Question

dialects from coast to coast
suppose that, while watching the news one evening, you see a report of a flood in another region of the united states. the reporter is interviewing a resident of the area. english subtitles appear on your television screen, so you assume the speaker is using another language. then, you realize—that person is speaking english!
(1) people who live in different regions of a country often speak different dialects. (2) some are so distinct that subtitles—or an interpreter—are needed to help make them intelligible to people from other regions. (3) this is particularly true when the speaker’s diction is not very good.
dialects often have a unique vocabulary, as well. a hero sandwich in philadelphia is a po’boy in new orleans. a potluck supper in tennessee might be called a pitch-in in indiana, and a scramble in illinois. (4) if one of your peers wanted to play potsy, she’d probably be from manhattan; if he wanted to play sky blue, he might be a chicago boy. both would be asking you to play a game known in other areas as hopscotch!
(5) sometimes, vowels are articulated in different ways in different dialects. let’s use the word coffee, for example. in seattle, one drinks “cahfee,” and in new york city, one drinks “cawfee.” (6) in los angeles, you might be directed to “take a right,” but someone with an atlanta accent would tell you to “tick a raht.”
(7) the enunciation of consonants and syllables also varies from one region to another. a denver native might visit a relative who lives by the chesapeake bay in baltimore; but that relative would say that she lives by the “chestpeak” bay in “baltmer.” in phoenix, you might be instructed to “park your car in the parking lot”; in boston, you would probably be told to “pahk yuh cah in the pahking lot.”
(8) the stress of a word may differ from region to region, as well. a miami native would use an um-birel-la in the rain; a person from cincinnati would use an um-brell-a.
dictionaries tend to focus on standard english usage rather than dialect differences. but the dictionary of american regional english, or dare for short, references phrases and pronunciations that differ from region to region. the dictionary notes where each term is used and how words are pronounced in different places. (9) the experts who put together the first four volumes of dare spent years interviewing people from all over the country and from different strata of society.
(10) some language experts propose a hierarchy of dialects, arguing for a preferred standard version of english. on the other hand, the writers of dare strive to document all variations of english spoken in the united states. they want to create a record of the richness and cultural diversity of american society.

each sentence below refers to a numbered sentence in the passage. write the letter of the choice that gives the sentence a meaning that is closest to the original sentence.
____ 1. people who live in different regions of a country often speak different ____.
a. traditions b. styles of pronunciation c. local customs d. forms of language
____ 2. some are so distinct that subtitles—or an interpreter—are needed to help make them ____ to people from other regions.
a. understandable b. acceptable c. appealing d. emphasized
____ 3. this is particularly true when the speaker’s ____ is not very good.
a. appearance b. use of props c. clearness of speech d. skill
____ 4. if one of your ____ wanted to play potsy, she’d probably be from manhattan.
a. two parents b. friends your age c. ranked groups d. distant relatives

Explanation:

Question 1

The passage talks about dialects, which are different forms of a language used in different regions. "Traditions" (a) are cultural practices, "styles of pronunciation" (b) is part of dialect but not the whole, "local customs" (c) are cultural, but "forms of language" (d) matches dialects.

The original sentence says subtitles/interpreter are needed to make the dialects understandable to others. "Understandable" (a) fits, "acceptable" (b) is about approval, "appealing" (c) is about attractiveness, "emphasized" (d) is about stressing, so a is correct.

The passage mentions "diction" which relates to clearness of speech. "Appearance" (a) is about look, "use of props" (b) is irrelevant, "clearness of speech" (c) matches diction, "skill" (d) is too general. So c is correct.

Answer:

d. forms of language

Question 2