Read the passage about the purpose of education, examinations, and specialization. Then answer the question. According to the author, what is one of the core elements or essential parts of true education?

Introduction / Context:
The passage sets out a clear view of what education should really do for a person. It says that education should implant standards, right values, and the science of good and evil, and it describes examinations and specialization as serious obstacles to this deeper aim. The question asks what one of the core elements of education is. To answer correctly, we must look at what the author highlights as essential at the beginning of the passage, not at the later criticisms of exams and specialization.

Given Data / Assumptions:

• The passage states that implanting standards, right values, and the science of good and evil is an essential part of education.
• Examinations and specialization are described as serious hindrances to this work.
• The author says education should help a person discover personal capacities and understand what to be and do in the world.
• Tests of progress have some use but can distort attitudes when their result begins to matter too much.
• Liberal education requires disinterestedness and is not driven by exam results.

Concept / Approach:
The phrase essential part is crucial. The passage does not say that examinations or specialization are essential parts; instead, it treats them as obstacles. The only feature that is clearly called essential at the beginning is the implanting of standards and right values. Therefore, we must choose the option that expresses this moral and value based aspect of education. Options that focus on examinations, specialization, or purely extra curricular activity miss the author’s central point.

Step-by-Step Solution:
Step 1: Identify the sentence that describes education directly. It says that implanting standards, right values, and the science of good and evil is an essential part of education. Step 2: Evaluate option A, which mentions a right value system. This directly reflects the phrase right values and standards mentioned in the passage. Step 3: Evaluate option B. It refers to a good examination system, but the passage is actually critical of examinations and regards them as an opiate and a poison. Step 4: Evaluate option C. Extra curricular activities may be useful, but the passage does not mention them as core elements. Step 5: Evaluate option D. It refers to specialization, which the passage criticises as a serious hindrance, not as a core element. Step 6: Evaluate option E. Job placement and salaries do not appear in the passage at all, so this cannot be correct.

Verification / Alternative check:
We can verify our choice by restating the author’s view in a single line: education is meant to build character and moral understanding and to help a person find a meaningful role in life. Exams and specialization are mentioned only as obstacles. Therefore, any option that makes exams or specialization central must be rejected. Only option A captures the idea of a value system and moral standards as a core part of education.

Why Other Options Are Wrong:
Option B is wrong because examinations are criticised, not praised, by the author. Option C is wrong because extra curricular activities are not discussed in the passage. Option D is wrong because specialization is labelled a hindrance rather than a core element. Option E is wrong because the passage does not focus on economic outcomes.

Common Pitfalls:
Learners sometimes confuse what modern education systems often emphasise in practice, such as exams and job skills, with what an author considers ideal. In this passage, the author is deliberately challenging examination centred and specialization centred models. It is therefore essential to read the first lines carefully to see what is celebrated as essential and what is criticised as harmful.

Final Answer:
One of the core elements of education, according to the passage, is implanting a right value system and moral standards in learners.