"The Phone is Mightier than the Pen"

Read this sentence from the passage.

The inventions of the internet and the cell phone have instituted a new revolution in education; schools are just beginning to grapple with the implications.

What is the main effect of the author's use of language in this sentence?

• It presents educational issues as dilemmas to be solved.

• It suggests that schools are more progressive than they once were.

• It emphasizes the dramatic changes that technology has brought to education.

• It demonstrates that teachers often adopt new technology before their students do.

In the first paragraph, why does the author claim that the question of whether to allow phones in schools is outdated?

• to reveal that teachers already accept the use of new technology in the classroom

• to imply that teachers have less control over student behavior than they once did

• to observe that it is difficult to keep up with quickly changing trends in technology

• to argue that it makes little sense to attempt to ban something that is already present

Which best describes how the author organizes the information in the passage?

• by offering examples of students who have benefited from using cell phones

• by listing reasons why cell phones should be considered beneficial to schools

• by comparing schools that ban cell phones to schools that allow them

• by describing improvements in cell phones in chronological order

According to the author, how do the apps on cell phones help students learn?

• They connect students with diverse cultures around the world

• They motivate students to become more comfortable with technology

• They encouraged students to communicate and share ideas with their peers

• They allow students to focus on understanding ideas instead of memorizing facts.

In the last paragraph, what idea does the author suggest by comparing the cell phone to the pen?

• Education should be the main purpose of technology.

• People have always been able to find and share information.

• Both the pen and the phone are powerful education tools when used correctly.

• Both the pen and the phone will be overshadowed by even more advanced technology.

Which of these ideas is most fully developed in the passage?

• Schools should embrace cell phones as tools for learning.

• Students can use cell phones to document their experiences.

• Students are often able to find ways to get around school rules.

• Modern education has improved on classical ideas in many ways.

Read this excerpt from Paragraph 4.

Time of day, distance or personal acquaintance does not limit access to information through a phone. In fact, I think we can assume just about any information can be reached with a phone.

Which best describes why this reasoning is unsound?

• The author exaggerates the capacities of cell phones.

• The author ignores the fact that some people do not have cell phones.

• The author does not explain how to use cell phones to locate information.

• The author fails to prove that information found on cell phones is reliable.

Read the sentence from the passage.

Yes, this is a difficult task, educators have only began to master it themselves.

How does this statement make the author seem more trustworthy?

• It demonstrates that the author is an expert on educational issues.

• It shows that the author is able to understand different viewpoints.

• It explains that the author speaks from a foundation of experience.

• It reveals that the author has done extensive research on education.

Read this sentence from Paragraph 7.

According to Clark, thinking involves an incredibly complicated network of interweaving ideas and of responses and counter-responses that travel back and forth among the realms of the mind and the material world, among what is thought and what is perceived and what actually is.

How does this sentence help to develop the ideas in the passage?

• by explaining the reason some people find it difficult to understand new technology.

• by stating that human intelligence is gradually expanding to encompass new skills.

• by describing thought as a complex process that benefits from the use of tools.

• by offering proof that education allows the brain to develop its full potential.

Read this sentence from Paragraph 5.

As a culture, we have outsourced memorization to our phones, allowing us to focus our study on comprehending the information the phone gathers and records.

What does the word outsourced most imply about the relationship between people and cell phones?

• People rely on their phones to perform particular tasks.

• Phones are likely to become more intelligent than people.

• Phones inspire people to work harder and strive for success.

• People who are successful tend to prefer more advanced phones.