Mexican Americans share with speakers of Spanish throughout the world

Question

Mexican Americans share with speakers of
Spanish throughout the world a rich and varied repertoire
of proverbs as well as a vital tradition of proverb use.
The term “proverb” refers to a self-contained saying
  (5)   that can be understood independent of a specific verbal
context and that has as its main purpose the carrying of
a message or piece of wisdom. The great majority of
Spanish-language proverbs reached Mexico from
peninsular Spain, though they did not all originate
  (10)   there. Many belong, in fact, to the common proverb
tradition of Europe and have exact equivalents in
English-language proverbial speech.

Each use of a proverb is an individual act whose
meaning varies depending on the individual speaker
  (15)   and the particular social context in which the use
occurs. Nonetheless, it is important to recognize that
proverb use is also shaped by the larger community
with which the individual interacts. The fact that
proverbs often serve a didactic purpose points us to
  (20)   one important function that proverbs serve in Mexican
American communities: the instruction of the young.
In fact, this function seems to be much more
prominent in Mexican tradition in general than in
English-speaking traditions. Adolescents of Mexican
  (25)   descent in the United States consistently report the
frequent use of proverbs by their parents as a teaching
tool, in areas ranging from the inculcation of table
manners to the regulation of peer-group relationships.
The latter area is a particularly frequent focus of
  (30)   proverb use within Mexican American communities:
one of the most frequently used proverbs, for example,
translates roughly as, “Tell me who you run with and
I’ll tell you who you are.” Perhaps this emphasis on
peer-group relations derives from a sense that
  (35)   traditional, community-approved norms are 
threatened by those prevalent in the surrounding society, or 
from a sense that, in dealing with older children especially,
parents need to appeal to traditional wisdom to bolster
their authority.

(40)   Another dimension of proverb use within
Mexican American communities is that proverbs often
serve to foster a consciousness of ethnicity, that is, of
membership in a particular ethnic group possessing
features that distinguish it from other groups within a
  (45)   multiethnic environment. Even those Mexican 
American proverbs that do not have an explicitly didactic
purpose nevertheless serve as a vehicle for the transmission
of both the Spanish language and Mexican culture. It is 
in these sayings that links to folklore and other aspects of
  (50)   Mexican culture are established and maintained.
Proverbs thus provide a means of enhancing Mexican 
American young people’s familiarity with their heritage, 
thereby strengthening their ties to Mexican tradition.    1 
 1. Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main point of the passage?

(A) The Mexican American tradition of Spanish-language proverb use differs in important ways from the common proverb tradition of Europe.
(B) Spanish-language proverbs figure prominently in Mexican American communities, where they are used both to instruct the young and to promote the young’s familiarity with their heritage.
(C) Most proverbs that are commonly used in Mexican American communities have their origins in either peninsular Spain or the common proverb tradition of Europe.
(D) Many people in Mexican American communities use proverbs to teach young people about a wide range of social behaviors and norms.
(E) As is illustrated in the Spanish-language tradition, the use of proverbs can serve a wide range of purposes within a community.

2 
 2. The author provides a translation of a proverb in lines 32–33 primarily in order to

(A) illustrate the relation between proverb use and education about peer-group relationships in Mexican American communities
(B) provide an example of the tone of a proverb that is frequently used in Mexican American communities
(C) illustrate how a proverb can function as an appeal to traditional wisdom
(D) provide an example of how some Spanishlanguage proverbs can be clearly translated into English
(E) illustrate the effectiveness of proverbs as educational tools in Mexican American communities

3 
 3. The passage provides information that most helps to answer which one of the following questions?

(A) In what other areas besides Europe did Spanish-language proverbs currently used in Mexican American communities originate?
(B) Are any proverbs that are used frequently in the English-language tradition derived from Mexican American proverbs?
(C) What kinds of messages and pieces of wisdom are most often communicated by proverbs in the English-language tradition?
(D) In what other ethnic groups besides Mexican Americans do proverbs function to maintain ties to the traditions of those groups?
(E) Is the use of proverbs in teaching young people more common in Mexican American communities than in the English-language tradition?

4 
 4. The passage most strongly suggests which one of the following about the use of proverbs?

(A) Proverb use is seldom intended to reinforce community-approved norms.
(B) The way in which a proverb is used depends, at least in part, on the community in which it is used.
(C) The most frequent use of proverbs in Mexican American communities is for the purpose of regulating peer-group relationships.
(D) Proverbs are often used to help teach young people languages.
(E) When a proverb is used as an educational tool, it is usually intended to serve more than one purpose.

5 
 5. The author of the passage would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements?

(A) Most Mexican American proverbs have their origin in the common proverb tradition of Europe.
(B) Mexican American parents are more likely to emphasize the value of traditional wisdom than are most other parents in the United States.
(C) There are more Spanish-language proverbs than there are proverbs in the common proverb tradition of Europe.
(D) Proverb use in some communities may reflect parental concern that the young will not embrace traditional norms.
(E) Most proverbs cannot be accurately translated from one language to another.

6 
 6. Which one of the following is most strongly implied by the passage?

(A) If a proverb is used to inculcate table manners, then its primary purpose is to maintain ties to an ethnic tradition.
(B) The frequent use of proverbs within any community functions, at least in part, to convey a sense of their ethnicity to children within that community.
(C) The ways in which Mexican Americans use Spanish-language proverbs are typical of the ways in which Spanish speakers throughout the world use those proverbs.
(D) There are some sayings that do not require a verbal context to be understood but whose meaning for each particular use depends on the social context in which that use occurs. 
(E) The emphasis within Mexican American communities on teaching children about peer-group relationships distinguishes those communities from other communities within the United States.

shivamburma · Answer

Acc. to me :
(A) Most Mexican American proverbs have their origin in the common proverb tradition of Europe. -- ' The great majority of
Spanish-language proverbs reached Mexico from
peninsular Spain, though they did not all originate
(10) there. Many belong, in fact, to the common proverb
tradition of Europe and have exact equivalents in
English-language proverbial speech.  " --  No where written A option  
(B) Mexican American parents are more likely to emphasize the value of traditional wisdom than are most other parents in the United States. --  Nowhere stated in the passage  
(C) There are more Spanish-language proverbs than there are proverbs in the common proverb tradition of Europe. --  Nowhere mentioned in the passage 
(D) Proverb use in some communities may reflect parental concern that the young will not embrace traditional norms. -- ' It is
in these sayings that links to folklore and other aspects of
(50) Mexican culture are established and maintained.
Proverbs thus provide a means of enhancing Mexican
American young people’s familiarity with their heritage,
thereby strengthening their ties to Mexican tradition  ' --  indirectly mentioning D point  
(E) Most proverbs cannot be accurately translated from one language to another -- '  Many belong, in fact, to the common proverb
tradition of Europe and have exact equivalents in
English-language proverbial speech.  ' --  apart from these lines , no translation is mentioned .
 
 happy to help

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

5. The author of the passage would be most likely to agree with which one of the following statements?

Explanation

(A)  is a trap it has a degree problem.  Lines 10  say  "many"  not  "most."

(B)  is unsupported. They're more likely to use idioms in teaching it, but we don't know what they value.

(C)  There's no comparison in the number of Spanish-language proverbs and common proverbs of Europe.

(D)  This is correct.

(E)  Line 11-12, it can actually be translated accurately.

Answer: D

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

4. The passage most strongly suggests which one of the following about the use of proverbs?

Explanation

One of these answers has support from the passage and four of them are designed to confuse you. You can side-step the trap by learning to quickly find information in the passage. Then you can check your answer against the passage to be sure you’re correct.

If you need to get better at finding information: practice. Have a friend identify a fact, then see how fast you can find it. Then do it again, and try to find the next fact faster.

A. Lines 33-35  suggest that proverbs are intended to strengthen community norms.

B.  CORRECT.  Lines 10-12  say that Mexican Americans and English speakers have proverbs in common. Yet  lines 22-24  say that proverbs are used differently between the two communities. So it’s likely that the two communities sometimes use the same proverb differently.

C.  Lines 27-30 show that this is a common use of proverbs. But we’re not told if it’s the most common use of proverbs. There might be another use that’s even more common. If I say  “rain is common and frequent” , I don’t necessarily mean it rains most days.

D. Lines 45-48  say that proverbs help pass on the Spanish language. But we’re not told if proverbs are used in order to help kids learn Spanish. Language learning might just be a beneficial effect of proverb use.

E.  We are never told how many purposes people have when they use proverbs.

Answer: B

tryingtoaimhigher · Answer

Hi, could you please help with explanation for Q6? Why is B wrong?

Thank you

Sajjad1994 · Answer

(B)  is wrong because the fact that some communities use proverbs to convey heritage to the young does not indicate that all communities do this. While  (D)  is supported by the lines:

"Each use of a proverb is an individual act whose meaning varies depending on the individual speaker and the particular social context in which the use occurs".

Mexican Americans share with speakers of Spanish throughout the world

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Mexican Americans share with speakers of Spanish throughout the world

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