By the time children reach class 8, the bulk of them tend to be in the age range of 13 years to 15 years. But in our country, about a quarter of all children in class 8 struggle with reading simple texts and more than half are still unable to do basic arithmetic operations like division. Every year about 25 million young boys and girls from elementary school move into the life that lies for them beyond compulsory schooling. They cannot enter the workforce at least in the organized sector till they are 18. For many families, these children are the first from their families ever to get this far in school. Parents and children expect that such ‘graduates’ from school will go on to high school and college. Hardly anyone wants to go back to agriculture. On the other hand, abilities in terms of academic competencies are far lower than they should be even based on curricular expectations of class 8.
Based on the above passage, following assumptions have been made:
1. For effective school education, parents have greater role than the governments.
2. School curriculum that conforms to today’s requirements and is uniform for the entire country may address the issues brought out.
Which of the assumptions given above is/are valid?
1 only
2 only
Both 1 and 2
Neither 1 nor 2
The correct option is Neither 1 nor 2.
Let us analyze the validity of each assumption step-by-step based strictly on the provided passage:
Analyzing Assumption 1: "For effective school education, parents have greater role than the governments."
The passage mentions that parents and children expect "graduates" from school to go to high school and college, and that these children are often the first from their families to reach this far in school. However, the passage does not discuss, compare, or weigh the roles of parents versus governments in ensuring "effective school education." Since there is no information or comparative analysis about the responsibilities or effectiveness of parents versus governments, this assumption cannot be logically derived from the text. Therefore, Assumption 1 is invalid.
The passage points out that a significant portion of class 8 children struggle with basic reading and arithmetic skills, which are far lower than the curricular expectations. It highlights a gap between actual learning outcomes and curricular expectations. However, the passage does not suggest that making the curriculum uniform across the country or updating it to conform to today's requirements will solve or address these learning deficits. The issue highlighted is a failure to achieve existing basic competency levels, not the lack of uniformity or modernity in the curriculum design itself. Thus, Assumption 2 is also invalid.
Consequently, since neither of the assumptions can be supported or validated by the passage, the correct answer is Neither 1 nor 2.
Connect directly for comprehensive question sets, study material & courses.
