# How could multilingualism benefit India's poorest schoolchildren?: answers and explanations

Cambridge IELTS 21, Test 4, Reading Passage 2

Source: Passage, questions and answer key from Cambridge IELTS 21, Test 4, Reading Passage 2. © Cambridge University Press & Assessment. Used for educational practice. Explanations and evidence notes are written by Testmigo.

## Answer key

| Q | Answer | Proof |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 14 | I | as more than 20 million people go about their daily lives |
| 15 | J | many millions more have recently made India's capital their home |
| 16 | H | having moved from surrounding neighbourhoods, cities and states |
| 17 | B | often in the hope of gaining better jobs and a better life |
| 18 | E | The overriding aim of the four-year project |
| 19 | F | the many benefits of speaking more than one language, observed in schools in Europe for instance, do not apply |
| 20 | NO | over 50% of children in Standard 5 ... just under 50% of them cannot solve a Standard 2 subtraction task |
| 21 | NOT GIVEN | a problem disproportionately affecting female students |
| 22 | YES | whether these low learning outcomes could be caused by an Indian school system where the language that children are taught in often differs from the language used at home |
| 23 | NO | but also at variables such as the standard of schooling, the environment and the teaching practices themselves |
| 24 | C | may hold back those children who have little familiarity with, or exposure to, the language ... English instruction for children from low socio-economic areas might not be the best way for them to learn |
| 25 | D | We are not suggesting that English be withdrawn - that ship has sailed |
| 26 | D | an unanticipated finding has been that children from slum backgrounds do not seem to lag behind children from other urban poor backgrounds |

## Why these answers are right

**14. I.** Paragraph A describes Delhi's crowded and bustling streets and says more than 20 million people go about their daily lives there. Crowded streets and a huge number of residents describe a dense population, so I completes the first sentence of the summary.

**15. J.** The passage contrasts people born and raised in Delhi with many millions more who have recently made the capital their home. The summary sets up the same contrast, so those who arrived recently are new immigrants, option J.

**16. H.** Paragraph A says newcomers moved from surrounding neighborhoods, cities and states, or from across the country. The summary contrasts a ___ with the other side of India, so the closer origin, surrounding neighborhoods, is a nearby district, H.

The why and the trap for questions 17 onwards are free with an account on the [answers page](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/how-could-multilingualism-benefit-indias-poorest-schoolchildren/answers).

[Practice How could multilingualism benefit India's poorest schoolchildren?](https://testmigo.com/ielts/reading/how-could-multilingualism-benefit-indias-poorest-schoolchildren)