Multilingualism in India — IELTS Reading Answers

“The crowded and bustling streets of Delhi teem with life. Stop to listen and, above the din of rickshaws and buses, you'll hear a multitude of languages, as more than 20 million people go about their daily lives”

Delhi's streets carry 'a multitude of languages' above the noise of traffic.

“Many were born and raised here, and many millions more have recently made India's capital their home, having moved from surrounding neighbourhoods, cities and states or across the country, often in the hope of gaining better jobs and a better life”

Migrants moved to the capital 'in the hope of gaining better jobs and a better life'.

“Many were born and raised here, and many millions more have recently made India's capital their home, having moved from surrounding neighbourhoods, cities and states or across the country, often in the hope of gaining better jobs and a better life”

They came from 'surrounding neighbourhoods, cities and states or across the country'.

“Many were born and raised here, and many millions more have recently made India's capital their home, having moved from surrounding neighbourhoods, cities and states or across the country, often in the hope of gaining better jobs and a better life”

The same sentence gives the reason for moving to the capital: better jobs and a better life.

“The overriding aim of the four-year project, called 'Multilingualism and Multiliteracy', is to find out why in a country where multilingualism is so common (more than 255 million people in India speak at least two languages, and nearly 90 million speak three or more languages),”

The project asks why multilingual benefits seen in European schools do not apply to many Indian schoolchildren.

“The overriding aim of the four-year project, called 'Multilingualism and Multiliteracy', is to find out why in a country where multilingualism is so common (more than 255 million people in India speak at least two languages, and nearly 90 million speak three or more languages),”

India's multilingualism is 'so common', yet the expected benefits do not appear.

Ten-year-old Indian schoolchildren tend to perform better in literacy tests than in numeracy tests.

“'Each year across India, 600,000 children are tested, and year after year over 50% of children in Standard 5 [ten-year-olds] cannot read a Standard 2 [seven-year-olds] task fluently, and just under 50% of them cannot solve a Standard 2 subtraction task,' says Tsimpli”

NO: over 50% cannot read a Standard 2 task while just under 50% cannot do subtraction, so literacy is worse, not better.

Tsimpli had problems convincing some female students to take part in the study.

“She explains that low educational achievement can lead to many of these students dropping out of school - a problem disproportionately affecting female students”

NOT GIVEN: female drop-out is mentioned, but recruitment problems are not.

Tsimpli and her team wanted to know if there is a connection between poor academic performance and being taught in an unfamiliar language.

“Tsimpli and her colleagues are investigating whether these low learning outcomes could be caused by an Indian school system where the language that children are taught in often differs from the language used at home”

YES: the team investigates whether low outcomes are caused by a mismatch between home language and school language.

The researchers have decided against investigating the impact teaching methodology may have on learning outcomes.

“They intend to look not only at test results, but also at variables such as the standard of schooling, the environment and the teaching practices themselves”

NO: they intend to look at teaching practices, so they have not decided against it.

What point does the writer make about primary schools in India in the sixth paragraph?

1. AExposure to English outside of school is of limited benefit.
2. BChildren learn English more easily when they are well motivated.
3. CPoor children may be disadvantaged further by being instructed in English.correct
4. DThere is little consistency across schools with regard to instruction in English.

“According to Tsimpli, most of the evidence from this and other projects shows that English instruction for children from low socio-economic areas might not be the best way for them to learn, at least in the first three years of primary education”

English instruction for low socio-economic children 'might not be the best way' in the first three years.

What is Tsimpli suggesting when she uses the phrase 'that ship has sailed'?

1. AThe findings of the report may be of little help to some Indian schoolchildren.
2. BInstruction in English could be better adapted to the needs of schoolchildren.
3. CSchools have had limited success in teaching English as a separate subject.
4. DIt is too late to remove English completely as a language of instruction in schools.correct

“We are not suggesting that English be withdrawn - that ship has sailed - but we perhaps have to think more about learner needs”

English will not be withdrawn, so the focus should shift to learner needs.

In the eighth paragraph, what do we learn has surprised researchers?

1. ABoys and girls from low socio-economic groups have similar general intelligence levels.
2. BThe age at which children move into a slum does not affect their academic performance.
3. CSlum children and children from other urban poor backgrounds have similar life experiences.
4. DThe literacy and numeracy skills of slum children are not lower than those of children from other urban poor backgrounds.correct

“an unanticipated finding has been that children from slum backgrounds do not seem to lag behind children from other urban poor backgrounds - and in some cases outperform them (e.g. in numeracy and literacy tasks)”

Researchers were surprised that slum children do not lag behind other urban poor children, and sometimes outperform them.