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Difficulty: MediumBooker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois Debate

Read the following excerpt from W. E. B. Du Bois's *The Souls of Black Folk* (1903):

'Mr. Washington distinctly advocates common-school and industrial training, and depreciates institutions of higher learning; but neither the Negro common-schools, nor Tuskegee itself, could remain open a single day were it not for the teachers trained in Negro colleges, or trained by their graduates.'

Based on this passage, which of the following statements best describes Du Bois's perspective on the relationship between vocational training and higher education?

  1. Higher education is a necessary prerequisite for sustaining effective vocational and primary education systems.Answer
  2. B
    Vocational training should be entirely replaced by classical liberal arts education to achieve immediate social equality.
  3. C
    Tuskegee Institute was an ineffective institution because it failed to incorporate any elements of classical academic learning.
  4. D
    Industrial training and higher education represent completely incompatible philosophies of racial advancement.

Answer

Higher education is a necessary prerequisite for sustaining effective vocational and primary education systems.
The correct answer accurately reflects Du Bois's argument in the passage, which states that vocational and common schools cannot remain open without teachers trained in institutions of higher learning, thereby establishing higher education as a necessary foundation for vocational systems.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze W. E. B. Du Bois's critique of Booker T. Washington's educational model in the provided text.
Identify that Du Bois points out a dependency: industrial schools (like Tuskegee) and common schools cannot function without teachers.
This establishes the core relationship between the two levels of education.
2
Determine the source of the teachers according to the passage.
Observe that Du Bois traces the source of these teachers to 'Negro colleges' (institutions of higher learning) or their graduates.
This links the survival of vocational schools directly to the existence of college-educated teachers.
3
Synthesize the main argument and match it to the correct option.
Conclude that Du Bois sees higher education as a prerequisite for sustaining vocational training, which corresponds to the correct option.
This verifies that the correct answer accurately represents the logical relationship described in the passage.

Key Concept

The Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois debate on education centered not on a simple opposition, but on the structural relationship and prioritization of vocational training versus higher classical education.
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Booker T. Washington and W.E.B. Du Bois Debate

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