SAT Reading & Writing · Central Ideas and Details
A linguist recorded speakers from three neighboring towns and found that younger speakers used several pronunciations that were uncommon…
A linguist recorded speakers from three neighboring towns and found that younger speakers used several pronunciations that were uncommon among older speakers in all three places. The same changes appeared at different rates in each town. The pattern suggests a shared regional shift whose spread is uneven instead of three entirely independent changes.
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
Which choice best states the main idea of the text?
Answer and explanation
Answer: C: A regional pronunciation change appears to be occurring across all three towns, though not at the same pace.
The passage's key detail is that the same directional change appeared in all three towns but at different speeds, and C is the only choice that captures both the shared pattern and its uneven pace. A and D each invent an absolute claim, complete independence or complete uniformity, that contradicts the passage's actual finding of a shared but uneven pattern. B reverses the passage's finding, which describes younger speakers adopting the new pronunciations, not older speakers.
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