Language Diversity Reading Answers

IELTS Reading section requires students to read a passage and answer the subsequent questions that follow based on which their reading abilities are tested. Students appearing for the IELTS exam need to ensure that they are able to consider every detail in the question paper to ensure that they are efficient in their responses. IELTS reading requires students to read the given passage effectively and thereby respond to the different types of questions. IELTS Academic Reading is an important section for which students need to ensure that they have effective preparation. Students can consider using the IELTS reading practice papers as part of their preparation for the test. Language Diversity Reading Answers is a topic which students can consider practicing for enhancing their reading skills. The topic includes questions of the following types:

1. Yes/No/Not Given
2. Multiple Choice Question
3. Complete the sentence

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Section 1

Read the Passage to Answer the Following Questions

Language Diversity Reading Answers​

Section 2

Questions 1-6:
Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Reading 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: In the final decades of the twentieth century, a single theory of language learning was dominant.

Answer: Yes
Supporting sentence: it is widely interpreted as meaning that all languages are basically the same, and that the human brain is born language-ready, with an in-built programme that is able to interpret the common rules underlying any mother tongue. For five decades this idea prevailed, and influenced work in linguistics, psychology, and cognitive science
Keywords: languages, human brain, in-built programme
Keyword Location: Paragraph 1
Explanation: In the 1960s, the idea of Universal Language was introduced and then majorly influenced most of the work in all fields in those years.

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Question 2: The majority of UG rules proposed by linguists do apply to all human languages.

Answer: No
Supporting sentence: Since the theory of UG was proposed, linguists have identified many universal language rules. However, there are almost always exceptions
Keywords: theory of UG, linguists, universal language rules
Keyword Location: Paragraph 4
Explanation: There were exceptions to the rule as stated in this paragraph. Which means it does not apply strictly in all human languages.

Question 3: There is disagreement amongst linguists about an aspect of Straits Salish grammar.

Answer: Yes
Supporting sentence: some linguists argue that a few languages, such as Straits Salish, spoken by indigenous people from north-western regions of North America, do not even have distinct nouns or verbs
Keywords: languages, Straits Salish, indigenous people, north-western regions
Keyword Location: Paragraph 3
Explanation: there were several arguments about Strait Salish grammar as it did not follow the traditional rule of putting words together. They lacked certain nouns or verbs in their vocabulary

Question 4: The search for new universal language rules has largely ended.

Answer: Not Given

Question 5: If Evans and Levinson are right, people develop in the same way no matter what language they speak.

Answer: No
Supporting sentence: if Evans and Levinson are correct, language, in turn, shapes our brains
Keywords: shapes
Keyword Location: Paragraph 5
Explanation: language places a role in shaping our brains which means people do not develop in the same way regardless of language.

Question 6: The loss of any single language might have implications for the human race.

Answer: Yes
Supporting sentence: every time a language becomes extinct, humanity loses an important piece of diversity
Keywords: extinct, humanity
Keyword Location: Paragraph 5
Explanation: Language created is as diverse as the environment we grow up in, so every time we lose a language, we lose a part of humanity.

Questions 7-11:
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C, or D.

Question 7: Which of the following views about language are held by Evans and Levinson?

1. Each of the world’s languages develops independently.
2. The differences between languages outweigh the similarities.
3. Only a few language features are universal.
4. Each language is influenced by the characteristics of other languages.

Answer: A
Supporting sentence: believe that languages do not share a common set of rules. Instead, they say, their sheer variety is a defining feature of human communication - something not seen in other animals. While there is no doubt that human thinking influences the form that language takes
Keywords: set of rules, sheer variety, human communication
Keyword Location: Paragraph 5
Explanation: language is influenced by individual thinking influences of humans, so it is naturally believed that languages develop independently

Question 8: According to Evans and Levinson, apparent similarities between languages could be due to

1. Close social contact.
2. Faulty analysis.
3. Shared modes of perception.
4. Narrow descriptive systems.

Answer: C
Supporting sentence: Widely shared linguistic elements may also be ones that build on a particularly human kind of reasoning.
Keywords: linguistic elements, human kind, reasoning
Keyword Location: Paragraph 6
Explanation: the two linguists believe the reason many languages display common patterns is the ability of humans to perceive things in a similar manner.

Question 9: In the eighth paragraph, what does the reference to a middle-ear infection serve as?

1. A justification for something.
2. A contrast with something.
3. The possible cause of something.
4. The likely result of something.

Answer: C
Supporting sentence: indigenous Australian children have by far the highest incidence of chronic middle-ear infection of any population on the planet, and that most indigenous Australian languages lack many sounds that are common in other languages, but which are hard to hear with a middle-ear infection
Keywords: indigenous, middle-ear, indigenous Australian languages
Keyword Location: Paragraph 8
Explanation: the indigenous Australian language lacks certain sounds which are otherwise common in other languages. The reason for this is assumed that the middle ear infection affected this population more than any in the world, so the sounds and languages have also developed accordingly.

Question 10: What does the writer suggest about Evans’ and Levinson’s theory of language development?

1. It had not been previously considered.
2. It is presented in a convincing way.
3. It has been largely rejected by other linguists.
4. It is not supported by the evidence.

Answer: B
Supporting sentence: Levinson and Evans are not the first to question the theory of universal grammar, but no one has summarised these ideas quite as persuasively, and given them as much reach.
Keywords: universal grammar, summarised, persuasively
Keyword Location: Paragraph 9
Explanation: Out of all theories there have been for the theory of universal grammar, the one of Levinson and Evans was felt to be the most convincing to the writer. Their arguments had garnered a lot of attention and enthusiasm as well.

Question 11: Which of the following best describes the writer’s purpose?

1. To describe progress in the field of cognitive science
2. To defend a long-held view of language learning.
3. To identify the similarities between particular languages.
4. To outline opposing views concerning the nature of language.

Answer: D
Supporting sentence: among those linguists who are tired of trying to squeeze their findings into the straitjacket of ‘absolute universals’. To some, it is the final nail in UG’s coffin.
Keywords: squeeze, findings, ‘absolute universals’
Keyword Location: Paragraph 9
Explanation: multiple times throughout the article there have been many mentions of opposing views by various people. The writer has cleverly pointed these out, and even mentioned the statements for which the oppositions were made.

Questions 12-14:
Complete each sentence with the correct ending, A-E, below.
Write the correct letter, A-E.

Question 12: The Arrernte language breaks a ‘rule’ concerning

Answer: B
Supporting sentence: Arrernte, spoken by Indigenous Australians from the area around Alice Springs in the Northern Territory, has VC syllables but no CV syllables.
Keywords: Indigenous Australians
Keyword Location: Paragraph 2
Explanation: the previous belief of how a language existed was broken by the Arrernte who had different ways to speak and pronounce words,

Question 13: The Lao language has been identified as lacking

Answer: A
Supporting sentence: Lao, spoken in Laos, has no adjectives at all.
Keywords: Lao, adjectives
Keyword Location: Paragraph 3
Explanation: after much research, it was realized that some languages lacked certain words which were seen as vital in the English language.

Question 14: It has now been suggested that Amazonia Piraha does not have

Answer: D
Supporting sentence: Amazonian Piraha does not have this quality.
Keywords: Amazonian Piraha
Keyword Location: Paragraph 4
Explanation: some word placements are basics that need to be followed for a sentence to make sense. But it was found that the Amazonian Piraha did not have this quality in their language.