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Grade inflation — the gradual increase in average GPAs (grade-point averages) over the past
few decades — is often considered a product of a consumer era in higher education, in which
students are treated like customers to be pleased. But another, related force — a policy often
buried deep in course catalogs called “grade forgiveness” — is helping raise GPAs.
Grade forgiveness allows students to retake a course in which they received a low grade, and
the most recent grade or the highest grade is the only one that counts in calculating a student’s
overall GPA.
The use of this little-known practice has accelerated in recent years, as colleges continue to
do their utmost to keep students in school (and paying tuition) and improve their graduation rates.
When this practice first started decades ago, it was usually limited to freshmen, to give them a
second chance to take a class in their first year if they struggled in their transition to college-level
courses. But now most colleges, save for many selective campuses, allow all undergraduates, and
even graduate students, to get their low grades forgiven.
College officials tend to emphasize that the goal of grade forgiveness is less about the grade itself and more about encouraging students to retake courses critical to their degree program and
graduation without incurring a big penalty. “Ultimately,” said Jack Miner, Ohio State University’s
registrar, “we see students achieve more success because they retake a course and do better in
subsequent courses or master the content that allows them to graduate on time.”
That said, there is a way in which grade forgiveness satisfies colleges’ own needs as well. For
public institutions, state funds are sometimes tied partly to their success on metrics such as
graduation rates and student retention — so better grades can, by boosting figures like those, mean
more money. And anything that raises GPAs will likely make students — who, at the end of the
day, are paying the bill — feel they’ve gotten a better value for their tuition dollars, which is
another big concern for colleges.
Indeed, grade forgiveness is just another way that universities are responding to consumers’
expectations for higher education. Since students and parents expect a college degree to lead to a
job, it is in the best interest of a school to turn out graduates who are as qualified as possible — or
at least appear to be. On this, students’ and colleges’ incentives seem to be aligned.
26. What is commonly regarded as the cause of grade inflation?
[A] The change of course catalogs.
[B] Students’ indifference to GPAs.
[C] Colleges’ neglect of GPAs.
[D] The influence of consumer culture.
27. What was the original purpose of grade forgiveness?
[A] To help freshmen adapt to college learning.
[B] To maintain colleges’ graduation rates.
[C] To prepare graduates for a challenging future.
[D] To increase universities’ income from tuition.
28. According to Paragraph 5, grade forgiveness enables colleges to ________.
[A] obtain more financial support
[B] boost their student enrollments
[C] improve their teaching quality
[D] meet local governments’ needs
29. What does the phrase “to be aligned” (Line 4, Para. 6) most probably mean?
[A] To counterbalance each other.
[B] To complement each other.
[C] To be identical with each other.
[D] To be contradictory to each other.
30. The author examines the practice of grade forgiveness by ________.
[A] assessing its feasibility
[B] analyzing the causes behind it
[C] comparing different views on it
[D] listing its long-run effects
26. 【答案】 D
【解析】 根据题干信息词“grade inflation”可回文定位至首段第一句。由句子主干
“Grade inflation is often considered a product of a consumer era in higher education”可知
分数膨胀往往被视作高等教育进入消费者时代的产物。故选[D]。
27. 【答案】 A
【解析】 根据题干要求，可回文定位至第三段第二句“When this practice first started
decades ago, it was usually limited to freshmen, to give them a second chance to take a class
in their first year if they struggled in their transition to college-level courses”。根据上下文，
该句中的 this practice 指的正是第二段的 grade forgiveness，由此句可知，之所以出现
grade forgiveness 是为了帮助大一新生适应大学学习。故选[A]。
28. 【答案】 A
【解析】 根据题干关键词“paragraph 5”，“grade forgiveness”及“colleges”可回文定
位至第五段第一、二句。第五段第一句“grade forgiveness satisfies colleges’ own
needs”，可知 grade forgiveness 满足了学校自身的需求。第二句“For public institutions,
state funds are sometimes tied partly to their success on metrics such as graduation rates and
student retention — so better grades can, by boosting figures like those, mean more
money”，可以看出“grade forgiveness”使大学能够获得更多的拨款，这也是学校的需
求，与[A]“获得更多的经济支持”匹配。故选[A]。
29. 【答案】 C
【解析】 根据题目关键词“to be aligned”，可定位到第 6 段最后一句“On this,
16students’ and colleges’ incentives seem to be aligned”。由上文“Since students and parents
expect a college degree to lead to a job, it is in the best interest of a school to turn out
graduates who are as qualified as possible — or at least appear to be”可知学生和家长们都
希望凭着大学文凭找到一份工作，故可推出学生和学校有着共同的利益目标，所以正
确答案为[C]，即学生和学校的动机是一致的。故选[C]。
30. 【答案】 B
【解析】 根据题干，此题考查的是全文的论述手法。须串读每段段落大意句，把握作
者的论述角度。通读全文，第一段直接指出“分数膨胀”原由 之一是“grade
forgiveness”；第二段解释“grade forgiveness”概念；第三段说明“grade forgiveness”
最初开始的原因；第四段是“grade forgiveness”的目标，换言之，也是它在大学“流
行”的原因；第五段说明“grade forgiveness”的存在，是因为满足了学校的需求。所
以本文从学生及学校等角度分析了出现 grade forgiveness 的原因。故选[B]。