Question

english language empowerment act of 1996
by u.s. congresswoman patsy t. mink (d - hi)
in this excerpt from a speech given to a senate
committee, congresswoman patsy mink of hawaii,
presents her reasons as to why congress should not
approve the proposed bill, which sought to declare
english as the official language of the united states.
(1) mr. chairman, thank you for the opportunity to
appear today to speak against s. 356, which seeks to
declare english as the official language of the united
states government.
(2) according to the u.s. census bureau, 97 percent of
americans currently speak english “well” or “very well.”
even among those immigrants who come to this country
speaking other languages, most passionately desire to
be proficient in english--for their own economic survival
and to secure economic opportunity for their children.
today’s immigrants are learning english faster than
previous generations of immigrants; english classes are
in such high demand that some stay open 24 hours a
day, and statistics show that waiting lists are as long as
40 to 50 thousand. if this is so, why do we need a law to
declare english to be our official language? it already is!
(3) so maybe the reason for this bill is to save printing

select the correct answer.
how does the author unfold her argument in paragraph 2?
a. by describing the likely outcomes of having an official language using other countries as examples
b. by explaining how a single language would hurt immigrants by limiting their basic human rights
c. by giving historical examples that reveal how official languages are divisive and un - american
d. by providing evidence that shows how popular and widespread english - language ability already is

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Explanation:

To solve this, we analyze paragraph 2. The author uses data from the U.S. Census Bureau (97% of immigrants speak English "well" or "very well") and statistics about English class waiting lists (40 - 50 thousand, 24 - hour open) to show English is already widespread. Option A is incorrect as no other countries are used. Option B is wrong as there's no mention of limiting human rights. Option C is incorrect as no historical examples are given. Option D matches the evidence provided (census data, statistics) showing English's popularity.

Answer:

D. by providing evidence that shows how popular and widespread English - language ability already is