GMAT Reading Comprehension

Home > GMAT Test > GMAT Reading Comprehension Questions

Next steps

Source: OG10th

Level: 3

Schools expect textbooks to be a valuable source of information for students. My research suggests, however, that textbooks that address the place of Native Americans within the history of the United States distort history to suit a particular cultural value system. In some textbooks, for example, settlers are pictured as more humane, complex, skillful, and wise than Native American. In essence, textbooks stereotype and deprecate the numerous Native American cultures while reinforcing the attitude that the European conquest of the New World denotes the superiority of European cultures. Although textbooks evaluate Native American architecture, political systems, and homemaking, I contend that they do it from an ethnocentric, European perspective without recognizing that other perspectives are possible.

One argument against my contention asserts that, by nature, textbooks are culturally biased and that I am simply underestimating children's ability to see through these biases. Some researchers even claim that by the time students are in high school, they know they cannot take textbooks literally. Yet substantial evidence exists to the contrary. Two researchers, for example, have conducted studies that suggest that children's attitudes about particular culture are strongly influenced by the textbooks used in schools. Given this, an ongoing, careful review of how school textbooks depict Native American is certainly warranted.

Question List: 1 2 3 4 5 6

The primary purpose of the passage is to

  • A describe in detail one research study regarding the impact of history textbooks on children's attitudes and beliefs about certain cultures
  • B describe revisions that should be made to United States history textbooks
  • C discuss the difficulty of presenting an accurate history of the United States
  • D argue that textbooks used in schools stereotype Native Americans and influence children's attitudes
  • E summarize ways in which some textbooks give distorted pictures of the political systems developed by various Native American groups

Show Answer

Previous       Next