Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the option that best fits each of the numbered...

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the option that best fits each of the numbered blanks from 19 to 28.

[I] Vaccine hesitancy has long been recognized as a significant challenge to global health, with misinformation and distrust persisting despite overwhelming scientific evidence supporting vaccine safety and efficacy. The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified reluctance to get vaccinated as one of the greatest threats to public health, emphasizing the need for effective communication strategies. Public health campaigns aim to combat skepticism by providing clear, factual information about vaccines, yet these efforts often encounter resistance.

Recent research suggests that language plays a crucial role in shaping people's attitudes toward vaccination, influencing how they process and accept health-related information. A study conducted in France, Germany, and the United Kingdom examined whether reading vaccine information in a foreign language affects willingness to receive the COVID-19 vaccine. Surprisingly, participants with vaccine-hesitant attitudes responded more positively to the information when it was presented in English rather than their native tongue. This phenomenon, known as the foreign language effect, suggests that processing information in a second language fosters a more rational, less emotionally driven approach to decision-making. [II]

One explanation for this effect is that thinking in a foreign language requires additional cognitive effort, slowing down automatic, instinctive responses. [III] When people engage with health-related content in their second language, they may be less influenced by emotional biases and more likely to analyze the information objectively. Interestingly, the research found that English had a unique impact, with participants perceiving vaccine messages in English as more credible than those in other languages. However, it is important to take it with a grain of salt, as the dominance of English in science and academia may have shaped these perceptions, making it unclear whether similar effects would occur with other widely spoken languages.

[IV] Understanding these potential broader implications is crucial, as tailoring communication strategies could be a powerful tool for addressing vaccine hesitancy, particularly in multilingual societies. By strategically presenting information in English or another foreign language, health organizations may encourage a more analytical, evidence-based evaluation of vaccines. Understanding the intersection between language, cognition, and persuasion could lead to more effective strategies for combating misinformation and improving vaccine uptake worldwide.

(Adapted from The Conversation)

Question 19: Where in the passage does the following sentence best fit?

"While existing research highlights the impact of language choice on vaccine messaging, it remains unclear whether this effect extends beyond English or applies to other public health topics."

A. [I] B. [II] C. [III] D. [IV]