It may not make sense in the context of U.S. training (of which I must say I have only limited experience, having done my IR at Phoenix AZ) but it does make sense in the context of UK PPL training.
Here, PPL holders are traditionally scared s**tless of authority of all types. Just read some of the UK pilot forums.... loads of reported "meetings without tea and biscuits" with the CAA if you do this and that, loads of claimed CAA prosecutions for this and that (never substantiated by the summaries of successful prosecutions on the CAA website, hey what suprise), so many claims of this and that being illegal (the use of GPS for primary/sole [delete as appropriate according to your taste] navigation), etc etc etc etc.
Witness a typical bunch of PPLs who flew to another airfield for the customary $100 tea and chocolate cake. They sit around the table debating whether this or that is illegal, whereas I suspect U.S. pilots would be tucking into their equally customary $100 burger while eyeing up the girl behind the bar.
To be fair, having been reading U.S. aviation Usenet for some years (rec.aviation.*) I see Americans are also very regulation aware, but nobody is as anally retentive about it as the Brits.
And that's before you get me talking about over-interpretation of real and imaginary regulations by maintenance/aviations shops....
I reckon 99% of UK PPL would do exactly as ATC tells them, first, and only afterwards wonder why they are heading for a cloud, or a mountain. Just as well UK ATC is normally excellent.