1人を指す they は“新しい英語”じゃなかった。14世紀の物語にもう登場

Q1. What is the passage mainly about?

1. AHow to use umbrellas
2. BUsing "they" for one person
3. CThe life of Jane Austen
4. DHow dictionaries are made

1人の人に they や their を使う話なので B。umbrella は例文に出てくるだけ。

Q2. When is the oldest example in the Oxford English Dictionary from?

1. AThe 1300s
2. BThe 1700s
3. CThe 1900s
4. D2019

The Oxford English Dictionary has an example from the 1300s. とあるので A。2019年は「今年の単語」に選ばれた年。

Q3. In the passage, what does "mistake" mean?

1. AA kind of dictionary
2. BSomething that is wrong
3. CA famous writer
4. DA new word

Is this a mistake? No, it is not. の流れから、mistake は「間違い」。正解は B。

Q1. What is the main point of the passage?

1. A"They" should never be used for one person.
2. BUsing "they" for one person has a long history.
3. CShakespeare invented the word "they."
4. DGrammarians in the 18th century loved singular "they."

14世紀の例やオースティン、シェイクスピアの用例をあげて、単数の they に長い歴史があると述べているので B。

Q2. By how much did lookups for "they" rise before it became the Word of the Year?

1. ABy 18 percent
2. BBy 600 percent
3. CBy 313 percent
4. DBy 2019 percent

after lookups for the word rose by 313 percent とあるので C。

Q3. Why does the writer mention the word "you"?

1. ATo show that a plural word can become singular and be accepted
2. BTo explain how to write a polite letter
3. CTo show that "you" is an error
4. DTo teach the history of the 18th century

you はかつて複数の語だったが今は1人に使われ、だれも文句を言わない、と述べて単数の they と比べているので A。

Q1. Why did the three women use singular "they" in 1794, according to the passage?

1. AThey did not know the grammar rules.
2. BThey wanted to conceal the gender.
3. CTheir editor told them to use it.
4. DThey wanted to copy a medieval romance.

they had chosen the word on purpose because "we wished to conceal the gender" とあるので B。

Q2. Which statement about nonbinary "they" is true according to the passage?

1. AIt goes back to 1375.
2. BMerriam-Webster added this sense in September 2019.
3. CThe New Oxford American Dictionary rejected it in 1794.
4. DBalhorn says it caused the loss of grammatical gender.

Merriam-Webster added that sense in September 2019 とあるので B。1375年より前の例は総称の they の最古例で、ノンバイナリーの用法とは別。

Q3. What can be inferred about the two uses of "they" discussed in the passage?

1. AThey have the same history and the same level of acceptance.
2. BThe generic use is much older and more widely accepted than the use for a specific person.
3. CBoth uses were invented in the 18th century.
4. DDictionaries reject both uses.

総称の they は1375年より前から例があり、2010年の辞書でも「一般に受け入れられている」とされる一方、特定の人物を指す用法は新しく、受け入れられ方も狭かったと述べているので B。