Question

school of hard knocks
by alex hanson
the typical apprenticeship with a japanese traditional
boatbuilder lasts six years, during which an apprentice
can expect to spend a lot of time sweeping the shop floor
and sharpening tools while watching the master ply his
trade. work is conducted in silence, questions are
answered elliptically, if at all, and, by the end, the master
will have withheld key pieces of knowledge that the
apprentice is expected to acquire through guile or
outright theft.
even in japan, where traditional crafts are revered,
this system is too grueling, too much at odds with
modern life, to survive. it is no wonder, then, that as a
generation of japanese boatwrights has retired, their
knowledge has retired with them. vermont boatbuilder
douglas brooks is trying to ensure that the centuries - old
designs for fishing boats and water taxis don’t follow
these craftsmen to the grave.
for more than two decades, brooks has researched
traditional boatmaking in japan, and has done short,
non - traditional apprenticeships to record boat designs.
select the correct answer.
what is a central idea of this excerpt?
a. americans are unfamiliar with the japanese art of boat building.
b. the japanese art of boat building is a difficult skill to learn.
c. americans are surprised that the japanese art of boat building is taught using unconventional methods.
d. the japanese art of boat building may be lost because it is taught using unconventional methods.
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Explanation:

To determine the central idea, we analyze each option:

• Option A: The excerpt doesn't focus on Americans' unfamiliarity but on the transmission of the art. Eliminate.
• Option B: The difficulty of learning isn't the central theme; the threat of loss due to teaching methods is. Eliminate.
• Option C: The excerpt isn't about Americans' surprise at teaching methods but about the art's potential loss. Eliminate.
• Option D: The text discusses how the Japanese art of boat building is taught (silent, elliptical learning, no key knowledge transfer) and how this unconventional method may lead to its loss (e.g., craftsmen retiring, designs at risk). This matches the central idea.

Answer:

D. The Japanese art of boat building may be lost because it is taught using unconventional methods.