Reading 26 - Students Learning

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One of the major processes that takes place in schools, of course, is that students learn. When they graduate from high school, many can use a computer, write essays with three-part theses, and differentiate equations. In addition to learning specific skills, they learn to think critically, to weigh evidence and to develop independent judgment. The extent to which this development takes place is related to both school and home environments. Teachers who are more open to new ideas and less authoritarian produce students who have greater intellectual flexibility and higher achievement test scores. Studies show that teachers are most demanding when they are of the same social class as their students. The greater the difference between their own social class and that of their pupils, the more rigidly they structure their classrooms and the fewer demands they place on their students.

1. It is stated in the passage that teachers who are more open to new ideas ----.

A) produce more successful students in terms of test scores and
        intellectual flexibility
B) often come from a lower social class than their students
C) are more authoritarian towards students
D) discourage intellectual flexibility in schools
E) give students more homework

2. We learn from the reading that when students graduate from high school ----.

A) none of them are able to think critically
B) they can take the overall responsibility of anything
C) all of them have a good knowledge of computer usage
D) many of them have gained specific skills like writing essays and
        differentiating equations
E) most of them lack knowledge because of unavailability of ideal learning
        conditions

3. According to the reading, it is true that ----.

A) teachers who are from a higher social class than their students should
        be hired
B) it is not so difficult to constitute ideal learning conditions
C) with close supervision every student can get high test scores
D) both the school and home environments greatly influence a student's
        achievement in school
E) students learn best in a rigid classroom environment

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