36. what do american parents expect their children to acquire in school ?[ a ] the habit of thinking independently .[ b ] profound knowledge of the world .[ c ] practical abilities for future career .[ d ] the confidence in intellectual pursuits.
37. we can learn from the text that americans have a history of [ a ] undervaluing intellect [ b ] favoring intellectualism [ c ] supporting school reform [ d ] suppressing native intelligence
38. the views of ravitch and emerson on schooling are [ a ] identical [ b ] similar [ c ] complementary [ d ] opposite
39. emerson , according to the text , is probably [ a ] a pioneer of education reform [ b ] an opponent of intellectualism [ c ] a scholar in favor of intellect [ d ] an advocate of regular schooling
40. what does the author think of intellect ?[ a ] it is second to intelligence .[ b ] it evolves from common sense .[ c ] it is to be pursued .[ d ] it underlies power.

americans today don ‘ t place a very high value on intellect . our heroes are athletes . entertainers , and entrepreneurs , not scholars . even our schools are where we send our children to get a practical education – not to pursue knowledge for the sake of knowledge . symptoms of pervasive anti – intellectualism in our schools aren ‘ t difficult to find .
” schools have always been in a society where practical is more important than intellectual ,” says education writer diane ravitch .” schools could be a counterbalance .” ravitch ‘ s latest book , left back : a century of failed school reforms , traces the roots of anti – intellectualism in our schools , concluding they are anything but a counterbalance to the american distaste for intellectual pursuits .
but they could and should be . encouraging kids to reject the life of the mind leaves them vulnerable to exploitation and control . without the ability to think critically , to defend their ideas and understand the ideas of others , they cannot fully participate in our democracy . continuing along this path , says writer earl shorris ,” we will become a second – rate country . we will have a less civil society .”
” intellect is resented as a form of power or privilege ,” writes historian and professor richard hofstadter in anti – intellectualism in american life , a pulitzer

– prize winning book on the roots of anti – intellectualism in us politics , religion , and education . from the beginning of our history , says hofstadter , our democratic and populist urges have driven us to reject anything that smells of elitism . practicality , common sense , and native intelligence have been considered more noble qualities than anything you could learn from a book .
ralph waldo emerson and other transcendentalist philosophers thought schooling and rigorous book learning put unnatural restraints on children :” we are shut up in schools and college recitation rooms for 10 or 15 years and come out at last with a bellyful of words and do not know a thing .” mark twain ‘ s huckleberry finn exemplified american anti – intellectualism . its hero avoids being civilized – going to school and learning to read – so he can preserve his innate goodness .
intellect , according to hofstadter , is different from native intelligence , a quality we reluctantly admire . intellect is the critical , creative , and contemplative side of the mind . intelligence seeks to grasp , manipulate , re – order , and adjust , while intellect examines , ponders , wonders , theorizes , criticizes , and imagines .
school remains a place where intellect is mistrusted . hofstadter says our country ‘ s educational system is in the grips of people who ” joyfully and militantly proclaim their hostility to intellect and their eagerness to identify with children who show the least intellectual promise .”

answer? cadbc