentioned that arguments happen more over minor differences in usage of language and not much about its education. The statement given completely contradicts this information.

Question 3. Our assessment of a person’s intelligence is affected by the way he or she uses language

Answer: Yes

Supporting sentence: linguistic factors influence how we judge personality, intelligence, social status, educational standards, job aptitude, and many other areas of identity and social survival.

Keywords: assessment, intelligence, affect, usage of language

Keyword Location: 2nd paragraph, 2nd line

Explanation: This is the correct answer because it is explicitly mentioned in the passage that how language is used by an individual determines his/her intelligence. The usage includes vocabulary, grammar and pronunciations.

Question 4. Prescriptive grammar books cost a lot of money to buy in the 18th century.

Answer: Not Given

Supporting sentence: All the main languages have been studied prescriptively, especially in the 18th century approach to the writing of grammars and dictionaries.

Keywords: prescriptive, grammar books, 18th century

Keyword Location: 4th paragraph, 1st line

Explanation: This is the correct answer because the only information given about the 18th century approach is that back then language was studied prescriptively. No information is given about the cost of grammar books during that time.

Question 5. Prescriptivism still exists today.

Answer: Yes

Supporting sentence: These attitudes are still with us, and they motivate a widespread concern that linguistic standards should be maintained.

Keywords: exist, today, prescriptivism

Keyword Location: 2nd last paragraph, 1st line

Explanation: This is the correct answer because it is mentioned in the passage that even today we follow and judge people by linguistic standards, how they speak and how strictly they follow the grammar rules- which is what prescriptivism is all about.

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Question 6. According to descriptivists it is pointless to try to stop language change.

Answer: Yes

Supporting sentence: This approach is summarised in the statement that it is the task of the grammarian to describe, not prescribe to record the facts of linguistic diversity, and not to attempt the impossible tasks of evaluating language variation or halting language change.

Keywords: descriptivists, impossible, language change

Keyword Location: 2nd last paragraph, 3rd line

Explanation: This is the correct answer because according to descriptivists one cannot stick to traditional rules and the standards. Having an understanding of the grammar is important as language change will happen and evaluating or stopping them is not possible.

Question 7. Descriptivism only appeared after the 18th century.

Answer: No

Supporting sentence: In the second half of the 18th century, we already found advocates of this view, such as Joseph Priestiey, whose Rudiments of English Grammar (1761) insists that 'the custom of speaking is the original and only just standard of any language!

Keywords: Descriptivism, 18th century, after

Keyword Location: 2nd last paragraph, 4th line

Explanation: This is the correct answer because in the passage we see the mention of descriptivists in the second half of the 18th century. The given statement contradicts this information.

Question 8. Both descriptivists and prescriptivists have been misrepresented.

Answer: Yes

Supporting sentence: In our own time, the opposition between 'descriptivism' and 'prescriptivism' has often become extreme, with both sides painting unreal pictures of the other.

Keywords: descriptivists, prescriptivists, misrepresented, unreal pictures

Keyword Location: last paragraph, 1st line

Explanation: This is the correct answer because though both approaches are opposing each other, none are accurate as both take extreme paths which leads to misrepresentation of the language.

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Questions 9-12.

Complete the summary using the list of words, A-I, below.

Write the correct letter, A-I, in boxes 9-12 on your answer sheet.

The language debate

According to 9….., there is only one correct form of language. Linguists who take this approach to language place great importance on grammatical 10…..Conversely, the view of 11…., such as Joseph Priestly, is that grammar should be based on 12…...

Question 9.

Answer: prescriptivists

Supporting sentence: In its most general sense, prescriptivism is the view that one variety of language has an inherently higher value than others, and that this ought to be imposed on the whole of the speech community.

Keywords: one correct, language debate, language

Keyword Location: 3rd paragraph, 1st line

Explanation: This is the correct word for this blank because it is the prescriptivists who believe there’s only one codified principled standard of language which everyone should adhere to.

Question 10.

Answer: rules

Supporting sentence: The authoritarian nature of the approach is best characterised by its reliance on ‘rules' of grammar.

Keywords: linguists, language, grammar

Keyword Location: 4th paragraph, 3rd line

Explanation: This is the correct answer because the prescriptivists attach undue importance to grammatical rules so that they can point out errors in the name of improving the language.

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Question 11.

Answer: descripivists

Supporting sentence: This approach is summarised in the statement that it is the task of the grammarian to describe, not prescribe to record the facts of linguistic diversity, and not to attempt the impossible tasks of evaluating language variation or halting language change.

Keywords: Priestley, grammar, conversely

Keyword Location: 2nd last paragraph, 3rd line

Explanation: This is the correct answer because it is the descriptivists who believe that the way language is spoken often determines the language standards and there isn’t any strict rule to adhere to as there can be many forms which are equally valid and true.

Question 12.

Answer: popular speech

Supporting sentence: the custom of speaking is the original and only just standard of any language.

Keywords: grammar, conversely, language debate

Keyword Location: 2nd last paragraph, 4th line

Explanation: This is the correct answer because the descriptivist believe that there doesn’t need to be one language standard, rather there can be many and the way we speak language and the how often we use it in a certain way can be the basis, not involving logic and legislation. Therefore popular speech fits in perfectly.

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Question 13.

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

Write the correct letter in box 13 on your answer sheet.

13. What is the writer’s purpose in Reading Passage?

1. to argue in favour of a particular approach to writing dictionaries and grammar books.
2. to present a historical account of differing views of language
3. to describe the differences between spoken and written language
4. to show how a certain view of language has been discredited

Answer: B

Supporting sentence: Popular linguistic debate regularly deteriorates into invective and polemic. Language belongs to everyone, so most people feel they have a right to hold an opinion about it.

Keywords: writer’s purpose

Keyword Location: First and last paragraph

Explanation: A cannot be the correct option as the writer doesn’t favor one approach over another. C can also be eliminated as here the discussion is both prescriptivism and descriptivism, not spoken and written. D too is wrong as none of the views is discredited, as the writer feels that both the views paint an unreal picture. B is the closest option as the writer presents both the traditional and the modern approach to language and how they oppose each other.