English is characterized by the careful examination and analysis of universally renowned literary works. The course is aimed at preparing students for the Advanced Placement course the following year, if it is attended. Therefore, students spend an enormous amount of time developing their writing and critical reading skills. Starting from The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, the course continues with works such as Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë and Macbeth by William Shakespeare. According to the College Board, these works are designed to “provide meaning and pleasure to their readers.” While most selections for the Sophomore Accelerated course meet these criteria, there is one glaring exception: E.M. Forster's 1924 novel A Passage to India. An uninteresting and elaborate novel, it alienates audiences while confusing readers as it buries meaning in extended metaphors and dated social commentary. By failing to meet the standards set by the College Board, teachers should feel obligated to eliminate the teaching of this unsuitable novel from the curriculum. Since 1990, A Passage to India has appeared in four essay questions on the AP Literature exam, most recently in 2009, according to a list of titles compiled by Norma J. Wilkerson. Other novels taught in the Sophomore Accelerated course exceed this number, including Jane Eyre (twelve times) and Macbeth (five times), and nearly parallel The Catcher in the Rye (three times, all since 2000). Because the Sophomore Accelerated course is designed to prepare students for the following year's AP course – and ultimately the AP exam – instruction should be geared toward what is most likely to appear on the exam. W... halfway down the page... the overwhelming dissatisfaction that the novel arouses in those who read it – which is based on the deep and layered prose of an intricate and sophisticated mind, oriented towards a more adult audience – provides the basis for the topic of removing the book from the Sophomore Accelerated curriculum. The animosity shown toward teachers and the resulting resentment by students of teachers should only serve as further incentive to recognize a truly great work of literature as one that has no place in the hands of a sophomore within the confines of a 'analysis based on analysis. classroom. Works Cited http://www.brainyquote.com http://homepage.mac.com/mseffie/AP/APtitles.html EM "A Passage to India" by Forster "Readicide" by Kelly Gallagher US College Board http:// www.sparknotes.com "Structure, Symbol, and Theme in A Passage to India" by Glen O. Allen by E.M. Forster"