Hi all,
I'm just curious to know if the following is due to changing times or just cultural differences.
I remember reading classics like Of Mice and Men and Death of a Salesmen in high school. We were then tested on the general understanding of the book.. irony, symbolism, motivation, themes and plots. We even had animated discussions about the books.
My step daughter was recently talking about her French class (her first language) She had to read several old French classics and then be tested on each. I thought it was great and probably like back in my day (1977).
But no. She had questions like; what color was the car in front of the house? How old was the girl in the window? What direction were they going?
Now when she reads, she's constantly looking out for adjectives and small details rather than taking in the essence of the whole story.
More surprising... I spoke to a colleague at work who said she experienced the same thing in college (French). The tests were impossible with questions about the tiniest details no one could remember.
Is this how it generally is every where now? Have any of you who've studied English in the past few years experienced something similar or know of someone who has?
Thanks
I'm just curious to know if the following is due to changing times or just cultural differences.
I remember reading classics like Of Mice and Men and Death of a Salesmen in high school. We were then tested on the general understanding of the book.. irony, symbolism, motivation, themes and plots. We even had animated discussions about the books.
My step daughter was recently talking about her French class (her first language) She had to read several old French classics and then be tested on each. I thought it was great and probably like back in my day (1977).
But no. She had questions like; what color was the car in front of the house? How old was the girl in the window? What direction were they going?
Now when she reads, she's constantly looking out for adjectives and small details rather than taking in the essence of the whole story.
More surprising... I spoke to a colleague at work who said she experienced the same thing in college (French). The tests were impossible with questions about the tiniest details no one could remember.
Is this how it generally is every where now? Have any of you who've studied English in the past few years experienced something similar or know of someone who has?
Thanks