A South Korean City Brings the Great Books Method to Classrooms

Study the questions and tasks

Work through the material below, or start the interactive practice above to complete an attempt. Try the exercises before opening any answer or transcript sections, then use them to review your work.

Practice level

B2. Try this level if you can follow the instructions and understand most of the language; choose an earlier level if you need more support.

Question formats

Single choice

How to approach this practice

Read the passage for its main idea, then return to the relevant sentence or paragraph for each question. Base answers on the passage.

1. Question 1 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which statement best expresses the article’s main idea?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. A Chuncheon school uses discussion to develop students’ reading and reasoning amid educational pressures.
   2. St. John’s College plans to replace its campus courses with online lessons.
   3. South Korean schools have stopped using college entrance exams.
   4. Students prefer studying AI to reading literature.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   A Chuncheon school uses discussion to develop students’ reading and reasoning amid educational pressures.

   The article connects a discussion-based model with wider educational pressures.

   In this setting, the Great Books model puts sustained reading and discussion at the center of learning, giving students practice in forming and sharing their own ideas.

2. Question 2 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What does “That exchange” refer to in the third paragraph?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Students’ debate and sharing of viewpoints
   2. A conversation between school administrators
   3. The comparison between American and Asian test scores
   4. The adoption of elective courses
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Students’ debate and sharing of viewpoints

   The phrase points back to students debating and sharing ideas.

   For Ma, the value is in hearing several viewpoints.

3. Question 3 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Why does the article mention Frankenstein before discussing AI?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. To show how literature can prompt discussion of current technology
   2. To explain why students must study nineteenth-century history
   3. To show that the school has replaced books with AI tools
   4. To argue that fictional characters are more intelligent than people
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   To show how literature can prompt discussion of current technology

   The literary discussion provides a route into a present-day technology question.

   The class’s move from Shelley’s fictional creature to AI shows how a literary question can lead to discussion of a current technology.

4. Question 4 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What can be inferred about the Great Books discussions from the article?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Students need to explain their ideas and engage with classmates’ arguments.
   2. Students receive answers from internet sources before every debate.
   3. Teachers avoid guiding students during class.
   4. The discussions focus only on passing exams.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Students need to explain their ideas and engage with classmates’ arguments.

   Students are expected to develop and support ideas through conversation.

   That exchange can help students explain their thinking and respond to arguments from peers.

5. Question 5 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   How does the article organize its account of the school’s model?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. It moves from a classroom debate to the model and then to wider pressures.
   2. It begins with national statistics and ends with a history of the college.
   3. It compares several schools before describing a single student’s opinion.
   4. It presents exam advice and then explains the plot of Frankenstein.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   It moves from a classroom debate to the model and then to wider pressures.

   It begins with a classroom example, then widens to national context.

   The approach is emerging amid broader concerns about education in South Korea.

6. Question 6 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   Which claim is supported by the article about the model’s classroom practices?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Students use readings, reasoning, and discussion with classmates.
   2. Students choose majors and electives within the model.
   3. Teachers deliver most lessons as lectures.
   4. Internet searches provide answers during discussions.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Students use readings, reasoning, and discussion with classmates.

   The model relies on assigned texts and student reasoning.

   Students work from assigned readings, their own reasoning, and conversation with classmates.

7. Question 7 · Single choice

   Choose one answer.

   What relationship does the article suggest between exam pressure and families’ choices?

   Return to the passage, recording or visual
   1. Exam pressure helps explain why some families choose cram or foreign schools.
   2. Foreign schools create the college entrance exam system.
   3. Cram schools reduce the need for students to read.
   4. Families choose schools because AI chatbots are unavailable.
   Check answers and explanations

   Answer

   Exam pressure helps explain why some families choose cram or foreign schools.

   Pressure is linked to families seeking advantages or alternatives.

   This pressure reaches even young children, while many families turn to cram schools for an advantage or choose foreign schools to avoid the system.

What to review next

Find the words that support each answer. For a mistake, compare the question with the evidence and identify the detail or inference you missed.

A focused practice result shows how you did on these tasks. Use several activities across skills to decide what to study next; one practice score does not certify an overall CEFR level.

Before you practise: a worked example

Look for evidence in the text. Separate what the writer says from what you already know about the topic.

The library normally closes at six, but on Fridays it stays open until eight. When does it close on Friday?

The answer is eight. But introduces an exception to the normal closing time, so the first time mentioned is not the answer.

This teaching example is separate from the scored questions. After your test, compare any mistakes with the explanation and revisit the topic before trying again.