1. According to the passage, the most consistent obstacle that the prospect of a unified language has encountered isA. political uncertainty
Out of scopeB. government censorship
Opposite - this is working towards a unified languageC. widespread ignorance
Not quite - but feel like a trap answer. The passage does not mention thisD. regional pride
Perfect. The languages differ by region and the north resents the south and the reverse is also true.E. a lack of nationalized education
TRAP - even a nationalized education is unable to reach the rural parts, hence discard.Second and third paragraphs summarize the efforts of various governments and rulers who have tried to bring about a common language (and failed up until now - when some partial success has been achieved)2. As a result of the events of the twentieth century in China as described in the second and third paragraphs of the passage, the author would probably agree with which of the following statements?A. Putonghua will persist in Chinese culture because its characters are far more universal than those of guoyu ever were.
Too extreme - still the new language is not used in rural areasB. In very populous countries, government edict is not always strong enough to resist the will of the people.
The starting lines tell us how populous China is and the next few paragraphs depict the difficulty it has had over the years to bring about a common language by force (government order). Perfect.C. The resurgence of counterculture is a constant phenomenon, but the individual events seldom have the staying power to become anything more than passing fads.
Again, off-track and not likely that the author would agree with this as it is not mentioned.D. Mandarin may yet become China’s national language because most Chinese speak it already.
Wrong. Most Chinese do not speak it. Rural and remote areas are predominated by local languages.E. A government cannot call itself a representative democracy as long as it sanctions the destruction of literature.
Out of scope. Real-world trap.Tricky one - influence could be both positive and negative influence. So we are looking for an option that has not affected the movement at all.3. According to the passage, each of the following has influenced the adoption of a universal language in China EXCEPTA. Chiang Kai-shek
Mentioned in the passage.B. members of the Qing dynasty’s royal family
BINGO - the passage starts to mention them in the context "with the fall of the Quing dynasty" - hence they could not have affected the movement at all.
C. Communists Mentioned.D. resistance from Cantonese speakers
Mentioned. An affects in the opposite way as compared to others.E. the modern Chinese government
Mentioned.Hope answers are useful.