What is the author's main claim?
Teachers often set homework out of habit, and parents often demand it as a sign of seriousness. The evidence for its benefit is weaker than either would like to think. Studies tend to find that homework helps older pupils more than younger ones, and that the benefit levels off after an hour or so a night. For young children, the gains are small, while the costs, in tired children and strained evenings, are real. This does not mean that homework should be abolished. Practice that consolidates what has been taught, and tasks that pupils can complete without help, are likely to be useful. What is hard to justify is the large quantity of busywork set by routine. A good rule is that a task should be set only if the teacher can say what it is for.
Answer and explanation
Correct answer: A. Homework should be set only when it has a clear purpose
- Step 1: The last sentence gives the rule: a task should be set only if the teacher can say what it is for.
- Step 2: The earlier points show benefits are limited.
Answer
Homework should be set only when it has a clear purpose.
Why not the others: The author rejects abolition, says nothing about parents setting work, or group working, and denies universal benefit.
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More Schools questions
- According to the passage, which pupils benefit more from homework?
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- Why does the author say that the case is 'almost too obvious to examine'?
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