27. What was the original purpose of grade forgiveness?

27.【答案】[A] To help freshmen adapt to college learning

【解析】根据题干要求，可回文定位至第三段第二句，“When this practice first started decades ago, it was usually limited to freshmen, to give them a second chance to take a class in their first year if they struggled in their transition to college-level courses”。根据上下文，该句中的this practice指的正是grade forgiveness，由此句可知，之所以出现grade forgiveness，是为了帮助大一新生适应大学学习。故正确答案应为[A]选项。