Critical Analysis & Reasoning Skills Practice Questions: 7 | Critical Analysis & Reasoning Skills for MCAT PDF Download

Roony Lee and Henry Adams, despite their initial hostility, developed a curious sympathy that brought them together. The main difference between them during their time in college was their level of scholarship: Lee was a complete failure, while Adams was only partially successful. Both experienced academic setbacks, but Lee felt the weight of his failure more acutely. When an opportunity arose for Lee to escape his circumstances by accepting a commission from General Winfield Scott to join the force being organized against the Mormons, he asked Adams to write his acceptance letter. This request flattered Adams, as it showcased his diplomatic skills and demonstrated a level of good temper amid the political animosity of the time.

However, Adams did not receive much educational value from his peers or instructors during his four years at college. Though Harvard was a reputable institution, Adams disliked the idea of any school and did not want to be just one student among many. He viewed his education as having value only for himself, and he desired to absorb all of it. Unfortunately, he only obtained about half of an average education. Much later in life, when he ended up teaching subjects that students did not naturally care about or need to know, he spent dreary faculty meetings amusing himself by looking up his class rankings and discovered that he was exactly in the middle. In the crucial subject of mathematics, his education failed him utterly. While he may never have become a mathematician, he still needed to grasp mathematical concepts as a universal language, but he never even mastered the basics.

Adams gained very little from the ancient languages, apart from a few Greek plays. He also had limited exposure to Political Economy, only encountering some unclear theories on free trade and protection. He had no recollection of encountering the works of Karl Marx or the book "Capital." These two writers exerted significant influence on the intellectual thought of the time. The only course that truly captured his imagination was a series of lectures by Louis Agassiz on the Glacial Period and Paleontology. This course had a far greater impact on his curiosity than all of his other college instruction combined. In retrospect, he realized that the entire four-year curriculum could have been easily condensed into just a few months of study later in life.

Despite its shortcomings, Harvard College had a certain value as a negative force. It gradually eroded Adams's strong political biases from his childhood, not by replacing them with alternative interests, but by fostering mental habits that were neutral. If Adams had been capable of finding other forms of entertainment, the college might have also weakened his strong literary biases. However, due to the climate and lack of alternatives, he remained committed to aimless and unproductive reading, devouring countless volumes that he couldn't even recall the titles of. He naturally gravitated toward writing and occasionally received hesitant approval from his professors or tutors for his English composition. Yet, in all subjects, even when he made a concerted effort to prove himself, he never managed to convince his teachers that his abilities warranted placing him in the top third of his class. Adams himself believed that his instructors were largely correct in their assessments, and even when he became a professor, he acknowledged that he too made mistakes in ranking his own students, but generally felt he was not far off. Whether as a student or a professor, he accepted the negative standard because it was the prevailing standard of the school.
Q.1. What was the chief difference between Roony Lee and Henry Adams during their time in college?

(a) Lee excelled in scholarship, while Adams struggled.
(b) Adams excelled in scholarship, while Lee struggled.
(c) Both Lee and Adams were successful scholars.
(d) Both Lee and Adams were failures academically.

Correct Answer is Option (b)
The passage states that Lee was a total failure, while Adams was a partial one. This indicates that Adams had more success academically compared to Lee.

Q.2. Why did Roony Lee accept a commission offered by General Winfield Scott?
(a) He wanted to prove himself as a skilled military officer.
(b) He was seeking an escape from his academic failure.
(c) He had a strong interest in Mormonism and wanted to join the force against them.
(d) He received a prestigious scholarship for military service.

Correct Answer is Option (b)
The passage mentions that Lee gladly accepted the commission as an opportunity to escape his academic failure.

Q.3. What subject did Henry Adams struggle with the most during his college years?
(a) Mathematics
(b) Chemistry
(c) Ancient languages
(d) Political Economy

Correct Answer is Option (a)
The passage states that Adams' education failed him lamentably in mathematics, and even though he never aspired to be a mathematician, he needed to understand it as a universal language, which he never achieved.

Q.4. What course had the greatest influence on Henry Adams's curiosity during his time at Harvard?
(a) Ancient languages
(b) Political Economy
(c) Chemistry
(d) Glacial Period and Paleontology

Correct Answer is Option (d)
The passage mentions that a course of lectures by Louis Agassiz on the Glacial Period and Paleontology had a greater influence on Adams's curiosity than all of his other college instruction combined.

Q.5. Why does the passage describe Harvard College as a negative force?
(a) It promoted unhealthy competition among students.
(b) It failed to provide a comprehensive education to its students.
(c) It reinforced students' biases and prejudices.
(d) It did not offer enough extracurricular activities.

Correct Answer is Option (c)
The passage states that Harvard College gradually weakened Adams's strong political biases from childhood, not by replacing them with alternative interests, but by fostering mental habits that had no bias at all. This suggests that the college acted as a negative force in shaping his biases.