English language scholars generally agree that the modern English lang

Question

New Project RC Butler 2019  -  Practice 2 RC Passages Everyday   
Passage # 76, Date : 10-MAR-2019
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English language scholars generally agree that the modern English language developed from several sources: the Anglo-Saxon language, or Old English, spoken by the Germanic peoples who migrated to the island of Britain in the fifth century; the Old Norse influences of the Vikings and the Danish kings of England in the ninth and tenth centuries; the French influence of the Norman invaders in the eleventh century; and the Latin influences of the earlier Roman inhabitants and the Catholic Church. However, one mystery remains. When the Anglo-Saxons arrived in Britain, there were numerous Celtic inhabitants dwelling alongside what remained of the Roman population. Why, then, did the Anglo-Saxons, and thus the English, not absorb more of the Celtic languages? The English language ultimately adopted very few Celtic words, so few in fact that scholars are at a loss to explain the reason with any certainty. One thing is certain: the Celtic languages are in no way related to Anglo-Saxon, indeed developing from an entirely different family of languages, so there is no question that the Anglo-Saxons did not adopt Celtic words simply because they already had very similar words of their own. So, what happened? Some scholars have suggested that the Anglo-Saxons already had enough words of their own and thus did not need to borrow from the Celts, even upon arriving in a new place. For instance, if the day-to-day elements of life in Britain were similar enough to those in the Anglo-Saxon homeland, the Anglo-Saxons would not feel the need to make use of foreign words to describe their new life. This theory, however, is inconsistent with evidence that the Anglo-Saxons borrowed everyday words from other languages such as Old Norse and French. Other scholars have suggested the theory that the Anglo-Saxons chose to avoid the Celtic words because the Celts were essentially a conquered people - an explanation that is strongly supported by the rapid disappearance of Celts from south and central England and their subsequent movement north and west into what would become Cornwall, Wales, and Scotland.

Leading linguistic scholar David Crystal disagrees with this latter hypothesis, however. He points out that among the Anglo-Saxons it was not uncommon to find children with Welsh names. The great Christian poet Cdmon and Cdwalla, the king of Wessex in the seventh century, were both noteworthy and highly respected Anglo-Saxons who bore Welsh names. From a purely practical perspective, it is unlikely that Anglo-Saxon parents would bestow Celtic names on their children if those names were closely associated with a despised language or a group of people deemed inferior. As a modern example, during World War I people in England began changing their names to avoid sounding too Germanic. Even the royal family, up to that point bearing the name Saxe-Coburg-Gotha, changed the family name to Windsor due to the long connection of that name with a specifically English history. Additionally, the respected Battenburg family in England, closely connected to the monarchy, felt the need to change their name to Mountbatten, as it had a less decidedly German  connotation .

Perhaps more significantly, David Crystal raises the possibility that the word cross, steeped in important religious meaning for many English speakers, came from a Celtic background. In Latin, the word is crux, and the Scandinavians rendered it kross. But there is, on the whole, very little linguistic influence on early English religious terminology from the Germanic languages or the Germanic peoples, who were decidedly pagan upon their arrival to England. On the other hand, the Irish Celts were enthusiastic and thorough in their missionary efforts to England and other parts of Europe, and they rendered the Latin crux as cros in Old Irish and as croes in Welsh. It is highly possible that the English word cross and the Old Norse word kross were influenced by the Irish missionary work. It is unlikely that the mystery of the missing Celtic words will ever be solved satisfactorily, but what little evidence remains suggests that the mystery can no longer be written off as a case of a conquered people becoming linguistically obsolete   1 
 1. Which of the following best states the main idea of the passage?

A.Although linguistic scholars do not know why the English language has so few Celtic words, it can no longer be assumed that the Anglo-Saxons avoided Celtic words in the belief that the Celts were inferior.
B.The possible Celtic derivation of the word cross suggests that the Anglo-Saxons interacted more closely with the Celts than was previously thought.
C.New evidence suggests that the traditional belief about the Anglo-Saxon, Old Norse, French, and Latin influences on the English language is erroneous and misleading.
D.The actions taken by the English during World War I indicate strongly that their forebears eradicated Celtic words for similar reasons.
E.The appearance of Welsh names among significant Anglo-Saxon figures indicates that of all the Celtic peoples, the Welsh had the greatest linguistic impact on Anglo-Saxon daily life.
 A 
 2 
 2. The use of the word "connotation" ( Highlighted ) most closely suggests which of the following?

A. Clear relationship
B. Linguistic origin
C. Theoretical definition
D. Potential association
E. Emotional correlation
 D 
 3 
 3. The discussion of the word cross in the passage is intended to show which of the following?

A. Although they were previously ignored by scholars, it is clear that many important Celtic words were indeed absorbed into the English language.
B. Scholars now realize that many Celtic words influenced Old Norse words and not the other way around.
C. It is incorrect to assume that there was a very great influence on the English language from Celtic words.
D. Linguistic scholar David Crystal believes that Celtic words make up an important part of the English language.
E. The significance of the few Celtic words within the English language suggests a more important influence than was previously thought.
 E 
 4 
 4. The author provides examples of English behavior toward German last names during World War I in order to do which of the following?

A. Prove definitely that human nature does not change
B. Undermine the theory of the Welsh influence on English names
C. Use a fairly recent event to provide context for a hypothesis
D. Show that the English changed names because they considered Germans inferior
E. Suggest that many of the so-called "English" names are really German
 C 
 5 
 5. Which of the following best describes the author's attitude toward the theory that there are few Celtic words in the English language because the Celts migrated and had no contact with the Anglo-Saxons?

A. Self-righteous insistence
B. Scholarly disagreement
C. Patronizing disapproval
D. Justifiable concern
E. Vitriolic dissent
 B

6 
 6. The primary purpose of the passage is to do which of the following?

A. Caution against making an historical judgment without considering further linguistic evidence
B. Introduce a new theory and support it with linguistic evidence
C. Defend a scholarly position by citing leading authorities in the field
D. Dispute a long-held scholarly position by disproving the linguistic evidence in support of it
E. Compare several theories and argue in support of one of them
 A

7 
 7. The passage suggests that the author would probably agree with which one of the following?

A. There is less Latin and Old Norse influence on the English language that there is Celtic influence.
B. Although there seem to be few Celtic words within the English language, these words suggest a significant linguistic role.
C. The possible Celtic derivation of the English word cross alone suggests that the English viewed the Celts favorably.
D. The Anglo-Saxons did not adopt many Celtic words because they had enough everyday words in their own language.
E. Because some of the Anglo-Saxons gave their children Welsh names, the Anglo-Saxon people unquestionably had a high opinion of the Celts.
 B

Difficulty Level:   650

soumya170293 · Answer

Would anyone please give the reason of elimination for question 3 - option d and for question 6 - option b ? Thanks in advance.

kwanatk · Answer

This passage is really tough for me. 
Could anyone explain following?

Q2: I don't know how to choose between B and D

Q3: Between D and E why not D? 
 Doesn't "David Crystal raises the possibility that the word cross, steeped in important religious meaning for many English speakers, came from a Celtic background." equals to "D" ? important meaning = important part?

Q4: I ignored "C" because of the word "recent event" because I thought that it's past event, what's wrong in this thought? and Why choice "(D) Show that the English changed names because they considered Germans inferior" doesn't match?

Q5: Between B and C, I know that "C" is strong word, but last sentence wrote "what little evidence remains suggests that the mystery can no longer be written off as a case of a conquered people" Can't this mean that the author's is Patronizing disapproval.

Thank you very much.

UT1976 · Answer

please explain why not d in question 6 . how is it a ? 
thanks

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

6. The primary purpose of the passage is to do which of the following?

Option (A)  states that the primary purpose of the passage is to caution against making a historical judgment without considering further linguistic evidence. This option accurately captures the central theme of the passage. The passage presents different theories and hypotheses regarding the lack of Celtic influence on the English language. It emphasizes that scholars have been unable to definitively explain the scarcity of Celtic words in English and that the mystery remains unsolved. By highlighting the uncertainty and lack of certainty in existing explanations, the passage cautions against making historical judgments without considering additional linguistic evidence that may shed further light on the topic.

Option (B)  suggests that the primary purpose of the passage is to introduce a new theory and support it with linguistic evidence. However, the passage does not present a new theory. It examines existing theories proposed by scholars and critically evaluates their merits. While it does provide linguistic evidence to support certain arguments, its main focus is on presenting and comparing different theories rather than introducing a new one.

Option (C)  states that the primary purpose of the passage is to defend a scholarly position by citing leading authorities in the field. While the passage does mention leading linguistic scholar David Crystal and presents his disagreement with a particular hypothesis, the primary purpose is not to defend a scholarly position. Instead, it aims to explore and examine different theories and present evidence related to the lack of Celtic influence on the English language.

Option (D)  suggests that the primary purpose of the passage is to dispute a long-held scholarly position by disproving the linguistic evidence in support of it. However, the passage does not seek to disprove a long-held position but rather presents different theories and critically evaluates their strengths and weaknesses. While it challenges the notion that the lack of Celtic influence is solely due to the conquered status of the Celts, it does not dismiss or disprove the existing linguistic evidence.

Option (E)  states that the primary purpose of the passage is to compare several theories and argue in support of one of them. While the passage does compare different theories, it does not explicitly argue in support of one particular theory. Instead, it raises questions, presents evidence, and leaves the mystery unresolved, cautioning against reaching definitive conclusions based on the available evidence.

In summary,  option (A)  is the correct choice because the primary purpose of the passage is to caution against making a historical judgment without considering further linguistic evidence. The passage presents different theories, challenges existing explanations, and emphasizes the unsolved nature of the mystery surrounding the lack of Celtic words in the English language. The other options do not accurately capture the central theme and focus of the passage.

Answer: A

UdhavK · Answer

Is there a particular phrase/ line in the sentence which might indicate that the author's main purpose is to caution against making a historical judgement without considering further linguistic evidence? While I agree with a major part of choice A but the only word that put me off was 'caution' as I could not make from the passage that the author was trying to caution the readers.

English language scholars generally agree that the modern English lang

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English language scholars generally agree that the modern English lang

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