Reading Comprehension

PT134 · S4 · P2 · Q9 Mexican American Proverb Use

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Mexican Americans share with speakers of Spanish throughout the world a rich and varied repertoire of proverbs as well as a vital tradition of proverb use.

Topic

Mexican American proverbs: their origins, uses, and cultural significance

Framework

Highlight Noteworthy

Main Point

Mexican Americans not only have a rich tradition of proverbs inherited from broader Spanish and European sources, but proverb use plays a particularly important role in teaching youth and fostering a sense of ethnic identity in Mexican American communities. (Most Valuable Sentence: The final sentence of paragraph 3 encapsulates the main takeaway: )

P1: Introduction to Mexican American Proverbs

Mexican Americans, like Spanish speakers worldwide, have a diverse and abundant collection of proverbs, most of which were passed down from Spain or the broader European tradition. These proverbs carry wisdom and can be understood outside specific conversations.

P2: Functions and Didactic Role of Proverbs

Using a proverb is personal and adapts to different situations, BUT community and tradition shape how proverbs are used. In Mexican American communities in particular, proverbs are often used by parents to teach young people—especially about behavior and peer relationships, sometimes more so than in English-speaking traditions. The example proverb about friends highlights concern over outside influences and the desire to maintain traditional norms.

P3: Proverbs as a Foundation for Ethnic Identity

Proverbs aren’t just for giving advice—they also help Mexican Americans feel connected to their ethnic heritage, teaching not only values but also language and cultural traditions. Even the proverbs that aren’t directly educational still help pass on Mexican culture and reinforce a sense of belonging.

9.

The passage provides information that most helps to answer which one of the following questions?

  1. In what other areas besides

    Out of Scope: areas besides Europe

    The last two sentences of the first paragraph is the only place were we hear about where these proverbs came from, and only European sources are mentioned.

    7% picked this

  2. Are any proverbs that are

    Out of Scope: used frequently

    The passage never discusses proverbs that are frequently used in the English-language tradition. The only time we hear about English-language proverbs is at the end of the 1st paragraph, and it just says that these proverbs have exact equivalents in the common proverb tradition of Europe.

    3% picked this

  3. What kinds of messages and

    Out of Scope: most often

    We only know two things about proverbs in the English-language tradition: (1st P): there are many proverbs in the common proverb tradition of Europe that have exact equivalents in English-language proverbial speech. (2nd P): English-speaking proverb traditions are less likely to have didactic (i.e. teaching) purposes. But we don't know what purposes English-language proverbs usually do have.

    7% picked this

  4. In what other ethnic groups

    Out of Scope: other ethnic groups

    "Maintaining ties" is only spoken about in the final two sentences, and only Mexican Americans are being discussed. We don't know about any other ethnic groups that use proverbs similarly.

    2% picked this

  5. Correct

    Is the use of proverbs

    Why this is right

    The answer is YES. The 2nd paragraph tells us, the fact that proverbs often serve a didactic (teaching) purpose points us to one important function that proverbs serve in Mexican American communities: the instruction of the young. In fact, this function seems to be much more prominent in Mexican tradition in general than in English-speaking traditions.

    Skill tested: Five Questions · how this choice captures the passage's function is the move to repeat next time.

    81% picked this

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