The current worldwide economic recession has forced state governments to reevaluate how tax dollars should be spent. A recent statement from the Iowa State legislature indicated that they were considering cutting state-funded sabbaticals for professors working within the publicly funded Iowa University system. The justification has been that this is an inefficient use of funds, which could be better allocated elsewhere or cut out of the tax code. Critics cited the high cost of paying a professor’s salary for the entire year in which they do not work. They also suggested that taxpayers should not pay for professors to take time off from teaching to write a book on a subject such as ancient mythology. There is a strong counterargument, however, which points out that not all faculty sabbaticals are, by necessity, unprofitable. Aside from the benefit of the increase of knowledge, it is not entirely clear how a sabbatical may, ultimately, return on its investment. A genetics professor who, during her sabbatical, discovers a new drug treatment methodology, for example, could potentially generate millions of dollars in grant money for the university’s research department.

1. Which of the following is likely to be an opinion of the author of this passage?

A. Public funding for sabbaticals should be cut.
B. The value produced by a faculty sabbatical cannot be determined prior to the sabbatical.
C. Professors should only teach, not engage in outside research.
D. The goal of a university should be to conduct abstract research that leads to practical applications.
E. The study of genetics is a more worthwhile pursuit than that of mythology.


2. Which of the following statements is suggested by the passage?

I. As a result of the sabbatical system, universities are doing less meaningful research than they once did.
II. As a state, Iowa has a lower percentage of professors whose primary responsibility is teaching.
III. Some state legislators feel that taxpayers should not have to indirectly pay for research that will not benefit them.