Reading "Losing Identity"

Look at the title and skim the article quickly. What do you think this article will be about?

• Learning a second language.

• Immigrants who become sick in the U.S.

• Language and its effect on the identity of immigrants.

• Schools attended by immigrants to the U.S.

Which of these statements is NOT true according to the first paragraph of the article?

• Second generation immigrants are usually eager to learn their parents' native language.

• It is often hard for first and second generation family members to communicate with each other.

• Because second generation immigrant children often speak only English, they may lose their ethnic identity.

• Sometimes second generation immigrant children ignore their parents because of language differences.

Which of the following is NOT true about the 18 year old daughter?

• She was born in the U.S.

• She speaks only English very well; her Korean is poor.

• She gets along better with her parents than her brother and other sister do.

• She doesn't understand Korean jokes well.

Which is NOT a reason that the 14 year old sister has problems with her mother?

• She doesn't want to speak Korean.

• She doesn't love her mother.

• She is very Americanized.

• She does not understand her mother when she gets punished.

To whom does the mother speak Korean?

• Her oldest daughter only.

• All of her children.

• Her two daughters only.

• Only to her son.

Why did the author's aunt try to teach her children to speak Korean?

• To help them succeed in the U.S.

• To help them find a good job.

• To help them establish a Korean identity.

• To help her improve her Korean language skills.

• None of the above.

There are many reasons that second generation immigrants may get confused about their identity. Which of the following is NOT found in the article?

• Their American friends may not see them as Korean -Americans

• They look different than most of their friends in the U.S.

• If they travel to Korea they wear different clothes than the Koreans.

• If they visit Korea, they even walk differently than the Koreans.

Which of the following is closest to the main idea of this article?

• Second generation Korean-Americans walk and dress differently than their parents.

• Many immigrant families have problems with communication.

• The language spoken in immigrant households is often a mixture of two languages.

• Second generation Korean immigrants often speak only English.

• Teaching immigrant children the parents' native language helps them establish their ethnic identity.