Question ID:PT6 S3 Q26 Passage:Proposals for extending the United States school year to bring it more in line with its European and Japanese counterparts are often met with the objection that curtailing the schools’ three-month summer vacation would violate an established United States tradition dating from the nineteenth century. However, this objection misses its mark. True, in the nineteenth century the majority of schools closed for three months every summer, but only because they were in rural areas where successful harvests depended on children’s labor. If any policy could be justified by those appeals to tradition, it would be the policy of determining the length of the school year according to the needs of the economy. Stem:The argument counters the objection by Correct Answer Choice:CChoice A:providing evidence to show that the objection relies on a misunderstanding about the amount of time each year United States schools traditionally have been closed Choice B:calling into question the relevance of information about historical practices to current disputes about proposed social change Choice C:arguing for an alternative understanding of the nature of the United States tradition regarding the length of the school year Choice D:showing that those who oppose extending the school year have no genuine concern for tradition Choice E:demonstrating that tradition justifies bringing the United States school year in line with that of the rest of the industrialized world