The author argues that attempts to introduce science into education to make it more engaging have failed. While science was intended to replace dull classical studies, the "professional schoolmaster" ensured science became as dry as other subjects. Additionally, while students learn some outdated scientific facts, education fails to teach scientific thinking skills. The author believes true learning of science requires direct experience, but current systems prioritize exams over understanding.

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The pioneers of the teaching of science imagined that its
introduction into education would remove the conventionality,
artificiality, and backward-lookingness which were characteristic;
of classical studies, but they were gravely disappointed. So, too, in
5 their time had the humanists thought that the study of the classical
authors in the original would banish at once the dull pedantry and
superstition of mediaeval scholasticism. The professional
schoolmaster was a match for both of them, and has almost
managed to make the understanding of chemical reactions as dull
10 and as dogmatic an affair as the reading of Virgil's Aeneid.
The chief claim for the use of science in education is that it
teaches a child something about the actual universe in which he is
living, in making him acquainted with the results of scientific
15 discovery, and at the same time teaches him how to think logically
and inductively by studying scientific method. A certain limited
success has been reached in the first of these aims, but practically
none at all in the second. Those privileged members of the
community who have been through a secondary or public school
20 education may be expected to know something about the
elementary physics and chemistry of a hundred years ago, but they
probably know hardly more than any bright boy can pick up from
an interest in wireless or scientific hobbies out of school hours.
As to the learning of scientific method, the whole thing is palpably
25 a farce. Actually, for the convenience of teachers and the
requirements of the examination system, it is necessary that the
pupils not only do not learn scientific method but learn precisely
the reverse, that is, to believe exactly what they are told and to
reproduce it when asked, whether it seems nonsense to them or
30 not. The way in which educated people respond to such quackeries
as spiritualism or astrology, not to say more dangerous ones such
as racial theories or currency myths, shows that fifty years of
education in the method of science in Britain or Germany has
produced no visible effect whatever. The only way of learning the
35 method of science is the long and bitter way of personal
experience, and, until the educational or social systems are altered
to make this possible, the best we can expect is the production of a
minority of people who are able to acquire some of the techniques
of science and a still smaller minority who are able to use and
40 develop them.
Adapted from: The Social Function of Science, John D Bernal (1939)
1. The author implies that the 'professional schoolmaster' (line 7) has

2. A. no interest in teaching science
B. thwarted attempts to enliven education
C. aided true learning
D. supported the humanists
E. been a pioneer in both science and humanities.
2. The author’s attitude to secondary and public school education in the sciences is
A. ambivalent
B. neutral
C. supportive
D. satirical
E. contemptuous
3. The word ‘palpably’ (line 24) most nearly means
A. empirically
B. obviously
C. tentatively
D. markedly
E. ridiculously
4. The author blames all of the following for the failure to impart scientific method through the
education system except
A. poor teaching
B. examination methods
C. lack of direct experience
D. the social and education systems
E. lack of interest on the part of students
5. If the author were to study current education in science to see how things have changed since
he wrote the piece, he would probably be most interested in the answer to which of the following
questions?
A. Do students know more about the world about them?
B. Do students spend more time in laboratories?
C. Can students apply their knowledge logically?
D. Have textbooks improved?
E. Do they respect their teachers?

3. 6. Astrology (line 31) is mentioned as an example of
A. a science that needs to be better understood
B. a belief which no educated people hold
C. something unsupportable to those who have absorbed the methods of science
D. the gravest danger to society
E. an acknowledged failure of science
7. All of the following can be inferred from the text except
A. at the time of writing, not all children received a secondary school education
B. the author finds chemical reactions interesting
C. science teaching has imparted some knowledge of facts to some children
D. the author believes that many teachers are authoritarian
E. it is relatively easy to learn scientific method.
1. The author implies that the 'professional schoolmaster' (line 7) has
A. no interest in teaching science
B. thwarted attempts to enliven education
C. aided true learning
D. supported the humanists
E. been a pioneer in both science and humanities.
Correct Answer: B
Explanation:
When we look back to line 7, we read, "The professional schoolmaster was a match for both of
them, and has almost managed to make the understanding of chemical reactions as dull and as
dogmatic an affair as the reading of Virgil's Aeneid."
This tells us that the schoolmaster has made learning dull. And so we eliminate answers C and E
which imply he has done something good.
But to be sure of the answer we should also read the previous sentences. We learn that, "The
pioneers of the teaching of science imagined that its introduction into education would remove
the conventionality, artificiality, and backward-lookingness which were characteristic of
classical studies......" This section tells us that other people tried to alter the nature of education,
but the "professional schoolmaster was a match for both of them". He therefore prevented
(thwarted) these attempts, and the answer is B.
SAT reading comprehension explanation
Test 01

4. 2. The author’s attitude to secondary and public school education in the sciences is
A. ambivalent
B. neutral
C. supportive
D. satirical
E. contemptuous
Correct Answer: E
Explanation:
To find the attitude, try asking yourself whether the author is positive, negative or neutral to the
subject. Then look for the evidence. Here, it is obvious that he thinks that nothing very valuable
is learned in school about science and scientific method. He is therefore negative. Eliminate the
neutral (A and B) words, and the positive (C), and then decide between D and E. He seems to be
expressing contempt rather than mocking. And so E is the best choice.
3. The word ‘palpably’ (line 24) most nearly means
A. empirically
B. obviously
C. tentatively
D. markedly
E. ridiculously
Correct Answer: B
Explanation:
Go back to the text and find a word of your own to replace ‘palpably’ before you even look at
the choices. We read, "As to the learning of scientific method, the whole thing is palpably a
farce." Here, I could substitute ‘obviously’ or ‘clearly’. As it happens, one of the words is there
in the choices. (B). If it had not been there, there would have been something sufficiently similar
to make a choice.
4. The author blames all of the following for the failure to impart scientific method through the
education system except
A. poor teaching
B. examination methods
C. lack of direct experience
D. the social and education systems
E. lack of interest on the part of students
Correct Answer: E
Explanation:
Be careful on ‘except’ questions. You are looking for something the author does not do.
He does blame poor teaching, (lines 7-10), exams (line 26), social and education systems (line
36), lack of direct experience (lines 34-38), but he never blames the students. Hence answer E.

5. 5. If the author were to study current education in science to see how things have changed since
he wrote the piece, he would probably be most interested in the answer to which of the following
questions?
A. Do students know more about the world about them?
B. Do students spend more time in laboratories?
C. Can students apply their knowledge logically?
D. Have textbooks improved?
E. Do they respect their teachers?
Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
This is an ‘inference’ question. We need to find out what the author’s main complaint is. This
concern of the author will tells us what he would like to see. From lines 11 to 18 in particular we
learn that he is especially interested in whether a student can apply his or her knowledge. So, we
conclude that answer C is best.
6. Astrology (line 31) is mentioned as an example of
A. a science that needs to be better understood
B. a belief which no educated people hold
C. something unsupportable to those who have absorbed the methods of science
D. the gravest danger to society
E. an acknowledged failure of science
Correct Answer: C
Explanation:
Astrology is mentioned as a ‘quackery’. Quackery is something that claims to be true but is
actually based on falsity. He implies that people are fooled by astrology, but he also implies that
there are other more ‘dangerous’ ideas. So we eliminate A, B and D. It is not likely that astrology
is a ‘failure of science’, but it is something that scientists would not approve of. Hence answer C.
7. All of the following can be inferred from the text except
A. at the time of writing, not all children received a secondary school education
B. the author finds chemical reactions interesting
C. science teaching has imparted some knowledge of facts to some children
D. the author believes that many teachers are authoritarian
E. it is relatively easy to learn scientific method.
Correct Answer: E
Explanation:
This is an ‘except’ question. Be careful! You are looking for something that cannot be inferred
from the text. We can find evidence that the author finds reactions interesting (line 9), and that
children have learnt some facts (beginning of the second paragraph), and that he thinks teachers
are strict (line 10 and part of paragraph 2). We can also infer from the use of the phrase

6. ‘privileged members’ (line 18) that he believes that not all received secondary education. But we
find that he thinks it is hard to learn scientific method- ‘The only way of learning the method of
science is the long and bitter way of personal experience". And so we choose E.