Whether the languages of the ancient American peoples were used for ex

Question

Whether the languages of the ancient American peoples were used for expressing abstract universal concepts can be clearly answered in the case of Nahuatl. Nahuatl, like Greek and German, is a language that allows the formation of extensive compounds. By the combination ofradicals or semantic elements, single compound words can express complex conceptual relations, often of an abstract universal character.

The tlamatinime (those who know) were able to use this rich stock of abstract terms to express the nuances of their thought. They also availed themselves of other forms of expression with metaphorical meaning, some probably original, some derived from Toltec  coinages.  Of these forms, the most characteristic in Nahuatl is the juxtaposition of two words that, because they are synonyms, associated terms, or even contraries, complement each other to evoke one single idea. Used metaphorically, the juxtaposed terms connote specific or essential traits of the being they refer to, introducing a mode of poetry as an almost habitual form of expression.

For the following question, consider each of the choices separately and select all that apply.

1 
 1. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage regarding presentday research relating to Nahuatl?

A. Some record or evidence of the thought of the tlamatinime is available.
B. For at least some Nahuatl expressions, researchers are able to trace their derivation from another ancient American language.
C. Researchers believe that in Nahuatl, abstract universal concepts are always expressed metaphorically.

2. Select the sentence in the passage in which the author introduces a specific Nahuatl mode of expression that is not identified as being shared with certain European languages.

3 
 3. In the context in which it appears, “coinages” (  Highlighted  ) most nearly means

A. adaptations
B. creations
C. idiosyncrasies
D. pronunciations
E. currencies

carcass · Answer

Question - 1 - 1. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage regarding present-day research relating to Nahuatl?

Choice - A - Some record or evidence of the thought of the tlamatinime is available.

Yes. This is true because:

The tlamatinime (those who know) were able to use this rich stock of abstract terms to express the nuances of their thought.

and

Used metaphorically, the juxtaposed terms connote specific or essential traits of the being they refer to, introducing a mode of poetry as an almost habitual form of expression.

prove that some record or evidence of the thought of the tlamatinime is available.

Choice B - For at least some Nahuatl expressions, researchers are able to trace their derivation from another ancient American language.

They also availed themselves of other forms of expression with metaphorical meaning, some probably original, some derived from Toltec coinages.

Therefore, Choice B is also correct.

Choice C - C Researchers believe that in Nahuatl, abstract universal concepts are always expressed metaphorically.

This wrong because the choice is making an extreme claim with the word always.And nowhere in the passage there is support for this extreme claim.

Question - 2 - Select the sentence in the passage in which the author introduces a specific Nahuatl mode of expression that is not identified as being shared with certain European languages.

Of these forms, the most characteristic in Nahuatl is the juxtaposition of two words that, because they are synonyms, associated terms, or even contraries, complement each other to evoke one single idea.

This sentence states that the "juxtaposition of two words....one single idea" is the most characteristic in Nahuatl. And hence is the answer to the question

Question - 3 - In the context in which it appears, “coinages” most nearly means

B creations

They also availed themselves of other forms of expression with metaphorical meaning, some probably original, some derived from Toltec coinages.

Clearly, since we are talking about languages, coinages refers to the coining of new words and hence choice B - creation - is the correct answer.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

1. Which of the following can be inferred from the passage regarding presentday research relating to Nahuatl?

Explanation

Choice A is correct:  the tlamatinime are mentioned in the first sentence of the second paragraph, where it says they were able to use Nahuatl’s stock of abstract terms  “to express the nuances of their thought.”  This suggests that there is some evidence of what those thoughts were, and therefore Choice A can be inferred.

Choice B is correct:  according to the next sentence, Nahuatl speakers used  “forms of expression with metaphorical meaning,” some of which were probably “original” and others “derived from Toltec coinages.”  That researchers know certain Nahuatl expressions are derived from Toltec suggests that they are able to trace the derivation of some Nahuatl expressions from another language besides Nahuatl, and therefore Choice B may be inferred.

Choice C is incorrect:  the passage says that in Nahuatl there are single compound words that can express conceptual relations of an  “abstract universal character” and mentions “other forms of expression with metaphorical meaning,”  but it does not indicate whether metaphorical words or phrases are the only way that abstract universal concepts are expressed in Nahuatl, or whether researchers believe this about Nahuatl. Therefore Choice C cannot be inferred.

Choices A and B are correct.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

2. Select the sentence in the passage in which the author introduces a specific Nahuatl mode of expression that is not identified as being shared with certain European languages.

Explanation

The passage introduces two specific Nahuatl modes of expression. One is the formation of single compound words that are capable of expressing complex conceptual relations (first paragraph); the other is the juxtaposition of two related words to evoke a single idea (second paragraph). In the formation of compounds Nahuatl is described as being  “like Greek and German,”  but the second mode is not identified as being shared with other languages. Therefore the sixth sentence (“Of these forms ... one single idea”) is the best answer.

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

3. In the context in which it appears, “coinages” (Highlighted) most nearly means

Explanation

“Coinage”  has two senses that are represented among the answer choices: in one sense it denotes coins and currency, while in the other it denotes things —especially words —that are invented. The fifth sentence draws a contrast between linguistic expressions original to Nahuatl and those derived from Toltec. In this context of original versus derived language,  “coinages”  means  “inventions,”  not  “currencies.”  Of the answer choices given,  “creations”  is the nearest equivalent of  “coinages”  in the sense of  “inventions,”  and therefore Choice B is the best answer.

Whether the languages of the ancient American peoples were used for ex

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