Question Answers

2. Education

Core Reading 2 How the Web Destroys the Quality of Students’ Research Papers

* David Rothenberg

1. How do you consider the major purpose of Rothenberg’s essay?

The major purpose of Rothenberg’s essay is to show the educational hazards of the World Wide Web. To some extent, I consider Rothenberg’s essay is logical and true. But in other ways, it has shown too much negativity of the internet.

Yes, in today’s world, due the development of science and technology, we have relied on the internet very much. For the smallest bit of thing, we depend upon the internet, be it the assignment or project work or presentation and so on. We just extract the information from the internet, correct the spelling and grammar from the word processor, print it out and submit it. In this course, we have stopped using our creativity. Instead of becoming a perfectionist, we have become a parasite of the internet.

But we cannot deny the fact that internet, if used in an effective way, is a very useful thing. Rothenberg, in his essay, has only mentioned the negative aspects of the World Wide Web. He has not accounted the benefits people are gaining from it. He has blamed the internet to be the cause of degrading quality of students’ research papers. However, I think it is in the hands of the students whether to fall a victim of the internet or make a good use of it.

So, I consider Rothenberg’s essay is true to some extent whereas it also has some flaws.

2. What is the main idea that Rothenberg expresses in his essay?

Rothenberg’s essay is all about the educational hazards of the World Wide Web. He has shown the present situation of the students, when it comes to submitting research paper, in this essay. He mentions that previously there were many brilliant ideas and originality in the students’ research papers but there was a disturbing decline in the quality of the research paper from the past semester (Reason behind it being the internet).

He says that...