Question

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions that follow:
We know it well that language is used for more than one purpose. The man who hits his thumb-nails with a hammer and utters a string of curses uses language to relieve his feeling and needs no audience but himself. But when a philosopher uses language to clarify his ideas on a subject, he uses it as an instrument of thought. When the two women gossip over the fence or two men exchange greetings as they pass in the street, language is used to strengthen the bonds between the members of society. It seems that language is a multipurpose instrument. Language enables us to influence people's behaviour and help develop human co-operation. The human co-operation would be unthinkable without language as it makes human co-operation more thorough, more effective and more wide-ranging.
(c) How can language be said to be a multipurpose instrument?

Hint:

When identifying the multipurpose nature of language, focus on its different roles in various social, emotional, and intellectual contexts.

Answer 1

Step 1: Identifying the different uses of language.
The passage describes several uses of language: for emotional expression, intellectual clarification, and social interaction. Language can serve various purposes, including communication of thoughts, feelings, and information.

Step 2: Examples from the passage.
The man uses language to relieve his frustration. The philosopher uses it to clarify complex ideas. In social settings, language is used to strengthen bonds between individuals, as seen in the gossip and greetings between two women or two men.

Step 3: Conclusion.
Thus, language is multipurpose because it serves different functions depending on the situation: emotional, intellectual, and social.

Final Answer: \[ \boxed{\text{Language is a multipurpose instrument because it serves emotional, intellectual, and social functions, as seen in the passage.}} \]