Question

What was the explicit meaning conveyed in the sentence, Miss Fuller’s method was this: she passed my hand lightly over her face, and let me feel the position of her tongue and lips when she made a sound, among the following options?

A. She wanted people to know what it felt like to speak, so that they would be motivated to learn.
B. She let them feel how she used her mouth to make sounds so that they could copy her.
C. She used her hands to convey meaning so that even the deaf could understand her.
D. She used her hands to convey meaning, so that even the deaf could understand her.

Answer 1

Option B is the correct interpretation of the method used by Miss Fuller, which involves letting others feel the position and movements of her mouth to facilitate their learning of speech sounds.

Step-by-step explanation:

The explicit meaning conveyed in the sentence, "Miss Fuller's method was this: she passed my hand lightly over her face, and let me feel the position of her tongue and lips when she made a sound," is most accurately described by option B. She let them feel how she used her mouth to make sounds so that they could copy her. This method was used to teach individuals who are deaf and rely on tactile and visual cues to understand speech sounds and emulate them, thereby learning how to pronounce words.

This technique aligns with the historical context of educating individuals who are deaf or hard of hearing, whereby teachers often used manual methods, including tactile strategies, to teach speech and language skills. These methods are grounded on the idea that by feeling the position and movements of a speaker's articulators – the lips, tongue, and facial muscles – learners can gain a better understanding of how speech sounds are produced.