Question

my mother had gone to the hospital for an appointment, to find out about a benign brain tumor a cat scan had revealed a month ago. she said she had spoken very good english, her best english, no mistakes. still, she said, the hospital did not apologize when they said they had lost the cat scan and she had come for nothing. she said they did not seem to have any sympathy when she told them she was anxious to know the exact diagnosis, since her husband and son had both died of brain tumors. she said they would not give her any more information until the next time and she would have to make another
based on the passage, which of the following statements is an accurate inference?
people are treated better when their english is perceived as proper.
people are lied to when they do not speak proper english.
people become unhealthy because of the poor treatment they receive.
people who persist eventually get what they want.

Explanation:

To determine the accurate inference, analyze each option:

• Option 1: The passage implies that when the mother spoke "proper" English, the hospital's behavior (not apologizing, losing the scan, not providing info) contrasts with how people might be treated with proper English perception. This aligns with the idea that proper English perception leads to better treatment (or at least the hospital’s behavior suggests a correlation with language perception).
• Option 2: The passage doesn't mention lying related to improper English; it's about poor service, so this is incorrect.
• Option 3: The passage focuses on medical service, not health caused by treatment, so this is incorrect.
• Option 4: The passage shows the mother didn't get what she wanted (info, apology), so this is incorrect.

Answer:

A. People are treated better when their English is perceived as proper.