Which phrase completes the sentence: Some deaf people cannot ______ English?

• A. Read
• B. Write
• C. Read or Write
• D. Speak

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is literacy in English for Deaf individuals. Because many Deaf people grow up with sign language as their first language, learning to read and write English can be challenging, and the difficulty may apply to either skill or to both. Saying “read or write English” captures that possibility—that some may struggle with reading, or with writing, or with both. That makes the phrase the most accurate and flexible fit for the sentence, reflecting real variations in English literacy within the Deaf community.

The other options would limit the statement to only one skill or shift focus to speaking, which isn’t the intended point about literacy.