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Question

A passage is given with 5 questions following it. Read the passage carefully and choose the best answer to each question out of the four alternatives and click the button corresponding to it. 
To know language is to be able to speak it; even a child who does not yet attend school can speak his or her language. In order to speak a language it is important to listen to it and to read a few pages in it everyday. A child picks up language and learns to talk just as (s)he learns to walk. Walking and talking comes naturally to a child as it grows. In our country, a child may grow up speaking more than one language, if these languages are spoken in the home and in the neighbourhood. we call this multilingualism. A child speaks a language or languages much before (s)he starts going to school. To know a language then is first of all to be able to speak it as easily and naturally as a tree year old child does. Later on the child will learn to read and write in that language. In order to read and write in a language, one has to speak it. But it is possible to speak a language but not able to read or write in it. A baby does not speak until it is nine months old but it understands a few words at six months of age. It has been listening ever since it was born, and even a little before that. So the first strategy in speaking a language is to listen.

One of the activities of a child before it is even born is __________ .

This question was previously asked in
SSC CGL 2016 (Tier 1) Previous Year Question Paper (11-Sep-2016) (Shift 2)
The correct answer is

listening

The correct answer is listening.

The passage explicitly states, "A baby does not speak until it is nine months old but it understands a few words at six months of age. It has been listening ever since it was born, and even a little before that." This directly supports the idea that listening is an activity a child engages in even before birth. The passage emphasizes the importance of listening as the foundational step in language acquisition. The other options are incorrect because while seeing, understanding, and talking are important aspects of development, the passage specifically highlights listening as an activity that begins prenatally and is crucial for language development. The author uses the example of a baby's pre-verbal understanding to showcase the passive learning that takes place before active speech. This passive learning is largely based on the auditory input received even before birth, making listening the most accurate answer.

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Similar Questions

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