Multiple choice

Directions: The short passage below is followed by a question based on its content. Answer the question on the basis of what is stated or implied in the passage.

Ask an American schoolchild what he or she is learning in school these days and you might even get a reply, provided you ask it in Spanish. But don’t bother, here’s the answer: Americans nowadays are not learning any of the things that we learned in our day, like reading and writing. Apparently these are considered fusty old subjects, invented by white males to oppress women and minorities. No one ever spent a moment building my self-esteem when I was in school. In fact, from the day I first stepped inside a classroom my self-esteem was one big demolition site. All that mattered was “the subject,” be it geography, history, or mathematics. I was praised when I remembered that “near”, “fit”, “friendly”, “pleasing”, “like” and their opposites took the dative case in Latin. I was reviled when I forgot what a cosine was good for. Generally I lived my school years beneath a torrent of castigation so consistent I eventually ceased to hear it, as people who live near the sea eventually stop hearing the waves.

What is the theme of the passage?

  1. American students concentrate more on history and geography rather than on reading and writing.

  2. A modern American student is appreciated when he remembers his lessons or else he is reviled.

  3. Learning to love oneself is what a modern American student is learning in school.

  4. The learning in an American school today is more fragmented than it used to be.

  5. The students in U.S. schools today are concerned more about prestige than about true learning.
Reveal answer Fill a bubble to check yourself
A Correct answer
Explanation

 The underlying idea of the passage is that American school teaching today is more about rote learning of abstract subjects, than about the basics needed. The answer is provided in the second line of the passage, which states: “Americans nowadays are not learning any of the things that we learned in our day, like reading and writing.” Answer: (1)

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