18. It seems that the passage implies that:
A. English is always becoming larger and larger.
B. The words of the English language are always changing.
I have issues with both A and B.
In B, I think the test maker meant to say, "the content of the English language is always changing," rather than, "the words of the English language..." I don't think the passage said that individual "words" are changing their meanings (a distortion). The passage definitely said that new words are being added.
In A, the passage mentioned that words, "are coined with the greatest freedom, and abandoned with indifference when they have served their turn." But what happens to an "abandoned" word? Is it crossed out of each dictionary? Do old people stop using it? Is being "abandoned" the same as being completely "eliminated" from a language?
Correct answer B, but in my experience, AAMC only uses perfect English and only accepts the very most literal interpretation which would make AAMC's choice A (or some other choice as the "best" imperfect answer).
What do you think about this? Did I overlook anything?
A. English is always becoming larger and larger.
B. The words of the English language are always changing.
I have issues with both A and B.
In B, I think the test maker meant to say, "the content of the English language is always changing," rather than, "the words of the English language..." I don't think the passage said that individual "words" are changing their meanings (a distortion). The passage definitely said that new words are being added.
In A, the passage mentioned that words, "are coined with the greatest freedom, and abandoned with indifference when they have served their turn." But what happens to an "abandoned" word? Is it crossed out of each dictionary? Do old people stop using it? Is being "abandoned" the same as being completely "eliminated" from a language?
Correct answer B, but in my experience, AAMC only uses perfect English and only accepts the very most literal interpretation which would make AAMC's choice A (or some other choice as the "best" imperfect answer).
What do you think about this? Did I overlook anything?
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