Read the given passage and answer the four questions that follow.
I was raised by a teacher. My mother is a professor of early education. And from the time I went to kindergarten through my senior year in high school, I went to public schools. I wouldn't trade that education and experience for anything.
I had incredible teachers. As I look at my life today, the things I value most about myself- my imagination, my love of acting, my passion for writing, my love of learning, my curiosity- all come from how I was parented and taught.
And none of these qualities that I've just mentioned, none of these qualities that I prize so deeply, that have brought me so much joy, that have brought me so much professional success- none of these qualities that make me who I am can be tested.
I said before that I had incredible teachers. And that's true. But it's more than that. My teachers were EMPOWERED to teach me. Their time wasn't taken up with a bunch of test prep-this silly drill and kill nonsense that any serious person knows doesn't promote real learning.
No, my teachers were free to approach me and every kid in that classroom like an individual puzzle. They took so much care in figuring out who we were and how best to make the lessons resonate with each of us. They were empowered to unlock our potential. They were allowed to be teachers.
The writer's teachers were empowered because they:
Answer & explanation
Correct answer: option 2
The correct answer is Option (2) → unlocked a student's potential
The writer says his teachers were EMPOWERED to teach: they were free to treat every child as an individual, took care to find out who each student was, and "were empowered to unlock our potential". Unlocking each student's potential is what that freedom let them do, and it is the only option that matches the passage.
Why the Other Options are Incorrect?
Option 1: made wonderful tests — Incorrect. Contradicted: the writer criticises test preparation as "drill and kill" that does not promote real learning; his teachers' time was not taken up by it.
Option 3: curbed a student's curiosity — Incorrect. Contradicted: to curb is to hold back or control. The writer says his curiosity came from how he was taught, so the teachers encouraged it.
Example: The new law aims to curb air pollution.
Option 4: worked within strict confines — Incorrect. Contradicted: confines are limits or boundaries. The passage says the teachers were free to approach each child in their own way, the opposite of strict limits.
Example: The prisoners spent years within the confines of the jail.