People speak of an Ivy League Education as though it is a standardiz

Question

People speak of an “Ivy League Education” as though it is a standardized experience—as though students at Brown and Cornell receive the same input and achieve the same outcomes. The fact of the matter is that each of the eight Ivies has its own personality, its own focus, and its own philosophy of education, and not all Ivies are right for all students.

Take two undergraduate programs of similar size, the one at Princeton and the one at Columbia. When you apply to Princeton, you apply to the university itself, not to a department or program or college. When you apply to Columbia, you apply either to Columbia College for a liberal arts degree or to Columbia Engineering for a degree in science.

Freshman and sophomore years at Princeton are spent exploring courses across disciplines while determining a major course of study. Distribution requirements include one course apiece in epistemology and cognition, ethical thought and moral values, historical analysis, and quantitative reasoning, and two courses each in literature and the arts, science and technology, and social analysis.

Columbia freshmen and sophomores spend their time immersed in the Core Curriculum, an approach to education that Columbia has used since 1919. Students work in small seminars studying seminal works in history, music, art, literature, philosophy, and science. Students in Columbia Engineering take half of this humanities Core and supplement it with technical courses in physics, chemistry, mathematics, engineering, and computer science.

Once Princeton sophomores select a major, which may result in an AB degree or in a BSE degree depending on whether it focuses on humanities or sciences, they may choose to supplement this major with a certificate program in any of 47 areas from Jazz Studies to Biophysics. Many students choose a certificate program that complements their majors, but just as many choose one that is completely unrelated and simply allows them to explore a passion or interest. Columbia undergraduates have an opportunity to choose among several tracks. They may pursue a preprofessional degree such as Pre-Law; they may work toward a BA from Columbia College followed by a BS from Columbia Engineering in a five-year program; they may explore music in depth through the Columbia Julliard Exchange; or they may opt for an accelerated program that enables them to receive both a BA and JD degree in just six years.

The other six Ivies are just as different from one another as Columbia is from Princeton. It behooves high school applicants to think long and hard about the kind of education they want before selecting an institution to provide it.    1 
 1. Compared to freshman and sophomore years at Columbia, the first two years of undergraduate academics at Princeton might be considered more

(A) interdisciplinary
(B) reactionary
(C) classical
(D) technical
(E) seminar-based

2 
 2. Based on the information given in the passage, it can be inferred that Princeton might be a better choice for which kind of entering high school student?

(A) One with an interest in international studies
(B) One whose ambition is to work in civil rights law
(C) One with a love for both creative writing and science
(D) One who hopes to earn a bachelor’s degree in two disciplines
(E) One who expects to read all the Great Books with great professors

3 
 3. Which of the following most accurately describes the structure of the passage?

(A) Order of importance
(B) Cause and effect
(C) Chronological order
(D) Reasons and examples
(E) Comparison and contrast

4 
 4. The first paragraph plays what role in the passage?

(A) It sets the scene for the upcoming revelations that will be listed in order of occurrence.
(B) It defines the terms that will be used in the passage to follow and explains their importance.
(C) It lays forth a personal bias of the author’s that will then be upheld by a relating of personal experiences.
(D) It offers a refutation of a commonly held belief that will then be explored with examples.
(E) It broadly introduces a topic of concern that will be dissected in the paragraphs to follow.

5 
 5. The author of the passage would most likely agree with which of the following statements?

(A) High school students would be wise to apply to more than one Ivy League school.
(B) High school students should never apply both to Columbia and to Princeton.
(C) High school students should choose the Ivy that best fits their natures and needs.
(D) High school students improve their odds if they apply to all eight Ivies.
(E) High school students should have a career in mind before applying to Princeton or Columbia.

RC Butler 2023  -  Practice Two RC Passages Everyday.   
Passage # 209 Date: 27-Jun-2023
 This question is part of RC Butler 2023 .  Click here for Details

Ruchi007 · Answer

Sajjad1994  Explanation for #2 please.

DARKKNIGHT2673 · Answer

2nd explanantion?? confused

Sajjad1994 · Answer

Explanation

2. Based on the information given in the passage, it can be inferred that Princeton might be a better choice for which kind of entering high school student?

Explanation

(A) One with an interest in international studies: 
The passage does not specifically mention international studies as a focus or program offered at Princeton. While Princeton may have opportunities for studying international affairs or related topics, the passage does not provide information that directly supports this option. Therefore, this answer choice is not strongly supported by the passage.

(B) One whose ambition is to work in civil rights law: 
The passage does not mention civil rights law as a specific area of study or program at Princeton. While Princeton may offer courses or opportunities related to law or social justice, there is no explicit mention of civil rights law. Therefore, this answer choice is not strongly supported by the passage.

(C) One with a love for both creative writing and science:  
This answer choice is supported by the passage. The passage mentions that Princeton's freshman and sophomore years are spent exploring courses across disciplines, and students have the opportunity to choose a major and supplement it with certificate programs. This indicates that Princeton values interdisciplinary studies and allows students to pursue interests in different fields. For a student who enjoys both creative writing and science, Princeton's emphasis on interdisciplinary exploration would make it a suitable choice.

(D) One who hopes to earn a bachelor's degree in two disciplines: 
The passage does not explicitly mention earning a bachelor's degree in two disciplines as a specific program or option at Princeton. While students at Princeton can pursue a major and supplement it with certificate programs, it does not necessarily indicate that they can earn two separate bachelor's degrees simultaneously. Therefore, this answer choice is not strongly supported by the passage.

(E) One who expects to read all the Great Books with great professors: 
This answer choice is not directly mentioned in the passage. While the passage highlights Princeton's emphasis on a broad-based education and exploration of courses in various disciplines, it does not specifically mention reading all the Great Books.

Answer: C

People speak of an Ivy League Education as though it is a standardiz

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People speak of an Ivy League Education as though it is a standardiz

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