There has been much hand-wringing about how unprepared American students are for college. Graff reverses this perspective, suggesting that colleges are unprepared for students. In his analysis, the university culture is largely BLANK entering students because academic culture fails to make connections to the kinds of arguments and cultural references the students grasp. Understandably, many students view academic life as BLANK ritual.
BLANK 1 Options: (A) primed for, (B) opaque to, (C) essential for
BLANK 2 Options: (D) an arcane, (E) a laudable, (F) a painstaking
BLANK 1 Options: (A) primed for, (B) opaque to, (C) essential for
BLANK 2 Options: (D) an arcane, (E) a laudable, (F) a painstaking
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Solution and Explanation
Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
This question describes a specific argument made by the scholar Graff. The blanks must be filled with words that are consistent with Graff's reversed perspective. The logic flows from cause (the state of university culture) to effect (how students perceive it).
Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Blank 1: Graff's argument is that the "university culture" is the problem because it "fails to make connections" for students. A culture that fails in this way would be confusing, unclear, and difficult for outsiders to understand. The phrase (B) opaque to means not transparent or easy to understand, which perfectly describes the university culture from the students' perspective according to Graff. "Primed for" and "essential for" would imply the culture is helpful, contradicting Graff's point.
Blank 2: This blank describes the effect of the opaque culture on students. If academic life is confusing and its rules are unclear, students would naturally perceive its practices and traditions as mysterious and inaccessible. A ritual that is mysterious and understood by very few is an (D) an arcane ritual. This logically follows from the culture being opaque. A "laudable" (praiseworthy) or "painstaking" (careful) ritual does not fit the context of student confusion.
Step 3: Final Answer:
The correct completion reflects Graff's argument: The university culture is largely opaque to students, leading them to view academic life as an arcane ritual.
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