Question Details

One of the biggest casualties of the Covid-19 pandemic and the resultant lockdown has been institutionalised education. Schools have been shut to prevent the spread of the virus and this has given way to online classrooms, a very new concept in India even for the most sophisticated schools. It is commendable how easily some educational institutions have moved to virtual classrooms, all thanks to tools such as Zoom, Google Hangouts and Microsoft Teams. But there are some still struggling to get online. The online classes, whatever the enabling technology, is only as good as the teachers and the ability of the students to grasp the new teaching technique. One of the teachers felt students are actually more responsive and active in online classrooms, compared to when they are in physical ones. "This could be because this is a new concept and they are excited to explore it with the teachers. They also don't get distracted by their classmates, which frequently happens in a regular class." Teachers do find the absence of a blackboard a disadvantage and network connectivity a constant problem. "We miss the clarity that a blackboard gives us, we are kind of making do with the virtual whiteboard on Zoom." Shweta Kawatra, a parent who teaches in a New Delhi school, highlights that many students have not been able to take advantage of the virtual platform because they do not have a suitable device at home or lack a good internet connection. "It has its own share of disadvantages too. Too much screen time can be perilous for health. Prolonged online sessions can be overwhelming and may lead to problems related to vision, body posture and sleep disorder," Kawatra adds.

[Excerpt from an Article by Sneha Saha, The Indian Express, dated April 18, 2020]

Consider this statement: 'Virtual education provides for various online seminars, opportunities to interact with learned experts, pro-bono education classes etc., for students across India irrespective of their economic status and background.' Which of the following statements weakens the statement?
I. Many students in remote areas do not have access to internet facilities.
II. Many students in rural areas do not have devices to take advantage of the Virtual classrooms.
III. Online Seminars and pro bono classes are not interesting and do not cater to the needs of students across India.
IV. The mobile phone data packages to access such heavy online contents are not enough and participation in such events involves costly data packages which is dependent upon the economic status of those students.

Options

A

Only I, II, III

B

Only III and IV

C

Only I, II and IV.

D

Only I and II.

Show Answer

Correct Answer :

Option C

Only I, II and IV.

Solution :

Correct Answer: Only I, II and IV.


Step-by-step Explanation:


1. Analyze the Given Statement:
The statement claims: "Virtual education provides for various online seminars, opportunities to interact with learned experts, pro-bono education classes etc., for students across India irrespective of their economic status and background."
The key premise here is that virtual education bridges gaps and offers equal access and opportunities to everyone, regardless of financial or regional limitations.


2. Analyze the Options/Statements to determine which ones WEAKEN the premise:


Statement I: "Many students in remote areas do not have access to internet facilities."
This directly contradicts the idea that virtual education benefits students across India "irrespective of background" because regional infrastructure (lack of internet) limits access. Thus, Statement I weakens the argument.


Statement II: "Many students in rural areas do not have devices to take advantage of the Virtual classrooms."
This highlights that economic status or lack of resources (not having a suitable device) prevents students from accessing virtual education. Thus, Statement II weakens the argument.


Statement III: "Online Seminars and pro bono classes are not interesting and do not cater to the needs of students across India."
Whether classes are "interesting" or "cater to needs" is a subjective quality opinion regarding content preference, rather than an argument against equitable availability across economic backgrounds. Hence, Statement III does not effectively weaken the core claim regarding economic accessibility.


Statement IV: "The mobile phone data packages to access such heavy online contents are not enough and participation in such events involves costly data packages which is dependent upon the economic status of those students."
This directly refutes the claim that access is independent of "economic status," showing that financially disadvantaged students cannot afford the data required. Thus, Statement IV weakens the argument.


3. Conclusion:
Statements I, II, and IV successfully undermine and weaken the argument by demonstrating that geographical location, device ownership, and financial constraints prevent equal access to virtual education.


Therefore, the correct choice is Only I, II and IV.

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