The origin of the word 'adolescence' has come from the following language:

Concept — In a reading-comprehension question the printed passage is the only authority. The method is to identify exactly what information the stem asks for, locate the sentence in the passage that carries that information, and read that sentence literally. Outside knowledge, however well established, cannot override what the passage itself states.

Application — The stem asks which language the passage traces the word 'adolescence' back to. Scanning the passage for a statement of origin, the third sentence of the passage supplies it directly:

“The word adolescence comes from a Greek word 'adolescere' which means 'to grow to maturity'.”

So the passage names Greek as the source language, and it supplies the source form ('adolescere') and its meaning ('to grow to maturity') in the same sentence.

Cross-check — Checking each offered language against the passage:

• Greek — named explicitly in the origin sentence, along with the form 'adolescere' and its gloss 'to grow to maturity'.

• Latin — the passage makes no reference to it. Worth knowing separately: standard etymological dictionaries derive English 'adolescence' from the Latin verb adolescere. In a comprehension question, however, the answer must follow the passage as printed, and this passage assigns the word to Greek.

• Sanskrit — the passage makes no reference to it and claims no Indian-language source for the word.

• German — the passage makes no reference to it; the only other proper name in the passage is the psychologist A. T. Jersild.

Result — The passage attributes the origin of 'adolescence' to Greek, so Greek is the answer.