Page 141 - READING COMPANION TO ENGLISH EXAMS

8.2 EDUCATION AND LEARNING

The Dual Role of Education

From enhancing the quality of life to creating conditions conducive to the growth of individuals capable
of transforming communities, education has numerous effects on society. The functions that education
unequivocally serves in fulfilling a society’s manifold needs are manifest functions that are the intended,
planned, and visible functions. Literacy skills, socialisation, choosing a career, transmitting culture, etc. are
a few examples of manifest functions. However, education also encompasses latent functions, which are
the hidden and implied functions that can be thought of as by-products of attending school and receiving an
education rather than a direct effect of education itself. One of these latent functions is child care; education
provides a free babysitting service that deliberately keeps children away from their parents on a regular and
reasonable basis for prolonged periods of the day and year. Once children start kindergarten and then proceed
to primary school, they are attended to for several hours for free, which also allows parents to work. Another
latent function of schooling is to provide opportunities that augment children’s chances of becoming acquainted
with a larger and more diversified circle of friends than they would otherwise. People sometimes persevere in
these friendships for the rest of their lives, regardless of the grade level at which they met in school before. Last
but not least, millions of students at educational institutions have been kept out of the full-time workforce. This
keeps the unemployment rate lower than it could be if they were in the labour force.

a Match the highlighted words and phrases in the passage to the definitions below.
1. : not by chance; in a way that was planned
2. : to continue trying to do or achieve something despite difficulties
3. : making something easy, possible or likely for something to happen
4. : in a way that is total or expressed in complete clarity with no doubt
5. : to prevent somebody from being involved in something or affected by something
6. : productive and physical work done for wages
7. : to increase the amount, value, size, etc. of something
8. : existing, but not yet clear, active or well developed
9. : the ability to read and write
10. : to take care of somebody or something

b Circle the two options that cannot be the synonyms of the given words and phrases.

1. attend to
A) care for B) look after C) look upon D) take over E) deal with
2. unequivocally
A) obviously B) subsequently C) indisputably D) unambiguously E) ultimately
3. conducive
A) impressive B) beneficial C) favourable D) diligent E) useful
4. latent
A) dormant B) irreparable C) concealed D) requisite E) inactive
5. deliberately
A) intentionally B) consciously C) unanimously D) wittingly E) ineluctably
6. persevere
A) foster B) acquire C) persist D) proceed E) endure
7. keep out
A) disallow B) exclude C) hinder D) encounter E) deliver

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Ortaöğretim Genel Müdürlüğü Öğretim Programları ve Ders Kitapları Daire Başkanlığı