Question

select two excerpts from the story that best support the inference that the principal values the consistency of the robot students. there was once a school without a single living student; the principal got his pupils from a robot factory instead. (paragraph 1) so these little robots were indeed marvels of mechanical and electronic efficiency, and everyone who saw them w was stunned by their performance. (paragraph 4) of course, it was possible to switch subjects around somewhat to take arithmetic before history, or, in place of one rule of grammar, to take another. (paragraph 11) indeed, the principal was so content with this state of affairs that he not only praised the teacher highly, but even gave her a promotion. (paragraph 11) the teacher couldn’t imagine such a disrespectful version of history being recited in school. she went back to her desk, full of anxiety, hoping that the principal would not find out. (paragraph 14)

Explanation:

1. For the excerpt "So these little robots were indeed marvels of mechanical and electronic efficiency, and everyone who saw them was stunned by their performance. (paragraph 4)": Robots' mechanical and electronic efficiency implies consistent performance, which the principal would value as it shows reliability and uniformity in their actions/learning, supporting the idea he values their consistency.
2. For the excerpt "Indeed, the principal was so content with this state of affairs that he not only praised the teacher highly, but even gave her a promotion. (paragraph 11)": The "state of affairs" likely refers to the robots' consistent performance (implied by previous context of their efficiency). The principal's contentment and rewarding the teacher shows he values the consistency the robots (and teacher's management of them) provide.

The other excerpts: The first is about where pupils come from, not consistency. The third is about subject switching (flexibility, not consistency). The fifth is about the teacher's anxiety, not the principal's valuation of robot consistency.

Answer:

• So these little robots were indeed marvels of mechanical and electronic efficiency, and everyone who saw them was stunned by their performance. (paragraph 4)
• Indeed, the principal was so content with this state of affairs that he not only praised the teacher highly, but even gave her a promotion. (paragraph 11)