Which is the best summary of the passage?
In my view, teachers in state-controlled public schools are hired to teach there… Certainly a teacher is not paid to go into school and teach subjects the State does not hire him to teach as a part of its selected curriculum. Nor are public school students sent to the schools at public expense to broadcast political or any other views to educate and inform the public.
A. In his dissent on Tinker v. Des Moines, Justice Black argues that teachers are not hired by the state to teach whatever they want, just as students are not sent to school to express any opinions they want.
B. He tries to equate the prescribed curriculum of teachers to the idea that students also cannot express whatever they want.
C. I agree with Justice Black that teachers are paid to teach what the states want them to teach, so students cannot express themselves and “Teach” whatever they want at the state’s expense.
D. The dissent on Tinker v. Des Moines argues that “certainly a teacher is not paid to go into school and teach subjects the State does not hire him to teach Nor are public school students sent to the schools to broadcast political or any other views to educate and inform the public
The Correct Answer and Explanation is :
The best summary of the passage is A: In his dissent on Tinker v. Des Moines, Justice Black argues that teachers are not hired by the state to teach whatever they want, just as students are not sent to school to express any opinions they want.
Explanation:
This passage reflects Justice Black’s dissent in Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District, a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case from 1969. The case revolved around students wearing black armbands to protest the Vietnam War, which the school prohibited. The majority of the court ruled in favor of the students, emphasizing their First Amendment right to free speech, even in a school setting, as long as the expression did not disrupt the educational process.
However, Justice Black dissented. He argued that schools are institutions created by the state to fulfill specific educational goals. Teachers are hired by the state to teach a defined curriculum, not to pursue personal academic or political agendas. Similarly, students are sent to school by the state for education, not for the purpose of expressing their personal or political opinions at public expense. Justice Black feared that allowing students too much freedom to express their views in the classroom would detract from the primary purpose of education and undermine school authority.
Summary A accurately captures the main idea of the passage because it reflects Justice Black’s belief that neither teachers nor students have the liberty to teach or express anything they want in a public school, as that undermines the institution’s purpose. The other options are either too focused on personal agreement (C) or repeat the text too directly without condensing the idea (D). Option B is less precise in describing the relationship between teacher curriculum and student expression.