In the decades leading up to the 1970s, the primarily French-speaking Canadian province of Québec saw its proportion of native French speakers diminish from year to year. The attrition of French was attributed to preeminence of English in the workplace, particularly in affluent, “white-collar” jobs. The French-speaking majority was economically marginalized within its own province, as it was left with the choice of either working in lower-paying jobs or teaching its children English as a first language. The latter option would further erase its cultural autonomy and singularity within a country that primarily spoke English. Facing the risk of linguistic extinction, the province passed Loi 101 (Law 101): The Charter of the French Language. It established French as the only official language of the province, established the primacy of French in the workplace, and led to more economic equity. Since its passage in 1977, the percentage of people in Québec who speak French as a first language has begun to rise.
1. Which of the following is suggested in the passage as a reason for the decline of French in Québec?A. economic devaluation
B. influx of English-speaking immigrants
C. efforts of French Canadians to further integrate themselves with Canadian culture
D. emigration of French Canadians
E. outlawing of French in the other provinces
2. According to the passage, Loi 101 was significant in that itA. was a final, unsuccessful attempt at enforcing the usage of French in Québec.
B. curtailed the economic supremacy of English.
C. restricted the teaching of English in schools.
D. highlighted the uniqueness of the cultural identity of Québec from the rest of Canada.
E. provided for bilingual education.