PrepTest 103, Section 2, Question 22
Most students are bored by history courses as(43 more words not shown)
Each of the following is(8 more words not shown)
- AOne should avoid(8 more words not shown)
- BIt is not(18 more words not shown)
- CIt is possible(13 more words not shown)
- DIt is compatible(18 more words not shown)
- EStudents are more(26 more words not shown)
Reading the argument
A biography can be boring too.
I can see why telling history as a story might engage students more than drilling dates and statistics. But the recommendation goes further: spending most class time on historical figures is supposedly the best way to teach history. What if students find those life stories just as dull? And even if this approach is better than the usual one, could another approach be better still?
Those are two separate concerns. The proposed change has to address the boredom used to justify it, and calling it “best” requires more than showing an improvement over one alternative.
What we’re looking for
The question has an EXCEPT: four answers state assumptions the reasoning needs; one doesn't. So don't pick an answer merely because it identifies a real gap. For each choice, ask whether the author must accept it to use this reasoning. We're looking for the one the author can reject while keeping the proposal.
Working the answers
- A
The argument treats student boredom as a reason to change instruction. That requires accepting that avoiding boredom matters when teaching history. If the author regarded boredom as no reason at all to alter a course, the stated evidence wouldn't support the recommendation. A is an assumption the reasoning uses, so it isn't the exception.
- B
Spending very little time on dates and statistics must still allow the course to meet its achievable teaching goals. Otherwise, a less boring class could fail to teach the history it is supposed to teach, undermining the claim that this is the best approach. B doesn't say dates and statistics have no value. It says limiting time on them isn't incompatible with the goals.
- CCorrect
We don't need to eliminate every date or statistic. The proposal says to spend very little time on them, not none. A teacher could briefly mention when George Washington was born and then devote the rest of the discussion to his life.
Even if recounting a historical life always required a few dates, the proposed class could still work exactly as described. C demands the ability to avoid dates and statistics altogether, which is more than the recommendation requires. That's why it is the exception.
- D
Spending most class time on historical figures must be compatible with the course's achievable goals. If that focus prevented students from learning what the course should teach, its being engaging wouldn't establish that it is the best method. D covers the main use of class time, just as B covers the time taken away from dates and statistics.
- E
This addresses my concern that the life stories might be just as boring. The argument uses boredom to justify the switch, so the proposed course needs to reduce that problem. E supplies that comparison. It doesn't settle my separate concern about whether some third approach could be even better, but an assumption can be required without resolving every weakness.
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