Which statement about the natural order of acquisition is correct?

Which statement about the natural order of acquisition is correct?

• A. The order of acquisition can be easily changed through targeted grammar drills.
• B. Acquisition proceeds only after formal instruction.
• C. The order of acquisition is predictable and cannot be altered by instruction.
• D. Input must always be above current level.

Answer: (C)

The natural order of acquisition describes a consistent sequence in which learners tend to pick up language features, a progression that appears across many learners regardless of instruction. Because this sequence is relatively fixed, the best answer is the one that says the order is predictable and cannot be altered by instruction. This captures the idea that, while instruction and practice can support learning and provide opportunities to use language, they don’t easily reorder the underlying progression of how learners unconsciously acquire forms. Context helps here: in contrast to conscious rules learned in class, acquisition happens through meaningful, comprehensible input and opportunities to use language in real communication. Instruction can help by providing exposure and practice, but it doesn’t rewrite the natural sequence. The other statements imply that instruction can easily change the order, that acquisition requires formal instruction to begin, or that input must always be above the learner’s current level, which aren’t aligned with how acquisition tends to unfold.

The natural order of acquisition describes a consistent sequence in which learners tend to pick up language features, a progression that appears across many learners regardless of instruction. Because this sequence is relatively fixed, the best answer is the one that says the order is predictable and cannot be altered by instruction. This captures the idea that, while instruction and practice can support learning and provide opportunities to use language, they don’t easily reorder the underlying progression of how learners unconsciously acquire forms.

Context helps here: in contrast to conscious rules learned in class, acquisition happens through meaningful, comprehensible input and opportunities to use language in real communication. Instruction can help by providing exposure and practice, but it doesn’t rewrite the natural sequence. The other statements imply that instruction can easily change the order, that acquisition requires formal instruction to begin, or that input must always be above the learner’s current level, which aren’t aligned with how acquisition tends to unfold.