Until fairly recently, classroom computers

Answer choices

1. A

   Out of Scope: no more valuable4% picked this

   A knowledge of the latest technologies is no more valuable than a knowledge of the

   Nothing in the paragraph ranked how valuable computer tech was compared to (what we would have to assume are) fundamental disciplines like basic math and reading. This type of trap answer is just setting people up to psychoanalyze the author of the passage and guess where she's going next. "Hmm, she talked about schools caring more about computers, but then she says However they're spending more time on computers and less on basic math and reading. She must be mad about this?"

   4%
2. B

   Too Strong: cannot11% picked this

   Schools cannot emphasize the teaching of computer skills without neglecting

   Nothing in the passage indicates that it's impossible to emphasize the teaching of computer skills without neglecting other skills. It just says that schools that are emphasizing computer technology are spending less time on basic math and reading. We don't know if that shift in time allocation was mandatory because it's impossible to do one without neglecting the other, or if those schools simply chose to emphasize one and de-emphasize another. It's also a strong move to go from "spend less time developing basic math and reading skills" to the more extreme "neglecting other skills".

   11%
3. C

   Too Strong: complete rethinking required1% picked this

   A complete rethinking of traditional academic subjects is required in order to keep pace

   Wow, this is dramatic. The author just said a few neutral facts about schools. We can't extrapolate this "we'll have to blow the whole thing up!" kind of takeaway from that.

   1%
4. D

   Correct83% picked this

   Attempting to keep pace with recent educational developments can result in neglecting basic skills in

   Why this is right

   This has the super-soft language we associate with correct answers on Proposition / Generalization questions. Doing X can result in Y (you only need one instance to support that). Did we hear of a case where keeping pace with recent educational developments resulted in neglecting basic skills in favor of other skills? Yes, pretty much. Since it's only fairly recently that we went from thinking of computer skills as a luxury to a necessity, we can call that a recent educational development. Spending more time emphasizing computer technology can match up with "attempting to keep pace" with these developments. Spending less time developing students' basic math and reading skills can match up with "neglecting basic skills in favor of other skills". Do we love every part of this? No. The causal aspect of it, can result, is never said explicitly. We are just seeing some plausible support for the idea that wanting to spend more time on computer skills led to spending less time on basic match / reading, since these two things go hand in hand among the group of schools emphasizing computer technology. Does spending less time on basic skills mean we're "neglecting" them? No, not quite. But by spending less time on anything, you could say you're neglecting it somewhat. Ultimately, this is just the most supportable answer, despite having some flaws to it.

   Skill tested: Most Supported · how this choice captures the argument's function is the move to repeat next time.

   83%
5. E

   Too Strong: the primary goal0% picked this

   Giving students a knowledge of new technologies should be the primary

   First of all, this passage is just neutral descriptions about what schools have been doing, so we have no support for anything opinionated like, "X should be the primary goal of education". Even if we were to pretend that we are modern educators, we know they want to make sure they impart computer skills, but we don't know if that's the #1 thing they want to impart. Calling it a primary goal would be much more reasonable than calling it the primary goal. It's also much broader to say "giving students a knowledge of new technologies" than it is to talk about emphasizing computer technologies. (it's not as if all new technologies are computer technologies)

   0%