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In the decades leading up to the 1970s, the primarily French-speaking [#permalink]
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In the decades leading up to the 1970s, the primarily French-speaking Canadian province of Québec saw its proportion of native French speakers diminish from year to year. The attrition of French was attributed to the preeminence of English in the workplace, particularly in affluent, “white-collar” jobs. The French-speaking majority was economically marginalized within its own province, as it was left with the choice of either working in lower-paying jobs or teaching its children English as a first language. The latter option would further erase Québec’s cultural autonomy and singularity within a country that primarily spoke English. Facing the risk of linguistic extinction, the province passed Loi 101 (Law 101): The Charter of the French Language. It established French as the only official language of the province, established the primacy of French in the workplace, and led to more economic equity. Since its passage in 1977, the percentage of people in Québec who speak French as a first language has begun to rise.

Which of the following is suggested in the passage as a reason for the decline of French in Québec? ​

A​ the disparity of economic opportunities available to French and English speakers ​
B​ an influx of English-speaking immigrants ​
C​ efforts of French Canadians to further integrate themselves with Canadian culture ​
D​ the emigration of French Canadians ​
E​ the outlawing of French in the other provinces



According to the passage, Loi 101 was significant in that it ​

A​ was a final, unsuccessful attempt at enforcing the usage of French in Québec
​B​ curtailed the economic supremacy of English ​
C​ restricted the teaching of English in schools ​
D​ highlighted the distinctiveness of the cultural identity of Québec from that of the rest of Canada ​
E​ provided for bilingual education

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In the decades leading up to the 1970s, the primarily French-speaking [#permalink]
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QUESTION 1


You are asked why the use of the French language declined in Québec. Researching the passage, you see this mentioned in the first few lines. Specifically, you are told that the “preeminence” of the English language in the best jobs forced people to switch. This indicates that in order to take advantage of the best economic opportunities, one had to speak English. The passage suggests that French became an economically unviable language, stating that “the French-speaking majority was economically marginalized.” Thus, the two groups had access to significantly different economic and professional opportunities. This is reflected in answer choice (A). Choices (B) and (D) are out of scope, as immigrant and emigrant populations are not mentioned. Furthermore, choice (E) is also beyond the scope of the passage, which does not mention the outlawing of French in other provinces. Finally, choice (C) is a 180, as the passage states the French sought to maintain their autonomy, not integrate themselves into other cultures.
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In the decades leading up to the 1970s, the primarily French-speaking [#permalink]
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QUESTION 2


This question asks you to summarize the significance of the law mentioned in the latter part of the passage. Based on the final sentence of the passage (which mentions the rise in French as the primary language), (A) is untrue—it was not an unsuccessful attempt. (B) is true because the passage specifies that the law “established the primacy of French in the workplace.” No mention is made of language in schools, so you can dismiss options (C) and (E). Finally, while the cultural identity of Québec is mentioned in the passage, the only results of Loi 101 specified are the economic equity of the languages and the rise in the usage of French, so you can also reject (D) as a possible answer. Answer choice (B) is the only option that is based on the information in the passage.
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Re: In the decades leading up to the 1970s, the primarily French-speaking [#permalink]
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The pre- eminence of english in the workplace has replaced the mode of communication. Hence, french speaking candidates found it difficult to work and lead to lesser progress which has interdependence of economic uplifting through promotions. Because, the french was made the official language , it will be incorporated in the workplace. Having lessen the economic disparity from the influx english immigrants. That was the inference made from the above problem.
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Re: In the decades leading up to the 1970s, the primarily French-speaking [#permalink]
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