How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #7
"Instead of answering the questions on the second test, she composed a long poem about the absurdity of the test and its rules, particularly about the missing fourth step—which apparently reminded her of doughnut holes, because these were the topic of a second poem. […] I remember a particularly felicitous rhyme between 'flaky bereft' and 'bakery theft.'" (4.73)
Okay, so Constance refuses to follow the rules (and the non-existent fourth step) for the second test. Most of the time when people respond to test questions in this way they fail, right? Yet Constance passes. And not only that, but Mr. B loves her answers, and her poem. So what's the deal? What qualities has Constance shown here that make her a good fit for the MBS team? And what kinds of intelligence has she shown that she has?
Quote #8
[…] they were reluctant to go back down and meet the Executives again. Kate was more reluctant than any of them, not because she feared being caught as a spy, […] but because she hated to stop exploring. Exploring was what she did best, and Kate liked always to be doing what she did best. (10.83)
One way to figure out the ways in which you're intelligent is to think about the things you like to do. Why? Because the things we like to do tend to become the things we're really good at, whether it's taking apart household gadgets or car engines and putting them back together again, or reading, understanding, and appreciating literature. Kate loves exploring—and climbing and running and jumping and balancing—because that's where she can best use her strengths. And her strengths? Are her best ways of being smart. What are yours?
Quote #9
[…] in certain ways, the Institute did remind them of other schools: Rote memorization of lessons was discouraged but required; class participation was encouraged but rarely permitted; and although quizzes were given every day, in every class, there was always at least one student who groaned, another who acted surprised, and another who begged the teacher, in vain, not to give it. (13.2)
Do you attend school? If so, does any of this sound familiar to you? The part that interests us the most (at this particular moment) is the whole rote memorization thing. The word rote means mechanical routine, so learning by rote is learning by memorizing or repetition—you know, the way Mr. Curtain has his students repeating words and phrases over and over until they stick in their heads.
Our question to you is: is this type of learning valuable? Don't answer too quickly. People are really divided on this, with some saying rote memorization is pointless and can't lead to real learning while others think it has its place. But what do you think? And while you're sorting out your opinion, help us sort out Trenton Lee Stewart's. What is he saying about rote learning in that first sentence above? Why would it be discouraged? And if discouraged, why would it then be required?