Journalist: Education systems sincerely need to evaluate the role play...
Argument Analysis
Pre-Thinking
Conclusion Clarification
The journalist (author) concludes that education systems need to evaluate the role played by teaching poetry at the elementary school level. The author supports the conclusion by citing two opinions; the reasoning for one of these opinions is missing.
Pre-Thinking Approach
Let’s see how we can increase the belief in the stated opinion for which the reasoning is missing. To do so, we will look at the logical structure, focusing on linkage 1. Thus, the way to provide this reasoning will be to come up with a strengthener/premise that increases our belief in this intermediate conclusion.
Linkage#1– Missing reasoning
- Strengthener – A reason that argues against teaching poetry at the elementary school level. It should highlight the inappropriateness of most of the poems taught at the elementary school level for students of that age.
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- Instance: The content of most of the poems is based on topics such as violence that are not considered suitable for young learners at the elementary school level.
With this understanding, let us evaluate the option statements.
Answer Choices
A
students in general appreciate other forms of engagements with art such as dramatics and story-writing.
Incorrect - Irrelevant
The fondness of students in general for other activities doesn’t argue against the poems taught to students at the elementary level.
B
these students have not developed skills to access and research on the internet and learn more about the poems they are taught.
Incorrect - Irrelevant
Lack of skills to learn more about the poems doesn’t show that most of poems are inappropriate for such students.
C
these poems are written on mature subjects such as loneliness, social-ills etc.
Correct
This option is written along the lines of our pre-thinking linkage. The fact that poems are written on mature subjects can make them inappropriate for learners at the elementary school level.
D
most of the teachers in elementary schools do not have a single field of specialization and teach multiple subjects.
Incorrect - Irrelevant
The argument makes no link between specialization of teachers and appropriateness of the poems taught by them. Thus this option is not relevant to the argument.
E
such poems have very minimal use of linguistic expressions such as usage of metaphors and analogies.
Incorrect - Irrelevant
We aren’t told whether minimal use of linguistic expression in poems is a positive or negative characteristic. Thus, this option doesn’t argue for or against the conclusion.