Question

[Ngọc Ánh Phùng]

Why is it that parents are so often egocentric when it comes to matters concerning their children? Although their (desires, intentions, incentives, concerns) 1 ______ are undoubtedly altruistic, they assume that the choices they make for their offspring are the right ones. Take the (question, type, theme, view) 2 ______ of color, for example. Who decides what colour trousers to buy for young Jimmy? Who chooses the colors for his bedroom or bedclothes? (Unerringly, Unwillingly, Unenthusiastically, Unwittingly) 3 ______ parents condition their child’s (conception, perception, consideration, observation) 4 ______ of colour from a very early age. Choosing a pair of pink trousers for their six-year-old son (plays, runs, goes, comes) 5 ______ counter to most parents’ idea of how to dress a boy, and they would be (likely, incapable, loath, inept) 6 ______ to decorate their daughter’s bedroom in brown. In a similar way, a small child seen drawing a red tree may be quietly told that trees should be green. Yet the underlying criticism (inferred, implied, inlaid, imbued) 7 ______ in that can be detrimental to the child’s (thought, sense, feeling, instinct) 8 ______ of the world around them. Psychologists believe that allowing children to choose their own colours increases their self-confidence and their ability to express themselves. They use colour as a(n) (means, tool, method, aid) 9 ______ of helping children to identify their feelings and discuss them. For instance, (findings, reports, studies, research) 10 ______ have shown that after listening to a sad story, children tend to draw in dark brown, black or grey, whereas one with a happy ending will (lead, evoke, invoke, envisage) 11 ______ a response in yellow or orange. So, a mother should be delighted to see her fouryear-old drawing an orange tree or a yellow house, and perhaps be concerned if the child only uses grey. (Giving, Letting, Entrusting, Entitling) 12 ______ children free rein to choose colours for themselves may help parents to understand them better