Self-study
Support Enthusiasm for the use of calculators in the learning of mathematics is misplaced. ████████ ███████ ███████ ████ ██ ████ █████ ███████████ ██████ ████████ ██ █████ ██ ███████ ██████████ ██████ ████ ███ ████████ ███████ ████ ████████████ ████ ██████████ ███ ███████████ ██ █████ ███████████ ███ ██████████ ███ ████ ██████ ██ ██ ██████████ ████ █████████ ██ ████ ██ ████████ ██ ██████ █████████ ██ ███████████ ████████████ ██ █████ ███████████ ███ ████ ████ ████ ███████████ ████ ███████████ ███████ ██████████ █████ ██ ██████████ ██ ████████ █████ ████
Summarize Argument
The author concludes that it is reasonable to restrict the use of calculators because they make calculations easier. While easier calculations lets students focus on mathematical principles instead of the process of applying them, engaging in the application process actually helps students remember the principles. This supports the sub-conclusion that support for calculators as a tool for learning math is misguided.
Notable Assumptions
The author assumes that ensuring students remember mathematical principles is more important than a simple learning process. In other words, increasing the likelihood that students remember the principles is worth complicating the learning process.
7.
Which one of the following, ██ █████ ████ ███████████ ███ █████████
a
Some students who ████ ███ ██ ███ ███████████ ████ ██████████ ██████████ ███ ████████████ ██████████ ████ ███████████ █████
This does not affect the argument. The author argues that not using calculators increases the likeliness of students remembering the principles—the argument isn’t about whether they understand them.
b
Slide rules, which ███ ████ ███████████████ █████████████ █████████ ██ ████████████ ████ ██████ ████ ██ ███ ████████ ██ ███████████ ███████ ███████ ████
This does not affect the argument. The fact that slide rules were used several decades ago to learn math does not tell us about the advantages or disadvantages of using calculators when learning mathematical principles.
c
It is much ████ █████████ ████ ████████ ██████ ███ █████████ ██ ███████ ██████████ ████ ████ ████ █████████ ██ ██████ █████████
This strengthens the argument by supporting the author’s assumption that students’ ability to remember mathematical principles is a higher priority than an easier learning process.
d
Habits that are ████████ ██ █████████ ███ █████████ ███████ ████████ ███ ███ ██ ████████ ██ █████ ████ ███ ██████████ █████████
This weakens the argument. It attacks the author’s assumption that there is value in the laborious process of applying mathematical principles (i.e., by increasing students’ retention of the material). Instead, it says easily-acquired habits are more valuable.
e
Teachers' enthusiasm for ███ ███████████ ████ ██ █████ ███ ████████████ ██ ███ ███████████ █████████████ ██ █████ ████████
This does not affect the argument. The author’s argument is not about teachers’ enthusiasm, but about the reasonableness of restricting calculator use. We are looking for an answer choice that strengthens the idea that restricting calculator use is reasonable.