Teachers' Salaries

15. The primary purpose of the passage is to (A) call attention to a serious problem (B) justify the continuation of current policies (C) examine the advantages and disadvantages of policy changes (D) refute the allegations of critics (E) establish the need for additional data and studies

A

20. Which of the following best describes the function of the sentence "Things are no better in the work world" (lines 32-33) ? (A) It extends the author's argument about education into another area. (B) It suggests that educators alone are not responsible for poor school quality. (C) It tries to establish new sources of funding for educational endeavors. (D) It introduces an argument for the need to make entry-level work more demanding. (E) It offers a specific example of unethical behavior.

A

17. Which of the following versions of the sentence in lines 4-6, reproduced below, is clearest? Yet unlike other nations, American schools are financed at the local rather than the federal level. (A) Change "Yet" to "Nevertheless" (B) Add "schools in" after "unlike" (C) Add "however" after "schools" (D) Change "are financed" to "receive income" (E) Add "from" after "than"

B

16. Which of the following best describes the relationship between the first and second sentences of the passage? (A) The first sentence states a fact; the second states an opinion. (B) The first sentence presents an idea; the second reiterates the same idea. (C) The first sentence makes a statement; the second introduces a potential difficulty. (D) The first sentence lists goals; the second explains them. (E) The first sentence summarizes one point of view; the second summarizes an opposing position.

C

18. In context, the tone of lines 8-12 ("And voters . . . kids") can best be described as (A) heedless (B) scandalized (C) critical (D) surprised (E) encouraging

C

24. The purpose of endnote 2 (line 45) is to (A) inform readers that the author is directly quoting the writers listed in the endnote (B) provide reference materials to support forthcoming data (C) document the sources of claims made about loans, scholarships, and educational funding (D) refute the notion that there is a link between the cost of higher education and the availability of loans (E) acknowledge that the experts listed might not agree with the claim made in the preceding sentence

C

19. The italics in the second paragraph (lines 16-26) serve all of the following purposes EXCEPT to (A) emphasize the author's frustration with the situation (B) underscore the author's major points in the paragraph (C) call attention to the magnitude of the problem being discussed (D) exaggerate the author's determination to bring about change (E) highlight details that support the author's argument

D

22. The information in the sentence below would fit most logically after the sentence that ends on which of the following lines? In Australia all school funding is centralized so that the government can ensure accountability and fair deployment of resources. (A) Line 8 (B) Line 15 (C) Line 23 (D) Line 29 (E) Line 33

D

21. The author offers specific data to support which of the following assertions? (A) "Teachers' salaries, expenditures per pupil, and other indicators of school quality (including the physical plant) significantly affect the employment prospects and wages of high school graduates." (lines 1-4) (B) "School bond failures are way up in comparison with earlier decades." (lines 12- 13) (C) "International comparisons reveal that education is simply not a national priority in the United States the way it is in many countries." (lines 27-29) (D) "We have a piecemeal, incoherent system that fails to train teachers thoroughly, keep track of student progress in a consistent way, or ensure equality of access." (lines 29-32) (E) "Things are no better in the work world." (lines 32-33)

E

23. Which of the following statements about the information in endnote 1 is correct? (A) This endnote appears on page 237 of the book Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools and on page 37 of the article "Hard Data." (B) Jonathan Kozol edited a book that contains the article "Hard Data." (C) The article "Hard Data" was first published in the book Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools. (D) Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools is an article printed both in a book edited by Jonathan Kozol and in Washington Post Weekly Edition. (E) In 1991 Crown published Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools, written by Jonathan Kozol.

E

25. Which of the following information does endnote 2 provide? (A) David Whitman edited a book that contains an article first published in U.S. News & World Report. (B) The War Against the Poor: A Defense Manual was edited by Peter Applebome. (C) The Center for Popular Economies reprinted a book, The War Against the Poor: A Defense Manual, that was published in 1996. (D) Randy Abelda and Nancy Folbre published a book in 1989. (E) The article "U.S. Gets 'Average' Grade in Math and Science Studies" was written by Peter Applebome and published in the New York Times.

E