social promotion

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nileshdalvi: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 171; Joined: Sat Feb 28, 2009 4:59 amFollowed by: 3 members; Thanked: 13 times

by nileshdalvi » Mon Sep 26, 2011 10:34 am

A growing number of urban school districts have embraced the practice of "social promotion." Whereby a student is automatically promoted to the next highest grade regardless of whether he or she has passed or failed English class. This policy is flawed, because the only criterion that a student must fulfill in order to advance is to pass a state-wide standardized test.

The answer to which of the following questions would be most useful in evaluating the validity of "social promotion"?

(A) Do students have to option of taking a standardized test in a language other than English?
(B) What is the rate of graduation from schools at which "social promotion" is commonly practiced?
(C) How rigorous are the questions on these standardized tests that pertain to English skills?
(D) How prevalent is "social promotion" among school districts in more suburban areas?
(E) If a student fails a standardized test, is he or she given the chance to take it again before having to be kept back?

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Source: Beat The GMAT — Critical Reasoning | Mon Sep 26, 2011 10:34 am

tanyasingh_85: Newbie | Next Rank: 10 Posts; Posts: 4; Joined: Tue Feb 01, 2011 7:33 am

by tanyasingh_85 » Mon Sep 26, 2011 4:28 pm

I think the answer should be - A . If the students have an option to take the same exam in a different language then scores from the English language test can be avoided.
OA ?

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dev.gavande: Senior | Next Rank: 100 Posts; Posts: 33; Joined: Tue Nov 27, 2007 2:35 am

by dev.gavande » Tue Sep 27, 2011 12:12 am

Is it C ?

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gmatclubmember: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 158; Joined: Sat Sep 03, 2011 10:31 amFollowed by: 2 members; Thanked: 29 times

by gmatclubmember » Tue Sep 27, 2011 6:21 am

Is it A??

OA plz.

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nileshdalvi: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 171; Joined: Sat Feb 28, 2009 4:59 amFollowed by: 3 members; Thanked: 13 times

by nileshdalvi » Tue Sep 27, 2011 8:44 am

Its C. Can you please provide the analysis?

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navami: Legendary Member; Posts: 540; Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2008 7:24 pmFollowed by: 6 members; Thanked: 37 times

by navami » Wed Sep 28, 2011 5:01 am

i strongly feel Option A can give a good fight.. only reason I may not go for it is for inferring it little too much.

C - asks the fundamental question : if the standardize exam is really upto any standard. if not then may be every one will pass- and that is as good as passing students without exam

This time no looking back!!!
Navami

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shankar.ashwin: Legendary Member; Posts: 966; Joined: Sat Jan 02, 2010 8:06 amFollowed by: 21 members; Thanked: 230 times

by shankar.ashwin » Wed Sep 28, 2011 5:41 am

C IMO

The question is about evaluating the standardized tests compared to traditional english classes. A talks about eliminating english exams completely.
C rightly compares the standards of english skills.

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Bigred2008: Junior | Next Rank: 30 Posts; Posts: 18; Joined: Sun Jul 18, 2010 3:09 pm

by Bigred2008 » Wed Sep 28, 2011 1:27 pm

(C) How rigorous are the questions on these standardized tests that pertain to English skills?

It's C, because if you think about the argument of the stimulus, it's attacking the fact that one can fail english but still pass based on passing a test. C provides the best answer because you would need to know how rigorous the test is in regards to English. Because if the English test questions are easy, one could skate by, but if the questions test what one would of learned in an English class than it provides more of a comparison.

By the way, what is the source? It sounds like a Lsat question, but that's just me.

"No Pressure, No Diamonds. "

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gunjan1208: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 416; Joined: Thu Jul 28, 2011 12:48 amFollowed by: 6 members; Thanked: 28 times

by gunjan1208 » Thu Sep 29, 2011 3:32 am

I fell for A. But after the explanation I am good with the logic. Thanks for good question.

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sl750: Master | Next Rank: 500 Posts; Posts: 496; Joined: Tue Jun 07, 2011 5:34 amFollowed by: 1 member; Thanked: 38 times

by sl750 » Thu Sep 29, 2011 7:10 am

Choice C helps explain the validity of social promotion. If the test does not rigorously determine English speaking skills then it is no better than social promotion

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