The study of foreign languages is finally
becoming a serious endeavor in U.S. education.
The number of American college students
enrolled in non-English language courses has
increased by 20 percent over the last five years.
Spanish, with over 500,000 students, is the
most popular; its enrollment has increased by
30 percent. Meanwhile, enrollment in Japanese
and Russian has nearly doubled, and now
comprises eight percent of total foreign language
study. Clearly there is now an increased interest
in foreign language study. When these students
join the work force, they will enhance not only
U.S. businesses' ability to compete internationally
but also our country's reputation abroad.
The answer to which of the following questions
would be LEAST relevant to evaluating the above
claims?
(A) Do students enrolled in foreign language
classes continue their studies long enough
to attain competence in those languages?
(B) By what percentage has overall enrollment
in U.S. colleges and universities increased
over the past five years?
(C) Does a significant number of students of
foreign languages go into professions in
which the ability to speak other languages
is useful?
(D) Has the study of "dead" languages like
Latin and Ancient Greek increased at a
similar rate to that of modern languages?
(E) How does the percentage increase in
foreign language enrollment over the past
five years compare to previous increases
in enrollment?


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