Question

Which of the following sentences implies a negative outcome that might occur if graduate students no longer were required to study (and be examined in) foreign languages?

• A. If a graduate student does not know any foreign languages, all of these article and books will be impossible to read and hence useless to their research endeavors.
• B. This can be quite frustrating and difficult, for the normal courses in graduate school require significantly more reading and writing than do undergraduate courses.
• C. Much of the work for which these students are being prepared will focus on research.
• D. Therefore, in spite of its frustrating aspects, the language examination process is an important component of graduate school education.
• E. Although these frustrations are understandable, this system has not been created solely to cause woe for graduate students.

Hint:

For questions asking about outcomes or consequences, look for conditional statements (e.g., "If..., then...") or cause-and-effect language. These structures are often used to explain the results of a particular action or situation.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is A

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
The question asks to identify the sentence that explicitly describes a negative consequence that would happen if graduate students did not learn foreign languages. We need to look for a statement that shows a direct, harmful result.

Step 2: Detailed Explanation:
Let's analyze each option in the context of the question:
- (A) This sentence presents a clear cause-and-effect scenario. The cause is "a graduate student does not know any foreign languages." The effect, or negative outcome, is that important articles and books become "impossible to read and hence useless to their research endeavors." This directly answers the question.
- (B) This sentence describes the difficulty and frustration of the current system, not a negative outcome of changing it.
- (C) This sentence states a fact about graduate school (its focus on research) but does not describe an outcome, negative or otherwise.
- (D) This is the author's conclusion, summarizing the main point. It frames the process as "important" but doesn't detail the negative outcome of its absence.
- (E) This sentence acknowledges the students' feelings but immediately pivots to justify the system. It doesn't describe a negative outcome of removing the language requirement.

Step 3: Final Answer:
The only sentence that directly states a negative outcome (the inability to conduct proper research) resulting from a lack of foreign language skills is option (A).