In Many Bilingual Communities of Puerto Rican Americans Living in the Mainland United States.

Reading passage question

Question: In many bilingual communities of Puerto Rican Americans living in the mainland United States, people use both English and Spanish in a single conversation, alternating between them smoothly and (5) frequently even within the same sentence. This practice—called code-switching—is common in bilingual populations. While there are some cases that cannot currently be explained, in the vast majority of cases subtle factors, either situational or rhetorical, (10) explain the use of code-switching.

Linguists say that most code-switching among Puerto Rican Americans is sensitive to the social contexts, which researchers refer to as domains, in which conversations take place. The main (15) conversational factors influencing the occurrence of code-switching are setting, participants, and topic. When these go together naturally they are said to be congruent; a set of three such congruent factors constitutes a conversational situation. Linguists (20) studying the choice between Spanish and English among a group of Puerto Rican American high school students classified their conversational situations into five domains: family, friendship, religion, education, and employment. To test the effects of these domains (25) on code-switching, researchers developed a list of hypothetical situations made up of two of the three congruent factors, or of two incongruent factors, approximating an interaction in one of the five domains. The researchers asked the students to (30) determine the third factor and to choose which mix of language—on a continuum from all English to all Spanish—they would use in that situation. When given two congruent factors, the students easily supplied the third congruent factor and strongly (35) agreed among themselves about which mix they would use. For instance, for the factors of participants “parent and child” and the topic “how to be a good son or daughter,” the congruent setting chosen was “home” and the language mix chosen was Spanish (40) only. In contrast, incongruent factors such as the participants “priest and parishioner” and the setting “beach” yielded less agreement on the third factor of topic and on language choice.

But situational factors do not account for all (45) code-switching; it occurs even when the domain would lead one not to expect it. In these cases, one language tends to be the primary one, while the other is used only sparingly to achieve certain rhetorical effects. Often the switches are so subtle that the (50) speakers themselves are not aware of them. This was the case with a study of a family of Puerto Rican Americans in another community. Family members believed they used only English at home, but their taped conversations occasionally contained some (55) Spanish, with no change in situational factors. When asked what the presence of Spanish signified, they commented that it was used to express certain attitudes such as intimacy or humour more Emphatically.

“In many bilingual communities of Puerto Rican Americans living in the mainland United States.”- is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates need a strong knowledge of English GMAT reading comprehension.

This GMAT Reading Comprehension consists of 8 comprehension questions. The GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are designed for the purpose of testing candidates’ abilities in understanding, analysing, and applying information or concepts. Candidates can actively prepare with the help of GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.

Solution and Explanation

Question 1
Which one of the following most accurately expresses the main point of the passage?

(A) The lives of Puerto Rican Americans are affected in various ways by code-switching.
(B) It is not always possible to explain why code switching occurs in conversations among Puerto Rican Americans.
(C) Rhetorical factors can explain more instances of code-switching among Puerto Rican Americans than can situational factors.
(D) Studies of bilingual communities of Puerto Rican Americans have caused linguists to revise many of their beliefs about code switching.
(E) Most code-switching among Puerto Rican Americans can be explained by subtle situational and rhetorical factors.

Question 2
In lines 56–59, the author mentions the family members’ explanation of their use of Spanish primarily in order to

(A) report evidence supporting the conclusion that the family’s code-switching had a rhetorical basis
(B) show that reasons for code-switching differ from one community to another
(C) supply evidence that seems to conflict with the researchers’ conclusions about why the family engaged in code-switching
(D) refute the argument that situational factors explain most code-switching
(E) explain how it could be that the family members failed to notice their use of Spanish

Question 3
Which one of the following questions is NOT characterised by the passage as a question to which linguists sought answers in their code-switching studies involving high school students?

(A) Where do the students involved in the study think that a parent and child are likely to be when they are talking about how to be a good son or daughter?
(B) What language or mix of languages do the students involved in the study think that a parent and child would be likely to use when they are talking at home about how to be a good son or daughter?
(C) What language or mix of languages do the students involved in the study think that a priest and a parishioner would be likely to use if they were conversing on a beach?
(D) What topic do the students involved in the study think that a parent and child would be most likely to discuss when they are speaking Spanish?
(E) What topic do the students involved in the study think that a priest and parishioner would be likely to discuss on a beach?

Question 4
The primary function of the third paragraph of the passage is to

(A) consider a general explanation for the phenomenon of code-switching that is different from the one discussed in the preceding paragraphs
(B) resolve an apparent conflict between two explanations for code-switching that were discussed in the preceding paragraphs
(C) show that there are instances of code-switching that are not explained by the factors discussed in the previous paragraph
(D) report some of the patterns of code-switching observed among a family of Puerto Rican Americans in another community
(E) show that some instances of code-switching are unconscious

Question 5
Based on the passage, which one of the following is best explained as rhetorically determined code-switching?

(A) A speaker who does not know certain words in the primary language of a conversation occasionally has recourse to familiar words in another language.
(B) A person translating a text from one language into another leaves certain words in the original language because the author of the text invented those words.
(C) For the purpose of improved selling strategies, a businessperson who primarily uses one language sometimes conducts business in a second language that is preferred by some people in the community.
(D) A speaker who primarily uses one language switches to another language because it sounds more expressive.
(E) A speaker who primarily uses one language occasionally switches to another language in order to maintain fluency in the secondary language.

Question 6
It can be inferred from the passage that the author would most likely agree with which one of the following statements?

(A) Research revealing that speakers are sometimes unaware of code-switching casts doubt on the results of a prior study involving high school students.
(B) Relevant research conducted prior to the linguists’ work with high school students would lead one to expect different answers from those the students actually gave.
(C) Research conducted prior to the study of a family of Puerto Rican Americans was thought by most researchers to explain code switching in all except the most unusual or nonstandard contexts.
(D) Research suggests that people engaged in codeswitching are usually unaware of which situational factors might influence their choice of language or languages.
(E) Research suggests that the family of Puerto Rican Americans does not use code-switching in conversations held at home except for occasional rhetorical effect.

Question 7
Which one of the following does the passage offer as evidence that code-switching cannot be entirely explained by situational factors?

(A) Linguists have observed that bilingual high school students do not agree among themselves as to what mix of languages they would use in the presence of incongruent situational factors.
(B) Code-switching sometimes occurs in conversations whose situational factors would be expected to involve the use of a single language.
(C) Bilingual people often switch smoothly between two languages even when there is no change in the situational context in which the conversation takes place.
(D) Puerto Rican Americans sometimes use Spanish only sparingly and for rhetorical effect in the presence of situational factors that would lead one to expect Spanish to be the primary language.
(E) Speakers who engage in code-switching are often unaware of the situational factors influencing their choices of which language or mix of languages to speak.

Question 8
Which one of the following, if true, would most cast doubt on the author’s interpretation of the study involving the family discussed in the third paragraph?

(A) In a previous twelve-month study involving the same family in their home, their conversations were entirely in English except when situational factors changed significantly.
(B) In a subsequent twelve-month study involving the same family, a particular set of situational factors occurred repeatedly without any accompanying instances of code-switching.
(C) In a subsequent twelve-month study involving the same family, it was noted that intimacy and humour were occasionally expressed through the use of English expressions.
(D) When asked about the significance of their use of Spanish, the family members replied in English rather than Spanish
(E) Prior to their discussions with the researchers, the family members did not describe their occasional use of Spanish as serving to emphasise humour or intimacy.

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