Though there is no overt reference to the War on Terror, the milieu in which this scene takes place is clearly that of a security culture.  To the extent that a language test can be envisioned as a form of security, without even the need for explanation or pretext, is itself reflective of how thoroughly “belonging” has been detached from “origin”.  PC and Pixel by Thach Bui and Geoff Johnson PDF pages 4-5.
photo source: LanguageLog from Mutually Occluded