Reading Comprehension Quiz

Charles Krauthammer, “In Plain English, Let’s Make It Official”

Read “In Plain English, Let’s Make It Official” and check your comprehension by answering the following questions. Click the submit button when finished.

Question In the second line of the essay, Krauthammer writes, “A separate national identity, revolving entirely around ‘Francophonie,’ became a raging issue that led to social unrest, terrorism, threats of separation and a referendum that came within a hair’s breadth of breaking up Canada.” Based on this sentence, what does “Francophonie” mean?

Question What is the effect of the continuous use of the word “blessed”?

Question Based on paragraph four, how might Krauthammer’s view of the U.S. Congress be characterized?

Question Read the following sentence: “And yet during the great immigration debate now raging in Congress, the people’s representatives cannot make up their minds whether the current dominance of English should be declared a national asset, worthy of enshrinement in law.” Based on word choice, what does Krauthammer wish to happen?

Question Krauthammer writes that “Brooklyn is so polyglot it is a veritable Babel.” What does he mean by the word “polyglot”?

Question Krauthammer writes, “Then you get not Brooklyn’s successful Babel but Canada’s restive Québec.” By switching to the second person pronoun, what is Krauthammer doing?

Question In paragraph 8, Krauthammer

Question In Krauthammer’s final paragraph, he reveals that he believes that all people who vote should