According to the passage, why might a teenager find an early start hard?
Should school start later?
Every weekday morning, millions of teenagers drag themselves out of bed in the dark. Some researchers say this is unfair, and that secondary schools should start at nine-thirty or even ten o'clock.
Their argument rests on how young people sleep. During the teenage years the body clock shifts, so that bedtime feels natural later at night and waking feels natural later in the morning. A fourteen-year-old who is told to be at a desk at eight may be trying to learn while their brain still thinks it is the middle of the night. Supporters of later starts point to schools that tried the change and reported better attendance and fewer pupils falling asleep in lessons.
Opponents are not convinced. Later starts mean later finishes, which can clash with sports practice, part-time jobs and the care of younger brothers and sisters. Parents who leave for work early may also find that their children are left unsupervised at the start of the day. 'A change in the timetable is easy to announce,' one headteacher says, 'but families have built their lives around the existing hours.'
There may be a middle path. A few schools have kept the old hours but moved the most demanding lessons to later in the morning, so that pupils tackle mathematics when they are most awake and PE or art when they are still waking up.
Every weekday morning, millions of teenagers drag themselves out of bed in the dark. Some researchers say this is unfair, and that secondary schools should start at nine-thirty or even ten o'clock.
Their argument rests on how young people sleep. During the teenage years the body clock shifts, so that bedtime feels natural later at night and waking feels natural later in the morning. A fourteen-year-old who is told to be at a desk at eight may be trying to learn while their brain still thinks it is the middle of the night. Supporters of later starts point to schools that tried the change and reported better attendance and fewer pupils falling asleep in lessons.
Opponents are not convinced. Later starts mean later finishes, which can clash with sports practice, part-time jobs and the care of younger brothers and sisters. Parents who leave for work early may also find that their children are left unsupervised at the start of the day. 'A change in the timetable is easy to announce,' one headteacher says, 'but families have built their lives around the existing hours.'
There may be a middle path. A few schools have kept the old hours but moved the most demanding lessons to later in the morning, so that pupils tackle mathematics when they are most awake and PE or art when they are still waking up.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: D. Their body clock shifts later during the teenage years.
- Step 1: The second paragraph says the body clock shifts. Step 2. Bedtime and waking both feel natural later. Answer: Their body clock shifts later during the teenage years. Why not the others: Teenagers need less sleep than younger children.: The passage argues the opposite. Teachers speak more quietly in the morning.: Teachers' voices are not discussed. Roads are too busy for teenagers to travel safely.: Travel safety is not mentioned.
Practise more Reading comprehension.
Free questions with an explanation for every one, and full timed Independent School Entrance (ISEB Pre-Test and 11+ CEM style) mock tests.
More Reading comprehension questions
- Why could Kofi not play his own violin at the concert?
- What does 'His stomach felt as if he had swallowed a stone' show about Kofi?
- Who offered Kofi another violin?
- What did the old woman ask of Kofi in return for the loan?
- What does the phrase 'its varnish worn pale where a chin had rested for decades' suggest?
- How did the sound of the borrowed violin compare with Kofi's own?