Question

As globalization held sway over the world, communities, which used to live in relative isolation, sought access to the wider world, and in the process, they parted with their own language and adopted a new lingua franca. The loss of language, however, does not merely mean the loss of a mode of communication or the loss of a few thousand words. _____________________. So, when a language dies, a way of thinking dies with it.

• A. A certain school of thought regrets the demise of local languages but in recent times revival movements have emerged across the world, especially in India
• B. Since evolution and change in languages is a part of history, most of the languages spoken today would be scarcely recognizable from what they were a few thousand or maybe even a few hundred years ago
• C. A potentially endangered language can sometimes appear to be thriving, or on the other hand, it can show signs of declining
• D. Languages exist not only for the purposes of practical communication; they convey a linguistic community's entire mindset and its culture

Hint:

In paragraph completion, look for the "bridge" sentence. The missing sentence must logically connect the idea before it to the idea after it, often by explaining or elaborating on the first idea to set up the conclusion.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is D

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This question requires finding a sentence that logically connects the preceding sentence with the concluding one. The paragraph argues that losing a language is more than just losing words.
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:


Preceding Sentence: "The loss of language, however, does not merely mean the loss of a mode of communication or the loss of a few thousand words." This sentence sets up the idea that there is a deeper loss involved.
Concluding Sentence: "So, when a language dies, a way of thinking dies with it." This sentence explains what that deeper loss is.
The Missing Link: We need a sentence that explains *why* the loss is more than just words and how it connects to a "way of thinking."
Option (4) provides this link perfectly: "Languages exist not only for the purposes of practical communication; they convey a linguistic community's entire mindset and its culture." This explains that language embodies a mindset and culture, which directly leads to the conclusion that losing the language means losing that "way of thinking." The other options introduce irrelevant ideas about revival movements, historical evolution, or the state of endangered languages.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The most logical sentence to complete the paragraph is: "Languages exist not only for the purposes of practical communication; they convey a linguistic community's entire mindset and its culture".