Reading Practice 26.04

What does the author mainly discuss in the first paragraph?

• the difference in worldview among cultures

• the role of linguists and other social scientists

• the decreasing number of languages

• the relationship between language and math ability

What is implied about the Piraha?

• They have no written language

• They have a complex language system

• They may have difficulty solving complex math problems.

• They may have many words that mean the same thing.

What is said to be important for the Piraha?

• whether numbers are even or odd

• whether they have a word for something or not

• whether things can be distinguished by their size

• whether a quantity is larger or smaller than another

Which phrase is closest in meaning to lacking, as it is used in the first sentence of the fourth paragraph?

• not saying

• not existing

• not having

• not being

What does it in the first sentence of the fourth paragraph refer to?

• a word

• an idea

• something that has no word

• an inability to perceive something

What are linguists uncertain about?

• how Piraha children count

• how Piraha learn to speak Portuguese easily

• to what extent language and worldview are connected

• whether language influences cultures