Comprehension (B)
Children who have been taught they are smart have no difficulty. They have been happily telling testers what they want to hear for twelve years. Being artists at telling testers what they want to hear, they are admitted to college joyously, where they promptly learn that they are the hope of America. Children whose education has been limited to adjusting themselves to their schools' low estimates of them are admitted to less joyous colleges which, in some cases, may teach them to read.
At this stage of education, a fresh question arises for everyone. If the point of lower education was to get into college, what is the point of college? The answer is soon learned. The point of college is to prepare the student-no longer a child now- to get into graduate school. In college, the student learns that it is no longer enough simply to tell the testers what they want to hear. Many are tested for graduate school; few are admitted. Those excluded may be denied valuable certificates to prosper in medicine, at the bar, in the corporate boardroom. The student learns that the race is to the cunning and often, alas, to the unprincipled. Thus, the student learns the importance of destroying competitors and emerges richly prepared to play his role in the great simmering melodrama of American life. Afterwards, the former student's destiny fulfilled, his life rich with oriental carpets, rare porcelain and full bank accounts, he may one day. find himself with the leisure and the inclination to open a book with a curious mind, and start to become educated.
Questions:
i. What titles could be given to the passage, also give a brief summary of the passage.
ii. Interpret the expressions "simmering melodrama of American life" and "race is to the cunning" in the context of the passage.
iii. Analyze the role of education in shaping the perspectives and strategies of students as they progress from lower education to graduate school.
iv. Explore the thematic idea presented in the passage regarding the evolving goals of education, from getting into college to preparing for graduate school and eventually navigating life's challenges.
v. Give your suggestion on the portrayal of the education system's impact on individuals, especially in terms of competitiveness and the pursuit of success.
vi. How can the experiences described in the passage be applied to real-life situations, particularly in understanding the evolving goals of education and their implications for an individual's future?
