Question

read paragraphs 10, 11, and 12 from the passage.

what is the authors main idea in this excerpt?

• the collapse of marriage is the primary cause of child poverty in the united states.
• focusing on the collapse of marriage takes attention away from a more important focus of providing quality education to children.
• government solutions to poverty, such as creating jobs and improving education, are not as effective as promoting marriage.
• focusing on marriage to alleviate poverty is an indirect way to comment on the morality of poor parents.

reading passage

1. conversely, some people believe that the collapse of marriage, not a lack of education, is the main cause of child poverty. robert rector, senior research fellow for the heritage foundation, states, \child poverty is an ongoing national concern, but few are aware that its principal cause is the absence of married fathers in the home\ (rector). similarly, jennifer a. marshall, vice president at the institute for family, community, and opportunity, writes,

egrettably, too little of the conversation is turning to the principal cause of child poverty: the collapse of marriage.\ she claims that \being married is even more significant than graduating from high school for avoiding poverty.\ she goes on to state that

proponents of a government solution also cite lack of quality education and decent-paying jobs. true, inner-city schools often are appallingly sub-par, but ever-increasing spending hasnt significantly improved educational quality and opportunity for those who need it most (marshall).

it is true that married, two-parent families have significant financial and other advantages over single-parent families. however, discounting the importance of public education for all children, especially those from low-income families is irresponsible. also, without quality education, how can children from poor families hope to pull out of poverty, regardless of whether they are married or not?

Explanation:

Analyze the prompt and excerpt

Using the Reading Comprehension knowledge point, we must identify the author's main idea in the provided excerpt (paragraphs 10, 11, and 12). The excerpt presents two opposing viewpoints:

1. Some believe the collapse of marriage is the primary cause of child poverty (citing Robert Rector and Jennifer A. Marshall, who argue marriage is more significant than education for avoiding poverty).
2. The author counters this view in the final paragraph, stating that discounting public education is irresponsible and asking: "without quality education, how can children from poor families hope to pull out of poverty, regardless of whether they are married or not?"

Evaluate the opposing arguments

Using the Supporting Details knowledge point, we examine how the author structures the argument. The first paragraph of the excerpt outlines the counter-argument (that marriage is the key). The subsequent paragraph presents the author's rebuttal, emphasizing that education is indispensable for escaping poverty.

Determine the main idea

Using the Main Idea vs Detail knowledge point, we synthesize these points to find the central message. The author is arguing against the idea that marriage should replace education as the primary focus. Therefore, focusing too much on marriage distracts from the crucial goal of providing quality education to children.

• Option 1 represents the opposing viewpoint cited in the text, not the author's own main idea.
• Option 2 correctly identifies that focusing on marriage takes attention away from the more important focus of providing quality education.
• Option 3 is incorrect because the author argues for the importance of education over promoting marriage.
• Option 4 introduces an idea about the morality of poor parents, which is not the central argument of this excerpt.

Answer:

• (A) The collapse of marriage is the primary cause of child poverty in the United States.
• (B) Focusing on the collapse of marriage takes attention away from a more important focus of providing quality education to children. (Correct answer)
• (C) Government solutions to poverty, such as creating jobs and improving education, are not as effective as promoting marriage.
• (D) Focusing on marriage to alleviate poverty is an indirect way to comment on the morality of poor parents.