Read the following passage and answer the item that follows. Your answer to this item should be based on the…
Read the following passage and answer the item that follows. Your answer to this item should be based on the passage only.
Passage:
In our schools, we teach our children all that is there to know about Physics, maths and history and what-have you. But do we teach them about the bitter caste divide that plagues the country, about the spectre of famine that stalks large part of our land, about gender sensitivity, about the possibility of atheism as a choice, etc.? Equally important, do we teach them to ask question, or do we teach them only to passively receive our wisdom? From the cocooned world of school, suddenly, the adolescent finds himself/herself in the unfettered world of university. Here he/she is swept up in a turmoil of ideas and influences and ideologies. For someone who has been discouraged from asking questions and forming an opinion, this transition can be painful.
Which one of the following best reflects the central idea of the passage given above?
School curriculum is not compatible with the expectations of children and parents.
Emphasis on academic achievements does give time for development of personality and skills.
Preparing the children to be better citizens should be the responsibility of the education system.
To be a better citizen, the present world order demands societal and life-coping skills in addition to academic content.
Solution
The passage argues that schools teach only academics and do not address social issues or the skill of questioning, making the transition to wider life painful. The central idea is that being a better citizen requires societal and life-coping skills in addition to academic content. Option (d) is correct; (a) and (b) misread, and (c) makes a conclusive judgment the passage avoids.