Endangered Languages Reading Comprehension

CMAT 2019 · Language Comprehension · Easy · Reading Comprehension

Passage / data set

Read the following passage and answer the questions that follow:

An endangered language is one that is likely to become extinct in the near future. Many languages are falling out of use and being replaced by others that are more widely used in the region or nation, such as English in the U.S. or Spanish in Mexico. Unless current trends are reversed, these endangered languages will become extinct within the next century. Many other languages are no longer being learned by new generations of children or by new adult speakers ; these languages will become extinct when their last speaker dies. Infact, dozens of languages today have only one native speaker still living, and that person's death will mean the extinction of the language : It will no longer be spoken, or known, by anyone. Ancient Greek and Latin languages are considered dead because they are no longer spoken in the form in which we find them in ancient writings. But they weren't abruptly replaced by other languages ; instead, Ancient Greek slowly evolved into modem Greek, and Latin slowly evolved into modem Italian, Spanish, French, Romanian, and other languages. In the same way, the Middle English of Chauceis day is no longer spoken, but it has evolved into Modern English.

Question 1 of 3

"These languages will become extinct ...." In the above sentence "these" refers to:

  1. A.

    Middle English

  2. B.

    Other languages

  3. C.

    Endangered languages

  4. D.

    Spanish in Mexico

Answer

C

Explanation

In the passage, 'these' directly refers back to the endangered languages mentioned in the preceding sentence.

Question 2 of 3

Spanish language evolved out of

  1. A.

    English

  2. B.

    Greek

  3. C.

    French

  4. D.

    Latin

Answer

D

Explanation

The passage explicitly states: "Latin slowly evolved into modern Italian, Spanish, French, Romanian, and other languages."

Question 3 of 3

What is an endangered language?

  1. A.

    The language that is spoken by many people

  2. B.

    A language that is most likely to die in the near future

  3. C.

    The language that is not spoken by anyone at all

  4. D.

    A language that is most likely to expand in the near future

Answer

B

Explanation

The first sentence defines an endangered language as one that is likely to become extinct in the near future.

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