Unique to the region of Brittany in Northern France, the Breton langua

Question

Unique to the region of Brittany in Northern France, the Breton language descended from the family of Celtic languages known as Brythonic. These languages include Welsh and the now-obsolete language of Cornish. After the Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, many of the Brythonic peoples relocated: to Wales, to Cornwall, and across the English Channel to Brittany. For a time during the Middle Ages, Breton functioned as a status language for those traveling between Britain and Armorica (or Brittany). After the twelfth century, French became the official language of all France, including Brittany, and the Breton language slowly died out. There are current attempts to revive it but to little avail, and the French government has consistently refused requests to add it as an official language within France.

Which of the following best summarizes the main point of the passage?

(A) The Breton language was once an elite language but has lost much of its status since the Middle Ages.

(B) Formerly an important language between Britain and Northern France, Breton has declined over time despite attempts to revive it.

(C) Given its historical importance as a language of unity between France and England, the French government should recognize Breton officially.

(D) There have been a variety of attempts to revive the Breton language, but it is rapidly on the decline due primarily to the French government’s refusal to recognize it.

(E) Given the fact that Breton is a sister language to Welsh and Cornish, the native Breton speakers in Northern France are essentially Celtic.

Bunuel · Accepted Answer

OFFICIAL EXPLANATION

Overview:

Question presents information about the Breton language of Brittany, focusing primarily on its history and its current status in the northern part of France. The author of the passage notes that Breton is a Celtic language in origin (similar to Welsh), that it was at one time a language spoken by the elite, but that it is now spoken only by a few people in Brittany and is not officially recognized as a language of France. The question then asks the student to select an answer choice that best summarizes the main point of the passage, so the student needs to condense and distill in order to determine what the passage is saying. The student should note specifically that the passage does not offer opinion but rather fact, so any answer choice that leans toward shaping an opinion must automatically be incorrect.

The Correct Answer:

B Answer choice (B) accurately summarizes the overall point of the passage: Breton was an important language at one time but has since declined in spite of the fact than some people in Brittany are trying to revive it. Answer choice (B) is correct.

The Incorrect Answers:

A, D Answer choices (A) and (D) partially summarize the passage, but neither summarizes it in full. Answer choice (A) includes the important information about how Breton was at one time a “status language.” But answer choice (A) fails to bring in clearly the information about how attempts have been unsuccessful to revive Breton, focusing instead on a vague comment about how the language has lost its status. Answer choice (D) focuses on the other half of the passage, with information about how there have been efforts to revive Breton, but it ignores the historical information altogether. Answer choices (A) and (D), therefore, must be incorrect.

C Answer choice (C) offers a statement of opinion that the passage does not support, so it must be eliminated immediately, as noted in the Overview above.

E Answer choice (E) functions as an inference, but it is not a summary of the passage, so it, too, must be eliminated.

sony1000 · Answer

Although, B is best answer out of all, not really happy about the phrasing of B as it seems to imply that the attempts to revive the Breton language had been done over time which the statement from text: " There are current attempts to revive it but to little avail" clearly states that these attempts are recent or contemporary.

agrasan · Answer

Hi experts  GMATNinja   KarishmaB 
Can we say that option D is also incorrect due to the reason that D mentions "but it is...decline due primarily to the French government???s refusal to recognize it." I don't think the argument says that government's refusal was the primary reason was Breton's failure for its revival.
Please let me know your thoughts.

DmitryFarberMPrep · Answer

That's correct. In fact, the structure of the final sentence suggests that the government may not be the primary reason. It says that attempts to revive the language have been "of little avail" AND that the government has refused to make it official. This implies that, while the government might be able to help if it wanted to, there are other reasons that the language is dying out. From the text, it seems like the main reason still has to do with the government: after the 12th century, the government made French the official language. But that's not quite the same as just not recognizing Breton. It's more about making French the dominant language for the country.

agrasan

Hi experts GMATNinja KarishmaB
Can we say that option D is also incorrect due to the reason that D mentions "but it is...decline due primarily to the French government???s refusal to recognize it." I don't think the argument says that government's refusal was the primary reason was Breton's failure for its revival.
Please let me know your thoughts.

Unique to the region of Brittany in Northern France, the Breton langua

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Unique to the region of Brittany in Northern France, the Breton langua

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