The Significant Role of Mother Tounge in Education IELTS Reading Passage
Reading Passage 3
You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 27-40 which are based on Reading Passage 3 below.
The significant role of mother tongue language in education
A
One consequence of population mobility is increasing diversity within schools. To illustrate, in the city of Toronto in Canada, 58% of kindergarten pupils come from homes where English is not a language of communication. Schools in Europe and North America have experienced this diversity for years, but educational policies and practices vary widely between countries and even within countries. Some political parties and groups search for ways to solve the problem of diverse communities and their integration in schools and society. They see few positive consequences for the host society and worry that diversity threatens the identity of the host society. Consequently, they promote unfortunate educational policies that will make the “problem” disappear. If students retain their culture and language, they are viewed as less capable of identifying with the mainstream culture and learning the mainstream language of society.
B
The challenge for educators and policy-makers is to shape the evolution of national identity in such a way that the rights of all citizens (including school children) are respected, and the cultural, linguistic, and economic resources of the nation are maximized. To waste the resources of the nation by discouraging children from developing their mother tongues is quite simply unintelligent from the point of view of national self-interest. A first step in providing an appropriate education for culturally and linguistically diverse children is to examine what the existing research says about the role of children’s mother tongues in their educational development.
C
In fact, the research is very clear. When children continue to develop their abilities in two or more languages throughout their primary school, they gain a deeper understanding of language and how to use it effectively. They have more practice in processing language, especially when they develop literacy in both. More than 150 research studies conducted during the past 35 years strongly support what Goethe, the famous only one language does not truly know that language. Research suggests that bilingual children may also develop more flexibility in their thinking as a result of processing information through two different languages.
D
The level of development of children’s mother tongue is a strong predictor of their second language development. Children who come to school with a solid foundation in their mother tongue develop stronger literacy abilities in the school language. When parents and other caregivers (e.g. grandparents) are able to spend time with their children and tell stories or discuss issues with them in a way that develops their mother tongue, children come to school well-prepared to learn the school language and succeed educationally. Children’s knowledge and skills transfer across languages from the mother tongue to the school language. Transfer across languages can be two-way: both languages nurture each other when the educational environment permits children to access to both languages.
E
Some educators and parents are suspicious of mother tongue-based teaching programs because they worry that they take time away from the majority language. For example, in a bilingual program where 50% of the time is spent teaching through children’s home language and 50% through the majority language, surely children’s won’t progress as far in the letter? One of the most strongly established findings of educational research, however, is that well-implemented bilingual programs can promote literacy and subject-matter knowledge in a minority language without any negative effects on children’s development in the majority language. Within Europe, the Foyer program in Belgium, which develops children’s speaking and literacy abilities in three languages (their mother tongue, Dutch and French), most clearly illustrates the benefits of bilingual and trilingual education (see Cummins, 2000)
F
It is easy to understand how this happens. When children are learning through a minority language, they are learning concepts and intellectual skills too. Pupils who know how to tell the time in their mother tongue understand the concept of telling time. In order to tell the time in the majority language, they do not need to re-learn the concept. Similarly, at more advanced stages, there is transfer across languages in other skills such as knowing how to distinguish the main idea from the supporting details of a written passage or story and distinguishing fact from opinion. Studies of secondary school pupils are providing interesting findings in this area, and it would be worth extending this research.
G
Many people marvel at how quickly bilingual children seem to “pick up” conversational skills in the majority language at school (although it takes much longer for them to catch up to native speakers in academic language skills). However, educators are often much less aware of how quickly children can lose their ability to use their mother tongue, even in the home context. The extent and rapidity of language loss will vary according to the concentration of families from a particular linguistic group in the neighborhood. Where the mother tongue is used extensively in the community, then language loss among young children will be less. However, where language communities are not concentrated in particular neighborhoods, children can lose their ability to communicate in their mother tongue within 2-3 years of starting school. They may retain receptive skills in the language but they will use the majority language in speaking with their peers and siblings and in responding to their parents. By the time children become an adolescent chasm. Pupils frequently become alienated from the cultures of both home and school with predictable results.
Questions 27-30
Choose the correct letter A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter in boxes 27-30 on your answer sheet.
27 What point is the writer making in the second paragraph?
A Some present studies on children’s mother tongues are misleading
B A culturally rich education programme benefits some children more than others.
C bilingual children can make a valuable contribution to the wealth of a country
D The law on mother tongue use at school should be strengthened.
28 Why does the writer refer to something that Goethe said?
A to lend weight his argument
B to contradict some research
C to introduce a new concept
D to update current thinking
29 The writer believes that when young children have a firm grasp of their mother tongue
A they can teach older family members what they learn at school
B they go on to do much better throughout their time at school
C they can read stories about their cultural background
D they develop stronger relationships with their family than with their peers.
30 Why are some people suspicious about mother tongue-based teaching programmes?
A They worry that children will be slow to learn to read in either language
B They think that children will confuse words in the two languages.
C They believe that the programmes will make children less interested in their lessons
D they fear that the programmes will use up valuable time in the school day.
Questions 31-35
Complete the summary using the list of words A-J below
Write the correct letter, A-J, in boxes 31-35 on your answer sheet.
Bilingual children
It was often recorded that Bilingual Children acquire the 31____________. to converse in the majority language remarkably quickly. The fact that the mother tongue can disappear at a similar 32____________. is less well understood. This phenomenon depends to a certain extent, on the proposition of people with the same linguistic background that have settled in a particular 33____________; If this is limited, children are likely to lose the active use of their mother tongue. And thus no longer employ it even with 34____________, although they may still understand it. It follows that teenager children in these circumstances experience a sense of 35____________ in relation to all aspects of their lives.
| A Teachers | B school |
| C dislocation | D rate |
| E time | F family |
| G communication | H type |
| I ability | J area |
Questions 36-40
Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Reading Passage 3?
In boxes 36-40 on your answer sheet, write
YES if the statement agrees with the views of the writer
NO if the statement contradicts which the views of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this
36 Less than half the children who attend kindergarten in Toronto have English as their Mother tongue.
37 Research proves that learning the host country language at school can have an adverse effect on a child’s mother tongue.
38 the foyer Program is to be accepted by the French education system.
39 Bilingual children are taught to tell the time earlier than monolingual children.
40 Bilingual children can eventually apply comprehension strategies acquired in one language when reading in the other.
The Significant Role of Mother Tounge in Education IELTS Reading Passage Answers
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27. C
28. A
29. B
30. D
31. I
32. D
33. J
34. F
35. C
36. YES
37. NOT GIVEN
38. NO
39. NOT GIVEN
40. YES
The Significant Role of Mother Tongue Language in Education IELTS Reading Answers with Explanation
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Question 1 –
Answer: C
Supporting Sentence: To waste the resources of the nation by discouraging children from developing their mother tongues is quite simply unintelligent from the point of view of national self-interest.
Keyword: bilingual children, develop
Keyword Location: Section B, 2nd line
Explanation: In Section B it clearly says that to waste the resources of the nation by discouraging children from developing their mother tongues is quite simply unintelligent from the point of view of national self-interest., which signifies that the bilingual children can make a valuable contribution to the wealth of a country.
Question 2 –
Answer: A
Supporting Sentence: More than 150 research studies conducted during the past 35 years strongly support what Goethe, the famous only one language does not truly know that language.
Keyword: Goethe
Keyword Location: Section C, 4th Line
Explanation: As more than 150 research studies conducted during the past 35 years strongly support what Goethe said. The writer refers to that to lend weight his argument.
Question 3 –
Answer: B
Supporting Sentence: Children who come to school with a solid foundation in their mother tongue develop stronger literacy abilities in the school language.
Keyword: solid foundation, stronger literacy abilities
Keyword Location: Section D, 2nd Line ieltsxpress.com
Explanation: The supporting sentence states how a child who has a good hold in their mother tongue tends to perform better in their schools. Those children generally develop stronger literacy skills and school language.
Question 4 –
Answer: D
Supporting Sentence: Some educators and parents are suspicious of mother tongue-based teaching programs because they worry that they take time away from the majority language.
Keyword: suspicious, worry, take time away
Keyword Location: Paragraph E, lines 1 to 3
Explanation: The selected answer to the question why few people are concerned about learning mother-tongue based teaching programs. The supporting sentence provides answer that, there are some parents as well as educators who are concerned about mother-tongue based teaching programs because they feel that will take their time away from learning other major languages spread around the world.
Question 5 –
Answer: I
Supporting Sentence: Many people marvel at how quickly bilingual children seem to “pick up” conversational skills in the majority language at school (although it takes much longer for them to catch up with native speakers in academic language skills).
Keyword: pick up, conversational skills, majority language ieltsxpress
Keyword Location: Paragraph G, lines 1 to 4
Explanation: The question talks about how bilingual children have the ability to grasp conversational skills in most of the languages in school. To support the answer, the supporting sentence states that many people are surprised as to how bilingual children learn languages in their schools.
Question 6-
Answer: D
Supporting Sentence: However, educators are often much less aware of how quickly children can lose their ability to use their mother tongue, even in the home context.
Keyword: lose, quickly
Keyword Location: Paragraph G, lines 4 to 6
Explanation: The supporting sentence taken from the last paragraph talks about how mother tongue can disappear very fast. Children will tend to lose the touch of their mother tongue real fast, and this will occur even in home context or while conversing in their homes.
Question 7 –
Answer: J
Supporting Sentence: The extent and rapidity of language loss will vary according to the concentration of families from a particular linguistic group in the neighborhood
Keyword: language, particular linguistic group
Keyword Location: Paragraph H
Explanation: The supporting sentence states that the parameter of the loss of language will depend on concentration of families and also linguistic groups in the neighbourhood.
Question 8 –
Answer: F
Supporting Sentence: They may retain receptive skills in the language but they will use the majority language, in speaking with their peers and siblings and in responding to their parents.
Keyword: language, skills, responding
Keyword Location: Paragraph H, lines 12 to 14
Explanation: The supporting sentence talks about how the children would ‘retain receptive skills in the language’ but would mostly use the majority language for communicating with friends, siblings, and also while responding to their parents.
Question 9 –
Answer: C
Supporting Sentence: Pupils frequently become alienated from the cultures of both home and school with predictable results.
Keyword: alienated ieltsxpress
Keyword Location: Paragraph H
Explanation: The supporting sentence talks about how the pupils get alienated from their cultures of both home and school along with anticipated results.
Question 10: Less than half the children who attend kindergarten in Toronto have English as their Mother tongue.
Answer: Yes
Supporting Sentence: To illustrate, in the city of Toronto in Canada, 58% of kindergarten pupils come from homes where English is not the usual language of communication.
Keyword: kindergarten, Toronto
Keyword Location: Paragraph A
Explanation: The question talks about most of the children of Toronto who have English as their mother-tongue. The fact is true as justified by the supporting sentence. The sentence states that in the city of Toronto, 58% of the pupils have English as their language of communication.
Question 11: Research proves that learning the host country language at school can have an adverse effect on a child’s mother tongue.
Answer: NOT GIVEN
Explanation: There is no reference to the fact that the children who learn their host country language at school tend to have an adverse effect on their mother tongue language.
Question 12: the foyer Program is to be accepted by the French education system.
Answer: NO
Supporting Sentence: Within Europe, the Foyer program in Belgium, which develops children’s speaking and literacy abilities in three languages (their mother tongue, Dutch and French), most clearly illustrates the benefits of bilingual and trilingual education (see Cummins, 2000).
Keyword: Foyer program
Keyword Location: Paragraph E, lines 9 to 12
Explanation: The Foyer program is present in Belgium where the children’s speaking and literacy abilities are developed in three languages. The three languages are French, Dutch, and their mother tongue. This program promotes the benefits of bilingual and trilingual education.
Question 13: Bilingual children are taught to tell the time earlier than monolingual children.
Answer : NOT GIVEN
Explanation: There is no reference that bilingual children were taught to provide the time earlier than monolingual children.
Question 14: Bilingual children can eventually apply comprehension strategies acquired in one language when reading in the other.
Answer: YES
Supporting Sentence: Similarly, at more advanced stages, there, is transfer across languages in other skills such as knowing how to distinguish the main idea from the supporting details of a written passage or story, and distinguishing fact from opinion.
Keyword: bilingual, written passage or story
Keyword Location: Paragraph F
Explanation: The supporting sentence talks about how children who are bilingual can implement the comprehension strategies in other languages they are reading.
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