Question 12 - Next Generation Writing Practice Test for the ACCUPLACER Test

Which of these statements could be added to the passage without changing its tone?

(1) The humanities are becoming lost in a world increasingly focused on the “real” subjects of math, science, medicine, and engineering. (2) But the importance of the study of humanities should not be overlooked or we risk losing the realization of what it means to be human altogether. (3) Studying the humanities helps us understand the world around us and is the ultimate expression of being human.

(4) Humanities is the study of a variety of aspects of human culture. (5) It is the study of how we understand, process, document, and record our shared human experience. (6) The term humanities includes art, music, drama, literature, history, philosophy, all of the “soft” sciences, the “fluffy stuff” for which there is no right or wrong answer, no hypothesis that can be scientifically proven, but an exploration of all of the possible “what ifs?” of life.

(7) While science, math, engineering, and medicine can bring people a sense of security because they provide facts, “knowledge”, truth, and answers with black and white certainty, humanities brings doubt, skepticism, and uncertainty. (8) Humanities is philosophical rather than literal – it is about the journey of the exploration of the question, not the destination of finding the answer.

(9) Exploring the humanities encourages creative thought, the questioning of authority, think for yourself, question reality, and wonder about the purpose of life. (10) Studying humanities allows people to have some healthy skepticism, to explore and consider the questions that come with being a rational, thoughtful human being. (11) In fact, it may be argued that studying the humanities helps augment the learning and understanding that comes with those “real” sciences.

(12) We must demand that access to humanities curriculum be available to all students. (13) We must fight for funding of the arts so that audiences can continue to attend plays and performances in which people are expressing their true selves and all that makes humans amazing. (14) The humanities should not be brushed aside as something meaningless or unsubstantial – they are at the heart of what it means to be human.

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