Read the excerpt from "Mother Tongue."I’ve heard other terms used, “limited English,” for example. But they seem just as bad, as if everything is limited, including people’s perceptions of the limited English speaker.How does Tan build a central idea of her story in the excerpt?

Tan presents factual evidence to support the idea that the English language provides fewer opportunities for expression than other languages.

Tan expresses an opinion to support the idea that people who speak nonstandard forms of English are unfairly judged in negative ways.

Tan tells a story to support the idea that people who speak nonstandard forms of English are unable to communicate effectively.

Tan discusses the limits of writing in English to support the idea that authors learn other languages to express their ideas more fully.

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Read the excerpt from "Mother Tongue."Those tests were constructed around items like fill-in-the-blank sentence completion, such as “Even though Tom was ______, Mary thought he was _____.” And the correct answer always seemed to be the most bland combinations of thoughts, for example, “Even though Tom was foolish, Mary thought he was ridiculous.” Well, according to my mother, there were very few limitations as to what Tom could have been and what Mary might have thought of him. So I never did well on tests like that. How does Tan build a central idea of her story in the excerpt?

Tan discusses the types of questions on achievement tests to support the idea that the tests limit students’ ability to write well.

Tan explains a question on a language achievement test to support the idea that the tests should include more interesting content.

Tan gives an example of her experience with achievement tests to support the idea that they are not always accurate measures of language ability.

Tan considers how her mother might answer a question on a test to support the idea that nonstandard English limits a person’s ability to communicate.

Which best summarizes one central idea of the passage from "Mother Tongue"?

All forms of the English language are meaningful and purposeful.

Some forms of the English language do not translate well into writing.

The English language would be more efficient with a Chinese structure.

English language proficiency can only be determined through testing.

Which best summarizes one central idea of the passage from "Mother Tongue"?

The expression of experience through language is more powerful when different forms of English are accepted.

Only someone with a strong background in standard English can express ideas in interesting ways.

Only someone with a strong background in different forms of English can truly be an expert on the English language.

The expression of experience through language is more powerful when only the standard form of English is accepted.

Read the excerpt from "Mother Tongue."Just last week, I was walking down the street with my mother, and I again found myself conscious of the English I was using, the English I do use with her. We were talking about the price of new and used furniture and I heard myself saying this: “Not waste money that way.” My husband was with us as well, and he didn’t notice any switch in my English. And then I realized why. It’s because over the twenty years we’ve been together I’ve often used that same kind of English with him, and sometimes he even uses it with me. It has become our language of intimacy, a different sort of English that relates to family talk, the language I grew up with. How does Tan build a central idea of her story in the excerpt?

Tan discusses the form of language she uses with her family to support the idea that nonstandard English is only appropriate at home.

Tan describes a realization she makes while with her husband to support the idea that nonstandard forms of English are important forms of communication.

Tan compares the English of her childhood with the English of her adulthood to support the idea that adults should use standard English with children.

Tan relates a story about her husband to support the idea that people do not always understand each other, even when they speak the same language.

Tan believes that achievement tests should include a wider variety of fill-in-the-blank questions.

Tan believes that achievement tests should be constructed by published authors of fiction.

Tan believes that achievement tests give inadequate measurements of language ability.

Tan believes that achievement tests give inflated measurements of language ability.

Read the excerpt from "Mother Tongue."Lately, I’ve been giving more thought to the kind of English my mother speaks. Like others, I have described it to people as “broken” or “fractured” English. But I wince when I say that. It has always bothered me that I can think of no other way to describe it other than “broken,” as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed, as if it lacked a certain wholeness and soundness. What best supports the inference that Tan believes nonstandard English is no less valid than standard English?

Tan spends a lot of time thinking about her mother’s “fractured” English.

Tan has trouble thinking of descriptive words when she is writing.

Tan’s education in the US makes it difficult for her to understand her mother.

Tan winces when she describes her mother’s English as “broken.”

Read the excerpt from "Mother Tongue." And sure enough, the following week there we were in front of this astonished stockbroker, and I was sitting there red-faced and quiet, and my mother, the real Mrs. Tan, was shouting at his boss in her impeccable broken English.What can be inferred from the excerpt?

Nonstandard forms of English can be as effective as the standard form of English.

Nonstandard forms of English limit a speaker’s ability to stand up for herself.

Nonstandard forms of English make communication difficult between cultures.

Nonstandard forms of English are used more by older adults than by younger adults.

Read the excerpt from "Mother Tongue."Lately, I’ve been giving more thought to the kind of English my mother speaks. Like others, I have described it to people as “broken” or “fractured” English. But I wince when I say that. It has always bothered me that I can think of no other way to describe it other than “broken,” as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed, as if it lacked a certain wholeness and soundness. Which best summarizes the central idea in the excerpt?

Tan is troubled by the way her mother uses the English language.

Tan is uncomfortable using negative terms to describe her mother’s English.

Tan has difficulty trying to explain what she means when she writes in English.

Tan has found that the English language is lacking in descriptive word choices.

Read the excerpt from "Mother Tongue."Yet some of my friends tell me they understand 50 percent of what my mother says. Some say they understand 80 to 90 percent. Some say they understand none of it, as if she were speaking pure Chinese. But to me, my mother’s English is perfectly clear, perfectly natural. It’s my mother tongue. Her language, as I hear it, is vivid, direct, full of observation and imagery. That was the language that helped shape the way I saw things, expressed things, made sense of the world. How does Tan build a central idea of her story in the excerpt?

Tan describes her friends’ understanding of her mother to support the idea that nonstandard forms of English should only be used in the home.

Tan uses numerical data to support the idea that nonstandard forms of English are on the decline and being replaced by one standard form.

Tan tells a story about her mother’s life to support the idea that learning the language of a new country comes naturally to most people.

Tan discusses her mother’s English to support the idea that the language of one’s childhood is a person’s deepest, truest form of expression.

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