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 author mentions two researchers' studies (highlight text) most likely in order to

  • A suggest that children's political attitudes are formed primarily through textbooks
  • B counter the claim that children are able to see through stereotypes in textbooks
  • C suggest that younger children tend to interpret the messages in textbooks more literally than do older children
  • D demonstrate that textbooks carry political messages meant to influence their readers
  • E prove that textbooks are not biased in terms of their political presentations

Show Answer

Previous       Next