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Adapted from “Coddling in Education” by Henry Seidel Canby (1922)
American minds have been coddled in school and college for at least a generation. There are two kinds of mental coddling. The first belongs to the public schools, and is one of the defects of our educational system that we abuse privately and largely keep out of print. It is democratic coddling. I mean, of course, the failure to hold up standards, the willingness to let youth wobble upward, knowing little and that inaccurately, passing nothing well, graduating with an education that hits and misses like an old typewriter with a torn ribbon. America is full of "sloppy thinking," of inaccuracy, of half-baked misinformation, of sentimentalism, especially sentimentalism, as a result of coddling by schools that cater to an easy-going democracy.
A dozen causes are responsible for this condition, and among them, I suspect, one, which if not major, at least deserves careful pondering. The teacher and the taught have somehow drifted apart. His function in the large has been to teach an ideal, a tradition. He is content, he has to be content, with partial results. In the mind of the student a dim conception has entered, that this education--all education--is a garment merely, to be doffed for the struggle with realities. The will is dulled. Interest slackens.
But it is in aristocratic coddling that the effects of our educational attitude gleam out to the least observant understanding. The teaching in the best American preparatory schools and colleges is as careful and as conscientious as any in the world. That one gladly asserts. Indeed, an American boy in a good boarding-school is handled like a rare microbe in a research laboratory. He is ticketed; every instant of his time is planned and scrutinized; he is dieted with brain food, predigested, and weighed before application. I sometimes wonder if a moron could not be made into an Abraham Lincoln by such a system--if the system were sound.
It is not sound. The boys and girls, especially the boys, are coddled for entrance examinations, coddled through freshman year, coddled oftentimes for graduation. And they too frequently go out into the world fireproof against anything but intellectual coddling. Such men and women can read only writing especially prepared for brains that will take only selected ideas. They can think only on simple lines. They can live happily only in a life where no intellectual or esthetic experience lies too far outside the range of their curriculum. A world where one reads the news and skips the editorials; goes to musical comedies, but omits the plays; looks at illustrated magazines, but seldom at books; talks business, sports, and politics, but never economics, social welfare, and statesmanship--that is the world for which we coddle the best of our youth. Many indeed escape the evil effects by their own innate originality; more bear the marks to the grave.
Q. The author of this passage is primarily focused on __________.
  • a)
    the abilities of the common man
  • b)
    the indulgence of school children
  • c)
    the strength of the public school system
  • d)
    how to prevent school children from failing their exams
Correct answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?
Most Upvoted Answer
Adapted from “Coddling in Education” by Henry Seidel Canby...
The author of this passage is primarily concerned with the coddling (overindulgence and protection) of school children in education and how the current public school system does not prepare young boys and girls for the realities of adult life. The author states: “They too frequently go out into the world fireproof against anything but intellectual coddling. Such men and women can read only writing especially prepared for brains that will take only selected ideas.” It is clear that the author believes the overindulgence of school children is of grave concern.
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Directions: Read the passages and choose the best answer to each question.PassageSOCIAL SCIENCE:This passage is adapted from The American Republic: Constitution, Tendencies, and Destiny by O.A. Brownson © 1866.The ancients summed up the whole of humanwisdom in the maxim “Know Thyself,” and certainlythere is for an individual no more important and nomore difficult knowledge, than knowledge of himself.(5)Nations are only individuals on a larger scale. Theyhave a life, an individuality, a reason, a conscience, andinstincts of their own, and have the same general lawsof development and growth, and, perhaps, of decay,as the individual man. Equally important, and no less(10)difficult than for the individual, is it for a nation toknow itself, understand its own existence, powers andfaculties, rights and duties, constitution, instincts, ten-dencies, and destiny. A nation has a spiritual as wellas a material existence, a moral as well as a physical(15)existence, and is subjected to internal as well as exter-nal conditions of health and virtue, greatness andgrandeur, which it must in some measure understandand observe, or become lethargic and infirm, stuntedin its growth, and end in premature decay and death.(20)Among nations, no one has more need of fullknowledge of itself than the United States, and no onehas, to this point, had less. It has hardly had a distinctconsciousness of its own national existence, and haslived the naive life of the child, with no severe trial,(25)till the recent civil war, to throw it back on itself andcompel it to reflect on its own constitution, its ownseparate existence, individuality, tendencies, and end.The defection of the slaveholding States, and the fear-ful struggle that has followed for national unity and(30)integrity, have brought the United States at once toa distinct recognition of itself, and forced it to passfrom thoughtless, careless, heedless, reckless adoles-cence to grave and reflecting manhood. The nation hasbeen suddenly compelled to study itself, and from now(35)on must act from reflection, understanding, science,and statesmanship, not from instinct, impulse, pas-sion, or caprice, knowing well what it does, and why itdoes it. The change which four years of civil war havewrought in the nation is great, and is sure to give it the(40)seriousness, the gravity, and the dignity it has so farlacked.Though the nation has been brought to a con-sciousness of its own existence, it has not, even yet,attained a full and clear understanding of its own(45)national constitution. Its vision is still obscured by thefloating mists of its earlier morning, and its judgmentrendered indistinct and indecisive by the wild theoriesand fancies of its childhood. The national mind hasbeen quickened, the national heart has been opened,(50)the national disposition prepared, but there remainsthe important work of dissipating the mists that stilllinger, of brushing away these wild theories and fan-cies, and of enabling it to form a clear and intelligentjudgment of itself, and a true and just appreciation of(55)its own constitution tendencies.As the individual states have vindicated theirnational unity and integrity, and are preparing to makea new start in history, nothing is more important thanthat they should make that new start with a clear and(60)definite view of their national constitution, and witha distinct understanding of their political mission inthe future of the world. The citizen who can help hiscountrymen to do this will render them an importantservice and deserve well of his country, though he may(65)have been unable to serve in her armies and defendher on the battle-field. The work now to be done byAmerican statesmen is even more difficult and moredelicate than that which has been accomplished by ourbrave armies. As yet the people are hardly better pre-(70)pared for the political work to be done than they wereat the outbreak of the civil war for the military workthey have so nobly achieved. But, with time, patience,and good-will, the difficulties may be overcome, theerrors of the past corrected, and the government placed(75)on the right track for the future.Q.According to the passage, what does the author assert will happen to the United States if the nation does not become more aware of itself and its role in the global community?

Directions: Read the passages and choose the best answer to each question.PassageSOCIAL SCIENCE:This passage is adapted from The American Republic: Constitution, Tendencies, and Destiny by O.A. Brownson © 1866.The ancients summed up the whole of humanwisdom in the maxim “Know Thyself,” and certainlythere is for an individual no more important and nomore difficult knowledge, than knowledge of himself.(5)Nations are only individuals on a larger scale. Theyhave a life, an individuality, a reason, a conscience, andinstincts of their own, and have the same general lawsof development and growth, and, perhaps, of decay,as the individual man. Equally important, and no less(10)difficult than for the individual, is it for a nation toknow itself, understand its own existence, powers andfaculties, rights and duties, constitution, instincts, ten-dencies, and destiny. A nation has a spiritual as wellas a material existence, a moral as well as a physical(15)existence, and is subjected to internal as well as exter-nal conditions of health and virtue, greatness andgrandeur, which it must in some measure understandand observe, or become lethargic and infirm, stuntedin its growth, and end in premature decay and death.(20)Among nations, no one has more need of fullknowledge of itself than the United States, and no onehas, to this point, had less. It has hardly had a distinctconsciousness of its own national existence, and haslived the naive life of the child, with no severe trial,(25)till the recent civil war, to throw it back on itself andcompel it to reflect on its own constitution, its ownseparate existence, individuality, tendencies, and end.The defection of the slaveholding States, and the fear-ful struggle that has followed for national unity and(30)integrity, have brought the United States at once toa distinct recognition of itself, and forced it to passfrom thoughtless, careless, heedless, reckless adoles-cence to grave and reflecting manhood. The nation hasbeen suddenly compelled to study itself, and from now(35)on must act from reflection, understanding, science,and statesmanship, not from instinct, impulse, pas-sion, or caprice, knowing well what it does, and why itdoes it. The change which four years of civil war havewrought in the nation is great, and is sure to give it the(40)seriousness, the gravity, and the dignity it has so farlacked.Though the nation has been brought to a con-sciousness of its own existence, it has not, even yet,attained a full and clear understanding of its own(45)national constitution. Its vision is still obscured by thefloating mists of its earlier morning, and its judgmentrendered indistinct and indecisive by the wild theoriesand fancies of its childhood. The national mind hasbeen quickened, the national heart has been opened,(50)the national disposition prepared, but there remainsthe important work of dissipating the mists that stilllinger, of brushing away these wild theories and fan-cies, and of enabling it to form a clear and intelligentjudgment of itself, and a true and just appreciation of(55)its own constitution tendencies.As the individual states have vindicated theirnational unity and integrity, and are preparing to makea new start in history, nothing is more important thanthat they should make that new start with a clear and(60)definite view of their national constitution, and witha distinct understanding of their political mission inthe future of the world. The citizen who can help hiscountrymen to do this will render them an importantservice and deserve well of his country, though he may(65)have been unable to serve in her armies and defendher on the battle-field. The work now to be done byAmerican statesmen is even more difficult and moredelicate than that which has been accomplished by ourbrave armies. As yet the people are hardly better pre-(70)pared for the political work to be done than they wereat the outbreak of the civil war for the military workthey have so nobly achieved. But, with time, patience,and good-will, the difficulties may be overcome, theerrors of the past corrected, and the government placed(75)on the right track for the future.Q.According to the last paragraph, what does the author believe will happen if the United States is able to fully understand its own constitution and political duty on a global scale?

Directions: Read the passages and choose the best answer to each question.PassageSOCIAL SCIENCE:This passage is adapted from The American Republic: Constitution, Tendencies, and Destiny by O.A. Brownson © 1866.The ancients summed up the whole of humanwisdom in the maxim “Know Thyself,” and certainlythere is for an individual no more important and nomore difficult knowledge, than knowledge of himself.(5)Nations are only individuals on a larger scale. Theyhave a life, an individuality, a reason, a conscience, andinstincts of their own, and have the same general lawsof development and growth, and, perhaps, of decay,as the individual man. Equally important, and no less(10)difficult than for the individual, is it for a nation toknow itself, understand its own existence, powers andfaculties, rights and duties, constitution, instincts, ten-dencies, and destiny. A nation has a spiritual as wellas a material existence, a moral as well as a physical(15)existence, and is subjected to internal as well as exter-nal conditions of health and virtue, greatness andgrandeur, which it must in some measure understandand observe, or become lethargic and infirm, stuntedin its growth, and end in premature decay and death.(20)Among nations, no one has more need of fullknowledge of itself than the United States, and no onehas, to this point, had less. It has hardly had a distinctconsciousness of its own national existence, and haslived the naive life of the child, with no severe trial,(25)till the recent civil war, to throw it back on itself andcompel it to reflect on its own constitution, its ownseparate existence, individuality, tendencies, and end.The defection of the slaveholding States, and the fear-ful struggle that has followed for national unity and(30)integrity, have brought the United States at once toa distinct recognition of itself, and forced it to passfrom thoughtless, careless, heedless, reckless adoles-cence to grave and reflecting manhood. The nation hasbeen suddenly compelled to study itself, and from now(35)on must act from reflection, understanding, science,and statesmanship, not from instinct, impulse, pas-sion, or caprice, knowing well what it does, and why itdoes it. The change which four years of civil war havewrought in the nation is great, and is sure to give it the(40)seriousness, the gravity, and the dignity it has so farlacked.Though the nation has been brought to a con-sciousness of its own existence, it has not, even yet,attained a full and clear understanding of its own(45)national constitution. Its vision is still obscured by thefloating mists of its earlier morning, and its judgmentrendered indistinct and indecisive by the wild theoriesand fancies of its childhood. The national mind hasbeen quickened, the national heart has been opened,(50)the national disposition prepared, but there remainsthe important work of dissipating the mists that stilllinger, of brushing away these wild theories and fan-cies, and of enabling it to form a clear and intelligentjudgment of itself, and a true and just appreciation of(55)its own constitution tendencies.As the individual states have vindicated theirnational unity and integrity, and are preparing to makea new start in history, nothing is more important thanthat they should make that new start with a clear and(60)definite view of their national constitution, and witha distinct understanding of their political mission inthe future of the world. The citizen who can help hiscountrymen to do this will render them an importantservice and deserve well of his country, though he may(65)have been unable to serve in her armies and defendher on the battle-field. The work now to be done byAmerican statesmen is even more difficult and moredelicate than that which has been accomplished by ourbrave armies. As yet the people are hardly better pre-(70)pared for the political work to be done than they wereat the outbreak of the civil war for the military workthey have so nobly achieved. But, with time, patience,and good-will, the difficulties may be overcome, theerrors of the past corrected, and the government placed(75)on the right track for the future.Q.A recurring metaphor the author uses in the piece compares the United States to

Directions: Read the passages and choose the best answer to each question.PassageSOCIAL SCIENCE:This passage is adapted from The American Republic: Constitution, Tendencies, and Destiny by O.A. Brownson © 1866.The ancients summed up the whole of humanwisdom in the maxim “Know Thyself,” and certainlythere is for an individual no more important and nomore difficult knowledge, than knowledge of himself.(5)Nations are only individuals on a larger scale. Theyhave a life, an individuality, a reason, a conscience, andinstincts of their own, and have the same general lawsof development and growth, and, perhaps, of decay,as the individual man. Equally important, and no less(10)difficult than for the individual, is it for a nation toknow itself, understand its own existence, powers andfaculties, rights and duties, constitution, instincts, ten-dencies, and destiny. A nation has a spiritual as wellas a material existence, a moral as well as a physical(15)existence, and is subjected to internal as well as exter-nal conditions of health and virtue, greatness andgrandeur, which it must in some measure understandand observe, or become lethargic and infirm, stuntedin its growth, and end in premature decay and death.(20)Among nations, no one has more need of fullknowledge of itself than the United States, and no onehas, to this point, had less. It has hardly had a distinctconsciousness of its own national existence, and haslived the naive life of the child, with no severe trial,(25)till the recent civil war, to throw it back on itself andcompel it to reflect on its own constitution, its ownseparate existence, individuality, tendencies, and end.The defection of the slaveholding States, and the fear-ful struggle that has followed for national unity and(30)integrity, have brought the United States at once toa distinct recognition of itself, and forced it to passfrom thoughtless, careless, heedless, reckless adoles-cence to grave and reflecting manhood. The nation hasbeen suddenly compelled to study itself, and from now(35)on must act from reflection, understanding, science,and statesmanship, not from instinct, impulse, pas-sion, or caprice, knowing well what it does, and why itdoes it. The change which four years of civil war havewrought in the nation is great, and is sure to give it the(40)seriousness, the gravity, and the dignity it has so farlacked.Though the nation has been brought to a con-sciousness of its own existence, it has not, even yet,attained a full and clear understanding of its own(45)national constitution. Its vision is still obscured by thefloating mists of its earlier morning, and its judgmentrendered indistinct and indecisive by the wild theoriesand fancies of its childhood. The national mind hasbeen quickened, the national heart has been opened,(50)the national disposition prepared, but there remainsthe important work of dissipating the mists that stilllinger, of brushing away these wild theories and fan-cies, and of enabling it to form a clear and intelligentjudgment of itself, and a true and just appreciation of(55)its own constitution tendencies.As the individual states have vindicated theirnational unity and integrity, and are preparing to makea new start in history, nothing is more important thanthat they should make that new start with a clear and(60)definite view of their national constitution, and witha distinct understanding of their political mission inthe future of the world. The citizen who can help hiscountrymen to do this will render them an importantservice and deserve well of his country, though he may(65)have been unable to serve in her armies and defendher on the battle-field. The work now to be done byAmerican statesmen is even more difficult and moredelicate than that which has been accomplished by ourbrave armies. As yet the people are hardly better pre-(70)pared for the political work to be done than they wereat the outbreak of the civil war for the military workthey have so nobly achieved. But, with time, patience,and good-will, the difficulties may be overcome, theerrors of the past corrected, and the government placed(75)on the right track for the future.Q.According to the passage, what caused the United States to “pass from thoughtless, careless, heedless, reckless adolescence to grave and reflecting manhood (lines 31– 33)”?

Directions: Read the passages and choose the best answer to each question.PassageSOCIAL SCIENCE:This passage is adapted from The American Republic: Constitution, Tendencies, and Destiny by O.A. Brownson © 1866.The ancients summed up the whole of humanwisdom in the maxim “Know Thyself,” and certainlythere is for an individual no more important and nomore difficult knowledge, than knowledge of himself.(5)Nations are only individuals on a larger scale. Theyhave a life, an individuality, a reason, a conscience, andinstincts of their own, and have the same general lawsof development and growth, and, perhaps, of decay,as the individual man. Equally important, and no less(10)difficult than for the individual, is it for a nation toknow itself, understand its own existence, powers andfaculties, rights and duties, constitution, instincts, ten-dencies, and destiny. A nation has a spiritual as wellas a material existence, a moral as well as a physical(15)existence, and is subjected to internal as well as exter-nal conditions of health and virtue, greatness andgrandeur, which it must in some measure understandand observe, or become lethargic and infirm, stuntedin its growth, and end in premature decay and death.(20)Among nations, no one has more need of fullknowledge of itself than the United States, and no onehas, to this point, had less. It has hardly had a distinctconsciousness of its own national existence, and haslived the naive life of the child, with no severe trial,(25)till the recent civil war, to throw it back on itself andcompel it to reflect on its own constitution, its ownseparate existence, individuality, tendencies, and end.The defection of the slaveholding States, and the fear-ful struggle that has followed for national unity and(30)integrity, have brought the United States at once toa distinct recognition of itself, and forced it to passfrom thoughtless, careless, heedless, reckless adoles-cence to grave and reflecting manhood. The nation hasbeen suddenly compelled to study itself, and from now(35)on must act from reflection, understanding, science,and statesmanship, not from instinct, impulse, pas-sion, or caprice, knowing well what it does, and why itdoes it. The change which four years of civil war havewrought in the nation is great, and is sure to give it the(40)seriousness, the gravity, and the dignity it has so farlacked.Though the nation has been brought to a con-sciousness of its own existence, it has not, even yet,attained a full and clear understanding of its own(45)national constitution. Its vision is still obscured by thefloating mists of its earlier morning, and its judgmentrendered indistinct and indecisive by the wild theoriesand fancies of its childhood. The national mind hasbeen quickened, the national heart has been opened,(50)the national disposition prepared, but there remainsthe important work of dissipating the mists that stilllinger, of brushing away these wild theories and fan-cies, and of enabling it to form a clear and intelligentjudgment of itself, and a true and just appreciation of(55)its own constitution tendencies.As the individual states have vindicated theirnational unity and integrity, and are preparing to makea new start in history, nothing is more important thanthat they should make that new start with a clear and(60)definite view of their national constitution, and witha distinct understanding of their political mission inthe future of the world. The citizen who can help hiscountrymen to do this will render them an importantservice and deserve well of his country, though he may(65)have been unable to serve in her armies and defendher on the battle-field. The work now to be done byAmerican statesmen is even more difficult and moredelicate than that which has been accomplished by ourbrave armies. As yet the people are hardly better pre-(70)pared for the political work to be done than they wereat the outbreak of the civil war for the military workthey have so nobly achieved. But, with time, patience,and good-will, the difficulties may be overcome, theerrors of the past corrected, and the government placed(75)on the right track for the future.Q.According to the author, a citizen who helps his countrymen to develop “a distinct understanding of their political mission in the future of the world” (lines 61–62) should be

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Adapted from “Coddling in Education” by Henry Seidel Canby(1922)American minds have been coddled in school and college for at least a generation. There are two kinds of mental coddling. The first belongs to the public schools, and is one of the defects of our educational system that we abuse privately and largely keep out of print. It is democratic coddling. I mean, of course, the failure to hold up standards, the willingness to let youth wobble upward, knowing little and that inaccurately, passing nothing well, graduating with an education that hits and misses like an old typewriter with a torn ribbon. America is full of "sloppy thinking," of inaccuracy, of half-baked misinformation, of sentimentalism, especially sentimentalism, as a result of coddling by schools that cater to an easy-going democracy.A dozen causes are responsible for this condition, and among them, I suspect, one, which if not major, at least deserves careful pondering. The teacher and the taught have somehow drifted apart. His function in the large has been to teach an ideal, a tradition. He is content, he has to be content, with partial results. In the mind of the student a dim conception has entered, that this education--all education--is a garment merely, to be doffed for the struggle with realities. The will is dulled. Interest slackens.But it is in aristocratic coddling that the effects of our educational attitude gleam out to the least observant understanding. The teaching in the best American preparatory schools and colleges is as careful and as conscientious as any in the world. That one gladly asserts. Indeed, an American boy in a good boarding-school is handled like a rare microbe in a research laboratory. He is ticketed; every instant of his time is planned and scrutinized; he is dieted with brain food, predigested, and weighed before application. I sometimes wonder if a moron could not be made into an Abraham Lincoln by such a system--if the system were sound.It is not sound. The boys and girls, especially the boys, are coddled for entrance examinations, coddled through freshman year, coddled oftentimes for graduation. And they too frequently go out into the world fireproof against anything but intellectual coddling. Such men and women can read only writing especially prepared for brains that will take only selected ideas. They can think only on simple lines. They can live happily only in a life where no intellectual or esthetic experience lies too far outside the range of their curriculum. A world where one reads the news and skips the editorials; goes to musical comedies, but omits the plays; looks at illustrated magazines, but seldom at books; talks business, sports, and politics, but never economics, social welfare, and statesmanship--that is the world for which we coddle the best of our youth. Many indeed escape the evil effects by their own innate originality; more bear the marks to the grave.Q. The author of this passage is primarily focused on__________.a)the abilities of the common manb)the indulgence of school childrenc)the strength of the public school systemd)how to prevent school children from failing their examsCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?
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Adapted from “Coddling in Education” by Henry Seidel Canby(1922)American minds have been coddled in school and college for at least a generation. There are two kinds of mental coddling. The first belongs to the public schools, and is one of the defects of our educational system that we abuse privately and largely keep out of print. It is democratic coddling. I mean, of course, the failure to hold up standards, the willingness to let youth wobble upward, knowing little and that inaccurately, passing nothing well, graduating with an education that hits and misses like an old typewriter with a torn ribbon. America is full of "sloppy thinking," of inaccuracy, of half-baked misinformation, of sentimentalism, especially sentimentalism, as a result of coddling by schools that cater to an easy-going democracy.A dozen causes are responsible for this condition, and among them, I suspect, one, which if not major, at least deserves careful pondering. The teacher and the taught have somehow drifted apart. His function in the large has been to teach an ideal, a tradition. He is content, he has to be content, with partial results. In the mind of the student a dim conception has entered, that this education--all education--is a garment merely, to be doffed for the struggle with realities. The will is dulled. Interest slackens.But it is in aristocratic coddling that the effects of our educational attitude gleam out to the least observant understanding. The teaching in the best American preparatory schools and colleges is as careful and as conscientious as any in the world. That one gladly asserts. Indeed, an American boy in a good boarding-school is handled like a rare microbe in a research laboratory. He is ticketed; every instant of his time is planned and scrutinized; he is dieted with brain food, predigested, and weighed before application. I sometimes wonder if a moron could not be made into an Abraham Lincoln by such a system--if the system were sound.It is not sound. The boys and girls, especially the boys, are coddled for entrance examinations, coddled through freshman year, coddled oftentimes for graduation. And they too frequently go out into the world fireproof against anything but intellectual coddling. Such men and women can read only writing especially prepared for brains that will take only selected ideas. They can think only on simple lines. They can live happily only in a life where no intellectual or esthetic experience lies too far outside the range of their curriculum. A world where one reads the news and skips the editorials; goes to musical comedies, but omits the plays; looks at illustrated magazines, but seldom at books; talks business, sports, and politics, but never economics, social welfare, and statesmanship--that is the world for which we coddle the best of our youth. Many indeed escape the evil effects by their own innate originality; more bear the marks to the grave.Q. The author of this passage is primarily focused on__________.a)the abilities of the common manb)the indulgence of school childrenc)the strength of the public school systemd)how to prevent school children from failing their examsCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? for ACT 2025 is part of ACT preparation. The Question and answers have been prepared according to the ACT exam syllabus. Information about Adapted from “Coddling in Education” by Henry Seidel Canby(1922)American minds have been coddled in school and college for at least a generation. There are two kinds of mental coddling. The first belongs to the public schools, and is one of the defects of our educational system that we abuse privately and largely keep out of print. It is democratic coddling. I mean, of course, the failure to hold up standards, the willingness to let youth wobble upward, knowing little and that inaccurately, passing nothing well, graduating with an education that hits and misses like an old typewriter with a torn ribbon. America is full of "sloppy thinking," of inaccuracy, of half-baked misinformation, of sentimentalism, especially sentimentalism, as a result of coddling by schools that cater to an easy-going democracy.A dozen causes are responsible for this condition, and among them, I suspect, one, which if not major, at least deserves careful pondering. The teacher and the taught have somehow drifted apart. His function in the large has been to teach an ideal, a tradition. He is content, he has to be content, with partial results. In the mind of the student a dim conception has entered, that this education--all education--is a garment merely, to be doffed for the struggle with realities. The will is dulled. Interest slackens.But it is in aristocratic coddling that the effects of our educational attitude gleam out to the least observant understanding. The teaching in the best American preparatory schools and colleges is as careful and as conscientious as any in the world. That one gladly asserts. Indeed, an American boy in a good boarding-school is handled like a rare microbe in a research laboratory. He is ticketed; every instant of his time is planned and scrutinized; he is dieted with brain food, predigested, and weighed before application. I sometimes wonder if a moron could not be made into an Abraham Lincoln by such a system--if the system were sound.It is not sound. The boys and girls, especially the boys, are coddled for entrance examinations, coddled through freshman year, coddled oftentimes for graduation. And they too frequently go out into the world fireproof against anything but intellectual coddling. Such men and women can read only writing especially prepared for brains that will take only selected ideas. They can think only on simple lines. They can live happily only in a life where no intellectual or esthetic experience lies too far outside the range of their curriculum. A world where one reads the news and skips the editorials; goes to musical comedies, but omits the plays; looks at illustrated magazines, but seldom at books; talks business, sports, and politics, but never economics, social welfare, and statesmanship--that is the world for which we coddle the best of our youth. Many indeed escape the evil effects by their own innate originality; more bear the marks to the grave.Q. The author of this passage is primarily focused on__________.a)the abilities of the common manb)the indulgence of school childrenc)the strength of the public school systemd)how to prevent school children from failing their examsCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? covers all topics & solutions for ACT 2025 Exam. Find important definitions, questions, meanings, examples, exercises and tests below for Adapted from “Coddling in Education” by Henry Seidel Canby(1922)American minds have been coddled in school and college for at least a generation. There are two kinds of mental coddling. The first belongs to the public schools, and is one of the defects of our educational system that we abuse privately and largely keep out of print. It is democratic coddling. I mean, of course, the failure to hold up standards, the willingness to let youth wobble upward, knowing little and that inaccurately, passing nothing well, graduating with an education that hits and misses like an old typewriter with a torn ribbon. America is full of "sloppy thinking," of inaccuracy, of half-baked misinformation, of sentimentalism, especially sentimentalism, as a result of coddling by schools that cater to an easy-going democracy.A dozen causes are responsible for this condition, and among them, I suspect, one, which if not major, at least deserves careful pondering. The teacher and the taught have somehow drifted apart. His function in the large has been to teach an ideal, a tradition. He is content, he has to be content, with partial results. In the mind of the student a dim conception has entered, that this education--all education--is a garment merely, to be doffed for the struggle with realities. The will is dulled. Interest slackens.But it is in aristocratic coddling that the effects of our educational attitude gleam out to the least observant understanding. The teaching in the best American preparatory schools and colleges is as careful and as conscientious as any in the world. That one gladly asserts. Indeed, an American boy in a good boarding-school is handled like a rare microbe in a research laboratory. He is ticketed; every instant of his time is planned and scrutinized; he is dieted with brain food, predigested, and weighed before application. I sometimes wonder if a moron could not be made into an Abraham Lincoln by such a system--if the system were sound.It is not sound. The boys and girls, especially the boys, are coddled for entrance examinations, coddled through freshman year, coddled oftentimes for graduation. And they too frequently go out into the world fireproof against anything but intellectual coddling. Such men and women can read only writing especially prepared for brains that will take only selected ideas. They can think only on simple lines. They can live happily only in a life where no intellectual or esthetic experience lies too far outside the range of their curriculum. A world where one reads the news and skips the editorials; goes to musical comedies, but omits the plays; looks at illustrated magazines, but seldom at books; talks business, sports, and politics, but never economics, social welfare, and statesmanship--that is the world for which we coddle the best of our youth. Many indeed escape the evil effects by their own innate originality; more bear the marks to the grave.Q. The author of this passage is primarily focused on__________.a)the abilities of the common manb)the indulgence of school childrenc)the strength of the public school systemd)how to prevent school children from failing their examsCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?.
Solutions for Adapted from “Coddling in Education” by Henry Seidel Canby(1922)American minds have been coddled in school and college for at least a generation. There are two kinds of mental coddling. The first belongs to the public schools, and is one of the defects of our educational system that we abuse privately and largely keep out of print. It is democratic coddling. I mean, of course, the failure to hold up standards, the willingness to let youth wobble upward, knowing little and that inaccurately, passing nothing well, graduating with an education that hits and misses like an old typewriter with a torn ribbon. America is full of "sloppy thinking," of inaccuracy, of half-baked misinformation, of sentimentalism, especially sentimentalism, as a result of coddling by schools that cater to an easy-going democracy.A dozen causes are responsible for this condition, and among them, I suspect, one, which if not major, at least deserves careful pondering. The teacher and the taught have somehow drifted apart. His function in the large has been to teach an ideal, a tradition. He is content, he has to be content, with partial results. In the mind of the student a dim conception has entered, that this education--all education--is a garment merely, to be doffed for the struggle with realities. The will is dulled. Interest slackens.But it is in aristocratic coddling that the effects of our educational attitude gleam out to the least observant understanding. The teaching in the best American preparatory schools and colleges is as careful and as conscientious as any in the world. That one gladly asserts. Indeed, an American boy in a good boarding-school is handled like a rare microbe in a research laboratory. He is ticketed; every instant of his time is planned and scrutinized; he is dieted with brain food, predigested, and weighed before application. I sometimes wonder if a moron could not be made into an Abraham Lincoln by such a system--if the system were sound.It is not sound. The boys and girls, especially the boys, are coddled for entrance examinations, coddled through freshman year, coddled oftentimes for graduation. And they too frequently go out into the world fireproof against anything but intellectual coddling. Such men and women can read only writing especially prepared for brains that will take only selected ideas. They can think only on simple lines. They can live happily only in a life where no intellectual or esthetic experience lies too far outside the range of their curriculum. A world where one reads the news and skips the editorials; goes to musical comedies, but omits the plays; looks at illustrated magazines, but seldom at books; talks business, sports, and politics, but never economics, social welfare, and statesmanship--that is the world for which we coddle the best of our youth. Many indeed escape the evil effects by their own innate originality; more bear the marks to the grave.Q. The author of this passage is primarily focused on__________.a)the abilities of the common manb)the indulgence of school childrenc)the strength of the public school systemd)how to prevent school children from failing their examsCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? in English & in Hindi are available as part of our courses for ACT. Download more important topics, notes, lectures and mock test series for ACT Exam by signing up for free.
Here you can find the meaning of Adapted from “Coddling in Education” by Henry Seidel Canby(1922)American minds have been coddled in school and college for at least a generation. There are two kinds of mental coddling. The first belongs to the public schools, and is one of the defects of our educational system that we abuse privately and largely keep out of print. It is democratic coddling. I mean, of course, the failure to hold up standards, the willingness to let youth wobble upward, knowing little and that inaccurately, passing nothing well, graduating with an education that hits and misses like an old typewriter with a torn ribbon. America is full of "sloppy thinking," of inaccuracy, of half-baked misinformation, of sentimentalism, especially sentimentalism, as a result of coddling by schools that cater to an easy-going democracy.A dozen causes are responsible for this condition, and among them, I suspect, one, which if not major, at least deserves careful pondering. The teacher and the taught have somehow drifted apart. His function in the large has been to teach an ideal, a tradition. He is content, he has to be content, with partial results. In the mind of the student a dim conception has entered, that this education--all education--is a garment merely, to be doffed for the struggle with realities. The will is dulled. Interest slackens.But it is in aristocratic coddling that the effects of our educational attitude gleam out to the least observant understanding. The teaching in the best American preparatory schools and colleges is as careful and as conscientious as any in the world. That one gladly asserts. Indeed, an American boy in a good boarding-school is handled like a rare microbe in a research laboratory. He is ticketed; every instant of his time is planned and scrutinized; he is dieted with brain food, predigested, and weighed before application. I sometimes wonder if a moron could not be made into an Abraham Lincoln by such a system--if the system were sound.It is not sound. The boys and girls, especially the boys, are coddled for entrance examinations, coddled through freshman year, coddled oftentimes for graduation. And they too frequently go out into the world fireproof against anything but intellectual coddling. Such men and women can read only writing especially prepared for brains that will take only selected ideas. They can think only on simple lines. They can live happily only in a life where no intellectual or esthetic experience lies too far outside the range of their curriculum. A world where one reads the news and skips the editorials; goes to musical comedies, but omits the plays; looks at illustrated magazines, but seldom at books; talks business, sports, and politics, but never economics, social welfare, and statesmanship--that is the world for which we coddle the best of our youth. Many indeed escape the evil effects by their own innate originality; more bear the marks to the grave.Q. The author of this passage is primarily focused on__________.a)the abilities of the common manb)the indulgence of school childrenc)the strength of the public school systemd)how to prevent school children from failing their examsCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? defined & explained in the simplest way possible. Besides giving the explanation of Adapted from “Coddling in Education” by Henry Seidel Canby(1922)American minds have been coddled in school and college for at least a generation. There are two kinds of mental coddling. The first belongs to the public schools, and is one of the defects of our educational system that we abuse privately and largely keep out of print. It is democratic coddling. I mean, of course, the failure to hold up standards, the willingness to let youth wobble upward, knowing little and that inaccurately, passing nothing well, graduating with an education that hits and misses like an old typewriter with a torn ribbon. America is full of "sloppy thinking," of inaccuracy, of half-baked misinformation, of sentimentalism, especially sentimentalism, as a result of coddling by schools that cater to an easy-going democracy.A dozen causes are responsible for this condition, and among them, I suspect, one, which if not major, at least deserves careful pondering. The teacher and the taught have somehow drifted apart. His function in the large has been to teach an ideal, a tradition. He is content, he has to be content, with partial results. In the mind of the student a dim conception has entered, that this education--all education--is a garment merely, to be doffed for the struggle with realities. The will is dulled. Interest slackens.But it is in aristocratic coddling that the effects of our educational attitude gleam out to the least observant understanding. The teaching in the best American preparatory schools and colleges is as careful and as conscientious as any in the world. That one gladly asserts. Indeed, an American boy in a good boarding-school is handled like a rare microbe in a research laboratory. He is ticketed; every instant of his time is planned and scrutinized; he is dieted with brain food, predigested, and weighed before application. I sometimes wonder if a moron could not be made into an Abraham Lincoln by such a system--if the system were sound.It is not sound. The boys and girls, especially the boys, are coddled for entrance examinations, coddled through freshman year, coddled oftentimes for graduation. And they too frequently go out into the world fireproof against anything but intellectual coddling. Such men and women can read only writing especially prepared for brains that will take only selected ideas. They can think only on simple lines. They can live happily only in a life where no intellectual or esthetic experience lies too far outside the range of their curriculum. A world where one reads the news and skips the editorials; goes to musical comedies, but omits the plays; looks at illustrated magazines, but seldom at books; talks business, sports, and politics, but never economics, social welfare, and statesmanship--that is the world for which we coddle the best of our youth. Many indeed escape the evil effects by their own innate originality; more bear the marks to the grave.Q. The author of this passage is primarily focused on__________.a)the abilities of the common manb)the indulgence of school childrenc)the strength of the public school systemd)how to prevent school children from failing their examsCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer?, a detailed solution for Adapted from “Coddling in Education” by Henry Seidel Canby(1922)American minds have been coddled in school and college for at least a generation. There are two kinds of mental coddling. The first belongs to the public schools, and is one of the defects of our educational system that we abuse privately and largely keep out of print. It is democratic coddling. I mean, of course, the failure to hold up standards, the willingness to let youth wobble upward, knowing little and that inaccurately, passing nothing well, graduating with an education that hits and misses like an old typewriter with a torn ribbon. America is full of "sloppy thinking," of inaccuracy, of half-baked misinformation, of sentimentalism, especially sentimentalism, as a result of coddling by schools that cater to an easy-going democracy.A dozen causes are responsible for this condition, and among them, I suspect, one, which if not major, at least deserves careful pondering. The teacher and the taught have somehow drifted apart. His function in the large has been to teach an ideal, a tradition. He is content, he has to be content, with partial results. In the mind of the student a dim conception has entered, that this education--all education--is a garment merely, to be doffed for the struggle with realities. The will is dulled. Interest slackens.But it is in aristocratic coddling that the effects of our educational attitude gleam out to the least observant understanding. The teaching in the best American preparatory schools and colleges is as careful and as conscientious as any in the world. That one gladly asserts. Indeed, an American boy in a good boarding-school is handled like a rare microbe in a research laboratory. He is ticketed; every instant of his time is planned and scrutinized; he is dieted with brain food, predigested, and weighed before application. I sometimes wonder if a moron could not be made into an Abraham Lincoln by such a system--if the system were sound.It is not sound. The boys and girls, especially the boys, are coddled for entrance examinations, coddled through freshman year, coddled oftentimes for graduation. And they too frequently go out into the world fireproof against anything but intellectual coddling. Such men and women can read only writing especially prepared for brains that will take only selected ideas. They can think only on simple lines. They can live happily only in a life where no intellectual or esthetic experience lies too far outside the range of their curriculum. A world where one reads the news and skips the editorials; goes to musical comedies, but omits the plays; looks at illustrated magazines, but seldom at books; talks business, sports, and politics, but never economics, social welfare, and statesmanship--that is the world for which we coddle the best of our youth. Many indeed escape the evil effects by their own innate originality; more bear the marks to the grave.Q. The author of this passage is primarily focused on__________.a)the abilities of the common manb)the indulgence of school childrenc)the strength of the public school systemd)how to prevent school children from failing their examsCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? has been provided alongside types of Adapted from “Coddling in Education” by Henry Seidel Canby(1922)American minds have been coddled in school and college for at least a generation. There are two kinds of mental coddling. The first belongs to the public schools, and is one of the defects of our educational system that we abuse privately and largely keep out of print. It is democratic coddling. I mean, of course, the failure to hold up standards, the willingness to let youth wobble upward, knowing little and that inaccurately, passing nothing well, graduating with an education that hits and misses like an old typewriter with a torn ribbon. America is full of "sloppy thinking," of inaccuracy, of half-baked misinformation, of sentimentalism, especially sentimentalism, as a result of coddling by schools that cater to an easy-going democracy.A dozen causes are responsible for this condition, and among them, I suspect, one, which if not major, at least deserves careful pondering. The teacher and the taught have somehow drifted apart. His function in the large has been to teach an ideal, a tradition. He is content, he has to be content, with partial results. In the mind of the student a dim conception has entered, that this education--all education--is a garment merely, to be doffed for the struggle with realities. The will is dulled. Interest slackens.But it is in aristocratic coddling that the effects of our educational attitude gleam out to the least observant understanding. The teaching in the best American preparatory schools and colleges is as careful and as conscientious as any in the world. That one gladly asserts. Indeed, an American boy in a good boarding-school is handled like a rare microbe in a research laboratory. He is ticketed; every instant of his time is planned and scrutinized; he is dieted with brain food, predigested, and weighed before application. I sometimes wonder if a moron could not be made into an Abraham Lincoln by such a system--if the system were sound.It is not sound. The boys and girls, especially the boys, are coddled for entrance examinations, coddled through freshman year, coddled oftentimes for graduation. And they too frequently go out into the world fireproof against anything but intellectual coddling. Such men and women can read only writing especially prepared for brains that will take only selected ideas. They can think only on simple lines. They can live happily only in a life where no intellectual or esthetic experience lies too far outside the range of their curriculum. A world where one reads the news and skips the editorials; goes to musical comedies, but omits the plays; looks at illustrated magazines, but seldom at books; talks business, sports, and politics, but never economics, social welfare, and statesmanship--that is the world for which we coddle the best of our youth. Many indeed escape the evil effects by their own innate originality; more bear the marks to the grave.Q. The author of this passage is primarily focused on__________.a)the abilities of the common manb)the indulgence of school childrenc)the strength of the public school systemd)how to prevent school children from failing their examsCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? theory, EduRev gives you an ample number of questions to practice Adapted from “Coddling in Education” by Henry Seidel Canby(1922)American minds have been coddled in school and college for at least a generation. There are two kinds of mental coddling. The first belongs to the public schools, and is one of the defects of our educational system that we abuse privately and largely keep out of print. It is democratic coddling. I mean, of course, the failure to hold up standards, the willingness to let youth wobble upward, knowing little and that inaccurately, passing nothing well, graduating with an education that hits and misses like an old typewriter with a torn ribbon. America is full of "sloppy thinking," of inaccuracy, of half-baked misinformation, of sentimentalism, especially sentimentalism, as a result of coddling by schools that cater to an easy-going democracy.A dozen causes are responsible for this condition, and among them, I suspect, one, which if not major, at least deserves careful pondering. The teacher and the taught have somehow drifted apart. His function in the large has been to teach an ideal, a tradition. He is content, he has to be content, with partial results. In the mind of the student a dim conception has entered, that this education--all education--is a garment merely, to be doffed for the struggle with realities. The will is dulled. Interest slackens.But it is in aristocratic coddling that the effects of our educational attitude gleam out to the least observant understanding. The teaching in the best American preparatory schools and colleges is as careful and as conscientious as any in the world. That one gladly asserts. Indeed, an American boy in a good boarding-school is handled like a rare microbe in a research laboratory. He is ticketed; every instant of his time is planned and scrutinized; he is dieted with brain food, predigested, and weighed before application. I sometimes wonder if a moron could not be made into an Abraham Lincoln by such a system--if the system were sound.It is not sound. The boys and girls, especially the boys, are coddled for entrance examinations, coddled through freshman year, coddled oftentimes for graduation. And they too frequently go out into the world fireproof against anything but intellectual coddling. Such men and women can read only writing especially prepared for brains that will take only selected ideas. They can think only on simple lines. They can live happily only in a life where no intellectual or esthetic experience lies too far outside the range of their curriculum. A world where one reads the news and skips the editorials; goes to musical comedies, but omits the plays; looks at illustrated magazines, but seldom at books; talks business, sports, and politics, but never economics, social welfare, and statesmanship--that is the world for which we coddle the best of our youth. Many indeed escape the evil effects by their own innate originality; more bear the marks to the grave.Q. The author of this passage is primarily focused on__________.a)the abilities of the common manb)the indulgence of school childrenc)the strength of the public school systemd)how to prevent school children from failing their examsCorrect answer is option 'B'. Can you explain this answer? tests, examples and also practice ACT tests.
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