Question

Read the excerpt from "Mother Tongue."

Lately, I’ve been giving more thought to the kind of English my mother speaks. Like others, I have described it to people as “broken” or “fractured” English. But I wince when I say that. It has always bothered me that I can think of no other way to describe it other than “broken,” as if it were damaged and needed to be fixed, as if it lacked a certain wholeness and soundness.

How does Tan build a central idea of her story in the excerpt?
Tan discusses her thoughts about language to build the idea that the English language does not have words to match some Chinese terms.
Tan discusses her relationship with her mother to build the idea that mothers and daughters in all cultures often have misunderstandings.
Tan discusses her mother’s use of English to build the idea that a form of language can be purposeful and meaningful even if it is nonstandard.
Tan discusses the English language to build the idea that there is a lack of appropriate synonyms for the word “broken.”

Answer 1

Correct answer:
- Tan discusses her mother’s use of English to build the idea that a form of language can be purposeful and meaningful even if it is nonstandard.

Explanation (brief): In the excerpt Tan questions calling her mother’s speech “broken,” rejecting the idea that it’s damaged. She focuses on how that English functions and conveys meaning, arguing against treating nonstandard usage as lacking worth. The other choices misstate her focus (it's not about missing Chinese-to-English words, general mother–daughter misunderstandings, or simply synonym shortage).