Below is an article from Sunday’s New York Times Education Supplement. I am simply posting it here. My point is simple enough. Why do we have tests like this? Whose interests do they serve? Who remembers what is “taught” by them? And, how do they possibly relate to how a student will do in college? (Actually that last one I can answer: college is full of tests like this as well, at least bad college course are.) No wonder students are bored to death in school and can't remember what they "learned."
U.S. History, Revised
Roundly drubbed as left-wing anti-Americanism, the framework for the Advanced Placement course in United States history was recast for 2015-16. Here are some of the practice questions that were revised to address issues.
Refer to these quotes when answering questions 1 to 3.
1The statements of both Truman and Reagan share the same goal of ...
restraining communist military power and ideological influence.
creating alliances with recently decolonized nations.
re-establishing the principle of isolationism.
avoiding a military confrontation with the Soviet Union.
2Truman issued the doctrine primarily to ...
support decolonization in Asia and Africa.
support U.S. allies in Latin America.
protect U.S. interests in the Middle East.
bolster non-communist nations, particularly in Europe.
3Reagan’s speech best reflects which of the following developments in U.S. foreign policy?
Caution resulting from earlier setbacks in international affairs.
Assertions of U.S. opposition to communism.
The expansion of peacekeeping efforts.
The pursuit of free trade worldwide.
Adolph Treidler/Collection of Library of Congress
Refer to this image when answering questions 4 to 6.
4The poster was intended to ...
persuade women to enlist in the military.
promote the ideals of republican motherhood.
advocate for the elimination of sex discrimination in employment.
convince women that they had an essential role in the war effort.
5The poster most directly reflects the ...
wartime mobilization of U.S. society.
emergence of the United States as a leading world power.
expanded access to consumer goods during wartime.
wartime repression of civil liberties.
6Which of the following represents a later example of the change highlighted in the poster?
Feminist challenges to sexual norms in the 1970s.
The growing protests against U.S. military engagements abroad in the 1970s.
The increasing inability of the manufacturing sector to create jobs for women in the 1970s and 1980s.
The growing popular consensus about appropriate women’s roles in the 1980s and 1990s.
Jacob A. Riis/Bettmann, via Corbis
Refer to this image when answering questions 7 to 9.
7Conditions like those shown in the image at right contributed most directly to which of the following?
The passage of laws restricting immigration to the United States.
An increase in Progressive reform activity.
A decline in efforts to Americanize immigrants.
The weakening of labor unions such as the American Federation of Labor.
8The conditions shown in the image depict which of the following trends in the late 19th century?
The growing gap between rich and poor.
The rise of the settlement house and Populist movements.
Increased corruption in urban politics.
The migration of African-Americans to the North in the late 19th century.
9Advocates for individuals such as those shown in the image would have most likely agreed with which of the following perspectives?
The Supreme Court’s decision in Plessy v. Ferguson was justified.
Capitalism, free of government regulation, would improve social conditions.
Both wealth and poverty are the products of natural selection.
Government should act to eliminate the worst abuses of industrial society.
Refer to this quote when answering questions 10 to 12.
10Which of the following aspects of Muir’s description expresses a major change in Americans’ views of the natural environment?
The idea that wilderness areas are worthy subjects for artistic works.
The idea that wilderness areas serve as evidence of divine creation.
The idea that government should preserve wilderness areas in a natural state.
The idea that mountainous scenery is more picturesque and beautiful than flat terrain.
11 Muir’s ideas are most directly a reaction to the ...
increasing usage and exploitation of western landscapes.
increase in urban populations, including immigrant workers attracted by a growing industrial economy.
westward migration of groups seeking religious refuge.
opening of a new frontier in recently annexed territory.
12Muir’s position regarding wilderness was most strongly supported by which of the following?
Members of the Populist movement.
Urban political bosses.
American Indians living on reservations.
Preservationists concerned about overuse of natural resources.
Funny thing is a student in my neighborhood never took the class but managed to get a 5 on the test. Some students just seem motivated to remember and do better at the game than others
ReplyDeleteInteresting poiny of view!
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