KEY TO EXERCISES-Unit 11

KEY TO EXERCISES-Unit 11

I. Decide which of the following best states the author's purpose of writing.

B.

The 6 student may be cheered up after reading the letter, but obviously the author's purpose of

writing is not just to cheer him up. Therefore, A is not the correct answer.

The author did mention some of his personal experiences in the letter, but the purpose of doing so

is not to show that grades are misleading. So C is not appropriate.

II. Judge, according to the text, whether the following statements are true or false.

1. T. Refer to Paragraph 1. A couple of generations ago, C was the norm, and now the

norm has shifted upward. This means most students then got C instead of B.

2. T. Refer to Paragraph 3. On the one hand, the author says grades can be

dangerously

misleading; on the other hand, he thinks they are important.

3. F. This is not true. The first sentence of Paragraph 8 makes it very clear.

4. F. Refer to the first sentence of Paragraph 10.

HI. Answer the following questions.

1. The answer to this question is mainly based on Paragraph 2, in which the author implies that

the cause of the student's disappointment is to a large extent social. In the society the importance

of winning is overemphasized; it is considered shameful to be a loser. What's more, to prosper in

this society ensures one's salvation in the future. In this general social climate, therefore, a B

student will naturally feel disappointed.

2. Refer to Paragraph 4. A grade is just a symbol, which is supposed to reflect the level of a

student's performance. A student's performance is assumed to correspond to his knowledge. But

the student may have acquired more or less knowledge out of the course than the grade indicates.

Therefore a grade may be misleading.

3. His attitude toward the current school curriculum is critical. Refer to Paragraph 5, in

which he mentions a number of important characteristics for us humans such as courage, kindness,

wisdom, and good humor. The current school curriculum has obviously neglected the aspect of

character building on the part of the students.

4. The technique the instructor used was to make a clear distinction between the student as a

classroom performer and the student as a human being. A poor grade, at best, indicates that the

student is a poor classroom performer, but it has little to say about the ability and personality of

the student as a human being. By making such a distinction, the instructor encouraged, rather than

discouraged, those who were not doing well in class. As a result they all worked harder at his

course.

5. Social labels, including grades, in the author's opinion, are basically irrelevant and

misleading. But on the other hand, they are necessary, because human society is complex and

diversified, thus distinctions among its members have to be made, and such distinctions must be

indicated by various labels.

IV. Explain in your own words the following sentences taken from the text.

1. Being unsuccessful in one's life and career and financially disadvantaged is regarded as

shameful or even sinful because in this world people tend to think that only those who are

successful now can be saved from evil in the future.

2. It is important to see the fact that although they differ in their class status and educational background, human beings are essentially the same. First of all, they are, biologically speaking,

constructed in the same way, and then they all share the feelings of fear and joy, and also the

common experience of suffering and achieving. This commonality has bound them together.

All of them will regard wars, diseases, and disasters, both private and public, as unfortunate big

events in their lifetime.

1. Paragraphs 2 5

Keyword(s): Disappointment.

Main idea; Grades do not mean everything.

2. Paragraphs 6-8

Key word(s) The student as performer; the student as human being.

Main idea; Getting a B in class does not mean one will always be a B performer in life.

3. Paragraphs 9 -10

Key word( s): Perspective.

Main idea; In a complex society like ours, labels are necessary but they should be kept in

perspective.

I. Explain the underlined part in each sentence in your own words.

1. inner nature; indispensable quality; the most important part

2. The phrase specifically refers to "the seven deadly sins" : pride, covetousness, lust, anger,

gluttony, envy and sloth.

3. making you think or act wrongly

4. tasks traditionally required of students

5. far from enough

II. Choose the word or phrase that can replace the underlined part in each sentence without