Protecting Languages

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There are THREE sections in this exam paper:

Instructions:

In section 1, read the given passage carefully and answer the questions that follow by applying the learned skills for reading compression.

Section 2, Write a reflection essay (400 words). Start with an introduction, develop well-written body paragraphs, and end with a conclusion. After you finish writing your essay, edit and proofread it paying attention to grammar, punctuation, and spelling.

In section 3, use the given five words in any form of their derivations as presented in the given tables to write a paragraph (50 words) on a topic of your choice and guess the meaning of the word in the given context.

Protecting Languages

[A] The world is losing languages at an alarming rate. Michael Krauss suggested that of the approximately 6,000 human languages alive today, only 350 to 500 are safe from extinction. Some linguists estimate that a language dies every two weeks or so. At the current rate, by 2100, about 2,500 native languages could disappear.

[B] Languages become extinct for many reasons. Through imperialism, colonizers impose their languages on colonies. Some politicians believe multilingualism will fragment national interests. Thus they prohibit education in all but the national language. Another reason for language death is the spread of more powerful languages. In the world today, several languages, including English, are so dominant in commerce, science, and education, that languages with fewer speakers have trouble competing.

[C] Although in the past, governments have been one of the primary causes of language death, many have now become champions of preserving endangered languages and have had some significant successes. Two outstanding examples are the revival of Hebrew and Irish. Hebrew was considered a dead language, like Latin, but is now the national language of Israel. Irish was not dead, but severely threatened by English when the government of Ireland began its rescue immediately after the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922. All students in public schools must now take some classes in Irish and there are Irish programs in major media, such as television and radio. According to the Irish government, approximately 37% of the population of Ireland now speaks Irish.

Instructions

[D] One of the largest programs to revive languages, Documenting Endangered Languages (DEL), is being conducted by three U.S. government agencies: the National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities, and the National Museum of Natural History. Researchers funded by these agencies are recording interviews with the mostly elderly people who still speak the languages. Analyses of these interviews will help linguists publish dictionaries and grammars of the languages. Eventually, linguists hope to establish language-training programs where younger people can learn the languages, carrying them on into the future.

[E] The linguists participating in DEL defend spending millions of dollars to preserve dying languages. They point out that when a language dies, humanity loses all of the knowledge of the world that that culture held. Traditional healers in rural areas have given scientists important leads in finding new medicines; aspirin is an example of these. But one of the most common reasons given by these researchers is that studying languages gives us insight into the radically different way humans organize their world. David Lightfoot, an official at the National Science Foundation, gives the example of Guguyimadjir, an Australian aboriginal language, in which there are no words for "right" or "left," only for "north," "south," "east," and "west."

[F] Many researchers are optimistic that the efforts to save dying languages will succeed, at least in part. Bruce L. Cole, Chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities said, "Not only is this a time of great potential loss, it is also a moment for enormous potential gain. In this modern age of computers and our growing technological capabilities, we can preserve, assemble, analyse, and understand unprecedented riches of linguistic and cultural information."

1. What is the best alternative title for this reading?

1. Similarities Between Endangered Species
2. Preserving Endangered Languages and Languages
3. Linguistic Globalization
4. How Languages Die

2. According to the article, which language is a dead language?

1. Irish
2. English
3. Hebrew
4. Latin

3. According to the article, what would linguists in the DEL project like to do someday?

1. Record interviews with elderly people
2. Get funding from the government
3. Teach endangered languages to young people
4. Write a dictionary and grammar for Irish

4. How would you describe Bruce Cole's opinion of the DEL project?

1. He thinks that we will lose the fight to save endangered languages.
2. He believes that it isn't worth the time and energy required to save languages.
3. He believes we can save significant amounts of information about languages.
4. He thinks that we will be able to save Guguyimadir, the aboriginal language.

5. According to Paragraph B, approximately how many indigenous languages are spoken in Australia?

1. 250
2. 70
3. 10
4. None

6. In Paragraph C, why does the author mention: approximately 37% of the population of Ireland now speaks Irish?

1. to show that Irish is no longer on the verge of extinction
2. to contrast the prevalence of Hebrew and Irish
3. to argue in favour of a universal language
4. to explain why students in Ireland must be totally fluent in Irish

7. Which of the following is the best summary statement for Paragraph A?

1. According to Michael Krauss, a majority of the world's languages are in danger of extinction.
2. The present and future extinction of hundreds of languages may be a necessary sacrifice in order to achieve the benefits of globalization.
3. A large number of languages have become extinct or are endangered, which some believe is as unfortunate and urgent a problem as species loss.
4. Many more plant and animal species than languages have become endangered or extinct.

8. What does the underlined word mean in the following sentence? Languages become extinct for many reasons.

1. dead
2. popular
3. required
4. encouraged

9. Paragraph B discusses the hegemony of the English language. What does hegemony probably mean in this context?

1. reluctance
2. dominance
3. entertainment
4. cooperation

10. Use structure and context clues to determine the meaning of multilingualism in Paragraph C.

1. being loyal to more than one government
2. speaking an extinct language
3. legislating the use of a national language in schools
4. speaking several languages

11. Within the context of Paragraph D, which of the following is the main reason that DEL is recording elderly speakers?

1. Elderly people are some of the only people left who speak dying languages.
2. The researchers want to hear stories about olden times.
3. Elderly people have more time to devote to research since they are retired
4. Researchers want to convince elderly people to teach the languages they know to younger people.

12. Based on what you read in Paragraph B, which word most likely means: the process by which one place becomes the colony of another?

13. colonization
14. colonizers
15. colonies
16. colonial

Decide if each of the following statements is true or false as per the context of the given article justifying your answer with evidence from the text.

Governments have been one of the primary causes of language death.

One of the largest programs to revive languages is being conducted by two U.S. government agencies.

Aspirin has been discovered due to the effort of linguists to preserve native languages.

Guess Meaning from Context and Structure. Use structure and context clues to guess the meaning of the underlined verbs in bold. Choose the best answer

Even the fastest arrows could not pierce the knight's heavy armour, so he was unhurt.

1. go under
2. shine
3. go through
4. sit on

I need a clock that glows in the dark so I can read it even with the lights out.

1. shines
2. rings
3. runs
4. blends

Disinfectants inhibit the growth of bacteria.

1. corrupt
2. slow
3. encourage
4. mark

All the residents had to evacuate the apartment building due to a fire on the fourth floor.

1. enter
2. empty
3. keep
4. rent

After a long night of discussing options, the bank robbers finally hatched a plan.

1. produced
2. remembered
3. stopped
4. came over

I dislike snakes, but I loathe spiders. They're even worse.

1. admire
2. watch
3. enjoy
4. hate

The dictator was overthrown after a ten-day revolution.

1. managed
2. helped
3. honoured
4. conquered

It's not a pleasant thought, but if you've swallowed certain types of poison, there are medicines that induce vomiting.

1. circulate
2. measure
3. hold onto
4. cause

After falling from his bicycle and badly twisting his ankle, John walked home.

1. devoured
2. gulped down
3. jumped at
4. limped

When we found Bob, he hadn't had anything to drink for three days. He drank two litres of water.

1. devoured
2. gulped down
3. jumped at
4. destroyed

Match the words with the definitions. Write the words in the blanks. Use each word only once

Words	Definitions
a. aspects	1. instruments designed and constructed for a specific purpose (……….)
b. devices	2. characteristics to be considered (……….)
c. processes	3. refuse to acknowledge (……….)
d. focused	4. not in keeping with what is correct or proper (………)
e. inappropriate	5. concentrated on or clustered around a central point or purpose (……….)
	6. mutual or reciprocal actions (……….)
	7. particular courses of action intended to achieve a result (……….)

EL118 Marking Rubric

Essay includes an introduction which: Captures the reader’s attention Provides background knowledge Includes a clear thesis statement stating what the body paragraphs describe	4 points
Each body paragraph describes one aspect of the chosen topic and begins with a topic sentence that develops one main idea. Topic sentence is followed by supporting sentences that give more information about the topic sentence Supporting sentences are explained with supporting details (facts, examples, experience, or description) Cohesion is achieved through repetition of keywords,  use of reference words, and use of transitions to link sentences together	8 points
Essay includes a conclusion which Summarizes the main points Uses concluding statements to signal the end of the essay	3 point
Essay has been edited for mechanics (spelling, grammar, sentence structure, diction)	4 point
Each paragraph is indented and looks like one unit; essay has a title	1 point