Which statement about Krashen's natural order hypothesis is accurate?

Which statement about Krashen's natural order hypothesis is accurate?

• A. There is a predictable order for acquiring language that cannot be altered by instruction.
• B. Instruction should always prioritize form over meaning.
• C. Acquisition occurs only with explicit grammar instruction.
• D. Learners must memorize rules before communicating.

Answer: (A)

The main idea here is that language structures tend to develop in a predictable sequence that learners follow as they acquire a language. In Krashen’s natural order view, this order emerges from the learner’s internal development and is largely resistant to what instruction does—meaning you can’t easily change the sequence by how you teach. Instruction can provide rich, meaningful input and opportunities to use the language, which can speed progress, but it doesn’t rearrange the order in which forms are acquired. That’s why this statement is the best fit: it captures the notion of a predictable progression in acquisition that instruction doesn’t fundamentally alter. The other options clash with this view by overemphasizing form-focused instruction, claiming acquisition happens only through explicit grammar teaching, or insisting learners must memorize rules before they can communicate; Krashen’s theory emphasizes meaningful communication and implicit learning, not rule memorization or exclusive reliance on explicit instruction.

The main idea here is that language structures tend to develop in a predictable sequence that learners follow as they acquire a language. In Krashen’s natural order view, this order emerges from the learner’s internal development and is largely resistant to what instruction does—meaning you can’t easily change the sequence by how you teach. Instruction can provide rich, meaningful input and opportunities to use the language, which can speed progress, but it doesn’t rearrange the order in which forms are acquired.

That’s why this statement is the best fit: it captures the notion of a predictable progression in acquisition that instruction doesn’t fundamentally alter. The other options clash with this view by overemphasizing form-focused instruction, claiming acquisition happens only through explicit grammar teaching, or insisting learners must memorize rules before they can communicate; Krashen’s theory emphasizes meaningful communication and implicit learning, not rule memorization or exclusive reliance on explicit instruction.