"In the past, none failed to hear Confucius' teachings, but few understood them. Thereafter
came the vulgar Confucian scholarship of later times, which stressed memorization and
literary composition, but was of no real use. Then came the deviant doctrines of Buddhism
and Daoism, which had loftier goals but lacked solid substance. These teachings were mixed
together in great confusion, so that rulers could no longer hear the essential teachings of
Confucius, and lesser men could no longer enjoy the benefits of good government.
Everything decayed until disorder and destruction reached its extreme in the Five Dynasties
period".
Yet Heaven's cycle continues. The virtuous power of the Song dynasty rose up, and both
government and education shone with great luster. With that, the method whereby the
ancients taught men was once again made brilliantly clear to the world."
*an era of political chaos in China during the tenth century
Zhu Xi, Chinese scholar and philosopher, preface to a commentary on The Great Learning,
written in 1190. The Great Learning was a text of Confucian teachings that became a
foundational text of examination for the Chinese civil service.
a)
Identify ONE claim made in the passage.
b)
Identify ONE way in which the ideas expressed in the passage illustrate the social or
political development of China under the Song dynasty oop

The. "In the past, none failed to hear Confucius' teachings, but few understood them." A claim is a statement about something. Claims are established when the author of the argument positions himself and shows his opinion about a certain thing, usually without presenting a fact that proves it and leaves it open to be rejected or accepted and debated. An example of a claim is the phrase "In the past, none failed to hear Confucius' teachings, but few understood them."

B. The text shows how the song dynasty financed education by making it big and imposing in China. Since people had access to a good education, were well educated and very academically savvy, they were able to establish well-organized and managed social and political development.