A question that's causing controversy in my country.

[Naji Asseel]

Hello,

I'm from Jordan. In our English exam we had a question that's been causing some controversy in the country, most teachers are saying it's wrong while the Ministry of Education is claiming it's correct and valid.

Question :

Use the right word or phrase in the box below in each pair of sentences to make only one meaningful sentence from each pair.

The box : and although, instead of, on the other hand.

Q: Students do not enjoy their independence. Leaving home for the first time can be difficult for some students.

The MOE is claiming that "on the other hand" is the right answer and that there is nothing wrong with the question. Some teachers agree while others don't. I Consider myself relatively decent in English and as far as I know the phrase "on the other hand" can't be used in this sentence.

Thanks for your time.

 

[tedmc]

1.Students do not enjoy their independence. It follows that the students do not like leaving home.
2. On the other hand, leaving home for the first time can be difficult for some students.

I agree with you, I do not see the two sentences as being in opposition or contrary to each other to justify using "on the other hand".

"On the other hand" would have been appropriate if the sentences go like this:

The students enjoy their independence (they do not mind leaving home). On the other hand, leaving home for the first time can be difficult for some students.

 

[Naji Asseel]

1.Students do not enjoy their independence. It follows that the students do not like leaving home.
2. On the other hand, leaving home for the first time can be difficult for some students.

I agree with you, I do not see the two sentences as being in opposition or contrary to each other to justify using "on the other hand".

"On the other hand" would have been appropriate if the sentences go like this:

The students enjoy their independence (they do not mind leaving home). On the other hand, leaving home for the first time can be difficult for some students.

Thanks for your reply.
I know that i might sound a bit silly since the original question is obviously wrong, but can someone give me a source I can use to prove that it's wrong before i contact someone who'll be able to contact the MOE. I Understand that our English teaching in the country is bad and while the stupidity might be obvious for the native speaker, our MOE is very arrogant and they'll defend their actions til their last breath even if it means changing English itself. So i need a source that can't be argued. I would also appreciate it VERY much if someone can take the time to write a short but full explanation of why this question is wrong, those 2 marks can mean the deference between someone passing the exam and someone failing it only to wait another 4 months to be able to take it again.

Thanks again.

 

[Matthew Wai]

(on the one hand…) on the other (hand)…
used to introduce different points of view, ideas, etc., especially when they are opposites.
── quoted from http://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/hand_1#hand_1__1534

Ask the MOE why and in what aspects they think that the second sentence is expressing a view different from or opposite to the first one.

Not a teacher.

 

[MikeNewYork]

This is not a question of English grammar. It is a question of simple logic.

 

[Alice-k]

Haha!

yes! that question got me talking to myself. the sentence has no meaning in all honesty.

I found it in a website, turns out they took it from there, though the sentence is incorrect. I'm guessing they didn't bother themselves to check if it was!

check this out.

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http://highered.mheducation.com/sites/0072469099/student_view0/chapter8/contrasting.html

 

[Tdol]

It looks like a case for something like What is more rather than On the other hand to me. It's not a contrast but an additional negative point.

 

[Naji Asseel]

First, Thanks for everyone who took the time to answer the question and explain why it's wrong, a report has already been filed and sent to the MOE as far as i know. Hopefully they don't turn a blind eye as they always do.






Thanks for digging the source, some teachers managed to find other places where the question can be found online in an identical form as the one you sent me. it's really sad and funny, they kept bombarding us with promises on how much they are taking the exams seriously, while they did indeed install cops in every school to eliminate cheating, and while they started searching every student and didn't even allow us to bring our own pens they didn't change what's worth changing.. the exams themselves.. other than the above mistake i found at least two other spelling mistakes in the "questions" themselves, no on really cared since it is in the question but it shows how much thoroughness went into the exam.. NONE!

 

[JMurray]

not a teacher

I would also appreciate it VERY much if someone can take the time to write a short but full explanation of why this question is wrong.

I will try.

The two versions of the question (posts 1 and 6) have the sentences in a different order. However, the answer is incorrect either way.

The example from online: "Leaving home for the first time can be very difficult for some students. On the other hand, they don't enjoy their independence". This clearly doesn't make sense because, as others have noted, the second sentence is not presenting an alternative or contrast to the first. It is actually reinforcing the first. So "on the other hand" is not correct.

It would make sense if we removed the word "don't" from the second sentence, or substituted it with "do".
"Leaving home for the first time can be very difficult for some students. On the other hand, they enjoy their independence".
"Leaving home for the first time can be very difficult for some students. On the other hand, they do enjoy their independence".

Both of these say that while leaving home can be difficult, the students do enjoy the independence that leaving home gives them.

The version in the OP's post seems to have carried over the error from the online question and simply reversed the order of the sentences.

 

[tedmc]

It would be clearer if you use 'leaving home' as the common denominator for comparison.

The original incorrect sentences:
Leaving home can be difficuIt for some students. One the other hand, they prefer not to leave home(do not enjoy their independence).

The two sentences read together clearly do not make sense (not logical).

The correct sentences should be:
Leaving home can be difficuIt for some students. One the other hand, they prefer to leave home (enjoy their independence).