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.

What can be inferred from the excerpt?
Tan is embarrassed by the nonstandard form of English that her mother speaks.
Tan believes that nonstandard forms of English are legitimate languages in their own right.
Tan wishes that she did not have to think about the English that her mother speaks.
Tan is angry that people are not taught nonstandard English languages in school.

Answer 1

Answer: Tan is embarrassed by the nonstandard form of English that her mother speaks.

Explanation: She says she “winces” and is “bothered” by calling her mother’s speech “broken,” indicating discomfort/embarrassment. The other choices are not supported by the excerpt: there’s no evidence she explicitly believes nonstandard Englishes are fully legitimate languages (choice 2), she is actually thinking more about her mother’s English rather than wishing not to (choice 3), and nothing in the passage indicates anger about school instruction (choice 4).