Reading Passage Question
Today, children whose parents are deemed incapable of caring for them are put into foster care. These children are moved into strangers' homes, where they are cared for until their own parents can regain custody, which may not happen for years, if it happens at all. Although it means well, the current foster care program is so poorly funded, staffed, and managed that it cannot ensure the safety and well being of the children in the system. The laudable idea behind foster care is that children will fare best if placed in a family setting until they can be reunited with their parents, even if it is a family of strangers. However while in foster care, children typically get shuffled between many different foster homes, preventing them from developing long-term, supportive relationships with their foster families.
Foster care placements can also force siblings to be separated, further isolating these vulnerable children. When a child is moved to a new foster home, he or she may also have to enroll in a new school, a disruptive process that has a negative impact on the child's education. The bureaucracy that oversees this system is overwhelmed to the point that social workers are unable to adequately screen potential foster parents and keep accurate track of the children placed in foster care. There must be a better means of caring for these children. Perhaps it is time to consider creating special group homes as a means of providing these children with stable and safe environments.
A child could live in one group home for the duration of his or her time in foster care and be supervised by a team of social workers and other lay people. Children would receive proper meals and healthcare, attend the same school, and develop relationships with others experiencing the trauma of being separated from their parents. In addition, social workers and staff would have daily access to these children, enabling them to better determine if a child has a special physical or psychological need and arrange for the necessary services. Would this approach be perfect? No, but it would solve many of the problems that plague the current system. For some, the idea of a government agency housing, clothing, and feeding needy children may sound extreme, but it only suggests that we provide these children with the same basic necessities that we give to prison inmates.
“Today, children whose parents are deemed incapable of caring for them” is a GMAT reading comprehension passage with a different set of answers. The candidates need to have complete knowledge and idea of the English GMAT reading comprehension. There are five series of questions in this section of GMAT reading comprehension. GMAT Reading Comprehension questions help to boost the candidate to analyse and utilise ideas or concepts. The candidates can practice these GMAT Reading Comprehension Practice Questions in order to enhance their skills.
Solutions and Explanation
- Which of the following best expresses the main idea of this passage?
- The current foster care system is a failure.
- Government-run group homes would be a better option than foster care.
- Group homes for children are similar to prisons.
- Children in foster care need more stability.
- No childcare system is perfect.
Answer: (B)
Explanation: The prime idea of the passage is that special group homes run by the government will offer children a safe and stable environment. The passage discusses the issues with foster care and depicts the benefits of the group home and their utmost care to serve the welfare of children. Option B mainly illustrates the main concept of the passage, and hence it is the correct answer. The rest of the options deny the subject matter of the passage.
- The passage suggests that the idea of creating group homes in lieu of foster care
- is long overdue.
- is the only viable option to foster care.
- is likely to meet with much resistance.
- should be researched extensively.
- is a basic right that should not be denied to children in need.
Answer: (C)
Explanation: According to the passage, the idea of government group homes for needy children tends to sound extreme. Option C is the correct answer as it satisfies the argument of the passage. The rest of the options are therefore irrelevant to the topic of the passage.
- It can be inferred from the passage that the author
- was once in prison.
- believes foster care parents are often too lenient.
- was a foster child.
- believes prison inmates are treated better than some children in foster care.
- believes group homes are essentially prisons for children.
Answer: (D)
Explanation: The passage illustrates the problems faced by children in foster care. The author of the passage believes that the condition of the children in foster care is worse than the inmates of the prison. Option D suits the discussion of the passage and therefore it is the correct answer. The rest of the options hence go out of the context of the passage.
- According to the passage, a group home system has all of the following advantages over the current foster care system EXCEPT
- children would be reunited with their parents more quickly.
- it is easier to keep track of children in the system.
- children would have daily contact with social workers.
- children would stay in the same school.
- children would have better access to special services
Answer: (A)
Explanation: The passage discusses the benefits of the group home system and its facilities. The group home system offers the children a better opportunity along with a privileged life. Options B, C, D and E satisfies all the argument of the passage and there they are out of scope. The discussion in option A does not meet the context of the passage and hence it is relevant to the question of the passage.
- The passage states that
- children in group homes would get a better education than children in foster care.
- children in group homes would have more individual attention than children in foster care.
- children in group homes would find comfort in being with other children who have been taken from their parents.
- group homes are more cost effective than foster care.
- a group home system is less likely to be bogged down by bureaucracy.
Answer: (C)
Explanation: The passage demonstrates the advantages of group homes and their efforts in improving the lives of the children. The passage depicts that the children in this group home will find comfort with the other children who have also experienced the same trauma. Option C matches the context of the passage, thus it stands as the right answer. The remaining options hence are irrelevant to the passage discussion.
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