Certain languages came to acquire a special status introduced by religious…
2022
Certain languages came to acquire a special status introduced by religious leaders, scholars, or conquerors. Sometimes they became the basis of power and privilege. A language spoken by a small minority, such as Latin in Medieval Europe could become the medium of scholarship, of record-keeping and of religious ceremony. A language introduced by conquerors, who became a ruling and landed elite, would be used in commerce, administration and law. During the era of imperialism, the languages of colonial powers became the languages of administration, codified laws, higher education, science and technology in their own colonies. This held back the development of older languages excluded from these spheres. To a varying extent, languages such as English and French still hold this position in some of the now independent nations of Asia and Africa. This can create problems within these states, as well as between neighbouring countries, notably in West Africa and the Caribbean. These have emerged from subjection to different alien powers. Words are symbols of human experience. Perceptions underlying them have undergone change over time and in response to new situations. Moreover, all languages are in a state of change, sometimes gradual, sometimes rapid. They respond to new needs arising from developments in thought and knowledge, in productive techniques, in social relationships, in political and economic structures. Words, therefore, change their meanings and acquire fresh applications; specialised technical terms pass into general usage. And new words are invented. The process reminds us that language is not a corpus of learning, but an instrument adapted to human purposes.
Historically, minority languages were the basis of
Answer: C. Scholarship — ConceptReading-comprehension answers must be anchored in the passage’s explicit relationships, not in outside associations. When a stem asks what a subject…
- A.
Medieval culture
- B.
Cultural independence
- C.
Scholarship
- D.
Religious harmony
Show answer & explanation
Correct answer: C
Concept
Reading-comprehension answers must be anchored in the passage’s explicit relationships, not in outside associations.
When a stem asks what a subject was the basis of, identify the role or domain directly linked to that subject and distinguish it from examples, settings, and later consequences.
Application
The passage says that a language spoken by a small minority, with Latin in Medieval Europe as the example, could become the medium of scholarship, record-keeping, and religious ceremony.
Among the offered values, Scholarship is the domain explicitly associated with that minority language.
Contrast
Medieval culture is the setting suggested by Medieval Europe, not the institutional role attributed to Latin.
Cultural independence appears only indirectly in the later discussion of formerly colonized states.
Scholarship is named as one of the institutional domains served by a minority language.
Religious harmony is not discussed; the passage mentions religious ceremony, which is a different idea.
Cross-check and result
Replacing the blank with each value shows that only Scholarship reproduces an explicit relationship in the passage. Therefore, the answer is Scholarship.