Question 83

Mary's deficiency is most likely associated with receptive skills.

Receptive skills refer to the ability to understand and process spoken language. Given that Mary has difficulty understanding what is said to her, it indicates a challenge in her receptive language abilities.

A) Pragmatic skills

Pragmatic skills involve the use of language in social contexts, including understanding conversational rules, turn-taking, and nonverbal cues. While these skills are important for effective communication, they are not directly related to the ability to understand spoken language, which is Mary's specific difficulty.

B) Receptive skills

Receptive skills are directly concerned with understanding language, including following directions, comprehending questions, and grasping the meaning of spoken words. Since Mary struggles to understand what is said to her, her deficiency is most accurately categorized under receptive skills.

C) Semantic skills

Semantic skills relate to the understanding of meanings of words and sentences. Although semantic skills may play a role in overall comprehension, the primary issue Mary faces is her difficulty in understanding spoken language as a whole, rather than just the meanings of specific words or phrases.

D) Expressive skills

Expressive skills pertain to the ability to convey thoughts and ideas through speech. Since Mary's difficulty lies in understanding rather than expressing herself, this option does not accurately reflect her deficiency.

Conclusion

Mary's challenges in understanding spoken language are best captured by the concept of receptive skills, which focus on the processing and comprehension of language input. The other options—pragmatic, semantic, and expressive skills—do not directly address her specific difficulty, making them incorrect in this context. Thus, option B is definitively the correct answer.