We Often Think Of Language As A Skill Developed GMAT Reading Comprehension

Reading Passage Question

We often think of language as a skill developed and inculcated by humans, akin to punctuality and discipline. However, language is ingrained within the biological makeup of our brains. It is a highly complex, organized, and specialized skill that instinctively develops in a child. In other words, the skill to utilize language for communication does not require a deliberate effort or formal schooling. It is utilized without the user being conscious of its underlying logic. Hence, some behavioural scientists perceive language to be a “mental organ” or a complete “neural system” in itself and that language is a psychological phenomenon akin to instinct, indicating that people know how to talk the way bees know how to collect nectar. The process of nectar collection was not formulated by some super intelligent bee and does not rely on formal instruction or on the particular aptitude for organization. Rather, bees collect nectar because they have “bee” brains that instinctively tell them to collect nectar from flowers and how to do so. In the animal kingdom, we are the only species that has a skill for communicating information by sound modulations made while exhaling and this skill comes instinctively to us.

The same way nectar collection cannot be “explained '' to bees, parents cannot “teach” their children the complexity of language. Neither is it something that can be explained at school. Considering studies that indicate that a preschooler's intuitive knowledge of grammar is more advanced than the most sophisticated grammar manual, and given that language is the outcome of a well-engineered biological faculty, it is clear that language is an instinctive skill that exists in every human being.

“We often think of language as a skill developed”- is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with answers. Candidates must have a solid grasp of English GMAT reading comprehension. There are three comprehension questions in this GMAT Reading Comprehension section. GMAT Reading Comprehension questions are designed to evaluate candidates' abilities to comprehend, analyze, and apply information or concepts. Candidates can actively prepare by answering GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions.

Solutions and Explanation

1. Based on the information in the passage, which of the following can be said of language?

1. It is a cultural invention made by homo sapiens for the purpose of communicating with each other.
2. It is something that children can be taught by their parents at home.
3. It is taught through formal instructions at school.
4. It is a psychological instinct that we are born with.
5. It is not present in the same capacity in all human beings.

2. The main point of the passage says that language is

1. An instinctive ability of humans.
2. Not an innovation of humans.
3. A skill that can sometimes be learnt or taught.
4. An ability that is unique in humans.
5. A skill that is not what it is thought to be.

3. Which of the following can be used as an example to describe language as understood by the author?

1. A spider spinning a web.
2. A dog providing assistance to disabled people.
3. A horse getting trained to participate in a race.
4. A cat being taught to ring a bell when hungry.
5. An ox ploughing the fields.

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