In the past, American colleges and universities were created to serve

Question

In the past, American colleges and universities were created to serve a dual purpose—to advance learning and to offer a chance to become familiar with bodies of knowledge already discovered to those who wished it. To create and to impart, these were the hallmarks of American higher education prior to the most recent, tumultuous decades of the twentieth century. The successful institution of higher learning had never been one whose mission could be defined in terms of providing vocational skills or as a strategy for resolving societal problems. In a subtle way Americans believed postsecondary education to be useful, but not necessarily of immediate use. What the student obtained in college became beneficial in later life—residually, without direct application in the period after graduation.

Another purpose has now been assigned to the mission of American colleges and universities. Institutions of higher learning—public or private—commonly face the challenge of defining their programs in such a way as to contribute to the service of the community. One need only be reminded of the change in language describing the two-year college to appreciate the new value currently being attached to the concept of a service-related university. The traditional two-year college has shed its pejorative “junior” college label and is generally called a “community” college, a clearly value-laden expression representing the latest commitment in higher education.

This novel development is often overlooked. Educators have always been familiar with those parts of the two-year college curriculum that have a “service” or vocational orientation. Knowing this, otherwise perceptive commentaries on American postsecondary education underplay the impact of the attempt of colleges and universities to relate to, if not resolve, the problems of society. Whether the subject under review is student unrest, faculty tenure, the nature of the curriculum, the onset of collective bargaining, or the growth of collegiate bureaucracies, in each instance the thrust of these discussions obscures the larger meaning of the emergence of the service-university in American higher education. Even the highly regarded critique of Clark Kerr, formerly head of the Carnegie Foundation, which set the parameters of academic debate around the evolution of the so-called “multiversity,” failed to take account of this phenomenon.

Taken together the attrition rate (from known and unknown causes) was 48 percent, but the figure for regular students was 36 percent while for Open Admissions categories it was 56 percent. The most important statistics, however, relate to the findings regarding Open Admissions students, and these indicated as a projection that perhaps as many as 70 percent would not graduate from a unit of the City University.    1 
 1. The dropout rate among regular students in Open Admissions was approximately

(A) 35%
(B) 45%
(C) 55%
(D) 65%
(E) 75%

2 
 2. According to the passage, in the past it was not the purpose of American higher education to

(A) advance learning
(B) solve societal problems
(C) impart knowledge
(D) train workers
(E) prepare future managers

3 
 3. One of the recent, important changes in higher education relates to

(A) student representation on college boards
(B) faculty tenure requirements
(C) curriculum updates
(D) service-education concepts
(E) cost constraints

4 
 4. The attrition rate for Open Admissions students was greater than the rate for regular students by what percent?

(A) 10%
(B) 20%
(C) 36%
(D) 40%
(E) 46%

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Official Explanation

1. The dropout rate among regular students in Open Admissions was approximately

Difficulty Level:   750

Explanation

The dropout rate on average for all Open Admissions students was 48%; for regular students, 36%; and for Open Admissions categories, 56%.

Answer: A

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

4. The attrition rate for Open Admissions students was greater than the rate for regular students by what percent?

Difficulty Level:   550

Explanation

The passage discusses the changing nature of American colleges and universities, specifically their shift towards a greater emphasis on community service and addressing societal issues. It also highlights the oversight of this development in educational commentaries. Additionally, the passage briefly mentions attrition rates among different student categories. The question at the end asks you to calculate the percentage by which the attrition rate for Open Admissions students is greater than that for regular students.

Let's calculate the difference in attrition rates:

Attrition rate for regular students = 36%
Attrition rate for Open Admissions students = 56%

To find the difference, subtract the attrition rate for regular students from the attrition rate for Open Admissions students:

Difference = 56% - 36% = 20%

So, the attrition rate for Open Admissions students is greater than that for regular students by 20%.

The correct answer is (B) 20%.

samarpan.g28 · Answer

1. The dropout rate among regular students in Open Admissions was approximately 
Attrition=dropout. The clue is in the last paragraph's first line  "Taken together the attrition rate (from known and unknown causes) was 48 percent, but the figure for regular students was 36 percent while for Open Admissions categories it was 56 percent." . (A) is correct.

2. According to the passage, in the past it was not the purpose of American higher education to 
The clue is in the first paragraph  "The successful institution of higher learning had never been one whose mission could be defined in terms of providing vocational skills or as a strategy for resolving societal problems." . (B) is correct.

3. One of the recent, important changes in higher education relates to 
The clue is in the third paragraph  "...in each instance the thrust of these discussions obscures the larger meaning of the emergence of the service-university in American higher education." . (D) is correct.

4. The attrition rate for Open Admissions students was greater than the rate for regular students by what percent? 
The fourth paragraph's first line says  "Taken together the attrition rate (from known and unknown causes) was 48 percent, but the figure for  regular students was 36 percent  while for  Open Admissions categories it was 56 percent ."  i.e. 56-36=20%. (B) is correct.

gullyboy09 · Answer

Hi  Sajjad1994 ,  GMATNinja ,

In Q1, my understanding by reading the passage is that category A is regular students, and category B is open admissions one, both are mutually exclusive. Now in Q1, it is asked "The dropout rate among regular students in Open Admissions was approximately", i.e. dropout rate among A in B, which should be zero as they are mutually exclusive.

In Q2, in passage it is mentioned that the both - " The successful institution of higher learning had  never been  one whose mission could be defined in terms of providing  vocational skills  or as a  strategy for resolving societal problems ." Both B and D can be the answer.

Can you please help. I started solving 805+ level questions, to make my understanding of difficult questions good, but these kind of Qs irritates me and feels like a waste of time.

guddo · Answer

1. The dropout rate among regular students in Open Admissions was approximately

The passage reports attrition (dropout) statistics: overall attrition was 48 percent, the figure for  regular students  was  36% , and the figure for Open Admissions categories was 56 percent.

(A) 35%

This matches, because 36% rounded to the nearest listed option is about 35%.

(B) 45%

Too high compared with 36%.

(C) 55%

This matches the Open Admissions categories figure (56%), not the regular-student figure.

(D) 65%

This is closer to the projected 70% not graduating for Open Admissions students, not the regular-student dropout rate.

(E) 75%

Not supported by any statistic given.

Answer: (A)

guddo · Answer

2. According to the passage, in the past it was not the purpose of American higher education to

The passage says that historically American colleges had a dual mission: to advance learning and to impart existing knowledge. It also says institutions were not defined by providing vocational skills or by trying to resolve societal problems.

(A) advance learning

This was explicitly one of the two traditional purposes, so this is the opposite of what the question asks.

(B) solve societal problems

The passage explicitly says the mission was not “a strategy for resolving societal problems.”  So this matches.

(C) impart knowledge

This was explicitly the other traditional purpose, so not correct.

(D) train workers

The passage says the mission was not defined as providing vocational skills, but “train workers” is a rephrase of that. However, the passage states the “societal problems” point just as directly and explicitly.

(E) prepare future managers

Not discussed. The passage talks about vocational skills generally, not management specifically, so this is not what it says.

Answer: (B)

In the past, American colleges and universities were created to serve

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In the past, American colleges and universities were created to serve

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