Question

south america is made up of 12 countries and 1 territory, or an area of land that is controlled by another country. together they are home to more than 420 million people and many different languages. look at the table of each countrys official language. then follow the instructions below.

countries	official language	approximate population
suriname	dutch	0.55 million
french guiana (territory)	french	0.25 million
brazil	portuguese	207.7 million
guyana	english	0.76 million

population data source: world bank, 2016

use the table to match the correct language to each statement.

spanish french dutch english portuguese

1. this is the official language of the smallest number of people in south america.
2. this language is the official language for most of the countries in south america.
3. this language is the official language for only one country in south america. but it is the second most commonly spoken language because of the size of that countrys population.

Explanation:

First Statement: "This is the official language of the smallest number of people in South America."

1. Calculate the population for each language:

• Spanish: 211.2 million (from the group of countries: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile)
• French: 0.25 million (French Guiana)
• Dutch: 0.55 million (Suriname)
• English: 0.76 million (Guyana)
• Portuguese: 207.7 million (Brazil)

1. Compare the populations: 0.25 million (French) is the smallest. So the language for the smallest number of people is French.

Second Statement: "This language is the official language for most of the countries in South America."

1. Count the number of countries for each language:

• Spanish: The group has 9 countries (Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile)
• French: 1 territory (French Guiana)
• Dutch: 1 country (Suriname)
• English: 1 country (Guyana)
• Portuguese: 1 country (Brazil)

1. 9 countries is more than the others, so the language is Spanish.

Third Statement: "This language is the official language for only one country in South America. But it is the second most commonly spoken language because of the size of that country's population."

1. Check the number of countries and population:

• Portuguese is the official language of only Brazil (1 country), and Brazil's population is 207.7 million, which is the second largest after the Spanish - speaking population (211.2 million).

For the first statement (smallest number of people): French
For the second statement (most countries): Spanish
For the third statement (one country, second most spoken): Portuguese

If we were to present the answers in the order of the statements:

1. French
2. Spanish
3. Portuguese

Answer:

First Statement: "This is the official language of the smallest number of people in South America."

1. Calculate the population for each language:

• Spanish: 211.2 million (from the group of countries: Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile)
• French: 0.25 million (French Guiana)
• Dutch: 0.55 million (Suriname)
• English: 0.76 million (Guyana)
• Portuguese: 207.7 million (Brazil)

1. Compare the populations: 0.25 million (French) is the smallest. So the language for the smallest number of people is French.

Second Statement: "This language is the official language for most of the countries in South America."

1. Count the number of countries for each language:

• Spanish: The group has 9 countries (Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Paraguay, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile)
• French: 1 territory (French Guiana)
• Dutch: 1 country (Suriname)
• English: 1 country (Guyana)
• Portuguese: 1 country (Brazil)

1. 9 countries is more than the others, so the language is Spanish.

Third Statement: "This language is the official language for only one country in South America. But it is the second most commonly spoken language because of the size of that country's population."

1. Check the number of countries and population:

• Portuguese is the official language of only Brazil (1 country), and Brazil's population is 207.7 million, which is the second largest after the Spanish - speaking population (211.2 million).

For the first statement (smallest number of people): French
For the second statement (most countries): Spanish
For the third statement (one country, second most spoken): Portuguese

If we were to present the answers in the order of the statements:

1. French
2. Spanish
3. Portuguese