Which of the following is a fair conclusion from the passage?
South Africa has twelve official languages, and many learners move between two or three of them during a single day. They may speak isiZulu at home, English in class and Afrikaans or Sesotho with friends. Some people worry that this mixture confuses young children. Researchers who study language learning disagree. They report that children who grow up with more than one language often become more skilled at switching attention between tasks and may find it easier to learn a further language later. The researchers add that the benefits depend on the child receiving enough support in each language, especially in the early school years. When a child is taught only in a language that is not spoken at home, understanding of new ideas can fall behind, because the child is learning the words and the subject at the same time. For this reason, many educators recommend teaching the first years of school in the home language while English is introduced gradually.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. The benefits of speaking several languages depend on adequate support in each one
- Step 1: The researchers say the benefits depend on enough support in each language.
Answer
The benefits of speaking several languages depend on adequate support in each one.
Why not the others: Children should never speak more than one language: this contradicts the researchers' findings. All children learn languages at the same speed: the passage does not claim this. Home language is not important after the early years: the passage emphasises support in each language.
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