The reading passage name is VILLAGE SCHOOLS AND TRAVELING SOLDIERS on commonlit.

Question

PART A: Which TWO of the following best identify the central ideas of this text?

A. Traditional Chinese education requires constant study.

B. Education in China is superior to education elsewhere.

C. Without traditional Chinese education, children will become arrogant.

D. The goal of education is to master many skills, both practical and intellectual.

E. Education is only for some—others become “wild” laborers.

F. With a good education, a “wild” child can become more useful to his family.

3. PART B: Which TWO phrases from the text best support the answers to Part A?

A. “The object of Chinese education is to pump up the wisdom of the ancients into the minds of the moderns” (Paragraph 1)

B. “According to Chinese theory, or practice, a school which should only be in session for six months of the year, would be a gross absurdity” (Paragraph 1)

C. “The same saying is current in regard to the second degree, and with not less reason” (Paragraph 2)

D. “He may be incomparably more useful to his family than the other, but so far as education goes he is only a ‘wild’ lad” (Paragraph 3)

E. “He has very little opportunity to learn anything of practical affairs, and still less disposition” (Paragraph 5)

F. “So far as they go these are valuable acquirements, although they can scarcely be termed an education” (Paragraph 6)

Answer 1

Multiple choice questions often are best begun by eliminating options you know are wrong and then evaluating what's left. In this case, it's even easier to determine if you've chosen correctly because the answer to the second question must directly support the answer to the first.

The first step is to identify the question. That's sounds simple, but you'd be surprised how often students skip this and end up not actually answering the question asked.

In this case, look at the options and eliminate any answer choices that are not supported by the texts. Be careful; wrong answers are carefully crafted. They are often clever distortions meant to lead you to false assumptions or projections that are beyond the scope of the passage.

Next compare the options in the second question to make sure they support your choices in the first. If not, you'll need to go back and reconsider your choices.

I've been teaching test prep for many years and, without fail, reading comprehension is the skill students find most challenging. There is too much to be covered in this forum, but I've given you some basic strategies to get you started. Good luck!