Asian American Voices Answers

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Read the excerpt from "Mother Tongue."And here you would be presented with a list of four possible pairs, one of which showed the same kind of relationship: red is to stoplight, bus is to arrival, chills is to fever, yawn is to boring. Well, I could never think that way. I knew what the tests were asking, but I could not block out of my mind the images already created by the first pair, “sunset is to nightfall”—and I would see a burst of colors against a darkening sky, the moon rising, the lowering of a curtain of stars.How does Tan build a central idea of her story in the excerpt?

Tan gives an example of a test question to support the idea that more efforts must be made in the home to expose children to standard English.

Tan relates a story about taking an achievement test to support the idea that English curricula must be structured more like math curricula.

Tan discusses achievement tests to support the idea that language cannot be separated from the personal meanings and experiences attached to it.

Tan describes her experience with achievement tests to support the idea that published authors are most qualified to write test questions for students.

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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. Which best summarizes the central idea of the excerpt?

Nonstandard forms of English are most appropriate with family.

Standard forms of English can create connections between people.

Nonstandard forms of English can create connections between people.

Standard forms of English are not appropriate to use with family.

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.The inference suggested by this excerpt is that nonstandard forms of English

are used more by older adults than by younger adults

can be as effective as the standard form of English

limit the speaker’s ability to stand up for herself

make communication between cultures difficult

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."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. What can be inferred from the excerpt?

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."I am a writer. And by that definition, I am someone who has always loved language. I am fascinated by language in daily life. I spend a great deal of my time thinking about the power of language—the way it can evoke an emotion, a visual image, a complex idea, or a simple truth. Language is the tool of my trade. And I use them all—all the Englishes I grew up with.Which best summarizes the central idea in the excerpt?

Tan believes that language should be thought of as a communication tool.

Tan believes that some forms of English are more powerful than others.

Tan enjoys using language to manipulate the feelings and thoughts of readers.

Tan enjoys thinking about language and using different forms of English.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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