General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Here's what your 10th-graders will be tested on under Common Core: Ovid [View all]HereSince1628
(36,063 posts)regarding the presentation of the passage as an example test item.
There are not 50 casually violent rapes presented in the selected passage. Ovid's Metamorphosis, in its entirety may. But, there is nothing to suggest that students exposed to this test passage would be exposed to that entire work. My understanding of the test is that it is not one for which a student prepares in content knowledge, but rather preparation is the development of skills that contribute to reading, including comprehension.
The passage is presented as an example of appropriately complex language that a 10th grader with advanced reading skills should be able to comprehend. The passage is presented as an example of the level of reading difficulty that students might encounter on the test. IMO The critical questions to be asked isn't whether Ovid wrote about sex (he certainly did) and rape, but whether the selected passage is appropriate to evaluate 10th grade reading ability. One can certainly argue over that point and SusanOhanian.blog does...as she suggests Innes' prose translation of this passage.
In the pursuit of that debate we must consider, at minimum, both sides of several questions...What reading difficulties are presented by lyrics vs prose? Should a college bound 10th grader be capable of reading and understanding a 90 year old translation of verse? Is that a desirable and appropriate state of affairs for the school system in question or American education as a whole?
Although Americans are amped-up over "teaching-to-the-test", this example test item is not a directive to schools on text choice. Chasing that red-herring ignores the purpose of the test and the purpose of the example being presented--which is to present for consideration a specimen of elevated level of English usage capable of assessing the ability of students to apply advanced reading skills to obtain comprehension.