English Test – Put Parents Back into Education

1- It’s unbelievable! Knowledge is spreading rapidly nowadays. Schools and universities are found all over the world. Nations spend enormous sums on education. Yet, the educational level of students has declined: young people are hardly ever able to read a daily newspaper or even write an understandable letter. What’s happening in our schools? And who should be blamed?

2- Actually, the decline in educational standards is due to the fact that parents no longer help with their children’s education. They send them off to school beginning at age five or six and then expect the government to educate them. They do not take into account that education is a process that begins at birth. Experts agree that the first few years set the foundation for future performance.

3- In his book Straight Talk About American Education, Theodore M. Black perceived the problem. He warns, “Parents, not schools or governments, are fundamentally responsible for the education of their children.”

4- Parents should realize that schools are only one element in the education of their children. Infants are taught, whether knowingly or not, by their parents from birth. They cannot just wash their hands of responsibility for their children’s education.

5- Parents should contribute to the teaching of their offspring. They don’t need to be teachers to tutor their children. What they need is the will, and some imagination, to prepare them to function intelligently within a society. Thus we will see that educational standards and students’ achievements will no longer go downward.

I. COMPREHENSION

A. ARE THESE STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWER.

  1. Governments do not spend enough money on education.
  2. Education is the job of schools only.
  3. Parents do not feel responsible for their children’s education.

B. ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS.

  1. What shows that the educational standards of students have declined?
  2. According to the text, who is responsible for this decline?
  3. What is Straight Talk about American Education?

C. COMPLETE THESE SENTENCES ACCORDING TO THE TEXT.

  1. Although knowledge is spreading quickly, ……………………………………
  2. It’s up to parents to ……………………………

D. WHAT DO THE UNDERLINED WORDS IN THE TEXT REFER TO?

  1. Them (Paragraph 2): ……………………..
  2. The problem (Paragraph 3): ……………………..
  3. Their (Paragraph 4): ……………………..

E. FIND IN THE TEXT WORDS OR EXPRESSIONS MEANING THE SAME AS.

  1. Rarely (paragraph 1)
  2. Because of (paragraph 2)
  3. Just (paragraph 4)
  4. Children (paragraph 5)

II. LANGUAGE

A. MATCH THE NUMBERS WITH THE LETTERS TO MAKE COLLOCATIONS.

  1. Cultural
  2. Equal
  3. Generation
  4. Have
  5. Pay
  6. Sense of

a. access
b. attention
c. diversity
d. gap
e. humor
f. rights

B. PUT THE VERBS IN BRACKETS INTO THE CORRECT FORM.

When Nancy (go)……1…… to India, she (already/hear) ……2…… so many things about street children. She (be) ……3…… there for three months now, collecting information for her first book about India. By the end of next month, she (visit) ……4…… India’s major cities.

C. REWRITE THE SENTENCES AS SUGGESTED.

  1. Infants are taught by their parents from birth.
    • Parents ………………………
  2. I didn’t have money, so I couldn’t buy the book.
    • If …………………………
  3. They think that parents are the cause of their children’s educational standards decline.
    • Parents are ……………………

D. GIVE THE CORRECT FORM OF THE WORD IN BRACKETS.

  1. This food is ( eat ) ………. It is contaminated, and it may kill you.
  2. Our ( education ) ……… system needs a lot of changes to become well.
  3. Most doctors believe that Brahim’s case is ( hope ) ………. He had two operations but without improvement.
  4. The dispute between the two neighbors was settled by an ( agree ) ……… that satisfied both parties.

E. FILL IN THE BLANKS WITH THE APPROPRIATE WORDS FROM THE LIST.

Although – Despite – Moreover – Unlike – Whereas

  1. ……… their parents, youngsters do not care much about old traditions.
  2. ……… the environment is a source of life for us. We pollute it.

F. WHAT DO YOU SAY IN THIS SITUATION?

Your neighbor is making too much noise, which disturbs you. You make a complaint, and he apologizes. What do you say?

  • You: ……………………………………
  • Your neighbor: ……………………

III. Writing

Write a two-paragraph essay talking about education and its role in solving several problems, such as population growth, illiteracy, and crimes. Tell how it can teach and give a person knowledge in addition to helping countries to develop.

Key Answers to Put Parents Back into Education

I. COMPREHENSION

A. ARE THESE STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWER.

  1. False. Governments do spend enormous sums on education.
  2. False. Education is not the job of schools only; it begins at birth, and parents play a crucial role.
  3. True. Some parents do not feel responsible for their children’s education, according to the text.

B. ANSWER THESE QUESTIONS. 

  1. Young people are hardly ever able to read a daily newspaper or even write an understandable letter.
  2. The decline in educational standards is due to the fact that parents no longer help with their children’s education.
  3. “Straight Talk About American Education” is a book emphasizing that parents are fundamentally responsible for their children’s education.

C. COMPLETE THESE SENTENCES ACCORDING TO THE TEXT.

  1. Although knowledge is spreading quickly, the educational level of students has declined.
  2. It’s up to parents to actively contribute to the education of their children.

D. WHAT DO THE UNDERLINED WORDS IN THE TEXT REFER TO?

  1. Children.
  2. The decline in educational standards.
  3. Parents.

E. FIND IN THE TEXT WORDS OR EXPRESSIONS MEANING THE SAME AS.

  1. Hardly ever
  2. Due to the fact that
  3. Only
  4. Offspring

II. LANGUAGE

A. MATCH THE NUMBERS WITH THE LETTERS TO MAKE COLLOCATIONS.

  1. Cultural diversity
  2. Equal rights
  3. Generation gap
  4. Have access
  5. Pay attention
  6. Sense of humor

B. PUT THE VERBS IN BRACKETS INTO THE CORRECT FORM.

When Nancy went (1) to India, she had already heard (2) so many things about street children. She has been (3) there for three months now, collecting information for her first book about India. By the end of next month, she will have visited (4) India’s major cities.

C. REWRITE THE SENTENCES AS SUGGESTED. 

  1. Parents teach infants from birth.
  2. If I had had money, I could have bought the book.
  3. Parents are thought to be the cause of their children’s educational standards decline.

D. GIVE THE CORRECT FORM OF THE WORD IN BRACKETS.

  1. This food is uneatable (eat). It is contaminated, and it may kill you.
  2. Our educational (education) system needs a lot of changes to become well.
  3. Most doctors believe that Brahim’s case is hopeless (hope). He had two operations but without improvement.
  4. The dispute between the two neighbors was settled by an agreement (agree) that satisfied both parties.

E. FILL IN THE BLANKS WITH THE APPROPRIATE WORDS FROM THE LIST.

  1. Unlike their parents, youngsters do not care much about old traditions.
  2. Although the environment is a source of life for us, we pollute it.

F. WHAT DO YOU SAY IN THIS SITUATION? 

  • You: “Excuse me, but your noise is really disturbing me. Could you please keep it down?”
  • Your neighbor: “Oh, I’m sorry about that. I didn’t realize it was bothering you. I’ll make sure to be more considerate from now on.”
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