Final answer:
Using the provided data, 62.3% of the 55 million Americans who speak a language other than English at home speak Spanish, totaling approximately 34.3 million, making (b) 40 million the closest answer.
Step-by-step explanation:
The question asks for the approximate number of Americans age 5 and older who speak Spanish. To answer this, we use the information provided: 55,000,000 Americans speak a language other than English at home, and 62.3% of these speak Spanish. By multiplying 55,000,000 by 0.623, we get approximately 34,265,000. Therefore, the closest answer to the question is (b) 40 million.
It is noteworthy that Spanish is a widely spoken language in the United States, possibly making it the second-largest Spanish-speaking country in the world. This is supported by the fact that Spanish is spoken at home by about 12% of the US population and about 13.8% of all individuals living in the United States speak a language at home other than English, indicating a significant Spanish-speaking demographic within the country.